Marinette did not get much sleep that night, after Chat abandoned their patrol, she headed home herself. After changing into pajamas, she lay in bed for hours as she processed the night's events and everything that had led up to them.
Chat could only have been talking about her, well the civilian her, and he could only be Adrien. There was no other way, no one else knew about the puns from lunch, and no one else believed her about Lila's lies. She knew it was him, but she couldn't be a hundred percent sure. This was too important to her to make a mistake on, she needed some confirmation and she feared she'd have to wait for Chat's confession to know for sure, but there were far too many coincidences for it not to be him.
Tikki had long since fallen asleep, she'd helped Marinette as much as possible before her little eyes had drifted shut.
Marinette sighed as she rolled over to stare at one of the pictures on the wall. When she returned home, she removed all the obsessive pictures of Adrien and replaced them with ones where they were together and with friends. Now that she knew his secret, she didn't know how to act around him, all she knew was that her feelings toward the model were more than just an obsession. With that realization came the realization that she needed to start treating him as more than an obsession.
As she tossed and turned she realized that even though she knew Chat's identity, she was still 99 percent sure she did, she couldn't do anything about it yet, she had to wait for him to make the first move. She still had to protect her identity after all, especially if that one percent was the right one.
Knowing who he was and what he was capable of as her masked partner made her worried about what he had planned for Lila.
She'd seen him go near feral when she'd been injured before, and if Lila made the mistake of crossing him, Marinette didn't know what he might do.
Burying her face in her blankets she forced the thoughts from her mind, she had school in the morning and needed to be alert to be ready for anything Adrien might do, but try as she might, thoughts of Lila haunted her mind.
When Marinette finally drifted off to sleep it was anything but restful, a nightmare in the form of memories made her toss and turn. In the nightmare she dreamt of when Lila had gotten her expelled, an event Marinette would rather have not remembered, along with two of the worst days of her life, the day Lila entered her life and when she tried to ruin Marinette's life completely.
The day had started as usual, Marinette and Alya were walking up the steps of the college when there was commotion from all over the place. Looking around Marinette couldn't help but overhear the name 'Lila' being repeated again and again. Each repetition brought a more fantastic tale with it.
"Jagged Stone wrote a song about her…", "She knows Prince Ali, he took her on his private jet...", "She knows all the biggest directors in Hollywood…"
Every time her name was spoken it was with an awe that Marinette had never seen.
"Lila?" she asked Alya.
"Yeah, she just moved here from Italy, her mom is a diplomat or something. Hey," Alya said as she eagerly grabbed her phone and opened the video app. "She did an interview for the Ladyblog, she said Ladybug saved her life once. See?" Alya presented the phone and the interview to Marinette who watched it with some confusion. Being Ladybug, Marinette had never seen the other girl before and she knew she'd never saved her life.
"Umm… that's great Alya, I'm sure the viewers loved it," Marinette replied as she handed the phone back once the video was over.
"You know it!" Alya replied, "it's received a ton of hits since I posted it."
"Don't look now," Alya said as she put her phone away and a smirk rose to her face, "but I think Adrien has a new friend."
Marinette's head whipped around to where Alya pointed, sure enough, Lila was on the 2nd floor with Adrien, chatting away like they were old friends.
Panic filled Marinette as thoughts of Lila snatching away Adrien filled her mind, but she was able to calm down a bit when she remembered that Lila was brand new to the school. She was probably getting directions.
"Lila's got the most incredible life, and now she's going here. She's awesome!" Alya said as she watched Lila grab Adrien's hand and tug him into the school.
"What?!" Marinette said in shock as she looked at her friend, "Don't say that! This is super bad, what if Adrien falls for her?! I've never flown in a private jet; nobody's ever written a song about me; and I don't know a single person in Hollywood! Adrien will forget I even exist!"
Alya chuckled as Marinette took off after them, to… look out for Adrien.
Later that day, after Marinette had overheard Lila convince Adrien to meet her at the park to talk about Ladybug, Marinette was currently (not) stalking Lila as she sat in the park waiting for Adrien.
Marinette used the zoom function on her phone's camera to get a closer look at Lila, something was off about her, and it wasn't just Marinette's jealousy flaring up. She watched as Lila put on a necklace with a fox tail charm. Lila then pulled out the book she'd taken (stole) from Adrien while in the library earlier, but she quickly hid it when Adrien approached, the poor book ended up in a trash can nearby when Lila decided to just toss it away.
Tikki could barely contain herself when she saw the book on Marinette's phone and rushed to retrieve the book from the trash. She struggled with the much larger book but was finally able to convince Marinette to get it out.
"So you do know Ladybug, for real?" Adrien asked as he sat next to Lila on a bench separated from the trash can by a small shrub.
"Not only did Ladybug save my life, but we've also become very close friends because we have something very special in common- it's what I wanted to tell you about. I'm the descendant of a vixen superheroine myself, Volpina."
"Volpina?" Adrien parroted.
"Volpina?" Marinette whispered to Tikki, who shook her head to indicate Lila was NOT a descendant of a superheroine.
"Wait a minute! I think I read about her in my book," Adrien said as he reached for his book bag.
"Of course, she's in your book," Lila said as she stopped him from trying to get the book out. "She's one of the most important superheroes. More powerful and more celebrated than Ladybug. Between you and me, Ladybug doesn't even make the top ten. My grandma gave me this necklace."
"Wow, she's good. Really good," Tikki said in awe of Lila's ability to lie so well.
"You've got your book; I can't lose Adrien. Time to transform!" Marinette told her Kwami as left the park to find a safe place to transform into Ladybug.
Back in the park, Adrien was holding Lila's necklace.
"Are you telling me this is a Miraculous?!" Adrien asked moments before Ladybug landed in front of them.
"Well hey, Lila! How's it going? Long time no see," she said sarcastically, something that was not lost on Adrien. "I saw your interview on the Ladyblog, awesome job." She congratulated as she put her foot on the bench between Adrien and Lila and leaned closer to Lila. "Oh, sure! I remember our instant connection when I saved your life and we've been really good friends ever since! Practically BFFs! Uh actually, when did I save your life again, Lila? I don't recall. Oh yes! Of course, now I remember. Never! And we're not friends either!"
Turning to Adrien she explained.
"Miss Show-Off here was trying to impress you and everyone around her."
"So I guess you aren't the descendant of a superhero either?" He asked the now crying Lila.
"She's more like a super liar," Ladybug added with some spite, okay, a lot of spite.
"How dare you?!" Lila said as she turned and fled.
"Wait! Lila!" He called after the other girl, "Hey, what was that all about? Uh, I mean, weren't you kinda harsh with her?"
"I...I don't put up with lies, especially when they're about me," Ladybug answered before she yo-yoed away.
"What is with you, Ladybug?" Adrien asked into the empty air, it would only be much later that he'd learn exactly what was wrong with his Lady.
Of course, that was just the first time she'd met the liar and had to fight her Akumatized version of Volpina, but not that last, Volpina would eventually turn into a semi-regular Akuma. However, the worst part of her dream was when she dreamed about the day Lila got her expelled and almost cost her everything.
Everyone was walking into the classroom and taking their seats, just like any other day.
"I'm good friends with the best manga publisher in Japan, you know," Lila told Nathaniel as she took her seat, "I can talk to them about your comic book project if you like."
"She's such a liar!" Marinette said under her breath, but Alya heard her.
"You gotta stop obsessing over her, Marinette," the reporter advised her friend, the pair taking their seats moments before the teacher called for attention.
"I've graded your mock exam papers. Most of you did quite well, some better than others, but before I hand them back, Marinette, could you bring your schoolbag to me, please? I need to check something." Ms. Bustier said, Marinette was confused but rose to obey.
"Today, someone placed an anonymous note in my mailbox, claiming that you'd stolen the exam answers, and it looks like the anonymous person was right!" Ms. Bustier said as she pulled the answers from Marinette's bag, everyone in the class gasped in shock, and Lila quickly hid her smirk behind her hand.
"But that's not true! Someone must've planted that piece of paper in my bag!" Marinette protested.
"But you've answered all of the questions correctly," her teacher countered.
"I did?" Marinette said happily, before the situation re-registered in her mind, "Yes, but because I've studied," she defended.
"Ms. Bustier," Alya interjected, "Marinette always scores high on your tests."
"This is so terribly unlike you, Marinette. You're usually so well-behaved," Lila bemoaned, barely able to hide her glee.
"Of course!" Marinette gasped in realization, "You put the answers in my bag! You're the "anonymous informer"!"
"I'm coming to your defense and you're accusing me?!" Lila said with a feigned gasp, completely missing the part where nothing she said was in Marinette's defense in any way.
"You can't accuse someone without proof, Marinette," their teacher said. Marinette's blood began to boil since she'd been accused without proof many times before and Ms. Bustier never said a thing.
"But I'm sure it's her! She stole the test answers! She framed me," Marinette replied with some heat, her frustration getting the better of her.
"That's impossible, Marinette," Ms. Bustier corrected, "Lila got the worst grade in the class."
"Then... she flunked the exam on purpose!" Marinette said with exasperation.
"Excuse me, Ms. Bustier," Adrien interrupted, "but everyone here knows it isn't like Marinette to cheat. That's not who she is."
"He's right!" Ayla said.
"It doesn't make sense," Rose added, to which everyone, except Lila, agreed.
Ms. Bustier clapped her hands to be heard over the din that began in Marinette's defense.
"Marinette, Lila, please go to the principal's office until we get to the bottom of this," she told the students.
Lila reached the door first as she had taken Marinette's seat in the front ages ago and had relegated Marinette to the back of the room, she held it open for Marinette, who went first. Lila followed, her anger hidden as her back was to the class, the door closing behind her and cutting off any conversation they may have in the hallway.
Out in the hallway, Lila spoke up.
"I swore I'd make your life unbearable, Marinette, I told you to back off and let me lie all I want. But you just couldn't do that, so, I hope you enjoy your reward, let's see how you get out of this one," the Italian spat.
"I'm not falling into your trap, Lila," Marinette replied as she kept a careful distance from the other girl.
"Too late," Lila replied with a feral grin, "you already have."
Lila then turned and walked casually down the stairs until she reached the landing.
"Where are you going?" Marinette asked as she reached the door to the office.
"You're about to find out, Marinette," she replied evilly, "Ready?"
Lila laid down on the landing and clutched her leg, she then started screaming in pain.
"OUCH! MY LEG," Lila moans as she rocks on the floor in fake pain.
"What happened over here?" Mr. Damocles asks as he takes in the scene after bursting from his office, students and teachers pouring into the hallways to see what is going on.
"Marinette pushed me down the stairs," Lila said through her fake tears.
"In my office," the principal demanded as he all but pulled Marinette through the door.
A few minutes later, Lila and Marinette were both seated in the office, Lila sporting an ice pack the secretary had given her. Tom and Sabine had been called and were now standing behind Marinette.
"But, sir," Marinette repeated for a third time, "it wasn't me! I didn't do anything."
"I don't know why Marinette doesn't like me," Lila cried, pressing her foot against the tack in her shoe to turn on more tears. "I've really tried to be her friend, but she keeps calling me a liar, getting the others to gang up against me, and now, she's pushing me down the stairs?" She bursts into tears and sobs as she hides her head in her hands.
"Those are total lies!" Marinette said in shock, Mr. Damocles ignored her entirely and instead focused on Lila, something that was not lost on either of Marinette's parents.
"Go on, Lila," he said.
"She even took a necklace I got from my grandmother - a fox pendant," she moaned through her hands.
"Took, as in stole?" The principal asked with a bit of surprise. No one in his school ever stole from the other students, that he knew of.
"Huh? That's not true! I never stole anything," Marinette defended.
"My daughter is not a thief," Tom said.
"Why should we believe any of this? You're accusing her without any proof," Sabine added.
"Oh, I have proof," Lila replied with a smirk, her tears already dried. The one question that no one thought of at the time, but should have, was how Lila would know exactly where the pendant was if it had indeed been stolen.
A short time later they are all standing around the lockers, Marinette's in particular, a crowd of onlookers surrounding them.
"Open your locker, please," Mr. Damocles demanded more than asked. Marinette reached over to her unlocked locker and opened the door, once the door had opened a bit a pendant fell to the floor.
"My Grandma's pendant!" Lila gasped as she scooped it from the floor.
Marinette and Sabine gasped in shock.
"She's making up this whole thing! It wasn't me! I didn't do anything, I swear," Marinette turned to face her mother who was openly crying, "You know Lila's lying, don't you, Adrien?" she asked the boy standing nearby, Damocles had turned the entire incident into a spectacle by not sending the students back to their classes following the incident on the stairs. They had all decided to follow when they saw the party headed to the lockers. The school gossip mill would be working overtime, and no matter how this turned out, Marinette would be forever remembered as a thief and liar, even if it was just in whispers.
"Mr. Damocles," Adrien started to defend Marinette, "I don't think…"
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," the man said in anger, "you are expelled from this school!"
Everyone present gasped as Marinette dissolved into tears and collapsed to the floor.
"You can't do that," Adrien spoke up as he took a step toward Marinette only to be blocked by Lila, who did not show a single sign of having been pushed down the stairs only minutes earlier.
Tom glared at the principal as he gathered his daughter to him and helped her stand before leading her out, Sabine following. Adrien made to follow but was prevented by Lila latching onto his arm as well as Damocles forbidding anyone else from following.
Marinette and her parents had barely cleared the exit when a swarm of Hawk Moth's, or more accurately Scarlet Moth's scarlet Akumas, swarmed around them and made any escape impossible. Marinette briefly had time to consider that it was Scarlet Moth, the powered-up identity that Hawk Moth assumed when he used the Peacock and Butterfly miraculous together, that they now had to deal with when Marinette, her parents, and several others nearby were infected, and things went dark.
"Verity Queen, Princess Justice, I am Scarlet Moth," a voice rang inside their heads, "Since the innocent isn't to be believed anymore, I'm giving you both the power to expose the truth. In return for this power, you will bring me Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous."
Under the spell of the Akuma, Marinette started to remove her earrings only to stop when the connection to Scarlet Moth was cut and the Akumas disappeared, leaving everyone that was once infected clear of the dark influence. Before the connection was cut, Marinette thought she'd heard Scarlet Moth's voice take on a note of worry, and she could almost imagine him asking his subordinate 'what's wrong,' before his influence disappeared. Whatever had happened, something on his end was wrong and she was very glad for it.
Marinette's dream flashed again as the memories shifted in her sleep.
Her dream resolved once more, this time she's back inside Mr. Damocles' office with Lila and the principal.
"…and because of this rare disease," Lila says through tears, "sometimes I can't control things I say. I'm really sorry, Marinette."
"Thank you for your confession, Lila," Damocles tells the Italian, fully believing every word spoken, "It's very moving. Marinette, you will of course be allowed back in the school tomorrow, you can both go," he tells them as he blows his nose, still touched by Lila's story.
Once outside his office, Marinette speaks up.
"People should know better. Things aren't always what they seem to be at first sight. So look, I don't know why you felt the urge to start all this, or why all of a sudden you lied to fix this mess, but I'm glad to see you're capable of coming back to your senses. Sometimes."
"As you said," Lila told her with another feral grin, "things aren't always what they seem to be at first sight."
With that Lila walks off and Marinette's dream fades into darkness.
.o.0.o.
Eventually, she did fall into a dreamless sleep, however, she still awoke more tired than when she went to bed thanks to the memories of Lila that had plagued her most of the night.
As she entered the classroom the next day she noted that nothing was different. Lila was still in her seat next to Adrien's, surrounded by her simpering hangers-on who were eating up another lie. Adrien thankfully hadn't arrived yet, so didn't have to hear the latest lie about him.
"Gabriel Agreste told me that once Adrien and I are out of Lycée he'll bless us getting married."
Marinette had to bite her lip as she passed by the group to her seat at the top of the stadium-style classroom. She had to hide her shaking fist as the rest of the class ate up the lie. Knowing what she did of her friend, Marinette knew Adrien couldn't stand Lila and would rather not be within 100 feet if possible. But, once again, Marinette had to bite her lip, or she'd be branded as being 'jealous' of Lila.
Settling in her seat she glanced around as she pulled her notebooks and books from her bag. As she was placing them on the desk Alya bounced up to her.
"Girl! Did you hear the news? Lila and Adrien are going to get married after Lycée! Isn't that exciting? A schoolyard romance."
Despite her best efforts, Marinette couldn't help the comment that broke her lips.
"I didn't even know they were dating."
Alya's face dropped as she leveled a glare at Marinette.
"Girl, why do you have to be so jealous of her good luck?"
"Alya," Marinette began despite knowing it was fruitless, "I'm not jealous, I'm just surprised. I'm just saying that I didn't even know they were dating."
Alya glared at Marinette for a moment before replying, Marinette could feel her friend slipping away even more.
"Lila said Adrien didn't want it getting out since it might hurt the Gabriel brand if the face of the brand was in a relationship."
Marinette sighed before she responded.
"I see, well, I'm happy for her."
Alya's glare turned into a smile as she hugged her best friend, even though Marinette wondered if that title was still applicable anymore. Given the look that Alya had just given her and the near-instant animosity when Marinette had questioned something Lila said, Marinette was willing to bet that the answer was no, the title didn't fit anymore.
"I knew you'd warm up to her," the reporter replied before she released Marinette and bounced off to hear more of Lila's tales.
Marinette just sighed again placed her head on the desk and closed her eyes. It was far too early in the morning to be dealing with this stuff.
"Hmm," a voice next to her hummed in thought, "I don't remember ever asking her out."
Her head snapped up at Adrien's voice, surprised to find him sitting next to her in all black once again, his feet propped on the desk as he leaned back in his chair. He turned a smile in her direction before returning a thoughtful look in the direction of the crowd around Lila.
"A-Adrien," Marinette squeaked in surprise, and she truly was surprised. She hadn't even seen him come in and by the lack of acknowledgment of the rest of the class, they hadn't either.
"When did you get here?"
"I was standing behind Alya when she told you what the liar said. Everyone was too preoccupied with her tales to notice me coming in."
Marinette only nodded as she turned to face the gaggle of people around Lila.
"So, what are you going to do about it," she asked the boy next to her, her mind trying to remind itself that she wasn't supposed to know he was Chat Noir or know anything about the conversation he'd had with Ladybug the night before.
"Honestly?" he asked her as he turned a wolfish grin in her direction, "right now, nothing. I have a plan to take care of her and I've already set it in motion. No need to get involved if I don't have to." The grin he sent her way was so mischievous that it could only belong to his alter ego. How had she never noticed it before? Oh, right, the glamour magic.
She returned his smile, but it soon dropped when Alya caught sight of him.
"Adrien!" She cried as she ran up the steps and practically danced in front of him. Adrien only turned his head slowly from where he had been watching Marinette so he could stare at the reporter in front of him.
Her cry of his name caught the attention of the rest of the class and they all rushed to start congratulating him and Lila, knocking Marinette to the floor as they all crammed in around him.
Adrien only stood up and pushed his way roughly through the crowd, ignoring them all as he reached where Marinette had fallen to the floor.
"Are you all right?" he asked as he kneeled to check her for injuries.
"I'm okay," she replied as she rubbed her backside a bit, in all honestly it only stung a bit from the impact and not much more.
He stood and offered her his hand, helping her to stand and forcefully moving people away from her desk. He gently placed her in her seat before turning a very dark glare on his classmates.
"What do you all want?" he asked, turning his dark glare onto those still clustered around the desk, his arms crossing as he radiated displeasure.
"We wanted to congratulate you," Alya said with a grin, seemingly ignoring the fact her supposed best friend had been shoved to the floor and almost trampled.
"Oh?" he asked as his voice grew darker, those in the back of the group lost their smiles and slowly started to back away. There was dark energy emanating from him and they could all feel it and it promised nothing but bad things for those it was directed at. Several people were even wondering if this dark energy would cause him to become akumatized. Unfortunately, Alya was one of the ones who couldn't feel the energy as strongly or possibly, at all.
Adrien raised an eyebrow as Max, Rose, and Juleka retreated to the desks in the front of the class, putting distance and shielding between them and the very angry blond.
"What would you have to congratulate me about? I don't remember doing anything worth being congratulated over."
"Your engagement to Lila," Alya added with a smile, "she was just telling us that your dad said it was okay for you two to get married after Lycée, I'm so excited for you both." She gushed. For a reporter, she was very unobservant if she couldn't tell from the look on his face that what she was spouting was utter rubbish.
"Funny," he said as he shot a glance to Marinette and gave a half-shrug to indicate it was a change in his plans, "I didn't even know we were dating."
"You don't have to hide it, Adrien," Alya said, "Lila told us the truth, that you didn't want it getting out to not harm your father's brand."
"My father's brand?" he asked with feigned confusion, "I think you mean my brand."
"No," Alya said as she looked around the room in confusion, "I mean the Gabriel brand."
Adrien smirked as he pushed those still hovering behind the desk away and took the seat next to Marinette, his feet propped up on the desk.
"Like I said, my brand."
"Um…" Lila spoke up from the back of the crowd, her mind spinning on how to turn this new information to her advantage. "Did your father already turn the company over to you? I thought he was going to wait until after the wedding."
"Seriously?" Alya squealed in happiness as she jumped in joy.
"Lila," Adrien said as he turned his gaze onto the Italian girl, "my father didn't give me anything, I took it from him a few days ago."
"WHAT?" Was the collective reaction, although Marinette just turned to him in shock as she realized what he meant by gaining some freedom.
"It's called a hostile takeover," he added with a careless shrug, "although it wasn't as hostile as it could have been. Father was in a bit of shock when it all happened."
"You…" Alya began once she found her voice, "you, the incarnation of sunshine, did a hostile takeover of your father's company?"
"Hmm," Adrien hummed as he examined his nails, "sounds about right."
"But, why?" Lila asked in as much shock as the rest of the class. "He was going to give it to you in a few years when we were married."
He sighed and rolled his eyes before putting his feet on the floor and standing up, his hands landing softly on the table before his fingers gripped the edge in fury. His face clouded in a fury that no one had ever seen on his usually sunny visage.
"Why?" he said with a snarl, eyes blazing with emerald fire. "Why? Because I am tired of him dictating every minute of my life. It's my life and I will live it the way I want to."
His reaction caused everyone to take a step back, he took a deep breath before he continued, managing to calm himself somewhat.
"Now, as for you, Lila," his gaze fell to the liar in the back, "we have never and will never be dating and it will be a very, very cold day in hell when I agree to marry you. Let me make this very clear, I am in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, she is the kindest, most caring, and most compassionate woman I have ever met. I know for a fact she would, and does, put the happiness of all those around her over her own, every single day, and Lila, none of what I just said describes you."
With his speech over, he sat back in his chair just as the teacher walked in.
"Everyone please return to your seats," she said as she placed her bags on her desk.
"Adrien, please return to your seat as well," she said once everyone else had moved to their respective places.
"I'd rather stay in the back; I don't feel comfortable in the front anymore." He told her as he leveled a challenging stare in her direction. She gulped as she only nodded, that glare had promised very ill things had she not agreed, the same dark energy the others had felt earlier now directed at her.
"I… I'll update the… the seating chart then," she managed to get out before he lowered his heated glare.
She sighed in relief as the oppressive pressure she'd felt left and warmth returned to the room.
"N-now let's take roll…"
Adrien only turned to smile at the shocked look on Marinette's face. He raised a hand and gently closed her jaw, his finger stroking her cheek for a moment before he turned back to the lesson.
"We need to talk, Princess," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "can I come over after class?"
Marinette could only nod in shock as she tried to pull her eyes away from the boy next to her. She'd seen Chat get mad before, she'd seen Adrien upset, but never in her life had she ever seen anyone that furious outside of an Akuma. Her mind didn't even want to process the care he showed her when their classmates, not friends if their actions of a few minutes ago proved anything, had knocked her to the floor and almost trampled her.
Adrien smiled at her even as he nodded at her notebook, she gave a small squeak and picked up her pencil to copy the notes down. Adrien smiled and indicated he'd give her the missing notes later. She smiled back and was thankfully able to pay attention for the rest of the school day.
.o.0.o.
Marinette gave a relieved sigh once the day finally ended and she was able to collapse into her desk chair. She ran a hand over her face and rubbed her tired eyes. A chuckle from next to her drew her attention to her guest.
Adrien could only smile at how adorable she was. He had walked home with her, and after greeting her parents and getting the Gorilla settled with some treats, had followed the girl to her room. Currently, he was sitting on the edge of her chaise lounge with his elbows resting on his knees as he watched her, a smile on his face at how cute she was.
"Eep," Marinette squeaked as she jumped a bit, hands covering her mouth in surprise.
"Forgot I was here?" he asked kindly.
"Y-yeah," she replied as she lowered her hands and turned to look at him. "S-so what did you want to talk about?"
"Mari," he said as he placed a hand on her knee making her melt internally from both the touch and nickname. "You don't have to be nervous, we studied together just fine before, just think of this as another study session."
She nodded even as she took a few calming breaths.
"So," she managed to say in a stronger voice, "what did you want to talk about?"
"That's my girl," he said as he squeezed her knee before standing and beginning to pace, a serious look replacing his smile as he did.
"Mari, there are a few things I need to tell you, important things. I need you to listen until the end and don't interrupt, it'll all make more sense if you do."
Taking a deep breath he stilled and turned to face her, kneeling, and taking both her hands into his own.
"Mari, I know this is sudden, but I love you, I am in love with you and not as a friend. There are secrets I need to tell you, dangerous secrets, but I trust you, more than I've ever trusted another living soul."
Taking a deep breath he said the three other words that changed her world.
"I'm Chat Noir."
The breath of surprise she released was not faked, she knew that Chat would be revealing his identity, but she didn't know it would be so soon. Her shock was compounded when she realized that Adrien was Chat, and Chat was Adrien. She was right! She had already figured it out last night, but the confirmation made it the most wonderful shock of her life.
"You must understand that, so you know where my feelings are coming from. Alya thinks I'm clueless about your feelings for me, but I'm not, I just let her and everyone else think that because it was safer. I realized when I first accepted these powers and the reality sank in that as long as I had them I could never have a normal life, could never truly love someone. I know you have a crush on me, I've seen the same reactions from fans for years. What I don't know is how deep your affections are for me, is it just a crush or is it more? Don't answer that," he told her as he saw her taking a breath to reply, "at least not yet. Let me get it all out first."
He released her hands and stood, pacing to stare out her window at the street below.
"A few days ago, there was an Akuma, I can't remember his name, I just call him the Digger. Anyway, Ladybug and I were fighting him, I'm sure you remember as he attacked during school. We had been fighting for hours and I had been blocking the bigger pieces of rock that he hurled at us. I had just broken us out of a rock shell with my cataclysm when he managed to knock me out of the air. I recovered but noticed I had been injured; I was bleeding from a deep gash on my stomach. That didn't stop me though, I got back in the fight; I had to distract him so Ladybug could purify the Akuma. It's my job to be her shield and protect her, but, as I was leaping at the Akuma, he was able to impale me with rock spikes. I was knocked out of the air and into an alley nearby, I landed hard against the ground and bounced to rest against the wall, the impacts knocked the spike out of my chest. At least, that's what my Kwami, Plagg, figured happened. I know you were Multimouse, Mari, so I don't need to explain a Kwami to you."
Adrien paused with a smile on his face as he remembered the time Marinette had been given the Mouse miraculous temporarily by Ladybug. The piece of jewelry that was the miraculous was a necklace that he thought looked amazing on her. He had often wondered why all the miraculous were pieces of jewelry of one kind or another, but it didn't truly matter much in the long run, especially not when he had a cute little Mari-mouse on his mind. He remembered her hair up in Odango-style twin buns, which resembled mouse ears rather than her usual pigtails. The grey and black bodysuit with pink trimming still haunted his dreams in the best ways. He particularly liked her pink jump rope that acted both as her weapon and her tail, it reminded him of his belt tail. The black gloves that came a little above her elbows and had a thick pink horizontal stripe at the end only helped to accentuate her lithe form, the knee-high black boots almost did him in once he realized it was Marinette wearing them. But his favorite part of the uniform was the mask; the mask was gray at the top and pink with a black border at the bottom which only drew his attention to her large, luminous blue eyes. He could drown in those eyes for the rest of his life and he'd be the happiest man in the world. Forcing himself to get back on track and not get lost in either the memory of her eyes or the real pair that were silently watching him, he continued.
"Anyway, once I hit the wall I was knocked unconscious, I was bleeding out and dying. While I was unconscious I had a dream about you, I dreamed I was marrying the most beautiful, caring, kind, and compassionate woman in the world. At first, it was all a blur and I thought she was Ladybug, but as the dream went on I could see more and more features. Eventually, Plagg was able to get me to wake up, but I had already lost so much blood I was on the verge of death anyway. I was able to give him my final goodbyes, one for Ladybug, and one for you. In those last moments, as I held my best friend in my hands, I came to the realization that I loved you, even more than Ladybug. Don't misunderstand me, I will always love Ladybug, always, but, she will never return my love and I fell in love with you instead."
He turned from the window and rushed to her, taking her hands, and holding them to his chest.
"I want you to know, you are NOT a replacement for her, and you are NOT a second choice." He pulled her hands to his lips and looked into her eyes to make it clear she was not second best.
"You will never be second best Mari, while I do love my Lady, my heart and soul belong to you. They are yours to do with as you please, keep them, toss them away, whatever you want to do, they are yours. Now and forever."
He stayed in that position despite his legs losing circulation until she nodded her understanding, her mouth unable to process words. Adrien smiled and moved to sit on the chaise, one of her hands still held in his. He gazed at how small and fragile it looked in his bigger hand before placing a gentle kiss on the knuckles.
"After telling Plagg my confession I died, only a few minutes later Ladybug was able to defeat the Akuma and release the Miraculous Cure. Plagg wasn't sure if I would be revived, my body was healed, but there was a point where enough time would pass where even the Cure wouldn't reverse death. Thankfully, I was still within the time frame and was healed. I woke up later at home, the Gorilla had found me and taken me home. After my experience, I had to reevaluate my feelings, especially when my last thoughts were of you."
He raised his eyes to her, her hand still held in his. He could see her trying to process everything. He knew it was a lot to take in.
He sighed as he released her hand and stood, walking to stand before the window again. His eyes found the street below.
"There's more though, a lot more. Most of it has to do with what I mentioned in class today, but, I just wanted to know if you want me to go or stay, I want to know if you even feel the same way I do. No matter your answer," he said as he closed his eyes and dropped his head a bit. "No matter your choice, I will respect it and will always love you and protect you, Mari."
With that statement, his dialogue for the last 30 minutes stopped, and he just waited and listened.
Marinette had heard most of that the night before as Ladybug, but she knew so much more than she did then, she felt so much more.
Gathering her wits about her she stood and walked to her trapdoor down into the rest of the house. She opened it and peered out into the lower floor; it was empty. Her parents were still in the bakery. She closed the door and stood. She knew he would assume that she had left, after all the heartache he'd experienced in life she couldn't blame him for expecting rejection.
She saw him sigh and slump his shoulders when he heard the door close, but Marinette didn't let him suffer. She quickly approached him and turned him, taking his face in her hands as she gently caressed his cheeks, wiping away the small tears that formed in the corners of his eyes.
"Adrien," she said softly, "look at me, please."
He slowly opened his eyes, wet with unshed tears, he'd cry when he was alone again, just like every other time.
"I know this is a lot for you, I know you've had so much pain and heartache in your life. I also know you will never have that from me. After our pun-derful lunch with Alya, I came home that night and realized that what I felt for you was an infatuation, an obsession, at one point." He closed his eyes at her confession, he'd known it was nothing but an obsession. He sighed as he waited for her to continue, even as her hands continued to hold his face.
"My feelings for you were an obsession, Adrien, but not anymore. The more I got to know you the more I grew to love you for you, terrible puns included. I don't care if you are rich, poor, Chat Noir, or just plain Adrien, I love you."
As she had been speaking she'd slowly been moving closer, her eyes closing along with the distance until their lips gently touched with her declaration of love.
His eyes snapped open in shock before sliding closed in bliss, his arms wrapped around her back and pulling her against him. Her shorter height was not an issue as he leaned down to deepen the kiss.
Moments later they broke for air, their lips were swollen and their hearts beating in a rapid staccato. Their eyes opened and shone with love, foreheads meeting as they just stared into each other's eyes.
"I love you, my Princess," he whispered as he placed a kiss on her nose. She giggled and returned one to his lips.
He sighed in happiness before letting out a sigh of resignation. Pulling gently away from her, he looked at the ring on his right hand, the silver object reminded him of the promise he'd made to Ladybug.
"Mari," he whispered her name almost reverently, "I told Ladybug that I would give up being Chat Noir, I have to make good on my promise. I have to give her my ring and let her decide what to do."
He pulled away from her and stood before her, his mind spinning as he thought about his next move.
"Plagg," he called and waited as the Kwami floated out of his bag. "I want you to meet Marinette, officially, before I give Ladybug the ring back."
"It's nice to officially meet you," the Black Cat Kwami said, "the kid hasn't shut up about you in days."
Adrien just rolled his eyes.
"It's nice to meet you too, Plagg, thank you for always taking care of him."
"It has been my pleasure; he's a good kitten and I'll miss him."
"Oh, Plagg," Marinette said as she cupped him and nuzzled him to her face, "I don't think you'll be missing him very long."
Marinette smiled as she released the little god to float in the air again.
"Adrien, you've been honest with me and it is time I was honest with you. I know you want to give up Plagg, but somehow I don't think your Lady would let you do that."
"How can you be so sure?" Adrien asked as he now held Plagg close to him, desperate for any moment he could get with his oldest friend.
Marinette only smiled.
"Tikki, Spots On."
Adrien's jaw dropped as he watched the woman he loved transform into his first love.
"L-Ladybug," he said softly as he released Plagg, he shared a look with the Kwami before he slid the silver ring from his finger, Plagg vanishing as the ring was removed.
"My Lady," Adrien began as he slowly approached her, taking her hand once he stood before her. "I return to you the Black Cat miraculous." He placed the ring in her hand and slowly folded her fingers around it. "The fate of Chat Noir is yours to decide."
Marinette just smiled as she watched him, he was a man of his word and did indeed return the ring as he'd promised.
"Silly kitty," she said as she placed a kiss on his forehead, "I would never take Plagg from you."
His head snapped up and his eyes went wide as she slid the ring back onto his finger, the Kwami appearing once again.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he threw himself on her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, face buried in her shoulder.
Marinette just held him as he let his tears of joy fall from his eyes, Plagg floated over and hugged the back of his head as best he could.
Eventually, the tears stopped, and he slumped against her, exhausted. She gently led him to her chaise where she forced him to lie down before sitting on the edge and placing his head in her lap. Marinette smiled as she began to stroke his hair, Adrien sighed in contentment as her fingers raked through the locks and scratched pleasantly against his scalp.
"Silly kitty," she said as she leaned down to kiss his nose.
His eyes opened and shone in love and contentment as he just marveled at her.
"Tikki spots off," Marinette said as she cradled Adrien's head in her lap, her eyes closing in contentment as well.
Tikki floated a bit to the side once the transformation fell away, Plagg floated to her side and pulled his life-long companion into a hug.
"I've missed you, sugar cube," he told her.
"I've missed you too, stinky sock," she replied as her eyes closed in joy.
The four stayed in the embrace of the other for some time, just letting the happiness of being together wash over them. Finally, Marinette broke the peaceful silence.
"Adrien," she said softly as she stroked his cheeks now.
"Hmm?" he replied in bliss.
"I have another secret to tell you," she said as she placed a kiss on his forehead once again.
"Hmm?" he replied elegantly.
"It's about the other boy, the one I kept turning Chat down for."
Her statement was like a bucket of ice water on his face, all the joy left him, and he just lay there waiting for the shoe to drop, waiting to hear that she loved him, but not the way he wanted and needed.
"The other boy..." she said as she softly stroked his forehead and cheeks again, leaning her face down so their noses were inches apart. "...was you."
With that statement she closed the distance and captured his lips with her own, starting slow and chaste before the realization of her words hit him.
Once they had he raised a hand to cup the back of her head and pull her into a deeper kiss. Soon, neither was paying any attention to the world around them, for them, the only thing in the world was each other.
After a few minutes of love-filled kisses, they finally broke apart, lips more swollen than before and eyes glassy in bliss. Both sighed as they pressed their foreheads together and closed their eyes, contented smiles on their faces.
A knock at the trapdoor drew their attention and they turned their heads to look in that direction.
"Marinette," her mother said kindly as she pushed the door open enough to poke her head in, her smile turning brilliant when she saw the position they were in. "Dinner is ready, should I set a place for Adrien?"
The new couple was startled as they looked at each other before looking out the window, the sun had indeed set. How long had they just been talking?
Laughing at how they lost track of time, Adrien pulled himself up before offering her his hand, placing a kiss on the back of her hand once she took his.
"I would love to stay, Sabine," he said as he turned a smile in her direction, gently leading Marinette to the ladder and helping her descend it.
"Do you need to call Nathalie first?" she asked.
Adrien laughed as he followed them to the apartment's dining room.
"No, things have changed a bit since I was last here. I can tell you over dinner, but, if it is possible could the Gorilla join us?"
Sabine smiled at the care the young man showed for his bodyguard.
"I already invited him to join us if you were staying, in fact, he was helping Tom prepare some of the pastries for the morning."
Adrien's smile grew and he wrapped her in a hug before setting her down and repeating the action with Marinette.
"I'll go tell him," he said as he rushed down the stairs with a smile on his face.
Marinette watched him go with a loving expression.
"So," her mother drawled, pulling her from her trance, "you and Adrien are… together then?"
"Um… yes," Marinette said as she blushed, followed by a brilliant smile growing on her face as she realized the truth of the situation.
"Yes," she repeated in a stronger and happier tone.
Sabine squealed in joy as she hugged her daughter, and Marinette only laughed as her mother danced her around the room.
"And what are we celebrating?" Tom asked as he appeared from the steps to the bakery, Adrien and the Gorilla following behind him. Marinette had to stifle a giggle when she saw the normally dour bodyguard sporting patches of flour dust on his suit from when he was helping her father make pastries.
"Mari and Adrien are finally together," Sabine replied as she turned to her husband whose face fell, "pay up."
Tom sighed before pulling several euros out of his wallet and handing them to her.
Adrien just put his face in his hand and sighed.
"I know there is a pool at school, but you too?" he asked as he finally looked at them, both wearing sheepish grins on their faces even as Marinette blushed red. With a sigh, Adrien turned to the Gorilla, the man had the same sheepish grin on his face as Marinette's parents. He only smiled before handing Sabine several bills as well.
"I knew it!" Adrien said as he just stared at his bodyguard. "Why am I not surprised?"
"LET'S EAT!" Marinette said louder than normal, drawing a laugh from the others and a grin from the Gorilla.
Soon they were all gathered around the table enjoying the meal, laughing, talking, or grinning in the Gorilla's case.
Once they had settled down and were waiting for dessert to cool, Sabine turned to Adrien and asked the question that had been on her mind all evening.
"Adrien, how have things changed since you were last here?"
The boy only grinned, sharing a look with his bodyguard.
"Do you want to tell them or should I?" he asked the silent man who only rolled his eyes at the joke. Adrien laughed before replying to Sabine's question.
"Well, after an incident a few nights ago I realized that I am tired of having my entire life planned out by my father. So I did some research and made some calls. It turns out that by law I am the majority shareholder in Gabriel."
"WHAT?" was the collective response from the bakers. Adrien grinned bigger before taking Marinette's hand in his and leaning back in his chair.
"You see, I'd always had a feeling that my father was hiding something, and I was right, he was hiding me. Well, not me exactly, but how much he worked me. Let me tell you the story.
"I see… yes… thank you… no, you've been extremely helpful," Adrien replied as he jotted down notes from the call. "Yes, I'll call if I need any more assistance, just make sure the papers are here in the morning. Yes… ok… thank you."
Adrien grinned as he hung up the phone.
"Plagg," he said to the Kwami, a million-dollar smile on his face, "I'm going to be free!"
"Good news then?" he asked as he floated nearby eating a piece of Camembert.
"Very," Adrien replied as he pushed away from his desk. "Having a 24-hour legal team is a Godsend."
"So, what did you learn?"
"All in good time, Plagg, you'll find out tomorrow. For now, I have to make a bank transfer." He said as he took out his phone and opened his banking app. After making the transfer he plugged his phone back in and fell on his bed, a smile on his face.
"Come on, kid, give me something."
"Hmm, let's just say something interesting will be happening tomorrow."
Plagg only sighed and brushed the cheese crumbs from his face before floating over to the bed. Curling up on the pillow he fell asleep, he knew his stubborn kitten wouldn't say a word until he was ready.
Adrien was almost too excited to sleep, but he forced himself to relax and calm his breathing.
The next day the alarm went off bright and early, Adrien woke up with a grin as he rushed to get ready. In record time he was showered and dressed in his new Gabriel brand all-black clothing.
Rushing from the room he dialed his phone and waited for the Gorilla to answer.
"Come to my father's office in 30 minutes, I need to talk to him, and I want you there."
His bodyguard only grunted before Adrien disconnected the line and checked his text messages. His grin grew when he saw the one he was looking for.
Racing to the front doors he threw them open and ran to the front gate, manually opening it for the black sedan to drive in and closing the gate behind it.
Once it had parked he raced to the door just as the three passengers got out.
"Mr. Agreste," the driver said as he extended his hand, "it's good to see you."
"You too, Mr. Bines, thank you for coming on such short notice. Is everything in order? You got my transfer?"
"We did, all arrangements have been made. All we need is your signature here and we will have Mr. Jonas notarize it."
"Excellent," Adrien said as he reached for the papers, accepting the pen he was handed he quickly signed all needed places, watching as Mr. Jonas notarized the document to confirm its legitimacy. Adrien did the same thing for two more copies.
"There, that's everything," Mr. Bines said as he handed two copies to Mr. Jonas. "Mr. Jonas will make sure they are filed with the appropriate courts immediately given the nature of this case. Ms. Bellacourt will join us for the meeting as a witness. The papers you signed last night have already been filed and approved by a judge and the transfer you made paid the fees associated with them."
Adrien nodded at the twenty-something young woman who had accompanied the others. Her long brown hair was pulled neatly into a bun and her business suit was spotless.
"Well," Adrien said as he practically bounced, "shall we go inside?"
Once inside he led the others to his father's office, the Gorilla was waiting outside. Opening the door Adrien strode in and moved to sit behind the desk, he indicated for the Gorilla to stand to one side while the other two were on his other side.
Soon he heard the sound of Nathalie's heels on the marble flooring outside, she appeared around the door in a matter of moments.
"Adrien?" she said in shock as she took in the gathering in Gabriel's office. "What is going on?"
"You will find out soon, Nathalie, could you please get my father?" Adrien asked as he folded his hands on top of the desk and waited.
"Here he is," the assistant replied as Gabriel's footsteps were heard rounding the corner.
"Adrien?" the man asked in surprise, "what is the meaning of this? Who are these people? Get out of my office right this instance."
"Good morning, Father," Adrien said as he remained seated, "no, I will not be leaving this office until we've had a little talk."
"I will not be told what to do by a child, get out now."
"No, Father, I will not. Things are not as they once were, Father. Mr. Bines, please give Nathalie my Father's copies."
The man in question stepped forward and handed the assistant the packet of papers. She took a moment to leaf through them before the color drained from her face.
"Gabriel," she said in a low voice as she handed the packet to the designer. His eyes grew large as he read it over.
"As you can see, Father," Adrien began as he just stared at the man before him. "The document in your hand is a notice of suit due to violation of the child labor laws. As you can see it has not been filed yet, however, it will be soon. Now, as a minor there are certain safeguards built-in for my protection, you have broken many of them. Overly long hours, photoshoots that interrupt my education, failure to allow labor inspectors in, and working hours that extend well into the night on school nights. I could go on. Many of these are gross violations that can see you in court and tied up in litigation for a very long time. However, Mr. Bines, will contact his colleague and stop him from filing, all you need to do is listen."
"What is it you want," Gabriel demanded as his fists tightened at his side, the packet crumpling in his hand.
"I learned something interesting last night, Father, after Mother disappeared you had her declared missing by the courts. Now, what is interesting about that is that when I was born you and my Mother both gifted me 5 percent of your corporate shares in Gabriel. Meaning that I hold 10 percent of the stock. After you had Mother declared missing, her shares of the company were transferred into an account set aside for me. The thing is that these shares were protected, so when you decided to take 30 percent of the shares and make them public you were actually taking your own shares. I just learned this last night, I also learned that I cannot access my shares in the account Mother created until the inheritance tax has been paid, and as of 10 pm last night it has been paid."
"And this means what to me?" Gabriel asked with condescension.
"I'm glad you asked, Father, it means, that since you had 51 percent of the company but gave me 5, that left you with only 46 percent of the company and Mother with 44 percent after gifting me 5 from her shares. Since Mother willed me all her stock shares, in addition to the 10 that was gifted to me, that means that I hold 54 percent of the stock of the company."
Gabriel's jaw dropped as he realized that Adrien had just taken his company from him.
"Now," Adrien said as he stood and came to stand before the shocked designer and his assistant. "Since I own the company there are several changes I want to make. The first is that, given that I am still a minor, the board would have an issue with me running the company. Due to this, I am leaving you in charge of the running of the company, you built the brand and I want to see you continue to develop it. You are an exceptional designer and I would never dream of taking that away from you, despite how you've treated me in the past."
Gabriel was in shock as he took this in, first his son took his company but then left him in charge of the company.
"Why?"
"Why?" Adrien repeats, "It's simple, I am tired of you running my life, calling my friends bad influences without even meeting them, making me work with people I hate. You are too narrow-minded Father, and it stops today. While I am leaving you to run the company you built, I am placing the Gorilla in charge of making sure my well-being and interests are protected, he will arrange with Nathalie to make sure my modeling schedule does not interfere with my personal interests. I am also making a few changes to the brand itself. I am thinking of renaming it to Agreste and making your Gabriel brand one of the brands under the main brand. This will allow us to branch out in different directions without damaging the brand you worked so hard to create. We can experiment without ill effects on the brand as a whole."
There was silence as all present took this in, Adrien gave them all a moment before continuing, moving to lean against the front of the desk as he waited.
"Nathalie, I leave it to you to see about the rebranding and anything else needed. I want you to create a sub-brand for promising young designers to be able to exhibit their talent and get the exposure they deserve as well as mentorship programs to develop those talents."
Gabriel sneered as he heard this.
"Am I to assume that Miss Dupain-Cheng had a hand in this?"
"Yes," Adrien began as he stood up and walked to face his Father, "and no. She knows nothing about this, but she was the reason I decided upon the sub-brand idea. I've seen her work and it is magnificent. She deserves a chance to showcase her talent. I know there are many other talented designers who deserve the same chance. I intend to be the one to give it to them, after all, people don't forget an act of kindness."
He paused to glance at the clock.
"Now, I am already late for school and you have a choice. You can either fight me and Mr. Bines will let the papers be filed, or you accept the new nature of things and the suit goes away. After all, it is not like you lost the company, just the total control you enjoyed. You have one minute to make your decision."
Adrien stepped back and waited; he didn't even make it to the desk before Gabriel replied.
"I accept," he said in a defeated voice, posture as rigid as ever.
"Excellent, Mr. Bines and his associate will work with Nathalie to work out the details. Now, there is one final order of business. Lila Rossi."
"What about Ms. Rossi?" Gabriel replied.
"She is to be terminated immediately and charges of sexual harassment are to be filed against her with additional legal action to be taken at a later time."
"Who has she been harassing?" Gabriel replied as he placed his hands behind his back.
"Me," Adrien answered as he looked his Father in the eyes, the same dark energy that would manifest in class a few days later shone through his eyes. For the first time in his life, Gabriel Agreste was the one to look away in fear.
"Let me get this straight," Tom said as he rubbed his eyes, "You are the primary shareholder of the company, you are letting your father run it and keep designing, and you are getting Lila fired?"
Tom continued to rub his eyes as he took it all in, except the part about the harassment, Adrien had decided to leave that out of the retelling. With how protective this family was, and him now technically a part of it, he feared for the safety of anyone around Lila if the Dupain-Chengs went hunting for her.
"Pretty much," Adrien said, nodding to each point. 'Oh, and one more thing," he added as he gently played with Marinette's fingers. "I plan on marrying Marinette once we are out of Lycée."
The poor girl in question only squeaked in surprise as her parents went into shock.
"Ma-marry," Marinette finally managed before she got a huge grin on her face and passed out, Adrien catching her before she hit the table.
"I think I'll wait on telling her I created a brand within the company for her," he said with a smile at her parents who were still recovering from the shock of marriage.
The Gorilla only shook his head and laughed to himself, especially since he knew Adrien was deadly serious about both. He and Adrien had spent hours on various jeweler websites looking for the right ring before finally deciding to just have one commissioned and stored away. Adrien had always been a planner and wanted to make sure things were available when he needed them, a trait he had learned from the Gorilla himself. Now all he had to do was find the jeweler he wanted to use.
As for the brand, Nathalie had been working hard to set up the new Mari brand under the Agreste company banner. If the Gorilla understood it correctly, the brand should be ready to launch by the week's end, with the primary designer remaining anonymous until she decided to reveal herself of course. He also had heard that the rebranding process had been greatly expedited since it normally took months to do. Fortunately, it was made easier since the Gabriel line was not going away or changing its name.
As Adrien gently woke his girlfriend, her parents finally came to their senses and started bombarding the young man with questions, the most important of which was whether he wanted them to cater. This last question caused Marinette to squeak again and hide her face in Adrien's shoulder, drawing a laugh from all present.
Thankfully, once that was over the evening passed enjoyably before the Gorilla had to usher Adrien off, they did have school the next day. Of course, Adrien did have enough time to start planning the reveal of their relationship with Marinette before he left, the evil genius ideas her parents offered were brilliant.
He smiled as he settled back in the seat, eager to get home so the next day could arrive and he could see his Lady once again.