Cinnamon and Vanilla

Chapter 20

"Can I help at all?" Adrien asked. "Marinette fell asleep." Sabine wiped her hands on her apron.

"Come and have some tea with me dear. I'd like to have a talk with you." Sabine's voice was warm and calm, but Adrien couldn't help a rush of panic that swept over him. Usually if his father wanted to talk to him, it was rarely a good thing. He followed Sabine into the family kitchen and sat at the table. Sabine brought over the kettle and poured out some Oolong tea. Taking a seat at the small round table, she brought her chair over closer to the blonde and placed her hand on his on the table.

"How is your father doing? Marinette told us about his diagnosis, I'm very sorry." Adrien lowered his lead.

"I...don't know really." He said, holding tears back. "He doesn't really talk to me about it, only to let me know when he's going to London for treatment. Nathalie stays pretty close to him these days so I know she will look out for him. I feel like he isn't telling me everything though. He's always been a solitary kind of person. We've...well we're not very close, we never have been really." Sabine patted his hand.

"And what about Miss Sancoeur? Is she someone you are close to?" Adrien looked back at her, then looked away with a shrug.

"Nathalie's always been very kind to me, and I guess we're closer than we used to be. I know she cares, but she's not a warm person I guess you could say. Maybe that's why her and father get along so well." He tried to laugh, but it sounded forced. Adrien then furrowed his eyebrows "When I say it out loud my family sounds awful doesn't it? I've no mother, I'm not close to my father, his assistant probably knows more about me than he does and my Aunt and cousin have their own set of problems. It sounds down right dysfunctional." He slumped into the chair and watched the steam
Rise from his cup. Sabine took a sip of her tea and gave him a kind smile.

"Families come in all shapes and sizes Adrien. Some you are born into, some you choose to make your own and others you create yourself out of love." Adrien hesitated before looking back at Sabine.

"She told you?" He asked quietly. Sabine nodded and Adrien rolled his shoulders in. "I'm so sorry Sabine..." He began shaking his head before she stopped him.

"I'm not angry or upset at you Adrien." She assured him. "Marinette doesn't always tell me everything that upsets her, but when I found her crying this morning I honestly thought it was because she was pregnant, not because she wasn't." She placed her arm on his shoulder. "When two people love each other, it's only natural that they want to become closer. I'm not judging you for that. Marinette said you talked about the risk you were taking and that you would accept responsibility for that." Adrien nodded his head. "Can I ask what that was? I know you have an apartment now. Were you planning on moving in together?" Adrien shook his head.

"Not exactly." He replied. Digging his hand into his pocket, he took out a small box and slid it across the table. Sabine looked at it curiously before opening it, a small gasp passing her lips.

"Oh Adrien, it's beautiful." She exclaimed. "It's unusual too, with a ruby and an emerald like that."

"It's a family ring." He hastened to explain. "My Great Aunt Lady Charlotte, Lottie, gave it to me when we went for that photoshoot at Château Roseraie. I...if Marientte had been expecting, I was going to give it to her today." Sabine looked up from the ring into Adrien's eyes. Her kind eyes meeting his hopeful ones.

"And now?" She asked. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck again before he caught himself and dropped his arm, a small blush bloomed across his face.

"I still want to." He admitted. "I never want to be with anyone else. I know we are only young and I know what people will think, but I also know that Marinette feels the same and that means the world to me."