A group chat called: Paris' Finest Idiots with: Nino, Kim, Adrien...
Received Message from:Luka
How many of you are staying in Paris for a while?
Sent Message: I'm here for at least another two weeks
Received Message from:Nino
I've never been able to get out of the damn place!
Received Message from:Ivan
I'm back from university for a month
Received Message from:Kim
Always here, man
Received Message from:Nino
BananaBandit have you apologised to Adrien and Marinette?
Received Message from:Kim
Why does everyone think I invited Chloé to the party!? I swear I never even mentioned it
Received Message from:Nino
BananaBandit Well, she found out somehow didn't she!
Received Message from:Max
I've gone back to Germany, but will be home this weekend for my mother's achievement ceremony.
Received Message from:Ivan
That's amazing, Max!
Received Message from:Nino
Yeah, man! Congrats to your mother!
Received Message from:Félix
I know you're all going to be gutted by this...but Kagami and I are away in Japan for the next couple of weeks. Don't all mourn the loss too much!
Sent Message: Leaving your knickers in someone's garden and then running off to another continent? New low, Félix!
Received Message from:Félix
Bite me!
Received Message from:Luka
Okay, well, how do you fancy a night out for my birthday on Saturday? Other halves allowed after 10pm. You can meet at 10pm at Bass House, or, if anyone fancies it, a couple of drinks at Brewhouse first – about 8pm?
Received Message from:Ivan
Sounds great! Mylène has work until 8, so we'll meet you at 10pm ? ﾟﾏﾻ
Received Message from:Max
Sure! I'll be with you as soon as the ceremony is over!
Received Message from:Kim
We have regionals on Saturday, so I'll meet you at Bass House.
Received Message from:Nino
Brewhouse it is!
Sent Message: I'll come with Nino. The girls have something going on so they'll meet up later
Received Message from:Luka
Great
"When your parents said this was going to be quite a project, they weren't lying." Adrien bounced on the floorboards in his new home, waiting for the almighty snap which would send him through to the basement.
"Hummm...," Marinette replied, walking around the lounge in the most adorable DIY outfit. Her hair was tied back with a pink and white scarf, matched with short denim dungarees and a pink cropped t-shirt. He really just wanted to pick her up and pop her in his pocket. "I'd love to say I know where to start, but I don't have a clue."
Adrien knew exactly where he wanted to start and it was upstairs at the back of the house – in their bedroom. As soon as that was complete, they could move in and spend all their free time together. It seemed perfect.
When they'd arrived here an hour ago, the intent was to look around the place, make some notes on renovations, and then Adrien could contact architects to see how they could update the property. But right now, that idea was flying out of the window faster than a MiG-25 Foxbat. This place was a money pit and the thought that they might have to knock it down and rebuild was more painful than the last time he'd stubbed his pinky toe.
So, an hour in and he still wasn't overly sure what they were going to do with the place, but removing Roland was not an option.
"What if we knock through the kitchen and dining room?" she said. "Make it wide and bright, with bi-fold doors running the length of the room and a breakfast bar as a room separator."
"Humm...," he responded in a non-committal way. Everywhere he looked was another zero on the end bill.
Marinette placed a hand on her grandpa's TV. The big black box was covered in dust and grime, causing a dance of dust bunnies to leap around the room. The other ornaments matched the unkempt look too.
The house was a detached five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home with a reasonable sized garden on the front and rear of the property. It was also in the centre of the city – in other words, it was prime real estate. While they probably could have sold it for a hefty buck or two, this was more than just bricks and mortar. This was a home they'd both hung around in and laughed in. Roland had become a running joke between the two of them in the best possible way.
It had only been a couple of days since this bombshell had dropped and the aftermath was still apparent. If it hadn't been for Marinette's arms around him, supporting him in a time he should have been doing that to her, he didn't know how he would survive. He was overwhelmed — completely and utterly.
"It's a lot, isn't it? Maybe we should just sell up, and let it go," Marinette said, lifting Adrien from his thoughts.
He moved over to stand beside her as she looked through the window and into the front yard. His arms looped around her waist, pulling her back into him and resting his chin on her shoulder. Anything for a closer touch. "It is...but it'll be worth it!"
She turned in his arms and placed her hands on his shoulders, looking up at him, wide-eyed and with a sparkle of hope. "Adrien, I don't want to get my hopes up."
He wasn't sure whether she meant about the house or their relationship, but heck, how he wanted it to mean both. She had become more accepting of his touch, more recuperative towards it, and although his heart was still trying to defend itself, he couldn't hold back the sliver of hope that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
"Getting the work done will increase the value of the house, at least. Then, even if we don't move in, we can sell it on. No harm, no foul!"
She smiled, a small laugh leaving her mouth as she pushed up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for everything," she whispered, her warm breath kissing his neck in soft, succulent huffs.
"You're welcome, M'Lady."
They remained embraced, Adrien wondering if she could feel the hard heartbeat through his chest and into hers. It pushed heavy and strong as they remained together, the ticking of her grandpa's clock counting the seconds they were joined.
Adrien closed his eyes and took in the moment. His imagination began to run wild. This could be their norm, standing in this spot, holding one another, as the children played with their toys in the playroom.
They stood. Still. Silent. Staring. Adrien was unsure whether this would be a perfect time to make a move. It was a moment that would definitely be remembered, but it wasn't special enough. He wanted it to be perfect, and even though her lips looked more appetising than a Sprinkles Cupcake, now was not the time. He could just imagine Roland glaring at them, unimpressed. That is not how it's done!
"So...," He coughed, moving backwards and away from Marinette. He turned away as her eyes dimmed and the connection was broken. He was an absolute mess. "What do you think we should do in the bedroom?"
Out of all the directions Adrien could have taken this conversation, that was most certainly not the right one.
*****
Adrien rushed into the bar 10 minutes late, ignoring the glances and whispers as he weaved his way around the building crowds. His mind fully went back to the afternoon's events and the way he had suddenly seemed magnetised to Marinette.
After his mis intended comment about the bedroom, they had indeed made their way up there. Which of course meant that was the exact time the builders had come in to survey the house.
Keeping up the not so fake relationship, Adrien and Marinette had taken them through all the ins and outs of the renovation, his fiancée's eyes brightening up as she spoke about the aesthetics and designs she had in mind for each area. Almost like she had been planning this for a while – he half expected her to have Pinterest boards of ideas.
Her eyes had danced as she'd discussed granites, glistening as she'd enthusiastically explained her idea to knock through the kitchen and dining room, and then her eyes had almost bulged out of her head as he'd claimed the small downstairs bedroom as his own for a secret project.
She'd left just before he'd started talking about costs and timeframes, planning on going over to Alya's to get ready for the evening before meeting them at the club later. Everything was arranged, and work on their new place would start the following morning. It was amazing what a name and a healthy bank account could get you. But he wasn't just doing it for him. He was doing it for her. For them.
Finally locating Nino and Luka, Adrien headed to the bar for a drink, trying his hardest not to make eye contact with anyone but the bartender.
Ordering his usual draft pale ale, Adrien made his way to the guys and slipped into the seat opposite.
The beer went down onto the table first, a perfect centre for the mat – before his head followed straight onto the tabletop with a bang. Once. Twice. Three times. Folding his arms, he rested his head down on top and groaned, peeking up at the others from under his eyelashes, the sound of their laughter carrying over the chatter in the bar.
"Finally decided to knock some sense into that pretty head of yours?" Nino said, his eyes gleaming with pleasure at Adrien's obvious pain.
Adrien groaned again, grabbing his glass and taking a long, cooling swig.
"Come on, dude, what's wrong? Have they rehired Chris Pratt's butt double?"
Adrien looked at Nino, confused. "What?"
"Pine, then? Evans? Oh, come on, man! Which Chris has your butt?" Nino was almost leaning over the table as he tried to pry the information out of Adrien.
"I have tight NDAs, man! I'm not telling you a thing."
A couple of girls walked past, stopping just behind him and giggling. Great! That was all he needed when he was purely here tonight to let out some steam before meeting up with Marinette. They were meeting the girls in less than two hours, and right now he was unsure whether he'd be able to keep his hands off her. Even earlier, when she was in her dungarees and her scarf wrapped in her hair, she'd looked nothing less than kissable.
"So, how's that rash, Adrien? Is Marinette still putting cream on it every night?" The sound of 'ewww's sailed over from behind him, followed by heels evacuating the area, a clear sign the girls had gone.
"Thanks, Luk, but next time can you try to make it a little less disgusting?" Adrien chuckled.
The birthday boy raised a bottle, a joyous smirk on his face.
"Happy birthday, by the way."
"Thanks, man. Now how about you explain to us why you were trying to give yourself concussion. Your tune is all scrambled. It's like the tempo is out of pace with the rhythm."
Adrien sighed and took another gulp of liquid courage. "It's Marinette."
"Well, duh!" Nino replied, taking another hearty gulp of his own. Luka lifted a hand to slap Nino around the back of the head. "Ouch! Come on, you were thinking the same thing!"
"Even if I was, we need to be sensitive to the situation."
"Do you guys know?" Adrien stuttered. He hadn't really spoken to any of the gang about whether they thought the relationship was real or not. He just presumed he'd gotten away with it.
"We know it's fake, and we're not mad," Luka stated, Nino nodding along with him. "So, what's going on now? I thought you two would have figured out what you wanted by now."
Adrien shook his head. "The knot is just getting tighter. Marinette's grandpa left us his house in his will. Her parents presented it to us the day after the engagement party. Apparently, it's ours now we're engaged." He looked at his friends' shocked faces before carrying on. "But that's not all. It seems every time I'm near her she's wearing some kind of magnetised lip gloss, because my lips are instantly attracted to them."
Nino's mouth opened and closed like a guppy fish. Adrien knew the feeling all too well. "So, you've kissed Marinette?"
"No. That wouldn't be fair on her."
Luka frowned, turning his head to Nino, who mirrored the action. Adrien suddenly felt as though he was an outsider in their silent conversation, a nod of both their heads confirming that he actually was.
"What if I told you Marinette wouldn't mind you kissing her?" Surprisingly it was Luka who had asked the question, not Nino.
"What do you mean? She's just doing me a favour. She's dating again!"
Luka sighed and shook his head. "If you tell anyone I've said this, I will deny it. But think about it, Adrien. Just think about it. Remember how she was when you were younger? How she stumbled over her words but would do anything to help you out? She'd drop anything and anyone for you. She supported you. She stood up to your father for you. I dated her for a month, and the most I got was a kiss on the cheek, yet she'd gladly make out with Chat Noir at any given chance, saying it was for "the greater good". The only good it was for was hers! She's never even looked at another guy–"
"Until now!" Adrien cut in, hardly able to believe what he was being told. Had she really liked him for that long? Did she still like him? There had been times over the past couple of weeks when he had allowed himself to dream, to believe her actions were true from her heart, not an act which he'd got them firmly stuck in. Alya had given him a push in the right direction too, the day they'd spoken to Tom and Sabine. But Marinette backed away...often. He was more confused than a penguin in the North Pole.
"How do you think it felt for Marinette to see you out on dates with all these beautiful, famous women, while she's been sitting at home, most of the time in your hoodies, brooding over you? She's trying to get over you, man! She's dating to try and move on for feelings she has for you."
Luka and Nino continued to talk, and Adrien couldn't help but hope they were talking to each other because he was stuck in this spiralling pit of Marinette. She'd been dating to get over him. He'd been dating because he never thought he had a chance with her.
Could this really happen? If he just pulled his courage together and talked to her about the mammoth sized elephant in the room, could they sort this out and maybe even make the engagement real?
It was such wishful thinking on his part. But the words coming from Nino and Luka must mean something. Neither of them would lie about such a thing. He began to roll through his memories, separating the Marinette and Ladybug ones...the different way she'd treated him in both forms, until they'd become one and he'd become such a dominant feature in her life – like she had in his. They spent so much time together, helping each other through the bad times, and celebrating the good. They'd pretty much always been in a relationship, without the kisses or labels – but with his luck, it was always too hard to believe. Plus Marinette was always friendly with everyone. What made it different with him?
"Drink up, Buttercup! It's time to move on." Nino slid off his chair, grabbing his glass and draining what was left, Adrien and Luka following suit.
They began to walk out of the bar and into the crowd-filled streets, heading in the direction of the club – in the direction of Marinette, who may want to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her.
"Enough about me," Adrien said, a sudden spring in his step as he slung one arm over Luka's shoulders.. "When are you and Zoé going to announce your relationship?"
Luka gave Adrien a slight shove, but all the guys continued their way in joyful laughter. After all, they were in Paris, the city of love, and their women were only metres away.