Prompt: Family

Adrien tightened his hold on Marinette once more, guiding her over the snow and ice, and towards the warmth of the bakery. He had no idea what possessed her to wear such silly shoes. Yes, she looked great in heels but she couldn't even walk properly. With Marinette's lack of stability, you'd have thought she'd want to be as rock solid as possible, not flash around something only suitable for the catwalk.

He was trying hard not to show it, but he was really disappointed they'd missed the minibus. He couldn't blame either of them, just the new supervillain set on claiming Paris as their own. Maybe he shouldn't have been surprised by this current event.

Firstly, there'd been a massive uptake on akuma's recently, whomever this new butterfly holder was, was relentless, sending out akumas at the most unfortunate of times — it seemed unhappy Christmas shoppers were the perfect hosts for strong feeling akumas. Part of Adrien was almost believing their villain knew their identities too; the timing of some akumas were just too convenient.

But also, he was with Marinette. The girl he knew had only been on time once in her entire life, and that was when he was about to go into surgery a year ago to have his appendix removed. She was there a whole five minutes before they took him down for sedation. It's just a shame he missed three of those five minutes due to her tripping and head butting him so hard he lost consciousness. He'd managed to undergo the surgery without any added aids.

"I can't believe Kim went without us," Marinette whined, each step a well positioned placement as they crunched through the muddy snow and slushy ice. "I mean, it's not like it's even my fault for a change!"

"Well?" Adrien shrugged, nodding down to her boots, once again pulling their attention to the devils work.

"Leave them out of it, Agreste."

He laughed, leading Marinette to the crosswalk and pressing the button. They stood huddled together opposite the bakery, and Adrien noticed how busy her parents were. A constant flow of traffic moved through the door as Sabine and Tom flew about serving in the most perfect of routines. Very much like himself and Marinette in battle.

He never felt an outcast with the Dupain-Chengs, he always felt himself and unjudged; completely different to his life in the mansion with his father. He loved the warmth of the Dupain-Chengs and he knew they liked having him around too. Though, he wasn't entirely sure why?

The green man signalled them to move and once again Adrien was guiding Marinette cautiously across the road and onto the opposite side to the collège finally taking them both into the boulangerie.

They pushed through the door, past the constant throng of traffic grabbing delicacies and taking them to the counter, Sabine working quickly to ring up the items and send the customer on their way.

The smaller Cheng lady looked up at the duo, waved, then continued with the customer at the till, before realising who she was waving at and quickly called Tom to come and take over.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked, pushing them both into the back.

Adrien reached up to rub the back of his neck in his usual uncomfortable gesture. "We may have missed the minibus," he said, looking towards Marinette before looking back to Sabine.

"Oh, you two." The older woman sighed. "Was it anything to do with the boots?"

Adrien laughed as Marinette sternly stared at her mother. "Can we all leave my boots out of it please?"

Sabine's laughter joined Adrien's, only for the older woman to stop and curiously glance over at them. It was almost like she was looking for an answer to a question. Sabine was a polite and loving woman, and Adrien knew she would never say some of her thoughts out loud because she wasn't that type, but he was quite sure she was catching onto something.

The times Adrien had just appeared in Marinette's room, the hours on the phone, the late night meet ups with just the two of them; although they could use each other for cover now the questions being asked were a lot more... interrogating. Sabine was either growing aware of their superhero activities or she had come to the conclusion they were doing something else.

She crossed her arms and looked at her daughter, the expression on her face read exactly what Adrien thought it would. Sabine Dupain-Cheng thought Adrien and Marinette were getting up close and personal. This was not what he wanted. He adored this place, he didn't want to get kicked out because they thought he was fooling around with their daughter, and he'd never fool around with Marinette anyway. She was a Princess to be adored and treated right.

"Adrien, carry on up into the apartment, Marinette will bring you some snacks and we'll see what we can do to help. Marinette," her voice was harsh and demanding, Adrien coming to the conclusion that she would make an excellent headmistress. "I want to talk to you."

Marinette nodded in agreement, Adrien sending her a supportive look before turning and pretty much sprinting up the staircase; he was eternally grateful Tom wasn't the one dealing with them at the moment, he wasn't too sure he could go head to head with Weredad right now.

After springing up the steps two at a time, Adrien had finally made it to the apartment and let himself in, making his way over to the bookcase and looking at the pictures — just like every time he arrived. He noticed a couple of changes. Instead of there just being many pictures of Marinette either alone or with her parents, a couple of new ones had been framed. One which affected him a lot more than he would like to admit. Next to the family picture of Marinette, her parents and grandparents was a newly framed one; one of the Dupain-Chengs and him.

His breath hitched in his throat as he lifted the frame delicately from the shelf and brought it closer to his face. Everyone was so happy and he looked like he belonged there — like he should be there. Marinette was looking at him as he was pulled tightly into Tom's side, both of them laughing at what was most likely a pun of some sort. He loved Tom and Sabine almost as much as he did Marinette. Their family unit had become a better one to him in the past years than his own had.

Adrien's heart ached. He wanted this; he wanted to be part of this; he wanted this as his family and more to the point he wanted Marinette. He'd never stopped loving her, though, with respect, he had backed off. She'd made it clear time and time again that he was nothing more than a friend — a partner — and even though he had tried so hard during the time they spent together to get her to see him in a different way, everytime he got too close, she ran.

He placed the frame back and took the one next to it, his eyes scanning over the picture with such longing he could feel his entire soul screaming at him. The picture was from Marinette's birthday; the two of them holding each other tightly as they danced, connected, soft smiles apparent on each other's faces.

His thumb ran over them, swallowing down the anxieties sitting in his throat and the need in his stomach. He could deal with this — with being friends with Marinette — as long as he had his own special time with her he could cope. He just had to hold onto the belief that maybe one day she would finally trip and fall for him just as he had for her.

"That was something I never want to go through again." Marinette stumbled into the apartment throwing the sweet treats down onto the kitchen table that her Maman had sent up. Adrien could feel his saliva glands already hard at work — nothing beat a Dupain delightTM.

"Are you going to share with the class?" Adrien asked, making his way over to the kitchen counter and hopping onto a stool opposite Marinette.

"Like hell am I? This conversation goes to the grave with me," she huffed, a sudden sneeze sounding from her bag.

Lifting it up and placing it on the table, Plagg helped Tikki out and reached for a cookie. "She's sick," Plagg announced, not that they couldn't tell that from the runny eyes and sniffles of the red and black kwami.

"What can we do?" Adrien questioned Plagg, Tikki fluctuating between consciousness and unconsciousness. It was unusual to see her so beaten down, the small kwami usually the epitome of good health.

"Not a lot we can do," Marinette replied. "She's going to need rest and warmth. Can you stay with her, Plagg?" The kwami of destruction nodded before helping his counterpart back into the bag; his small body firmly against hers as a soft purr emitted from his chest. Plagg's overpowering cat heat, a small warmer for the cold kwami.

"So... we won't be flying to the resort then," Adrien said, stretching forward and taking a raspberry macaron. They were his new favourite from the bakery. The pink was a matching colour to Marinette's lips and he could imagine kissing her as he took the tasty treat into his mouth. It also helped that she'd taken to wearing a raspberry lip gloss, one he could smell when he was close to her mouth.

His partner shook her head. "Unfortunately I only have power ups for Tikki and Plagg completed. I could take Mullo, but we would have to make our way there by foot. Kaalki's out of action too."

"I can deal with Multimouse. The space buns were cute." He continued to eat, ignoring the fact Marinette had gained a wonderful pink hue on her cheeks. Maybe this macaron was the perfect pink shade to suit Marinette all over, not just her lips.

A napkin hit him in the face as Marinette grabbed a macaron of her own. They smiled at each other as they carried on eating, Plagg reappearing and grabbing more treats.

It was always a comfortable silence with Marinette, no need to sit and make conversation if they just wanted to think. It was nice. A warm, settled feeling allowing him to appreciate that of belonging; even if she didn't realise that every part of him belonged to her.

Without warning, her simple smile turned into a full on belly laugh.

"What?" he chuckled back, her infectious laugh making him join in even without knowing the joke.

"Do you always eat like that?" she asked, Adrien puzzled at what she was implying.

"What do you mean?"

"The finger." She started laughing again, bending herself over the counter and closing her eyes.

He looked at his hand still possessing the macaron and frowned. What was she on about?

"That!" she said again, the laughter causing her to cough.

He looked to where she was pointing and quickly changed the position of the macaron. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Oh, you do! You've just changed the way you're holding it!"

"Have not!"

"Have too!"

"Have not!"

He went to place the macaron in his mouth only for Marinette to burst out laughing again.

"Oh wow! It's like you're having afternoon tea with the King of England," she exclaimed.

Adrien looked at his hand again, and quickly popped the macaron in his mouth; folding his hands together and placing them in the middle of the table as he spoke. "You're mean."

"I'm mean?" she questioned. "You're the one who holds their pinky up to eat a macaron." She giggled again, Adrien grabbing the napkin and sending it sailing straight back into Marinette's face.

Her phone suddenly bleeped, pulling both their attention in search of the small rectangular device. Finally, remembering it was in her pocket, she pulled the phone out and looked at Alya's name.

"Are they coming back to get us?" Adrien asked, hope laced in his voice. Marinette shook her head.

"Unfortunately not. Alya was just messaging to say she and Nino will look after our bags until we get there, but if they see something they like — they're wearing it."

Both tried to remember what they'd packed, considering what Alya and Nino would showcase for them, only for Adrien to start chuckling. Taking another macaron he couldn't help but comment. "Nino will look amazing in your Chat Noir Pyjamas."

"He better not try —" Marinette looked at Adrien, her eyes frowning with confusion. "Wait a second, how do you know about those?"

Adrien shrugged, an arrogant smile pulling his lips in a way he knew drove her insane. "I didn't... until now."

The sound of pounding footsteps had them turning to the doorway, Tom Dupain standing shoulder to shoulder with the frame.

"Adrien," he boomed out, his face showing no emotion. "We need to have a little talk."

Adrien's eyes widened as every nerve in his body stood on edge. His throat had thickened with the intense need to run and hide, maybe even transform and cataclysm himself. This was not going to be pleasant.

Gulping down the anxieties, he stood from his barstool, stumbling slightly as he headed towards the doorway on weak cooked spaghetti legs. He was a dead man walking.

Ten minutes later, Adrien headed back into the room, eyes widened in complete bewilderment.

Did that really just happen?

He moved his eye line from where he was staring at the wall to Marinette, her anxious lip bite evidence that her fear was the same as his, originally, was.

"So?" She hopped down onto her wobbly heels and made her way towards Adrien. He blinked. Once. Twice. Three times before his face morphed into a wide smug smile. From around his back, he pulled an arm forward and held up the keys to the bakeries delivery van.

Tom had entrusted him enough to take the van and look after Marinette — both prized above anything else, along with Sabine — and Adrien had never felt more honoured in his life.