"Come on, Marinette. Please stop being grumpy with me!"

Adrien and Marinette were currently inside a restaurant that was totally over the top for a first date. Adrien had managed to talk his way into the venue, encouraging the maître d' to find them a table and also giving them the opportunity to order off menu.

The venue was exclusive for the rich and powerful of Paris. It offered exclusivity and silence. The perfect place for a celebrity to take his girlfriend on a first date, and as sweet as it was, something plagued her about this place. Almost like they shouldn't be there.

Marinette couldn't help but wonder how much they'd charge to get her a Big Mac because not only were they underdressed, but the price tags on everything here was ridiculous. 17 euros for butternut squash and red pepper soup was an assault to her eyes.

"Marinette, please, this is going to be the worst date in history if you don't at least talk to me." The temptation to get on his knees in front of her and beg was pulling him like gravity from the earth to the moon. He needed Marinette to talk to him.

She grabbed the menu and covered her face, suppressing the laughter that was bubbling up inside her. He was desperate to get her to speak and all his begging was doing was making her more stubborn not too.

"I can see your body shaking," he stretched forwards, pulling the menu down from in front of her face and she couldn't help but beam widely at him.

"I like you begging, I might make you do it more often."

"You know what, Dupain-Cheng, I used to think you were nice. The more time I spend with you though I'm starting to change my original assessment."

Marinette started laughing again, his smile only encouraging her. She looked around the restaurant trying to take everything in. When she started at university mere months ago she never would have thought she'd befriend the son of her (ex) favourite fashion designer, let alone be on a date with him and have him as a superhero partner.

She was extremely lucky and she hoped she'd never forget that.

Marinette looked at Adrien again, studying him as though she'd seen him for the first time. He really was a work of art, but now, seeing him closer and understanding him , she finally saw he wasn't as perfect as she'd originally thought.

He had an untamable cowlick of hair which often bounced into his eyes.

When he smiled it wasn't the equal perfection magazine's always published it to be.

His jokes could be horrendous and he liked to pun.

But he was imperfectly perfect. Those tiny glimmers of weakness increased the desire she felt towards him. The need to tame his cowlick, and get pictures of that lopsided smile, and most of all to enjoy the warmth of his dad jokes, laughing along with every punchline and pun. There was no doubt about it ... Marinette Dupain-Cheng had fallen head over heels for Adrien Agreste and they hadn't even made it through the first date yet.

"Can you believe it's been a month since I broke your sofa?" The words leaving Adrien's mouth shocked and amused her.

She turned her head to look at him, raising one eyebrow and studying his face.

"What?" He laughed.

"You're so random."

"You'll never be bored with me, M'Lady."

She smiled. She couldn't help but agree. There was no way she would ever be bored with Adrien, not when there always seemed something new to learn about him.

"So, have you got any recommendations?"

"They do a magnificent bœuf bourguignon, I definitely recommend it."

"Is that what you're having?" She asked, his nod giving her clarification. "Then I'll have it too."

Adrien called the waiter over, placed their orders with the certainty of a regular customer before turning back to Marinette, stretching over to take her hands in his.

"Ok, madam, who is your favourite Batman?"

Marinette laughed, her thumb stroking over the metal of his Miraculous. "Starting with the hard hitting first date questions, I see?"

"This answer is a make or break, Bug, so think carefully about your answer."

His eyes glimmered with a playful happiness, one she was growing accustomed to seeing every time he was with her. She hated the way it would always be sucked out of him when they were at 'Gabriel' or when he had to go for a photoshoot; having such freedom in her past she couldn't imagine living with the confines and constrictions he did, especially as he was such a free spirit.

"You like to bring out the big guns, don't you? It's like asking me who my favourite parent is."

"At least I don't have that issue." They laughed, until it was just Marinette's voice that could be heard. The laughter slowly ended as she noticed Adrien was looking over her shoulder to something behind her.

"Adrien?" He didn't budge, his body was stock still, eyes still glaring over her shoulder and to whatever was happening behind her.

"Adrien, are you okay?" she gave his hand a gentle squeeze from where they still remained connected on the table. His eyes rapidly blinked before he turned his attention back to his date.

"Oh - um - sorry."

She felt the tremble in his hand as she saw the tension lift his shoulders up near his ears. Whatever he'd seen had affected him. But what?

She went to turn around, wanting to see what had caused the shift in his behaviour, only for him to tighten his hold and pull her attention back to him.

"Don't." His voice was hoarse as the sad lonely boy from the picnic in the park returned. "Please."

Marinette shook her head. If they were going to be together they were going to go through everything together; be it good or bad.

"I'm not letting him do this to you, Adrien." Standing up, she offered her hand out to him. "You and me against the world, my kitty ."

She watched as he contemplated her hand and then the display which had caught his attention, before nodding and placing his hand in hers, allowing her to pull him up and onto his feet.

"Let's get out of here." She began to pull him towards the exit, only stopping when she saw exactly what had freaked Adrien out.

There sitting in a booth was his father, who wasn't alone.

"Gabriel," Marinette breathed out, obviously a little louder than intended as the world class designer looked up and straight into their eyes.

Gabriel Agreste was sitting with a rather attractive lady, one that was neither Emilié Agreste or Amelie Graham de Vanily. She was dark haired in opposition to the two blonde women. Black hair with a red streak at the front and expensive wire framed glasses. She looked familiar but Marinette couldn't quite place her.

"Adrien," Gabriel looked at his son deadly, a look in his eyes telling his son to keep quiet or else. "Marinette."

She shivered as her name rolled from his tongue. A shiver of survival and the need to get Adrien out of here. Gabriel's arm was around the woman's shoulders and she looked rather comfortable there, a comfort that only came from years of being with someone intimately.

"Father," the sharp words came from Adrien's mouth with as much force as a knife to the gut. If words could kill there was no doubt in Marinette's mind that Gabriel would have just been murdered by his own son.

The Agreste males stood staring, an uncomfortable vibration coming between the two of them.

"Remember Adrien," Gabriel spoke, breaking the silence, "you need to do what's best for the family."

"Let's go." Adrien dragged Marinette out of the restaurant and onto the street, marching them away from the restaurant and away from Gabriel.

"Adrien, slow down." She was struggling to keep up with his long legs and lengthy strides, but his grip was impossible to break out from. "Adrien," Marinette said again, "you're hurting me."

It was as though he couldn't hear. He was focused on walking, on distancing himself from his father and whoever that woman was in the restaurant but she was struggling, her feet stumbling more and more as they moved.

"Adrien, please stop! Stop!" She shouted, finally pulling him out of his trance and his grip relaxing around her hand.

Without another word, he grabbed her, pulling her tightly into his chest.

"Don't let me go." He demanded, hugging her body tightly against his.

"Never." She said, hold him just as tightly back.