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"𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞
𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚕

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍
𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝"

𝚛.𝚑. 𝚂𝚒𝚗

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At some point during their progress in doing homework, Marinette had gotten a small hair clip with what looked like angry chicken on it and pinned her bangs back to keep them at bay. Adrien had stared for a moment at the sudden view of Marinette's forehead and the fact that he had the chance to see her entire face. He had to force himself to look back down to his work and not stare.

"Do you do any modeling work?" he asked absentmindedly, mind going back to when they had met at the park before school began. She had been jogging, she said it was for..."no, wait, you dance, right?"

Marinette paused, "You remembered that?" she pursed her lips. "Yeah, I dance. But I kind of take a break during the school year. Since there are shows and competitions throughout the year, I made it clear to my instructor that my education comes first. They're disappointed but they understand."

"And you jog to stay in shape?"

"Mhm, I still go to the studio when I have time. Sometimes it's nice to get away when my thoughts are too loud."

"That sounds...that does sound nice. I do the same, but with the piano," he shared softly, "I lose time easily once I get into it."

"You play?" she asked, glancing up with him, a tone of wonder in her voice. Was this finally something she didn't know about him? "That's impressive, I always loved the sound of pianos, they're a beautiful instrument."

"They are!" he agreed enthusiastically, "I started playing when I was a bit younger, my mom used to-" his mouth clamped shut and eyes shifted to stare at the table. He hadn't talked about his mom in a long time.

He wasn't allowed to, at home.

"I can't play any instruments," Marinette admitted, giving him the chance to backpedal into the more comfortable subject. "Though, I suppose I've never actively sought to learn any. My top pick would probably be the drums."

"You know," he chuckled after picturing Marinette behind a set of drums, "that oddly makes sense. I think you would do really well with drums." His words were rewarded with a pleased grin that took his breath away. Marinette was not one who smiled often, especially not like this. Her eyes creased into crescents, showing the traits that came from her mother, Sabine; her grin was wide and the exact same as the one her father, Tom, had given him not too long ago.

"I'll have to talk to Anarka when she and Luka come back from Brazil," she says, causing his thoughts to come to a screeching halt. "Pretty sure I remember them having a drum set tucked away somewhere."

"That, ah," Adrien paused, licking his lips as he searched for the right words. He didn't want to set her off like earlier in the day when Alix had asked out-right. "That name- Luka- it s-sounds familiar. Have I-" he met her eyes (he hadn't realized he had looked away from here, eyes darting from each item on the table with anxiety), "have I met him before?"

Marinette's smile hadn't left her face immediately, like he had thought it would, but it became more subdued, "Have you?"

"Have I-" he huffed, "do you usually make it a habit to answer questions with another question?"

She hummed, eyes creasing again in amusement this time, "Mainly with you." Adrien's face bloomed red at the response, "You make it so easy."

"Are you ever going to give me an actual answer?"

"Am I not doing that now?" she teased, looking up from her homework to meet his eyes again. "Though, I suppose it depends what answer you're wanting from me."

His brows furrowed with his confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Marinette never broke eye contact as she twirled her pen, "I can't really give you the full truth because it's not really my place. At least, not yet."

"Not yet," he parroted. "I know you keep hinting at my father hiding something from me, but I have no idea what you could mean by that! I find it incredibly hard to believe that my father, a well-known recluse, would know anything about what I'm asking you."

"Recluse," the corner of her mouth twitched, "is definitely a word for him, though my favorite to call him is bas-"

"Mari! You got a new letter in the mail from Anarka and Luka! Why didn't you tell me they're coming back!" Sabine came in with the mail in her hands, reading her own letter as she passed Marinette's addressed postcard without looking. Marinette made a little noise from the back of her throat and Adrien watched as her eyes shone with excitement as she carefully opened the envelope and took out a couple of pages and a picture.

An odd feeling coursed through him as he was hit with a realization that Marinette's attention could actually be gained incredibly easily.

You just had to be someone she cared about.

"I'll read this later," she didn't unfold the designed paper and set it to the side while she smiled at the picture. "This, Adrien, is Luka." She flipped it over so that he could see-

Aquamarine eyes.

Marinette's eyes were like bluebells, but Luka had eyes like crystals; open and welcoming.

Adrien let out a shaky breath as he carefully took the photo from Marinette's fingers to look at it better. The image of Luka with a big grin, birds were perched on all parts of him. There were a couple on his head, some on his arms, one on his hand. It was such a jovial photo and Adrien was upset for ever holding negative feelings towards this person.

"He looks..." he thought for a moment, "kind." Marinette nodded, taking the photo back and taking time to look at the photo more.

"Luka is an incredibly free spirit," she told him, "he's always been mature for his age, I think it's why we hit it off as kids."

Adrien blinked a few times, his heart pinging with...something, "Wait, how long have you been friends?" She tilted her head back and forth a few times, her nose scrunching as she thought.

It was cute.

"I'm...I'm not sure, actually. Time...time is a concept I've always kind of struggled keeping up with and remembering. Everything has faded together over the years, all I care about is the-" her mouth clamped shut suddenly, tensing.

"The what?" he pushed, a nagging feeling making him insist. "What do you care about the most?"

She met his eyes head on as she always did. Marinette had never shied away from eye contact, but for the first time she seemed to not be comfortable with what she was planning on saying. The look in her eyes steeled and her shoulders pulled back some as if preparing herself.

"The memories."

His heart stuttered.

"The memories I make and have with a person, those are what I remember and care about. They are what bond me to them."

Adrien willed himself to not look away. He always did, always unable to keep the intensity of her gaze, but he felt that if he didn't keep it this time– this moment, this push he had would be gone. Marinette is...

She's giving.

She's giving him answers– serious answers to the questions he's asking. He's pushing and she's not avoiding answering him now. She had hesitated with her answer...the implications of that...

His eyes were wide as he released a long breath.

"You know," he whispered. "About my memory, y-you've known this entire time, haven't you?" Marinette didn't answer him but that was the answer. Marinette herself won't- can't- talk about it, but she's always found other ways to lead him to answers without actually saying it. "That means I know you. From before."

Marinette's eyes sparkled.

She stood from her seat, tapping the table with her finger, "Stay here." He could do nothing but stare after her as she walked away and then up some stairs to a hatch and heading into that room. Is that her room? He wondered what kind of room she had, if she kept it tidy and neat like he did or if it was messy or a mix of the two. Those thoughts stopped when she came back down, holding a frame in her hands. She sat back down across from him, and he noticed the utter care she handled the frame with as she held it out to him. "This is a photo I cherish dearly, it's my favorite one from my childhood." The photo was faced towards him and he leaned in–

His breath hitched

There were three children in the photo, seemingly napping together. Two boys and a girl. The girl had a disgruntled look even as she slept, both boys using her as a pillow. The boy with black hair used her arm and was tucked close and the blond was curled in a ball with his head on her stomach. She had a hand in the blond boy's hair and the other arm was curled around the other boy. There was a guitar over on the side and a book that was shoved away.

"That's me," Marinette used one hand to point at herself in the photo, "then there's Luka," she pointed at the boy with black hair. She then pointed to the blond boy in the picture, and Adrien's heart thundered so loudly he could hear it. Marinette didn't have to tell him who that was, he already knew.

"Is that me?"

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Adrien's memory from his childhood has always been a bit fuzzy. At some point he realized that there were gaps in stories, and anything before a certain age is a complete void. He had realized this when looking at some old pictures and realized he had no recollection of that ever happening. At first he chalked it up to being too young to remember, but then he learned that his earliest memories are around that same age.

He had tried asking his father, but he insisted that he had been too young to remember like Adrien had originally assumed. He was beginning to doubt himself when his mother had come to him, a smile on her face but the look in her eyes was full of a bone deep sadness. She sat with him and looked at the photos, telling him the stories as they went through all the images he could recall.

The memories he couldn't remember.

He had also noticed that some spots in the photo album were empty, as if they had been taken out after it had been filled. There had been missing photos...and now he had to wonder if this photo that Marinette was showing to him was one of those missing pictures from the photo album.

"Were we close?" he whispered, finally tearing his eyes away from the picture.

Marinette hummed, bringing the photo back towards her and looking at it. A fond smile rested on her lips, her usual intense gaze softening as she looked upon the image, "I'd say so."

"D-do you.." he swallowed, "do you have any more?" Her eyes darted back up to him and she studied him for a moment. She nodded slowly, "I...I have a photo album. I noticed pretty early on that something wasn't...right. There's a lot of missing pictures."

Marinette scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Of course he took them out. I'm sure your mom wouldn't have let him get rid of them though, they're likely in a safe place somewhere in your house." Adrien's chest tightened.

Marinette...she was being more open with him.

"Marinette–"

His phone began to ring with a familiar ringtone and this heart jumped to his throat. He scrambled to get his phone out and was met with Nathalie's image.

Shit.

He answered the phone, with shaking hands he set the phone on the table and turned on the speaker.

"Uh, hi, Nathalie."

"Adrien, where in the world are you?!" her tone was harsh, words clipped and he flinched. Marinette eyed the phone with disdain.

"Yeah, I, uh..." he cleared his throat, "I walked a friend home and her- her parents invited me. It would have been rude to say no, we're doing homework together now."

Nathalie was quiet for a few seconds before releasing a sigh, "You should have contacted me or told Gorilla. You're lucky I haven't contacted your father yet." Adrien's jaw clenched, willing himself to not immediately apologize for putting her through this stress. "Well, tell me the address of this friend's house, we will be coming to pick you up there."

"Uh," he glanced up at Marinette, who is glaring at the phone with a fire in her eyes, "Nette, what's the address?"

Marinette's cheeks suddenly flush and she jolted with wide eyes that looked up in astonishment. "Twelve Rue Gotlib, Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie."

They both heard Nathalie's breath hitch.

She cleared her throat, "We'll be there in ten minutes, please be ready to depart."

Adrien deflated a bit at that, he had been having a good time, "Okay, I'll start gathering my things."

"Goodbye."

The call ended and Marinette rolled her eyes, "Well your dad is gonna throw a bitch fit."

Adrien choked, "A what?"

"A bitch fit," she repeated with no hesitation, helping gather his items and he scrambled to follow her actions by stuffing his items back in his bag. "Your dad has never really liked me," she clicked her tongue, "come on, we'll send you back with some treats from the bakery, too."

A warmth washed over him and he smiled at her, "Thanks, Nette."

Oh.

That's what he had called her earlier, wasn't it?

Her cheeks flushed again, and she looked at him from under her lashes and Adrien lost his breath at that.

"Of course, Adrien," she said softly. He zipped his backpack closed and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he realized that he had given her a nickname and it was causing these rare reactions.

"Sorry, I just realized I shortened your name. I..I-I hope you don't mind, it just kind of...came out."

He didn't notice he had nervously looked down out of fear of rejection until Marinette's hand on his cheek brought him out of his stupor with a shock to his system at the gentle touch. She made him meet her eyes and she had a a blinding smile that crinkled her eyes in the way that made her look incredibly similar to her mother.

"It's alright, you can call me that if you'd like."

He nodded quickly and she drew her hand back just as Sabine came back, "Adrien, someone named Nathalie is here to get you?"

"Yeah, mom," Marinette turned to her, "we just finished getting his stuff together. Can you and dad pack a box of some pastries for him to take home?"

Sabine's eyes flicked to the photo frame on the table then to Adrien before going back to Marinette, all with the same pleasant smile on her face, "Of course, dear. Don't take too long, she seems rather impatient to be here." Marinette scoffed.

"Go figure."

Sabine went back through the door that connected the shop to their home and Marinette jerked her head towards it. Adrien shouldered his backpack and followed Marinette out, sending a single glance back to the frame that still sat on the table.

Seeing Nathalie in the storefront looking stern and definitely with a lecture ready for when they got in the car, Adrien's mood nearly wilted in that moment.

"Nathalie Sancoeur," Marinette greeted coldly and he watched Nathalie bristle immediately. Marinette looked her up and down and Adrien thought that Nathalie was...unimpressive, and that had to be just as obvious to the secretary. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien's friend from...school."

"...Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you," she turned towards her parents, "I thank you for welcoming Adrien to your home but perhaps next time you should alert me or his bodyguard of hosting him next time."

"Oh, dear," Sabine covered her mouth with her hand in what seemed like a mock surprise, "I do apologize, we thought that you already knew he was here. If you leave us your contact we'd be happy to communicate next time he's here to make sure."

Nathalie didn't seem to expect the answer and looked at a loss before sputtering, "Th-thank you for understanding."

Tom brought Adrien's attention to him and Sabine walked with him as her husband handed two boxes over to him, "Here's some treats for you and the top one for Miss Nathalie and your guard," he turned towards Nathalie who eyes the box in surprise, " it must have been worrying not knowing where he was. We hope you'll accept these."

Nathalie pursed her lips, "We appreciate the sentiment and will gladly accept your kindness."

Sabine squeezed Adrien's shoulder, "It was good to see you," the again was left out, but he knew what she meant now. "Don't be a stranger, come visit when you can."

"I will," he answered quickly before Nathalie could shut them down. He was correct in his guess as Nathalie's expression soured at his promise to the family. "Thank you for having me, I'll do my best to come by...often." He stressed the word, cementing his promise. Nathalie couldn't do anything now, any negative word from people could cost them now.

The importance of reputation and pride and its finest.

"Come, Adrien. It's time to go now." Adrien nodded and smiled one more time at the Dupain-Cheng's before walking to the door that Nathalie now held open for him.

"Oh, Nathalie," Marinette suddenly spoke up just as they were stepping out. Nathalie looked turned to give the younger her attention. What the woman didn't expect to see was a sharp and dangerous grin aimed at her– no, maybe not her, but– "When you inevitably report this back to Gabriel, tell him he can suck my fucking dick and I hope he chokes on it."

Sabine and Tom both slapped their hands to their faces as Nathalie jaw drops and Adrien choked on his laughter

Nathalie made an offended sound and ushered him to the car, the store door shutting and Adrien quickly handed a box of pastries to Gorilla with a soft explanation. The gifted treats lifted the man's spirits even as Nathalie angrily closed the car doors and hurried him to drive. 

Adrien turned to look out the window, recalling the conversations he had shared with Marinette.

"Were we close?"

"I'd say so."

He closed his eyes.

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