Adrien

One week later...

"You actually did that?" Nino snorted, making his way over to the sofas and settling opposite Adrien.

"Yep!" Adrien replied with a smug smile stretching over his face; he reached for his beer bottle like the cat who'd caught the canary.

"You pretty much told your father to get lost and lived to tell the tale? I'm in absolute awe, Adrien! I'm so proud of you buddy!"

After the events known as New York, Nino and Alya were pretty much waiting on his doorstep when he and Marinette arrived home two days ago. Apparently, just a phone call wasn't enough, the nosey couple just had to venture to London to get every single detail of what happened, and although Adrien wanted to keep a lot of the memories to himself, Nino had travelled all this way and deserved at least a little something.

Félix wasn't lying when he said everyone had been trying to get them together for years, it seemed every date Alya and Nino had, which Adrien and Marinette were dragged on, was an attempt at getting them to not only be cordial with each other but to also 'fall in love'. Félix — the smug arsehole — couldn't help but steal all the glory for it actually, finally, happening.

Taking a quick swig of his beer, Adrien almost choked as Félix entered the room and smacked him squarely in the back.

His coughing and spluttering was no competition for his cousin's roaring laugh as he came to sit beside them, one foot on the coffee table and the other crossing at the ankle.

"The chick has finally flown the nest and in more ways than one if you catch my drift." Félix wiggled his eyebrows at the other males in the room, Nino not impressed by the statement.

"That's my line, dude!"

Félix only laughed more at Nino's possessive outburst. It was good to have them both here. As much as Nino was and will forever be Adrien's best friend (best man status included when the time comes), Félix had become a significant person in Adrien's life too. He wasn't sure life would be the same without his cousin anymore.

"Félix, Nino doesn't need to know everything," Adrien said, taking another large amount of his beer.

"Like hell I don't! You do realise Marinette is with Alya at the moment, if you don't tell me I'm going to get an over exaggerated version from her instead and then have to ask you anyway. So tell me... are you together now?"

Adrien used his beer bottle to cover the twisting of his lips. Oh boy, were they together!

From the moment they'd kissed at the 'A Designs' office, their relationship zoomed from one to a thousand. They were stuck in New York for 5 more days before being able to catch their flight back to London, so they made the most of it. Sightseeing, dates out, dates in... They'd spent the whole time together, Adrien moving into Marinette's room and out of the suite his 'father' was paying for.

His father. Now there was an issue for another day. But this wasn't about him and his father; his story, at this moment, was about him and Marinette. The girl who'd always lingered in his mind was now firmly in the palm of his hand and he had no intention of ever losing her. She was wonderful – inside and out.

"We are, well, neither of us have said it officially but we've barely been separated over the past week so I would say so."

"Yes! That's it cousin!"

Adrien rolled his eyes. This was the first time he'd seen Félix since returning home. Adrien's thoughts lead him to the fact his cousin was probably scared he was going to have his ass kicked for interfering; which he wasn't! He was just going to make it known now truly fucked up his attempt at helping Adrien was.

"Have you... you know?" Nino asked, Adrien smiling at his best friend. "Does that mean you've finally..."

Adrien nodded which only added to Nino's fire. The DJ launched himself off the sofa and grappled Adrien around the neck, pulling him down onto the sofa and into a bear hug.

"I'm so proud of you! You've finally become a man!"

Adrien laughed and attempted to push Nino off him. "Okay, okay! It's not a big deal! It just kind of happened!"

"It fucking well is!" Félix responded, lifting his beer bottle in the air. "To Adrien! Welcome to adulthood!"

"To Adrien," Nino said, grabbing his own bottle.

"To Adrien." A new voice entered the room, joining the two guys with a beer in his hands. He was average height, brunette and very familiar.

"You!" Adrien said, pointing at the newcomer. "You're the person that was following us in New York."

The guy stepped forward and offered a hand out to Adrien. "Miles," he announced. "It's nice to finally meet you!"

Adrien looked at the hand before looking back to the guy. What the hell was this guy doing in his house? Bewildered, Adrien stood up and stretched out. "Nice to meet you."

As though his phone has some sort of awkward moment alarm, Nino's phone blasted out 'The Duel of the Fates'; an indication that his better half was trying to contact him.

"Alya," Nino said, not that Adrien needed telling; he'd had that ring tone for her since they first got together in collége. What had started as a joke had turned into a long running annoyance for Nino's girlfriend. Standing up, Nino left the room and the awkwardness which was about to be endured.

The click from the door had Félix jumping out of his seat and raising his hands in defence. He moved backwards keeping a safe distance between himself and Adrien.

"Now, before you say anything, you need to let me explain."

"Oh, really! I can't wait to hear how you dig yourself out of this mess." Adrien stepped forward, more to watch Félix's nerves increase than to attack. It was quite funny watching his cousin unhinged for a change.

Félix continued to move backward unaware of the footstool behind him. Before he knew what was happening his knees hit the furniture and Félix continued tumbling backwards onto the floor, his legs remaining in the air. Adrien moved to stand over him, offering a hand out to help his cousin back up and onto his feet.

"Tell me. Why did you go through all this effort to create a sentibeing. It's unethical, Félix, you of all people should know that."

Sighing, Félix made it back over to the sofa and sat down next to Miles. "Miles was created by Kagami to try and help one of her friends. I know, I know, it's unethical and immoral, but her friend was on the verge of..." Félix closed his eyes and took a deep breath, Adrien feeling for him. This didn't seem like something his cousin wanted to talk about and even though there were better ways to go about this, Adrien couldn't help but understand Félix's doing.

"Anyway, Miles and Kagami's friend hit it off and they've been together ever since. Him coming over to check on you and Marinette was more a case of him being able to quickly report to me. Seriously, I'm really sorry he freaked you out. He's still learning the ways of social communication."

Aren't we all? Adrien thought. He looked over at Miles. The guy seemed happy and normal enough. Kagami had obviously done a good job. "And he has his own free will?"

"100% I wouldn't do that to someone, you know I wouldn't."

A pout took over Adrien's lips. Félix was right. Even though he could sometimes seat himself firmly in the grey area, Félix wouldn't restrict someone, it would make him too much like the adult males in their lives, the ones both boys were trying to break away from.

"Okay, so say I believe you on that. What the hell was the deal with my father?"

Félix moved uncomfortably in his seat; Adrien was sure he'd struck a nerve and now he couldn't wait to hear the answer.

"Don't shoot the messenger, but I believe your father is working alongside Monarch."

Though most people would see this statement as 'out there', Adrien couldn't help but see the logic behind the thought. It made sense, after all, Marinette had been fired and then almost made into an akuma. But what worried Adrien more was the fact Monarch had been in New York too. That plus what Félix was saying set alarm bells off in Adrien's head. Alarm bells which were screaming at him to consider the chance that his father was Monarch. It made sense.

He hadn't spoken to his father since he chose Marinette over the company and now, knowing Marinette was purposefully being attacked, he had made it a mission to protect her. To make sure Gabriel was nowhere near.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Adrien said, moving back to his beer bottle before heading to the garden and pulling out his phone.

Things with Marinette were great and he was extremely happy, but it still seemed she was holding back a little — the little he knew as Miss Dial.

She was freer behind her phone and he wanted that to continue until she let that side loose with him – as Adrien. He stepped out towards the cage he had his cock in; Daisy the cockerel that is. Selecting the camera option, he snapped a couple of pictures before pulling up her contact details.

Adrien (6:52pm): Hey, Miss Dial, look who wanted to say hello! I finally managed to get in touch with the right person today and my lovely Daisy will be heading to a new home tomorrow.

Laughing to himself, Adrien shut down his phone and placed it back in his pocket, moving towards the cockerel. He'd finally managed to get hold of Félix's friend and as of 12 noon tomorrow Daisy would no longer be digging up his small, London garden in the search for worms. She was probably more excited about leaving than he was; and he knew for certain his neighbours would be ecstatic.

"Hey dude!" Nino shouted, sticking his head out the window as he attempted to slip his shoes on. "Alya's got us last minute tickets for Wicked. I'm going to head out now, but let me know what's happening tomorrow. Maybe we can all go on a double date?"

"Triple date!" Félix shouted from inside the house.

Adrien laughed as he moved back inside and said his goodbyes.

"Double date it us," Adrien whispered to Nino, causing Félix to grumble behind him.

"You're out with me and Layla tomorrow anyway," Miles said. "Don't ditch me for your cool cousin."

"Listen, you've met Adrien now, you can see he is anything but cool." Félix's phone suddenly started to vibrate against the table as Kagami's name flashed erratically on the screen. "Looks like I'm being summoned too."

Walking Nino to the front door, Félix and Miles followed shortly after, saying their goodbyes and leaving Adrien alone.

He wasn't due to see Marinette today, both needing time to wash and sort out their clothing from the trip to New York, and to actually see if they could stay apart for more than a couple of hours — he was missing her like crazy already. Marinette, much to Adrien's dismay, was staying with Kagami and Félix for the next few days before heading back to Paris. A decision Adrien still had to come to himself. There was nothing in London for him now, yet he couldn't fully commit to moving back to Paris.

He loved Paris, that was his home, but his family were here and someone who'd lacked in the family department so much over the years, he was worried about letting it go. But then, Marinette had taken everything from him. He adored her and wanted to give his all to making this work. What had only been a week had been years in the making and he wasn't ready to give it up so soon.

He knew it was still early days, but there was no doubt in his mind that he was falling for her. Damn, he was sure he was already gone. She was his first thought in the morning and last thought at night. Her smile, her laugh, her lips. She fit perfectly into his life as her body fit perfectly to his. But Marinette was still reluctant to trust him fully and he was determined to let her know he was there, that they could work.

Slowly, Adrien began to move around the lounge clearing up the bottles from the lads' visit; as he placed the last two in the recycling bin it all came clear. His life wasn't here, or in Paris, it was wherever Marinette wanted to be. He felt like an idiot for falling so deeply and so quickly, but he couldn't help it. She was everything he ever needed in his life and more. She was what he wanted .

Reaching into his back pocket to call her, he knew they needed to speak. To clear up whatever this was and label it, because once there was a label he could make his move. He could stand beside her every step of the way as she became the greatest designer in Paris. The first step just needed to be taken.

Before he could do as much as tap the screen his doorbell rang.

Moving forwards, he hoped it wasn't Félix coming back. He'd seen enough of his cousin for one day.

"Listen, Félix, I ..."

Adrien froze, unable to move. On his doorstep wasn't his cousin, it wasn't even a male. Instead, it was the most beautiful woman in the world looking like the most broken, her face full of hurt and anger. Her red rimmed eyes glared into his and for some reason he wanted to run from her and hide because the way she looked at him right now, broke his soul.

He opened his mouth ready to speak, only for the words to die away as she held up her phone.

"How long have you known?"

Studying the screen in front of him everything became crystal clear. He hadn't text Miss Dial as Mr Unknown, instead he'd sent the message straight to Marinette — from Adrien.