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Chapter Text

A small boutique in Paris was pictured. The sign above the shop said, "MDC Spellbinding Fashions" and it looked very busy inside.

Around the tastefully-decorated interior of the boutique (using mostly neutral colors with some pink splashed in on occasion), several clothing pieces were on hangers or shelves. Each set of shelves or round rack had a certain label on top, such as luck spells, confidence boosters, protection spells, etc.

A bell rang, indicating that someone came inside the shop.

"Welcome to MDC's Spellbinding Fashions! How can I help you?" A young woman from behind a counter said.

She had fair skin, blue eyes, dark hair cut short, and a light dusting of freckles on her face. She was wearing a red and black suit (the jacket was a double-breasted blazer in red and the shirt underneath was black), and she was wearing a red skirt with black spots on it, black nylon stockings, and red flat shoes. She was wearing a ladybug pendant necklace and black stud earrings.

Marinette looked at the door and saw a fully-grown red fox sitting at the small "doggie door" inside the shop. There was a fox tail necklace around its neck.

"Hi, Alya!" She said to the fox.

It slowly changed into a woman slightly taller than the shopkeeper, tan skin tone, wavy dark red hair, hazel eyes behind glasses, a beauty mark above her eyebrow, and wearing orange flannel and blue jeans.

"Hey, Marinette," Alya said to the woman as she approached the counter. "How's business today?"

"Fine." Marinette said as she rang a customer up for a beret with a relaxation charm sigil sewn in. As the customer left, Marinette looked at Alya with a firm expression.

"But Alya, remember what I said about coming in here while in fox form during business hours?" Marinette said in a scolding, almost motherly tone.

"I know that's a rule, girl, but I can't help it! I gotta stretch my fox legs before I see you." Alya said.

The girls laughed.

"Excuse me, I'd like to buy this." Another woman said as she came to the counter, carrying a scarf that had a fertility booster spell.

"Yes," Marinette responded as she tended to the customer. Once the lady checked out and left, Marinette turned back to Alya. "Alya, you know I made that "come, stay, and leave in human form" rule for a reason."

"I know, I know. We can't have some random human calling animal control here because they mistook me for a real fox... Or so you say." Alya said to her.

"What do you mean "or so I say", Alya?" Marinette asked as she went to the floor of the store and started walking around, taking stock.

"You know what I mean, girl," Alya said, crossing her arms while watching Marinette reorganize one of the shelves, rotating the merchandise. "Don't deny it."

Marinette sighed before saying, "Maybe you're right..."

"Girl, I know I'm right." Alya sighed.

Marinette went quiet as she adjusted the sign before moving aside for the customers. She asked Alya, "How about a girls' night tonight?"

"Sorry girl, but no-can do," Alya said as they went back to the counter. "Myléne's pregnancy is really taking its toll on her, and Ivan's being a doting husband as always. Zoé's got that location shoot out in Perpignan; Rose and Juleka are doing that fundraiser for the children's hospital; Alix is fully-booked helping out at the museum tonight."

"And what about you?" Marinette asked.

"My work is sending me undercover at one of the mayor's villas," Alya spat. "The goal is to investigate any of the well-founded claims of corruption and breaking several federal laws just to indulge his wife and Chloé."

"We saw all of that first-hand during school," Marinette said while sorting everything by spell, using telekinesis. "You have plenty of recordings and pieces from back then, and you can use that to supplement what you find tonight."

"Great idea!" Alya said. "Now, on the subject of dates..."

"Alya..." Marinette began in a warning tone.

"Girl, it's been years," Alya sighed. "You can't let one love story gone wrong ruin your love life forever."

"But what if it's a repeat performance, Alya?" Marinette asked.

"What if it isn't?" Alya responded. "You never know until you try. Besides, remember what my grandmother says: life's not waiting for the storm to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain."

"I really don't have time for that, Alya..." Marinette said as she put everything down in the right place.

"Then make time for it." Alya insisted.

Marinette sighed before turning to Alya and said, "I can't, Alya... How am I supposed to know who or what I'm getting involved with?"

Alya gave her friend a sad look.

That evening, Marinette was walking the streets, having wrapped up a delivery. The client was a bride who wanted a "happy, lifelong marriage" spell in her dress. While Marinette herself advised that while the spell would help, the couple would have to really work together to keep their marriage happy.

She looked up and saw the full moon in the sky. She gave it a smile before her face turned a bit anxious when she heard the howling of a wolf or some other animal off in the distance. Full moons were a basic guarantee that were-beasts of all sorts would be out and about at night.

Contrary to human belief, were-beasts weren't limited to transforming during full moons. In fact, a full moon didn't so much trigger/enable the transformation as it did strengthen and/or speed them tenfold when in beast form. Otherwise, like shifters, they would just shift back and forth at will, even in broad daylight.

While people shifting into animals or humanoid beasts in public was normal in shifter/magical communities such as where Marinette lived, this wasn't a universal thing. Truthfully, the paranormal/magical world had only been outed to humanity around the world in the past thirty years. While this is a long time by human standards, the majority of magical creatures have much longer lifespans. For example, dragons and dragon shifters were known to live for centuries, sometimes even over a millennia. Other species, like vampires, were immortal while reproducing sexually, and they could still turn a human into a vampire with a bite if they so desired. Magic users lived thrice as long as the average human did, too.

Prior to what the paranormal community called "The Great Coming Out", any shifters, were-beasts, magical creatures, and magic users that lived among humanity in non-magic settlements were forced to hide their powers. It was easy for witches, wizards and warlocks to do this since they didn't take any form other than human (unless they had to use a spell to transform or something). Other species, not so much. That said, there were hidden paranormal community towns and cities in remote areas around the world where all magical, paranormal beings could go about their business, do their magic, shift, fly, whatever they wanted without fear of persecution. It was their normal in those communities. For obvious reasons, they had reservations about telling human newcomers/outsiders about the magical parts of their community culture. Those paranormal communities and towns still exist to the present day.

Once the Great Coming Out transpired, this changed for both better and worse. On the negative side, fear and hate-driven persecution turned out to be a well-founded concern. Much like many humans in minority groups, several paranormal species had become the victims of fear and hate crimes, and they were scared of getting killed, or having their paranormal-majority towns and settlements be destroyed. Ironically, there was a positive outcome to it as well: it brought humans and magic creatures closer because of shared experiences. As a result, they started creating organizations to combat hate towards all populations, human or paranormal.

Another positive thing was that it brought about a huge amount of positive changes on behalf of the environment on a global scale. Humans started cooperating with fairies and mermaids in restoring all sorts of habitats (rainforests, tundras) and cleaning up the planet's waterways. They also began coming together to make sure humans could get the resources they needed while being fair, ethical, and sustainable to both humans and magical creatures.

Everyone started working together to create communities, towns, and cities where these differences were embraced, celebrated, and normalized. While everyone agreed progress was being made, there was still a lot of work to do.

Marinette was of the generation that benefited from these changes. Witches, wizards, and warlocks in general were considered the link species between paranormal and human. Since they faced issues that both sides experienced, they were often called upon for diplomatic purposes. In fact, a lot of magic users, like her friend Myléne (who had dreams of becoming the mayor of Paris), worked in government and politics on behalf of both.

Marinette heard something that sounded like footsteps or rustling, but she didn't pay any attention. She had a few self-defense spells in the back of her mind to use in case she was attacked. These days, any random groper or assailant would definitely regret trying to attack and rape a magic-user. The would-be attacker would get something a lot more detrimental than pepper spray to the face and getting arrested.

Marinette heard another howl from a distance, and saw the moon was getting higher. She sighed and started picking up the pace, looking around to make sure she wasn't missing her home.

She didn't see a shadow in an alley, but she heard hurried footsteps ahead of her. She slammed into someone, bounced to the ground, and some of her items scattered around the ground.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there." Marinette said to them as she started gathering up her items and putting them back in her bag. She slung it over her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," The person responded. "I wasn't watching where I was going, either."

When Marinette sat up and she looked at the person she bumped into, she was surprised. He was a young Adonis around her age, with sunshine-colored hair, wearing well-designed, but casual clothes, including a white button-down over a black shirt and blue jeans. He seemed to be a fair-skinned youth, though the cover of night made it hard to tell. He was rubbing his body in the places where it hurt the most, and he seemed like he was dizzy from the impact. When he opened his eyes, she saw they were a bright, Peridot green. He glanced at her, did a double-take, and he kept looking at her as if he'd never seen a woman before. His eyes seemed to go wider for a second or two, and something was there for half of that before settling down, and his mouth started to grow into a small smile.

Marinette blushed at the sight of him, her heart fluttered for a split-second, and she gave a smile. But for some reason, she felt like squirming with him staring at her like that.

"I, um..." Marinette began as he stood up and approached.

"Here, let me help you." He said as he held his hand out to her.

"Thank you." Marinette said as she took his hand.

She felt something course through her, like a bolt of lightning in the sky had hit her, causing her heart to skip a beat. She looked at the man before her, who was giving her a smile that seemed a bit shy and goofy at the same time. He yanked her up and she stumbled into his arms. Marinette felt the hardness of his chest, and her face went even darker. She jumped away before clearing her throat.

"Again, I'm sorry for crushing- bumping! Bumping into you," Marinette said, stuttering on her words. "I was in a hung- hurry!"

"I was in a hurry, too," He admitted, still holding her hand, and examining it for some reason. "I think we're both responsible for this little bump."

Marinette laughed at this and subtly took her hand away, before saying, "Um... Thanks for helping me up, but I need to get home."

"I can accompany you," He said to her in a hurried manner. "I mean... If you want."

Marinette looked at him before saying, "Okay."

The young man held his arm out in offering. Marinette looked at him for a brief second, and he looked like he was trying to act all suave and charming. In response, she blushed before taking his arm and he started walking her home. She caught the scent of clean, airy cologne on him, and she began to feel dizzy again. She started looking at his profile and he seemed to be even more handsome with the moonlight shining on him. Her heart throbbed.

"See something you like?" He teased.

Marinette pulled a guilty, uncomfortable face before saying, "Ah, er, yeah, you - the moon! Yeah, it's a beautiful moon out tonight!"

He looked up to the sky for a brief second, saying, "Yeah, the full moon is beautiful, especially with a clear sky."

"Y-Yeah..." Marinette blushed. "A... Er... Yes."

A bit of awkward silence dragged on. She looked down before wondering to herself, 'WHAT is going on?! Why am I acting like such an idiot with this guy?'

Her thoughts were racing when he broke the silence by asking her, "What's your name?"

She looked up to him and saw he was giving her a casual, friendly smile. It set her at ease.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," She said to him. "What about you?"

"Adrien," He introduced, but his voice sounded a little deflated. "So, what are you doing out this late at night?"

Marinette responded, "I just finished up a delivery and I'm on my way back. But I can ask the same question to you."

"Oh, um, I..." He stammered, looking a bit nervous. "I was visiting a... A friend and I... I lost track of time."

"I know how that feels," Marinette said, laughing. "When I hang out with my friends, I have so much fun that I end up forgetting the time and then I'm later than usual getting home."

"Speaking of home, where is it for you?" Adrien asked, looking Marinette in the eyes.

"It should be coming up right now - here it is!" Marinette said as she pointed out her storefront.

Adrien looked it over before saying, "Cute shop."

"Thank you!" Marinette said. "And thank you for walking me home."

"You're welcome, Marinette." He said as he took her hand and kissed it.

She blushed, her heart pounded, and she felt her body temperature go up. If a traditional thermometer was pictured, the reading was so far off the chart that the top part of the glass piece shattered.

Her heart hadn't swollen up like that in a long time.

"I'll see you around?" He asked her as he let go of her hand. She pulled it close to her heart.

"I'd like that," Marinette responded, blushing in response. "Feel free to stop by whenever you want or can."

Adrien smiled back before saying, "Thank you. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?"

"That sounds great," Marinette said as she unlocked the door and went inside. "See you tomorrow, you hands- er, helpful guy."

She mentally face-palmed while thinking, 'UGH, "You helpful guy"?! I'm so stupid!'

Adrien chuckled before responding, "Yeah."

Once Marinette shut the door and was sure she was out of his line of sight, she ran to the back of the shop before opening the door to the stairs that led to her upstairs apartment. She couldn't help but feel a bit giddy about Adrien. A handsome young man like that who helped walk her home, and then wanted to come by and visit the following day? She couldn't help but feel lucky.

'Be still, my beating heart! It's her!'

Those were the first thoughts he had when he laid eyes on her.

He'd found her. His destiny. His mate. They say love comes when you least expect it, and he definitely wasn't expecting to find his destined soulmate on a night run. Every full moon, he would go out running as his were-cat self in places were were-beasts were the primary inhabitants. His love for going out for runs at night whenever he wanted to made him feel much freer. And on a full moon, it felt even more liberating.

Adrien was the future alpha of his clan of werecat (specifically black panthers). He wasn't fond of the implications of that future. Ever since childhood, it'd been drilled into his head that he had to fulfill certain expectations, especially regarding mating. It was expected that he would mate with a future alpha female from another clan and reproduce with her.

His father once tried setting him up with a fox shifter named Lila Rossi, who came from a family of diplomats. She was as cunning as her species came, and seemed nice, but his inner were-cat was flat-out repulsed by the girl, especially her fox. And it didn't take long for Adrien to find out that vixen's true colors (a sociopath who lied with every breath and made people's lives hell if they tried to expose the truth), thus turning off both man and werecat. When he reported his findings to his father, he immediately used his power and connections to get rid of the entire Rossi clan.

Adrien later tried going out with a dragon named Kagami Tsurugi, who came from a similar social and familial situation as he did. Unfortunately, his inner werecat and her inner dragon wanted nothing to do with each other despite the fledgling human attraction between them. It didn't help that Kagami found her true soulmate in Adrien's cousin, who was a peacock shifter. Needless to say, his father was disappointed at the failed union, but he conceded the point when Adrien argued that both destiny and the literal beast within had the final say with mating (and if both human and beast sides agreed, you definitely didn't argue). If the union wasn't meant to be, then that was that, and no one, not even Gabriel Agreste, had the power to change it.

That particular evening, his father was on his case again and he needed to get out and get away from it for a few hours. Adrien shifted into his werecat form, he ran around the rooftops, roared at the moon, and anything that he needed to do to get his frustrations out. When he decided he'd had enough, and made to go home, he jumped off the roof into an alley, changed back into human form (making sure to ditch his ripped clothes and change into new ones), and ran out of there. Since he wasn't paying attention, he didn't see anyone else nearby and ran into the poor woman, even with his heightened feline senses.

When he looked up, he was only planning to apologize and go on his way. But as was inherent in all were-beasts, all it took was one look at her, one pound of his heart, one shine in his eyes, and one smitten yowl from his inner panther, and he was a goner. This woman... He recognized her scent and her face upon first glance, his heart pounded at the sight of her, and her voice was like flute/violin music in a ballet. She was so beautiful that at first, he mistook her for a swan maiden. But her scent was rich with the sexy-sweet perfume of magic that only witches had. For his destined soulmate to be a witch... His father would have a conniption, but Adrien didn't care.

When he opened the door to the Agreste mansion, he came in with a goofy smile before quietly shutting it.

"Yo! Adrien, you're back." Another man said as he came into the mansion foyer.

He was about Adrien's height, with tan skin, golden eyes behind glasses, a red hat, and wearing very casual clothing, including a turtle bracelet. Nino Lahiffe, his best friend. Nino himself wasn't a were-beast, or even a shifter. He was actually a wizard that specialized in protection magic and had a turtle motif and familiar.

"Hi, Nino." Adrien said as he leaned up against the door.

"Dude, you okay?" Nino asked as he waved his hand in front of Adrien's face.

Adrien didn't answer. Instead, he thought of Marinette, her beauty, and how adorkable she was.

"Adrien, seriously, what is going on?" Nino asked, beginning to get worried.

"I found her..." Adrien murmured.

"Her? Her who?" Nino questioned, once again snapping his fingers in front of Adrien's face. "Dude, speak sensibly!"

"The mother of my future were-kitties." Adrien said with a casual shrug.

Nino gave a confused expression, but it soon melted into a smile before grabbing Adrien by the shoulder and saying, "You met your fated mate?!"

Adrien gave a nod and said, "Yeah. I'm going to see her at her shop tomorrow."

"Dude, that's great!" Nino said. "Is she...?"

"She is." Adrien said with a confirming nod.

"It's gotta be fate, dude!" Nino laughed. "And your old man was giving you a hard time about mating earlier. This is perfect!"

"I know it is. It's absolutely purr-fect." Adrien said. Nino groaned at the pun.

Adrien heaved a wistful sigh as he put his hand against his chest. His heart was still pounding as he thought of his sweet witch holding his arm as he walked her home. The sensation of her skin on his lips was fresh in his mind, too. Once he was done, those moments would continue until death do they part.

The following morning at the boutique, Marinette was preparing to open for business.

"Girl, this is amazing!" Alya said. "He's coming today, right?"

"Yeah." Marinette said as she was wiping down the counter. She'd told Alya everything.

"From what you said, he sounds like quite the gentleman," Alya said in a teasing tone. "Walking you home after bumping into you, kissing your hand... And you certainly didn't object to touching him."

"But I acted like a complete idiot last night! I stuttered on my words and my brain froze up!" Marinette said as she put the rag away and took out the glass cleaner for the windows.

"That clearly didn't turn him off if he's coming by today," Alya insisted back. "I think he may like you."

Marinette paused in her cleaning and blushed before saying, "A-Alya, that's ridiculous! We only just met last night."

"Marinette, you know that's bullcrap. Love at first sight is a thing for us paranormal folk." Alya said, rolling her eyes.

Marinette continued wiping the window, saying, "I know it is. I'm not gonna lie, he's attractive and I wanna see him again."

"Then what's stopping you, girl? Other than the obvious?" Alya asked.

She sagged a bit. It wasn't a big secret that Marinette had... issues... With getting romantically-involved with shifters and were-beasts. The last time she dated a shifter, she was certain that he was her fated soulmate. Sadly, it ended in a breakup that was humiliating for her and shattered her heart almost beyond repair. She didn't want to deal with that pain ever again.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the privilege of staying single. Mating/dating culture within magic users wasn't much different from humans (unless said human wound up getting fated to a paranormal - that was when things could get complicated). However, magic users had to find their true love/soulmate before they hit thirty-five years old, otherwise their aging would accelerate and nothing they could do would be able to stop it. They would die within fifteen years. To put it in perspective, a witch that was chronologically in her late thirties would actually be, biologically/physically, in her early sixties, possibly older.

Marinette was genuinely scared that she would never find her soulmate, and suffer that fate to die young. And after what happened, that fear felt more real.

Trying to forget about her heartbreak, she went back to the store floor and started reorganizing the racks. "Another day, another batch of clothes that give people a magical boost of luck!"

"Girl, sewing magic spells into your clothes to help people was a genius move!" Alya added.

"But I've always sewed magic spells into the clothes I make - I just decided to turn it into a business. Sure, putting magic into my own personal clothes didn't help my clumsiness, but at least it made me more confident in myself." Marinette said.

"Yeah, especially in school. I always told you you should've cast a karma spell on Chloé, since she's human." Alya agreed.

"Oh, please. If the roles were reversed, she would've easily done that to me out of sheer pettiness." Marinette laughed.

"But once you conjured up that magical fireball in front of her face and bluffed about cursing her to be bald for life, she backed off." Alya laughed in agreement.

"Her dad may be the mayor, but magic can defeat politics any day of the week. Besides, Zoé would've pitied her and asked me to reverse the magic if I really did go that far." Marinette laughed.

"But Chloé would've had it coming, don't you think?" Alya insisted.

"True, but the best revenge is success and forgetting all about the troublemakers that did you wrong." Marinette said.

"Fair enough." Alya said.

Marinette turned the closed sign to open on the shop window. She snapped her fingers and the flowers in the window boxes bloomed in an instant.

"I love when you do that, girl." Alya laughed.

"Thanks, Alya." Marinette said as she opened the doors and let the customers come in.

Soon, it was closer to noontime, and thus things were calming down for lunch. Outside, Adrien was strutting down the street like he was dancing to a song, humming to it, too.

When he saw the shop again, he smiled as he watched Marinette working in the shop, using her magic to help with her tasks. He caught sight of the flowers in the flower boxes and he got an idea. He went straight for the nearest flower shop.

Back in the shop, Marinette and Alya decided to take lunch break together. They were eating some home-cooked soup in a bread bowl that Marinette enchanted with some happiness spells for them.

"This is the bomb, girl!" Alya said as she swallowed a bite.

"Thanks. Being the daughter of bakers doesn't hurt my culinary skills," Marinette laughed. "I remember whenever I got home after a rough day, I would beg my parents for chocolate chip cookies with anti-bullying protection spells just to help me deal with Chloé, Lila, and Sabrina day in and day out."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Lila at first, Marinette," Alya confessed. "I thought you were jealous, but then you threw in a combined truth/karma spell on the sly and outed her. That woman gave our entire fox shifter species a bad name."

"The best apology is changed behavior," Marinette said to her, waving it off. "But that's water under the bridge now. Anyway, if my parents could bake spells into their goods and teach me how to do the same, I thought why not pay this forward?"

"Definitely," Alya agreed as she ate more of the soup. "This happiness spell is giving me a happy belly!"

Marinette laughed in response to the joke as she ate her own meal.

The bell above the door rang. Alya sat up straight, almost as if she were a bit anxious, meanwhile Marinette turned to the door and smiled.

There was Adrien, one hand behind his back, smiling at Marinette, and his free hand on the door frame.

"Oh! Adrien!" Marinette said as she stood up and walked over to him. Her face was pink. "Great to sex - er, see you again!"

Marinette covered her mouth, her face turning from pink to red.

Adrien chuckled before saying, "Nice to see you again too, Marinette."

"I'm glad that you kiss - er, came by! Thanks for walking me home last night." Marinette said.

"You're more than welcome," Adrien said. "I have a present for you."

"You do?" Marinette asked.

He nodded before pulling something out from behind him. He presented Marinette with a bouquet of pink roses that had sprigs of baby's breath and was wrapped in white floral paper, tied with a pink ribbon.

"Aw! I love pink roses! How did you know they're my favorite?!" Marinette asked as she took the flowers into her hands, put them to her face, and smelled their sweet perfume.

"Just a lucky guess." Adrien replied as he watched her with an affectionate smile.

Alya was watching Adrien out of her peripheral vision, her eyes a bit narrow with something. Adrien noticed before looking over at Alya.

"Oh, who's your friend?" Adrien asked.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Marinette said, pulling the flowers away from her face. "This is my BFF, Alya Césaire."

Adrien paused, as if recognizing the name, but he smiled and said, "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Alya."

"Likewise." Alya said pensively.

"You're perfect - I mean, your timing is perfect!" Marinette stammered. "Alya and I are having lunch. We're having happiness-spelled soup in bread bowls. You should join us."

"I'd love to." Adrien said.

She snapped her fingers, and the flowers were soon in a vase of water on the table. She also conjured up another place setting at the table for Adrien.

"Please, sit." Marinette said as she went back to the table.

Alya kept her eyes on Adrien, as he sat down. He kept his eyes on Marinette as he started eating his soup.

"Wow, this is delicious!" Adrien said. "You're quite the enchanting chef."

He winked at her. Marinette stifled a laugh at this, meanwhile Alya was still looking at Adrien as if something was wrong.

"Your shop is just as cute on the inside as it is outside," Adrien said to Marinette. "You must've put in so much work."

"Yeah," Marinette laughed. "It took a while without magic, but I got it done."

"You should see more of her pieces!" Alya said, feeling a little more comfortable. "She's very talented!"

"I don't doubt it, but I really wanna see it." Adrien laughed as he flashed Marinette a charming smolder. She blushed.

"I can strip - ACK! I can do a private fashion show for the two of us after work today?" Marinette suggested, her tongue tying itself into knots again.

"Great idea." Adrien agreed. Marinette breathed a subtle sigh of relief.

The rest of their lunch consisted of Marinette casting furtive, shy glances at Adrien, trying not to sound like a complete idiot around him, and blushing. Every time he spoke to her, Marinette's heart went into overdrive and she couldn't help but get lost in his eyes.

Once customers started lining up out the door again, Adrien took his leave.

"See you later tonight for your fashion show, Marinette?" Adrien said, holding her hand in his own.

"Yes." Marinette confirmed, and once again, Adrien brought his hand up to his lips and kissed them. She once again went red in the face as she gave a goofy smile.

Adrien chuckled at the sight before walking away. Marinette sighed wistfully before shaking her head and saying, "No! No! Bad Marinette, bad! You gotta get back to work. It's unprofessional to be swooning over a man in the middle of a work day."

She turned on her heel and went back inside. She noticed Alya was a bit on edge, and she asked, "Alya? You okay?"

"I'm fine," Alya said. "I guess that happiness spell hasn't kicked in quite yet. I gotta get going. I need to shift to get dirt on Mayor Bourgeois! Who knows? This may be Myléne's in as future mayor."

Marinette shrugged before saying, "Maybe. Go and get what you need for the report. See you tomorrow."

"I will." Alya said as she stepped out of the store.

Marinette went back to serving the customers inside.

Okay! That's it for chapter one! Like I said, I really don't know what I'm doing, and it may take a while before the next chapter's up because I'm not overly-familiar with this genre. I've only read one or two romance novels about it. I'm sort of making things up as I go (and reading some shifter romances while I'm at it), but I hope you can be patient with me.

Keep the comments and kudos coming, please! 

And also... RIP Betty White, Sidney Poitier, and most recently, Bob Saget. 

Chapter Text

Coming up in this chapter, Marinette and Adrien spend more time together and get to know each other more. And a certain vixen is starting a love story of her own. 

Song(s) Included, With/Without Modifications: 

Stray Cat Strut - The Stray Cats

When Marinette turned the "Open" sign to closed, she smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. She went back to the shop floor before snapping her fingers and using her magic to reorganize the shop, FIFO-ing her stock (older stuff was rotated to the front, the newer stuff was in the back - first in, first out), putting the racks against the walls for extra floor space, locking the safes and cash boxes, and doing one last cleaning of the glass.

She recited a spell and she conjured up a makeshift runway with a curtain on the stage, lights, and everything. It had chairs for her and Adrien to sit in, several random outfits ready, and she spelled a few mannequins to give them arms and legs so they could model.

"Perfect! The only thing missing is Adrien!" Marinette giggled.

She heard a knock on the door, and Marinette turned around to see Adrien, a suave look on his face.

"Did someone call my name?" He asked as Marinette let him in.

"I did." Marinette said, blushing. She led him inside.

"I'm excited to see your work, Marinette." Adrien said as they sat down in the chairs.

"I can't wait to show you my work!" Marinette said as she clapped her hands. The lights on the stage turned on and the mannequins started strutting down the runway.

"This is amazing," Adrien said. "You did this yourself?"

"Nothing a little magic can't do," Marinette giggled. "Check it out."

The first mannequin that came out was a plus-sized mannequin. It was wearing grey pant suit with pink accents on it. The jacket was single-breasted while the pants were form-fitting with flared hems. The shoes that accompanied it were grey flats with pink insoles.

"Nice suit!" Adrien said, clapping.

"Thanks. I made it for Myléne Hapréle, for her future campaign for Mayor of Paris! Mayor Myléne Hapréle! Sounds nice, doesn't it?" Marinette asked.

"It does." Adrien agreed.

"Next up!" Marinette said, clapping her hands as the mannequins kept moving.

The next mannequin that came by was wearing a simple, ankle-length, dark yellow dress with a draped skirt. It had a V neckline. The entire dress had black wasp stripes on it, and the mannequin had a hat black fascinator hat on top of it with a bee-themed hair pin pinning a yellow veil to it.

"Wow! That's beautiful!" Adrien gasped, smiling in delight.

"Isn't it, though?" Marinette giggled. "It's for Zoé Lee."

"The mayor's stepdaughter?" Adrien asked.

"Yep. She's out in Perpignan for a movie shoot right now, but I think this dress would suit her. I themed it around bees and wasps." Marinette confirmed.

"Why?" Adrien asked, eager to hear Marinette's reasoning.

"Zoé's as sweet as honey, but when she's confident and comfortable, especially when she's in character for a role, she can be much bolder, like a wasp." Marinette explained.

"That makes a lot of sense. Theming your clothes around the personalities of your friends? Genius!" Adrien said.

"Thank you! There's more where that came from. Here's the next one." Marinette said.

Another women's pantsuit came out. This time it was white with baby blue accents to it (a white, double-breasted jacket with a baby blue shirt under it, and flared-bottom white pants), it had a pocket watch hanging out of one of the pockets, and there was a white necktie on the mannequin, too.

"Nice," Adrien said, smiling. "Any more?"

"Yep!" Marinette said as she looked forward.

Next was a knee-length orange dress with a surplice neckline, the bodice had a white portion on top while the entire skirt was orange, it had black elbow-length gloves, a white sash, part of which was also hanging down. There was an orange pillbox hat that had makeshift fox ears poking out of it.

"This one is one of my favorites. It's for Alya." Marinette explained.

"Judging by the theme, is she a fox shifter or come from a fox shifter family?" Adrien asked.

"Yep!" Marinette confirmed. "She's a very cunning fox shifter. And a loyal friend!"

"Believe me, I've met fox shifters that give her species a bad name." Adrien chuckled.

"So have I. And now... The pièce de résistance!" Marinette said as she snapped her fingers. All the mannequins moved to the side to make room for the final piece.

Out of the curtain came a mannequin that was wearing a beautiful, white ballroom dress. It had a scalloped sweetheart neckline, three tiers of fabric, and the subtle floral pattern that Marinette would wear in her usual ensemble. The sleeves were only at the shoulders. The mannequin had a small, golden heart necklace on its neck, and there was a peony on the waist-hip area.

"Well, what do you think?" Marinette asked as she looked at her piece before looking at Adrien.

She saw that his eyes were wider than before, and he looked like he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Marinette noticed he hadn't blinked once when the dress came out.

Marinette felt like she was having a heart attack, her body went cold, and she felt goosebumps. She clutched her hands together and she started shaking. Marinette's eyes were wide and she started shuddering in anxiety.

'What is he thinking?! Does he think the dress is ugly?! Oh, I hope he doesn't hate it!' Marinette thought, feeling a sense of panic overtake her.

"Marinette, this dress..." Adrien began, looking at Marinette with an unreadable expression.

Marinette felt her heart stop dead in its tracks. She looked at Adrien before squeaking out, "Yes?"

"It's incredible!" Adrien said as he stood up and ran over to the runway to get a better look. "I think this is the best of the bunch! And I'll bet you'll look beautiful in it."

"Me?" Marinette asked, going stiff.

"Yeah! Why not try it on?" Adrien suggested, turning to look back at her with a big smile.

"Because that dress isn't for me." Marinette said, hugging her arms, something she often did when she was insecure/worried about something.

"What are you talking about?" Adrien asked as he took the dress off the mannequin to bring it over to her. "This dress was made for you!"

"And why do you say that?" Marinette questioned, standing up. "I'm a designer, not a model. Designers almost never model their own work."

"But plenty of people make their own clothes to wear," Adrien said as he presented the dress. "Come on, try it on? Please?"

Marinette looked between Adrien and the dress. Truthfully, she did make that dress with the intention of wearing it herself. Possibly in front of a special someone, maybe her soulmate. But past trauma crept up and she shook her head.

She gently pushed the dress away from her, telling Adrien, "No. I... I can't."

Marinette turned away, as Adrien asked, "Is there anything I can say or do to convince you otherwise?"

"No." Marinette said simply as she snapped her fingers and in a puff of pink smoke, the dress was back on the mannequin.

She sighed before putting on a happy smile and turning back to Adrien, saying, "Well, what did you think of the show?"

"It was great, Marinette. I only wish that you had real people wearing those clothes instead of these mannequins." Adrien said.

"Thank you," Marinette said, blushing. "I can't wait to give these pieces to my friends. They'll love them."

Adrien, looking a little deflated, said, "I'm sure they will."

She looked between the showcase and Adrien before asking, "So... Anything else?"

"Oh, right," Adrien said before standing up straight. He put his hands behind his back again before looking at Marinette. "I was wondering... Would you like to have dinner with me some time?"

Marinette blinked owlishly in surprise before asking, "Come again?"

"Go out to dinner with me." Adrien repeated. He gave her a suave expression, his eyes belying passion, and he gave her a smile to match his smile.

Marinette's heart throbbed again at the request. She looked at him, she blushed, and she gave a goofy smile before saying, "I'd love to eat you - AH! Eat dinner with you!"

She slapped herself in the face as she took a deep breath, thinking, 'There I go again, spewing out nonsense!'

"Great! How about tomorrow night?" Adrien suggested.

"Tomorrow?" Marinette parroted, blushing.

"Yep," Adrien said. "I know a great place. Dress code is semi-formal. I'll pick you up here tomorrow night? Around six?"

"I can do that," Marinette responded. "I... I'd really like that."

"Perfect. See you tomorrow." Adrien said as he once again took Marinette's hand and kissed it before leaving.

Marinette grew the goofiest, dumbest smile on her face, her hands were on her cheeks, and she started squealing in infatuated delight, "I'VE GOT A DATE!"

Her joy was palpable, as her magic was pouring out and it was causing a positive effect on her surroundings. Everything organized itself, the mannequins went back to their spots, and the energy in the room was just happier.

She sighed in relief as she spun on her heel and dashed upstairs.

Meanwhile, Alya was in fox form, hiding in the bushes near the mayor's villa. She was poking her head out of the leaves and watching carefully as the mayor was talking to someone shifty... Or rather, slimy. It was Bob Roth, a music and film producer that was completely human, but had the soul of some of the most rotten, dangerous, and nastiest members of the paranormal community. Alya had done some digging on Roth in the past. He was a thief, a plagiarist, took and made bribes, and did anything and everything possible to get money. And yet due to those exact practices, he was still a big name in the entertainment world. The guy absolutely stunk of greed and corruption, and the stench was overwhelming enough for human noses. As a fox, it was a thousand times worse. The fact that he was meeting with his old friend, the mayor, was another red flag.

Alya silently stepped forward, making sure the hidden camera in her necklace (a different one that her work provided for her) was front and center. She pretended to scratch herself, using her hind foot to turn up the strength on the camera's microphone to maximum.

"So, André, how's our little project coming along?" Roth asked, his gross, creepy smile on his face.

"Everything's going according to plan, Bob." André said, his amiable smile on his face.

''Little project', huh? Sounds like I've hit the jackpot.' Alya thought.

"Good. Then, you'll have your foot in the door with me." Bob said.

"Are you sure about this, Bob?" André said, acting a bit timid. "Remember, Paris has gotten very diverse in the past thirty years. Surely, you could reconsider on behalf of the younger generations..."

"No. If you wanna break into film and leave politics, all you need to do is introduce a bill that will restrict those paranormal vermin from participating in music and film. Keep their presence in human affairs to a minimum. Movie making is all about compromise, after all." Bob Roth instructed.

''Paranormal vermin'?! That comment's SO going to derail his career! The mayor's, too!' Alya thought as she took another step.

But she ended up stepping on a stray branch. It broke and it alerted Roth and Mayor Bourgeois.

"Who's there?!" Roth demanded.

Alya kept quiet, merely walking and sniffing around as normal foxes would, thinking to herself, 'Don't move. Just act like a normal fox.'

"Just a fox, Bob," The mayor placated. "It's nothing to worry about."

"But what if that's a spy fox?!" Roth asked as he pulled out a gun. "Hey, that thing will make a nice fox fur coat!"

He shot at Alya, who dodged with her agility. She started running in fright.

"After it!" Roth roared in outcry.

'Hey, this is posted property! Last time I checked, isn't it illegal to hunt on other people's property without permission?! And we're near other residences!' Alya thought, scared.

She heard more gun shots and picked up the pace. Alya turned a corner, and she was soon at the front of the building. She ducked behind a car before shifting back into a human. She ran back out, only to slam into someone.

"Oops! Sorry!" Alya said before for another gun shot to ring out.

Next thing she knew, she was surrounded by a green barrier with green hexagons in it.

She looked up to see the profile of the man who was holding up the barrier with his hands. He a little taller than her, he had tan skin with golden eyes behind glasses, and he wearing casual clothes in different shades of green (including a few turtle-themed accessories, including a bracelet). He seemed very focused on keeping the shield up.

Her body reacted the same way as all shifters and were-beasts did when they found their fated mates: with one look at him, her heart pounded like she was having a heart attack, her eyes began to shine, and her inner fox was yipping with affectionate glee.

'Hello, mate!' She thought, a smile growing on her face.

Her stupor was broken when more gun shots were heard and she saw the bullets hit the barrier, only for some of them to impale themselves into the shield, causing it to crack. Alya's savior balled his fists, causing the shield to glow brighter and for it to repair itself. Other bullets ricochetted and hit parts of the nearby structures.

"Get that fox!" Bob Roth shouted, as he ran out, brandishing his gun. Mayor Bourgeois was following.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, dude?!" Alya's hero shouted at the men.

"Nino Lahiffe? What are you doing here?" Roth spat as he approached, putting the gun away.

"I was on my way home from visiting my folks when I heard gun shots, and this poor woman was running from it, dude." Nino said, bringing the shield down.

"What are you thinking, running around with a loaded gun like that?!" Alya criticized (being sure to hide her accessories in her shirt).

"Just hunting down a pesky fox," Roth snipped. "What business is it of yours?"

"You're shooting within a residential zone! That's illegal!" Alya said, just as a police car came up.

Lieutenant Roger Raincomprix (human) stepped out of the car and he said, "We got a call about gunshots in the area?"

"Him, Officer!" Nino said, pointing out Bob Roth. "I saw him pocket his gun."

"He-Hey, me? What gun?!" Roth asked, trying to play it off. "C-Come on, André! You know I don't have a gun with me, right?"

Said gun fell out of his pocket and onto the ground (luckily it was out of bullets by that point). Roger looked at the gun before giving Roth an unimpressed expression.

"What were you doing with that?" Roger asked.

"Didn't you say you were, quote-on-quote, "hunting down a pesky fox"?" Alya questioned, crossing her arms.

Bob Roth was silent. The rest of the proceedings that night included police statements from the mayor, Alya, Nino, and any and all witnesses. It was all very tedious, but necessary. Alya left out a few details, though. Once all was said and done, and Bob Roth was arrested...

"So... Nino, right? Thanks for that." Alya said as she sat down on a nearby bench.

"Thanks for what?" Nino asked, sitting down next to her.

"For protecting me back there." Alya thanked with a smile.

"No problem, dudette," Nino said. "Just a little protection magic."

"Protection magic, huh?" Alya said with a suggestive smile. "That was an impressive shield you made."

Nino chuckled, going red in the face. Alya started coming closer to him, flirtatious eyes on her face, and she said, "You're a real wizard."

"Oh, thank you." Nino chuckled anxiously.

"I meant that literally, Nino." Alya said, her face unchanging.

"Y-Yeah, I am a wizard." Nino said, still blushing like an idiot.

"Specialty: protection magic, with turtles as a motif and a possible turtle familiar. Am I right?" Alya questioned.

"You are good," Nino responded, giving her a smile that seemed affectionate. "What about you?"

"What about me?" She asked slyly.

"What paranormal are you?" He asked. "Were you that fox they were hunting?"

Alya laughed before saying, "How'd you know?"

"Just a hunch," He chuckled back. "So... Alya, right?"

"Yep. Alya Césaire." Alya confirmed.

The two of them got to talking, and the rest of the night was a blur.

The following morning at the shop...

"I'm so happy for you, Alya!" Marinette said, delighted. "You found your mate!"

"I did. He's a protection wizard named Nino Lahiffe." Alya said, smiling at Marinette as she drank her coffee.

"Is it racist that I was expecting your mate to be another fox shifter, or...?" Marinette asked, trying to be delicate with the topic while munching on a croissant.

"I used to think the same thing, so you're forgiven," Alya assured before heaving a wistful sigh. "But I would've been likely and literally shot to death if not for Nino."

"Quick thinking on his end. Did you get the information you needed for your report?" Marinette asked.

"And then some. Something that not only will implicate the mayor, but Bob Roth is cruising for a bruising, too." Alya giggled.

"I think they were smart to hire you not because of your journalism experience, but your shifting really comes in handy in undercover work." Marinette praised.

"That was what they thought, and they were right," Alya laughed. "The mayor is in so much trouble! His wife and daughter aren't gonna like it."

The girls laughed.

"So, about Nino..." Marinette asked. "What's he like? Is he handsome?"

"I certainly think he's handsome, especially in green," Alya giggled. "On the subject of handsome and green, how was your little fashion show with handsome, green-eyed Adrien yesterday?"

"Oh, it went great! I even showcased the dress." Marinette said, winking at Alya.

"Wait. The dress... You mean that dress?!" Alya asked, lighting up.

"Yep." Marinette asked.

"Girl, please tell me you modeled it in front of him?!" Alya asked, slamming her hands on the counter in joy.

"Um... No, I didn't." Marinette said, embarrassed.

"WTH, girl?!" Alya asked, getting frustrated. "You made that dress for a reason! Why didn't you wear it?!"

Marinette's eyes went askance in dismay, refusing to say anything.

"...Yeah, I get it. I'm sorry, girl," Alya said, calming down. "So... Any other developments between you and Adrien?"

"He asked me out to dinner." Marinette responded.

"Really?!" Alya squealed. "You said "yes", right?!"

Marinette nodded and said, "Yep. We're going tonight."

"Great job, girl! You're making strides! Think he's the one?" Alya asked, winking.

"Alya, you and I both know that magic users don't have the innate instincts shifters and were-beasts do. We're like humans in that respect. Also, it's too soon for me to know if we are fated soulmates." Marinette responded, a bit downcast.

"Just like how even though I know Nino and I are meant for each other, he doesn't know it yet." Alya stated.

"Exactly." Marinette said.

Alya had a thoughtful expression on her face before asking, "Did Adrien tell you what he is, by any chance?"

"No, why?" Marinette asked.

"Really, now?" Alya asked in surprise. "Paranormals are usually pretty open about what species they are these days."

"It's not like he's obligated to, Alya. For all I know, he could be completely human. Or maybe he's a wizard with some insanely-powerful or dangerous magic that he likes to keep under wraps for safety reasons." Marinette suggested.

"True," Alya said. "So, did he tell you where you'll be going to dinner tonight?"

"No, I think it's gonna be a surprise..." Marinette said. "He said the dress code was semi-formal, so maybe I should get one of my dresses out."

"Maybe that and some jewelry." Alya added with a wink.

"Like what?" Marinette asked as she used her hand to conjure up her jewelry box. "Maybe a nice necklace? Or how about a bracelet?"

"I think you should wear your lucky ladybug earrings." Alya suggested.

Marinette used her magic to take out her ladybug dangling earrings.

"You know, you're right," Marinette said. "Now, for clothes."

"Business casual doesn't mean you need a suit," Alya said with a giggle. "Let's go through your wardrobe and see what you have?"

"Great idea." Marinette said as she clapped her hands.

All the clothes she had for personal use that she filed under "semi-formal" popped up in the middle of the room. Dresses, women's suits with skirts instead of pants, etc. There were so many options.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, girl," Alya said. "We'd better get to it."

Marinette nodded as she walked over to the pile...

When night came upon the city, Adrien was sitting on nearby fence and dangling his leg in joy.

"Ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo (X4)," He sang. "Black and orange werecat sittin' on a fence."

He jumped down and started dancing and walking in an amused, confident manner, while strutting and dancing, making sure not to get his suit dirty.

"Ain't got enough dough to pay the rent," He sang, albeit he winced at the irony of the statement. "I ain't broke, but I don't care. I strut right by with my tail in the air!"

He once again spun on his heel before singing, "Werecat strut, I'm a ladies cat! I'm a feline Casanova, hey man that's that!"

He sensed something, looked out of his peripheral vision, and saw a stray shoe being thrown at him.

"Get a shoe thrown at me from a mean old man! Don't get dinner from a garbage can!" Adrien sang as he ducked right on time, heard angry yelling from an older man. Adrien shook his head before continuing on his way.

He kept dancing and singing as he meowed in triumph before singing, "Yeah, don't cross my path!"

Adrien found himself feeling the urge to shift. Instead, he let his inner panther out without letting it show. He yowled loudly in delight. He jumped and swung himself around a lamp post.

He landed and continued walking, singing, "I don't bother chasing mice around! Oh, no! I strut through the city, not lookin' to fight."

Adrien looked up to the sky, saw the moon, and he smiled before singing, "Howling to the moonlight on a hot summer night!"

"Singin' the blues while the lady cats cry, "Wow, werecat, you're a real gone guy." I wish I could be as carefree and wild, but I got cat class, and I got cat style!" Adrien sang.

He slid and danced, chuckling in delight, and he caught sight of a few stray mice rooting through the trash in a nearby alley.

"I don't bother chasing mice around. Oh, no! I strut through the city, not lookin' to fight. Howling to the moonlight on a hot summer night!" Adrien sang as he continued on his way.

He spun on his heel as he began snapping his fingers in time.

"Singin' the blues while the lady cats cry, "Wow, werecat, you're a real gone guy!" I wish I could be as carefree and wild! But I got cat class and I got cat style!" Adrien sang.

He meowed in triumph as he clapped his hands. Adrien looked up and saw Marinette's shop. He took a deep breath before adjusting his clothes before walking towards the building.

'Here goes nothing. You've got this.' Adrien thought, trying to boost his confidence.

When he knocked on the shop door, he asked, "Marinette? I'm here."

The door opened and Marinette stepped out of the store. She was wearing a red halter dress with ladybug-themed earrings and necklace. She was wearing black nylon stockings with red flat shoes, and her short hair was brushed and given a little extra sparkle (or that was probably Adrien's lovesick filter playing tricks on his eyes).

"W... Wow... You look ravishing." Adrien said, blushing at the sight of her.

"Thank you. You look very handsome, too." Marinette responded, her eyes askance in a bashful manner.

Adrien rubbed the back of neck in embarrassment. He coughed into his fist before offering his arm, saying, "Shall we go?"

"Okay." Marinette said as she took his arm and wrapped hers around it. Adrien felt his heart melt at the sensation as they started walking to their destination.

When they got to the restaurant, Adrien escorted her inside like the gentleman he was. When they got to the host stand, Adrien said, "Hello, reservation for Adrien?"

"Yes, Monsieur," The host said. "Follow me."

He brought the two of them to one of the best table in the house, placed the menus down, and he said, "I hope you have a good meal with us tonight."

"Thank you." Adrien said as the host left, and Adrien pulled the chair out for Marinette.

Marinette giggled and she sat down before Adrien ran around the other side and sat down. He looked at Marinette before asking, "What do you think?"

"I've heard of this place! I've always wanted to come here!" Marinette said, looking around in delight. "It's got one of the most diverse staff in Paris!"

"Yeah, it's one of the reasons I chose here," Adrien added. "Their menu caters to everyone, from gargoyles to kappas and everything in between."

"So thoughtful of you," Marinette giggled as a floating tray brought some rosemary bread rolls and compound butter to the table. "Enchanted serving dishes?! This is amazing!"

"They only spell the tableware when the rest of the servers are tied up," Adrien elaborated. "Don't wanna take away labor from the workers."

Marinette laughed in delight as she took the fresh bread and some of the butter.

"Mmm! This is delicious!" Marinette said, her mouth watering with delight.

"It sure is," Adrien agreed after swallowing a huge bite. "I'm salivating and I haven't even looked at the menu yet!"

"I'm sure the menu's got a lot of great stuff on it," Marinette said as she looked at it. "Ooh! The Witch's Brew-abaisse sounds delicious! It utilizes common herbs that witches use in their magic, and done in such a way that nobody gets spelled by mistake."

"I think the Steak Dracula would be great to eat if they didn't use donated blood in lieu of beef stock..." Adrien said, a neutral look on his face.

"The vampires' steak Diane," Marinette giggled. "Not something I would eat either."

"What about the werewolves' pie?" Adrien suggested. "It's a werewolf take on shepherd's pie that utilizes fresh elk instead of beef."

"Hm... Elk doesn't really sound that good to me," Marinette admitted. "What about you?"

"Not my cup of tea, either," Adrien confessed. His eye caught something. "Ooh, the Lapin a La Cocotte sounds great!"

"Rabbit stew, huh?" Marinette said. "That does sound good."

"Wanna share it?" Adrien asked, blushing a little.

"No thanks. The Witch's Brew-abaisse is calling to me. And not just because I'm a witch." Marinette giggled.

"Then let's eat!" Adrien laughed as their server came back and took their order.

As they ate and talked over the evening, Marinette noticed that Adrien was more than just a handsome and chivalrous gentleman with an innate charm about him, but he seemed very eager to make new friends. He was confident, but not self-absorbed or conceited.

"So, what's Alya's story?" Adrien asked.

"Oh, Alya's been my best friend since junior high. She helped me stand up to the school bully, Chloé Bourgeois, and we've been besties ever since!" Marinette said.

"Chloé, huh?" Adrien said. "Sounds like she hasn't changed at all."

"You know her?" Marinette asked.

"More like I used to know her," Adrien sighed. "We were playmates as children. But as we got older, I saw how cruel and nasty she was to other people, especially after Zoé moved in with her family and... I haven't spoken to her since."

"She's as cruel as any of the most malevolent paranormals out there. I had to threaten to curse her into permanent baldness just to get her to leave me alone." Marinette sighed.

Adrien laughed, telling her, "Going bald for life? That's a surefire way to get her to submit."

Marinette laughed in response.

"Anyway, back to Alya," Marinette began. "She's actually just found her mate last night!"

"Really?" Adrien said, excited.

"Yeah! He's a wizard... Nino Lahiffe, I think is his name." Marinette said.

"Wait, did you say Nino Lahiffe?" Adrien questioned, a bit surprised.

"Yes," Marinette said with a nod. "Why?"

"What a small world! He's my best friend!" Adrien said with a laugh. "He called me up last night, and he sounded really happy! I hadn't any idea it was because he met a girl."

"Holy cow, I can't wait to tell Alya!" Marinette laughed in response. "He's a protection magic wizard, right?"

"Right on the money," Adrien confirmed as their food came out. He immediately took a bite of the rabbit in the stew, and he moaned, content. "Wow! I've never had rabbit this good!"

"You've had rabbit before?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorite proteins," Adrien confirmed before eating more. "Anyway, Nino's a protection magic wizard, yes, but he's a DJ by trade. A good one, too."

"A DJ, huh?" Marinette said. "Hey, maybe next time there's an event, we could book him as the DJ."

"He'd love the work," Adrien said. "How's the seafood?"

"It's delicious! Tastes as fresh as if it were caught this morning!" Marinette praised.

"Because it was!" Their server said with confidence and delight. "Our head chef is a sea monster, so he goes out every morning to hunt for fish and shellfish in the ocean to get what we need for the restaurant. Takes farm to table to a whole new level!"

"Perfect!" Marinette said as she snapped her fingers and conjured up some flowers. "This Witch's Brew-abaisse is delicious! My magical compliments to the chef."

"Thank you!" The server said as he left for the kitchen. "The chef will love these! Hey, maybe he'll put them in another one of his dishes."

"Great idea!" Adrien said before turning back to his date and giving her a smitten smile. "You're pretty magical yourself, Marinette."

Marinette blushed in response to his compliment as they continued to eat.

"What about you?" Marinette asked.

"What about me?" Adrien questioned.

"You seem well-off enough to afford coming to this place." Marinette said offhandedly.

"Not me, my father," Adrien confessed. "He's... very successful in his business. I'm just a typical spoiled rich kid."

"What, you?" Marinette asked, surprised. "There's no way. You're a sweetie."

Marinette blushed when she realized what she said. Adrien did the same, smiling a little.

"W-Well... Thank you," Adrien thanked, his eyes askance. "I really should've taken pictures of your work. My father would've loved it."

"Really?" Marinette asked.

"My father is... He's... In the fashion world," Adrien elaborated. "I myself used to model for him, but... Well, after a while, it got old. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't a career for me."

"I see," Marinette said. "You don't strike me as the type who plans to mooch off his father's wealth."

"Definitely not," Adrien laughed. "I hope to make my own way in the world. I just haven't figured out what I'm going to do. So I'm still working for my father in the meantime."

Marinette laughed before saying, "I used to work part-time at my parents' bakery while living with them until I saved up enough money to rent the space for the shop."

"The Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie Patisserie?" Adrien asked. "I've heard spellbinding things about their goods."

Marinette laughed before eating another bite of her food.

"No kidding. I used to bring in magic-spelled treats for my classmates on occasion," Marinette said. "It was always something that would make my peers happy. Granted, I also wasn't above karma spells."

"Karma spells?" Adrien asked.

"This girl in my class. Lila Rossi. Pathological liar, tried to make my life a living hell. Slipped a truth/karma spell in her food one day and everything fell apart for her." Marinette stated.

"Oh, her," Adrien spat. "My father tried setting me up with her. It didn't work out for the aforementioned reasons, and I don't wanna think about it anymore."

"Deal." Marinette said as the two of them toasted their glasses before continuing to eat and talk. It wasn't long until everything on their plates was gone.

"How was your food?" Their server asked.

"Absolutely delicious." Marinette said.

"Excellent! Now, may I interest you in dessert? Our special tonight is White Chocolate Unicorn Cream Cake utilizing ethically-sourced and harvested unicorn horns and magic in the cake batter, white chocolate frosting, and ruby ganache." Their server said.

"Sounds decadent!" Adrien said, drooling.

"Agreed! We'll take two!" Marinette said.

"Right away!" Their server said before running to the kitchen.

"So glad the world found a way to get unicorn horns and their magic without hurting the unicorns," Adrien told her. "Makes the consumption of unicorn magic a lot more ethical."

"Yeah. Who knew that unicorns go through their horns the same way sharks go through their teeth? Or like how that Pokémon, Corsola, shed their horns all the time?" Marinette agreed. "I wouldn't have known if not for Rose, a classmate of mine."

"Let me guess: she's a unicorn?" Adrien asked.

"Yep." Marinette laughed.

The pair of them laughed as their cake came out and they continued chowing down.

When they finished their food, Adrien walked Marinette home, ever the gentleman.

"That was delicious! Totally worth it!" Marinette said, patting her stomach in delight.

"Definitely!" Adrien agreed.

He brought Marinette to the door of her home again. They looked at each other with smiles.

"I had a great time tonight, Adrien," Marinette said to him. "And the food was just as good as the company."

"Likewise, Marinette." Adrien agreed, blushing.

The two of them were quiet for a few seconds, smiling at each other.

"So..." Adrien asked her, still giving her subtle bedroom eyes. "Would I be pushing my luck if I asked you if we could do this again?"

"No way." Marinette said, blushing in response to his request.

"Good," Adrien responded as he took Marinette's hand, kissed the back of it again before letting go, and stepped away. "I... I'll see you soon?"

"Y-Yeah." Marinette said as she went inside the shop.

Adrien sighed, feeling relieved, before spinning on his heel and leaving in delight.

Chapter two, done and dusted. I'm still trying to hash out the entire plot, so be patient with me (open to suggestions). I also referenced this old computer game series called "Spy Fox", if you caught it. It came from the same company that produced the Putt-Putt, Freddie Fish, and Pajama Sam games. 

Keep the comments and kudos coming, people!

Also, if anyone here specializes in fantasy writing, can someone give me a comprehensive list of magic users, definitions, (like, what the proper term is for a witch that weaves spells into her clothes vs. a wizard that specializes in protection spells, etc.). 

Chapter Text

Okay, here's more for this story. Hope you enjoy it! Sorry it took so long.

Song(s) Included, With/Without Modifications:

Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat - Charles Perry cover

Several little kids were out in the Champs de Mars playground near the Eiffel Tower. They were playing with a ball, including games such as hot potato, monkey in the middle, or just playing catch.

"This is fun!" One little boy said.

"Isn't it, though?" A girl agreed.

"I love playing monkey in the middle!"

"Hey, how about a game of kick ball?" Another boy said.

"Great idea... But there's only seven of us." The girl said.

"We could have someone sit out each round, or play the umpire?" The first of the kids suggested.

"May I play, too?" Another voice asked.

The kids turned and saw a boy their age with black fur all over his body and around parts of his face, panther ears on his head, green cat-like eyes, and a big smile.

Instead of hearing him out, the kids screamed, the ball got dropped, and they all ran off, fearful. The little cat-boy slumped in dismay, sat down, and started to cry a little bit.

After few minutes of sulking, someone asked, "What's wrong?"

He looked up and saw a girl with black hair in pigtails, blue eyes, wearing a pink dress, and holding the ball. He stared at her for a second before blinking.

"Oh, um... I... I just wanted to play ball with some of the other kids, but..." He started, but he looked down in dismay. "They all ran away when they saw me."

"I'll play with you!" She said brightly, tossing the ball over. He caught it before looking at her.

"Really?" He asked.

"Sure! Why not?" She asked him, an innocent smile on her face.

He reciprocated that smile, before saying, "Catch!"

She laughed as she caught the ball before asking, "What's your name?"

"My name? It's... Um..." He began, not sure how to answer. His eyes went askance in nerves.

The girl gave him a sympathetic smile before saying, "How about I just call you Cat Noir?"

He looked up at her and asked, "Are you sure?"

"If you're okay with it." She suggested with a shrug.

He smiled before saying, "Okay! What about you?"

"I'm Marinette." She said to him, her eyes closing in joy as her smile grew.

Seeing this, the young boy's heart fluttered a little bit. He was unable to look away, his face tinted red.

"Look alive, kitty!" Marinette giggled as she tossed the ball back to him. He caught it, and the two of them kept playing with the ball for several hours.

Adrien woke up, smiling at that memory that had been engraved in his mind. He sat up in bed as he replayed that point in time, a smile upon his face.

He got out of bed and stretched before going to his en-suite bathroom to brush his teeth. When he got in there, he looked at himself in the mirror. Seeing his chest muscles - quite defined and noticeable - he gave himself a proud smile.

"Can't wait to go shirtless in front of her." He chuckled as he opened his cabinet to get his deodorant.

He could imagine her drooling over his frame as he flexed in front of her. He had to contain his laughter.

At her shop, Marinette was getting ready to open for business as always. She was smiling, humming, organizing all of her wares, rotating stock, making sure the flowers Adrien had gifted her were fed, watered, and behind the counter in their vase. She gave the roses a brief sniff, smiling at the aroma and letting it relax her.

With a snap of her fingers, everything (metaphorically) came alive in the shop - the lights got brighter, the flowers were perkier, the "Open" sign was in the window, and everything looked like it'd just "woken up," as it were.

She started humming to another song, and she used her hands to conjure up a mannequin, and to telekinetically gather up some other materials - patterns, pins, scissors, fabrics - to create another dress.

Using the roses as inspiration, she created a dress made of different shades/brands of rose gold fabric (her favorite shiny satin rose gold fabric from Birdy Grey being the main one) similar in design to Tiana's wedding/princess gown from The Princess and the Frog. It was a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, but Marinette used the main rose gold fabric to make the bust look like the rose petals were overlapping. Marinette also made the skirt look like a rose that was upside down, with its petals opening up and fanning out, with the different rose gold accent fabrics "unfurling" from under the main color. The elbow-length gloves were in one of the accent shades of rose gold, and the cuffs were the same cut as the bust to match.

"Hm..." Marinette murmured, looking the dress over. "A bit... one-tone. Let's see..."

Marinette snapped her fingers and sage green lace overlays with leaf designs appeared on the gloves. They were also on the dress itself - they started about halfway up the bust and ending about an inch and a half down from where the skirt started, as if it were the calyx of the rose. She also moved her hands around, as if tying a bow, and snapped her fingers on both hands to conjure up fabric vines that started at the top of the skirt and ended at the first "petal" on the dress.

"That's better. Less flashy. Now, what else could this dress use..." Marinette murmured as she looked over the mannequin. "Aha! Accessories!"

She clapped her hands and a plain, rose gold headband appeared on the mannequin's head. Marinette looked it over and saw that it needed some embellishments. With another finger-snap, the headband acquired leaves and vines, also in rose gold, with crystal embellishments scattered throughout. There were miniature fabric roses that were made of same accent rose gold fabrics on the headband, accompanied by miniature fabric leaves in the same sage green in a monochromatic scheme.

"Now, what else... OOH!" Marinette giggled, before clapping her hands.

She conjured up a matching necklace and earring set to go with the overall aesthetic of the dress.

"This is perfect!" Marinette said as she used her magic to move the dress to the center of the room for display. She even put up a magic, invisible bubble around it so nobody would be able to tamper with it.

The bell for the door rang, and Marinette turned around to see Adrien had come by. He was leaning against the door frame, the picture of debonair, yet casual, and he was giving her the same expression he'd given her when he asked her out for dinner.

"Adrien! Hi!" Marinette said, blushing.

"Morning, Marinette," Adrien spoke as he stepped away from the door frame and approached. He saw the dress, and his eyes widened. "Wow! What a great dress!"

He approached it and tried to touch it, but the bubble became visible. He pressed on it, and it gave, but it sprung back with force. He tried again, but the same result.

"Sorry about that," Marinette said with a giggle as she came closer to him. "I do that with all of my display pieces. Even the ones in the window have that bubble barrier."

"Nice safety feature," Adrien praised. "When did you have the time to make this?"

"I just whipped it up before you came in," Marinette responded, looking at him with a blush. "I... Got inspired by the flowers you gave me."

Adrien went red in the face, and his smile grew as well, saying, "R-Really?"

Marinette gave a silent nod, her heart pounding.

"I... I'm glad to hear that. I mean, I'm glad I was able to give you something to inspire you." Adrien said, tripping on his words for a second.

They kept looking at each other with silent, blushing smiles. Adrien gave Marinette something akin to bedroom eyes. Marinette herself began mirroring this body language, and she kept stepping a bit closer to him. Adrien reached his hand out and asked, "May I?"

Marinette looked at him, saw how his eyes shimmered in the light of the shop, and she gave a nod. He put his arm around her shoulder and they kept looking at the dress.

The door's bell ran again, breaking their moment of blissful quiet. They turned around to see Alya had come in.

"Morning, girl, I-" Alya began, only to pause and get stiff again as she looked to see Adrien was there. "Hi, Adrien."

Being congenial as usual, Adrien smiled and said, "Hi, Alya. It's good to see you again."

"You, too." Alya said, trying not to let her tension come through her voice.

"So, I heard you ran into my best friend the other night," Adrien responded with a smile as he walked over to her. "Nino Lahiffe, a protection magic wizard."

Alya's tension melted. She smiled and asked, "Seriously? Nino's your best friend?"

"Yeah. I couldn't ask for anyone better for that title. He's a catch, trust me." Adrien responded.

"Well, good thing we're fated mates. Not gonna spring it on him until it's the right time, though." Alya said, smiling her usual cunning, sly smile.

"Yeah, good point." Adrien laughed.

Marinette also joined in the laughter before saying, "Isn't this just perfect? Two girl BFF's and two guy BFF's?"

"I know!" Alya laughed, before saying, "Hey, maybe we should do a double-date some time?"

'A double date?' Marinette thought, surprise on her face.

Her mind pictured the four of them back at that same restaurant, sharing a table with wine, and great food. The fantasy brought to mind Adrien hugging her by the shoulders with one arm. They were snuggling together while eating and talking with Alya and Nino.

Marinette went red, and she began stammering, "Th... That sounds..."

"Sounds like a great idea," Adrien said as he sauntered back over to Marinette. "Doesn't it, Marinette?"

"Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth." Marinette sighed, blushing deep red.

Adrien chuckled, before his phone began buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out, but his face clouded over with distress at the sight of who was calling.

He took the call and he said, "Hello, pére."

'Pére? Oh, that's right, he still works for his father while he tries figuring out what he wants to do for himself.' Marinette thought, noticing Adrien's body language became distressed and annoyed. A few moments of silence, with Adrien's eyes flitting back and forth to Marinette.

"I'm at MDC Spellbinding Fashions. I was having a wonderful conversation with the boutique's beautiful owner," Adrien said, looking back at Marinette with a wink and a click of his tongue, making Marinette giggle. "Is that a crime, pére?"

Marinette kept watching, keeping an eye on Adrien's demeanor.

'That's weird. Just a few moments ago, he was so jovial. But now...' Marinette thought, seeing how despondent he was.

He heaved an angry sigh before saying, "Yes, I understand that, pére, but-"

He went stiff when his father barked something out from the other end of the phone. He gave a sad, annoyed grunt before saying, "Okay, okay, I'm coming, pére, and I promise this won't happen again."

He hung up the phone, turned to Marinette, and said, "Sorry about that. My father's a... Bit of a slave driver."

"That's too bad," Marinette said, deflating a bit. "But... Maybe I'll see you later?"

"Not "maybe," Marinette - definitely," Adrien promised. "We can get lunch later."

"Perfect!" Marinette agreed, brightening up at that invitation.

Adrien gave a quiet not before turning around and walking to the door of the ship. He paused, turned to face Marinette, and blew her a two-fingered kiss. Marinette's heart pounded. After, he walked out of the shop, the bell ringing.

Marinette let out a quiet sigh - the kind of sighing that a woman would give when she was smitten.

"Looks like you two have another date." Alya laughed, her usual smirk on her face whenever she hit upon some gossip.

"Speaking of dates, what about you and Nino?" Marinette teased back.

"Oh, I haven't made a move. Yet," Alya responded. "I gotta make sure my BFF is settled with her own sweetie, first."

"Alya," Marinette laughed. "You're making it sound like he's gonna propose."

"You're right, that'd be too much too soon," Alya laughed in agreement. "But seriously, I don't think I've seen you so comfortable around a guy since our school days."

Surprised, Marinette blinked a few times at Alya and asked, "Really?"

"Really," Alya confirmed. "I know you and Adrien only met a few days ago, but the connection was clearly instant. He's definitely into you."

"You think so?" Marinette questioned.

"I know so." Alya said.

Marinette was about to answer when the door's bell rang again. A customer had walked in and began perusing the wares.

"Looks like that's my cue to go," Alya said before whispering, "You'd better make sure to wear that dress in front of Adrien at some point."

Marinette shook her head, as if refusing Alya's suggestion, and she turned to the customer that had come in.

On Adrien's end, he'd arrived at his father's company and was now at his desk, working. He tried to resist a sigh.

'I'd rather be hanging out and talking with Marinette right now,' He thought as he plugged away, looking bored. 'But duty calls...'

His father had to be a killjoy as always.

"Adrien," Nathalie, his father's right-hand woman, who had black hair with a red streak in a bun and wearing a red/black pantsuit, spoke as she approached. "Your father wasn't happy with your tardiness today."

"I know," Adrien spoke in a terse voice, not looking at his de-facto stepmother. "But I was in the middle of trying to score some brownie points with my mate."

He could already imagine Marinette wearing the dress she'd just made that morning. Or that final piece she'd shown him during her fashion show. The way she spoke about each outfit, who it was for, the inspiration behind the theming? She absolutely lit up. Apparently her kindhearted, generous nature hadn't changed since that one day in his childhood. If he'd been smitten before, he certainly had it worse now.

'It's too bad she didn't recognize me from that day...' He thought, a smile growing on his face. 'To be fair, I wasn't in complete control of my shift back then.'

"Adrien?" Nathalie asked, bringing Adrien out of his thoughts.

He looked back at Nathalie, saying, "Yes?"

"Were you even listening?" Nathalie asked with an annoyed sigh. "I honestly can't understand how paranormal gentlemen can get so lovelorn over someone with just one look at them."

"It can be argued that that's expected, though - you're human." Adrien commented.

"Touché, Adrien," Nathalie spoke, a smile coming upon her face. "Now, back to your schedule..."

"I have a lunch date with Marinette, though." Adrien complained.

"It will have to wait." Nathalie responded, her tone stern.

Adrien gave an unhappy groan before turning back to his computer to keep working.

Back at MDC Spellbinding Fashions, Marinette was still tending to customers, waiting for Adrien.

"So you need a sexual-harassment defense spell?" Marinette asked the woman (who was around her age) who was looking desperate for help.

"Right. This guy at work just won't take "no," for an answer, but the problem is that he's the boss's son and he's a vampire," The customer elaborated. "I'm only human - I can't just have garlic bulbs on my desk all day, and wearing this holy cross around my neck isn't working, either. I only get a break from him when I'm working daylight hours, for obvious reasons."

"Well, contrary to popular belief, garlic doesn't work on vampires," Marinette said as she tried to find something that would help. "That's just a myth that came about because vampires' senses of smell are just stronger than humans. The only real thing that would happen if a vampire ate garlic is minor indigestion, at the worst. As for crosses, they don't work because most vampires are atheists, but it's not unheard of for them to become leaders in certain religious circles. I've actually met a few vampires that are Rabbis, actually."

"Seriously? No wonder this stuff isn't working," Marinette's customer spoke. "But still, vampires are faster, stronger, and if I'm not careful, I'm going to get bitten, fired, maybe both. I've tried to get him to leave me alone the usual way, but he won't."

Marinette smiled when she found something in stock, and said, "How about this?"

Marinette pulled out a small, knit cardigan jacket.

"Oh, that's so adorable! And it's just my color, too! It will work perfectly for my work clothes." The customer said.

"Great! I can weave a sexual-harassment defense spell into this, along with a karma spell," Marinette spoke as she went to the checkout desk. "Just wear this to work, and not only will any attempts at harassment be deterred by the magic, but if he hangs around long enough, he'll get what's coming to him. Not even his mother will be able to do anything but hold him accountable to the furthest extent."

"Thanks," Her customer said while Marinette started weaving the sigils for the spell into the cardigan, making sure it couldn't be seen by the naked eye, paranormal or otherwise. "This is why I came here: you have a reputation for creating clothes that are not only beautiful and well-done, but they also help people."

"Believe me, I know how you feel," Marinette spoke while ringing up the customer. "I had to use my magic to protect myself in school."

"Sometimes I wish I was a witch," Her customer spoke. "Then I could use magic to get people I don't like to screw off."

The girls laughed as Marinette handed the bag and receipt to her customer and said, "Hope you stop by again. I wanna hear how it works out."

"You got it!" She said before leaving the shop with a skip in her step.

Marinette giggled to herself, thinking, 'These are the kinds of things I love doing for my customers. Great fashion, they help people and make them happy.'

A mess of blonde hair and green eyes popped up in her mind as she looked at the clock.

'He's late. I wonder where he is?' Marinette thought, her stomach rumbling.

The door's bell rang again, and Marinette looked to the door expecting to see Adrien. But instead, a young man came in, and he began looking around, anxious.

"Welcome to MDC Spellbinding Fashions," Marinette said, smiling at him. "How may I help you today?"

The young man did another once-over of the store, and he began, "Hi, um... Listen, I need some help. There's this girl I like at work and I... I'm having a hard time getting close to her. I want her to feel the same way I do, and I was thinking I could get something with a "love reciprocation" spell?"

Marinette pulled an uncomfortable expression and said, "I don't put in spells that manipulate other people's feelings that way. It's just unethical to me. It's one thing to put a happiness spell in a garment if it's a present to make someone happy or cheer them up, it's another to force someone to fall in love."

Her customer's face melted into despair, and he said, "Come on, I really like this girl and I wanna win her over! You're a witch, aren't you?! Aren't love potions or spells in your repertoires?!"

"Yes, but again, I don't mess around with other people's feelings," Marinette responded. "If you want to get this girl a present for the sake of it, that's great, but manipulating her into falling for you? Not happening."

He groaned and said, "Fine!"

He pivoted and started looking at some of the wares. He was grumbling under his breath, but he also looked worried. Every time he examined something, he'd made a noise of disapproval and throw it away. Marinette kept watching while her eyes went to the clock on her phone every few minutes, waiting for Adrien.

"So... Do you know what this girl likes?" Marinette asked as she used her magic to put discarded merchandise back where it belonged.

"Not really. I've been having trouble talking to her, so I don't know anything!" He said as he kept looking around and grumbling. Every time a garment hit the floor, Marinette snapped her fingers to put it back.

Her facial expression became bored, and she asked, "Do you even know her name?"

"Yes, I do," He responded. "But I just can't work up the balls to say something! Maybe if I knew for certain that she'd fall in love with me because of this present, too..."

Marinette heard his tone of voice, which was basically blaming her for not using her magic to get him the desired outcome.

"My advice?" Marinette prompted. "Maybe if you don't really know what she likes, maybe you should look and listen to the smaller details about her when you're at work. What colors or textures does she wear most of the time? Any specific features on her clothes or accessories? Anything like that."

He paused and turned around to Marinette, saying, "That... That actually sounds like a good idea."

"Yeah. Being observant of the people around you without asking invasive questions like that has helped me make presents for my friends. Especially if they're intended to be a surprise." Marinette spoke.

He melted in relief, saying, "Thanks. I'll try doing that for a few days, and then I'll come back when I have a more concrete idea of what might work."

"Okay. Hope to be of service to you then!" Marinette said as he walked out with a spring in his step, feeling relieved and more confident.

Just as he opened the door to leave, he bumped into someone.

"Sorry about that!" He said before moving around the person and leaving.

"He seemed to be in a hurry." A familiar voice said, accompanied by the sound of the door closing.

Marinette looked up and saw Adrien, who had a bag from a local lunch spot in hand.

"Adrien! There you are!" Marinette greeted, a smile blossoming on her face.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry I'm late," Adrien apologized as he came in, holding up the takeout bag. "My schedule was packed to the brim today. I insisted on getting out so I could get food for us."

"I've heard of that place before," Marinette said as she used her magic to put a "closed for lunch" sign in front of the door. "I've always wanted to try it."

"That's great," Adrien responded, sounding relieved when he put the bag down between them. "I wasn't sure what you liked or if you had any food allergies, so I got a bunch of stuff."

He opened the bag and pulled out sandwiches, chips and several fruits.

"Ooh! That looks good!" Marinette said as she took one sandwich, an apple, and sat down to eat.

Adrien chuckled as he also sat down and he took a few more sandwiches out of the bag. He unwrapped one and began chowing down.

Marinette looked at his plate and saw his was filled to the rim compared to hers.

'I'm hungry, too, but that is a lot of food,' Marinette thought. She also took a look at his body. 'He looks healthy, though. I guess he just burns more calories than most people?'

But another thought bubbled up into her head.

'Shifters in general have huge appetites and can put away massive amounts of food because they just need more fuel than humans. I've seen Nora eat an entire crown roast meant for three to four people.' Marinette thought.

A droplet of anxiety rippled in her brain as something else came to mind.

'Could he be...?' Marinette thought, a droplet of anxiety rippling in her brain. 'No! He didn't eat that much at dinner the one time.'

"Something the matter?" Adrien asked, breaking Marinette out of her thoughts.

"Oh, nothing, just... You must be starving. Your plate's full." Marinette said, biting into her sandwich again.

"No kidding. Breakfast was skimpy, so I've been running on near-empty today. And besides, why let great food to go waste when it can go to waist?" Adrien joked, slapping his stomach in good-natured humor.

Marinette laughed, saying, "Yeah! You're so right! Besides, food waste and food insecurity go hand-in-hand with each other."

"This food spot donates leftovers to nearby soup kitchens, so waste is kept to a minimum," Adrien commented. "They use compostable and biodegradable packaging and gloves, too."

"Perfect!" Marinette laughed before taking another bite of her food. "Makes me feel good about eating good food."

"Doesn't it, though?" Adrien chuckled. He chowed down into his sandwich again.

Once they finished eating (almost everything was gone, save for one or two more sandwiches), Adrien and Marinette got to talking about their respective jobs.

"So you got held up at work today?" Marinete asked while they cleaned up.

"Yeah. Like I said, my father is a slave-driver," Adrien commented as he put the paper plates in the recycling bin. "His standards are high."

"High standards are one thing, but he shouldn't push you to the point where you can't breathe or eat." Marinette commented.

"I know. I've tried telling him to ease off, but he just doesn't listen." Adrien sighed.

"Wish your father was more like my dad," Marinette spoke. "More reasonable and making sure you get enough food."

"Same here," Adrien laughed. "My father's always been a bit... Cold."

"Really?" Marinette asked, a bit surprised.

"Yeah," Adrien confessed. "Having overbearing parents is a pain."

"I don't envy you for that." Marinette sighed.

"So, um..." Adrien began, trying to find a change of subject.

Marinette's body tensed, feeling her heart begin beating a bit more.

"I... I was wondering... Maybe we could go to the movies or something? Or go out dancing? There's this jazz club I've been meaning to go to." Adrien began.

"A jazz club sounds like a lot of fun!" Marinette said. "Date and time?"

"How about tonight?" Adrien questioned. "I'll pick you up."

"Perfect!" Marinette squealed, brightening at the idea.

"Great! Until tonight, m'lady." Adrien said, clicking his tongue with a wink. Marinette blushed and stifled a laugh, watching as Adrien spun on his feet before dancing out the door.

She kept laughing, a smile on her face. She took the closed sign off the door and got back into work mode.

Dusk was soon upon the city. Back at the Agreste Manor, Adrien was once again in his en-suite bathroom. He'd just stepped out of the shower and had a towel wrapped around his waist. He saw the mirror had fogged up, and so he took a hand towel to wipe it off. Pulling his arm away, he saw his underarm was getting thick with hair. Black hair, rather than his natural blonde.

"I just shaved three days ago..." He grumbled as he took up a canister of eco-friendly shaving cream, put some on his underarms, and shaved them, making sure not a trace of black hair was left.

He wiped off the remaining shaving cream before putting on some deodorant. He put his hands on the vanity and looked at himself in the mirror, seeing his wet hair was clinging to his face, which was red from the shower water heat.

"You got this, Adrien," He said to himself. "Take it slow and easy, and she'll be yours if she'll have you."

Whether it was the mating instinct of his species or his love-addled imagination, Adrien didn't know - most likely both - his mind started going somewhere a bit dirty, but instead of fighting it, he let his imagination run wild like the wildcat he was.

Marinette, on the other hand, was up in her room, choosing an outfit. She was standing in front of her full-length mirror and looking over her clothes, which she'd been wearing during work all day.

"Okay..." Marinette murmured, snapping her fingers to switch outfits. Her clothes changed into a tight-fitting dress, similar in color to the one she wore during her dinner date with Adrien.

"No, this won't do. This is a jazz club," Marinette grumbled. "I can't go in something overly-stuffy like this dress. I won't be able to move on the dance floor."

With another finger snap, her clothes changed again. This time, she was wearing a white, long-sleeve, form-fitting shirt with pale pink accents to it, paired with dark grey, ankle-length flared dance pants.

"This looks better. Now, for shoes," Marinette murmured as she looked at her feet. She raised her hands to her shoe closet and pulled out her shoe drawers. "I'll need something with a split sole..."

Saying "split sole," the shoes that didn't have that trait were put back in the closet. The rest were floating around in pairs for Marinette to look over.

"Hm... This pair," Marinette said as she grabbed a pair of shoes that were closer in color to her pants. "That will work."

She snapped her fingers again, and the rest of the shoes were put away. Marinette put the shoes on, and she raised her hand to use her magic to pull out accessories that were close in style to the 1920's, including a few necklaces and hats.

As she looked them over, she imagined her and Adrien doing some very dynamic moves, including steps where she would be upside down or above his head.

"Maybe I should think this through... Bingo!" Marinette said as she found a 1920's style pearl choker, which was in white to match her shirt. "And maybe a hat to go with it..."

She found a dark grey bowler hat with a pink bow and band on it, and it had a white swan feather in it, too.

"Perfect! This will work!" Marinette spoke before going to her vanity to get some makeup on. She went easy on her eye makeup - nude eyeshadow, with a bit of eyeliner and mascara - while giving herself some lipstick that highlighted her pink lips.

"Now, for a touch of blush..." Marinette began, putting the brush to her cheek, when...

*DING-DONG!*

"He's here!" Marinette giggled as she put her blush on. She clapped her hands to put everything in her room away before running downstairs to the boutique.

She made her way to the door and opened it. She saw Adrien standing there, wearing a fitted black shirt under a white blazer, with fitted black pants and black split sole shoes. He also had a black fedora on hand, similar to Frank Sinatra. He smiled at her, causing her heart to pound.

"Hi, Adrien." Marinette said.

"Hi," He responded. His face went pink. "You look absolutely stunning."

Marinette giggled as she approached him.

*ACHOO!*

Adrien covered his mouth with his elbow, blocking a loud sneeze.

"Are you okay?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah," He said before sneezing again. "Are there any pigeons nearby?"

Marinette looked around and she said, "No. I mean, aren't pigeons diurnal? It's near dusk."

"Well, I'm allergic to feathers, so-" Adrien began before sneezing once more.

Marinette said, "My hat, maybe?"

Marinette took it off and presented it, making sure the swan feather was front and center.

Seeing Adrien letting out yet another violent sneeze, Marinette raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Visibly, nothing changed, but the sneezing stopped.

Adrien looked at the hat, curious, and asked, "How...?"

"I just switched it out for a fake feather. No big deal," Marinette said before putting her hat back on her head. She got closer to Adrien, and with a sultry look in her eyes and smile, asked, "Ready to swing it?"

Adrien looked at Marinette, almost in awe, his face turning beet red. After a few seconds, he smiled, his face still rich with red.

"Ready." Adrien responded.

He offered his arm, Marinette hooked hers around it, and they began walking to the club.

When there, Adrien opened the door for Marinette, and the two of them walked in. Inside, people and paranormals from many walks of life were dancing, playing music, talking, eating, and more. Up on the bandstand, a Balaur was playing several different types of brass and wind instruments with its five heads. Along with the Balaur, a sharp-dressed gorgon with sunglasses was on the double-bass, there was a griffon on a piano, and a werewolf on drums.

"Wow!" Marinette said, raising her voice so Adrien could hear her over the music.

"Need earplugs and/or noise-cancelling headphones?" The hostess said as she offered a basket of the aforementioned items. "It can get pretty loud in here, especially for hypersensitive human ears, and for paranormals."

"Thanks! I'll take a pair." Adrien said, taking a set of earplugs.

"Me, too." Marinette responded, also taking a pair. They put them in their ears.

"Enjoy your time!" The hostess said as Adrien and Marinette walked in to take a seat.

But before they could, the band started playing a specific song. When Adrien heard the notes on the piano, he brightened.

"I love this song! Come on, Marinette!" Adrien said, grabbing her hand and bringing her to the dance floor.

Marinette felt her heart soar and her face turn pink as she followed Adrien's lead. When they got there, Adrien started making some moves.

"Ev'rybody wants to be a cat," Adrien began to sing as he tipped his hat. "Because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at."

He began dancing, not really caring about decorum - he just wanted to have fun.

"Ev'rybody's picking up on the feline beat, 'cause everything else is obsolete." He sang, in perfect time with the music.

Marinette grew a smile on her face.

Adrien lifted his hands and mimicked a trumpet player, singing, "A square with a horn makes you wish you weren't born, ev'ry time he plays."

"But with a square in the act, you can set music back to the caveman days," Adrien sang before spinning on his feet. "I've heard some corny birds who tried to sing. But still a cat's the only cat who knows how to swing."

He grabbed Marinette's hands again and brought her into a swing dance.

"Who wants to dig a long-haired gig or stuff like that? When ev'rybody wants to be a cat?" Adrien sang as he kept dancing, with Marinette along for the ride for the most part.

She couldn't stop herself from laughing or smiling at this, and she kept going with it.

"A square with the horn makes you wish you weren't born, ev'ry time he plays!" Adrien sang, while swinging. "With a square in the act, you can set music back to the caveman days!"

Marinette laughed, looking Adrien in the eyes and smiling with love on her face.

"Ev'rybody wants to be a cat, because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at," Adrien sang as he let go of Marinette's hands for a second before doing some solo swing moves. "When playin' jazz, he always has the Welcome mat, 'cause ev'rybody digs a swinging cat!"

At that last line, he grabbed Marinette and swung her between his legs before pulling her up and they kept dancing. She laughed, a little embarrassed, but soon recovered.

Once the tempo from the piano picked up, Adrien got even more excited. They kept swing dancing, and Marinette started singing along with him.

They danced the night away, filled with laughter and fun, swing dancing, and neither one of them lost their smile that evening.

Sorry about how long this took. I can't tell if I'm having burnout with this show or what. Anyway, NO SPOILERS FOR SEASON 6, PLEASE! It's just gonna send my anxiety through the roof!

And my computer is going to be going in for repairs, so I won't be able to write anything for about a week or so.

Coming up, Adrien and Marinette continue seeing each other, as do Alya and Nino. But for some reason, Alya still isn't quite able to relax around Adrien.

Chapter Text

After their jazz club date, Marinette is on cloud nine. And not just her, but Alya and Nino are getting close, too. But...

Marinette was in her shop, swing dancing and humming to the music from the night before, all while using her magic to set up shop. The jazz vibes were infusing themselves into her magic and its influence could be felt throughout the store. Some of the plants and her wares in the boutique started "dancing" to imaginary jazz tunes.

"So, you two went out to a jazz club?" Alya asked.

"Sure did. It was so much fun!" Marinette laughed.

"That's what jazz is supposed to be." Alya laughed in response.

"I don't think I've danced like that in ages!" Marinette spoke as she kept repeating some of her swing dancing.

"I wonder if Nino has any jazz in his range as a DJ?" Alya questioned aloud.

"Wouldn't hurt to ask," Marinette suggested as she kept snapping her fingers and dancing a little. "You should've seen Adrien. He looked so snazzy in his outfit!"

"You've been talking about him all day, girl," Alya spoke up. "Sounds like you like him a lot."

Marinette blushed, her heart fluttering, before saying, "So, any progress with Nino?"

"He brought me to one of his DJ gigs last night," Alya spoke up. "And the venue provided earplugs and headphones."

"The jazz club did the same thing, too!" Marinette responded.

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised," Alya added. "Sensory overload accommodations are the norm these days. Certainly helps people and paranormals from all walks of life enjoy what the world has to offer."

"Sure does!" Marinette agreed.

Outside, Adrien was walking to the shop, but he was on the phone.

"Pére, can't you just leave me alone?" Adrien asked, sounding irate.

"Listen, mon fils, you should consider yourself lucky that I'm even tolerating the fact that your soulmate is that girl you met and got a crush on when you were only five. What if the child you two conceive is a magic user instead of a werecat?" Gabriel, his father, asked.

Adrien heaved an annoyed sigh and said, "Pére, you realize this exact same "issue" would've come up if Kagami and I had been soulmates? And don't forget about you and maman. Wasn't she a human noblewoman?"

Silence.

"That's what I thought. You're being a hypocrite." Adrien chastised, not amused.

"Touché..." Gabriel sighed. "Just hurry it up. Alpha werecats from other clans are breathing down my neck, trying to get you to mate with their daughters."

"Tell them that I've already found my fated mate, and they're just gonna have to get over it," Adrien sighed as he saw the shop up ahead. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some wooing to do."

Before his father could respond, he hung up the phone and put it on "Do Not Disturb" to make sure his father couldn't interrupt again.

He walked to the door, but he paused. He watched Marinette dancing and singing, snapping her fingers to a jazz song, similar to one of the songs from their date. He chuckled at the sight.

'Just like that day when I was a child...' He thought, the memory of her bright smile when he first met her. 'Still as sweet and vibrant as ever.'

"I hope to see him again soon." Marinette said as she snapped her fingers and turned the sign to "Open."

"Same for me and Nino," Alya giggled, but she seemed a little stiff. "He and I haven't been on a date yet, but I can't wait to see what he comes up with."

"Going to the movies is a classic. Didn't you tell me he likes making his own movies?" Marinette suggested.

"Great idea!" Alya said as she pulled up her phone to see what films were being shown. "I know Nino likes the classics, like Casablanca, but I wonder what's new that we can watch?"

Marinette laughed as the door to the shop opening.

"Morning, Marinette." Adrien said as he came in, his face pink and .

"Adrien, hi!" Marinette greeted, blushing on her face.

Alya, still a bit rigid, gave Adrien a greeting wave, and she said, "Hi."

"Hey, Alya," Adrien greeted. "It's great that you're here!"

"Is it?" Alya asked.

"Yeah," Adrien spoke, turning to Marinette. "Remember how we talked about a double-date?"

"Of course I do!" Marinette said, her face turning red, smiling at him.

"I was thinking that we could do it this afternoon. Nino's been a real slowpoke, trying to come out of his shell." Adrien joked.

Marinette held back a groan from the jokes, but Alya snorted and said, "Shy type, isn't he?"

"Well, I've never seen him interested in a girl before, so I guess I'm a bit shell-shocked." Adrien spoke, still trying to make a joke.

'Come on, whatever you do, don't laugh!' Marinette thought, covering her mouth and holding back her snickers.

"I suggested that he take you out for slow-dancing, given that it's a turtle's go-to romantic move," Adrien joked once more. "And I respect the fact that he doesn't want to shell out a lot of money."

That was the last straw. The girls started laughing their heads off, with Marinette slamming the desk with an open palm.

Adrien chuckled to himself as he put his hands in his pockets and sauntered over to Marinette. As Marinette came down from her laughter high, she looked up at him. She saw him smiling at her, his expression hopeful and debonair at the same time.

"So... Is it a date?" Adrien asked, trying to be suave.

Marinette gave a silent nod, her heart fluttering, and said, "Yes."

The two of them started laughing, but Marinette started looking at Adrien with a smitten smile.

Alya watched the pair with a smile of her own, but on the inside, her fox was on edge for whatever reason...

After Marinette closed up for the afternoon and changed into date clothes - more formal than her jazz outfit, less formal than the dress she wore to dinner - and met up with Alya outside.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Marinette giggled.

"I know, I can't wait! I wonder what Nino has in mind!" Alya asked aloud.

"Not just Nino, but Adrien, too!" Marinette agreed - she was red in the face and nearly swooning.

"Yeah, Adrien, too..." Alya began, but again, she sounded a bit tense.

"C'mon, Nino!" Adrien said, pushing up against Nino's back as he tried getting the protection wizard to move. But Nino was stiff as a board, yet shaking like a leaf.

"Buddy, I really don't think I can do this!" Nino whimpered, digging in his heels. He conjured up one of his barriers to get Adrien to back off. Adrien was thrown back and he fell onto his rear on the ground.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and he walked over to the barrier before knocking on it.

"Nino, you've got nothing to worry about," Adrien assured, crossing his arms with a playful smile on his face. "Alya likes you, I promise!"

"And how do you know?" Nino asked, sounding panicked.

"She wouldn't go out of her way to see you, or drop hints about a date if she didn't." Adrien pointed out, still smiling.

Nino seemed to relax, and his barrier started getting a bit weaker in response to his calm.

"Are you sure?" Nino questioned again.

"I'm certain of it, Nino," Adrien insisted. "Besides, I'm here as your wingman."

Nino snorted and he began laughing. His barrier came down and he turned to Adrien.

"Funny," Nino chuckled as his nerves seemed to leave him. They got back to walking to the boutique. "I thought I was coming along as your wingman, dude."

"Nino, I think you need a wingman more than I do," Adrien admitted, putting a reassuring hand on his best friend's shoulder. "I can tell you're nervous about this."

"I'm surprised you're not nervous." Nino responded.

"Well, Marinette and I have been hanging out a lot more compared to you and Alya." Adrien conceded.

"Lucky you," Nino sighed. "Alya's not just a foxy... Well, fox shifter, but she's just so sly and self-assured that I feel inadequate next to her."

While leaving out the "Fated mate" tidbit, Adrien responded, "I'd try to learn from her and be more confident in yourself, too. Girls like confidence in a guy."

"Easy for you to say, M. Former Model." Nino teased with a friendly elbow nudge.

They laughed.

They brought the girls out to a bowling alley staffed by both humans and paranormals. There were some rules for gameplay that applied to paranormals, such as no telekineses to move the bowling ball on the lane, no strength magic to improve the throw, don't put magic barriers up to keep the ball out of the gutter, etc. Basically, if you wanted to bowl, you had to make like a human.

Adrien was holding the bowling ball, standing at the lane. He turned his face to look at Marinette. He gave her a wink, causing her to blush. He rolled the ball down the lane, and he knocked down all the pins.

"Strike!" He called, and the others started clapping.

"That was amazing, Adrien!" Marinette giggled. "A strike on the first try?"

Adrien shrugged, saying, "I guess I got lucky."

"Nice one, dude," Nino said as he and Adrien shared a fist bump. "Hey, isn't it Marinette's turn to bowl?"

"Oh, y-yeah, it is!" Marinette stammered, before standing up and walking to the bowling balls. She picked one up and she grunted at the weight. Seeing she was struggling with it, Adrien stood back up and walked over to her.

"Need some help?" Adrien asked as he came up behind her. "Let me show you how to perfect your form."

"Wouldn't that be cheating?" Marinette questioned.

"I don't think so." Adrien chuckled.

He put his hand over Marinette's bowling ball hand, causing her to blush. He stood right up against her back, guiding her movements to bowl. Marinette's heart kept beating a mile a minute, her face was still burning, and she began to feel a cold sweat.

"And..." Adrien began, helping Marinette swing her arm back. "Now!"

With Adrien's help, she swung her arm forward, let go of the ball, and it began rolling down the lane. Unlike Adrien's earlier strike, Marinette only knocked down six of the ten pins.

"Nice shot!" Adrien praised.

Marinette gave a tense giggle as she turned around to look at him.

"Thanks to you." Marinette responded, smiling, her face still pink.

The two of them kept staring at each other, affectionate smiles on their faces, both their hearts beating and melting at the same time. Even the background noise of the bowling balls against the pins didn't seem to disturb them.

The DJ pointed out the romantic mood between Marinette and Adrien to Alya, and he said, "Those two are getting cozy. This is great!"

"It sure is..." Alya said, but her facial expression was neutral as she watched the scene.

Nino only noticed her body language in fleeting. Feeling his heart fluttering, he asked, "Hey, isn't it your turn?"

"Oh, it is," Alya said, breaking out of her thoughts. "Thanks, Nino."

Alya went to pick up the bowling ball, but it was heavy that her three fingers couldn't hold onto it. She dropped it, and it was about to fall on her foot. A barrier with green hexagons covered her foot, causing the ball to land on it with a big thump. A pink aura appeared over the ball, and it started floating.

Alya looked up and saw Nino had used his magic to protect Alya's foot, meanwhile Marinette used her magic to hold the ball still so it wouldn't land and dent the floor. Marinette heaved a relieved sigh and used her magic to put the ball back on the return machine.

"Nice reflexes, Nino." Alya praised, giving him her sly smile again.

Nino blushed and gave an awkward chuckle in thanks before bringing the barrier down.

"Maybe try a lighter ball?" He suggested, his face still red from the moment.

"Definitely." Alya said before taking a lighter ball off the rack. She rolled her shot, and she ended up knocking down six pins, too.

"Great shot!" Nino praised, clapping as he watched Alya come back. She gave her protection wizard a hug.

Marinette gave a giggle before turning to Adrien and saying, "Your turn again!"

After they went bowling, they went to a "paint-your-own" pottery studio. The four of them were sitting at a round table, all wearing aprons. They each had their own piece of chosen pottery, palettes with different paint types and finishes, stamps, sponges, water, and more. They'd each finished one or two pieces, which were set aside to turn in later.

"This is great," Nino said as he painted a coffee mug, using different greens. "Who would've thought that pottery painting would be this much fun?"

"It is fun! And it gives us an excuse to come back together to pick up our finished projects." Adrien agreed, painting a plate.

"It's wild that this placed is owned by a chimera that fires all the pottery using their own flames instead of using a kiln." Alya said as she watched the establishment owner breathe fire out of their lion head onto painted pottery.

Once the fire ceased, the pottery pieces were hot, the colors had changed and set.

"That was amazing!" Marinette spoke while she kept painting a cookie jar she planned to give her parents - she was using a smaller tip brush to paint the bakery logo onto the jar.

"It was!" Alya agreed - she was painting several designs on a large salad bowl.

Nino, red-faced, was staring at Alya, not sure what to do. Adrien's hearing (which was stronger than average, given his species) could pick up Nino's anxious, lovesick heartbeat. The blonde former model made eye contact with Marinette, and then the pair looked back at the scene.

Deciding to take initiative, Marinette said to Alya, "That's going to look great once it's finished, Alya!"

Alya looked up and said, "I know it will! What do you think, Nino?"

Hearing his name, the protection wizard chuckled before clearing his throat, saying, "Y-Yeah, it will be so fire once it's done! I mean, once it's all fired!"

Alya tilted her head to the side in confusion.

Marinette turned to Adrien and gave a shrug. Again, Alya was looking at Adrien with an indescribable expression.

After they finished their pottery pieces, they went out to a movie. It was a modern-day retelling of Much Ado About Nothing with paranormals as the main cast and characters. Marinette was sitting next to Adrien, with a large popcorn between them. Meanwhile Nino and Alya were sitting next to each other in the row behind them.

Nino was trying to make a move, his hand jittery. He put his hand on Alya's, which was sitting on their shared arm rest. Alya looked up at him with a smile for a moment before looking at the pair in front of them.

Marinette tried to keep her eyes on the movie, but the man next to her seemed to be more important. She looked up at Adrien's profile, and the darkness of the movie theater just made Adrien look more handsome to her. She once again felt her heart flutter a bit. To silence it, she took some popcorn and ate a bite.

When the movie was over, the foursome began walking through the Champs-Élysées to do some window shopping. Alya and Nino were at the rear of the group, with Adrien and Marinette at the front.

Out of her peripheral, Marinette saw a tabletop mannequin with a necklace on it.

"Wow, isn't that necklace amazing?" Marinette asked, her eyes lighting up as she looked over the piece.

"It is," Adrien spoke as he looked over the necklace. He blushed and looked at Marinette's profile. He felt his heart skip a beat at how enthusiastic her expression was. "I think it would suit you."

Marinette turned to Adrien and asked, "Really? You think it would look good on me?"

"Yeah! I'll get it for you," Adrien said as he made to go inside the shop. "Wait here."

"Hold on!" Marinette spoke, holding Adrien back. "I don't need you to buy it for me. I can easily conjure up one of my own."

"Are you sure?" Adrien questioned, tilting his head in confusion. "I'd really like to get something for you."

"I don't want or need anything, Adrien," Marinette said to him, her face pink and her face becoming shy. "I'm just happy to be able to spend this time with you."

Adrien, hearing this, blushed hard and he looked at her with a tender look on his face, smile and all.

"I am, too." Adrien responded.

A few shops later, and Marinette was still awestruck at the wares that some of the clothing and accessory shops had.

"Isn't this pair of boots cute?" Marinette said as she pointed out a pair of witch boots in the window. "It clearly combines the traditional, vintage styles of witch boots with modern fashion tastes, considering the color palette."

The boots were black, knee-high with curly toes, had black shoelaces, pale pink lace panels, and a black/pink lace trim ruffles at the top, accompanied by a bow.

"Really?" Adrien asked. "Did witches really wear shoes like this back then?"

"Yes and no," Marinette responded. "Traditional witches would wear curl-toed shoes and other stereotypically "witchy" stuff out in the open. Since most women would wear shoes in similar styles, nobody really thought twice about it. But when the witch hunts and trials became more rampant, they had to assimilate, so everything about their clothes had to change so they wouldn't stick out and draw attention to themselves - trading their black clothes for all the colors that Georgian-Era women's fashion embraced, for one thing."

"That's interesting." Adrien said.

Marinette gave a nod before seeing another piece in the window.

"This boutique really knows how to combine vintage and modern designs. I'm a little envious." Marinette said as she looked at a dress that looked like it came out of Anne of Green Gables but combined design elements that were more modern.

The dress had traded the leg-o-mutton sleeves for a sleeveless, sweetheart neckline for one thing. The colors were also more saturated in tone and the skirt was shorter compared to most dresses of the time period.

"You shouldn't be envious. I mean, you're an amazing designer," Adrien responded, blushing as he caught himself. "I'm actually surprised you haven't moved your shop to a spot here on this boulevard."

"The rent for these spaces is way out of my budget," Marinette laughed. "Besides, I love having my home and my workplace in the same spot."

"That's a good enough reason!" Adrien laughed in response.

They kept walking the boulevard, talking and smiling.

Marinette felt herself relax, and she took Adrien's hand. She could hear his breath hitch, but it wasn't from discomfort. She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, and saw he was red-faced and smiling.

The sound of a car coming came out.

"Look out!" Adrien shouted. He blocked Marinette from view as a car drove through a puddle of water.

The water splashed out, about to hit Adrien in the back, but Marinette used her magic to pull up an invisible umbrella of sorts behind him. An unintended (but happy) consequence of this was that the water droplets that hit the "umbrella" sprayed all around him - catching the sunlight, causing a small rainbow to appear behind Adrien.

Seeing this, Marinette felt her breath leave her. Her face went red as she looked up at him, her heart began throbbing like nuts. She couldn't keep her eyes off him.

Once the rainbow disappeared and the water stopped, Adrien looked at Marinette with concern and asked, "Are you okay?!"

Marinette managed to force herself to speak, and she squeaked out, "Yes. I'm good."

Adrien sagged, relieved, before saying, "That's a relief."

He put his arm around her shoulder and they began walking again, with Adrien looking at her at a tender smile on his face, backlit by the sunshine. Marinette, feeling like a fairytale princess, smiled as six words came up in her mind.

'It's official. I love this guy.' Marinette thought, leaning her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her own shoulder to give her a gentle side-hug. She began to relax, and breathing in his familiar cologne added to her ease.

Alya and Nino were walking about three meters behind them, smiles on their faces. Alya's was a bit tense, and she tried her best to hide it. Again, her fox was on the alert for some reason.

"Alya? Everything okay?" Nino asked.

Alya looked to her fated mate, and saw the worried look on his face.

"Oh, um... Everything's fine, why?" Alya questioned, smiling at him.

"You just seem anxious today." Nino pointed out.

"Anxious? Me?" Alya asked. "Why would I be anxious?"

"That's what I want to know," Nino laughed as he put his hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him. "You can tell me anything, Alya. We can share everything with each other."

"Oh, really?" Alya asked, her sly smile coming back on her face as she looked up at him.

He gave an awkward chuckle before responding, "Y-Yeah, we can!"

Alya's fox had relaxed at the wizard's touch. Alya smiled and leaned closer in to him. But she kept looking at Marinette and Adrien with a look in her eyes that combined wariness and curiosity.

After their date, Adrien and Nino walked the girls back to Marinette's shop.

"Today was so much fun!" Marinette said to Adrien.

"It was," He agreed, chuckling. "But it isn't quite over yet."

"Huh?" Marinette asked, tilting her head to the side.

Adrien began leaning in closer to her, his eyes closed and lips pursing. Marinette gave a smile and she mirrored his movements, also puckering her lips. She felt her heart soar when Adrien put her lips to her cheek. He lingered there for a few seconds before breaking it.

She looked at him as he pulled away, that same suave, loving smile on his face, his face pink. One could argue hearts were fluttering out of Adrien's head. Marinette put her hand to her cheek, also looking at Adrien with a similar expression, but hers was more shy and her face was more red.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Adrien asked, face not changing.

"Y-Yes..." Marinette murmured, giving an absent nod.

"Great. Bye!" Adrien said before turning and beginning to walk away. Marinette didn't notice that nearby, Nino was silently whooping and cheering for Adrien, and Alya was clapping in delight, too.

Alya turned to her date, and she flirtatiously asked, "So, I'll see you again soon, Turtle Boy?"

"Absolutely." Nino responded before following Adrien's lead - he gave Alya a kiss on her cheek, too. After pulling away, he winked at her with a click of his tongue. He turned on his heel and began sauntering away, trying to emulate Adrien's confidence.

"Isn't Nino awesome?" Alya murmured, still on cloud nine.

"He's a great guy, that's for sure. He's got nothing on Adrien, though." Marinette responded, and the girls laughed.

Once she got her head cleared, Marinette looked back at Alya, only to see she seemed to be deep in thought.

Marinette stepped closer and began, "Hey Alya..."

Alya turned to Marinette and asked, "What's up?"

"Is everything okay? You seemed a bit distracted today," Marinette spoke. "Is something bothering you?"

"Bothering me?" Alya asked. "No, nothing at all, really!"

Marinette quirked a brow in confusion, but Alya only gave her BFF a reassuring smile.

Marinette, with a bag from the pottery shop in hand, walked into the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie - her parents' bakery.

"Papa, maman!" Marinette greeted as she opened the bakery's front door, causing the bell to ring.

Her parents - a warlock father and a witch mother - were tending to customers and working on products at the same time.

"Marinette!" Sabine, Marinette's mother, greeted as she handed a bakery box to a customer and took the money.

"Oh, my little girl is here to visit!" Tom chortled as he used his own magic to take hot breads out of the oven.

"Hi, dad," Marinette giggled as she walked further into the shop. "I came by for a little visit. And I brought you something."

Marinette put her hand in the bag and pulled out the finished cookie jar. It was a classic cylinder shape with a round handle on the lid. The bakery logo was painted on it the front, and the colors were the inverse of the signage outside - the cookie jar was a metallic gold while the logo was painted black, with the round handle and two thin, horizontal stripes at the bottom.

"Oh, that's such a beautiful cookie jar, honey!" Sabine said as she looked at the piece in her daughter's hand.

"Yeah! I was out at a paint-your-own pottery place and I painted this for you." Marinette said, using her magic to move the cookie jar to a safe space for display.

"It's wonderful, sweetie," Tom chortled as he took a closer look. "And it matches with the bakery perfectly!"

"Thank you so much!" Sabine said, only for the door's bell to jingle again.

"Hello, I - Marinette?!" A familiar voice spoke, and Marinette turned around to see Adrien.

"Adrien!" Marinette greeted, surprised and delighted. Her face tinted, as did his.

"It's a wonderful surprise to see you here," Adrien began, only to backtrack, his face going from pink to red. "I mean, I guess I shouldn't be surprised - this is your parents' place."

Marinette giggled and she said, "And I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're here, either. Nobody can resist my parents' goods."

"No, they cannot." Adrien agreed, laughing. He stepped further in and approached Marinette.

He saw the cookie jar and said, "Wow, that cookie jar turned out even better than I expected."

"You think so?" Marinette asked, looking at the jar.

"Yeah, it looks even better than before, when the glaze was still wet and unfired." Adrien commented.

"That's very sweet of you." Marinette giggled.

"Sounds like you two know each other." Sabine spoke, a smile in her voice.

"And you two went out to that pottery place together?" Tom asked, a knowing tone to his voice.

Marinette and Adrien, realizing they had company, got stiff, their blushes became even darker, and they looked over to Marinette's parents. They had teasing, eager smiles on their faces.

"Y-Yeah, we did," Marinette admitted. "B-But it wasn't just the two of us!"

"Oh?" Tom asked.

"A double-date, then?" Sabine questioned, a smile on her face.

Marinette's words got stuck in her throat, but luckily for her, Adrien stepped in.

"Yes, a double-date," Adrien began. "Truthfully, it was to help Nino and Alya get closer with each other."

"That's right," Marinette added, feeling more relaxed. "His best friend and my best friend being fated mates? What are the chances of that?"

Tom and Sabine snorted with laughter, inviting laughter from Adrien and Marinette. Once they calmed down, Adrien got a bit more serious.

"Monsieur and Madame," Adrien began, feeling a bit nervous. "You two are some of the warmest, loving magic users in the world."

Marinette smiled at Adrien's kind words, but she was caught by surprise when he turned to face her with a tender, loving smile on his face, while taking one of her hands into both of his own. His cheeks were red again and he looked like joy could spill out at any moment.

"After all, if you weren't, I'm not sure you'd have such an incredible young woman like Marinette for a daughter." He praised, gently leaning his forehead against her own. Marinette's heart stopped for a few seconds before she smiled and closed her eyes.

"That's so kind of you, Adrien," Sabine thanked. "Marinette, you're so lucky to have found such a great boyfriend."

'B-BOYFRIEND?!' Marinette thought, her face going completely red.

She was about to protest this, but Adrien - not once removing his eyes from Marinette - cut her off by telling Tom and Sabine, "No, I'm the lucky one to have found such a wonderful woman to call mine."

Marinette's face seemed to go even darker and her heart began going a mile a minute and was louder than a Jagged Stone concert.

"I'm so flattered..." Marinette murmured, not sure what to make of Adrien's comments.

"Hey, since we just happened to meet up, how about we go out right now?" Adrien asked, pulling away and giving Marinette a slick grin.

"You two should!" Tom agreed, brightening. "We still have customers coming in! You two go and have fun!"

"Thank you, sir!" Adrien said before taking leading Marinette out of the bakery by the hand.

Tom and Sabine looked at each other with knowing smiles.

Outside, Marinette and Adrien had gotten about a block away when Marinette, still red-faced, stuttered, "A-Adrien..."

"Yes?" He asked, turning to look at her.

"A... About what happened back there when they called you my boyfriend..." Marinette stammered.

"What about it?" Adrien questioned, a smile in his voice and on his face.

"You didn't deny it," Marinette started, taking her hand away and stopping in her tracks. Adrien stopped a few more steps away from her. "Was that because you didn't want to kill the mood or...?"

Adrien turned his body to look at Marinette in confusion.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm your... Oh, we haven't talked about that yet." Adrien said, realization coming on his face.

"No," Marinette confirmed, her face still beet red. "...But I guess we can't take it back now."

"No, we can't." Adrien laughed.

A few moments of silence between them, giving each other furtive glances and blushing smiles.

"So... We're dating, huh?" Marinette asked, her heart pounding and her eyes squeezed shut.

She heard footsteps coming closer, and she looked up to see Adrien looking at her with that same loving smile he'd given her before. Her heart's throbbing got harder and faster, and her face got hotter. He put his hands around her waist, one of them on the small of her back.

"Yes. Now that you're officially my woman, I can do this." Adrien said before leaning in and giving Marinette a gentle, yet hungry peck on her lips, making her heart skip a few beats.

Marinette responded by putting her arms around his neck, accompanied by a red-faced, shy smile. Adrien smiled again before dipping her over his knee ever so slightly.

Apparently her joy was overflowing, because not only was she crying happy tears, but her magic caused their environment in the immediate area to "brighten up" the same way her shop would. After breaking their lips away from each other, Marinette looked up at her green-eyed beau, and she couldn't stop herself from getting lost in his pretty Peridots. She felt his tender embrace tighten around her as he gently lifted her back upright.

"Marinette..." He murmured as he pecked her lips again. She responded in kind, kissing him back.

"Oh, Adrien..." Marinette murmured back. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Say you're happy that I can call you mine, and that you can call me yours." Adrien spoke.

Marinette's face went red and she gave a huge smile, saying, "I am happy."

They shared another hug before taking each other's hands and walking down the block.

"I can't wait to tell Alya." Marinette giggled.

"I can't wait to tell Nino we've made it official, either." Adrien chuckled.

On the subject of Alya...

Back at her apartment, she was at her computer desk, typing away furiously, several books, printed articles, and other reference materials on paranormal species at her disposal.

"What is he?!" Alya murmured, as she kept hitting dead ends with her research.

Alya couldn't put her finger on it, but something about Adrien was... Well... off. When he first stepped into the shop, she smelled something on him, but she couldn't figure what. She could tell he was a paranormal, yes, but she wasn't sure what kind of paranormal.

It wasn't as if Adrien meant any harm, though. He was fun to be around, an absolute gentleman, open-minded and patient. Being her fated mate's best friend was another point in his favor. And he clearly had it bad for Marinette since he was treating her like a princess - being the Prince Charming her witchy bestie deserved. While she was happy to see her best friend finding love again, Alya couldn't help but feel a sense of disquiet. If she had an idea of exactly what Adrien was, then maybe she wouldn't feel so weird about the whole thing.

Luckily, her journalism job allowed her to meet all kinds of people - human, paranormal, you name it. She'd seen so many species, from fairies to trolls and many others in between. It didn't hurt that she and Marinette attended the same schools, and the students and teachers were very diverse. But the fact that she wasn't sure what Adrien was didn't sit right with her.

Alya decided to go full-on detective mode, and started narrowing down all of the possibilities. She immediately threw one theory out: hybrids. Inter-species mating within paranormals and humans was only just beginning to become reality. And even then, paranormals and/or humans conceived in inter-species mating were born either one species or the other - never both. Like someone being born to a dragon mother and a griffon father, but only being 100% dragon, for example.

So if not a hybrid, then what on earth was Adrien? The mystery was driving her insane!

The simple, straightforward thing for her to do would be directly asking him. However, if he wasn't open about what species he was in the first place, there had to be a reason for it. Alya knew better than to out someone like that! She would have to make like the sly fox she was to figure this out and then talk to Adrien about it. In the meantime, she wouldn't butt in on his romance with Marinette - her bestie's happiness was top priority, after all.

Okay, so now you guys know why Alya's on the alert about Adrien.

Coming up, while Alya continues to investigate, Marinette and Adrien's romance only gets better from there! But what's gonna happen if either Nino, Adrien, or Marinette find out what Alya's up to?

Chapter Text

Marinette and Adrien are happy and growing closer, but Alya's getting sus about what species Adrien is. Not wanting to rain on her bestie's parade, but still trying to sate her curiosity, how will she solve this problem?

The sound of laughing children filled the air. Marinette, as a young child, was throwing and catching a ball with a little boy covered in black fur, and had green eyes. They were laughing, running around the park, and just having a good time.

"Catch, Marinette!" The boy, whom she'd nicknamed Cat Noir, called as he threw the ball back at Marinette. She caught it, dribbled it, and then she kicked it back to him.

He started dribbling the ball and kicking it around before kicking it back to her. They kept this volleying going, enjoying their time together.

After a few more minutes, the two of them sat on the grass, the ball between them, and catching their breath. The sun was setting overhead, the colors of dusk just starting to appear in their surroundings.

"This is so much fun!" Cat Noir said after a few moments of breathing. "I don't think I've had this much fun before!"

"Really? I don't think I've had this much fun in a long time, either!" Marinette agreed.

"Hey, once we get our energy back, let's keep playing!" Cat Noir spoke.

"Okay, let's-" Marinette began, but...

"Marinette! It's almost dusk! Playtime's over for the day, sweetie!" A woman's voice called from a distance.

Marinette gave a childlike pout before looking at her new friend and saying, "Sorry, that's my mom. I have to go home."

"What? Already?" Cat Noir whined, sounding like, well, like a petulant child who wanted to keep playing.

"I know," Marinette sighed as she stood up. "But why don't we come back and play tomorrow?"

"I'd love that!" Cat Noir agreed, also standing.

Marinette looked at him with a smile, and said, "See you tomorrow?"

"Yes!" Cat Noir said with a firm nod.

But the following day came and went... Marinette never saw that black-furred friend of hers again.

Waking up, Marinette sat up in her bed, curious.

'That's weird... Why did I remember something from so long ago? And now of all times?' Marinette thought, more confused than disturbed or afraid.

She got out of bed to get dressed before going downstairs. Out of her peripheral, she saw the white ballroom gown she'd shown Adrien during her impromptu fashion show. She approached it, looking it over with wistful eyes.

'When Adrien saw this, he begged me to wear it in front of him. But back then, I just couldn't... I wonder, would he object if I wore it out to a more formal event with him?' Marinette thought.

She didn't attend her school's formal dance, which was what the dress was for. Fact was, the person she wanted to wear it in front of wasn't Adrien. But now that her handsome blonde beau was in the picture, she didn't have as many reservations about wearing it.

Rumbling came about, and she looked down at her stomach. She blushed, saying, "Breakfast time."

After eating and setting up shop, Marinette was doing the best she could to stop herself from falling down her rabbit hole of her memories of her school years, or that one time in her childhood. It wasn't worth it, not with Adrien in her life now.

'Maybe these memories are resurfacing now for a reason?' Marinette thought as she turned the sign to "Open" and got back to work. 'But what IS the reason?'

She was good at finding complex solutions to problems, but...

As if to cut into her thinking session, the door opened with the bell ringing, and in came Alya, who looked pretty serious.

"Morning, Alya." Marinette said, smiling at the sight of her best friend.

"Hey, girl, we gotta talk," Alya said, sounding like it was urgent. "Got any time?"

"Um, I just opened, but nobody's here yet, so sure. What's going on?" Marinette asked.

"It's about Adrien," Alya said, her tone leaving no room for debate. "The-"

"Isn't he the best?!" Marinette swooned. "We just made it official! We're a real couple now!"

"Y... You are?" Alya asked, looking both surprised and disturbed at the same time.

"Yeah! We ran into each other at the bakery the other day - apparently he's a regular there. We started talking in front of my parents, and they got the idea that he was my boyfriend." Marinette began to explain.

"Seriously?!" Alya asked, her distress evaporating. "He didn't tell them that wasn't your situation?"

"He didn't say or do anything to contradict it," Marinette said, blushing. "Once we were out of there and alone, we talked about it and... We kissed and now we're an item."

"Girl, that's awesome!" Alya said, her fox yipping and jumping with joy. The girls shared a high-five. "You and Adrien finally put the "official couple" label on it!"

"I know, I'm so happy!" Marinette said, about to cry tears of joy. But she collected herself and looked at Alya. "So, what is it about Adrien you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, it's just that..." Alya began. "I just think..."

But seeing Marinette's blissful state, Alya couldn't get the words out, thinking, 'Marinette looks so happy. And there are just too many green flags with Adrien to raise a fuss about the one red flag...'

Instead of voicing her fears and risking hurting her friend, Alya responded, "I think you two are made for each other."

"Really?!" Marinette squealed. "You think so?"

"Oh, I know so," Alya said, trying to keep her discomfort hidden. "You're like peaches and cream."

Marinette began laughing, even though Alya was saying on the inside, 'Sorry, girl. He's harmless, I know that... And yet something isn't right.'

"I'm glad to hear it, especially since I had a weird dream last night." Marinette spoke.

"Weird how?" Alya asked, blinking at Marinette in confusion.

"It was like a flashback." Marinette began.

"Was it about...?" Alya began, looking uncomfortable as the question died on her tongue.

"No, not about school, but when I was like, five years old," Marinette began. "I met this little boy in the park, one with black fur all over his face."

"Oh, you told me about this once before!" Alya said. "That kid you nicknamed Cat Noir and played ball with the whole day? The one you never saw again even, even though you promised to meet up the next day?"

"Right," Marinette explained. "I don't know why the memory is popping up now, but there has to be a reason."

Alya gave a light "hum" in curiosity, her concerns about Adrien's species going out the window.

Meanwhile, Adrien was in his en-suite bathroom at home, having stepped out of the shower, once again wearing a towel wrapped around his waist. He was blow-drying his hair when his phone's screen lit up with a notification. He put the dyer down and dried his hands off before picking up the device. He saw it was an alert for a social media page belonging to a event promoter that specialized in promoting events hosted by locales in Paris, including having local vendors for food, crafts, and arts. Tapping the banner on his phone, he opened the notification to reveal there was a small fireworks show scheduled that weekend.

"Fireworks, huh?" He purred, smiling at the image. "Sounds like a great idea."

He immediately opened the post for more information, then sent it to Marinette via a text message, accompanied by the question, "Wanna go?"

Almost immediately after sending the message, he heard a knock at his bedroom door.

"Adrien?" Nathalie asked.

"Coming!" Adrien said as he stepped out of the bathroom to get some clothes on.

Once dressed, he opened the door to Nathalie, who was giving him her usual cold expression.

"Your father wishes to speak to you about your... dalliance... with the witch." Nathalie informed him.

"You mean my relationship with Marinette?" Adrien responded, emphasizing a few points. He gave Nathalie a pointed, annoyed expression.

"Yes, that." Nathalie sighed.

"Can't he bother to show her some respect?" Adrien grumbled as he went to his father's atelier in the manor.

He knocked on the door, and he said, "Pére?"

"Come in." Gabriel spoke, and Adrien opened the door and walked inside.

Gabriel only passively looked up at his son, meanwhile Adrien had his arms crossed and was looking at his father in impatient annoyance.

"Adrien, I'd like to ask about your progress with your soulmate?" Gabriel asked. "Are you at an acceptable milestone?"

"Father, it's too soon!" Adrien said, red in the face at the implication. "We only just made it official the other day!"

"You've only made it official a few days ago?!" Gabriel roared. "Adrien, birth rates amongst werecats have been static for a long time, and your insistence on taking it slow with her isn't helping matters!"

"Pére, it's too early for marriage and kitten-making," Adrien said. "If I start talking about it now, it might turn her off - she's gonna think I'm crazy."

"Adrien, she's aware of our family's circumstances by now, isn't she? That you come from a family of wealthy werecats and you need to breed to maintain and increase our numbers?" Gabriel asked. "If so, then she shouldn't be so put off by the idea of-"

"That's just it, father! I haven't told her about any of that!" Adrien shouted.

Gabriel went silent for a second and turned to Adrien, asking, "You haven't told her about our family?"

"No! All I've told her is that you're in the fashion industry and that I used to model for you. I didn't use the family name in conversation with her." Adrien confirmed.

"So she's completely in the dark about us?" Gabriel asked to clarify.

"Right," Adrien responded. "I'm gonna tell her the truth at some point. But for now, I just want to enjoy being myself in her company."

"How are you supposed to start a family with her if you don't tell her the truth?" Gabriel questioned. "Especially since this whole thing started when you were only a child."

Adrien only turned his back to leave, having had enough of his father's preaching, and said, "Like it or not, I'm going to do this on my own timeline. You're just gonna have to accept that."

Adrien shut the door, once again remembering why he kept his interactions with his father to near-zero.

He trudged back to his room to decompress, only to hear his phone buzzing. He picked up the device to see that Marinette was calling.

He answered the call and said, "Bonjour, mon cœur."

"Morning, Adrien," Marinette giggled. "I saw that message about the fireworks festival."

Adrien chuckled in response before asking, his face red with affection and anxiety, "So, what do you think? Shall we go?"

"Absolutely!" Marinette squealed. "Nothing's more romantic than fireworks!"

"Not even the ones I feel when I'm with you, chérie?" Adrien purred.

Marinette giggled, bashful, before saying, "Oh, you..."

"Adrien," Nathalie called as she came closer to him. "It's time to get to work."

Adrien gave a petulant grunt.

"I'd love to talk your ear off all day, ma douce, but duty calls," Adrien sighed. "I'll see you soon."

"See you soon." Marinette responded before hanging up.

Adrien heaved another lovesick sigh before walking down the stairs to get to the car. He saw his driver out near the street where the car was. He gave a sad sigh before getting in the back seat. The car drove away.

What Adrien hadn't realized was Alya, who'd been walking to work, had seen Adrien leave the manor, and she was looking on in surprise.

"Isn't that the Agreste Manor? Why was he there?" Alya asked aloud. "The mystery deepens..."

That afternoon, Marinette was breaking for lunch when she heard the bell chime and the door open.

"Hi, Marinette!" Adrien said as he came in, carrying a bag from the same lunch place he'd ordered from last time.

"Adrien! Perfect timing!" Marinette squealed as she ran over to give him a hug. Adrien, using his free arm, hugged Marinette back and gave a gentle squeeze (using massive restraint) to her.

"Shall we eat?" Marinette said while snapping both of her fingers to set up place settings for their food.

"Let's." Adrien agreed, smiling at her with warmth and love.

Like before, they sat at the table with their respective sandwiches and sides on their paper plates (Adrien's being full compared to Marinette's), each with refillable water flasks at their sides.

"This festival sounds like it's gonna be fun! Games, craft and food vendors, the whole bit!" Adrien insisted.

"It does! So, this fireworks display was created by a phoenix family?" Marinette asked as she looked over the social media post.

"Yeah." Adrien spoke.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Apparently phoenixes just have fireworks appear out of thin air whenever they get excited or happy. Sometimes they even sprout red bird wings on their back." Marinette commented.

"They do." Adrien laughed.

"And I've heard that the cycle of rebirth is both a literal and a metaphorical thing, too," Marinette spoke up. "I had a customer that happened to be a phoenix. She was trying her best to make a present for a friend of hers. But then it ended up getting ruined because of her own clumsiness, so she came to me. When she laid eyes on one of my pieces, she got so excited that fireworks were popping all around her."

Adrien chuckled at this as he chewed more of his food.

"The next day, she came back and said that the outcome was even better than she'd hoped! She told her friend about the ruined present, and even showed him a picture of it. Turns out the homemade present wouldn't have gone over well with him anyway! She used the opportunity to tell her friend she had feelings for him, and then they became a couple!" Marinette explained.

"Wow!" Adrien said, surprised. "That is amazing!"

Marinette laughed and said, "I know!"

Once that part of the conversation was over, they kept eating. And like before, Adrien seemed to be eating more than average. Marinette hadn't even gotten halfway through her first sandwich.

"Man, this place's food never gets old," Adrien said as he polished off a second sandwich. There was an apple core on his plate, too. "So much better than what I usually get at home."

"Really?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah, I usually just eat a paltry breakfast..." Adrien began, his eyes looking askance in dismay as he took a third one.

"You don't eat much at breakfast?" Marinette questioned, a little surprised as she watched Adrien tear into it. "I guess that explains why you eat so much at lunch."

"That and the food at home isn't that good... Or more accurately, the food made by the in-house chef is bland and unappetizing. And it's supposed to be high-end cooking." Adrien said, sounding embarrassed.

"That's right, you said your family's well-off because your father's a fashion designer," Marinette responded after swallowing her bite. "Must be a successful brand if he can hire a private chef."

"It is, but..." Adrien confessed before looking up. "Food just tastes better when you're in good company. It's never as delicious when you're eating alone."

Marinette gave him a sad look before quietly asking, "...Do you eat alone a lot when you're at home?"

"Almost all the time," Adrien admitted before giving Marinette a smile, accompanied by a blush. "Not even a meal from a Michelin-Star restaurant would taste good if I wasn't with you."

When Marinette met Adrien's eyes again, she saw the face of Cat Noir in front of him for some reason. Once her vision cleared, Marinette's face turned pink and she gave him a smile, saying, "You're so silly."

"I could never be anything but silly when I'm with you." Adrien purred, winking at her.

The pair gave each other giggles before they went back to eating their food. Once finished, Adrien helped Marinette clean up, insisting on it to spend more time together.

He threw some paper towels into the trash and he turned to Marinette, saying, "That was delicious as always."

"It was," Marinette laughed. "I'm excited for this weekend! I can't wait for the festival!"

"Neither can I!" Adrien agreed. He quickly looked at the time on his phone and grimaced before sighing. "Time flies when I'm with the woman I love."

Hearing "love," Marinette's face went completely red and she gave him a shy smile.

Adrien walked over and gave Marinette a quick goodbye peck on her lips before saying, "See you soon, mon cher."

"S-See you soon, Adrien." Marinette responded as Adrien left the shop. Marinette's magic infused with her swooning and once again, her shop lit up in joy. But then her thoughts put a stop to that.

'Why did I think of Cat Noir when I looked Adrien in the eyes just now?' Marinette thought. 'I need to look this memory in the eye and try to figure out what it's trying to tell me.'

Shrugging it off, Marinette sighed as she went to reopen for the rest of the day.

That weekend, dusk was coming upon the city and the pair went to the festival. They were walking around, taking in all of the sights.

"Check out all of these stalls," Marinette spoke as she looked around and saw many stands with different goods, from woodcraft to ceramics and even knit pieces. "So many of them!"

"Yeah, and these are all small businesses, too," Adrien pointed out. "This craft fair organizing company sticks to small businesses and only small businesses."

"Awesome!" Marinette squealed.

She heard a familiar, jolly voice out in the distance, and she looked up to see André the ice cream man (human).

"Hey, it's André! I didn't realize he'd be here!" Marinette spoke, pointing out the portly fellow.

"I've heard some great things about his ice cream," Adrien said as he took her hand. "Shall we check it out?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Marinette agreed as she looked him in the eyes.

They started walking to his cart, watching as other couples took their ice creams and walk away as André sang and laughed as the happy couples came and went.

"Ah, who do we have here?" André said as he saw Marinette and Adrien approach. "Two faces that are new to me! Is this your first time here?"

"It is," Marinette said. "I'm Marinette."

André gave Marinette a nod in greeting before looking to Adrien. He did a double-take before saying, "Ah, you two seem to be quite the pair. May I give you two a cone to share?"

"Yes, please!" Adrien and Marinette said in complete unison.

"Then let me whip up a wonderful cone for you," André said as he took out his scoop and a cone. "For her eyes and hair, blueberry will be fair! Mint for his eyes and vanilla bean for his skin! A touch of rosewater, Et viola!"

He gave the pair a finished sundae with two edible spoons - made of cookies - and Adrien took it in his hands. He handed André the money for the ice cream.

"Merci." Marinette said while the pair walked away from him.

Marinette started spooning the ice cream and eating it.

"This is so good!" Marinette said as she swallowed a bite. "I didn't think mint and blueberry would be such a good combination! I guess the vanilla bean just helps the two blend together."

"Let me try." Adrien said as he took Marinette's cookie spoon, scooped up some ice cream, and he ate a bite.

Marinette gawked at him, her face turning beet red at the indirect kiss.

"Wow! This is yummy! And you're right, the vanilla bean really does tie it all together. The rose isn't overwhelming, either. It's a nice subtle background note." Adrien agreed.

Marinette was still staring at him, wide-eyed and red-faced, her heart going as fast as a car in a NASCAR race.

"Have I melted your heart, ma douce?" He teased, winking at her. Marinette's face started getting steamier than before. "You might wanna eat more of this ice cream to cool down before it melts."

Marinette, trying to calm herself down, started stuffing more ice cream in her face, being careful not to overdo and get a brain freeze - to the point where she couldn't really taste the ice cream.

After they finished their cone and cookies, they kept walking around, hand-in-hand. Soon, the sun set and it had gotten dark - the darkness combined with the halo effect from the street lights gave a calming, ethereal effect to the festival. Some other magic users amongst the vendors and festival staff were adding to the ambiance by using their own magic.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Marinette said as she looked around, unaware that Adrien was staring at her.

Adrien looked at the time on his phone, saying, "Looks like the fireworks are about to start."

"Then we'd better find somewhere to watch! It's getting crowded!" Marinette spoke, noticing the throngs of people taking their spots to watch the show. "Man, there's nowhere to get a good view."

She felt Adrien squeeze her hand, and he whispered in her ear, "Don't worry. Just follow me."

Adrien started jogging, leading Marinette by the hand. After about ten minutes, Marinette saw that Adrien brought her to a set of "stairs" that were made from naturally-occurring geological depressions in the side of a nearby hill. At the top of it was a large, wooden bench.

"Let's go!" Adrien said as he led Marinette up the stairs to the bench. It was high enough that they could see over everyone else in the crowd, and get a veritable front-row seat to the pheonixes' work.

"This is an incredible view..." Marinette said, sounding awestruck as she took in the surroundings.

"Isn't this great? This is a secret amongst the locals within this part of Paris," Adrien said as he sat down on the bench. "We can be alone without the crowds and noise, and we get one of the best views of the fireworks."

Marinette, absolutely thrilled with Adrien's planning, thought, 'What a man! He really thought about how to make tonight enjoyable for us!'

"You're incredible, you know that?" Marinette laughed as she walked over and sat down next to Adrien.

"You honor me with your praise, ma princesse." He purred, before chuckling and putting his arm around her waist for a side-hug. He made sure there was as much contact between them as possible.

Marinette breathed a contented sigh in this embrace, taking in the scent of his cologne - rich, warm amber with notes of vanilla and spices, bringing her both arousal and comfort. Like sitting in front of a fireplace in fluffy pajamas and slippers, wrapped in a warm, knit blanket while drinking a cup of cocoa during a fall evening.

'Just being with Adrien makes me so happy,' Marinette thought, breathing slowly as she looked up at his profile. 'I don't think I ever had this much fun when I dated in school.'

On cue, an explosion of fleeting colors painted the black background in short-lived bursts of different colors - purples, gold - accompanied by the sounds of pops and cracks.

"Wow..." Marinette spoke aloud, awestruck at the sight. "This is beautiful."

"You are..." Adrien murmured.

Marinette looked at him and asked, "Say again?"

"Um, the fireworks are beautiful." Adrien commented, his face turning red as more pops of color appeared in the sky.

Marinette gave an agreeing giggle while she felt Adrien's arm on her get a little tighter, too. She felt herself relax in his presence. They kept watching the fireworks in comfortable silence, their eyes lighting up every time a different color, pattern or combination of the two decorated the sky.

A little bit of time passed, and Adrien took his arm away from her waist and put it around her shoulder. And his attention was on his date instead of the fireworks. In his eyes, Marinette was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. Even as an adult woman, her inner beauty hadn't changed, and that made his heart sing. His sharp were-cat senses detected that Marinette felt happy, and safe above all else.

Marinette felt her peaceful silence get a pleasant break when she heart Adrien clearing his throat, like he wanted to get her attention.

"Hey, Marinette..." Adrien began. "Did you ever imagine this?"

"Imagine what?" Marinette asked.

"That you... You would meet and fall for a guy like me?" Adrien asked, sounding shy.

Not turning away from the fireworks, Marinette gave a shrug.

"...Honestly, I had doubts I would meet and fall for a guy at all," Marinette confessed, sounding a bit wistful. "Especially not someone as incredible as you."

"Me, amazing? Come on, mon cœur, you're being too kind." Adrien said, blushing at Marinette's praise.

"I disagree." Marinette responded, putting her hand over his, looking down with red cheeks.

"And why do you say that?" Adrien chuckled.

Feeling his hand in hers, Marinette's sense of peace gave her courage to tell Adrien her true feelings.

"I always feel comfortable around you; I have fun with you; you make me laugh; you're patient with my clumsiness and stuttering; you treat me like royalty; you're not intimidated by my magic, even though you're human as far as I can tell." Marinette explained.

That caused Adrien to pause in shock, and hear a "bang" noise in his head, coinciding with a huge red firework exploding in the sky. Human...

"You respect and appreciate the fact I'm a witch. You see my magic as part of who I am, and you clearly like who I am - you're best friends with a protection wizard, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Marinette said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "And I feel like we can be really open with each other. I couldn't have imagined a better guy - paranormal, human, whatever, to meet."

She held his hand and squeezed it, which gave both herself and Adrien a rush of comfort and affection. Adrien, though flattered and happy that Marinette saw him that way, started feeling a little anxious.

'Open with each other... But that's just it. I haven't been completely open with her - I'm not human. Not entirely, anyway...' Adrien thought, wondering what Marinette had gone through to make her say something like that.

The rest of the night passed quietly, but not without a huge pit of anxiety and dread building up in Adrien's stomach.

Once the fireworks were over, Adrien escorted Marinette back home, like the night when they first met. They were holding hands, standing close to each other, both with blushing smiles on their faces.

Adrien's conversation with his father, combined with Marinette's earlier comment, was churning in his brain - he tried his best to keep those thoughts quiet. Enjoying Marinette's company was all he wanted right then.

When they got to the boutique and stopped in front of the door, Adrien gave Marinette's hand a squeeze.

Marinette turned to look up at him, and once again, they smiled at each other.

"Tonight was so much fun, Adrien." Marinette said to him.

"It was." Adrien agreed as he looked at her, his affection palpable in his expression.

Marinette kept looking at Adrien's smile, and his green eyes seemed cat-like for a brief moment. But she felt Adrien's hands move. She looked down and saw that he'd started holding her hand with both of his. She felt her blush get deeper. Looking back up at her boyfriend, she saw his timid, red-tinted face. She felt her heart flutter a little more at how shy he was acting.

'How cute!' Marinette thought, her face also a bit pink. She heard Adrien take a deep breath.

"Marinette... May I have the honor of kissing you?" He asked, looking her in the eyes.

"You may." Marinette spoke.

She stood on her tiptoes as Adrien leaned down and they shared a soft, tender kiss with each other. It lasted a few seconds, but it seemed like hours to them. Hours of pure, uninterrupted bliss.

When Adrien pulled away, he said to her in a rough, husky voice, "Bonne nuit, ma chérie."

"Bonne nuit, mon prince." Marinette responded, her voice a little rougher from their kiss as well.

Adrien, with great reluctance, turned around and began walking away, all while looking over his shoulder and waving "goodbye" to Marinette every so often.

Marinette gave a content sigh before heading inside and going up to her living space.

As she got ready for bed, she recalled the number of times her memory of her one-time childhood playmate popped up in her mind.

'I don't understand. I have a boyfriend now, so why do I keep thinking about that boy I met all that time ago?' Marinette asked herself as she brushed her teeth.

After changing into her nightgown, she laid on her back on the bed and looked up to the ceiling.

'Is it possible that this memory is trying to tell me Cat Noir is going to come back into my life?' Marinette thought as she drifted to sleep. 'And maybe it's a heads' up about something that will happen when he does?'

The next day, Alya was walking to the boutique with a few stapled stacks of paper in hand, most of which were for work. But the top of the stack was one on cryptozoology - which was nosediving out of practice due to the paranormal community becoming the authority on paranormal/cryptic/supernatural matters.

"Still nothing..." Alya murmured as she took the paper stack and threw it in a nearby recycling bin. "Maybe actually talking to Marinette would give me a few clues..."

Alya put her papers in her bag as she came upon the shop. She took a deep breath before approaching the door, only to see there was a "closed - owner is out on delivery" sign on the door and the lights were off. Alya was about to take her phone out to call Marinette when...

"Alya?" Marinette asked. Alya turned around and saw Marinette had come back, messenger bag and all, and she was giving the journalist a big smile.

"Hey, girl," Alya said, happy to see her best friend. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great," Marinette responded, sighing in content, her face looking peaceful. "I just dropped off an order, and now I'm about to get back to work."

"Oh, really now?" Alya asked, her face not changing.

"Yeah!" Marinette said as she opened the door and let Alya inside. "Today's been nothing but peaceful!"

"That's good," Alya laughed. "So, what's got you in such a good mood?"

"Well, I was on a date with Adrien last night," Marinette swooned, her face pink and smiling as she danced and spun to her counter. She heaved a lovesick sigh. "Just the two of us, enjoying walking around a fireworks festival, and we watched the show in a nice, secluded area. It was so relaxing."

Alya said, "Ooh, that does sound like a good time."

"It was," Marinette said, thinking about her boyfriend as she propped her face in her hand. "I can't believe my luck - Adrien's a real catch."

Alya watched Marinette swoon, but her fox was all but screaming at her to speak up about her worries.

"Hey Marinette, has Adrien... Told you about himself?" Alya asked, trying to broach the subject of her suspicions.

"What do you mean?" Marinette questioned, a dreamy voice.

"Do you know anything about him?" Alya elaborated. "Like his family?"

Breaking out of her reverie, Marinette blinked at Alya with a quizzical expression.

She tilted her head and put a thoughtful finger to her cheek before saying, "He did mention that he used to model for his father's fashion label during his teen years."

"Really? He used to model?" Alya asked, surprised.

"Yep," Marinette confirmed. "Which explains his eye for fashion."

"Girl, anyone who doesn't think you're a talented designer is full of crap." Alya laughed.

"Tell that to Chloé - Adrien was actually friends with her." Marinette revealed with a laughing scoff.

"Hold the smartphone!" Alya said, putting her hands up to signal "stop," while looking at Marinette like she was insane. "Adrien's friends with Chloé?"

"Was," Marinette clarified. "Childhood friendship. But Adrien didn't want to be friends with such a cruel girl, so he hasn't spoken to her in who knows how long."

"Ah," Alya spoke, a sigh of relief coming out of her mouth. She was silent for a few seconds before adding, "So, I guess that means Adrien comes from an affluent background."

"Well, yeah, he admitted his father is well-off," Marinette stated. "Which, now that you mention it, makes perfect sense - Chloé only bothers hanging out with other rich kids, especially for personal gain."

Alya gave Marinette a smile, but she went quiet, thinking about all this new insight.

'So, Adrien's from a rich family, I saw him leaving the Agreste manor, he was friends with Chloé Bourgeois in the past...' Alya thought.

"Why so curious?" Marinette asked, trying to keep a lighthearted, innocent tone in her voice. "I know it's probably your inner journalist talking, but you sound like you're getting sus about Adrien."

"I..." Alya began, not sure what to tell her bestie. "I... I just want you to be happy, but..."

"But..." Marinette began, trying to be patient with her foxy bestie.

Alya decided to just come clean, and after heaving a resigned sigh, she looked up and said, "Girl, something's off about him. He's a paranormal, I can literally smell it on him."

Marinette's heart stopped and her stomach knotted itself up, and she said, "He... He is?"

"Yeah, but the problem is that I'm not sure what," Alya confessed. "I can't tell, and I don't know why! And..."

Marinette watched Alya, who was normally so confident and self-assured about herself.

'If Alya's acting like this, it's gotta be serious...' Marinette thought, waiting for Alya to voice the rest of her thoughts.

Alya looked back at Marinette and confessed, "I know I'm probably stepping out of line, but I've kind of been looking into it."

Hearing this, Marinette felt a stab in her heart.

"Alya, are you for real?!" Marinette asked, angry, coming from behind the counter. "How could you?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! The mystery has been eating away at me!" Alya admitted.

"Seriously?!" Marinette scolded.

"I know, I know, there's no excuse! My curiosity aside, I wanna make sure you're safe and happy, especially after what happened in school. A-And so far, I haven't gotten any other information..." Alya confessed.

Seeing Alya's facial expression, guilt combined with genuine concern for her well-being, Marinette started to relax.

"...Why didn't you say anything about your worries earlier?" Marinette asked, her anger simmering down and trying to restrain herself.

"What was the point? He makes you happy and you've absolutely blossomed ever since you met him," Alya stated. "I didn't want to ruin it by raising an alarm for no reason."

Alya looked at Marinette, guilt in her eyes, meanwhile Marinette's expression softened.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped closer to Alya.

"I guess I shouldn't have gotten so upset... You're just trying to protect me, Alya. Thank you for telling me all of this." Marinette spoke.

"You're welcome, and..." Alya responded. "I'm sorry. I should've just asked him what he is."

"Like you said, paranormals are more open about who and what they are in today's world," Marinette said. "But if Adrien doesn't want to talk about it, then there has to be a good reason for it."

"That's my thinking, too. I'm just gonna let Adrien tell you the truth on his own time instead of digging around for more information." Alya promised.

"Good." Marinette said, sighing in relief.

The two girls hugged, even though Marinette's anxiety was still there.

There was a reference to this manga/anime called The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague in this chapter. Hope you caught it!

And again, I don't want to hear/read/see any spoilers for S6 or beyond! Let me keep my sanity, please?

Anyway, coming up, Marinette's anxiety regarding what species Adrien is seems to subside. But when will Adrien let the wildcat out of the bag about who/what he is?

Chapter Text

Okay, now it's time for more "Stray Werecat Strut"

In this chapter, Marinette's curiosity about what species Adrien is seems to subside, especially since she's trying to respect his boundaries. Meanwhile, Adrien's under pressure to tell Marinette the truth! And what exactly happened to Marinette that made her a bit gun-shy about dating shifters?

After Alya left, Marinette was able to put her anxieties about Adrien's species to rest for a little while. Customers came and went, and she even struck up conversation with a few of them.

"That cardigan you sold me worked like a charm!" Squealed the woman who bought the cardigan with the combined karma/sexual-harassment defense spell. Her eyes were alight with relief and happiness, her hands folded together and smiling. "I finally feel safe at work again!"

"That's great to hear," Marinette said. "Though I wish it didn't have to get to the point where you had to come here for help."

"Amen to that," Her customer said, putting her hands on her hips. "Doesn't matter if you're human or paranormal - harassment is harassment is harassment."

"Exactly," Marinette agreed, her eyes askance in annoyance at the thought. She turned back to her customer with a smile. "That aside, is there anything I can get for you?"

"Well, my parents' 40th wedding anniversary is coming up - they were high school sweethearts - and I thought you might have something that would make a great present for them, particularly in the red shades." She explained.

"A 40th wedding anniversary, huh?" Marinette said, delighted at the concept. "That's rare for humans these days. Well, rubies are the traditional gift, so let's see what we can find for them."

It didn't take even a minute for Marinette something: two matching cable knit scarves in a vibrant, ruby-red color.

"Oh, these are perfect!" She said as she looked at the items in Marinette's hands. "They love vacationing in cold places, too! They just got back from a trip to Lapland in Finland."

"Lucky coincidence!" Marinette giggled. "Now, as for a spell... How about something for continued marital happiness, or warmth and comfort no matter where they are?"

"They've been married for forty years without the need for magic, so I think the marital happiness spell would be unnecessary. Warmth and comfort no matter where they are, on the other hand, would definitely be great." She said, a big smile.

"Then that's what I'll do!" Marinette said as she brought her customer up to the register to ring her up. "Now, for the spell..."

She recited the incantation while waving her hand above the scarves, causing them to glow. Once the glow faded, Marinette put the scarves in a gift bag before giving them to her customer.

"Hope your parents like these!" Marinette said.

"Oh, I know they will! Merci beaucoup!" The young woman said as she paid for the scarves before skipping out in delight.

Marinette, in a moment of silence, thought to herself, 'Wow... Married for forty years, huh? My parents haven't reached that milestone yet. I wonder what it'd be like, to find your soulmate and celebrate forty years of happiness together?'

Her imagination conjured up an image of herself and Adrien, forty years later and looking healthy as ever, sitting in a living room and looking at each other with love and affection, as if they were still young and in love.

Silhouettes of older/young adult children and baby grandkids came up, too. But...

'Girl, something's off about him. He's a paranormal, I can literally smell it on him.'

The image started disappearing like burning film when Alya's earlier warning replayed in her mind. She started to get goosebumps when she thought about it.

"Excuse me?" Another customer said, breaking Marinette out of her thoughts.

Once again putting her worries out of her mind, Marinette refocused her attention on her work, and she said, "Oh, hi! How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a new wardrobe. Some damned Lutins got into my house and they ruined so many of my favorite clothes!" The gentleman spoke, sounding frazzled. "And now I gotta replace them all!"

"Lutins, huh? They can be annoying, but throw salt at them and they should be taken care of easily," Marinette spoke as she looked around the men's section of her shop. "I can put in some magic to help."

"Thank you." He said as he started looking around the shop with Marinette.

Meanwhile, Adrien was having coffee with Nino, and the two were talking about the night before.

"So you still haven't told her the truth?" Nino asked.

"No, I haven't," Adrien sighed after taking a gulp of his coffee. "But what I don't understand is why her comment about me being human is bugging me so much."

"You mean other than the fact that you're not being transparent with her about your species?" Nino asked, sarcasm in his tone.

"Actually, yes," Adrien admitted, giving Nino a deadpan/pissed-off expression. "It didn't come off as prejudiced, but it threw me for a loop."

"This wouldn't be bothering you if you'd just come clean to her, Adrien." Nino insisted.

"I know, I know," Adrien said, waving his hand to get Nino to ease off. "I just..."

Adrien heaved a sigh, collecting his thoughts.

"The pressures of being "Adrien Agreste" disappear and I feel so at peace when I'm with her. It's like I can actually breathe," Adrien admitted. "Like when you and I met and became friends. You treated me the same way you treat everyone else."

"You don't want that peace getting messed up because of your old man's badgering?" Nino summarized.

"Exactly." Adrien admitted.

"I hear you, but if you're going to have your fairytale with Marinette, you gotta be open with her," Nino said, repeating Marinette's earlier words. "If you don't tell her, should you two get married and have a kid, and that kid turns out to be a werecat shifter..."

He didn't need to finish that thought.

"Yes, I know," Adrien conceded before taking another large gulp of his coffee. "I can't... No, I won't blindside her like that."

"Good." Nino said, giving Adrien a look that said the blonde had better commit to that statement.

Adrien got the hint as he kept sipping.

'But still... why is it that she said that?' Adrien asked himself.

He was hearing horse whinnies, so he had to keep his imagination in check and think horses rather than zebras and/or unicorns - the most likely answer was the one that was the most common. And the best answer he could come up with was that some paranormal prick had hurt her once before. And if that were the case...

'If she had been hurt by a paranormal man in the past... Will she leave me if I tell her the truth?' Adrien thought, the concern causing his stomach to knot up.

Once Marinette closed shop for the day, she went upstairs and went onto her bed. She laid down, her face looking up to the ceiling, and she gave a sigh.

'If Adrien's a paranormal, I wonder what kind he is?' Marinette thought, wondering about what species Adrien was. She turned to her side. 'But if I pry, I might make him angry. I mean, he isn't being open about it for a reason. Maybe he's just one of those paranormals that likes living a human life?'

Marinette thought back to all of her dates with Adrien up to that point, but aside from his huge appetite, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Marinette giggled at the memories, remembering Adrien's infectious goofiness and gregarious personality.

Like she'd told him the night before, she felt safe, happy, and loved with him. She always looked forward to seeing him, he made her laugh, she was able to be herself with him. He appreciated her magic, and he went out of his way to make sure they both had a great time with each other. Her parents liking him helped, too.

Smiling, she sighed in content before smiling and saying to herself, "You know what? Who cares what type of paranormal he is? Adrien is Adrien."

The fatigue of the day caught up with her and she closed her eyes to take a nice nap. And like in her dreams past, the face of her one-time childhood playmate came up. But instead of letting it bother her, she let those images lull her to sleep.

'I don't know what will happen if I ever meet Cat Noir again, especially since I have Adrien in my life... I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it.' Marinette thought, sleep consuming her.

All but an hour had passed when Marinette's phone started ringing. She woke up, yawned, and she looked at her phone's screen to see Adrien was calling her. She picked up the phone and accepted it.

"Hi, Adrien." Marinette said, holding back a yawn.

"Bonjour, mon cœur," Adrien greeted. "Sleepy?"

"Sorry, Adrien," Marinette giggled. "Thanks for waking me up."

"My pleasure, ma chéri," Adrien responded, causing Marinette to blush like crazy. "I was wondering if you had dinner plans tonight?"

"No, why?" Marinette questioned, smiling.

"You know that restaurant we went to before? They're running an all-you-can-eat special tonight. Wanna go?" Adrien asked.

"Ooh, I'd love to!" Marinette laughed, sitting up.

"Perfect! I'll pick you up for six, then?" Adrien asked.

"Great! See you then!" Marinette laughed before Adrien ended the call.

That evening, Marinette and Adrien were at the restaurant. The buffet/all-you-can-eat setup had a variety of dishes that, like their concept, catered to humans and paranormals alike.

And like that first night, Marinette was wearing the same red dress and jewelry. They were sitting at a table that was in an alcove, so the two of them could have some privacy.

"This is a great place to eat," Marinette laughed as she ate another mussel from her Witch's Brew-abaisse. "And the food is just as good as last time!"

She had other dishes from the buffet on her plate, too, including a bourguignon dish that utilized venison rather than beef.

"It sure is," Adrien agreed as he polished off the last of his mashed potatoes, cleaning his plate. He wiped his mouth. "This venison bourguignon is damn good."

"I can tell," Marinette commented, giggling as she ate a bite of the venison as well. "It is tasty."

"In fact, I'm gonna get more." Adrien said as he stood up with his empty plate.

"But Adrien, that will be your fourth!" Marinette laughed. "You gotta save room for dessert! They have that unicorn cream cake from last time!"

"Hey, the deer's addictive!" Adrien chuckled as he left for the buffet again.

Marinette gave a sigh and laugh as she watched Adrien fill his plate for the fourth time that night. Venison bourguignon, mashed potatoes, greens, and the sauce to top it all off. He even got more bread.

'He certainly eats a lot, and a lot of meat at that,' Marinette thought as Adrien came back to their table. 'If he's a paranormal, then he's most likely a carnivore of some sort.'

Now that she thought of it, she saw him eat a big portion of rabbit stew when they first went out. Rabbit was definitely a popular prey item for predatory animals, including coyotes, lynx, birds of prey.

Adrien took another massive bite of his venison, and chewed heavily. Marinette giggled at his childlike demeanor with his food. He covered his mouth with his napkin to stifle a burp - his face turned red at this. Marinette's giggle turned into a laughing snort, finding the mismatch between the gentleman she knew and the burp just now endearing.

"Excuse me," Adrien chuckled as he took his napkin down. "How rude of me to burp in front of a lady."

Marinette's laughs got louder at this, and she tried not to bang her fist on the table. Once she calmed down, she heaved a content sigh before looking at Adrien and saying, "You're hilarious."

"Thanks," Adrien chuckled before he looked a bit more serious. "Um, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?" Marinette asked, spearing some of her food with her fork and lifting it to her mouth.

"The other night, when you said you're happy I'm human as far as you can tell... Something about that sounded like you'd been hurt by a paranormal before." Adrien asked, but it was more of a statement.

Marinette went stiff and her heart throbbed, fear and past hurt surging through her veins.

'Why'd he have to ask me that?' Marinette thought, lowering her fork.

She didn't want to think about it. It was such a long time ago, yet it was one of those hurts that didn't go away. She tried her best not to let that sorrow show on her face and her eyes went down to her lap. But her shoulders sagged a bit and a sad frown marred her face.

'Bullseye.' Adrien thought, noting her body language. He didn't press further, though.

After fighting back tears, she looked back up at Adrien.

"I... I don't want to talk about it, Adrien," Marinette responded to him, trying to force a smile. "It was years ago. I'd rather just enjoy the here and now, and look forward to the future."

Adrien reached across the table, took her hand into his own, looked her in the eyes with a beaming smile, and said, "I understand. I'm sorry for asking such an insensitive question."

Marinette smiled back to him and said, "Merci."

He gave a nod in response. They squeezed their held hands for affection and reassurance before getting back to their meal.

Once they finished eating (including dessert), Adrien started walking Marinette home.

"Where do you put all that food away?" Marinette laughed while watching Adrien pat his stomach, which didn't swell or seem to get any bigger no matter how much he ate.

"Hopefully my muscles," Adrien teased as he flexed his arm. He gave Marinette a wink and a click of his tongue. "A gentleman must be physically attractive for his lady love, must he not?"

Marinette burst out laughing, her face red, and smiling.

"Oh, you silly..." Marinette said as she came down from her laughter high.

Adrien watched her, his heart swelling with joy. He was overcome with the usual sense of peace he'd feel whenever they were together. As if the burdens of his life evaporated, like the secret of his species didn't matter. Just another thing about his sweet witch that made her so magical.

Marinette kept looking at him, smiling in relief that he'd abandoned the topic of her last boyfriend. She couldn't resist, she wrapped her arms around his and leaned her cheek against him.

She heard him chuckle in delight. It was all but a minute when they came upon the shop.

"Thanks for walking me home as always, Adrien." Marinette said as she turned up a smile at him.

"You're welcome, ma belle," Adrien responded, giving Marinette something akin to bedroom eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Oh, absolutely." Marinette spoke, still smiling at him while returning his furtive, lovesick eyes.

"Then before I leave this evening..." Adrien began, leaning in.

Marinette knew what he wanted. She took his face into her hands, pulled him closer and gave him a warm, grateful kiss. He put his arms around her waist to pull her closer.

'Yep, I shouldn't think about what species he is. Adrien is Adrien.' Marinette thought as their lips molded together in perfect harmony.

The following day...

"How long are you going to drag this out, Adrien?" Gabriel demanded, drumming his fingers on his crossed arms.

Adrien had been called into Gabriel's atelier after breakfast, and the elder Agreste was once again ragging on his son to "get busy" with Marinette.

"For as long as it takes." Adrien answered, trying to be firm with Gabriel.

"That's not an acceptable answer, Adrien," Gabriel responded. "Our species' future depends on-"

"I've heard this speech a thousand times, pére," Adrien said, sounding bored. "Can't you give me some space and stop pressuring me?"

"Someone has to pressure you to start breeding, Adrien." Gabriel stated, his voice cold as always.

Adrien rolled his eyes, like he was at his wits' end, and asked, "Maybe the lack of pressure is why I'm not in any rush to tell Marinette about the family?"

Gabriel paused and looked at his son as if he'd asked him the riddle of the century.

"I want to be happy with her, but you constantly pushing me into telling her the truth when I'm not ready for it isn't helping," Adrien stated. "I'll tell her on my own terms, and that's the end of this discussion."

"Adrien, I won't-" Gabriel began.

"End. Of. Discussion." Adrien repeated, firm in his voice. He heaved a pissed sigh before leaving the atelier, all but slamming the door behind him.

'Why can't pére get off my case?!' Adrien thought, fuming while leaving the manor to get some air.

The irritating noise of his phone ringing cut into Adrien's thoughts, but once he saw it was Nino calling, he calmed down just a touch.

"Hi, Nino." Adrien said, still upset as he answered the call.

"Hey, dude. Judging by your tone of voice, your old man was nagging you again?" Nino questioned.

"You'd be right," Adrien sighed. "It's making me seriously consider moving out."

"Seriously? It's about time! But, dude, I've been nagging you about telling Marinette the truth, too, and I haven't seen you getting angry with me." Nino confessed.

"I guess it just feels different when it comes from a friend instead of a parent." Adrien suggested.

"You're probably right. If you wanna move out of that manor, you could move in with me and we'll be roommates!" Nino suggested.

"Love the idea," Adrien chuckled. "But just as a backup plan, let's go apartment-hunting, too."

"Not a bad idea. Just because we're bros doesn't necessarily mean we'll be a good match as roommates." Nino chuckled, agreeing.

"Maybe there's paranormal-specific living spaces available?" Adrien questioned aloud as he looked around all the city's buildings, looking for advertising for rental spaces.

"Who knows? I'll look around and send you some links. Try to calm down in the meantime?" Nino asked.

"I will." Adrien agreed.

"Good." Nino said before hanging up.

Adrien, wanting to feel better, knew just what to do. He pulled up Marinette's number and called it.

Marinette had just finished up with a customer - there was now a lull in the action. Her phone began ringing with Adrien's name and picture appearing on the screen. Marinette picked up the device and answered the call.

"Hi, Adrien!" Marinette greeted.

"Bonjour, ma dame." Adrien responded, his voice suave, causing Marinette to giggle and blush.

"To what do I owe the honor of your phone call?" Marinette asked, her tone happy and flirty.

"I just wanted to hear your voice, ma douce," He chuckled, causing Marinette to blush. "Hearing your voice, seeing your face... All of it makes me happy."

Marinette got a sense of sadness from his voice and chanced to ask, "Is something bothering you?"

"My father," Adrien admitted. "He's pushing me so hard that I'm planning to go apartment-hunting with Nino later."

"You're fighting with your father again?" Marinette asked, worry in her voice. "If you do move out, what are you going to do for work? I mean, don't you still work for your father?"

"I do. At least I have enough experience in this field to get work somewhere else if my father fires me for moving out." Adrien commented.

"Has he always been that controlling?" Marinette asked, surprised.

"Yes." Adrien responded.

"Wow..." Marinette murmured, unable to fathom her parents being so overbearing.

"I was thinking..." Adrien began, his voice perking up. "Maybe the two of us could go to the movies tonight? Spending time with you always makes me happy."

At this, Marinette blushed hard, her heart fluttering a mile a minute, and a smile came upon her face.

"I'd love to, Adrien." Marinette responded, a lovesick tone to her voice.

"Great! A slice-of-life/romance film sounds like a good choice." Adrien added.

"Agreed." Marinette said, blushing.

"Perfect! I'll get the tickets and see you soon!" Adrien spoke.

"I can't wait!" Marinette giggled as Adrien hung up the phone. She sighed with love as she twirled on the balls of her feet. As usual, her happy mood caused her magic to leak and for everything in the shop to perk up with happiness.

The door opened to the boutique on cue, and Marinette spun around to face her customer.

"Hello! Welcome!" Marinette spoke, smiling brightly.

Later on, Nino and Adrien had come to a paranormal-specific apartment complex (apartment buildings that were enchanted/spelled to accommodate paranormal traits and tendencies) to look at their vacancies.

The realtor - that had so generously agreed to meet with Adrien at the last minute - met up with them inside the apartment foyer.

"Hello, you must be the young man who may be looking to rent with us," She - a fauna - spoke as she stood up to greet them. "Please, let me show you around our available units."

The realtor led Adrien and Nino through the hallways, talking about the features and rules of the complex. They came to one of the available units and looked inside.

"Each unit is equipped with sensory regulation tools and features, and we have some of the most up-to-date appliances - induction cooktops, wall ovens with settings like convection to air frying..." She said. "The rooftop of the apartment is open to residents and their guests with the option to have small gatherings, but we'll close it off for maintenance."

"Wow! This is amazing." Adrien spoke as he looked around the apartment.

It definitely had the "upscale, modern, accessible" vibes to it, and the interior design was there to match. Blacks, whites, and several shades of grey. And it was only about one third to one half of the size of Adrien's room at the manor.

"Compared to my room, this looks really cozy." Adrien commented as he looked at everything.

The furnishings were stylish, yet comfortable, with fuzzy throw pillows on the couch and chairs (which also had plush upholstery fabrics in the same color scheme as the rest of the unit), and warm, fuzzy blankets. There was a balcony area outside with two chairs, the bedroom had a king-size bed in a much smaller room.

"I feel like if I were to move in here, I'd be able to really make it my own, and make an actual home." Adrien said as he kept looking around, imagining what he would put into the unit to make it more to his taste instead of the taste that his father expected.

"Yeah, dude, this looks like a nice enough place," Nino agreed. "And you said it's paranormal-specific, right?"

"Right," The realtor responded. "We have paranormals of all kinds living in this apartment. Obviously that means that some species have more destructive tendencies. The building is spelled to be able to magically repair any and all damage caused by our paranormal renters. That said, we will evict if push comes to shove."

"Like if you have a Bunyip or some other gross monster making things uninhabitable here." Nino elaborated.

"Exactly." The realtor responded.

"This place is a contender for sure," Adrien asked before turning to the fauna. "What's the rent?"

"Starting rent is €2,750 per month." She spoke.

"Hm..." Adrien said, a pondering expression on his face, thinking, 'Seems expensive. Especially if my father cuts my finances off...'

"This is a good prospect," Nino said. "But maybe we should look at a few other places just in case."

"Good idea," Adrien agreed, smiling at his best friend. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to have other options."

"Well, I hope you find the place you're looking for." The realtor responded with a professional tone of voice/smile.

"Merci." The boys said as they left the apartment unit to look at another opening.

Oddly enough, the next place they looked at was in the apartment complex where Alya lived.

"Not as luxurious as the first place, but this is nice." Adrien commented as he looked at the room, smiling at the humble furnishings.

Like the first apartment, it was one bedroom, which had the kitchen, bath, living space, and dining area in different places. The appliances were a little outdated, but still usable, and the apartment furnishings were a bit on the older side, too. The unit's colors were more in the red/yellow family, giving it a "rustic" vibe. But again, Adrien could decorate it to his taste to make it more "homey" for him.

The realtor here - an elf - was looking at him with a happy, patient smile. Nino was looking through the apartment, too.

"The bed here is a double," Nino pointed out as he came back into the living room. "And the bathroom's pretty small, too."

"There are other apartments available in here, right?" Adrien asked.

"Yes, but they're pretty much the same layout and design," The realtor spoke. "Do you still want to look?"

"Sure," Adrien responded before turning to Nino. "You coming?"

"My girl actually lives in this building, so I'm gonna pop in and surprise her," Nino commented. "Meet up with you later, buddy?"

"Okay." Adrien chuckled as he followed the realtor out of the room.

Nino followed behind them, but he immediately pivoted on his heel to go in another direction: to Alya's apartment.

Inside, Alya was at her computer, doing research, but this time it was for work.

That didn't mean her brain wasn't working on the Adrien mystery, though. Between her earlier conversation with Marinette and seeing him leave the Agreste manor, it was obvious to Alya that Adrien was Adrien Agreste - son of the famous fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste - Marinette's idol. Apparently Gabriel and André Bourgeois were close friends, which explained Adrien's past friendship with Chloé.

Adrien being a member of the Agreste family was yet another thing Adrien wasn't telling Marinette. Alya chalked it up to humility and wanting to make sure Marinette loved him for him, not his looks, fame, the family name, or money - all of which were understandable. It still didn't answer the question of what species Adrien was, but as she'd promised Marinette, she'd stopped looking for answers about that.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Alya pulled away from her computer and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, babe," Nino said from the other side of the door. "It's your protective wizard."

Alya giggled as she pushed her rolling chair away from her desk, stood up, and went to the door to let Nino in.

"Come on in, Turtle Boy," Alya purred as her boyfriend came into the room. "Please pardon the mess. I haven't gotten around to cleaning up."

"It is a bit of a mess," Nino said, noting all the strewn papers everywhere. "What's going on, Alya? Investigating something for a big article?"

"Sure am." Alya replied.

"What's up?" Nino asked, stepping closer.

But he stepped on a paper, cuing him to look down. His breath hitched at what he saw: an older article on the Agreste family. Nino yanked it up and read it over. Seeing the highlighted parts, he looked at Alya in confused anger.

"Why are you investigating Adrien's family?" Nino asked. "Are you trying to find dirt on his old man for work?"

"Of course not!" Alya spoke up. "I stopped looking into the Agreste family! I was trying to figure out something that's been bugging me for a while."

"What were you trying to figure out?" Nino questioned, calming himself down. "Digging into my best bro's background-"

"That's it!" Alya said in epiphany, face-palming. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?!"

Nino gave Alya a puzzled expression, but the fox shifter got into her boyfriend's space.

"Nino, you're Adrien's best bro! So, what is he?" Alya asked, cutting to the chase.

"What do you mean?" Nino asked.

"Come on, Nino, don't play dumb - what type of paranormal is Adrien?" Alya repeated.

"Why are you asking me about this?" Nino questioned, sounding a bit nervous.

"Nino, you guys are right: I have been uncomfortable around Adrien because of the sheer fact that I can't tell what type of paranormal he is! It's like, I know he's a paranormal, but it's like he's a species I've never seen before!" Alya explained. "Something isn't adding up and I'd feel more at ease if I knew what the absolute hell he is!"

"So you've never met a werecat before and-" Nino began to summarize, only to stop himself and cover his mouth.

"Hold it! Could you repeat that?" Alya asked. "Did you say what I think you said?"

"That Adrien's a werecat?" Nino repeated in a curious, confused manner, trying to play it off.

"A werecat!?" Alya asked, her eyes bulging out in shock.

"Yeah. Adrien's a werecat - a black panther shifter, actually." Nino said as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

"That's impossible!" Alya said. "Werecats are extinct! I triple-checked my research, made sure all the websites I used were up to date and accurate! I only used sources that passed the C.R.A.A.P.* test!"

"No, werecats aren't extinct, they're just very rare," Nino explained. "In fact, they were one of the first species to be actively hunted after the Great Coming Out. Generations of them were wiped out en masse. Any and all clans that escaped and went into hiding. They just decided to let the world think they went extinct so they could repopulate in peace. Even after all this time, they're choosing to be discreet and live human lives while still trying to restore their numbers."

"But you'd think some other paranormal would've been able to tell he's a werecat by now." Alya began.

"You know that ring on his right hand, babe?" Nino asked, holding out his right hand and pointing to the ring finger on it. Alya nodded. "It's a masking talisman."

Alya rolled her eyes in epiphany, saying, "Oh, so that's why my senses were confused."

"Right." Nino confirmed.

Masking talismans: magic jewelry pieces that were created long before the Great Coming Out. They were designed to mask/hide or "tame" a were-beast's inner animal and confuse the minds of other paranormals. With the increasing acceptance and normalization of the paranormal community, the talismans were slowly falling out of fashion - not completely, though. There were many reasons for continued use, which almost always boiled down to self-preservation. Some paranormals wanted to escape their archaic, abusive/toxic social groups; others got them because their respective safe havens were being inundated with bigoted humans and/or other shifters/paranormals, and thus felt the need to protect themselves. Another reason that was becoming more common amongst younger paranormal generations, was that they wanted to live human lives because they envied the humans, ironically. And while it was becoming rarer, sometimes clans from different species would get into a turf war and if anyone from either side had to cross into the other's territory for any reason, the talisman would help them hide to avoid getting hurt, killed, trafficked, whatever.

Hearing all of this information and letting it sink in, Alya put her hands on her head in distress.

"Great! JUST GREAT! Of all creatures for Marinette to get involved with, a werecat?!" Alya said, frustrated and angry. "This is bad!"

"Bad? How so?" Nino asked. "They're in love, they're happy, and Adrien's already thinking about what he'll do when he drops to a knee with a ring in the long-term. What's the problem?"

"The fact that he's a werecat! That's the problem." Alya said.

"...I don't get it. I never pegged you for that kind of woman, Alya." Nino said, sounding disappointed.

"Not what I meant," Alya elaborated. "Marinette doesn't date shifters or were-beasts. She's always had hope that her soulmate would be a magic user like her, or even a human."

"I didn't think Marinette was that kind of woman, either." Nino said, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"She comes by it honestly, Nino," Alya began. "She dated one of our classmates in school. A goat shifter named Nathaniel Kurtzburg. They were so happy together and Marinette was certain that he was her fated soulmate."

"And something went wrong?" Nino questioned.

"To say the least," Alya sighed sadly. "He found his fated mate, and it turned out he was a male Basan named Marc Anciel, who also attended our school. They started spending so much time together, creating comics that everyone loved. Even Marinette admitted that they did an amazing job. But it started getting to the point where Nathaniel was hanging out with Marc and only him. It got on Marinette's nerves."

"She didn't spell him over it, did she?" Nino asked.

"Nope. Marinette's not that petty. She'll only spell people to help them, defend herself and her loved ones, or to force karma's hand, but that's it," Alya explained. "She tried to talk to him about it, but things started getting strained between them. And when they broke up, Nathaniel wasn't exactly tactful about it. She was devastated, and she didn't leave her room or come to school for over a month, instead doing her classwork using her magic. And even then, she couldn't face Nathaniel and Marc - ironic, since she was the one who got them to work together to begin with."

Nino's face fell in dismayed understanding before asking, "She hasn't dated since?"

"Right," Alya said with a sad nod. "She promised herself that she would never date another shifter because she doesn't want a repeat performance. That's a gamble she's too afraid of taking. She knows how we shifters operate with mating. Once we find "the one", that's that. If she finds out that Adrien's a werecat, she's gonna get scared and dump him so he can find his fated soulmate."

"That's just it, Alya: Marinette is Adrien's fated soulmate. He knows it, and he's planning to tell her everything." Nino said.

"Really?" Alya asked, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, babe. I see where Marinette's coming from here, but Adrien's not gonna give up on her, no matter what happens. Besides, his old man's getting impatient for him to start making kittens with Marinette." Nino pointed out.

"So, what's next?" Alya asked, crossing her arms. "I've told Marinette what I was up to, and I've stopped, but now what?"

"Nothing." A third voice said.

They looked to the door and saw Adrien was leaning against the door frame. They couldn't read the expression on his face.

"Adrien! How much of that did you hear, dude?" Nino asked.

"All of it." Adrien said as he came in.

"Adrien, I'm so sorry! I didn't-" Alya began.

"Don't worry, Alya," Adrien reassured with a calm smile. "You were just looking out for Marinette. I know Nino would've done the same thing for me."

Nino nodded in confirmation.

"So, I guess this means I'd better come clean to her like now," Adrien said with a shrug, but he looked worried. "But... What if she doesn't recognize me?"

"Wait, recognize you? What do you mean?" Alya asked.

Adrien chuckled before saying, "Even though I'm telling the truth to my future queen, every cat needs a few secrets of his own."

Everyone laughed.

"But in all seriousness, when I see her tonight, I'm going to tell her the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If she accepts me, then I'll make sure to take it slow before I ask for her hand." Adrien said. Nino and Alya nodded in agreement.

And BAM! Mystery solved! I really gotta be faster on the updates on these stories, don't I? 😅

Anyway, next up, Adrien tries to find the right time to tell Marinette the truth about his species... But maybe the right time finds him instead.

Chapter Text

In this chapter, Adrien's gotta let the wildcat out of the bag and fast. But will he find the right time, or will the right time find him?

That night, Adrien had gone back to the store to pick Marinette up, and were now walking to the movie theater, talking to each other.

"How's the apartment hunt going?" Marinette asked, smiling.

"I've found a few prospects, and I think they're all great," Adrien began with a sigh. "And Nino's offered me his home in case nothing works out. Glad I have that as a backup plan."

"Why?" Marinette questioned, tilting her head in confusion.

"I'm concerned that my father will cut my finances off when I tell him the news." Adrien confessed, his face falling in worried dismay.

"That doesn't sound good," Marinette responded, sounding sad. "Maybe you shouldn't tell him?"

"That I'm moving out?" Adrien questioned, but then he gave a smile. "Not a bad idea. Hey, maybe you can cast a universal autonomy spell on me so he can't force me to do what he wants anymore?"

Marinette laughed and said, "If that will make you feel more at ease."

"Oh, I know it will, mon cœur." Adrien purred as he put his arm around Marinette's shoulder and pulled her closer.

They shared a quick kiss, and then the movie theater came into view.

"We're here, and with some time to spare," Marinette said as Adrien pulled up the QR code tickets for the film and had one of the staff members scan it. "Shall we get popcorn?"

"Are you sure? I don't want either of us to be too full for dinner." Adrien asked.

"Adrien, if I know you, you'll eat an entire large popcorn with extra butter and salt, and you'll still be hungry after the fact," Marinette laughed. "You eat like a Munchlax!"

Adrien's face went beet red as he thought, 'Do I seriously scarf down that much? Guess it comes with the territory of being a werecat.'

Once that thought popped up, he remembered that he had to tell Marinette about his werecat side like last year. But in the middle of a theater during a movie date wasn't the right time or place for it.

And he just wanted to relax and watch a calming, romantic slice-of-life film with his soulmate. Was that so wrong?

The pair got to their seats, with the popcorn bucket sitting between them. The film itself was a full-length movie adaptation of The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague that turned up the romance between Fuyutsuki and Himuro, and yet stayed about as close to the original text/anime as it got. Same voice actors, animation style, the whole bit.

There was a scene where Himuro had paid another visit to Fuyutsuki's apartment to play with her cat, Nyamero. They were sitting next to each other on the couch, streaming George the Kitten 2 on her TV. Nyamero was lying in Fuyutsuki's lap, and Himuro was desperately trying to keep his joy under control, lest he cause a blizzard in the apartment and/or pop out tiny snowmen.

"So glad I'm not a descendant of a snow woman," Marinette muttered with a quiet giggle. "I'd be an open book if I created snowy weather that depended on my mood."

Adrien stifled a laugh at this, thinking about how obvious someone's emotions would be if they were snow woman descendants like Himuro.

"Marinette, your emotions affect your magic already," Adrien whispered, as he took her hand and turned to face Marinette with a passionate, smoldering smile. She blushed hard. "And in the best way possible."

Marinette returned his gaze with a smile and squeezed his hand back. Feeling herself relax, she turned back to the screen to keep watching the movie.

'As usual, being with Adrien makes me feel happy and relaxed,' Marinette thought, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. 'I could easily take a nap in his presence, I feel so safe.'

All but asleep, Marinette started breathing evenly. Adrien caught a glance at Marinette's peaceful, near-asleep face. He smiled, feeling his heart ache like Cupid had shot him for the umpteenth time. But his smile faded when again, his worries about Marinette's reaction to the truth invaded his thoughts.

To soothe himself, he began raking his hand through her hair, similar to how Fuyutsuki pet Himuro's hair when he "melted" into a child in an earlier scene.

'I just want to stop time and stay like this forever.' Adrien thought, smiling.

Once the movie was done...

"That was a nice movie. So relaxing!" Marinette spoke as the two of them began leaving the theater.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Adrien agreed. "I could've fallen asleep, too, it was so soothing."

"Yeah! I understand why that anime is becoming popular. It blends magical realism with everyday life so perfectly!" Marinette spoke.

"Definitely! I loved seeing Fuyutsuki's solutions to Himuro's problems," Adrien commented. "It kind of reminds me of the solutions you come up with."

"Really?" Marinette asked, looking at Adrien in surprise, but was smiling.

"Yeah, you have a knack for coming up with solutions for complex problems, even if they're nonsensical at first." Adrien compared.

Marinette laughed, admitting, "You're so right!"

The sound of growling was heard, and Adrien looked to see Marinette was red-faced, smiling in embarrassment.

"Hungry?" Adrien asked.

"Y-Yeah," Marinette responded. "What about you?"

"I can eat," Adrien stated, only to pause at his appetite. "...I guess I really do eat like a Munchlax."

"Part of who you are," Marinette spoke, laughing. "So, shall we go?"

"Definitely," Adrien agreed. "I thought we could switch things up and go to a different place this time around?"

"I'd like that!" Marinette spoke, smiling as she let Adrien take her hand into his own. They walked out of the movie theater.

This time, they went to an Iberian/Spanish tapas restaurant that was owned and operated by a xacia and hombres-pez couple that specialized in Iberian/Spanish cuisine.

"Man, these Albóndigas are tasty!" Adrien said as he popped one of the meatballs in his mouth. "The sauce is great, too!"

"They are," Marinette laughed while taking a piece of shrimp/chorizo flatbread and popping it in her mouth. "And good call, picking a tapas restaurant. This way, we can try many foods without having too much."

"I know!" Adrien said as he put his used cocktail stick down on his plate, and picked up a crispy chicken croquette before popping it in his mouth. "So creamy!"

Marinette stifled a giggle before thinking, 'Did Adrien choose a tapas place because he's embarrassed about how much he eats? Maybe he thinks it's a turn-off?'

Marinette put a hand on Adrien's free hand and asked, "Adrien, you realize I don't care how much food you eat in one sitting, right? Like I said, that's part of who you are. And just like you love me and everything I am, I love you and everything you are."

Adrien - while guilty that he still hadn't told Marinette he's a werecat - smiled at her and said, "Merci... I love you, too."

When Marinette met his eyes, she once again saw Adrien's eyes turn into that of a cat. When she blinked, those cat-like eyes were still there. She rubbed her eyes, as if an eyelash got into them.

"Marinette? Is something wrong? Are the spices bothering you?" Adrien asked, quirking a brow.

"No, I just..." Marinette said, shaking her head as she opened her eyes again and saw his had gone back to normal. "For a second, your eyes looked different. Like a cat's eyes."

Adrien went ramrod straight, like he'd turned into a block of ice.

'Great, I'm losing control of my shift!' Adrien thought, feeling worried, but he realized it could be an opening.

"Actually, Marinette..." Adrien began, his tone of voice serious, but he was interrupted when one of their servers put down a plate of mini pastries, churros con chocolate, and tartlets between them. "Ooh, churros!"

Briefly forgetting what he was about to say, he grabbed a churro from the plate and ate it. Marinette giggled at the sight.

"I guess sweets do go in a different stomach." Marinette laughed while taking up a tartlet for her to eat.

"Y-Yeah, they do." Adrien agreed as he wiped his face with a napkin.

"You were saying?" Marinette asked, curious, while thinking, 'I wonder what he wanted to talk about?'

She saw him take a deep breath and look at her.

"Marinette, there's been something I've been meaning to tell you," Adrien said. "I-"

But yet another interruption. This time, in the form of flamenco music on guitar and castanets started playing.

The pair turned around and saw a man and a woman dancing to a Sevillanas choreography. They were in traditional flamenco dance clothing and hairstyles.

"That looks fun!" Marinette began, impressed with the footwork of the two. She turned to Adrien. "Wanna try?"

But she noticed Adrien seemed a bit agitated, like he was upset at his words being cut off. Feeling a bit worried, she stated, "If you don't want to..."

But she saw Adrien recover. He gave her a bright smile and said, "Sure. This seems like a great way to work off all of that popcorn."

Marinette snorted with laughter again. They stood up from the table and joined hands as they made their way to the dance floor.

"Oh! We're not dressed for this," Marinette said, a look of realization on her face. "One second."

She snapped her fingers and then she and Adrien were in proper flamenco dance attire, hairstyles included.

Adrien looked over himself, his smile growing, and he turned to Marinette while saying, "Marinette, this is so fire!"

"Thanks, Adrien!" Marinette spoke in delight.

"Now, shall we?" Adrien said, turning on the charm and putting his hand out for Marinette to take.

Marinette put her hand in his, and she smiled at the rush of her feeling of safety she'd get whenever he was with her.

"¡Vamos a bailar!" Adrien declared.

The music resumed, with Marinette and Adrien starting their dance steps. Together, they made sure their feet were making the required percussive sounds that was expected in flamenco dance. Stomping on the floor with different parts or even the entire foot, clapping, the whole bit.

"Olé!" Adrien called out as he stomped on the floor with his entire foot and threw his arms up in the air, making Marinette laugh her head off.

The audience applauded their performance, but Marinette and Adrien were essentially deaf to it all. They held each other's hands and went back to dancing for a little while.

Once they had their fill of food and dance, the pair started walking home.

"That was fun!" Marinette laughed, recalling how goofy Adrien was during their flamenco dance.

"It sure was," Adrien agreed. "But I'm always having fun when I'm with you."

Marinette looked at her beau with a shy, flattered smile, her cheeks red and her eyes sparkling. Again, her joy caused her magic to have a positive affect on their immediate environment: everything around them started to sparkle, as if the stars up in the sky came down to lend their shimmer, and the scents of the flowers got their "volume" turned up.

Adrien took her hands into his own and he took a deep breath.

"Marinette, I've been meaning to tell you something important," Adrien began, looking serious. "And... I need you to keep an open mind."

Marinette looked at him with a smile and said, "Sure."

'He's probably going to tell me what paranormal species he is. And yes, I'll keep my mind open. I love this guy, so what do I care what species he is?' Marinette thought, smiling at him.

"I... I know Alya tipped you off, but-" Adrien began...

Only for an awful stink to hit their noses. Cigars and alcohol.

"Um... Adrien, you don't smoke, right?" Marinette asked, pulling away and coughing.

"Right," Adrien said, his black-panther sense of smell detecting the same stink. "But you're right, I smell cigars, too. A lot of them."

"Is that marijuana?!" Marinette asked, wheezing. "Man, that stinks!"

"Weed? That's illegal!" Adrien coughed, realizing that yes, he smelled marijuana, too.

Marinette kept trying to breathe, but no luck. Adrien took Marinette by the shoulder.

"Let's get somewhere else," Adrien coughed. "Somewhere were we can brea-"

"Hey, get a room, lovebirds!" A slurred, drunken voice laughed, accompanied by some other laughs. The two of them turned around and looked to see a trio of humongous gargoyles, in all their stony, drunken stupor, stumbling over to them.

"You think you're hot stuff, flirting out in the open like this?!" One of the trio ranted before letting out a loud belch. This only intensified the stink.

"Get da fuck outta here, kids!" Another member yelled as he took another drag off his cigar while slamming his stony hand on Adrien's back.

"You guys have had too much to drink," Adrien said as he pushed the gargoyle's hand away. "Get away from us, please."

"Come on, lil' lady, ditch this wuss and come with us." Another gargoyle whined as he yanked on Marinette's hand and pulled her away.

"Hey! Let go of her! Show some respect!" Adrien roared, letting his inner panther out as he slammed his hand on the gargoyle's arm, shoving the stone creature out of Marinette's space.

'Wow... Adrien's stronger than I expected.' Marinette thought, surprised.

"Ya think you're better than us, huh?!" The trio's leader screamed in Adrien's face, the weed and tobacco on his breath mixing with the alcohol.

Adrien didn't flinch, only shaking his head in annoyance.

"Let's get out of here." Adrien said as he took Marinette's hand before beginning to lead her away.

"Don't you think you can ignore us!" One of the gargoyles yelled as they kept following after the pair.

Adrien gave Marinette a look that said, "Run," and then the two of them sprinted away.

They kept running, the gargoyles on their tail (granted, their stone bodies weighed them down, so they weren't as fast), and then they made a dive for a nearby back alley.

They stopped running, beginning to catch their breath.

"Maybe we should lay low here for a while," Marinette suggested. "Until the coast is clear."

"Good plan," Adrien responded. "But I should've taken some pictures of those guys to report them to the police."

"True," Marinette agreed. "That would've been good."

"Found you!" The lead gargoyle said as he led his groupies into the alley, forcing Marinette and Adrien back.

"Can't you leave us alone?!" Adrien demanded as they kept backing up.

The only response from the gargoyles was belching.

"We gotta get out of here," Adrien said, looking around to try finding a way to escape. "Are you okay, Marinette?"

"Don't worry, I've got plenty of combat and self-defense spells!" Marinette said as she raised her hands up, meanwhile Adrien readied himself for combat.

But as she was about to cast a spell, one of the gargoyles grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her up off the ground, making her scream. She flailed her legs.

"Marinette!" Adrien shouted, but he was tackled to the ground by the other gargoyles. One of them had put his claws on his back, using his weight to keep him down. The other was glaring him down in mocking triumph. Adrien struggled under the weight of the stone creatures, but didn't give up.

Marinette looked up at her captor. She tried to put on a brave face, but there was a bead of sweat dripping down her temple, her eyes were wide, and she was breathing in rapid, shallow breaths.

"You seem like a delicious treat, little witch." He said, slurring his words and drooling at the sight of her. The stench of the drugs, alcohol, and cigar smoke on his breath made Marinette gag and her eyes watered.

"Put me down!" Marinette ordered as she lifted her free hand to cast a spell. But the same gargoyle grabbed her other wrist, trying to pull her closer. Marinette kept thrashing and flailing.

"Stop resisting! The sooner you calm down and be a good little girl, the better." The gargoyle said as he smashed her up against the wall.

"No!" Marinette screamed as she tried to find a way to cast any magic.

The sound of her scream triggered something inside of Adrien.

"Let her go!" Adrien hollered, mustering up his werecat strength.

With it, he managed to get out from under the gargoyles, and he ran over to Marinette, faster than the average human. He tackled the lead gargoyle by the leg, knocking him back and bringing them down. Consequently, the gargoyle dropped Marinette.

She managed to use some magic to slow her fall, and Adrien quickly got up. He grabbed Marinette's wrist and tried to run, but they only made it so far when they realized it was a dead-end alleyway, and there weren't any other paths out.

"Merde!" Adrien panicked.

"Now what?!" Marinette cried. They turned around and they saw the drunken monsters slowly encroaching on their space. "All right! I'm gonna turn them into piles of coal!"

Adrien looked up at the sky. Getting an idea, he put his arm in front of Marinette to block/defend her, before saying, "Stay behind me. I can take them."

"Are you crazy?!" Marinette asked. "You're outnumbered!"

Adrien turned to look at Marinette with a sad, guilty expression before saying, "I'm sorry in advance. This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

"Find out?" Marinette questioned, but Adrien faced forward. The clouds parted to reveal a full moon, which shinned on Adrien. He opened his eyes, revealing the same green cat eyes from before. He roared loudly as he morphed.

He fell on all fours, and he turned into a humongous black panther - at least eight feet from nose to tail, and over four feet tall. He pounced. Using his huge paws, he tackled one gargoyle, and as they fell, the back of said gargoyle's head hit the pavement. No real damage, though.

One of the other gargoyles tried yanking Adrien off by the tail, only for him to swing around and swipe him with his paw, scratching at them.

Marinette watched Adrien fight two of the gargoyles, paralyzed.

'A... Adrien's a werecat?! But how?! Aren't they extinct?!' Marinette thought, her eyes wide in shock as she kept watching them fight. 'I mean... I know he's a paranormal, but I wasn't expecting this!'

Adrien gave a roar as he used his hind legs to kick one gargoyle down before slamming the other one with his paws again.

Marinette kept watching, awestruck at her boyfriend's fighting.

'So strong...' Marinette thought, once again impressed. But she started shaking her head. 'Wait, I can't just stand here! I gotta help!'

She lifted her hand to start an incantation for a spell, but she was forced onto her stomach on the ground by the third gargoyle, who'd snuck up on her. He twisted her arms behind her back, causing her some pain. She tried to recite a spell out loud, but the gargoyle covered her mouth with his other hand. She started screaming and thrashing.

The gargoyle turned Marinette over onto her back and grabbed at her clothes.

"Ready for some fun?" He asked, his voice slurred as he began pulling them off.

"NO! GET OFF ME!" Marinette screamed, tears running down her face. She was about to cast a rape-prevention spell.

Hearing her cries, Adrien, still in his panther, turned his head around. Seeing Marinette in distress, he roared at the top of his lungs and pounced onto his love's captor, shoving him off Marinette and pinning him down. Adrien turned his head around and growled at Marinette, as if signaling her to do something.

Marinette gave a nod, she raised her hands, and recited an incantation for a spell. On the final syllable, she snapped her fingers, and all the gargoyles were still as... Well, gargoyle statues.

She stood up, her body shaking, and she was breathing to relax. She put one hand against the wall, another one on her heart, and kept breathing. After a few minutes of this, she turned to chance a look at the black panther in her immediate proximity. And all she felt was calm.

He slinked up to her, making sure his green eyes were still in contact with hers. He started rubbing himself against her, like a house cat would to show affection for its owner. Unhesitant, she started petting his head. Feeling his silky panther hair under her hand, she started laughing.

"I feel like Jasmine when she pets Rajah in Aladdin." Marinette giggled. She swore she heard Adrien purring, but it sounded like laughter.

Still giggling, she gave his ears a little scratch, and his purring got louder, and he snuggled his face closer to her hand. He stepped back before shifting back into human form. He had a worried smile on his face, but there was relief swimming in his eyes.

"Are you okay after all of that?" Adrien asked. But he saw Marinette had a hand over her eyes. "What's the... Oh."

Marinette snapped her fingers, and Adrien was fully clothed again.

Marinette lowered her hands and looked over their attackers. Adrien walked over to one and knocked on the head, like he'd knock on a door. Chuckling, he asked, "What did you do to them?"

"Paralysis spell. It'll wear off in a few hours, which gives us time to get out of here and tip off the cops about the marijuana." Marinette said, looking back at Adrien with a smile that was sheer gratitude.

Adrien looked back at her, relieved that she didn't seem afraid of him. Repeating their earlier dance in the restaurant, he held out his hand and asked, "Shall we?"

Marinette didn't hesitate, she put her hand in his. He squeezed it, and Marinette felt a rush of joy and relief.

Adrien brought her to the park where they first met as children. They were walking through the park, alone, still holding hands.

"So, you're a werecat?" Marinette asked in summary, trying to keep her tone lighthearted.

"...Yeah, I am." Adrien spoke, trying to stay casual.

"But how's that possible? Last I checked, they're extinct... Or at least, that's what I thought until just now." Marinette asked him.

"No, we're not extinct. Our kind were hunted and killed in massive numbers after the Great Coming Out. Any surviving werecats and their families just went into hiding and donned masking talismans to restore our populations without any disturbances," Adrien explained. "And soon, the world assumed we went extinct. For our own safety, we didn't correct the assumption."

"...That explains why Alya couldn't figure out what species you were." Marinette spoke.

Adrien looked at his beloved with a guilt-ridden expression on his face. He said, "I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you, I promise! I just... Had a hard time."

"Why?" Marinette asked, only for past conversations to pop in her mind. "I mean... Okay, maybe what I said about liking the fact you're human made you nervous..."

"It wasn't that," Adrien admitted. "I mean, yes, that made me wonder if something happened to you, but that wasn't the reason I had trouble telling you the truth."

Marinette looked at Adrien, who was merely smiling at her, like she was his whole world. Seeing this, she blushed and her eyes went wide.

"Well, what was?" Marinette asked, trying her best to be gentle and patient, rather than demanding.

"...I just like feeling "normal" around you, Marinette," Adrien responded with a shrug, his smile turning pained. "I don't have to be the person everyone expects me to be. No pressure, no pretenses... I'm at ease and able to be myself with you. I feel... Free."

Marinette's blush deepened and her smile grew at this confession.

"I enjoy it so much that telling you that I'm a werecat seemed to be more of a burden than anything," Adrien continued. "I guess I didn't want that peacefulness to end."

"Oh, Adrien..." Marinette murmured as she felt her foot hit something. She looked down and saw a ball.

She picked it up and started dribbling it. At one point, it landed on the ground and she kicked it. Adrien caught the ball before dribbling it. He threw it and shouted, "Catch, Marinette!"

Marinette caught it in her hands gasped at the familiarity of it all.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked, noticing her change in body language.

"Déjà vu..." Marinette said, shaking her head. "I remember playing ball in this park before..."

"Well, about that..." Adrien began, sounding a bit uncomfortable. Marinette, though, just looked at him with a patient expression.

"Um... Do you remember anything about meeting a little boy with black fur everywhere as a child?" Adrien asked, sounding a bit awkward. "One that you played kickball with, by any chance?"

Marinette paused and her heart stopped - a black-furred face appeared in her mind, and the memory of playing ball with said boy was replaying. Just like in her dream.

"Yes. I did! He didn't tell me his name, so I just nicknamed him Cat Noir. I never saw him again after that day," Marinette responded. "He's been crossing my mind a lot lately, even when I'm with you. How did...?!"

Adrien looked her in the eyes. With an awkward expression, he said, "...It's me. I'm Cat Noir."

Marinette let out a light gasp. Mentally, she put the face of the child she met in front of Adrien's, and saw the resemblance. The eyes and fur aside, the similarities were there.

"I... Kitty?!" Marinette choked, surprised.

Adrien gave a confirming nod, his smile growing.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you..." Marinette said, aghast at this news, her heart aflutter at her unexpected "reunion" with her old friend.

"I hard trouble keeping my shifting in check - completely normal for shifter kids." Adrien confessed, sounding a bit sheepish.

"...Why didn't you come back like we promised?" Marinette asked, curious rather than angry.

"When my father found out, he forbade me from going back to see you, and confined me to my room indefinitely," Adrien stated. "He didn't tell me why. But believe me, I've never forgotten you, how happy you made me, or the kindness you showed me that day. It's a memory I've kept in my heart all this time."

"But... How long have you known I was the same girl?" Marinette asked, confused.

"Since we bumped into each other that night when we "first" met," Adrien admitted, as he put the ball down and stepped closer. "...I know it sounds creepy, but I could tell from your scent. And minus your hairstyle, nothing about you has changed. You're still that same, beautiful, kind girl from back then."

"All this time, it was you..." Marinette began, tears welling up in her eyes, paired with a smile. "I was wondering if I'd ever see you again! This explains why I've been having dreams about that day recently. Those dreams were trying to tell me that I've reunited with Cat Noir... With you..."

"I guess so." Adrien said.

Feeling a rush of love, Marinette leaped up into Adrien's embrace, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. He hugged her close. He planted a kiss on her cheek, and started to swing her back and forth in his arms. After a few, quiet moments like that, Marinette pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes.

'It's time, then...' Marinette thought, some old emotional wounds opening up again. 'He's a werecat. He needs to be free so he can find his soulmate. I mean... All shifters have soulmates, and I can't tie him down.'

"So... I guess that means goodbye?" Marinette asked, her sadness palpable in her voice, sounding like she was choking on tears. "I mean... You're a shifter, and-"

"No," Adrien said with firm conviction. She looked up at him in surprise, seeing the stern look on his face. "Don't start with that."

"But Adrien-" Marinette started.

"I said "no," Marinette. You and I are not gonna part ways over this," Adrien insisted before pulling her back into his embrace, being mindful of his strength as he squeezed her close. "Je t'aime tellement, mon âme sœur."

Marinette's breath hitched in desire, as she mentally repeated what he said to her.

My soulmate

"You mean... I am your fated mate?" Marinette asked, her voice above a whisper.

"Oui, ma chérie," He purred in her ear. "I've known ever since we met all those years ago. Normally shifters don't meet their fated mates until later."

"...Maybe our first meeting was a miracle?" Marinette suggested.

Adrien laughed, saying, "Not a miracle. Fate."

Marinette, awash with relief and joy from this revelation, didn't stop herself - she hugged him back. She pulled away a little bit and looked him in the eyes, smiling with tears of happiness falling down her face.

Adrien put his hands on her cheeks, and gave them tender strokes. Slowly, he placed his lips on hers. They stayed that way, oblivious to the world around them, just wanting to enjoy their moment together.

When they broke for air, Adrien leaned his forehead against hers. In a tender, passionate voice, he vowed to her, "I promise you, this won't end. It won't be like what happened with Nathaniel."

Marinette blinked in shock, saying, "How'd you... Oh, Alya, right?"

"Yeah." Adrien chuckled.

Marinette gave a giggle and a playful roll of her eyes before letting Adrien pull her to his body, holding her close.

'How odd. He's a shifter like Nathaniel, and yet I'm not afraid of getting my heart broken this time... But who cares? Adrien is Adrien.' She thought to herself, letting his hug comfort her.

She felt Adrien plant a soft, soothing kiss on her forehead.

The following morning, Marinette was working in the shop, in a carefree mood. Her heart was throbbing with joy as she wondered what her handsome were-cat was up to that day. Still looking for apartments? Or still trying to reason with his father?

Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know his last name. Maybe he didn't tell her that for the same reason he didn't tell her he was a werecat? That he just wanted to be "normal" around her? If so, she understood and decided not to press the issue. On the other hand, Alya might know...

Rather than let new anxieties bother her, Marinette decided to let herself be happy. There was a lull in the action, and so she decided to catch up on her emails.

As she sat at her laptop to open her emails, her phone started going off with a phone call. She saw Alya was calling, and Marinette answered it.

"Morning, Alya." Marinette said as she started going through her inbox.

"Hey girl," Alya said. "So, how was it with Adrien last night?"

"It went very well," Marinette sighed. "He finally told me he's a werecat."

"It's about time!" Alya said, sounding thrilled at the news. "So, how'd he go about it?"

"Well..." Marinette began, before explaining everything about the gargoyles.

"Geez, what a way to force the secret out," Alya sighed, sounding angry at the situation - the gargoyles' behavior, more accurately. "And they seriously had weed on them?"

"It definitely smelled like it," Marinette responded. "But long story short, Adrien shifted and fended those guys off."

"At least you two are safe. That's what's important." Alya began.

Marinette smiled, blushing. She couldn't wait for Alya's reaction to the next piece of news.

"And... You know that kid I met in the park as a little girl?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah. You said you've been having recurring dreams of the guy lately," Alya responded. "But what's he got to do with Adrien?"

"...That's just it: Cat Noir is Adrien," Marinette elaborated, blushing and smiling at the memories and how they all interconnected with each other. "And he's known I was that same little girl the whole time."

"OMFL, are you for real?!" Alya asked, sounding like a squealing fangirl. "Your childhood playmate is your fated soulmate?! What are the chances of that?! It's like something out of a romantasy novel!"

"I know!" Marinette laughed in response as she kept scrolling through her emails, but one email made her suck her breath in.

"...Girl, you still there?" Alya asked.

"Y-Yeah, I am..." Marinette stated, sounding anxious.

"...What's the matter?" Alya questioned, sensing something amiss.

The email that Marinette had landed on was all but screaming at her. The subject line...

"Alya... Are you going to our high school reunion?" Marinette asked aloud.

The line might as well have gone dead.

Ta-da! Finally, this chapter is done! I know, it's a little shorter than normal, but I wasn't sure what else to do here!

And I wanted to take this in a different direction, too. You'd expect Adrien to tell Marinette his last name? Not quite yet. How is Marinette gonna find out? You'll see! *Snickers*

And as a reminder, NO SPOILERS for Season 6 and beyond in the comments!

Chapter Text

Okay, here we go! Instead of meeting Adrien's father, Marinette has to revisit her past for a little bit. Her high school reunion is coming up and she's conflicted about going. What if Marc and Nathaniel are there?

What will she do?

"Your high school reunion is coming up?" Adrien asked. He and Marinette were eating at their usual lunch spot. And Marinette had brought him up to speed about the email.

"Yeah." Marinette murmured, a little upset as she picked at her food.

"And you're not thrilled about going because you're worried about Marc and Nathaniel?" Adrien asked in summary.

"Exactly." Marinette confirmed, sad.

"I heard the gist of what happened with those two from Alya," Adrien said. "You were never able to talk to them?"

"...That's right," Marinette admitted. "It's one of those hurts that doesn't go away, I guess. But I brought it upon myself."

"What makes you say that?" Adrien asked. "I know Alya said something about you getting the two of them to work together in the first place?"

Marinette's eyes went askance for a second, a despondent, sad look on her face. She viewed those memories in her mind as if it were a grayscale film reel, and gave a sad sigh.

"...It started when Nathaniel was caught drawing and sleeping in science class and was sent to the principal's office," Marinette began. "But he tripped and some of his sketches scattered all over the floor. Chloé, of all people, mocked him and loudly pointed out that his drawings were comics with him as a superhero and... Me, as his damsel-in-distress. When I saw those comics, I was so flattered."

Adrien stifled a chuckle at this, and he said, "If there's one thing you're not, it's a damsel-in-distress."

Marinette giggled in response and responded, "There were a few moments in his works where he drew me using my magic to protect myself, fight, escape, whatever."

Adrien laughed, saying, "I should've known."

"Anyway, after that incident, he came clean to me about his feelings, and gave me another comic page that showed his superhero alter ego asking me out. And I said yes." Marinette admitted.

Adrien gave a nod and said, "Go on."

Marinette shrugged and said, "We bonded over artwork, and most of our dates revolved around the arts. My medium is obviously, fashion and Nathaniel's was comic books. And he's incredible at it. He even posted his comics online. So I suggested he try to get his work officially published. But then he told me he's better at drawing the story out, not writing it. He even complained about being uncomfortable working on a team, being more of a soloist at best."

She looked up at Adrien, who only had an expression on his face that told her he was listening without judgement. Seeing this, Marinette took a deep breath and relaxed.

"And then I noticed Marc writing stuff in his book. Apparently he was writing stories to accompany some of Nathaniel's comics. I introduced the two of them and gave Nathaniel a sample of Marc's writing. And even Nathaniel admitted Marc's writing was good and it flowed well with the pictures. So, I suggested they try working together to create more comics for official publication..." Marinette continued.

"I think I know what happened next," Adrien commented. "Those two started spending so much time together that Nathaniel was neglecting you."

"Pretty much," Marinette said. "I tried asking him about making time for me like he used to several times, but he was too... Occupied with Marc."

"Those two knew they were soulmates from the get-go," Adrien summarized. "And when you tried pushing the issue..."

"He got snippy with me," Marinette continued. "He said something along the lines of Marc being more fun to hang out with than me, or at least that's how I remember it. And it really hurt."

She gave Adrien a sad look under her eyes.

"If it's too hurtful, don't push yourself to tell me any more." Adrien spoke, taking her hand into his own and squeezing it.

"No, you deserve to hear the rest of it," Marinette responded, shaking her head. She took a deep breath to continue. "...The school had a formal dance coming up. You know that dress I showed you? The one you begged me to wear in front of you?"

Adrien recalled that dress vividly, and he asked, "Yes, I do. You were going to wear it to the dance?"

"Right," Marinette confirmed with a slight nod. "I wanted to show Nathaniel one of my best pieces yet, maybe share a slow dance and kiss him like any girl would want from her boyfriend. But... When I asked him about it, he said he'd already promised to go with Marc instead. That's when I lost it. I started begging for answers, asking Nathaniel why he'd been drifting away, why he'd been putting Marc before me, his own girlfriend, for so long."

"That's when he callously broke up with you, isn't it?" Adrien asked, his voice and face mirroring Marinette's hurt.

Marinette gave a sad nod and said, "I remember him saying that he'd rather spend as much time with his fated soulmate as he could. When I heard those words, my mind went blank and my heart ripped into pieces."

Adrien held back a gasp as he listened to the rest.

"He told me it was over between us - that it had been for a long time," Marinette spoke, her voice breaking and sounding like she was about to cry. "And he had the gall to thank me for bringing him and Marc together. I went from Nathaniel Kurtzburg's girlfriend to his accidental matchmaker. After that, I confined myself to my room for a month. I didn't even go to the dance, I was too upset about it."

"Not that I blame you," Adrien spoke, squeezing her hand again to comfort her. "And that's when you decided to never date a shifter again?"

Marinette gave a choked sob of confirmation. Several more seconds of silence between them.

"...I'll be honest," Adrien said, his voice tender. "I'm jealous that another man got the honor of dating you before I could find you again. Nathaniel probably knew you in ways that I don't."

Marinette looked at Adrien with a confused expression.

Sensing she needed to hear more, Adrien added, "But I'm also angry at him and Marc for hurting you the way they did. You didn't deserve that."

"Merci, Adrien." Marinette responded, feeling tears running down her face - this time, though, they were happy tears because of Adrien's compassion.

A few moments of Marinette's quiet crying to help her decompress from the memory, with Adrien holding her hand and letting her let it out.

"I know I shouldn't dwell on it so much," Marinette admitted. "I mean, I have you now, and you've helped me let go of my "no-shifter" dating rule. So why should I think about Nathaniel and what happened with him?"

"Because you never got closure, so the hurt is still there," Adrien explained. "The pain he caused you, how he ended it, and the emotional fallout you suffered from it. You couldn't face them and talk about what happened because he did it so insensitively."

Marinette gave Adrien a sad look on her face, as if reluctantly agreeing with Adrien's assessment. She gave a nod.

"I think you're right. But now what am I gonna do?" Marinette asked. "The reunion's coming up. I mean, I know Alya and the rest of the girls will be there so I'll have them to talk to, but what if Marc and Nathaniel attend?"

"...Do you want to go?" Adrien asked her.

"I do. I want to see friends that I haven't talked to in ages," Marinette confessed. "But if Nathaniel and Marc do show up, it'll be so awkward."

"I know how that feels," Adrien sighed, putting his hand to his cheek. "Whenever I'd go to functions with my father, I'd have to talk to people I didn't want to deal with."

"Like Chloé?" Marinette asked, with Adrien nodding. "Knowing her, she probably won't bother attending. And even if she did, she would only be there to mock the rest of us."

Adrien hummed and said, "Well, if you do see Nathaniel and Marc, you don't have to engage with them. Sometimes the best way to win a fight is not to get into one in the first place."

"That's a good point..." Marinette murmured. But another thought came up in her mind and she smiled. "Hey, Adrien... I just had an idea."

"Yes?" Adrien asked, noticing the change in her body language.

"Alya told me that she's bringing Nino to the reunion as her date to introduce him to the group," Marinette said before leaning in closer. "So..."

"You want me to go to the reunion with you as your date?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, if for no other reason than just to make me feel more comfortable," Marinette responded. "Selfishly, I'd feel better if you did."

Adrien gave her a big smile, lifted her hand to kiss the back of it, and said, "I'd be honored, ma chéri."

Marinette returned that smile. Feeling better, she changed the subject and asked, "I know it's only been one day, but any more progress on the apartment hunt?"

"A little more," Adrien commented. "I'm hoping to put a deposit on a unit by the end of the month. The sooner I get out of that house, the better."

"Have you ever talked to your father about how he makes you feel?" Marinette questioned, trying to be subtle on the topic.

"No," Adrien said, sighing. "Like I've said before, he doesn't like listening to me. Every time I try to tell him something, he won't hear of it."

"Then maybe moving out is what you need to do," Marinette spoke. "But haven't you said you're concerned about your father cutting you off when you break the news?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm also secretly applying to different job openings - a position for a fencing instructor, for one. Not sure if anything will happen, but at least I'll be out of there." Adrien spoke.

'And then I won't have to hear any more of my father's nagging about having cubs. It's still too early for that.' Adrien thought.

"So you're bringing Adrien to the reunion as your date?" Alya asked.

It was just after closing time at the shop, and Marinette invited Alya to come by so she could help her find an outfit for the reunion. The fox shifter was standing in front of the full-length mirror, wearing an orange cocktail dress.

"Sure am," Marinette responded as she watched Alya pose in front of the mirror. "Not to show him off or prove anything, but to make me feel more at ease."

"I'm glad you're facing this head-on, girl," Alya spoke as she turned to Marinette. "And having a dapper, strapping werecat on your arm is gonna be a real flex, too."

The girls laughed at this.

"At the very least, having Adrien by my side for emotional support will be good," Marinette responded. "I'm sure he'd like to meet the rest of our friends, too."

"Even Marc and Nathaniel?" Alya questioned, concern in her voice.

Marinette's response was silence. She wasn't certain about what she would do if the boys who hurt her would be there. Should she just not engage with them to begin with, like Adrien suggested? Or just rip the band-aid off and talk to them about it in private? Marinette wasn't sure. Best case scenario, they wouldn't be there at all and it wouldn't be a problem.

"If it happens to come to that, yes," Marinette sighed, sounding anxious. "Why?"

"Well, I don't think Adrien will cause a scene, but... my fox senses are telling me he's got a protective streak several kilometers wide," Alya spoke. "And yet, Adrien doesn't strike me as a violent person."

"I know," Marinette responded. "I think Adrien only unleashes his claws when there's no other choice. Last night, for example."

"And I doubt his werecat side will be obvious to anyone, either," Alya spoke. "He wears a masking talisman, so even if any of our other paranormal classmates get sus, they're not likely to pry."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed, but then a thought came up in her mind. She grew a sly smile, similar to Alya. "So, have you told Nino he's your soulmate yet?"

Alya laughed before saying, "Not yet, girl. I want to make sure the moment is perfect. After all, I'm sure Nino's gonna have a much different reaction to the "soulmate" news than you."

Marinette couldn't help but feel her heart flutter at Adrien's confession the night before. For the two of them - who once met as young children, only to lose touch and then reunite and reconnect as adults - to be soulmates? It just had to be fate.

"I think this dress will be perfect," Alya said as she did another slow turn to show off the dress. "Pair it with some matching heels and we'll be good."

"How about putting your hair up? Maybe a few accessories?" Marinette suggested.

"Love the idea!" Alya agreed. "But what about you? You haven't dropped any hints about what you're wearing to the reunion."

Marinette gave Alya a smile and said, "Trust me. I've got it covered."

Alya picked up on something and returned Marinette's smile, saying, "Oh, I definitely trust you."

Marinette gave a nod.

The day of the reunion came upon them.

Adrien came by the shop and was standing outside. He was dressed in formal attire - as was the dress code - consisting of a pale gray suit with a white undershirt and gray necktie and matching dress shoes. He was preening a bit, raking his comb through his hair, and checking his BO - all clear. He fiddled with his masking talisman to ease his nerves, too.

When the door to the shop opened, he turned around. His eyes widened at the sight of Marinette.

She'd used her magic to make her hair longer and put it up in a bun. But what stuck out to him was that Marinette was wearing the dress she'd planned to wear to the formal dance. The same one he'd pleaded for her to model for him when she put on that impromptu fashion show. She even added some subtle, understated accessories to the outfit.

"Well?" Marinette asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"You look amazing..." Adrien spoke, awe/lovestruck at the sight of her.

Marinette looked him over, and a similar facial expression came upon her face. She thought, 'Put a white rose boutonnière in that suit and he'd be the most handsome groom ever.'

Marinette blushed once that thought crossed her mind. She looked askance, her facial expression flirty and furtive.

'Seriously?! I know we're soulmates, but isn't it a bit soon to be thinking about a wedding?!' Marinette thought, still red.

Apparently, Adrien was thinking the same thing, as he was rubbing the back of his head and turning his face away, an embarrassed, red-cheeked smile on his face.

'I can't believe I was imagining her with a wedding veil on!' Adrien thought, straining to resist the animalistic urge to pounce and ravish Marinette with his love.

The pair met up with Alya and Nino before the girls led the way to the school for the reunion.

"This is going to be so much fun," Alya said, leading Nino by the arm. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone, Nino! They're sure to love you!"

"I know I'll like them," Nino chuckled, still red in the face for whatever reason. "Though I wish I could've been the DJ."

"I tried to convince Rose to see if she could squeeze you in, but it was too late." Alya responded with a sad shrug.

Behind them, Marinette was quiet as she and Adrien kept walking to the school. While she didn't let it show, she was still anxious about the reunion. She felt Adrien come up closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

She looked up to him to see his sympathetic smile. She smiled back at him before leaning her head closer to him.

When they got to the reunion, the party was in full swing.

There were many people that Marinette and Alya had recognized - several of their classmates, as well as other students who were in the same year as they were.

"Wow, this place is packed!" Nino said.

"I wasn't expecting so many of our classmates to be here." Marinette spoke, looking around and seeing friends and acquaintances. Some of their teachers were in the crowd, too.

No sign of either Marc or Nathaniel yet. She breathed a sigh of relief. Adrien noticed, took her hand into his own, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She smiled and squeezed back.

"Marinette! Alya!" A sweet, high-pitched voice shouted.

The pair looked up and saw a short girl with short blonde hair and huge periwinkle eyes, wearing pink, was holding a champagne flute and waving at them. She was standing next to a somewhat taller girl with knee-length black hair with the tips dyed purple, and her bangs covered one of her eyes. She was wearing a black suit. They were in a group with some other familiar faces.

"Oh, there's Rose! Juleka, too!" Marinette said, waving over at them with a smile.

"Not just them, but almost the entire girl gang!" Alya pointed out before turning to Nino and taking his arm into both of hers. "So, wanna meet them?"

"Sign me up." Nino responded, blushing and returning her smile with a smitten/awkward one.

Alya and Nino started walking around to find the rest of the friend group, with Marinette and Adrien in tow.

Adrien turned to Marinette and asked, "Any sign of them?"

"No," Marinette confirmed. "Not yet."

"Okay." Adrien said as they made their way to the table.

"Hi, girls!" Alya spoke. "Long time, no see!"

"Yeah, it's been forever, Alya," Zoé Lee, a blue-eyed blonde with a streak of pink in her hair said. "How's the journalism going?"

"It's going well," Alya spoke. "I heard you've landed another big movie role, Zoé!"

"She sure has," Myléne, a shorter, chunkier girl - very pregnant - spoke up. "Her acting career is really taking off!"

"What about you, Myléne?" Marinette asked. "How's your campaign planning coming along? I already have an outfit ready for you."

"Thank you, Marinette," Myléne spoke up. "My campaign planning is going great! Ivan's been a big help!"

"Speaking of whom, where is he?" Alya asked, looking around. "I don't see him in plain view."

"Sorry I took so lo-" A deep voice spoke. "Marinette! Alya! Been ages!"

The girls turned around to see a hulking giant of a man with a nose ring and a blond tuft of hair on his head - Ivan Bruel, a minotaur and Myléne's husband - wearing a formal suit, had come back to the group.

"Hi, Ivan," Marinette said, smiling. "Been forever."

Alya gave an agreeing nod.

Ivan noticed Nino and Adrien. With a smile, he asked, "And who are these guys?"

Alya pulled Nino forward, still with her arms around him and said, "This is Nino. He's my soulmate."

Nino went dead silent. His jaw went slack and he turned redder than an apple at "soulmate." Taking advantage of it, Alya planted a kiss on his cheek. Everyone started cooing at this, and even Nino couldn't keep a dopey grin off his face. He gave an awkward chuckle as Alya pulled him in closer.

She landed a huge kiss on his lips. Instead of being embarrassed, though, he hugged Alya by the waist and started kissing her back.

Adrien smiled at the sight of this, only for his ears to pick up on something. He looked behind him and saw several people staring at him and Marinette, surprised. He even caught a few of them whispering to each other. With his werecat hearing, he could tell they were questioning why Adrien Agreste was there. Other comments about being unable to figure out what species he was were also in their conversations.

He glanced back at the group and saw some of the others were giving him similar expressions.

"So... You gonna introduce us to your man, Marinette?" Alix questioned, looking at Adrien as if she'd done a double take.

"Oh, yes, where are my manners?" Marinette spoke, blushing, before gesturing over to Adrien. "Everyone, this is Adrien. He's my boyfriend."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you all," Adrien said with a wave before taking both of Marinette's hands into his own. "Not only am I Marinette's boyfriend, I'm her soulmate, too."

Hearing this, everyone at the table erupted into cheers and whistles. Adrien winced and covered his ears from the volume. It soon died down when the group noticed it was too loud for him.

"You found your soulmate, Marinette! That's some of the best news we've heard today!" Rose giggled. Some of her unicorn sparkles leaked out, but nobody paid any mind.

"Thank goodness." Zoé said, sighing in relief.

"Huh?" Marinette questioned, confused.

"We were worried about you, Marinette," Ivan explained. "After what happened with Nate and Marc..."

"Yeah, Marinette told me the whole story," Adrien said, a sour look on his face. "That wasn't cool, what they did."

"No kidding," Alix agreed. "And we gave them hell over it, too."

The others made agreeing comments. Adrien just sighed and crossed his arms.

"I'm glad you found your soulmate, Marinette," Juleka mumbled. "I was seriously considering setting you and Luka up on a date."

"Speaking of whom, isn't Luka on tour with your dad right now?" Myléne asked.

Juleka gave a confirming nod.

While the group kept talking with each other. Marinette noticed Adrien was scanning the scenery around them with an intrigued eye and a matching smile.

She asked, "Everything okay?"

"Oh, um... Yeah, everything's fine." Adrien said as he kept looking around.

He was watching everyone mingling with each other without any phoniness - everyone was just being candid with each other, and it felt very different from the parties he'd gone to in the past.

"It's just... Well, this is all new for me." Adrien confessed.

"Oh, that's right, you were homeschooled your whole life," Marinette responded, wincing. "Is all of this chatter about old memories boring you?"

"Not at all," Adrien said, smiling before giving Marinette bedroom eyes. "I honestly wish we could've reunited sooner and went to public school together. It sounds like it was so much fun."

Marinette giggled, blushing, saying, "Yeah, there were some good days."

Adrien and Marinette began leaning in closer for a kiss, only for someone's stomach to start grumbling.

Marinette looked at Adrien, who was blushing a dark red.

"Adrien..." Marinette said with a "mom" like tone and a matching smile.

"Sorry," Adrien responded. "I guess I'm hungry."

"Try not to eat so much that nobody else gets any food, okay?" Marinette laughed.

"I promise." Adrien said as the pair hit the buffet.

There were several types of snacks and drinks, along with compostable paper plates/cups and edible flatware.

"This looks good!" Adrien said, his ravenous werecat appetite coming to the surface as he took some tongs to fill his plate.

"Adrien..." Marinette said in a warning, but amused tone of voice.

"Sorry, mon amour," Adrien responded, blushing as he came close to Marinette. "I can't he-"

"Marinette? Is that you?" A voice started, and Marinette's heart stopped for a second.

She snapped her head in the direction of that voice and saw a young man with red hair, blue eyes, wearing a grey suit. A few feet behind him was another young man with black hair and green eyes, wearing a bit of makeup, wearing a red suit. He also had a bit of an awkward facial expression on his face.

"Nathaniel... Marc... Um... hi." Marinette said, realizing the two gentlemen she wanted to avoid were now right in front of her.

"Hi, um... It's been a long time." Nathaniel responded, sounding embarrassed.

Sensing his mate's unease, Adrien stepped forward and put himself in between them.

"Bonjour. Nathaniel Kurtzburg and Marc Anciel, right?" Adrien said, greeting them and holding out his hand.

The two men's eyes widened in surprise at Adrien (which he'd expected), before Nathaniel spoke up.

"Yes..." Nathaniel responded, sounding skeptical, taking Adrien's hand and shaking it. "Aren't you...?"

Adrien gave a warning glare and an accompanying low growl to the couple to get them to stop that train of though.

Marinette didn't notice this, but the guys got the hint. Adrien schooled his features back into a smile before saying, "My name's Adrien. Marinette's mentioned your work to me."

"She has?" Marc asked, a smile coming up on his face, feeling more relaxed.

Marinette, relieved and grateful for Adrien's intervention, turned her face away from them, unsure of what to say or do.

'This is exactly the situation I wanted to avoid,' Marinette thought. 'Maybe I should just find one of the others and strike up conversation with one of them instead?'

As she tried to take Adrien's advice and disengage...

"Marinette, wait," Marc said, stepping around the pair and approaching her. "Nate and I were hoping you'd be here."

Marinette blinked in surprise. Marc turned to Nate and gave him a look that said, "Man up! We gotta do this!"

Nathaniel sighed before taking his hand away from Adrien and saying, "Yeah, Marc and I were hoping to see you. Can we talk? Alone?"

Nathaniel's eyes darted to Adrien, similar to how Alya used to look at Adrien before. Marinette only shook her head and turned away. In response, Adrien came up next to Marinette and held her by the shoulder before leveling a cautious look at her heartbreakers.

"Marinette, do you want to talk to them?" Adrien asked.

Marinette looked at the boys before looking back up at her boyfriend, and she sighed.

"Yes," Marinette responded, to Marc and Nathaniel's visible relief. "BUT!"

They paused as Marinette put her hand on Adrien's chest. She looked at Marc and Nate before saying, "I won't talk to you unless Adrien is present."

"...Are you sure?" Marc asked, looking at Adrien with the same confused/cautious body language as Nathaniel did.

"You heard her," Adrien said to the boys. "Either I'm allowed to be there to support her or you two leave her alone. Understand?"

Marc and Nate looked at each other before giving firm nods.

"Yes." Marc said.

"Good. Now, let's get somewhere more quiet so we can talk." Marinette spoke.

They left the main party room, and were now out in the hallway.

Marinette's face was still downcast, meanwhile Marc and Nate's body language was rife with awkwardness. Adrien was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and giving a cool, protective expression to the scene.

The silence was just as tense as Marinette thought it'd be. The last thing she wanted was to face Marc and Nathaniel, especially after all these years.

"...Well?" Adrien began, giving an expectant look to Marc and Nate. "Out with it."

Marc gave Nathaniel a hard nudge. The redhead sighed before saying, "Marinette... I... Where do I start?"

Adrien was about to speak up, but Marinette put a hand up to stop him.

"Since we met, I've been very happy. Our comics are selling like crazy and we're about to break into the international comic book scene because of our success." Nathaniel stated.

Marinette didn't respond to this.

"...And... Again, thank you for bringing me and Marc together." Nathaniel said.

Marinette looked up at him with hurt eyes, all but asking why he'd say that again. And Adrien's anger flashed across his face, too.

Adrien was about to snarl at him for starting off like that, but Marc beat him to it, giving Nathaniel a hard nudge before stepping closer to Marinette.

"But that's no excuse for how things went down. We hurt you. Bad," Marc stated, looking at Nathaniel to get him to apologize. "Nathaniel... No, we should've been more sensitive to your feelings."

"Yeah, you two should've," Adrien agreed, still glowering at them. "Nathaniel was Marinette's boyfriend at the time. How could you do that to her?"

Nathaniel gave an angry grunt at this, before taking a deep breath.

"Nathaniel, he's right," Marc stated, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've gotten better, but you're still tactless when you get upset."

Marinette gave a sigh, still trying her best to keep herself from ripping them a new one.

"Marinette," Nathaniel said, realizing Marinette was still hurting. "I'm sorry. The way I ended things with you was cruel. I should've talked to you in private, explained things in a calmer, kinder manner. Hurting you the way I did wasn't okay."

"The fact you were so hurt that you didn't come to school for a month, or even attend the dance?" Marc said. "We really screwed up and hurt you."

"What do you mean "we," Marc?" Nathaniel asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did by proxy," Marc admitted. "I kept you away from Marinette without meaning to. So what if we're soulmates? I shouldn't have gotten in between you two."

"...But you two would've gotten together eventually because you're soulmates," Marinette conceded, finally able to look into the boys' eyes. "It was only a matter of time."

"That doesn't change the fact that you were hurt in the process, and that should've never happened!" Adrien snapped, getting the others' attention.

Marc and Nathaniel stared at Adrien, who wasn't looking too happy with them. He walked over to Marinette and pulled her into his arms.

"No, it shouldn't have happened." Marinette said in agreement, hugging Adrien back.

Once Marinette calmed down a little, she turned to Marc and Nate before saying, "...I feel better, now that we talked."

"Again, we're really sorry for what happened," Nathaniel said. "And look at it this way: if we hadn't broken up, you wouldn't be with Adrien right now."

Marinette blushed and said, "Oh... Um, what gave it away?"

"It's obvious." Marc laughed.

"Yeah," Nathaniel agreed. "I still can't believe it. But it's good to see you're happy."

"I'm sure everyone else was worried about you, too," Marc said. "But you've found your soulmate, and we're really happy for you."

Marinette smiled before saying, "Merci."

"Feeling well enough to get back into the party?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, I am," Marinette said. She turned to the guys. "See you later?"

Marc nodded as Marinette and Adrien made to go back inside.

"Hold on!" Nathaniel called out.

"Yes?" Adrien asked, turning to the guys.

"We have something for you," Nathaniel said as he approached Marinette with an envelope. "Just to show there aren't any hard feelings."

Marinette, curious, took the envelope and opened it. She pulled out a card and her eyes went wide.

"Wait, is this what I think it is?" Marinette asked, a smile growing on her face.

"That's right," Marc said. "An invitation to our wedding."

"Félicitations!" Marinette squealed. "I can't believe you two are getting married!"

"Yeah, it's been a long time coming," Nathaniel said, holding Marc's hand. "We're finally doing it."

"We want you to come, because you did bring us together," Marc said. "And Adrien's welcome as a plus-one, too. But we'd understand if you say "no," though."

"What are you talking about? I'd be honored to come!" Marinette laughed, relieved.

"Really?" Nathaniel asked.

"Absolutely! Wait until the others hear about all of this!" Marinette laughed.

Adrien chuckled, seeing his sweet witch laughing now that she'd cleared the air with her ex and his now-fiancé. With the word "wedding" stuck in his head, he couldn't stop imagining Marinette's dress being her wedding dress and wearing a veil on her head again. He blushed at this.

The pair started walking back to the party room.

"I'm glad you got to talk things out with Marc and Nathaniel," Adrien said, smiling at Marinette. "Makes it easier to let go of the past, huh?"

"Sure does!" Marinette agreed, giggling. "Thanks for being there to back me up, Adrien."

"No worries, mon cœur," He purred. "Anything to make you feel safe and happy."

But Marinette stopped when she saw something on the floor.

"What's the matter?" Adrien asked.

"A red carpet," Marinette said, pointing at it. "There wasn't one here before."

"Maybe it was part of the plans for decorating and they just forgot about it until now?" Adrien suggested.

"I hope that's all it is." Marinette responded as she looked into the party hall with a concerned expression.

"Don't worry," Adrien said, taking her hand into his own. "Whatever happens, I'm here for you."

Marinette looked back at her soulmate with a smile, and she gave him a quick peck on the lips before they stared heading back into the party room.

The only other warning sign Marinette could see, aside from the red carpet, was everyone's demeanor had changed from joyous to annoyed/upset.

"Adrien?" Marinette said, getting his attention.

"Yes?" Adrien responded.

"I think I have an idea of what... Or rather who, happened." Marinette murmured.

"Me, too..." Adrien added.

Marinette and Adrien, still holding hands, kept walking through the room, giving smiles and waves to their friends. They seemed to perk up at this, but Marinette noticed they were still giving them - or more accurately, giving Adrien cautious/surprised expressions.

'The paranormals here might be wondering what species Adrien is.' Marinette thought, unaware she was only partly right.

The two of them made their way to the food table to finally get some food. They filled their plates and cups with food and drink before turning to make their way to the table they shared with their friends.

*SPLASH/CRASH!*

The next thing Marinette knew, someone else's meal had ended up all over her. She looked down and saw the red liquid and sauces dripping down her dress.

"Hah! That will make that utterly ridiculous dress look better on you, Dupain-Cheng!" A familiar, nasally cackle rang out.

Marinette looked up and saw a blue-eyed blonde with her hair in a ponytail sneering at her.

Chloé.

Marinette only rolled her eyes, took a deep breath and recited an incantation. She clapped her hand and in an instant, her outfit was good as new, as if it never happened. She saw Chloé growl in humiliation.

"Nice to see you, Chloé," Marinette said, not letting her antics bother her. "Though I wonder why you would lower yourself to coming to this reunion? After all, other empty-headed aristocrats seem more your crowd."

"I just wanted a chance to see how life kicked everyone in the ass," Chloé said, looking everyone over with a malicious smile. "Especially you, Dupain-Cheng."

"Hm... Well, Myléne's in the running for mayor, I'm running a successful boutique, Zoé's acting career is taking off, amongst other news... I'd say everyone's doing great." Marinette said with a big smile.

"That's right," Adrien said as he walked up next to Marinette and hugged her by the waist. He leveled a glare at Chloé. "Chloé."

"Adri-nothing?!" Chloé gasped, aghast at the sight of him.

"Oh, right, you two used to run in the same circles." Marinette said, her calm smile not leaving her face.

"Ugh, of all people of all places for Adrien Agreste to be, WHY are YOU here with HER?!" Chloé snapped, pointing at Marinette.

Marinette's eyes widened in shock. She looked at her boyfriend and asked, "Wait, your last name is Agreste? As in Gabriel Agreste, the fashion designer?!"

Adrien gave an uncomfortable expression and a small nod that confirmed yes. Marinette's eyes only got wider at this.

And TA-DA! THIS is how Marinette finds out Adrien's last name!

Coming up, how does Marinette's confrontation with Chloé end? And what will happen after the fact?

Chapter Text

Okay, here's the next chapter! Marinette and Chloé face off at the reunion, but what about after the fact? Especially since Adrien's last name is out in the open to Marinette!

"Wait, your last name is Agreste? As in Gabriel Agreste, the fashion designer?!" Marinette asked.

Adrien gave an uncomfortable expression and a small nod that confirmed yes. Marinette's eyes only got wider at this. She face-palmed.

"I should've known," Marinette said in a self-deprecating, hurt tone. "I used to be a fan of your father's work."

"Marinette, I-" Adrien began, only for Chloé's laugh to cut him off. He looked at the mayor's brat.

"Hah!" Chloé laughed while looking at Marinette with derisive amusement. "You didn't even recognize the heir to the Agreste brand, and you claim to think you're a designer?! You're ridi-"

"Because that's how I wanted it!" Adrien shouted, causing Chloé whip her head around to him.

Everyone went silent.

"I wanted to be "normal" around Marinette because I like it and it makes me happy," Adrien said. "I'm tired of being Adrien Agreste, son of famous fashion mogul Gabriel Agreste!"

Marinette's face grew a smile at this as Adrien took her hands in his own and looked her in the eyes.

"I want to live my own life on my own terms, not the life my father expects of me," Adrien spoke as he held let go of Marinette's hands and then held her in his arms. "I just want to be Adrien, the love of Marinette's life and who loves her in return."

Everyone (minus Chloé) started "awing" at the scene. Marinette tuned this out as she hugged Adrien back, holding back happy tears.

"Why would you want to throw all of that money and glory away just so you can shack up with some loser witch?" Chloé asked, killing the mood and getting the couple's attention. "Two rich humans can run this city and run all of these paranormal losers out of it! I'm the mayor's daughter! One phone call from me and all of these non-human idiots will be deported!"

Marinette's eyes narrowed a bit, and everyone started shouting in protest of Chloé's threat. Adrien let go of Marinette and turned to Chloé with rage on his face.

"Your father's power has limits for a reason. And it doesn't matter what you try to pull, the forces of nature and magic don't give a shit about human-made rules. And the consequences of messing with them can be a million times more dangerous," Adrien said, crossing his arms and looking her dead in the eye. "I want you to apologize to Marinette."

"Me, apologize to a witch? Oh, honestly, Adri-nothing!" Chloé scoffed. "You're ridiculous, utterly ridiculous if you think I'll do that! You shouldn't be taking her side!"

"There's no side to take: you're in the wrong, you owe my sweet witch an apology," Adrien said, refusing to yield or let Chloé's provocations make him angry. He stepped forward. "Not just Marinette but you need to apologize to everyone here."

"Ugh, as if," Chloé snapped, crossing her arms, turning away, and turning up her nose. "I don't owe anyone anything!"

"You're just demonstrating why you'll never be my friend again," Adrien stated, his quiet anger on his face. "All you've ever done is hurt people, and that clearly hasn't changed. And if you're not going to apologize..."

Adrien got an expression that screamed "lightbulb moment," and grew a mischievous smile.

He looked back at Marinette with that same grin and asked, "Hey, Marinette, didn't you mention that you once threatened to make Chloé hairless for life if she didn't stop hurting you?"

"I did," Marinette said, understanding what Adrien was suggesting. "No statute of limitations on that."

"Well... Why don't you do it right now?" Adrien proposed.

Hearing that, Chloé whirled around in fear. She stiffened as Marinette raised her hand to cast a spell - she conjured up a fireball in her hand. Everyone was clamoring, a big chunk of them hoping to see Chloé without even a single hair on her body, as karma for all of her cruelty.

Adrien - letting the animalistic power of his werecat out just a sliver to intimidate Chloé - gave a smile and growled, "Last I checked, witches are the last beings you wanna hurt. I suggest you obey someone else's orders for once."

"Before I actually follow through on that promise." Marinette said, making her fireball bigger. Chloé went pale.

Chloé screeched, and reached for her phone to call her father, only for Marinette's fireball to get even larger, as if Chloé didn't scare her.

Chloé looked back at Marinette, who was beginning the incantation for the curse.

"Folliculitis decalvans, max alopecia universalis..." Marinette began with a tone of voice and a facial expression that said Chloé was going to suffer the consequences and Marinette wouldn't regret what she was going to do.

But then Marinette gave Chloé a good look. All these years and she hadn't changed. She was still the same spoiled, rotten bully that had turned out even worse than her mother. Still throwing tantrums and calling for her dad when things didn't go the way she wanted.

Marinette herself, on the other hand...

Marinette took a deep breath before putting the fireball away and saying, "You know, Chloé... You're not worth it."

Chloé's eyes went wide and asked, "Huh?"

Everyone else in the room looked on in curiosity. Adrien himself was surprised.

"A curse would be wasted on you. You're still pulling the same "I'm the mayor's daughter, I can have whatever I want," trick," Marinette said. "Even now, that's all you have going for you? Like your father, that routine's gotta retire. It doesn't work anymore. It stopped working the first time I threatened lifetime hairlessness for you. And my design talents aside, my magic has..."

Marinette paused in the middle of that. She an epiphany. Smiling like a "wicked witch," Marinette crossed her arms, and said, "Oh, now I get it..."

"Get what?" Chloé spoke.

She leaned closer to Chloé, causing the spoiled woman to lean back. With that same, confident smirk, Marinette said, "All those years of torment you put me through was all because you're jealous of me."

Chloé went completely red at that, all but confirming it.

"Oh, this is hilarious," Marinette laughed, realizing she was right. "The mayor's daughter bullied a witch out of jealousy? You've hated me all this time because I have a type of power you'll never have? How stupid and petty can someone be?"

This started garnering laughs from everyone else. Everyone was commenting about how it really was petty and imbecilic of someone to pick on a person who could do some serious damage to them.

Trying to save face, Chloé tried to look Marinette in the eyes, trying to instill fear in Marinette like she used to.

"My family's money and political power is all that I need, Dupain-Cheng! I can easily call my daddy to ruin that little thrift store of yours and-" Chloé began, only for her mouth to magically slam and stay shut. She tried talking, but nothing. No lip movements, just muffled shouts.

Marinette had done a "zip your lip" motion with her hand to force Chloé to stay silent.

"You're gonna shut up and listen up, Chloé," Marinette continued, her tone unyielding and cold. "You're still the same spoiled brat that can't fend for herself and has to demean and hurt other people just to boost her own self-esteem. It's honestly pathetic. Sooner or later, you'll lose any and all power over everyone. Me, on the other hand? I'll always have power. Power that I was born with, power that I use for others. Power that you've never been able to take from me, and never will."

Adrien came to Marinette's side and hugged her by the shoulder. He gave Chloé a split-second side glare before giving Marinette an affectionate smile that was filled with admiration and respect for Marinette. Chloé's anger was palpable in her body language, but again, she literally couldn't scream and complain about it.

"Get it now, Chloé?" Marinette said, giving her bully a stern expression. "You're the one who's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Now make like the bananas you like so much and split."

Chloé only turned on her heel and ran out of the room. Everyone started applauding the scene as Marinette did the "zip your lip" motion in reverse... Marinette could hear Chloé having another tantrum, but she didn't care. The bitch had it coming.

"That was amazing, Marinette," Adrien said, once again pulling Marinette into his arms. "You tore into Chloé without sinking to her level. You didn't even need to curse her."

"Like I said, it would've been a waste." Marinette responded, hugging Adrien back.

The pair once again hugged each other, not caring that they had an audience. Adrien planted a kiss on Marinette's cheek, which gave her happy chills, and she responded with a kiss on his cheek, too. They stayed like that for a little while, snuggling with each other for the rest of the reunion.

Once the reunion party was over, Adrien dropped Marinette off at the shop before making his way home, and once he got inside. He leaned against the door, the rush from the kisses coursing through him.

"Adrien." Gabriel said from the top of the stairs.

Adrien looked at his father with an unreadable look and greeted, "Pére."

"I take it things went smoothly at that... Plebeian party that your mate had to go to?" Gabriel asked, choosing his words carefully.

"It was wonderful, pére," Adrien said with a smile. "You should've seen how Marinette handled herself when Chloé tried to make a scene."

"So that brat tried something?" Gabriel questioned.

"Yes," Adrien responded as he tried to keep cool. "And Marinette didn't even flinch. Maman would've been proud."

A ghost of a smile came upon Gabriel's lips and he responded, "...She would've. Now, are you going to get that witch pre-"

"Stop it!" Adrien said, halting his father in his tracks. "I've said this a million times, but if I'm going to start a family with Marinette, it's gonna be on our terms, on our timeline. She only just found out my last name tonight."

"You only told her the family name just this night?!" Gabriel snarled.

"Don't look at me, Chloé blurted it out." Adrien quipped.

Frustration in his voice, Gabriel responded, "Adrien, your refusal to move things along is wearing on my patience!"

Adrien let a little growl out and spat out, "You're wearing on my patience, pére!"

An alert on his phone chimed up, and Adrien looked at it. It was a message from a realtor about another paranormal-specific apartment vacancy for him to look at.

"I'll be in my room, pére. Don't bother me about this anymore." Adrien snarled as he walked up the stairs, passing by his father without flinching, and went to his room.

He slammed the door before locking it (though Gabriel could easily shift and break the door down if wanted). He heaved a sigh, clearly nearing the end of his rope with his father.

'I don't care what my father wants from me. The minute I inherit this company, it's going up for sale!' Adrien thought as he imagined his future with Marinette. 'I'd rather run the boutique with Marinette.'

Even though he was just with her, he was missing her already. A peaceful smile came upon his face as he called the realtor about the vacancy.

The following day, Marinette was lying in her bed, and she wasn't able to keep her mind off of anything or anyone other than Adrien. Hiding his species from her was one thing, but his family name? That was a unicorn of a different color scheme.

'You'd think after the whole "Hey, I'm a werecat" bomb, he'd be more open about his family,' Marinette thought, looking up at the ceiling. 'Especially his last name! And... If I'm being honest, it really hurt that he didn't tell me the truth about being Adrien Agreste.'

She sat up and hugged her arms, her usual anxious tick. She had a sad expression on her face, and her phone began going off.

She saw Adrien was calling her. Marinette answered, and she said, "Morning, Adrien."

"Morning, my sweet witch," He purred. "Just wanted to check up on you after that fabulous performance of yours last night."

"I'm good," Marinette responded with a giggle. "It felt so empowering."

"I certainly would've liked to see Chloé become hairless for life, but you're right, she isn't worth it," Adrien laughed. "So, I wanted to know: may I come over for a relaxing day with you? We could just hang out and watch movies?"

"Sounds fabulous." Marinette replied.

When Adrien got there, he and Marinette were sitting on the bed, watching one of the latest films that was available for streaming. Their devices were on "Do Not Disturb" mode (Adrien had his set in such a way that any phone calls from Nathalie or his father would go straight to voicemail). There was a bowl of popcorn sitting between them (a giant one with butter and salt to accommodate Adrien's appetite). But Marinette honestly wasn't paying much attention.

Marinette kept looking at Adrien out of her peripheral vision. She was still processing the whole thing. Adrien - her Adrien - was Adrien Agreste, the son of her favorite fashion designer, the former face of the Gabriel brand, and heir apparent to the company. And she hadn't the faintest idea. Thinking back on it, she should've figured it out from their past conversations. And knowing Alya, she probably connected the dots on that ages ago.

"Something bothering you, mon ange?" Adrien asked.

Marinette looked back at Adrien. Seeing the concern deep in his eyes, she sighed before pausing the movie.

"It's... About what happened last night," Marinette confessed with a heavy sigh. "It was another secret that didn't come out the way it should have."

"The fact that I'm an Agreste and I never told you, right?" Adrien questioned.

"Right," Marinette confirmed with a nod. "I mean..."

Marinette looked back at him with a sad expression and responded, "I know you trust me, but the fact that you're not telling me this stuff makes it feel like you don't."

"I see..." Adrien began, trying to smooth the situation over. "Listen, I know I should've told you, but like I said last night-"

"You just want to be "normal" around me," Marinette cut in, putting a hand up. "I get it."

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "...Yeah, that's right."

"I still wish you would've told me sooner, but... Maybe I would've had some misconceptions and prejudices towards you if you did tell me from the beginning," Marinette confessed. "I mean...

"That was also part of it, too," Adrien confessed. "That's part of why I don't want you to come to the manor or meet my father."

Marinette gave Adrien an affronted look.

Seeing this and realizing how that could've been misconstrued, Adrien backpedaled and said, "It's nothing against you, honest!"

"Then what's the problem?" Marinette questioned.

"It's just... How do I put this...?" Adrien started, trying to word it properly. "My father tends to think anyone that he hasn't chosen to be part of my inner circle is bad news, only after fame, fortune and connections."

"Well, his judge of character must suck major if he thought bringing Chloé or Lila into your life was a good idea." Marinette responded.

"No kidding," Adrien affirmed. "Though I admit, being sheltered for so long, maybe I'm not much better."

"And I think you're selling yourself short." Marinette disagreed.

"Maybe you're right..." Adrien said.

"...From what you've told me about your father, he sounds pretty... Abusive, I guess would be the right word." Marinette said, her face softening.

Adrien gave a sad smile and said, "Can't argue with that, ma biche. I don't want you to be hurt by his toxicity. From his perspective, the fact that you're a fan of his work in the past is already a strike against you. When I told him you're a witch, he was... Not happy. You'd think he wouldn't be such a hypocrite."

"Huh?" Marinette asked, confused, only for the subtext to dawn on her. "...Oh, your mother?"

"Right, she was a human noblewoman," Adrien explained. "No matter how many times I try to get him to see reason, he won't listen to me. That's why I'm taking Nino's advice and getting out of that manor as soon as possible, and going no-contact."

Marinette sighed before looking back at her beau and leaning her head against him. Adrien planted a kiss on her cheek.

"...Again, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth sooner. I just... Didn't want anything to change how you see me." Adrien admitted.

Getting another good look at her fated mate, Marinette couldn't help but view things from his perspective. She was always out about being a witch, but Adrien had been forced to keep so much hidden for so long. They may both be members of the paranormal world, but that didn't mean they had the same experiences.

"I'll be honest, Adrien," Marinette responded. "It's gonna take some time for this new information to sink in..."

Adrien deflated visibly before turning his face away from her.

"But to me, you'll always be that sweet little boy I played with, who's now grown up into a strapping werecat." Marinette finished, giving Adrien a tentative, shy smile.

To reassure him of her feelings, Marinette took his hand into her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"...Merci, mon amour." He purred, giving her a suave smile.

He put the popcorn bowl off to the side before pulling Marinette onto his lap and hugging her close, stroking her hair. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, causing Marinette to blush. She got warm fuzzies inside and she blushed, leaning her head against his chest. She nuzzled her face into it, relishing the warm, safe feeling she got whenever she was with him. After a few minutes of staying that way, they got back to their movie.

When the first of their movies was over and the credits were rolling, Adrien stood up and stretched his legs.

"Man, that was a good movie," Adrien said. "Hey, wanna see a classic one next?"

"Sure!" Marinette giggled. "I'm not opposed to watching I Married a Witch."

Adrien laughed before sitting back on the bed and bringing Marinette into his arms again.

Instead of I Married a Witch, the pair watched Shall We Dance, a film that was one of many that starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. During one of their dance numbers in the film, Marinette couldn't stop thinking about the times she and Adrien danced with each other in the past, including the night before at the reunion.

In fact, she imagined herself and Adrien in Ginger and Fred's places, respectively.

"They make a great team, don't they?" Marinette asked aloud.

"They sure do," Adrien agreed, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "I couldn't stop myself from thinking about us. Dancing, that is."

"Me, too." Marinette responded, letting her boyfriend continue to hold her as they watched.

Unbidden, Marinette started imagining herself and Adrien dancing together... Wearing white wedding clothing. Again, she blushed before leaning in closer to Adrien, her face going red with embarrassment. Adrien, on the other hand, smiled at her touch and moved his eyes to her instead of keeping them on the film.

Hours passed, and each movie was just as enjoyable as the one before it. From 1930's classics to more modern films, each one was a great story.

Once their last chosen film for the day was done, the sun was beginning to set.

"Oh dear," Marinette said, looking outside the window. "It's gotten so late."

"Yeah," Adrien conceded. "I should probably get home. My father was blowing my phone up."

"You might wanna hurry up and settle on an apartment, before he finds out what you're doing." Marinette suggested.

"Oh, I will," Adrien responded, smiling at his sweetheart. "I definitely will. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes." Marinette said. The pair shared a quick kiss before Adrien left her room to head home.

Marinette sighed happily, the warm fuzzies coming up in her heart. She smiled as she laid back down on the bed, feeling a sense of peace, and smiling.

As Adrien walked home, he looked at his phone - his father and Nathalie had called him a few times and left a few messages - he deleted those, and listened to the voicemail message the realtor had left him.

After scheduling his appointment to see the realtor again, he had a spring in his step. Things were beginning to look up.

When he got back to the manor and opened the door, he was halted by the sight of the angry, stern glare of his father.

"Pére." He greeted as he tried to step inside.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Gabriel shouted as he shoved paperwork in Adrien's face.

The blonde paled when he saw his father had found the paperwork application to finding paranormal-specific housing. As well as his job interview prep for other positions.

Adrien took a deep breath and he said, "It's exactly what it looks like. I'm moving out. I'm ready to leave the den."

"I won't accept this!" Gabriel bellowed as he threw the papers down. "You're staying in this manor until I say you're ready to move out!"

Refusing to yield, Adrien followed Marinette's example. With a calm voice and a firm gaze, he said, "Which will be never, if it were up to you. It's never been about me."

"But everything I do is for your happiness!" Gabriel shouted.

"I don't think that at all." Adrien stated, staying calm.

"And why's that?!" Gabriel asked.

"Have you ever asked me what I want in life?" Adrien asked, holding his ground. "What I like or dislike, what makes me happy, what I'm passionate about?"

Gabriel was about to retort, but Adrien held his hand up and looked him in the eye.

"No," Adrien cut in. "You've never listened to me in my life because you've never made it an option for me to speak up for myself."

"Adrien-" Gabriel started to say, but Adrien interrupted.

"You've never been happy with me whenever I found my version of happiness. When I met Marinette as a child, you didn't celebrate my new friendship - all you did was shut me up, locked me in my room, and told me what I was supposed to do. And that was to never disobey you, and stay in my room unless you needed me to put on an appearance. My only choices in life that you let me have was what you wanted me to do. It's always been your way or the highway." Adrien said, still refusing to lose his cool.

Instead, he once again followed Marinette's lead. He started to let his inner alpha black panther take control.

"But not anymore," Adrien responded. "I'm moving out and you won't stop me. And you'll never meet Marinette, either."

"I'm not allowed to meet your soulmate? She is the mother of my future grandchild, isn't she?" Gabriel questioned.

Adrien was loathe to admit it, but his father wasn't wrong about his desire for Marinette. There were so many moments where Adrien just wanted to stop the movie binging, give in and "get busy" with Marinette. He had her right where his black panther wanted her, and the urge to mate her was there. He knew better, though. She'd only just learned his last name - it'd be jumping the gun.

Again, letting his inner alpha take charge, he growled out, "No."

Gabriel looked at his son...

Back at the boutique, Marinette was working on making new stock for the shop. Her mood, while chipper, was weighed down by the fact that her beloved Adrien wasn't with her. Even though she'd only been with him not even two hours ago, it still felt like they'd been apart for longer than that.

While still processing the fact that Adrien was the son of the man she once idolized, Marinette felt it in her heart and soul - Adrien was the one. Her soulmate, the man she would spend the rest of her days with. She could already imagine the family they'd have: two sons, Louis and Hugo, a daughter named Emma, but she hadn't figured out which paranormal each child would end up as.

The shop's bell rang again, and she turned to see Alya saunter in with a smile.

"Hey, Alya!" Marinette said, sighing and humming.

"Hey, girl," Alya responded, leaning her upper body against the counter. "You were incredible last night, standing up to Chloé like that."

"Thanks," Marinette said with a giggle, looking at her best friend. "...How long have you known?"

"Huh? Known what?" Alya questioned.

"Adrien's last name," Marinette elaborated. "You said you were digging around. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd figured that out a while ago."

"You're right," Alya admitted with a sigh. "I've known Adrien's last name was Agreste this whole time. But it goes back to what Adrien's said before: he just likes being "normal" around you."

"...I feel like he doesn't trust me, even though I know he does." Marinette spoke.

"You did talk to him about that, right?" Alya asked.

Marinette gave a nod as she kept making products, before saying, "I did. And he says he doesn't want his father to meet me for my own sake."

"Nino has talked about Adrien's father," Alya agreed, her face falling in concern. "He does not sound like your dad at all. And that's a compliment."

"I know," Marinette responded. "It's just so hard to imagine a parent who acts like that. Probably because my parents are incredible."

"Same here," Alya said. "I can't imagine my parents doing what his father does, either."

"I just hope Adrien finds an apartment as soon as possible," Marinette responded. "He has the right to be happy."

"Doesn't everyone?" Alya said, rhetorically.

The girls laughed at this. Alya picked up her phone - which was on mute - only for it to start ringing in her hand. She looked at it and Nino was calling her.

"Nino? This is the fifth time in five minutes, and I hadn't noticed..." Alya said, before looking towards Marinette.

"Answer it," Marinette said. "If he's been calling you that often, it's gotta be important."

Alya answered the call and she put the device to her ear.

"Hey, Turtle Boy," Alya greeted in an affectionate, coy tone. But her face changed to worry. "Hold on, slow down! Start from the beginning!"

Marinette got an odd feeling, and she continued to listen as she watched her bestie's body language change.

"What do you mean, Adrien got into a fight with his father?" Alya asked, confusion on her face.

At "fight," Marinette gasped and covered her mouth.

"I don't understand the issue, Nino. Those two argue all the time, don't they?" Alya questioned, only of her eyes to blow wide. "Wait, what? ...Yes, I'm at Marinette's shop right now... Okay, we're coming!"

Alya hung up and turned to face Marinette.

"Close up shop - Adrien needs you!" Alya spoke.

The girls made it to Nino's apartment.

They saw Adrien was lying on his sofa, with bandages around his head, abdomen, arms and hands, his breathing labored, and sweating like he was in pain. One of his feet was in a boot cast, and he had bruises all over his face - a black eye, too. Marinette's eyes widened in fear before rushing to her soulmate's side.

"Adrien, what the hell happened to you?!" Marinette gasped, taking his hand into both of hers.

"I got into a fight with my father," Adrien groaned. "And I don't mean an argument. An actual dominance fight."

Marinette's eyes widened at this, as did Alya's. Nino, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised.

"A dominance fight?!" Marinette asked, surprised.

Fights between shifters of the same species weren't uncommon - in fact, even after the Great Coming Out, it was universally-accepted/respected rule that fighting was part of their cultures, species dependent - not unlike "normal" animals, actually. Most fights amongst shifter children were playful, mostly for social, cognitive, and physical development. Some older shifters would often fight for sport - such as Alya's older sister, Anansi, being a kickboxer. There were occasions where a shifter had to fight to protect themself - like when Adrien had to shift to protect himself and Marinette from the drunken gargoyles once before.

Then there were the "dominance" fights - fights to determine who was the one in charge of the group. These were reserved for the rare occasions where someone's authority was called into question or disrespected, to keep an insubordinate member of their group in line, or if it was time for the older leader to pass the position on to someone younger. It boiled down to the strongest, best fight fighters in the group were the ones making the rules.

With all of that fighting, injuries were inevitable. Luckily, shifters were a lot stronger, more durable, and they were faster healers than humans or other paranormal species. Thus, most injuries sustained in the fights would heal about fifteen times faster than a human would. For example, a recovery period for a broken bone may only last about nine days for a shifter, compared to a twenty-week recovery period for a human with that exact same injury.

"I take it you lost?" Marinette asked, sounding sad.

"You'd be right," Adrien responded, scoffing. "It started because he found out about my plans to move out and get other work. And when I stood up to him, we got into a fight, and he kicked my ass. Instead of staying in the manor like he demanded of me, I packed up everything, including my documents, and came here, where I knew I'd be safe."

"You came all the way here with those injuries?!" Alya asked, shocked.

"Come on, I'm a werecat," Adrien chuckled. "I'll be fully healed up in about a week or two."

"This isn't the time to be funny!" Marinette shouted. She put her hand on his face. "You're seriously injured, Adrien! Here..."

She closed her eyes and recited an incantation. Adrien started sparkling with a pale green halo effect around him, and some of his injuries started to look better, like several days had passed.

"I think I cut your recovery time down by a few days. It's too bad I couldn't do more." Marinette confessed as she took her hand away.

Adrien only grabbed it with his less injured hand and placed her hand on his chest, over where his heart was. He gave her a sensual look, paired with a smile.

"You're not giving yourself enough credit. Speeding up my healing aside, just having you here with me is making me feel better already." Adrien told her.

Marinette returned Adrien's expression, and she began leaning herself closer to him. The pair pursed their lips...

"Come on, you two, this isn't The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Alya teased, killing the moment.

Marinette leaned away from Adrien, blushing with an embarrassed expression, meanwhile Adrien turned his face away, also red like he was sunburned. Alya and Nino were chuckling at the sight.

"So, um..." Marinette began, looking back to Adrien. "What are you going to do now? I mean, you're not gonna be able to go anywhere in that condition."

"And it won't be long until your old man tracks you here." Nino agreed, a contemplative look on his face.

Marinette got an idea. She turned to Nino and said, "Hey, you're a protection wizard, aren't you? Why not use some of your magic to help? Like, an anti-tracking spell or something like that?"

Nino face-palmed and said, "Why didn't I think of that? Great idea!"

"Thanks," Marinette said with a nod. "And maybe I can add in that universal autonomy spell you suggested, so that way no matter what your father tries, he won't have any control over you?"

"Love the idea, ma biche," Adrien murmured, as his eyes started to droop close. "Would you work on that while I get some sleep? I'm so tired..."

"Sure, we can do that," Marinette said with a loving smile. As if on cue, Adrien closed his eyes with a smile on his face, and started snoozing. "Let's give him some quiet time while we work on that magic."

Nino gave an agreeing nod.

Alright, that's that for this chapter. Not sure what happens next, or how this is gonna end, but hopefully I'll figure something out.