No Way Out

Unmentionables, A Song, and Another Song

The car ride home flew by. With so much new knowledge in her brain, Marinette didn't pay any attention to the trip.

It was a lot to take in. That particular day's lesson was about the nineteen different Miraculouses from the Miracle Box, plus the Starfish. They went over each one, including the type of jewel, its concept, its weapon, its kwami, and its special power. Marinette learned which Miraculouses had holders along with their respective superhero names, and which Miraculouses were now possessed by Lila.

There was also a quick lesson about the Miracle Box, her role as Guardian, and about how she lost her memory by renouncing the Guardianship, not from her head injury.

"I gave up my memories on purpose?" Marinette asked quietly after it was explained to her.

"It seems like it," Gabriel replied. "I'm assuming that you were trying to protect our identities."

After that, they all decided that it had been enough for the day. Adrien wanted to bring Marinette home so he would have some time to show her the house and let her get settled before the kids showed up.

The couple left the Agreste mansion in the early afternoon, and the next thing she knew, they arrived at their own house.

Marinette stepped out of the car and glanced up. This house wasn't quite as large as the Agreste mansion, but it was still pretty impressive.

Adrien walked around and stopped next to her. "This is our home. Come on, I'll show you around." He desperately wanted to hold her hand again, but didn't want to push things too far. So he simply led the way.

They walked inside to the foyer, and then Adrien brought her to the most important rooms. "This is the living room, and you can see the kitchen and dining room are over there," he said. Then he pointed. "There's a playroom for the kids down that hallway, and there's a bathroom through that door."

Looking around, Marinette instantly knew why Gabriel asked her to close her eyes when he brought her through the house yesterday. The toys scattered around made it very clear that children lived in the house.

"All of the bedrooms are upstairs," Adrien said before heading up. When they reached the second floor, he continued. "This first room here is your office. That's... where we found you yesterday. And this room across from it is just being used for storage right now. We usually keep the door closed so the kids don't mess around in there." He walked farther down the hall. "There's a bathroom here. Then the kids' room is here. There's another bathroom inside of their room that connects to the guest bedroom down there." They finally reached the end of the hall. "And this is our room."

Marinette stepped in and looked around. She chose to not dwell on the one and only bed, and instead went over to the window. Glancing outside at the backyard, she saw a swing set surrounded by a bunch of other toys.

"That hallway leads to our closet and bathroom," Adrien said, pointing to the far side of the room. Then he paused. "I'm guessing that you want to take a shower, or at least change your clothes."

"Um, yeah," she replied. "That would be great. If that's okay with you, of course."

"You don't need my permission, Princess. This is your house too."

A nod. "Right. Of course." Then Marinette remained in her spot, secretly hoping that he would leave. He was her husband, and therefore, must have seen her naked before. But that thought didn't make her feel any less uncomfortable about the possibility.

Adrien gave her a small smile. "I'll be downstairs. In about an hour and a half, your parents should be arriving with the kids. Then we'll eat dinner here all together."