Marinette is thrilled. She's spending her afternoon at the museum with Adrien, and even Manon's unexpectedly tagging along with them can't tarnish her happiness.
After all, what can go wrong for two seventeen-year-olds watching over a seven-year...
Adrien watched, bemused, as Marinette utterly deflated beside him. Her shoulders slumped, her eyes (had they always been so blue?) filled with tears, "T-two days?" she stammered weakly, avoiding his gaze, "but ... how-how are we going to pull this off?"
He kept his own jittery nerves in check, fishing his phone from his pockets. "Hold on, I'll check with Natalie to see if she can do something." Typing a quick text explaining their awkward situation, he glanced back at his upset friend, sighing dejectedly, "Look Mari, I know the situation isn't ideal, and you probably aren't looking forward to spending two entire days with me, but if it comes down to it, I'm sure we can figure something out so I'm as little a nuisance to you as possible."
Horrified, Marinette suddenly flailed, bringing his own arm into an uncomfortable pull, "Whoa, whoa! Where did that c-come from? Why-why would you think you'd be a nuisance to me? I enjoy spending time with you!" she squealed out so fast that Adrien had troubles figuring out what she had said.
Surprised by her statement, he stared at her, "You do? Cause this whole handcuffs thing seems to upset you a lot, and I really liked my afternoon with you, so it's not that bad."
Marinette finally found the courage to look at him in the eyes, and smiled warmly, "Nah you're right. Sorry. I-I tend to overthink everything, and I might have a slight anxiety problem."
Adrien's phone rang at that precise second, and his eyes widened considerably upon seeing the caller, "Ah... It's my father, I have to take this."
As soon as he pressed the green button on the screen, Marinette could hear Gabriel Agreste's stern voice blaring through the speakers, " You were supposed to be home by now, where are you, Adrien? And what is this nonsense about getting handcuffed with some girl?"
The young man looked at his friend warily, but she was still smiling at him, not taking offense of his father's harsh words. He mouthed "Sorry" toward her, and then cleared his throat, "It's as I texted Natalie, Father. There's been a mishap with some artifact, and we're attached together until some specialized locksmith frees us, on Tuesday morning."
They heard the older Agreste grunt on the other side of the line before replying dryly, " How inconvenient. Obviously you'll have to skip fencing, but we can't reschedule tomorrow's photoshoot. We'll have to work around this ... little problem. I'll have Natalie see if she can find someone to do the job earlier. What do you plan to do in the meantime?"
Adrien looked at Marinette expectantly, and she sighed, defeated, "I'm guessing we'll have to sleep at each other's place. Can you come at my place tonight? I have to explain this mess to my parents, and we could go to yours tomorrow."
"Sounds reasonable, miss-?"
"Marinette," Adrien provided, "she won a few of your contests."
" Ah, yes. Well, then, Natalie will keep you updated should she manage to get you out of this ... situation sooner than those museum incompetents. I hope you're aware that I'm not pleased at all, Adrien."
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