Caught In A Storm

Chapter XVI

Nino had left, probably telling them where he was heading out, but it's not like they could remember, nothing could get Adrien and Marinette out of their precious bubble.

Adrien had spent the last few days helping out more and more at the shop. He often would serve the customers, who were all surprised to see the new face in the bakery. They weren't many new faces in the village as well, he was a rarity, which attracted more and more people each day to the bakery. Marinette would always laugh, when he would mimic the villagers' faces with their eyes wide open and head tilted to the side, just like owls staring at him, when they saw him for the first time.

The customers kept asking him a thousand times a day were he came from and mostly how he landed here. He tried to keep his story short and hoped that nobody would recognize him and rat him out. But it seemed as if this village didn't have an idea on how he looked like. He once blushed heavily as a little boy asked him why he kept staying here, now that the snow had melted and the routes were practicable, to which Adrien scratched the back of his head and took the order of another customer. The young boy scrunched up his nose as he was trying to find out the answer himself, before finally exiting the bakery, much to Adrien's delight. Once every customer was out of the shop, Adrien headed back to the kitchen to help his heart's chosen one.

He walked up to her, before waving his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, observing her small hands forming loafs of bread. He still couldn't do even if Marinette had tried to teach him. He could much more things than before in the kitchen (well in his defence, he had never entered a kitchen before), but his hands still didn't seem able to do a few things no matter how hard he tried, much to Marinette's delight. She had the proof that he wasn't as perfect as she first thought and she found it endearing how riled-up he could become in front of a formless piece of dough. A smile spread to her lips each time she would think about it.

Suddenly the door crashed open, rays of sunshine making their way inside the bakery. Nino stormed in, panting heavily as if he had just run a whole marathon with a furious bull chasing behind him. He stumbled forward and caught himself on a nearby shelf. Marinette looked at Adrien, bewilderment and curiosity written on her face.

Nino kept on panting heavily, while he tried to explain something, but he was so out of breath that nothing came out. His hands waved in the air, as if to mimic what he wanted to tell them... wanted to warn them about.

Adrien made his way around the counter and crunched down where Ninos' legs had given out on him.

Nino's face was red from exhaustion. But what struck Adrien, like a slap, were Ninos' eyes that were already telling him too much. Adrien shook his head, already trying to persuade himself that he was just seeing things and that Nino was wrong.

Nino kept starring at his friend. His job description prohibited him from being friends with Adrien, but how could have he not become friends with him?

"They're here, Adrien." Nino said so lowly that only Adrien heard him. The latter shot up straight and staggered backwards as if the words had burned him. Adrien started shaking, he brought his hadns to his hair, clutching it tightly, trying to stop their shaking, but it was useless.

"What is it? What is going on?" Marinette screamed as she saw the two young men face pale more and more by the second, Adrien's expression was morphing into a panicked one that she never had seen before. It made her hair rise on her arms. Adrien had a distant look, as if he wasn't in this room anymore.

She marched up to Nino, who decided to keep staring at the floor, not daring to meet her eyes. Seeing she wouldn't get anything out of him, Marinette looked for Adrien, who had hidden himself behind the shop. She saw he had sat down on a chair as far away as possible, she watched him visibly shake as he had his face buried in his hands. She slowly approached him only to hear him sniffling every now and then. She crouched down in front of him. One of her hands rested on his knee, whereas the other tried to pry his hands away from his face.

After a minute fighting with his strong hands, Adrien freed his face only to turn it away from her as the tears kept rolling down his face.

He felt like he had no right to lay his eyes on her anymore. All his lies were going to blow up now, all at once. He thought he still had time. He had made a promise to himself that he would tell her by the end of the week and that was in only a few days away. But now he didn't have time...

He thought the royal guard would a little more time before arriving. Surely his father had put them under so much pressure that they didn't sleep for days and instead searched for him everywhere.

His train of thoughts and blame were halted by too soft hands cradling his cheeks and forcing him to turn his head. Adrien let her move his head, but closed his eyes. His heart pained enough and he knew he couldn't handle the look on the face. Call him selfish, but he didn't want to feel any more guilty by seeing the innocent look in her eyes. He felt her face approach his, feeling her breath on his cheek.

"Adrien... look at me... please." Her soft voice implored.

His eyes opened to see her bluebell eyes filed with unshed tears. It crushed his heart to see her like that. Instinctively he howled her up so she could sit on his lap.

He hid his own teary eyes in her neck, as he couldn't help but let them fall.

As Marinette felt his tears hit her neck and him shake anew beneath her, couldn't she help herself but let her tears fall as well. Her arms wound around him, holding him tight against her.

Soft murmurs left Adrien's mouth.

"I love you, I love you, I love you...I love you so much, Marinette. Please never forget that."

Marinette kept on scratching his head, trying to soothe him.

Suddenly he shot up and ushered her to sit on the chair, while he kneeled down in front of her cradling her hands tightly with his.

"Marinette, will you marry me?"