The Big Reveal

10 - A walk

Marinette took Adrien's hand and they went downstairs to the bakery.

"Mom, we've finished homework. We'll leave for a while, can we? We'll be back for dinner."

"Sure, darling." Sabine answered and continued her work.

"You know what? It looks completely different in my case." Adrien confessed when they went out.

"How?" she looked at him sideways.

"Well... Practically I need to apply for permission to leave. I need to prove what benefits it will bring to me. You can't imagine what I had to do for letting me go to school."

"Poor boy..." Marinette smiled. "It seems to be very hard to live in a gilded cage, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"That's weird, I like it!" they heard Adrien's pocket. "Lazy days and tones of camembert... What more do you need?"

"Speak for yourself, Plagg." Adrien muttered.

"So, how you managed to go out for the whole day?" Marinette asked.

"I said I was going to my colleague to work on the project and that could take the whole day."

"Your colleague?" Marinette repeated quietly with disappointment.

"Oh, Marinette!" he realised how she could interpret his words. "It's not what you're thinking!" he assured her and embraced her face.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" she asked looking at his eyes with sadness.

"I'm pretty sure that you thought that I was ashamed of you, that I would never tell my dad about you and I would hide you from him just to not let him know that his perfect son chose an ordinary girl living above the bakery." He blurted out imitating the tone usually used by Marinette saying similar things.

"You know me so well, Kitty!" she laughed.

"I think I need to learn a lot about you..." he whispered. He took her hand and they continued walking.

"So, why did you say that you were going to a colleague?" she asked referring to the issue that bothered her.

"Can you imagine what would happen if I told them this morning?! It's a miracle they didn't notice I went out yesterday! Today they would start investigation on you and your family. Or they would try to put you into my schedule. I don't see it at all. I mean... how it will look like? Nathalie will put you somewhere between fencing and Chinese lessons?"

Marinette laughed.

"But you must know that probably it will be like this. You're a very busy guy. And I'm surprised that you had all day at your disposal."

"Well, I exaggerated the importance of the project we had to tackle..." he grinned and winked to Marinette. "I wasn't too precise when I was talking about the subject of the project, but you know very well that this is the most important project in our lives." He added and kissed her.

"Adrien... We're on the street..." she whispered.

"So?"

"So, someone can see us..." she blushed.

"So?"

"I don't know... It's weird a little..."

"Why? Are you ashamed of me?"

"No! Not at all!" she denied. "Rather you... of me!"

"Sure..." he smiled. "However, you might be right a bit. They can arrest us for inappropriate behaviour." He joked. "Let's go. By the way, do you know where we're going?"

"We're almost there."

Minutes later they entered a building with services of Chinese Medicine. Adrien looked at Marinette in surprise. Was it the correct address?

They heard chill-out music playing somewhere inside. Suddenly the door opened. There was an old man sitting on the mat with closed eyes and warm smile.

"I knew you'd come." He said opening his eyes and smiling to them.