No room to swing a Cat?

7 - A way to a man's heart is through his stomach

Next morning Marinette woke up determined to talk to Adrien, although she had no idea how to start. She couldn't just come and ask him to join an evening meeting of the support group. It had been a while since they had been hanging out. She couldn't continue as if all those years of a break hadn't happened.

While preparing breakfast, she was wondering when they had become so strange to each other. They used to be friends! They would go to the ends of the earth for each other – he had rescued her from the akuma or supervillains so many times. Same had done she, even in her civilian self. Afterwards everything messed up.

Afterwards. After what exactly?

Marinette froze in the middle of preparing French toasts and tried to remember when Adrien had left their bunch of friends. It had been a few years already and she needed to dive in her memories from school. She did her best not to relate that process with Kagami Tsurugi's appearance in Adrien's life, because Marinette always felt guilty about her jealousy. Yet, when she thought over her own memories and yesterday Nino's words, she came to the same conclusion – that Kagami was the one who had dragged Adrien away from them. Probably with the full support of Adrien's father.

Marinette sighed heavily. She got the impression that she needed to find a way back to Adrien first, before she'd invite him for the meeting. But the way looked like overgrown with weeds. The Adrien she used to know would find this way on his own. Not the Adrien he'd become now. All she could say after two days of observations was that rather Alya and Nino were paving the way through the jungle... The key question was who had started this coming back. How they had found each other after those years of Adrien's isolation? When had he broken up with Kagami? When had he given up modelling? Marinette suddenly realised how far she left her friends as well. Adrien, Cat Noir... Had she also forgotten about her friends when she started dating Luka?

"Are you discovering new techniques of cooking?" Alya smirked after a while of watching her thoughtful friend.

"What?"

"I meant cooking by meditation."

"Er... N-no..." Marinette hesitated, looking at her own hands surprised that she was holding a bowl and a fork.

"French toasts?" Alya asked with a smile. "Can I have one?"

"Everyone's invited."

"Well, looks like Adrien's already left, but Nino and I would be delighted."

"Adrien's gone?" Marinette blurted out and glanced at his door.

The door was half-open which meant that the owner had left the bedroom. Marinette supressed a sigh, although she wasn't sure if she felt disappointment or relief. She still didn't figure out how to invite him for the evening meeting – she even started having doubts. Maybe it was a bad idea? Maybe it was better not to insert herself into his private matters? Cat Noir had made clear that Adrien could be not interested in sharing his problems with strangers. Who was Marinette for him after all those years? Or Cat Noir?

"Don't tell me that this breakfast surprise was for him!" Alya laughed. "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right?"

"Go away!" Marinette answered back, but her friend only burst out laughing. "We all need something to eat. Something good." she emphasised. "To feel better..."

"Oh..." Alya sighed. "So you noticed..."

"What should I notice?"

"Well... That what Nino and I noticed as soon as Adrien moved in. What that terrible girl had made to him. I would tell her! Maybe Nino is frightened that Kagami would cut him into sushi. But I give a shi..."

"Al!" Marinette warned her.

"...t about it." Alya finished calmly. "What? We're adults now."

"Why wouldn't you mind Kagami cut me into sushi?" Nino joined the conversation, embracing his girlfriend and kissing her in her ear.

"I would cut her first if she only touched you." Alya informed him. "I've only wanted to say that I don't care what she would do to me. She deserved kicking her butt for what she did to Adrien."

"Why are you so sure that it's Kagami's fault?" Marinette asked quietly, listening to her friends and pretending preparing the meal.

"Wow..." Alya replied, and her friend looked at her in concern.

"What?"

"Just: wow..." Alya repeated, and Marinette exchanged surprised glances with Nino. "What?!" Alya laughed.

"I don't get it." Nino shrugged.

"Me neither." Marinette admitted.

"I'm just impressed that Mari tries to defend her main rival. I've always thought that you're too jealous for that."

"Yeah, I remember when you said I was jealous when I accused Lila of lying."

"I know. I'm sorry about that. That was my biggest mistake I've done in my life."

"Let it go, Al." Marinette smiled. "Stop apologising to me for that. We talked about it many years ago. Besides... After all this time it doesn't matter anymore what that lying shrew was saying."

"No, Mari! Maybe it's been many years, but I can't forgive myself so easily that I let you down. I let you down as a friend."

"Stop it, Al. Please... She's not worth our time wasted for talking about her."

"Especially before breakfast!" Nino cut in.

"Right!" Marinette agreed and reached for some bread.

Nino led his girlfriend towards bar stools in their kitchenette. When they sat down, they started watching their friend when she was preparing breakfast for them. Delicious smells improved Alya's mood immediately, so she leaned her chin on her elbows and admitted:

"If you keep spoiling us, I'll never let you go!"

"You can't afford it." Marinette laughed. "Besides, at least this I can do to pay back for hosting me here."

"Yeah... Talking about that..." Alya began and glanced at Nino uncertain as if she was waiting for his approval. When he nodded, she continued: "I think you should stop calling that 'a hosting' and just move in. Here's the offer. A room. And you participate in paying a rent and bills. All those thanking us or paybacks are over from now."

"You're aware that means also that Dupain-Cheng's breakfasts are over too, aren't you?" Marinette smirked, placing a plate with French toasts in front of her friends.

"Damn... I have to rethink the offer now!" Alya joked and reached for a toast.

"Please, do it, babe." Nino agreed, grabbing the other toast. "I choose breakfasts..."

Marinette laughed happily and before she turned away to prepare more toasts, she said:

"I think we'll reach an agreement..."