Until I Heard You Sing

Chapter 11

With exams and assignments done, the rest of last week of school was focused on final preparations for the charity auction and spring break. Adrien and Marinette were still very much a topic of conversation around the school. While they tried to keep it cool in front of people, Marinette knew her Kitty well enough that grand romantic gestures was hardly something he was going to keep to himself. Every morning Adrien had his driver drop him off at the bakery so that he and Marinette could walk to school together. Marinette, not being a morning person, made a special effort (with Tikki's help) to try and make sure she was awake in time and not looking like a zombie, not that Adrien cared. He'd already seen what she looked like in the morning, and he thought she was beautiful. He looked forward to the day when he would see her like that every morning, but he knew he was getting ahead of himself there.

Adrien had thought a lot over the years about life with Ladybug and what the future would hold for them. Now that he knew Ladybug was Marinette all those hopes and dreams seemed more real than ever. He could picture finally getting out of the mansion and living in a cosy house with a yard and a garden. Marinette would have a sewing room filled with everything she could ever need while their children played. Whoops, he was getting ahead of himself again.

Adrien had to remind himself that while he and Marinette had been very close as Ladybug and Chat Noir for almost three years, to everyone else this was a new relationship. They shrugged it off by saying they had been such good friends for the last two years that it was only natural that they would be so comfortable with each other. After all, they weren't strangers. It worked for the most part, although Alya was still suspicious about their apparent sudden closeness. She knew better than anyone the flustered clumsy mess Marinette had been around the model, although even she had to admit that had improved greatly. Now, the two of them couldn't hardly keep their hands off each other. Granted, her and Nino hadn't been much better when they first started out, but she still felt there was more to that night at Adrien's house than Marinette wasn't telling her. At least their classmates had stopped asking them questions. The media, however, was a different story.

Gabriel had made a press statement that Adrien and his girlfriend, an up and coming designer, would represent the Gabriel brand at the forthcoming charity auction as his own health will see him indisposed. As a businessman he took on the motto 'all publicity is good publicity' knowing that the sudden interest in his son's new relationship will also put more focus on the charity event, and therefore the Gabriel brand as a whole. Although he was displeased at his sons more theatrical behaviour in his shows of affection for said girlfriend, (the bouquet of flowers delivered to the school may have been a little over the top) it did however take the media's focus off his own health issues and absence from many events. Gabriel had even made the suggestion that Marinette should take Chloe's place in the performance, but Marinette wouldn't hear of it. As a compromise, she did agree to wear a Gabriel original to the event. Marinette felt she got the better end of the deal. Adrien on the other hand, would give no promises to tone down his affections in public, and Marinette wasn't going to stop him. Adrien seemed to crave touch and affection and she would give him as much as she could. Like many things recently, Gabriel had to accept that not everything was within his control. At least he still had Nathalie to rely on.

Marinette was adding some late night finishing touches to the Kitty Section costumes when she heard a tapping at her balcony door. Looking up curiously, she couldn't help but giggle at the cheesy grin that greeted her through her skylight. "Kitty, what are you doing here at this hour?"

Chat jumped down, gabbing Marinette up and plopping a sound kiss on her lips. "I missed you Purrincess." She rolled her eyes mockingly. She must have received a pun curse at birth. Between her dad and Adrien, there was never going to be any escape, not that she minded as much as she pretended she did.