Chapter Sixteen

With a casual swagger, Adrien placed his hand on the small of Marinette's back and gently ushered her forward as the elevator doors opened into the carpark. "This way," he said with a nod of his blonde head while he stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye. Damn, she looked hot today. That cute teal blouse moulded perfectly to her curves, showing off the delicious swell of her breasts. Combine that with the charcoal pencil skirt that hugged her ass and it was no wonder why he was carrying her sachet bag in front of his crotch. The woman was temptation personified.

Drawing in a deep breath, the model mentally shook himself. They were walking to his car. A car without a backseat. Damn, that was an oversight on his part. Thankfully he owned more than one car. But today he'd driven his baby. The classic MGB in British racing green was his pride and joy, even if it was touted as being the poor man's Aston Martin. He had one of those too, but he didn't like driving it to the office. It was a weekend fun machine.

Once they reached his parking space, Adrien walked to the passenger door and unlocked it with the key.

"This is yours?" Marinette asked.

"Yep," he replied as he opened the door and waved his hand in invitation for her to sit.

"I expected something newer, flashier."

The model grinned with lips parted, showing off his perfect teeth. "It's a convertible, that's hardly boring. The shiny chrome is eye-catching, they don't make cars like this anymore."

"What, ones that leak when it rains."

Adrien let out a horrified gasp which was lightened by his sarcasm. "Take it back."

"Why? It's a fact. My grandmother had one. She told me MG's were prone to rusting and their soft tops leaked when driving in the rain."

"Hmm, while I don't want to call your grandmother a liar, my MG has been nothing but brilliant. Although the roof cover isn't original."

"I rest my case. Modern cars are much more reliable."

"Let me guess you own a Toyota. Boring."

"A Honda actually."

"Pfft, old person car."

"They are not."

"Are too, you look at the age of the drivers." His put on a mocking commercial commentator's voice, "It's got enough room for my zimmer frame and more sensors than a stealth fighter."

Marinette crossed her arms and glared at him. "It's a Jazz. It's fun and for the young."

Adrien arched a sceptical eyebrow. "They're just trying to expand their market."

"You suck."

A wicked gleam returned to the model's eyes. "You said that this morning. Are you hoping for round two?"

Marinette tapped on the dash clock. "We're going to be late, since you insisted on seeing our friends for dinner."

With his head cocked to the side, Adrien turned the key in the ignition and the MG purred to life. Ah, that engine note did wonders for his ears. "Are you done dissing my car?"

"Are you done dissing mine?"

"You started it."

"Well then I'll finish it. We'll agree to disagree."

"Hmm," Adrien said as he reversed out. "Perhaps I'll just buy you one of those SUV Porsches. Multipurpose, sporty yet enough room for the family."

"Also, expensive."

"You told me I couldn't spend more than 100 euros on wine, there was no proviso on cars. What colour would you like, and please anything but white. Look it up on my phone, Porsche Cayenne. While you're at it, check how many anchor points there are for baby seats in the back."

"Adrien!"

"What? It's something we need to look into as a Honda Jazz is far too impractical for a growing family."

"You are not buying me a car."

"Fine, I'll buy it for me and give you the keys."

"Gah! You're infuriating!"

Adrien smirked as Marinette tossed her hands into the air with frustration. "You're so easy to bait. Come on," he said reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze, "I'm just stirring you up." He paused and watched her shoulders relax before adding, "I'd much prefer an Aston Martin DBS for you, it would look magnificent paired with my DB9."

The slap to his bicep was completely expected and the model cracked up.

"Adrien!"

He shrugged, "Just telling it as it is."

"You are not buying me a car. I like my little Jazz."

"A bet you won't when you try putting a stroller in the back." He taunted with a lift of his eyebrows.

Crossing her arms, Marinette glared at him. "You've been looking into this, haven't you?"

"Of course. We're going to be parents. I'd like to be somewhat prepared before the newest Agreste enters the world."

All went quiet beside him. Looking away from the road, Adrien glanced at Marinette. Her hands were knotted together in her lap and her eyes were downcast.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Marinette's lips pursed together before she looked to him. "That's something we haven't discussed."

He cocked an eyebrow in question.

"The baby's surname."

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I just assumed…"

"I don't want to put any pressure on you." She stated with a distinct quaver to her voice.

Again, he reached for her hand. Unfortunately, he had to keep his eyes on the road as the traffic was slowing. "Perhaps I'm just old fashioned but I thought we'd give the baby my surname, you know, so in future if we…" damn how did he say this without sounding presumptuous, "…if we got, um, married we'd all have the same surname."

Silence.

Green eyes glanced to the passenger seat catching a glimpse of a jaw so taunt the muscles were straining in her cheek. The voice that followed was slow, measured and hard. "Just because I'm pregnant that doesn't mean you are obligated to marry me, Adrien."

Shit, she was taking this the wrong way. "That wasn't what I meant."

"No? I find it awfully convenient that the topic of marriage comes up when I'm pregnant. There will be no shotgun wedding."

"I never said there would be. Besides, when else has there been the opportunity to talk of marriage? First off, you've rejected Chat Noir for years. When we got together it supposed to be just casual sex and now that it's finally not you lash out at me because I'm expressing something you believe has only been brought on because I knocked you up!"

The need to punch something was suddenly very strong but Adrien knew he'd only hurt his hand if he took out his frustrations on the steering wheel or dash. Instead he added, "Why do you always assume the worst from me?"

There was a sharp gasp beside him. "The worst? I've never thought that. I've always thought the best of you Adrien."

"Yeah right. When we first met at school you assumed I was guilty of collaborating with Chloe. You lumped me with her and labelled me with the same low opinion you had of her. Only when I explained and apologised about the gum on your seat did you consider me on my own merits. As for Chat Noir, where do I even begin?"

"That's not, I mean I didn't…agh!" Marinette threw her hands onto her lap and looked at him. "I don't know what to say but I've never felt confident around you. Around Adrien, that is. I've never felt worthy or on equal footing because you're so beautiful and I'm not talking just about your looks. You're kind, considerate and open. You see the best in people while I'm quick to judge. I put up my emotional walls because of the verbal abuse I copped from Chloe since childhood. It was one of the reasons I was so quick to loathe Lila too. That and I was jealous and scared."

Adrien felt his anger fading. "Jealous and scared of what?" he asked in a softer tone.

Marinette tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she glanced at him sheepishly. "Jealous because I thought you'd like her more than me and scared because…I thought I'd lose you."

Turning onto Ayla and Nino's street, Adrien slowed the car to find a parking spot. "You were always important to me, Marinette. Just because I might have been interested in forging new relationships that didn't mean I was going to cast you aside. If you had talked to me you would have discovered that I found Lila a little too 'in your face' and pushy. It was only when she claimed to be friends with Ladybug that I was inclined to learn more about her." He snorted lightly as he shook his head. "I was just looking for a way to get closer to Ladybug."

"But everyone else seemed to be enamoured by her stories, and I hated that they believed she was friends with Ladybug. Man, I was so pissed at Alya for posting the interview with Lila on her blog at the time. She hadn't even bothered to check her facts, she simply took the word of that lying bitch."

Flicking the indicator on, Adrien reverse parked into a spot half a block away from their friend's flat. "It's ancient history now. Don't let it bother you."

"I know. But I felt so alone at the time."

Shifting the car into first, Adrien pulled on the handbrake and cut the ignition. Swivelling in his seat, he turned his full attention on the woman beside him. "Marinette, I mean this in the kindest way but you do tend to overdramatize things at times."

She nodded while looking at her knees. "I know."

Reaching out a hand, he gently cupped her cheek and turned her head towards him. "For as long as I've known you, there's always been a timid and fragile side that you try to conceal. It's okay to be vulnerable, Marinette. We can't be strong all the time."

"But you…"

"Marinette, I was socially isolated for a long time. I was naïve and impressionable and all I wanted was to make friends. I didn't have the experience to always recognise those people who just wanted to use me or be near me because of my looks. I could only rely on my gut instincts. As Chat Noir, I felt free and invincible, yet you grounded me in a way I desperately needed. Best of all, you accepted me as your partner, no question. That speaks volumes about you as a person. We were complete strangers but you trusted me and it meant, and still means, the world to me. Best of all, I was no longer alone. Neither were you."

A tender smile spread across her lips as she gazed up at him with an adoration that made his heart thunder. While there was definite sexual attraction between them, this feeling was so much more. It was knowing that someone else cherished him for being the person he was. That she could see his faults and still wanted to be close to him because he was more than just a pretty face.

"You always know what to say to me at the right moment," she said with affection as she leaned in to kiss him.

"Yet this is the first time you've rewarded me with kisses. Just so you know, I'm good with this system. Please, do it more often."

He felt her lips curl into a smile as she kissed him. "I'll keep that in mind, hot stuff."

There was a sudden tap on the passenger window and the pair broke apart to stare. Alya grinned at them and waved. "You coming up for dinner or should I leave you to steam up the car some more?"

Marinette gave her friend an unimpressed look, followed by a one finger salute. This resulted in Alya grinning even wider as she slapped her own thigh and laughed. "Come on, I've got wine that needs drinking."

"We're on it," Adrien answered as his partner threw him a panicked look over her shoulder. Only then did he remember that she couldn't drink alcohol. It was going to be an interesting night.

Pocketing the car keys, the model exited the MG and walked over to Marinette's door and opened it. With a confident smirk he extended his hand to her, "Ready, milady?"

Those blue eyes looked at him pointedly and darted to Alya. Adrien shrugged. It was highly unlikely that she'd put the pieces together about their alter egos, she hadn't so far. Chances were Alya would simply think he was being cheeky. As soon as Marinette was out of the car and on her feet, he tucked her hand around his arm and offered the other to Alya. "Care to join us, madam?"

"Madam would be delighted," Alya sniggered as she took his elbow and joined them for the short stroll to her building door.

"Sir DJ is busy cooking the lamb, I had to do an errand run for this," she stated while holding up the bottle of cabernet.

"Is it for drinking or cooking?" Adrien asked.

Alya shrugged, "Both. One for the pot, one for me."

The grip on Adrien's left arm tightened. Oh yeah, Marinette was worried. But the narrow walkway into the building cut the chatter as they hoofed their way up the stairs. Alya and Nino's flat was on the third floor. The trio crossed the threshold and sauntered into the cosy living room.

"Take a seat," Alya instructed, "I'll just grab us some glasses and nibbles. Nino should almost be done with the food."

As soon as she departed the room, Marinette was leaning into Adrien's side on the sofa. "I can't drink the wine, what will I say?" she whispered urgently in his ear.

"Claim we're on a crash diet, no alcohol. Wouldn't be the first time I've had to do such for work."

She nodded but still looked strung out.

"Relax, it'll be fine." To reassure her, he squeezed her knee.

That was the moment when Alya deposited a cheese board before them, covered with a variety of soft cheeses and crackers. The duo looked at each other quickly before returning to peruse the plate.

Adrien cleared his throat. "Do you need me to bring anything else out?"

"Oh yeah, there's a bowl of mixed nuts and another with cut up fruit." Alya said waving towards the kitchen with a wine glass in her hand.

Giving Marinette's knee one last squeeze, Adrien got up to retrieve said bowls. In the kitchen he found Nino adjusting the cooktop dial as he stirred the contents of the casserole pot. "Hey dude, how are you?"

"Good man, that smells great."

"Yeah, found the recipe on a food channel I subscribe too. Hope it taste as good as it smells, though last time I sampled it, it was pretty good. Alya was quick to splash in the wine and run off with the mostly full bottle."

"So more for her, less for the pot."

"Story of my life, dude."

"Hey, can I grab a glass of water?"

Nino pushed his glasses up his nose as he nodded, "Sure."

As his friend did the honours, Adrien picked up the nibble bowls and headed back to the living room. Marinette was staring down the full glass of cabernet before her while Alya filled her in on the latest gossip, "…this competition is already looking like it'll be epic."

"What competition?" Adrien asked.

"On the Ladyblog, I've put it out there that I'll give away tickets to the latest Jagged Stone concert for the first person to photograph or video Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing."

That had his eyebrows lifting towards his hairline. "But you've already got photos of them kissing. Remember Oblivio?"

"Please, that was a result of an akuma. I want a recent photo where they're not being influenced in anyway. Where the kiss is pure."

Nino shook his head. "Babe, when are you going to give it a rest? Ladybug is never going to give Chat Noir the time of day when it comes to romance."

Adrien turned his head slowly to Marinette, looking her up and down.

Alya let out an annoyed huff. "It's going to happen, Nino. There's so much chemistry between them. And that last photo I posted, there was some serious smouldering from Ladybug. I've never seen her look at Chat Noir like that before."

"Maybe one of my billboards was behind him," Adrien added with a cheeky smirk as he cut a wedge of cheese and put it on his cracker. Half may have broken off and fallen mysteriously onto his thigh before vanishing forever.

"Yeah," Marinette added, "his current spread is pretty hot."

Alya raised an amused eyebrow. "You think Ladybug is gunning for your man?" she teased.

"Well, uh, no."

Draping an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, Adrien grinned. "Ladybug would be pretty hard to resist."

"Oh man, you're going to end up in the doghouse." Nino said with a cautionary nod.

Green eyes darted to blue. "She knows I'm just stirring. I've got the girl of my dreams right here beside me."

"Aw," Alya gushed. "I knew you two would be disgustingly sweet."

Marinette picked up her glass of water and swallowed. "Yep, that's us. Disgustingly sweet."

Adrien had to refrain from scrubbing his hand against his forehead. Marinette's anxiety was getting the better of her. It was time to deflect. "So, how long is this LadyNoir competition open for?"

"As long as it takes. But given how close our favourite duo has been of late I give it a month tops before they're caught smooching."

Nino shook his head. "You're being overly optimistic. Ladybug will shut down Chat Noir's moves as usual."

The sting of past rejections settled in Adrien's chest as he dropped his eyes to the cheeseboard. Without even realising it, he verbalised his thoughts. "So, all of Paris believes Chat Noir is a hopeless case when it comes to winning over Ladybug."

"That's not true!" Alya stated firmly as he felt Marinette's hand on his thigh.

Swirling bitterness at the past continued to slither under his skin. Marinette wanted public opinion to be diverted from the truth, and here was the perfect opportunity to taint one source. All he had to do was express the hurt and disappointment he'd bottled from years of rejection. A humourless laugh escaped his lips. "Chat Noir is an eternal optimist. I'm amazed there's any pieces of his heart left after how many times it's been crushed."

The grip on his thigh tightened but it was Alya who spoke. "Yeah, he has had a pretty hard time with that. But he must have had reason to hope. There had to be some sign or prompt for him to believe so strongly for so long after so many rejections that Ladybug will finally recognise how worthy he is of her love."

"Possibly," Adrien added, "but I suspect something drastic would have to happen." Finally, he turned to look at Marinette. Those blue eyes shone with apology and the silent need to comfort him. He swore a tear was sitting on her lower eyelashes but she blinked it away.

"I say good luck to him," Nino interjected between sipping his wine, "I hope he gets laid."

"Nino!" Alya griped as she slapped him up the back of the head.

"What? The poor dude deserves it after playing Ladybug's meat shield for nearly a decade. There's got to be some additional perks to the job."

Adrien snorted, his mood lifting. "Well I suppose he does give Ladybug a ride on his stick every so often."

The four cracked up laughing, although Marinette's contribution was a little strained.

Nino lifted his glass, "To Chat Noir, let's hope he finally gets what he wants."

"And I get the scoop," Alya grinned as they clinked glasses.

Casting a glance to Marinette, Adrien shrugged his shoulders as he drank, inwardly knowing that Chat Noir was already part way there.

And after a case of writer's block for this chapter, we have over 3000 words - hooray!

Now how many of you are going to point out there was no sex scene? XD

Thanks for reading! Oh and out of curiosity, would anyone be interested in me starting up a 'drabbles' page with story offcuts - it's something I've been considering doing on and off. Cheers :)