I'm not ahead in the slightest on my other fic, but oh well. I need a break from the angst happening there… in exchange for some lighter angst with more fluff here. Sorry that there's not much plot progression, I did this for more of my own sanity than anything. I'll explain more at the end.

Oh, and for the definition, since it uses other uncommon words within it, basically means to treat like a baby.

07.02.2020

infantilize

verb | IN-fun-tye-lyze

1 : to make or keep infantile

2 : to treat as if infantile

Adrien clenched his jaw, looking at the- yet again- packed schedule for the day.

Marinette spared him a glance, noticing the expression. They were in the sedan, going to an early morning photoshoot. She reached over and squeezed his hand. "You okay, Sunshine?"

His lips lifted slightly at the nickname. "It's nothing I can't handle, princess."

She pursed her lips, as if wondering whether or not to address the nickname Chat Noir habitually used for her, and Adrien hadn't used before. "We're a couple, Adrien. That means we go through things together. Tell me."

Adrien sighed for two reasons. One was in relief: he was glad that she cared. At least someone did. The other was in despair: he almost wondered if she'd pick up on him being Chat Noir if he transformed right in front of her. She hadn't been picking up on his clues for months now, and he was beginning to weigh the consequences of directly telling her.

But for now, that wasn't his primary concern. "It's… everything. This stupid schedule. Does my father not realize that I'm a teenager, and as such can decide what I need to do?"

Marinette rubbed his back in sympathy, and Adrien leaned into the touch. "I know. I understand just how much you don't want to be treated like a child, to be ordered what to do for every moment of the day." Her eyes gained a firmer, more knowing look as she continued, "I know how much you need your freedom."

It was moments like this where Adrien wasn't sure whether she actually did know or not.

But regardless, she showed her understanding, her love and care for him.

Adrien leaned over to her side of the car and captured her lips with his in a kiss just a moment too long to be considered a peck.

He leaned back and smiled. "Thank you for understanding."

Especially since he knew that she was the only one who really could.

It's almost a drabble, with how short it is. :/

Important concerning updates for this fic: This is going to be the last update for… a while. Obviously I need to finish my Valentine's one that I'm struggling to keep up with, but I feel like I need to take a break from the fandom, or at least writing fanfiction, for a while after this.

I plan to try to finish up this fic in March, or at least try really, really hard for that to happen. Because, despite what these past two chapters might have led you to believe, I actually do have a plan with how to proceed. I just didn't feel like really starting on an arc before I'm going to stop posting for a while, leaving you all with cliffhangers. (C'mon, I'm not that mean.) So I'll start posting this one again in March, or maybe earlier if I'm feeling up to it.

Thanks!

M-W's Word of the Day: /word-of-the-day

Tumblr (In case anyone's interested):

I post random whatevers: potatoe-knight

Purely ML but more inconsistent posting: too-much-camembert