As his tiny, chubby fingers splashed into the fountain, Marinette winced, wondering just how clean the water was in there.

At least it was summer, so it was just as likely she'd be able to get him to go with her to the pool, even if he would keep stubbornly refusing to wash his hands. Three year olds were just sometimes stubborn like that - or so her mother had assured her.

But there was no denying the pure joy lighting up wheatgrass eyes. The happy squeals that broke past his lips as they went out to the park, walking through the sun.

Even his hair shone more brightly in the sun.

He might have boundless energy, even in spite of the Ladybug bandages that gapped just atop his knees, but that didn't necessarily mean that she did.

Not with this awful heatwave.

Of course, the heavy bag on her shoulder that held a change of clothes hadn't helped. Her eyes drifted to the open pocket, peering inside for just a minute as her eyes met with Tikki's.

Her kwami just shrugged.

Marinette bit her lip, weighing her options. It was good to get him outside, but eventually, someone was bound to notice. With a weary sigh, she extended her hand.

"Shall we go and get some ice cream?"

He beamed, holding out his still fountain-damp fingers up to her. "Yes, please."

She smiled softly, taking his hand with only a moments hesitation to navigate through the park to find a restroom to get washed up before she dared to buy a cup of ice cream for the two of them to share.

How he had managed to get sticky chocolate coating his fingers and all the way down to his chin, she would never know.

It was bad enough he had snagged the better part of the whipped cream from the top, after he had tugged her down to tell her a secret.

The secret was that he was sneaky.

Far sneakier than she ever would have suspected.

Her lips were pressed into a thin line, shaking her head even as her lips twitched upwards in spite of herself. Wet wipe in hand, she crouched down, scrubbing his face as gently as she could manage.

"All clean?" He grumbled, tugging away just out of her reach. His bottom lip popped out in a precious little pout.

Marinette smirked, ruffling his hair. "I think that will do. For now."

That only made him pout harder, tiny arms crossing over his chest.

Her lips curved higher, pressing her forehead to his. "Well, we can't go to the pool if you are a sticky mess."

His eyes widened, lips parting just so. "Can we go now?"

She smiled. "Very soon...if we can finish getting you all cleaned up first. And a nap."

The pout was back with a vengeance. "Okay."

Marinette stood back up, pulling his tiny hand into hers. He dawdled along beside her on the five block walk back to her house, tiny legs not quite able to keep up. Of course, with the way his eyelids were drooping, that should hardly come as a surprise.

"Marinette?" he whispered, as she scooped him up on the last two blocks.

"Hmm?"

His head drooped onto her shoulder. "Can we play with kitty before I go to sleep?"

She smiled, as she shuffled her hold on the bag and on him to trudge through the rest of the way, rubbing her hand across his back in time with her gait to help lull him to sleep. "We'll see..."

''Kay," he murmured, cuddling against her chin.

Blowing out a stilted breath, she leaned her head against his. It took some maneuvering before she pulled out her keys to open the front door.

Of course, he had fallen asleep, dead weight in her arms, before she'd scaled the steps back up to the living room. Bag deposited lightly on the kitchen table, she looked around the room grabbing a blanket and pillow with her free hand.

Carefully, Marinette tucked him in on the couch.

Curling in to sit beside him on the floor, she marveled at the light rise and fall of his tiny chest.

Sighing, she dropped her own head onto the couch beside him, brushing the wayward hair out of his eyes. "What am I going to do with you, Adrien?"

Author's Notes:

This is an absolute homage and love letter to the first fanfiction I ever remember reading. I Have Known A Boy Named Fox, and A Man Named Mulder by Penny Daza was posted over 20 years ago now. It's probably the piece that got me interested in writing fanfiction in the first place, and I've remember the title to this day.

I'm really only borrowing the base concept, which has long become a fanfic trope, but going to mostly diverge as much as I can from here to fit the ML universe.

This is a slow burn fic. And yes, that rating is right. We will get there...eventually.