unexpected feelings | marichat

chapter thirty-two

adrien's pov
   i waited for an answer as i stood outside my father's study. still, all i found was deafening silence. nothing new.
   i stood for a few more seconds before finally returning to my room. plagg sat on my shoulder, attempting to comfort me.
   "you okay, adrien?"
   "of course i am. it's no surprise that my father wouldn't open his study, he's got more important things to do. he doesn't have the time to accept a stupid card from me," i said, laughing hollowly. plagg frowned.
   it wasn't anything special. just a small card, one i had worked on to give to him today, on father's day, to thank him for taking care of me, even after my mother's disappearance. i had thought, maybe if i gave him a card to show him i cared, he'd be happier...
   i crumpled the card. of course, it was a dumb idea. he didn't want to hear my father's day sentiments.
   "no, don't ball it up adrien. i thought it was a nice card," plagg said, rushing towards the bin i'd tossed the card in.
   i smiled despite the situation. "even if it's cheesier than camembert?"
   "especially because of that!!"
   "thanks plagg. really."
   he looked away, as if any moment that threatened to become a heartfelt one was terrifying to him. "now now, you don't have to thank me. i'm just doing my job and keeping you happy."
   i rolled my eyes, sitting on my desk and turning on the monitor. immediately, the screen lit up, opening to a tab i had open: a picture of marinette, her parents, and i (as chat noir) at the bakery, covered in flour and sugar and frosting, but looking happy. it made me smile, remembering the day fondly.
   tom had noticed the way i always devoured his desserts, and decided i needed a lesson on how to make them for myself ('you won't always have me around as a personal chef, you know!'  he'd said). him and sabine helped me mix ingredients and bake, while marinette stood back and watched, giggling until i threw flour at her. at once, everyone started throwing things at each other, leaving an incredible mess to clean up.
   at home, i'd have been good as dead if such a mess ever occurred. but at marinette's, everyone laughed it off, even when it took hours to clean up. if i was honest, i felt more at home with the dupain-chengs than here. not that i'd tell anyone that.
"you know, adrien, maybe you have other people to celebrate besides your own father," plagg suggested, pointing at the screen. i looked at tom dupain's beaming face and smiled. plagg was right.
————
i arrived at the dupain-cheng bakery bearing a holographic blue gift bag. since it was such short notice, i only managed to get him a small gift and a card, but i hoped he'd like it.
since the bakery itself was closed, i headed towards the back door, which led straight to their house. i took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. why are you nervous? you're only here to wish tom a happy father's day.
   marinette opened the door, seemingly shocked to see me here.
   "oh, chat? hi! you wanna, um, come in?" she offered, opening the door wider and extending her arm.
"actually, i uh, just brought this father's day gift for your dad, to sort of thank him for everything he's done for me, and i was hoping you could maybe, um, give it to him?"
marinette gaped for a second, her confused expression giving way to a huge smile.
"you're so sweet, kitty. here, come in so you can hand it to him yourself. he took the day off from work so we could have a father's day dinner, and i'd bet he'd be thrilled to know you're here!" she dragged me up the stairs and into her house, where sabine and tom sat comfortably on their couch. they beamed when they saw marinette dragging me inside.
"chat noir! it's always a huge pleasure to have you over," sabine greeted, coming over to welcome me in. tom followed suit, pulling me into a rib-cage-breaking bear hug.
"did you come over for some dessert? we've got plenty baking right now," he said, putting me down and allowing me to breathe more freely. i laughed and scratched the nape of my neck nervously.
"well, as paw-some as that sounds, i actually came to give you this, tom. i realized that, well, i always feel at home when i'm here at your house, and i never really thanked you for it. any of you, for that matter. so, thank you. for making me feel like... part of the family. happy father's day," i said, trying not to let the blush ride up my cheeks as i handed tom the gift bag. his eyes were wide, and- were those tears?? he opened the gift bag and smiled widely at what was inside.
an apron with the words 'embrasse le boulanger' emblazoned on it and a chef's hat with his name on it. he took me into his arms once again.
"oh, son, this is.. i love it! thank you so so much. i'm never going to stop wearing this! of course you're part of the family. we all love you so much," he assured me, giving me one last squeeze before putting me down. i grinned at him, sabine, and marinette, feeling more at home than i ever had in my life.
"i love you all too."
————
   marinette and i lazed on her balcony, enjoying the sunset over cups of orange juice. i looked over at her, taking in the slight pink tinge of her cheeks, the curve of her glossy lips, her expressive bluebell eyes. she's beautiful.
   suddenly, she turned to look at me and i averted my gaze, because no, of course i wasn't staring, marinette, why would you think that? she smiled warmly.
   "you know, my dad really liked the gift."
i looked down. "it was nothing, just a small thank you for everything he's done for me."
"it wasn't nothing, chat. it was an extremely sweet gesture," she said, leaving her chair to sit next to me on the chaise lounge.
"well, he deserved it. he's honestly more of a father to me than the one i have at home," i said, smiling sadly before realizing what i said. marinette's eyes widened at the words.
"oh, i didn't mean to say that, i'm sorry marinette. i know that's probably giving away too much of my identity-" marinette shushed me, placing a finger on my lips gently to stop me from continuing.
"it's okay, chat. it's probably hard to talk too much about it without revealing a lot, but i'm here for you. and so are my parents. you're like their favorite child."
"but you're their only child."
"i know, but you're still the favorite," she laughed, beckoning me to come closer. i scooted over to her and she pulled me close, beginning to scratch the hair at the back of my cat ears. i relaxed into her until i felt a familiar sensation in me. oh no.
marinette's hand froze in my hair. "did i just hear you... purr?"
my eyes widened at her remark, the situation reminding me of when ladybug said the exact same thing to me a few months back. "ummmm, no?? i don't even know what purring is??"
she giggled, an adorable sound which should have made me feel better but just added to the dread i felt. you idiot, why do you always purr at the worst moments?!
"liar! wow, you're like an actual cat," she laughed.
"it's not that funny," i pouted.
"hmm, you're right. it's actually kinda cute," she remarked, making me blush slightly.
"you think it's... cute?" now it was her turn to blush.
"well, i guess. don't let it get to your head, though!"
"oh, don't worry about that, princess. i'm as humble as they get," i bragged.
"aw, why not purr-incess?" she asked. i gasped.
"i would be mad at that, but you just made a pun. a pun!! i'm so purr-oud of you!!" i said, wiping a pretend tear from my eye. she rolled her eyes.
   "it's because i'm spending so much time with you! you're corrupting me!"
   "ah, but you love spending time with me. so much so that i bet you can't say no to what i have planned for us tomorrow," i teased, raising an eyebrow at her.
   "oh? and what would that be?"
   "i can't say, but you'll love it," i promised, and she glared. "what i will tell you is to be ready at 6:00 am." her eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at this.
   "6 am??? you're insane!"
   "well, unless you wanna miss the date, you're gonna have to suck it up, buttercup," i smirked at the pink forming in her cheeks at the word 'date.'
   "so this is a date now, huh? smooth, kitty, smooth."
   "i know. orange you glad you're agreeing to it?" i said, raising my glass of orange juice at her. she sighed, but i recognized the glint in her eye by now. she secretly loves my puns.

(a/n: guys im actually v excited for the coming chapters hehehe youll either hate me or love me for them)