"What are you two doing?"
Gabriel huffed as he was checking on Adrien to make sure he was getting ready for the photo shoot in a few hours only to find him laying on top of Marinette, cuddled into her chest. Gabriel face palmed himself. He'd moved Adrien to his own bedroom only for Marinette to follow him.
"You guys can't keep doing this!"
Gabriel came to Adrien's bedside, taking him under the arms, and tried to pick him up. However, even in his sleep, Adrien clung to Marinette with brute strength as she did the same.
"What the...?"
The elder Agreste pulled on him harder, causing Adrien's eyebrows to knit as he awoken. He whined, only half conscious. "Wha... Father, what are you doing? Leave us alone. I wanna be with my Mari..."
"You guys cannot keep sleeping in the same bed like this! Let go of her!"
Adrien pouted, holding Marinette tighter. "N-No!"
The jolt of weight on Marinette startled her awake as she kept an instinctive hold on Adrien, preventing him from being taken away, although she could not see who was pulling him.
"What the heck is going on?" The drowsy girl mumbled. "Give Adrien back... We're cuddles... sleep..."
Marinette drifted off again, until she was yanked upwards, the sudden movement making her dizzy. "The frick?! Ow! Whatever the heck is happening, quit it unless you wish to die."
"It's my father..." Adrien said, his eyes still closed.
"Sorry, Marinette..." Gabriel had stopped tugging at his son when he heard Marinette's yelp of pain and her threatening words following. "Wait... Was that a death threat?"
Marinette yawned, still holding Adrien to her chest. "Do you need it to be?"
Gabriel blinked. A fifteen year old girl had just given one of the most powerful men in France a death threat for waking her up. He bit back a laugh. He loved her.
Then, once again, Gabriel attempted to remove Adrien from atop Marinette's body.
"Stop..." Adrien whined, holding onto Marinette. "She just came in like ten minutes ago. She wasn't here all night."
Gabriel let him go. "Whatever. Just don't go to bed with each other again."
The kids whimpered at those words. Marinette sat up, laying against the headboard as Adrien crawled into her lap. They held each other closely in case Gabriel tried to separate them again, sending glares his way.
"What is going on here?"
Nathalie stood in the doorway, dressed in her usual attire, which Gabriel was thankful for. He shook his head, holding the bridge of his nose.
"I found them in bed together again!" Gabriel folded his arms. "After we separated them last night."
"So, that's why you don't remember coming to your room, chéri," Marinette said.
Nathalie laughed. "Yeah, and you put up quite a fight, too!"
Gabriel tugged at his hair in frustration. "How can you hold each other so tightly in your sleep?"
Adrien shrugged. "We belong together."
Marinette smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek, and hummed in agreement.
Gabriel groaned, dragging a hand over his face.
"Don't be like that, Father." Adrien said. "You just don't remember how it feels to fall asleep with someone you love."
Gabriel found himself missing Emilie in that moment, and it was noticeable. Adrien tried to fix his mistake.
"S-Sorry, Father."
Gabriel nodded. "Both of you. Shower, get dressed, etc. And come downstairs for breakfast. Then, we need to get to that photo shoot."
"Okay. Chéri?" Marinette said, prompting Adrien to get off of her. "I'm going to shower. See you guys in a bit."
***
"Hurry up, Adrien!" Gabriel urged. "We are going to be late!"
Adrien whined, shoving a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. "But food!"
Gabriel shook his head. "This was your second plate! And only because Nathalie convinced me flexibility in your diet was necessary. And I know for a fact that you ate much more than you should have last night."
"But food!" Adrien repeated.
His father shot him a glare. In response, Adrien returned the deadly stare as he rushed more eggs into his mouth. However, before Gabriel could react to his rebellious behavior, Adrien let out a squeak and quickly ran out to the car where Marinette and Nathalie were already waiting. He clung to Marinette tightly as if she would protect him from his grumpy father.
Marinette laughed, returning the embrace, before pulling back to wipe away the remaining food on his face. She kissed his cheek.
Gabriel entered the limo and sat beside Nathalie, arms folded with a glare set on the kids. Marinette held Adrien protectively.
"Why are you being such a grump today?" Marinette asked.
Adrien didn't lift his head from Marinette's shoulder. "Yeah, what's your problem? You've been in an extra bad mood all morning."
Gabriel sighed, shaking his head. "I apologize. I'm just a little tired." He then side-glanced Nathalie with a light blush for a mere second before looking back at the kids. "I didn't get much sleep last night."
Marinette and Adrien looked at each other with mirrored simpers.
"Oh, yeah?" Marinette started, her eyes fixed on Nathalie. "What kept you up last night?"
"Did it have anything to do with Nathalie?" Adrien pried.
Both adults gasped at the insinuation.
"Marinette!" Nathalie squeaked.
"Adrien!" Gabriel blushed.
Marinette and Adrien laughed and began whispering to each other quietly, making it undetectable to the adults.
"What are you whispering about?" Gabriel grumbled. "Listen, I don't appreciate the accusation you two just implied. I'm tired from sending emails last night, if you must know. Nathalie is more than just an assistant to me, yes. But, to be clear, we don't have that kind of relationship. Nathalie is just a--"
Marinette shot a sharp glare towards the older Agreste. "Gabriel, do not finish that sentence."
"Yeah..." Adrien bowed his head before looking at Marinette. "I've made that mistake too many times."
Marinette smiled softly and held his hand before returning her eyes to Gabriel, giving a huff. "Honestly. And you said all of Adrien's denseness comes from his mother, huh?"
Adrien perked up. "Wait, what?"
Marinette hushed him. "Nothing, baby, nothing."
Gabriel shook his head. "You know what? I'm tired. I'm taking a nap until we get there so I don't have to hear these preposterous notions any longer."
"Yeah, okay," Marinette hummed mockingly. "You take a nap."
Gabriel rolled his eyes, resting back on the seat.
Adrien chuckled, settling himself against Marinette. "Ooh, me too! Nap time."
Marinette rested her head atop his and rubbed his back. It didn't matter where he was or if he was even tired. If Marinette was there, Adrien could sleep.
"Cute..."
Only a few moments later did Marinette hear a small squeak escape Nathalie's throat. The pigtailed girl brought her attention to her only to find that Gabriel had fallen to Nathalie's shoulder and she was blushing intensely.
"Aww!" Marinette cooed in a whisper. She nudged Adrien lightly. "Hey, look, chéri."
Adrien's eye opened, not lifting his head, and he smiled. "I knew he had feelings for you, Nathalie."
"N-No, he's just really tired," Nathalie protested. "It probably doesn't mean anything."
Adrien frowned. "I wouldn't say that. I like sleeping close to Marinette. It means a lot to me."
Marinette smiled, pressing a kiss to his head. "Aw, does it really?"
Adrien nodded. "To me, sleeping beside Marinette means safety, and comfort, and love."
"I love falling asleep with you too, baby," Marinette beamed, before turning to Nathalie. "If Gabriel is anything like his son, which he totally is, he just wants love and comfort too. And very obviously, you can provide a different kind of love that I can't give him."
Nathalie rolled her eyes. "Yes, and thanks a lot for almost outing me, you two."--Marinette and Adrien laughed-- "Hey, it's not funny!"
Adrien shrugged. "Sorry. Sorry."
"Hey, Nathalie, copy me, okay?"
Marinette prompted, bringing Adrien to rest on her again, which he had no objection to. Nathalie nodded, taking a trust in Marinette. She was the expert on the Agrestes.
"Put your arms around him like this. It provides a sense of security."
Nathalie mimicked Marinette as she placed her arms around Adrien. Marinette nodded in approval before speaking again, her words also becoming her actions.
"Press your cheek against his forehead."
Nathalie tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"
Adrien chuckled softly, closing his eyes and nuzzling his face into Marinette's neck. He hummed happily. "Warm."
"That's why," Marinette explained. "I've learned he's attracted to my body heat."
Nathalie shrugged and let her cheek meet Gabriel's forehead to which his immediate reaction was to come closer. Whatever small space that had separated their bodies before was now gone. Nathalie's eyes widened, her heart racing.
"See? It works!" Marinette giggled, before noticing the panic on Nathalie's face that she knew too well. "It's okay, Nat. I used to get nervous when Adrien would get too close to me too. But you have to calm down because as oblivious as these men usually are, they can always tell when we're nervous."
Adrien nodded. "Yup."
"You just have to breathe. Slowly and thoughtfully," Marinette instructed. "They are resting on us and can feel the way we breathe. Adrien even likes to listen to my heartbeat sometimes. But if you breathe steadily, sooner or later he'll copy your breathing pattern."
"I'm following Mari's breath right now," Adrien noted. "I didn't even realize I do that."
Nathalie smiled, her breathing automatically steadying at the adorable sight of the kids. "You guys are cute."
It wasn't too long until Nathalie realized Gabriel's breathing had fallen in sync with hers. She looked to Marinette.
"How do you know all of this?"
Marinette shrugged. "I like caring for people."
She ran her index finger beneath Adrien's chin, making him giggle and trap her finger between his chin and neck.
"Hey..." he whined, clearly trying to sleep. "That tickles."
Marinette turned in to snuggle up with the boy. "Especially Adrien."
Nathalie nodded as she became comfortable with Gabriel on her like that. She let her head fall over his. And the four stayed like that for the rest of the ride.
***
After another twenty minutes, the Agreste limo arrived at Square Jean Moulin.
Marinette shook Adrien a bit to wake him. "Come on, baby. We're here."
Adrien slowly opened his eyes and smiled as the first thing he saw was his favorite pigtailed girl. However, she wasn't looking at him. Adrien followed her gaze to see Nathalie and Gabriel sleeping against each other.
"I think our wild minds took it a bit too far earlier, Adrien," Marinette told him. "But something definitely happened between them last night."
Adrien nodded in agreement. "Definitely."
Marinette shook the adults awake to which Gabriel immediately shied away from Nathalie. "Oh! You must forgive me, Nathalie."
Nathalie blushed slightly but smiled, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. I don't mind."
Gabriel nodded before turning to the kids. "Go to the trailer and change for the shoot, okay?"
"Okay." Adrien took Marinette's hand and helped her out of the car. "Let's go, Mari!"
Marinette giggled and ran with Adrien to the trailer, closing the door behind them.
"What's the theme today, Adrien?"
The blond pulled the curtain between them. "Ladybug and Cat Noir."
Marinette grew a bit nervous. This is Clara Nightingale's music video all over again.
"Oh..." she spoke anxiously. "Am I going to be dressed up as Ladybug?"
"No," Adrien chuckled, "I thought I'd rather see you as my kitten, chouchou."
Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. Her identity wouldn't be endangered. Of course, unbeknownst to her, Adrien had feared the same and arranged the outfits so that he would not have to be Cat Noir.
"Well," she smirked, "I'm excited to see you as my Bugaboy."
Adrien rolled his eyes. "Yeah... Don't call me that."
"Bugaboy!" Marinette repeated mercilessly as she changed clothes.
Adrien groaned. "Stop it."
"Bug. A. Boy!"
Adrien huffed.
***
Gabriel scratched his neck. "I must apologize again. I have no idea what came over me."
"You were tired. And it didn't bother me." Nathalie reassured him. "You have to stop apologizing."
The Agreste nodded before he found himself blushing. He hesitated before speaking. "Were... you holding me?"
Nathalie's eyes widened. It wasn't a good time for a confession of any sort. Even if Gabriel felt anything for Nathalie, he was still hung up over Emilie, and he's not ready to let go yet. So, Nathalie laughed.
"Those kids and their imagination!" Nathalie shook her head. "They were absolutely convinced there was something between us. Marinette wanted me to copy her when she was holding Adrien. I had to play along. It was hilarious."
Gabriel seemed disappointed. "I see. You were only doing what she told you to."
Seeing as she'd made him upset, Nathalie was unsure of what to say. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable, sir."
Gabriel looked up at her, as if torn from his thoughts, and he gave a soft smile. "No, you didn't. And you don't have to call me that. Not even Mari calls me 'sir' anymore. I prefer it when you two address me by my name."
Nathalie nodded, smiling brightly. She was used to being formal with him. But she began to prefer speaking with him in a more personal tone rather than being professional. Just like how it used to be.
"Father!"
Adrien exited the trailer, fully dressed in his modeling outfit. He wore a red Ladybug themed sweatshirt with spotted pockets and inner hood, and the signature hexagon pattern sewn over it's entirety. It was royal blue surrounding the pockets and the bottom hem as well as over the hood. Beneath, laid dark blue jeans and the red version of the Gabriel Brand sneakers.
"Aw!" Nathalie cooed, tugging on his hoodie. "You look so cute!"
Adrien chuckled. "Thanks, Nat!"
"Adrien," Gabriel's eyes shifted from his son to the trailer, "where's Marinette?"
"Oh, right!" Adrien fixed his hood. "Mari says she thinks there is something wrong with her outfit."
Gabriel knitted his eyebrows, heading to the trailer and gesturing for Nathalie and Adrien to follow.
"Marinette?" He knocked on the trailer door. "You okay? Adrien tells me there is something wrong with your outfit?"
There was a short silence before the girl answered. "U-Um, yeah..."
Gabriel frowned. "What is it?"
"W-Well, I mean, I think I look really good in this..." Marinette began, examining herself in a mirror. "...A-And I-I'd totally buy this from you, and maybe wear this in the... the summer, but not in the freezing cold! And I don't feel comfortable modeling in this outfit! I-I... You promised I wouldn't have to wear anything like this, G-Gabe!"
"Calm down, Marinette," Gabriel spoke calmly. "It's okay. I'd never make you wear something you're uncomfortable with, but I'm confused. I thought I did well with your outfit. Can you come out and let us see? If your okay with that, of course."
"Yeah," Adrien added, "maybe we can help."
Marinette sighed. "Okay, I'm coming."
The pigtailed girl emerged from the trailer, trying desperately not to use her arms to cover herself in any way. The outfit was not appropriate at all for the winter weather, nor was it for her young age to be modeling. Her kitten top fit less like a shirt and more like a sports bra, and her black jeans shorts hardly covered her bottom, though the bells dangling down from the side ribbons reached her thighs where long kitten socks met them. The only covering that gave her but little warmth was a thin, paw-printed, cover-up blouse. And to top it all off, cute cat ears laid upon her head.
Poor Marinette shifted and whimpered in the cold as she rubbed her arms, trying to create heat. "G-Gabriel, I-I can't wear this! Please!"
Adrien felt all the cold leave his body and heat flood into it, reddening his cheeks. "Y-Yeah, father, um, if you want me to focus and not pass out during the shoot, she has to change. Right now."
Gabriel was jaw slacked. "I... would never pick that out for you, Marinette! Not in this weather! N-Not ever, actually..."
People were starting to stare at Marinette, who was clearly becoming uncomfortable, and she threw herself into Adrien's arms.
"Look at that hottie!" they whispered. Even the grown men were interested.
"Take Marinette inside," Gabriel gritted his teeth. "I'm going to see who screwed up your outfit, and fire them."
Adrien looked down at a shivering Marinette in his arms. "Permission to pick you up, chouchou?"
Marinette gave a shaky breath. "Y-Yes, please..."
Adrien scooped Marinette up bridal style into the trailer with Nathalie behind to shut the door.
On the way to the group of workers on the team for the photo shoot, Gabriel nonchalantly hit two guys on the head. "She's fifteen, you perverts! Don't look her way again if you value your lives."
And he continued walking.
***
Adrien sat in a chair with a shaking Marinette on his lap, resting on his chest, as he held her closely. He frowned, rocking her soothingly, and caressing her cheek with his knuckles.
"Pauvre chou, are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah," Marinette smiled weakly, "I'm just cold and a little embarrassed."
Adrien held her closer, his chin falling over her temple to which her face was hidden in the nape of his neck. "I'll keep you warm."
Marinette giggled, humming happily as she took in his body heat. "Yes, you will."
Nathalie placed a blanket around Marinette, receiving a whispered thanks. Nathalie rubbed Marinette's head as she checked her phone.
"Alright," Nathalie spoke, "So apparently, Grâce Française is having another photo shoot tomorrow for an older age group. I know some kids that will wear just about anything in thirty degree weather." She rolled her eyes. "You found their clothes. Gabriel said your outfit should be somewhere over here..." She searched through some outfits until she reached Gabriel's Superhero Style labeled clothing. "Got it."
Nathalie came to the pigtailed girl and handed her an outfit much better suited for her. "Here you go, Mari."
Marinette gratefully took the outfit and smiled. "Thank you, Nathalie." She pressed a kiss to Adrien's cheek before standing up. "Okay, chéri, I'm kicking you out."
Adrien smiled. "Okay, we'll see you in a minute."
Nathalie and Adrien left for Marinette to change clothes.
***
Marinette was now wearing a cute Cat Noir themed sweatshirt with cat ears on the hood and a silver bell attached to a green zipper as well as a paw print on her chest above green and yellow stripes. Black ruffled shorts laid over grey leggings as they met the kitten-faced flats on her feet. Marinette walked out of the trailer, warm and proud of her new outfit.
"Look at me, guys!" she giggled, holding her hand up like claws. "I'm Cat Noir! Rawr!"
Adrien laughed at her, blushing at the cute imitation of his alter ego's flirtatious growl. Then, he came to her side, folding his arms.
"And I'm Ladybug!" He giggled. "And together, we're..."
The teens pressed their backs together and spoke in unison. "The miraculous protectors of Paris!"
Nathalie erupted with laughter, pulling out her phone. "No, wait! Stay like that!" She snapped a picture. "That's my new lock screen."
Adrien, who was always ready for a picture, smiled and came out looking perfect. Marinette, on the other hand, was caught a bit of guard. But she looked cute anyway.
Gabriel shook his head with an amused grin plastered to his face. "You kids are ridiculous. Save those poses for the shoot. Come on, we're already behind."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry for the wait! This chapter felt like it took forever to get out!
I also put this on my discussion board, but I know not all of you see that, so I'll put it here. There's no wrong answer, I just want your opinion about the future of my ML fanfictions. Note that I will write both eventually, plus many more! So here was what was on my discussion board:
So, unfortunately, Emotional Support will soon be coming to a close. Not too soon! And the climax and ending will not disappoint! However, I've been thinking of other ideas for books and I've narrowed mine down to my favorite two.
[Note: titles and descriptions are not definite]
--Stray: Adrien Agreste was a very lonely boy. His mother was gone. His father was cold and often absent. And although he had more freedom as the Superhero Cat Noir as well as the company of his partner, Ladybug, it wasn't enough. Until one fateful day he landed on the rooftop of his close friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who kindly comforted the saddened cat and invited him to spend more time with her family. Soon, the stray cat found a home.
--Mirrored: Due to an akuma with the power to transform someone into the last person they had physical contact with, Cat Noir is now stuck in Ladybug's body. Usually, the miraculous ladybugs would undo these kinds of unfortunate predicaments, however, Ladybug's earrings were damaged due to a misused Cataclysm. After a hasty reveal, and with a mirrored version of herself, Marinette only had one choice. Pass of Cat Noir as her distant cousin, Bridgette, until Tikki can repair her miraculous.
Also, I know a big reason for my popularity with Emotional Support was due to it's originality. Stray, I feel, might be too generic. Therefore I'm leaning towards Mirrored or whatever I choose to call it, because I don't think anyone has done something like that yet. But I did want to hear your opinion.