Until Next Time, My Lady

What's The Matter, Dollface?

The scent of freshly brewed coffee woke him. As he sat up, he felt all the blood rush from his head. When did Marinette leave? Reaching over to her side of the bed, he felt that her warmth was completely gone. His phone vibrated furiously in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw an alert for his photo shoot in a few hours. There was also a text from Nathalie telling him to make sure that he was to be there on time.

Standing up and feeling a little disoriented, he made to his way down the stairs towards the kitchen. Adrien could hear Marinette humming as she tidied up in the den from the night before. A plate of cookies and croissants was placed next to the coffee pot. He grabbed a croissant and shoved it into his mouth. Buttery, flaky goodness melted on his tongue. She must've gone to her parents' bakery this morning.

Opening the cupboard, he pulled out a mug and filled it to the top with freshly brewed coffee. As he headed towards the den, Adrien noticed his garment bags and Marinette's backpack on the bar.

"Mari?" He called out to her.

"Yes?" She answered, her innocent looking face peeking out from around the corner.

"Is there something you want to talk to me about?" He raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"Nope, nothing I can think of," she smiled. "Mama and papa send their love." As she ducked back around the corner, he heard her scramble away from him.

Placing his mug on the counter, he walked into the den. Marinette had disappeared without a trace.

"I know you're in here, Mari," he called out. "You won't be able to hide from me forever."

Looking around, he saw there were only three places in the den she could be hiding. First, he opened the small broom closet. Flipping on the light, he shifted everything around. She wasn't in there.

"Come on, Marinette. I just want to talk to you," he muttered.

He walked over to the blanket chest that was nestled in the corner of the room. As he opened it, he felt the coldness leave the box. No sign of her being tucked in there either. "I'm not mad, Mari. Please come out."

The last place he thought she could be was under the coffee table. Getting down on his hands and knees, he peered below the solid oak. Again, nothing.

"Please, Mari. I really appreciate that you went over there," he sighed. "Just come out of from wherever you're hiding."

He sat down on the couch and put his face into his hands. Where in the world could she even be in this tiny room? A rustling came from the other side of the loveseat. Looking over the back, he saw her lidded wicker laundry basket.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Shaking his head, he reached over and flipped the lid open. "Really, Mari? Really?"

Giggling, she stepped out of the basket. "I honestly thought it would be the first place you'd look."

"Why on earth would I think you'd be in there?" He smiled, rolling his eyes.

"Because I can fit," she protested.

"I guess," he shrugged. "So do you want to tell me about your little adventure this morning."

"No, not really," she winced.

"Hmm... Then I'm going to assume you saw Chloé?" He'd never understand why she was always doing things like this for him.

"Maybe," she shyly grinned.

"What did you do, Mari?" Adrien groaned. He'd known that Marinette had wanted to tell Chloé off for years.

"I just went to get your things," she shifted nervously, looking down at her feet. "You're exhausted and over-stressed. Chloé wasn't too bad anyway."