Until I Make You Mine

Chapter 1

Nino sat on Adrien's bed as he watched his blonde friend walk up and down his room, wringing his hands. "Dude, will you sit down for two seconds, you're making me feel dizzy watching you." Adrien stopped in his tracks, not realising he had been pacing, before sitting down next to his best friend. Nino looked with concern at the pained look on Adrien's face as he held his hands together between his knees slightly hunched over. "What's this about man? Did you have a fight with Marinettte or something?" Adrien's eyes shot open wide.

"What? No, nothing like that!" Adrien started rubbing his hands on his knees. When did they start to get so sweaty?

"Well whatever it is can you just spit it out?" Nino threw an arm around Adrien's shoulder. "Seriously dude, it can't be that bad. I mean, I don't think anything could surprise me as much as when you told us you're Chat Noir!" Adrien nodded his head. After all, he was the one who had rung Nino saying he was desperate to talk to him.

"Okay." Adrien said more to himself as he breathed out. "You know how Marinette was doing that internship at my father's company over summer?" Nino nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, one of the things we noticed was that she doesn't have a lot of space to work in when she is outside of the office. I mean her room at home has practically been taken over by mannequins and fabric since she insists on taking a lot of the work home with her." Nino was looking puzzled and began to wonder what any of this had to do with him. "Well, my father suggested that Marinette should take over one of the spare rooms here and make it her own personal work space."

"Alright." Nino knitted his eyebrows together. "Is that a problem? I mean, I thought you would like the idea of having Marinette around more. You two are practically glued at the hip anyway."

"I don't have a problem with it." Adrien was back up and pacing again. "It's a really good idea, but I know Marinette when she gets going on a project she stays up half the night and that would mean getting her home at odd hours and agh." Adrien flopped into his computer chair letting it spin him around. "I know father wouldn't care if she crashed here for the night, I just don't like doing that. As it is it feels like she spits half her life between here and the bakery, not to mention the office. It's just too much running around for her you know what I mean?"

Nino suddenly had a light bulb moment in between trying to decipher Adrien's roundabout and convoluted narrative. "I get it dude, you want to ask Marinette to move in with you? Am I right?" Nino's look of triumph vanished as the blonde boy slowly shook his head.

"No Nino, I don't want Marinette to just move in here." Adrien got up and went over to his bedside table. Nino watched as he opened the draw, taking out a small back box and handing it to him. Nino opened the box to be greeted with the sight of a princess cut diamond on a rose gold band.

"Whoa duuuude." Nino drawled. "Where did you get this and does your dad know about it?"

Adrien sat back down next to Nino, taking the box back and staring intently at the ring. "It was my mother's engagement ring. Father gave it to me the day he came home from the hospital after his heart attack. He told me to put it somewhere safe until the right time." Adrien sighed as he flopped back onto the bed. "It's been taunting me in that draw for the last 4 months now." Adrien covered his face with his hands.

Nino sat in thought while Adrien huffed. It had been a crazy few months for the tight group of friends. Not only had Adrien and Marinette finally gotten together, but everyone was now pursuing their dream jobs while making their way in the world as adults. There had been no Akumas for so long now, no one really remembered when the last one had been. It was as though Hawk Moth had just dropped off the face of the Earth. It was a relief of course, but it still left the question of where the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses were. Master Fu had already said that whilever there were missing miraculouses, Paris would still need their heroes. Since there seemed to be no immediate threats, Marinette and Adrien got permission from Master Fu to reveal identities between them, Alya, Nino and Chloe. It was inevitable that, due to the nature of their work, Marinette and Adrien would have to travel away from Paris, leaving it unprotected. At least this way, Alya and Nino could take over patrols as Rena Rouge and Carapace when they are away, and would have Chloe as Queen Bee ready as a back up if needed. Out of everyone, the most shocked was probably Chloe finding out her quiet and reserved Adrikins was the outgoing and flirty Chat Noir, although it also made perfect sense. If anything, Chloe was a little mad at herself for not having figured it out on her own.