![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Change of Plans
A Single Dadrien drabble because it’s 1AM and I’ve lost control of my life. Will be queued for the morning.
~*~
Everything had been ready. Sandwiches cut, wrapped, stowed. Drinks in temperature appropriate containers. Marinette’s pastries nestled in the center of the basket. An excess of napkins on standby. Picnic blanket folded. Sunscreen smeared all over Emma’s nose and arms.
Then a crack of thunder rattled the glasses in the kitchen cabinets.
Adrien, Marinette, and Emma stood at the living room window, watching the rain fall in torrents. It splattered against the glass almost hatefully. Emma lowered her head and stuck out her bottom lip. “But what about our picnic?” she mumbled.
Adrien looked at Marinette. Marinette looked at him. Her mouth pulled up into a huge smile. “I know what we can do,” she cried. She turned away from the dismal weather, marched over to the dining table, picked up a chair, and carried it into the living room. “Adrien, Emma, would you be so kind as to bring me as many blankets as possible?”
Adrien did as he was told. He went to the linen closet and pulled out all their extra sheets, handing a small stack to Emma, which she promptly ran into the living room with. Marinette was still strategically placing chairs. “We need Christmas lights,” she informed him. “And flashlights, in case the power goes out.”
Adrien nearly collided with Emma on his way back with the Christmas lights; she carried an armful of pillows so large they blocked her view. He put his hand on her head and steered her safely back to Marinette, who by then had assembled a large blanket tent that took up half the living room. She lined the bottom of it with comforters and pillows, then strung up the Christmas lights in a zigzagging pattern and plugged them in. The blanket fort came to life. “Voila!” she said.
Adrien laughed out loud. “What did you do, study babysitting in college?”
“I didn’t, but I could absolutely come up with a theoretical degree plan.” Marinette ushered them towards the fort. “Come on in. Our picnic awaits.”
Thankfully the power did not go out. The trio ate their sandwiches and pastries under a canopy of twinkling lights, laughing over the sound of the rain. Marinette had incorporated the television into the fort—she really did think of everything—so they were able to have a mini movie marathon. And since Marinette hadn’t brought an umbrella and Adrien refused to let her go out in a downpour, she ended up staying through dinner as well.
By the time the rain let up, it was past nine o’clock. Emma lay curled up asleep in her father’s lap. “I should put her to bed,” Adrien said.
“Oh, then I’ll clean up this mess.” Marinette gestured around them.
“No, leave the fort. I kind of feel like sleeping under it myself.” He picked Emma up and stood. “I’ll be right back.”
As Adrien guided his groggy daughter through her bedtime routine, his nerves began to fail. He tucked Emma in and walked to the door with the agonizing knowledge that Marinette was in his living room, and there would be no Emma to act as a buffer between them. He’d have to make proper adult conversation with the beautiful woman who’d stolen his heart.
He closed Emma’s bedroom door behind him before he could find an excuse to lock himself inside.
Marinette sat in the blanket fort, eyes on her cell phone screen. “According to my weather app, Paris is all rained out for the night.” She smiled at him. “Looks like I can finally get out of your hair.”
Adrien froze. “Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re not—in my hair. I mean, it’s no trouble, you being here. I really don’t know what I’d do without you.” Marinette’s smile widened. “You’re so good and patient with Emma, and finding a babysitter she actually likes has been a trial.” He shook his head. “Not that you’re just a babysitter! You’re more than that. You’re practically family. So don’t feel hurried on my account.”
Marinette giggled and Adrien felt heat rise to his cheeks. “I appreciate the compliment,” she said, “but I really should get going. I promised my parents I’d help them in the bakery tomorrow. Five o’clock wake up call.”
“You just can’t help helping people, can you?”
“I was a superhero in my past life,” she said, then winked at him and sent his heart skittering.
He offered her his umbrella in case it decided to rain again on her way home. She took it gladly. Adrien walked her down the hall to the elevator and pressed the down button for her. He racked his brain for something to say. “Thank you for spending the day with us. It was a lot of fun.”
“You’re very welcome.” Marinette held his umbrella to her chest.
“Maybe next time we’ll make it outdoors before the weather forces us to rethink our plans.”
“Yeah,” she said, “next time.” The elevator doors slid open. She offered him her hand. “I’ll see you Monday?”
Adrien, too tongue-tied to manage anything else, shook it. “Monday,” he agreed.
He stepped back as she got into the elevator. She waved at him. He waved back. The doors closed between them…
…and Adrien pushed the down button, forcing them open again. Marinette blinked in surprise as he stepped into the elevator with her. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I just really need to get my shit together.”
And with that he took her face in both his hands and kissed her. The elevator doors slid shut as she immediately moved closer to him, leaning his umbrella against the corner so she could lay her hands on his chest. He hadn’t kissed a woman in so many years that it was clumsy at first. But Marinette didn’t seem to mind. She returned his gentle kiss with an eagerness that made his stomach bottom out—or perhaps that was just the elevator, but he felt lightheaded nonetheless. Her lips were slick with gloss and fit against his perfectly. He could have kissed her all night had they not been in a public elevator, which reached the ground floor of the apartment building much sooner than he wanted.
They broke away before the doors opened, Marinette fumbling for his umbrella and almost dropping it. He walked her out to the street, dazed and happy and uncertain and terrified all at once. The air was thick with the smell of rain.
Marinette looked up at him shyly, grappling with the smile that wanted to take over her face. Adrien kissed her again to reassure her she had every reason to smile. “Good night,” he said. He could have sworn there were stars in her eyes.
“Good night,” she whispered.