Chapter Text
The bell at the front door of the bakery jingled, and Tom Dupain climbed down the stairs to ask his daughter to take a break once this customer was done. She had been talking about wanting to complete her portfolio, he didn’t want his little girl to work herself to death like he had done when he was her age.
“Oh, Marinette!” He opened the door to the bakery, to find Adrien leaning at the counter towards Marinette, and the two kids jumped at his arrival.
“Oh, hello, Monsieur Du- I mean, Tom!” Adrien stammered, and Tom swept across the room to hug the boy. “Hello there, Adrien! You didn’t tell us he was coming over today, honey.” he turned towards his sheepish looking daughter. “Care to join us for lunch today?”
It had been five months since his daughter and their most loyal customer first met each other, and they quickly hit it off. It wasn’t uncommon for him and Sabine to have him, along with Marinette’s other friends over for lunch or taste-testing at their house, though Adrien was the most frequent guest.
Tom really liked the boy, he was sweet, polite and respectful, despite everything that he had been through. He was still struggling to get him to call him and his wife by their first names, though he was getting better at it.
Usually, Adrien would say something like how he didn’t want to impose, and the three of them would convince him otherwise and he’d give in. Today was a change of pace, he supposed, because he looked at Marinette, and she looked back, and they shared what looked like a serious non-verbal conversation.
“Papa,” Marinette said nervously, as she crossed the counter to stand next to Adrien and hold his hand, intertwining their fingers together. “There is something Adrien and I have to tell you.”
The happiest of smiles broke across Tom’s face. It was about time.
(Winning his bet with Sabine over his daughter’s love life was a sweet bonus.)
THE END