A Step at a Time

Adrien came down to breakfast to see Gabriel and Caline already seated. He came in and sat as the household staff brought in their food and laid it out.

'Good morning, Adrien,' greeted Caline, brightly.

'Good morning, Madame Bustier,' he replied.

'I trust you slept well,' Gabriel added as he cut his omelette into bite size pieces.

'I did, thank you. I hope you did too,' Adrien returned.

Nodding, Gabriel said, 'yes, quite well.'

Caline nudged Gabriel's elbow with a pointed look toward Adrien. Gabriel sighed and put his utensils down.

'It has been brought to my attention that I have been remiss in some basic courtesies in regards to your opinion on recent development,' Gabriel told him.

Adrien stared, holding his utensils above his meal.

Gabriel coughed delicately into his hand. 'I have not spoken with you about Caline's and my relationship and how it may be affecting you, or whether you even approve. I would like to know what you think and how you feel about this.'

'Oh,' he replied, 'well, honestly?'

'Yes, honestly,' Gabriel said with a wry twist on his lips. Caline nodded, encouragingly.

'I'm happy for you,' Adrien shrugged.

They both looked surprised before Gabriel asked, 'you are?'

'Of course, I am,' Adrien replied. 'I mean, school has been a bit weird, but so long as you both agree to keep school and home separate, then I don't see an issue.'

'That's very mature of you, Adrien,' Caline praised.

'We would never allow our relationship to influence your schooling, just as we would never let schoolyard drama affect our home life,' Gabriel told him.

'Thank you. So, when will you be moving in, Madame Bustier?' Adrien asked with a cheeky grin.

Gabriel and Caline sputtered and choked, avoiding eye contact and left Adrien's teasing question unanswered.

They finished their meal, then Caline and Adrien had to leave for school. Adrien had a moment of concern when Caline got into the car with him, but then decided it was time his classmates knew about the relationship. He didn't want to lie about it anymore, and since Gabriel had agreed not to interfere with the classroom, Adrien couldn't foresee any major issues. If he were teased, he'd take it with dignity and prove he wouldn't take advantage of his situation.

People stared as Caline exited his car. Adrien kept his head up and met the eyes of anyone who looked like they were going to say something. No one kept his eyes for long, and he made his way inside, unharrassed.

There were murmurs throughout the morning, barely heard whispers behind doors and around corners. Adrien ignored them all, determined to prove he was the same person he'd always been. Focussed and studious, good grades reflective of his attention in class rather than the connection between his father and his teacher.

'Ok, Man. Tell your best bud what's going on,' Nino demanded as he slung an arm over Adrien's shoulders.

They had been let out for lunch and were walking toward café down the road popular at their school.

'About what?' Adrien asked with a teasing smirk.

'First of all, you're not smooth. At all,' Nino told him with a flat expression. 'Tell me why your dad has suddenly allowed you to walk around without your bodyguard. Why you're allowed out on the streets at all. Why did Madame Bustier got out of your car this morning?' he finished, heaving a breath.

'Well, Nino,' Adrien said. 'There's a very simple answer to all of those questions.'

'Which is?' Nino prompted when Adrien didn't elaborate.

'Madame Bustier told him to.'

Nino looked stunned for a moment, before laughing hysterically. 'Your dad is so whipped,' he cackled, bent over and gasping for breath.

Adrien heaved a sigh. 'He was always weak to the woman he likes.'

Nino patted his shoulder as they entered the café. They found seats near the rear wall and placed their orders with the harried waitress. Nino excused himself to the restroom, so Adrien relaxed in his seat, taking in the atmosphere and surrounding conversations.

'Of course, I'm not over him,' a quiet, yet familiar, voice behind him said. 'Feelings aren't like a light switch you can turn on or off at will.'

Another familiar voice replied, 'but you took down all the pictures, right?'

'Yes, they're down. I couldn't look at them anymore. They made my crush seem superficial and creepy.'

There was a moment of silence between the two.

'Come on, let's get out of here,' the other voice said.

Their chairs scraped against the floor, footsteps quickly drowned out by the surrounding noise. Adrien swallowed, unsure how to feel.

'Hey, was that Alya and Marinette leaving just now?' Nino had returned from the restroom.

'Yeah, I guess they had the idea to come here, too,' Adrien replied with a tight smile.

'We should've left earlier,' Nino moaned. 'We could have eaten with them.'

Adrien forced an answering grin before falling into a regular conversation as they waited for their meal.