"Awesome! Then it shall be a surprise," Marinette said with a goofy smile. She had no idea what she was going to make. Maybe her dad could give her ideas.

"What? Why?" Iris felt so naive right now. Then it hit her. She smirked. "You wanted to lick whip cream off of me didn't you?"

"Great! You know how much I love surprises," he said, a grin still on his face. 

Gabriel smirked. "That was the idea. Too bad it's not an option right now."

Marinette laughed. "Then I'll have to make the surprise worth it." She was starting slowly realize she couldn't cook many things. She was starting to feel left confident.

Iris sighed. "I guess we'll just have to make some." She placed her cheek on her hand."We do have heavy cream."

Adrien reached over the table to lay his hand on hers. "Any surprise from you is worth it," he said, locking his gaze with hers. He loved looking into her eyes both because they were beautiful and because he loved her reaction.

"But that would mean you have to come downstairs. I thought you wanted me to serve you," Gabriel said. Whipped cream was among the group of food he assumed was easy to make but didn't actually know how to make it.

Marinette's smile grew as they shared each other's gazes. She felt herself becoming confident again. She had the whole week to learn how to cook a new dish. She could do this! Marinette was then pulled out of their gaze, when the waiter came by with their food. She looked down at the plate. "This looks great!"

Iris smacked Gabriel's back playfully. "You're a smart man. I'm sure you can read a recipe. It's in my cookbook. Now go!"

"Yeah, everything looks delicious!" He said. He took a bite of his food and nodded. "This cafe never disappoints."

Gabriel sighed but decided he wasn't going to convince her to come with him. "Alright. I'll be back in a little bit then." He exited the room, shut the door, and stopped by the linen closet to grab a towel. He had no problem serving her naked, but he was not going to make food in the nude.

He started by finding Iris's cookbook and studying the recipe. Then he put a mixing bowl in the freezer to chill it while he made the sandwiches. Once the sandwiches were done, he pulled the bowl from the freezer and mixed the ingredients. He was happy to find a successful batch of whipped cream when the mixing was done.

He took the sandwiches and the bowl back to the bedroom, dropping the towel in the hall bathroom on the way. 

"Lunch is served, my dear," he said, sitting on the bed and placing the sandwiches between them. He placed the bowl of whipped cream on the nightstand.

"I know right?" Marinette took a bite out of her food. Now what to talk about? She didn't want to bring up the brothers because their public. Movies? Games? Comics? Home life? Marinette took a sip out of her drink. She was curious about how things were going at home. But she felt like she brought up too much.

Then suddenly a man with a camera approached them, but did not take their picture. "Adrien!" He kept the camera close to his body. Eager to take a picture . "I'm with Paris Weekly. Would be so kind and let me interview you about your mother's disappearance?"

Marinette's mouth dropped. She glanced at Adrien.

Iris leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, my love." She grabbed one of the sandwiches. She eyed the whipped cream. "It seems you were successful."

Adrien glanced at the reporter, his mind reaching for an answer. It had been a while since he was questioned by the press for anything, and he hadn't expected to be approached so readily (even though he should have). Finally, he remembered his typical deflection for reporters. "I'm sorry. I have no comment on that." He was not going to give them anything (even a fake story), especially since his parents were also not speaking to the press on this subject.

Gabriel nodded and took his own sandwich. "I'm glad you approve. The directions in the cookbook were very good."

"And why is that?" the reporter asked. He was determined to get answers from Adrien. He wanted to be the first reporter in Paris to get the scoop. "Is the Agreste family hiding something? There's no need to be shy. I just want to spread the truth before someone makes a false story."

Marinette frowned. What a creep. 

Iris smiled. "Why thank you. I just got that recipe from a magazine." She took a bite out of her sandwich. "You know, Gabe since you read the recipe so well I bet you could read others."

Adrien kept a calm expression as he gave the reporter a neutral smile. "I can assure you, we're hiding nothing. However, you're asking about a personal family matter. We are not commenting on it to the press at this time. Please leave," he said. He really didn't want to be bothered while out with Marinette. 

"There's no doubt I could read others, but reading and doing are two different exercises. Besides, I thought you enjoyed cooking. I wouldn't want to step on your toes," Gabriel answered. Truly, he had no problem with the idea of cooking. He wasn't good at it, and messed up more often than no.

"It would be in your best interest to partake in this interview," said the reporter. "Like I said people can spread false stories. Look what happened to your father."

Iris let out a fake sigh. "Yes, but it would be romantic if you cooked for me." She tapped her finger on her cheek. "I wonder if Alejandro cooks for his wife."

Adrien paused, not expecting the jab of pain in his chest that the comment brought. The smile on his face dropped to a frown before he could stop it and his eyes narrowed. His father's pain from those stories had contributed to the cold, distant personality he'd fallen into for the past six years. "People are not obliged to share their family tragedies and reunions just because the press asks. Perhaps, if people like you had an ounce of human decency or integrity, fake stories wouldn't be an issue," he answered with a sharp edge that his voice almost never carried. 

Gabriel let out a frustrated 'hmph' at the mention of Alejandro. "I'm much better than that simpleton. If you want me to cook more often, then say so. Just know it won't be very good at first."

The reporter narrowed his eyes as well. "They are if they don't want rumors to spread." With that the reporter turned around and stormed out of the cafe.

Marinette shook her head. She looked over at Adrien. "You okay?" Worry filled her eyes.

Iris chuckled. "You know I'm just teasing right?" She smiled at him. "There's only one person who has my heart and I love him just the way he is."

Adrien poked (or, more accurately, jabbed) at his food, as he tried to calm the anger boiling inside him. He was usually so good at managing his emotions, but the reporter had struck a nerve he had forgotten existed. He took a deep breath and looked up at Marinette, softening a bit at her worried gaze. "I'm fine. He just managed to say the right thing to piss me off."

Gabriel smiled and answered, "And there's only one person I love enough to put up with constant teasing. But I will need to know if the cooking thing was part of the teasing so I can plan whether or not to make you delicious meals." The last sentence was a mixture of joking and seriousness; though he made his tone as light as possible.

Marinette leaned back in her seat. "He was jerk. I wouldn't let him get to you." She started to play with her food with her fork as well. A question was now burning inside of her. "So why didn't you just make up a story? It would probably get the media off your family's back." Marinette hoped she wasn't out of line asking this question.

Iris patted him on his cheek with her hand. "Yes it would be nice if you cooked for me."