AN: I swear, I haven't forgotten about this fic! Sorry it's taken so long to update. Honestly, Final Fantasy XV, Yuri! On Ice, and school took over my life. I was rereading the reviews on this fic and they make me so happy. Thank you for being interested in my convoluted plots. LOL. Thank you for liking my story-telling/writing style! I know my stories aren't as popular because I don't use AO3 or Tumblr but I'm glad to get whatever audience that comes my way.

When I had more free time to write, I chose to update my other Miraculous fic – Tu Es Beau instead of this one, but now that I've gotten that story a little further, I can come back and focus on this one. If you love the Agreste children as much as I do and like angst/hurt/comfort/romance/humor, then please go check out my other fic if you haven't already! Both stories will be coming to an end soon enough so I can start on two other ideas that are currently floating around in my head for the summer. I promise that one of those two stories won't be an angst fest like my two current ones!

Enough of my ramblings, happy reading~ :)

Je Pense Toujours À Toi

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Adrien swiftly caught Marinette in his arms. Without a word, he took the blanket he had wrapped her in earlier and used it to shield her from the rain outside.

Gently he set her inside his car as he finished loading his laundry.

The car drive back to his place was laced heavy with contemplation.

His mind still reeling over the fact that fate would bring his Lady back into his life and on top of that, he just learned that he had fathered a child.

He didn't know what exactly he was feeling but he couldn't dwell on it for now as he arrived home, set Marinette on his bed and called his family's private doctor not wanting to deal with a public hospital after everything that had happened.

Pacing around, he waited for the doctor to arrive and once he did, he quickly got to work with little questions asked.

Once exchanging a brief thank you to the doctor who had served his family long before he was even born, Adrien quickly shut the door to his penthouse and waited for Marinette to wake up.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette awoke in the softest bed imaginable while breathing in a rich masculine scent that could only be Adrien's.

Jolting, she shot out of bed into a sitting position. The sheets pooling around her waist as she searched the room, her eyes still adjusting to the dim lighting until Adrien clapped his hands, turning on the automatic ceiling lights.

He quietly sat at the edge of the bed on the other side, refusing to face her as she stared at his back.

Marinette had rehearsed what she would say to Chat Noir if she had ever gotten the chance of seeing him again. She had memorized every heart wrenching speeches in every fiber of her being but now that she had finally found him… her tongue felt like lead.

Looking down at her now stitched up and patched injured right hand, the hot tears that spilled out her eyes were instantly absorbed into the cotton gauze.

"I've… I've always thought about you… not once did you ever leave my thoughts… my heart" Marinette croaked, she knew that the cold rain of the day was starting to take a toll on her body.

Adrien remained silent.

"I'm not… I'm not looking for anything, Adrien. I don't want your money or your support. I understand if you've never loved me as Ladybug or ever will as just plain Marinette but please…" Marinette broke down, clenching the sheets around her with her hands, her entire body leaning forward with her back hunched over.

"Please, I beg of you to give your son a chance. Take the paternity test if you don't believe me but…" her tears blurred her vision entirely as she shook, "please allow our son a chance of getting to know his father someday. That's all I ask of you!"

Adrien felt the bed shake with her trembles. He bit his lower lip and deeply inhaled, not wanting to burst into his own tears. He wanted to be mad at her for not telling him that he had gotten her pregnant. He wanted to be mad at his father for causing his cold, distant, and selfish actions that day. He wanted to be mad at Plagg for ever giving him these magic powers of destruction and the chance of meeting the love of his life. He wanted to be mad at everyone else, blaming them for his own faults.

He was mad at himself.

Back then, he didn't know. He didn't care. He was a wreck.

If only he had loved Ladybug, no, Marinette enough, then she would have never been placed into such a shitty situation. She wouldn't have been stuck into an abusive relationship for the past two years.

He would've had her move in with him, he would've gotten to experience the joy of watching her belly grow, he would've spoiled her, he would've loved her in the way she deserved it.

He was a fool.

Adrien had worn a mask on for years. Both literally and metaphorically. The last time he had ever cried was when his missing mother was pronounced dead, caused by some freak accident while in Tibet. Since then he swore he wouldn't cry no matter what.

A deep rumble escaped his lips as his unsteady hand raised to his mouth. Biting down on the side of his trembling hand, Adrien broke down for the first time in years. His body quaked with his choppy gurgles, the painful moans failed to be silenced by his hands on his face.

"For-Forg-give m-m-me" he stammered.

Marinette immediately crawled to his side, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and kissing his cheeks and temples. She could taste the saline of his tears on her lips as she tightly held him from behind.

"I've always been in love with you" she told him, "not once have I ever blamed you for what happened. I know you had your own reasons" she finished, closing her eyes as her tears silently fell.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

An hour later, once calming down, they both laid in bed, both facing each other as the pitter-patter of rain continued to pour outside.

Adrien gently held onto Marinette's injured hand, kissing her wound and keeping his eyes on her. "Why did you stay with that asshole?" he whispered.

Marinette frowned, "I was broken after you left me. Nathanaël wasn't always like he is today. When I told him I was pregnant, he didn't question it and accepted me with opened arms. Things started to gradually change after I had given birth to Louis and even though I was being threatened with my custody being taken away from me… I knew that Nathanaël couldn't really do anything because even he knew he wasn't the father. We've never had sex before… you were always the only one, Adrien, but I was scared and alone and gave into my fear of the thought that my son could ever be taken away from me… that he could've grown up without knowing his mother"

"You've endured so much just because I was stupid" Adrien winced.

Shaking her head, Marinette stopped his negative thoughts from going further down a dark path, "bruises and minor cuts are nothing compared to broken bones as Ladybug, Kitty. I'm a lot stronger than that and you know it. I'd fight an entire army alone if it meant protecting our son"

"My son's name is Louis" Adrien whispered back, the confirmation of him having a son tingled on his lips.

Marinette nodded and softly squeezed his hand with her injured one, "I want us to be a family, Adrien, but I'm not going to force you into anything"

Adrien smiled at her sincerity and nodded, "we'll take things slow" he promised her.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The next day, Adrien left Marinette sleeping peacefully in his bed as he decided to do what he was itching to do since day one.

During their long night, they had spent hours talking and rekindling on his bed. They didn't have sex but had hurdled through things that needed to be said during their pillow talk. As they fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, Adrien noticed Marinette tossing and turning in her sleep as she coughed. He knew she was coming down with something.

Before leaving, he made sure Plagg kept a watchful eye on her and left the heater on.

Walking out into the crisp air around noon, Adrien made his way towards Marinette's studio apartment having gotten the address from Nino who had asked Alya.

He already knew that Alya would be there to help him out, never hesitating whenever she'd hear Marinette's name come up.

The only downside to his plan of getting all of Marinette's belongings out of her abuser's place was that he didn't have a key and would need to face the jerk right away.

Adrien did consider himself a gentleman. If he could avoid this Nathanaël fellow, then all the more better for Nathanaël's sake because he didn't know how far he'd go otherwise. It took A LOT for Adrien to get really pissed off. He admitted that he's not very proud of the way he dealt with his villainous father two years ago but there was no going back from that.

If Adrien did confront Nathanaël then he would have to mentally remind himself to hold back but he'd still get some degree of pleasure from knocking his lights out.

No one hurts his Lady. No one.

Of course, at the end of the day, it'd come to the latter.

Going up the few flights of stairs, Adrien made his way down a burgundy carpeted floor. The muted yellow colored wallpaper of the hall was slowly peeling off as he could make out a few long visible cracks on the walls. The few pieces of furniture set out for guests had been bolted down with rusty nails that barely looked like they were still doing their job. A vase with wilted flowers rested on top of a table and a mirror hung on the wall was dirtied with fingerprints.

This place was in horrible condition and had seen better days, probably some fifty plus years ago.

It gave Adrien a boosted drive, all the more reason to get Marinette out of this toxic place and relationship as fast as possible.

Knocking on the door of the last door down the hall, Adrien impatiently waited for an answer.

He didn't have to wait long as he heard rustling and something being knocked over inside. The door jittered and recoiled back from its hinges, it was a miracle in itself that it hadn't completely come apart.

The red head that busted the jammed door opened had heavy red sunken bags under his eyes, his eyes looked glazed over but hollow, his face scruffy with facial hair, and his white undershirt and unzipped maroon jeans reeked with the stench of alcohol. In one hand, he held onto the door knob and with the other he supported his wobbly body all while holding onto his large bottle of whiskey.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the clean-cut image of Adrien who was wearing navy blue slim jeans, black dress shoes, and a black rolled up semi-formal dress shirt with three buttons undone. His entire ensemble had been perfectly tailored to his body type.

"What the hell do you want? I've already paid this month's rent!" Nathanaël slurred.

"Are you Nathanaël Kurtzberg?" Adrien slowly asked as Nathanaël took a swig of his liquor.

"Who wants to know?" he asked as his hand gripped onto the doorknob trying to support his unsteady knees and balance.

"The father of Marinette's child. I'm here to get her things and get her out of this shithole" Adrien calmly said as he shoved a swaying Nathanaël out of the way. He had already sent Alya a text earlier to let her know to come and help him. He wasn't planning on staying in here for any longer than necessary.

"That… bitch!" Nathanaël dropped his whiskey bottle at the entrance and quickly grabbed Adrien's forearm trying to stop him from coming inside the small apartment any further.

Adrien briskly turned around and tightly grabbed onto Nathanaël's wrist, then tightly pinched the nerve of his hand between the thumb and index finger rendering Nathanaël unable to move as he dropped to his knees.

Adrien lifted him by the collar of his undershirt and pushed him against the entrance's wall. Holding him there, Adrien's calm exterior faded and showed his true rage. He was breathing heavily as he knotted the material of Nathanaël's shirt in his fists and lifted him a few centimeters away from the wall and continued to shove him against it repeatedly.

"You don't get to treat people like they're a piece of shit! You don't get to abuse women just so you feel man enough!" Adrien yelled as he roughly let go of a whimpering Nathanaël and punched him hard against his right cheek that blood spluttered out his mouth.

His knuckles throbbed from the impact as Adrien tried to balance his breathing again. He left Nathanaël lying on the floor, watching as he cradled his swollen cheek, groaning in pain.

"You deserve so much more than that, asshole!" Adrien wanted to kick him in the gut but thought better of himself. Marinette would know about him intruding on her problems and she'd probably find out soon enough that he had no choice but to use a bit of violence to get it done but if he allowed himself to go over onto that brink of insanity and injure Nathanaël more than he had already done then he feared that Marinette wouldn't forgive him so easily for that.

He had already crossed a line and wasn't trying to take two steps back when he had one already ahead.

Nathanaël had been too drunk to do anything more as Adrien remembered how Marinette told him that her room was the main bedroom of the apartment. Entering the room, he sent Alya another text letting her know that she could make her way up now.

"Tikki are you in here?" Adrien quietly asked, his eyes scanning the entire room, "my name's Adrien, I'm… well… I was Chat Noir. I'm sorry I didn't bring Plagg with me but Marinette told me she was Ladybug and how much you love cookies" he chuckled at the last bit and hoped that the little scared kwami would make herself known to him.

Five minutes of silence passed before Tikki braced herself and came out of her hiding spot underneath Marinette's red pillow on the old creaky bed.

"Is it safe?" the little red bug whispered.

Adrien held out his left palm to allow her to sit on it.

Nodding, he smiled at the little kwami, "yes, I promise you that you nor Marinette will ever have to return to this place ever again"

Tikki deeply sighed in relief, "thank you, Adrien"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

As Adrien came out of the room with all of Marinette's clothes piled high in his arms, he watched Alya come through the opened door.

"I never want to see your sick face ever again, you psycho!" Alya yelled at Nathanaël as she kicked him in the shin. He groaned in pain as Alya cheerfully waved at Adrien, "I'll get all the baby stuff so I'll meet you downstairs in a bit"

Adrien nodded, ignoring what she just did. He knew she probably had more choice words to yell at Nathanaël but had kept it civil."Okay, we'll probably need to do a couple of runs in and out"

Alya nodded in agreement, "that's fine, I just want to get all of Marinette's stuff out of here so she won't have an excuse to return and face this sad pathetic excuse of a man ever again"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Marinette yelled as she was ready to get out of bed and inspect all her belongings.

"Marinette, I wasn't there for you for two years. This is the least I could do to make it up to you. I… It killed me knowing how much he's hurt you okay? As a man, I'm ashamed to think that there's lowlifes like him still out there but as Chat Noir, you know he's just as bad as any akuma out there. I gave him mercy"

"But you punched him!" Marinette hid her face in her bent knees.

Adrien sat down next to her, placing his hand on the top of her head. "After the hell he put you through, trust me, he deserved so much worse"

Marinette sniffled as she continued to hide her face from him. To say she was relieved petrified her more than she thought it would. The nightmare that was her life, that she had been living in for two years was no more. She was finally free and it was all thanks to the one man in her life that she'll ever love.

Marinette was an emotional mess; it didn't help that she had caught a cold in the rain.

"Marinette… please look at me" Adrien begged as he kissed her hair.

"I'm scared of waking up and realizing this was all a fairytale dream after a nightmare" she mumbled into her knees, "I'm scared of losing you, Adrien"

Adrien smiled at her words, there was no doubt in his mind that he loved her irrevocably and unconditionally.

"I promise you with my soul, my heart, my very being. I promise you with the moon and the stars that I'm one-hundred percent real and very much in love with you, Marinette"

"Even if I'm all covered in snot with a red nose and puffy eyes and look totally gross right now?"

Adrien genuinely laughed at that as he gently lifted her head away from her knees. With his index finger, he raised her chin and nodded, "yes" he said and leaned in to kiss her.

It was a sweet and gentle kiss unlike their more fevered and passionate kisses.

Marinette hugged him tightly and allowed herself to cry tears of joys.

She was finally free.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

Yay! Happy ending to the whole Nathanaël mess.

Just 2 more chapters to go! Honestly this whole story was meant to be a long one-shot but I seem to be unable to write one-shots for Miraculous so it grew into a bigger story.

Again, thank you so much for supporting this story and all my others if you've become a fan! As an author, one of my biggest dreams is to get fan art for a story but that's really reaching for the stars there… I love sappy romances, but they gotta have some meat to them. I'm just happy to recieve reviews.

I don't know how other author's work but I usually type up the next chapter on the same day I plan to update. Sometimes, I get stuck and the intended upload gets a bit delayed but I'm currently working on Chap. 9 so that you, as the readers won't have to wait as long as my previous 7-month hiatus. (Ahh... Yikes, I didn't even realize it was that long! FORGIVE ME! D;)

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D