AN: The title for this Anthology isn't about Love Square fluff or anything like that; my stories threw a brick through that whole thing in about the third chapter of "Milady"! The title is a reference to the fact that the one factor uniting all of these stories is Marinette and Adrien.
This Anthology series will focus on Marinette and Adrien and flesh out how their relationship progresses after "Running out of Time" since the next several stories I write are going to focus on other characters (primarily Alya). Each chapter will be its own story (similar to "Bugs Have to Stick Together") and come roughly in chronological order, though that's not a guarantee. I have a few chapters written already and more planned out, but unlike my other stories this one will not have a regular publishing schedule; new chapters will be published between the multi-chapter stories and as I finish them.
This chapter picks up a couple hours after the Epilogue of "Running out of Time," so if you haven't actually read that story, you will be really confused.
Replies to reviews of the Epilogue of "Running out of Time":
To anonymousfriend27: I almost have enough written now to get through February without breaks, further depending on how the next 2 stories go.
To Titanfire999: Glad you enjoyed that one! The "we're not so different" wasn't stated explicitly, but Adrien recognized that throughout the story. Cat Bug Noir, however, didn't have a reason to point that out to him: he wanted to take and use Adrien's ring, not recruit him.
To The Keeper of Worlds and Bananarock509: I will be sure to keep those ideas in mind when (yes, it's a "when") the universes interact again!
"Well, good night, my Prince."
"Good night, Princess," Adrien replied, bending over slightly to place a chaste kiss on Marinette's lips. He could feel her father's eyes on them from across the living room, though M. Dupain was making a big show of focusing on the kitchen where Mme Cheng was getting the next morning's breakfast prepared and studiously ignoring the scene in front of Adrien's bedroom door.
Marinette pulled back quickly, her nose crinkling as she smiled up at him. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," he whispered back, so soft that only she could hear. He smiled at her and sighed.
She raced up the stairs, calling behind her, "I'll see you in the morning!"
Adrien watched her until she was out of sight before stepping back into his room and starting to close the door. Before he'd fully shut the door, however, a massive hand grabbed the edge of the door and M. Dupain stuck his head in. "May I come in, Adrien?"
Adrien gulped nervously. Mme Cheng had spent half the evening fawning over him, and Marinette hadn't left his side since their return from their adventure in an alternate future 2039. M. Dupain, however, had been uncharacteristically silent through the meal, only occasionally glancing across the table to where Marinette had snuggled up to Adrien as closely as their chairs permitted.
"Of course, sir," Adrien said, opening the door and stepping back. M. Dupain followed him into the room, his face absent its usual good humor. Adrien leaned against the dresser nervously while M. Dupain stood a meter away looking at him pensively.
Suddenly, M. Dupain stepped forward. Adrien barely had time to register the movement before he had been pulled into an enormous bear hug. His breath was forced out of his lungs, and he stood frozen, his arms dangling uselessly at his side, for a long minute before he awkwardly reached up and patted M. Dupain on the back.
M. Dupain stepped back and put his hands on Adrien's shoulders, examining his face closely. Adrien tried to meet his gaze as steadily as he could, though he found himself desperately fighting back the urge to blink. At last M. Dupain let his hands drop to his sides and took a step back.
"Thank you," he said, the intensity in his eyes nearly causing Adrien's own to water.
"For what?" Adrien asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"For…" M. Dupain paused and seemed to reconsider his words. "For… respecting Marinette's wishes last week. I know this week has been difficult for you – for both of you, I mean. I'm glad to see you both together again and that you're both in one piece."
Adrien's eyes widened slightly at that, and he could swear M. Dupain's lip twitched the tiniest bit. "Absolutely," he answered hesitantly. He tried to pick his words carefully. "I'll… I'll always… um… respect her. I would never let anyone… disrespect her… sir…"
"I'm glad to hear it, son," M. Dupain told him, smiling, an approving look in his eyes. He patted Adrien on the shoulder, so hard his knees nearly buckled. "16 years now I've… respected my daughter, but I know I can't always be there for her. I'm glad she has you when I can't be there."
"Of course, sir," Adrien promised. "I will always be there for her."
"I know you will." M. Dupain nodded and glanced at the alarm clock on Adrien's nightstand. "Well, it's getting late and it's a school night, so I will leave you to it. Good night, son."
"Good night, sir."
As Adrien closed the door after him, he chuckled ruefully. Plagg phased out of his drawer in Adrien's nightstand, doubled over and laughing silently. "I don't see why you're enjoying this so much," Adrien muttered.
"Kid," he replied, "I've been doing this a long time, and I can't remember the last time I had this much fun with your secrets. Besides, now you can give him my suggestion for camembert macaroons without feeling weird."
"I would still feel weird," Adrien retorted. He made a face. "Besides, that sounds disgusting!"
Plagg's mouth fell open in mock horror. "Why, I've never heard my beloved cheese be so rudely insulted! In fact, the last time someone insulted cheese in my presence, I was visiting Pompeii! Now if you will excuse me, I think I hear a finely-aged cheddar calling my name."
After brushing his teeth and changing into pajamas, Adrien got into bed, turned off the lights, and tried to fall asleep. He could hear a low rumble from his nightstand drawer where Plagg was purring away. Adrien, however, could not calm his mind enough to sleep, despite the nightstand's soothing vibration. He rolled over and over. He stared at the alarm clock, watching the numbers change. He closed his eyes, only to be assaulted by the sight of Marinette lying unmoving in a crumpled heap amidst the wreckage and debris of a destroyed Agreste Mansion. The image changed then to Marinette sitting in a wheelchair and turning away from him, dejected.
Adrien's eyes shot open again and he stared at the ceiling. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he studied the lines in the plaster, allowing them to form into shapes in his sleep-deprived mind. But all of the shapes reminded him of Ladybug's spots, of the future-Marinette who was stabbed in the gut with a magical sword.
After he'd been lying awake in bed for what felt like an hour, Adrien heard a soft tapping on his bedroom door. He immediately turned on the lamp, threw the sheets off, got out of bed, walked over, and pulled it open. He gasped at seeing Marinette standing there in her pajamas, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest and biting her lower lip, a troubled expression on her face.
"Um, hi," she said awkwardly, looking at his feet and carefully avoiding making eye contact.
"What's wrong? You couldn't sleep, either?"
"Yeah…" Marinette sighed and hugged herself tighter. "I just can't stop thinking about–"
"You dying and me going insane with grief?" Adrien supplied. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, holding the door open with the other. "I know; I can't forget it, either. And when it's not that, it's the image of you crumpled up on the ground and not being sure if you're alive or dead."
"I just…" Marinette suddenly threw herself into Adrien's chest, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Adrien felt her whole body shaking, though his shirt muffled the sound of her sobs. Her tears fell hard and fast, soaking through the shirt. He wrapped her up in his own arms, placing one hand on her back and stroking her hair with the other.
"Shh…" he soothed. "It's okay, Princess. I promise, I will never let anything happen to you."
Marinette looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. "I'm not worried for myself," she sobbed. She started panting, eyes wide, and continued. "What if something happened to you? I dreamed that you were the one who got thrown across the room, that you broke your back, and that I couldn't do anything to save you! You are always throwing yourself into danger, always taking the hits for me. What if, one of these times, it's one time too many? What if our luck runs out? What if it's you who gets killed when it should have been me? What if I'm left all alone to go on by myself?"
Adrien guided Marinette over to the bed and sat down. She immediately sat next to him, pulled her legs up onto the bed next to her, and wrapped her arms as tightly around his chest as if she thought he was going to disappear. He pulled her close and rested his cheek on top of her head. As he rubbed her back and kissed her hair, her breathing slowed and panic subsided. "I don't know what will happen," he finally told her. "Being heroes isn't exactly safe! I know that I would do absolutely anything to keep you safe. I know you would do the same. I know if one of us was hurt, the other would keep them safe. I don't want to die on you, but if it had to happen, I realized this summer that I would only want it to happen while I'm protecting you."
Marinette's breathing hitched and she squeezed him so tight it hurt.
Adrien squeezed her back gently and continued, "But I promise you this: I love you enough to die for you, but I also love you enough to live for you, too."
Marinette pulled away from him enough to look into his eyes, poked him in the chest, and said firmly, "I'm holding you to that promise, Cat."
"Of course, Milady," he purred, causing her to blush. His grin melted into a smile. "Is this what you needed? Do you feel better now?"
"I do," she said, easing her death grip on his chest. He grinned and wagged an eyebrow at her, so she punched him in the shoulder, but she made no move to stand up or let go of him. "At least a little. Of course, as nice as the talk was, it's only part of the reason I came down."
"Oh? And why else did you come, Milady? Missing me already?"
Marinette smiled, her cheeks turning pink. "I realized that you weren't awake when I got in your sleeping bag last night," she told him mischievously. "But that really helped me sleep then, and maybe it will help us both again now. So… do you want to remember falling asleep together tonight?"
"What about your parents?"
"We're only sleeping." Marinette glared at him, and he nodded, wide-eyed. "And Tikki will wake us up when Papa's downstairs getting the bakery ready so I can sneak back to my own room. So…"
"Your wish is my command, Milady," Adrien assured her, kissing her on the forehead. "This sounds like a purr-fect way to fall asleep!" He lay back on the bed and gently drew her down next to him before throwing the sheets over them both, wrapping his arms around her, and turning off the lamp.
Even with Tikki's early wake-up, Adrien slept better than he had in a week.