Hey guys! I know I said I most likely wouldn't get to post again until June, but here I am! Surprise! I got an unexpected day off and had some time on the weekends to crank this bad boy out. And somehow, it became one of my longest chapters. Go figure. However, as soon as I post this, I am going to crack down on my online classes. So, it definitely be a few months before the next chapter is out.
I have to thank the wonderful Happgorl from Wattpad for helping me design the akuma in this chapter. Not only did she provide the awesome sketches, but the name and entire design was her idea. I'm terrible at thinking up akumas, so thank you! She even helped to beta read this chapter and brainstormed the rest of this story with me. What a gal!
I would also like to thank my other beta reader, gamechanger321 on Wattpad. I threw this ridiculously long chapter at her a few days ago, and she pulled through. One of these days, I will figure out the correct punctuation for the dialogue. Haha!
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. This is my first attempt at writing an akuma fight.
..._...
This wasn't the first time Adrien had been met with the unfortunate duty of having to buy feminine products, and he was certain that it wouldn't be the last. Regardless of that fact, and the whole volunteering himself to do this, he still hated every second of this monotonous task.
He internally groaned, looking at the voluminous options in front of him. It wasn't that he necessarily disliked the act of buying something so personal for his wife - he was a man, he could handle a few strange looks in the checkout line. No, the ever-present problem he always faced in this situation was the fact that he never knew what on earth he was supposed to buy.
No matter how many times he studied her packages at home, swearing he would be able to pick them out next time, it didn't matter. The designs were constantly changing, and Adrien had a growing suspicion that the product designers were not-so-secretly laughing at how many men they'd managed to dupe this time.
"Can I help you?"
Adrien jumped at the sudden voice, turning to find a teenage girl standing much closer than he would have liked. With her high, brown ponytail and tiny figure, she looked hardly old enough to be in high school, let alone an employee of this store. Yet here she was: blue vest, nametag, and all, standing there with a smile on her face, ready to give him advice.
This was always the worst part, and Adrien mentally kicked himself for taking so long to decide what to buy.
"Yes," he replied in the manliest tone he could muster - thankful for the fact he had stopped modeling a long time ago and didn't have to worry about this teenager recognizing him as someone famous. "My wife gave all of her monthly products to a friend, because - er," he scratched the back of his neck. "Well, she didn't need them for a while and…"
"Oh my! Congratulations!" The girl excitedly bounced up and down. "Was it a girl or a boy?"
"What?" Adrien blinked, not sure what the girl could be so amped up about. "My wife gave them to a girl." He paused. "Wait. Why does that even matter?"
And why had she congratulated him?
"I'm not talking about her friend." She grinned as she tried to still herself. "But fine. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't press the matter. I can already tell by looking at you, that your wife must be one proud mother."
Adrien froze, only able to watch as Sherry - the name he had read on her tag - giddily turned on her heels and grabbed a few boxes off the shelf.
"Here." She shoved them into his arms. "This should last for a few months."
As she started to walk away, she turned to look back over her shoulder, "And here's a little advice. Don't just focus on taking care of your wife and little one. Get some sleep. It looks like you could use some rest."
..._…
Adrien walked out of the store, a blast of warm air rushing at him as he gripped the rough handles of the plastic bag tightly in his hand. That had been a disaster. That Sherry hadn't even allowed him to get a word in. Marinette had not given birth and he wasn't lacking sleep because of a baby in his house!
Sure, she had been right about him looking tired. Heck. He was exhausted! It had been what, one o'clock when he had carried Marinette upstairs and stupidly fallen asleep right beside her? He had just meant to relax for a moment - to slightly rest his eyes. But nope! Sleep had such a funny way of taunting him, making him fall under immediately, plaguing him with restless nightmares the entire night.
He walked up to his car, opening the passenger door and placing the bag inside. Closing the door, he turned, leaning his back against the car and drooping his head.
If it wouldn't have been for that stupid phone conversation, then maybe he would have gotten some rest.
He sighed, tousling his hair with his hand.
Marinette had said something big was about to happen, and he had felt uneasy ever since. Whatever was coming, it had been important enough for future him to tell her that everything must remain the same.
It must be something good. He had told himself after their conversation had ended. Why else would he not want anything to change?
But when he closed his eyes, those slight twinges of doubt he had buried deep inside maliciously grew, bringing themselves to the forefront of his mind. And by the time he had fully awoke - when Marinette slammed the bathroom door - he knew that regardless of what good may come from this event, there was surely something at least as terribly bad on its way.
Nothing joyous in his life ever came without a price, and he was sure it wouldn't be any different this time.
Even marrying Marinette had cost him his relationship with his father. He had become too complacent, thinking the next few months would pass without some kind of sick, cruel demand from his life.
Soon.
That was what Marinette had said.
But was he really ready to fight?
Adrien straightened, the keys jingling in his fingers as he stepped around the car. He needed to get back to Marinette.
Screams of citizens erupted from down the street just as Adrien grabbed the handle to his door.
He froze, wishing he really hadn't just jinxed this moment.
Plagg zoomed out of his pocket. "I really was trying to give you some space after all that." He grimaced, motioning his hands towards the store. "But it sounds like my presence is needed."
"Thanks Plagg." Adrien dropped his hand, knowing the situation in the store must have been really bad for even Plagg to resist mocking him. "Let's find a place to transform."
..._…
Following the direction where the screams were the loudest, Adrien quickly found his target.
The akuma stood in the middle of the plaza directly in front of the Louvre, waving a tan sabre and shouting something that Adrien wasn't quite close enough to hear. He was wearing a sandy colored one-piece suit that resolved into tan in the middle and black along his sides. On his back was a tan fin with a black tip and his hair was colored and pointed in the same fashion. His mask was the same sand color as his suit, with black underlining his eyes.
"Welcome to the show, Chat Noir!" The villain bowed deeply to Adrien as soon as Adrien's feet touched the ground in front of him. "Finally, a worthy opponent has arrived."
"At your service." Adrien bowed in reply. He smirked, glancing mischievously into the villain's eyes - truly looking at his features for the first time.
He gasped.
It wasn't unusual for Adrien to recognize the person akumatized. But this time... this time he really wished he wasn't right.
"Jeffrey?" he asked, taking a step towards the villain.
"I'm Black Tip now!" the villain curtly responded, pointing his sabre directly towards Adrien. "I'm no longer that weak boy!"
"What happened to you?" Adrien slowly placed his hand on his baton as he cautiously advanced.
Black Tip firmly gripped his pommel. "It doesn't matter, Cat-breath, now fight!" He lunged forward, swiping the sword at Adrien's neck.
Adrien quickly parried his attack, treating his baton more like a sabre out of reflex.
"Oh, I see you've got some skills," Black Tip sneered, "but nothing you do will be enough to win."
"Is that right?" Adrien thrust forward, sliding beneath his opponent's sword and slashing at him from behind.
But before his baton could make contact, Black Tip evaded his attack, ducking under Adrien's strike.
Adrien blinked, recognizing the move he had just completed as the villain seemingly vanished from his vision.
But he knew.
There was only one place Black Tip could have gone.
And Adrien was defenseless, lacking the speed he needed in order to save himself as Black Tip inevitably attacked from behind.
"No you don't!"
The melodious sound of Ladybug's yo-yo sliced through the air behind Adrien completely severing all sense of hopelessness.
He turned sharply, catching a glimpse of Black Tip's sabre as it flew directly into Ladybug's arms.
"Good luck fighting without this!" she shouted, parading her loot from a seemingly safe distance.
Great job, Marinette. Adrien smiled at her little dance. It really was surreal seeing the younger Ladybug in action again.
"Ladybug." Black Tip's growl quickly turned Adrien's focus back on the villain. "It's an honor." The akuma falsely smiled, half bowing, his eyes never once leaving Ladybug. "I knew you wouldn't be gone for long."
Adrien's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't told Marinette about the future Ladybug's prolonged absence yet.
"What are you talking-"
"Your fight is with me," Adrien snapped as he leaped towards the villain.
Once again, Black Tip vanished only to appear a second later at Ladybug's side.
"Oh really, Chat Noir," Black Tip sneered as he forcefully snatched his sabre from her hands, aiming it just inches away from her chest. "Looks like I've caught the bug. Monarch will be pleased; she wasn't expecting me to so easily find the Ladybug miraculous."
"Monarch?" Ladybug threw a questioning glance towards Adrien.
He shrugged his shoulders, placing the baton back in his belt as he crept forward, trying to sneak towards the distracted villain. Monarch wasn't a name he had heard before either, but he would allow Marinette to be the one to ask the questions.
"That's right," Black Tip chuckled, taking a step towards Marinette and resting his sword against her chest. "You two wouldn't know about my master yet, seeing as how I am her first villain."
Bile burned against Adrien's throat at seeing Marinette in such a vulnerable position. He wanted to run, to quickly strike down his opponent. But he knew he had to be patient. Black Tip was fast. And so far, he hadn't taken his focus off Ladybug enough to notice Adrien's change in location. If Adrien had any chance of beating him, he would have to catch him off guard, regardless of his Lady's current situation.
She can handle herself. Adrien silently inhaled, trying to slow his heartbeat.
"So Hawkmoth finally retired." Ladybug smirked, buying a few more seconds for Adrien. "It's about time. I'm honestly surprised he lasted this long." She placed her hands on her hips, unphased by the sabre at all. "I wonder what sort of sick, twisted woman he tricked into taking up his mantle. Is she really the one in charge? Or is he still the mastermind calling all the shots?"
Adrien stifled a laugh. He was only a few steps away now, and he really could not afford to make any sound at this distance. All he had to do was close the gap and call out his cataclysm quickly enough for him to destroy the akumatized item. He could do this.
"Hawkmoth is gone," Black tip scoffed, his voice suddenly sounding more menacing. Adrien knew from experience that now, it wasn't really the villain speaking. Even with Black Tip's back towards him, Adrien could still distinctly make out the butterfly shape covering the villain's eyes. His voice was no longer his own; this was Monarch speaking. "He threw his miraculous out!"
Adrien took another step forward as Black Tip crossed his arms. "But thankfully, I had already figured out his identity and was following him at the time. He practically gave me the miraculous."
"Thanks for the monologue," Ladybug crossed her own arms, resting them directly beneath the sabre, "but I don't really care how you got your miraculous. All that matters is that I am going to defeat your villain and then come after you next."
Adrien's pulse quickened. He knew Marinette was stalling - he only had a few more steps - but did she really need to be provoking the new holder of the butterfly miraculous? They didn't even know anything about this unfamiliar villain or how dangerous she was yet.
He shook his head, trying to not think about this new, troubling information. They had been fighting Hawkmoth for twelve years. Never once had he shown any signs of giving in. But suddenly he just threw out his miraculous?
None of this made sense.
Hawkmoth was gone?
Just like that, he had vanished?
No.
Adrien took another step forward. He couldn't think about this right now. His main focus had to be in defeating this villain.
Jeffrey.
His heart sunk, remembering that Black Tip was his fencing student. What had happened to him? What could have been so bad that had caused him to turn into a villain?
Focus, Adrien! He shook his head again. One more step. That's all it would take.
"CATACLYSM!" He shouted, darting around Black Tip and reaching for his sword.
But he had been too slow. Before he could make contact, the villain had already vanished.
Adrien stumbled forward, the momentum of his attack causing him to fall directly into Marinette's arms - thankful that his hand had been pointed in the other direction, his cataclysm barely missing her as he fell.
"Hi Kitty." She smiled, pushing against his chest, setting him back on balance. "This guy's fast. How are we going to beat him?"
"You're asking me?" Adrien pointed his index finger at his own chest, dispelling the cataclysm in his other hand. That's a first.
"Well you do have eight more years of experience," she smirked, flicking his bell, making his stomach flip at her flirtatiousness. She looked down at his right hand. "Why did you get rid of your cataclysm? Now you won't be able to use it."
Adrien smirked, if she could get away with some playful banter, so could he. "Don't worry about that, m'Lady," he bopped her nose with the finger that had been against his chest. "This cat has learned some new tricks."
"Are you two lovebirds forgetting something?" Black Tip sung, once again using his own voice, just a few feet behind them. "It's pretty obvious you can't catch me, so be good little vermin and hand over your miraculous!"
"So what do you think his power is?" Marinette whispered, turning to face the villain. "You know, besides weilding a sabre."
Adrien thought about it for a moment, reaching his hand towards his baton. "Earlier, he perfectly copied the move I tried to hit him with - only he was much faster. Maybe his power is some sort of mimicry."
"That could be dangerous," Marinette frowned, beginning to spin her yo-yo. "He's already seen your cataclysm. Do you think he can copy powers?"
"I doubt it," Adrien firmly spoke, extending his baton and taking a step towards the villain. "If he could, I think he would have already used it."
Black Tip readied his weapon. "So, I take it your not planning on giving up?" He smiled. "Good. I was in need of some practice. Maybe you won't let me down, unlike my so-called teacher, Adrien."
Adrien froze, a lump forming in the back of his throat. So that was what all of this was about? Adrien had been the cause of this poor boy's akumatization?
He felt Marinette's hand on his shoulder, her yo-yo slowing its momentum. He hadn't yet told her that this villain was his student.
"I'm sure this Adrien," Marinette squeezed his shoulder, kindly speaking up for him, "must have had a good reason-"
"He promised!" Black Tip shouted, lowering his sabre and his gaze, his shoulders shaking with his raw, pent-up emotion. "He promised me he would teach me his special move before my competition. But he lied." Black Tip clenched his fists, gripping the sabre even tighter. "Because of him," he growled, "I lost the competition and didn't get the money I needed."
"You never told m- Adrien you needed money," Adrien softly spoke, slowly lowering his baton and placing it on the ground. Standing back up he added, "What happened?"
"Loan sharks," Black Tip snapped, tensing his shoulders. "They came looking for my dad, but when they couldn't find him -or the money- they decided to beat me up instead."
"What are you doing?" Marinette whispered from behind Adrien's shoulder. "Why did you put your baton down?"
Adrien strung his fingers through his hair, sighing, "We can't beat him like this. He'll just copy or evade any of our advances. Just trust me, Bugaboo. This is the only way we can win."
Taking the hint, Marinette gingerly bent forward, placing her weapon directly next to Adrien's.
"But no more," Black Tip gathered his composure, lifting his sabre, once again, to a fighting position. "They were the first ones I took down with my new powers. It will be a while before they wake up, I imagine." He smirked, vanishing from sight, only to reappear, frozen with his sword inches away from Adrien.
Adrien grinned, knowing the villain had finally noticed he and his Lady had laid down their weapons. It was just as he had thought. Jeffery wouldn't attack an unarmed opponent.
"So you've given up," the akuma snarled, lowering his own weapon. "Wise choice, even though I'm slightly disappointed." He sighed. "I'll be taking your miraculous then."
The sun glinted off something on Black Tip's chest. Adrien squinted, instantly recognizing the shark tooth necklace. It had been a gift from Jeffrey's dad. Well, it hadn't always been a shark tooth, but Adrien just knew what this object once had been - and what it had meant to his student.
"As you wish," Adrien bowed his head, raising his right, ringed, hand towards the villain.
Just as Black Tip was about to take Adrien's miraculous, Adrien shouted, "Cataclysm!" lurching forward and grabbing the villain's necklace instead.
The tooth and chain crumbled in his fingertips, leaving a fluttering sensation in his palm. "For you, M'Lady," he said, turning towards a blushing Marinette and transferring the akuma into her hand.
He set his attention back on Jeffrey, who now sat crumpled on the ground, his head buried in his hands.
"It's going to be okay." Adrien leaned down, grabbing Jeffrey's arm to help him stand. He could hear Marinette purifying the akuma off in the distance. "I know you're upset about what happened, but I promise Adrien will come to help you as soon as he finds out about this."
"Lucky Charm!" Adrien heard Marinette call out behind him. Of course she would have to do that; she couldn't use her Miraculous Ladybug without the Lucky Charm. He snickered to himself, proud of his accomplishment- it wasn't often they beat a villain without having to use it.
"You're right." Jeffrey dusted off his pants as Adrien let go of his arm. "I should have never doubted Adrien."
"Now, that's the spirit!" Adrien smiled, smacking his hand playfully against Jeffrey's back. "Let me just take you home, then I'll go explain the situation to Adrien."
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
Swirls of pink and red ladybugs danced and twirled, one surrounding the ashes of Jeffrey's necklace in Adrien's hand as the others rushed off into the distance.
"Please don't tell Adrien about this," Jeffrey pleaded, averting his gaze to the ground, crossing one arm against his torso and squeezing his other elbow. "He'll just think less of me, and I really don't want-"
"He won't think less of you." Adrien leaned forward gently clasping the gold chain around Jeffrey's neck. "He's your teacher. He loves you, no matter your current financial situation."
"You really think so?" Jeffrey looked into his eyes, filling Adrien with all of his hopes - his sadness.
Adrien nodded. "Come on kid," he barely managed to say, fighting the tears that were trying to form in his eyes. "Let's get you home."
"Chat," Ladybug called softly from behind him, her voice sounding shaky and uneven.
Adrien's heart clenched at her tone as he turned, seeing her face shining a bright red.
"I need your help." She looked to the ground, embarrassed.
"It's okay, Chat Noir." Jeffrey patted his shoulder. "I can get home just fine on my own. It looks like Ladybug needs you way more."
Adrien slowly swallowed. "Right," he said, walking towards Marinette. "Ladybug, what's wrong?"
She bit her lips, her cheeks somehow turning even more crimson. "Not here," she whispered. "I'll tell you when we're alone."
"Thanks for saving me." Jeffrey's voice chirruped from where Adrien had left him. "I'll be heading out now."
"Get home safe," Marinette bellowed, exuding an all-too-obvious false confidence, whilst grabbing Adrien's arm and pulling him in the opposite direction. "Sorry we couldn't see you home."
Adrien's feet dragged a moment until he could regain his balance, steadying himself to match Marinette's quickened pace. His heart beat wildly in his chest. Marinette had never acted like this.
She turned, leading him down a secluded alleyway, checking to make sure no one had seen them go in.
"W-What's going on?" He huffed when they finally stopped. They were standing at a dead end, wedged between three brick buildings with no windows or doors near them. Adrien was familiar with this particular location. He and Ladybug often chose it as a secluded place for their transformations.
"I'm an idiot," she covered her face with her hands, "and I don't have time to make it home before my miraculous runs out."
"So?" Adrien soothingly rubbed her head. "That happens all the time. Just transform now. It will be fine."
Marinette peeked through her fingers, like a child trying to decide whether or not to trust a stranger for the first time.
His heart fluttered.
So cute! His mind screamed, as he willingly stopped himself from just sweeping her into his arms and lovingly peeling her hands away from her eyes.
"What is always true about the state of our transformation?" Marinette matter-of-factly asked, her miraculous beeping to remind them of the immediateness of her situation.
At this point she had what, three, no two minutes left?
Adrien pondered, trying to think of how to best answer her question. "Umm, I don't know," he faltered. "We always go back to how we were before we activated our miraculous. Is that what you're getting at?"
Marinette nodded.
"Oh." Adrien moved his hands to her shoulders. "Does this have to do with your period? I'm sorry, I haven't been able to get your supplies to you yet."
Marinette closed her fingers again. "That has something to do with it." Her voice was muffled.
"I'm so sorry." Adrien reflexively wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a tight embrace. "Is there something I can do? Do you want me to run to the closest store again?"
Marinette took a deep breath. "I need your miraculous." she lowered her hands, pushing against his chest so she could look up at him.
Adrien blinked, trying to think how on earth Plagg could help with her situation.
"It was my Lucky Charm," she chewed at her lip. "It was what reminded me of my problem."
Adrien raised his brow, his curiosity piqued. "And just what was this mysterious item?"
Marinette's face flushed once again as she cleared her throat.
"I'm waiting." He tapped his fingers against her back, only feeling slightly guilty at pushing her buttons.
Aiming her gaze towards Adrien's chest, Marinette whispered, "A towel."
Adrien dropped his arms, only now realizing how close he had accidentally gotten. It didn't take a genius to pick up on the gist of that Lucky Charm's insinuation. He backed away from Marinette, turning away so she could not see how flushed his own face had suddenly gotten.
Her miraculous beeped again. One more minute.
"That's why I need your-"
"Plagg, claws in." His voice shook as he was surrounded by a flash of green. Plagg appeared in front of him, looking disgruntled as he stared at the brick buildings around them.
"This isn't home," Plagg whined, crossing his arms. "What's the deal, Adrien?"
"Not now," Adrien curtly responded, reaching into his pocket, grabbing a chunk of cheese and shoving in his kwami's mouth. "Eat."
Plagg easily obliged, swallowing the smelly morsel in one, seamless bite.
"Now, here's what's going to happen," Adrien quickly spoke. "You are going to close your eyes, and I am going to give Marinette your miraculous."
"Why?" Plagg glanced over Adrien's shoulder towards Marintte. "I don't really want to be a part of some sort of new switching miraculous fetish."
Adrien's ears burned, his blood boiling at the audacity of Plagg's statement.
"Please, Plagg," Marinette cooed softly. "You're the only one who can help. I don't have any cookies for Tikki and-"
"Okay." Plagg darted past Adrien, towards the girl behind him. "Anything for you, Marinette."
"Hey!" Adrien snapped, refusing to turn his head in Marinette's direction.
"What?" Plagg sung, mockingly. "She asked nicely. You should really try it sometime."
Adrien let out an exasperated sigh. Plagg always had taken a preference to Marinette. It really wasn't fair at times.
"Thank you, Plagg."
She paused.
"You know, I really wish I could have seen your face," Marinette casually added, obviously aiming this statement towards Adrien.
"What?" He crossed his arms, forcing himself not to turn around to look at her facial expression.
"When you transformed," she answered. "It was my first time seeing it. I wish I could have seen something besides your back. It really was magnificent."
"I'm sorry," Adrien breathed, remembering the first time he had seen Ladybug turn back into Marinette. That had been one of the most magical, beautiful moments in his entire life, and he felt terrible that Marinette had only gotten to see his backside. "I'm sure it will be a lot more special for you next time."
He fumbled with the ring on his finger as her miraculous beeped its final warning. "Plagg, close your eyes," he demanded.
The walls around him flashed pink, and Adrien hurriedly shut his eyes. He backed up, hoping to better shield Marinette if someone were to come around the corner. He took his ring off, shuddering at the thought of Marinette standing naked behind him.
It really was ironic, he lamented. If this had happened any other time. If this had just happened with his wife, then he could have enjoyed this moment, basking in her glorious and beautiful presence.
But no.
This just had to happen now - with a seventeen year old virgin, taunting his wildest fantasies, and making him question what he had done in order to deserve this cruel, messed up life.
"Marinette!" Adrien suddenly heard Tikki squeak.
"I know, Tikki," Marinette glumly responded, making Adrien's heart jitter at the sound of her voice. "Sometimes I can be really stupid."
Adrien squeezed the ring in the palm of his hand, trying not to imagine the exquisite figure standing right behind him. It burned in his grasp, as if the ring itself longed to get away from him - to fulfill its duty of clothing Marinette.
He shuddered, running his free hand violently through his hair.
"Marinette, you really know how to torture a man," he unwittingly uttured, trying to control his short, uneven breaths.
"Adrien," she compassionately spoke. Then, changing her tone, she added, "Just hurry up and give me your miraculous."
"And now you're starting to sound like a villain." he pouted, reaching his arm and the ring, awkwardly behind him. "Plagg, make sure to keep your eyes closed when she transforms back and quickly fly out of the room, okay?"
"Yes, master." Plagg's voice oozed with sarcasm at the latter word.
Marinette gently took the ring from Adrien's hand, somehow managing to grab it without touching his skin - which was quite a relief to Adrien.
"Here," she blurted as two, small objects landed in his palm. "I can't leave you without a miraculous. Once Tikki can get some cookies, she'll be good to go again."
Adrien nodded, closing his fingers around the earrings, knowing it would be useless to protest. It would be foolish for one of them to not have a miraculous. And even with Tikki being out of power, wearing both the cat and ladybug miraculous could be dangerous.
"Okay," Marinette said. Taking in an audible, deep breath. "Here goes. Plagg, CLAWS OUT!"
Adrien could see the flash of green light through his closed eyelids. Knowing it was now safe, he opened his eyes, hurriedly inserting the earrings into his ears.
"You look so cute!" Tikki giddily shouted. "I love your cat ears!"
Adrien slowly turned around, his breath hitching and heart accelerating as his eyes rested on Marinette.
Cute. He thought, referring back to what Tikki had said, his jaw nearly dropping as he took in Marinette's appearance. Well, that's one word for it...
This wasn't the first time Adrien had seen Marinette using his miraculous, they had once been forced to fight with their miraculouses switched. But that time, he had been too focused on beating the akuma to truly appreciate her image - not that it would have helped. This time, things were completely different.
Not only was Marinette three years older than she had been the last time - a fact that allowed her curves, her more womanly body to perfectly fill the suit - but this time, this time Adrien knew that the girl wearing his miraculous would one day be his wife.
Maybe Plagg was right. He shook his head, trying to force himself to keep a clean mind.
But he was about to go crazy. What with her darkened, long braided hair and her glowing green eyes. They should definitely avoid doing this in the future, because if that had been his Marinette standing in front of him, he would have gathered her in his arms and kissed her senseless until the end of time.
Would they ever be able to defeat an akuma like that again?
Yea. Right.
"Are you okay?" Marinette stepped forward, placing her hand on Adrien's shoulder.
He flinched, recoiling from her touch as his heart was sent into overdrive.
"Aww, is the little kitty struggling with seeing Lady Noire again?" She pouted, playfully tickling underneath his chin, causing him to breath in her sweet, intoxicating scent.
"Stop that!" He jumped back, assuming an overly dramatic defensive position.
"Pft," she chuckled, hunching her shoulders and touching her fist to the bottom of her nose.
Adrien could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. She was mocking him! This young, supposedly innocent Marinette, was enjoying seeing him suffer at looking upon her visage.
Not much has changed. He thought, remembering all-to-well how he had been treated by the Marinette of the future.
"You're too cruel." He straightened, somewhat regaining his composure. "If you don't stop laughing like that, I can't promise I'll continue to keep my paws to myself."
"Too bad I currently have your paws, then," she sung as a tear literally slid, joyously, from her eye.
"Oh really?" Adrien raised a single eyebrow, crossing his arms.
This was getting dangerous.
"Would you like to bet on that statement?" He smirked, unable to contain the voracious creature stirring within him.
Marinette crouched, pulling out her baton, extending it horizontally in front of her.
"Absolutely." she winked. "Right now I'm the only one with powers."
Adrien's jaw unwittingly dropped. Was this girl seriously not the Marinette of the future? Maybe this coquettish attitude had something to do with the effects of the cat miraculous, but the longings of Adrien's body were having a really hard time succumbing to the truths - now swirling, jumbled and twisted - within the depths of his mind.
He lunged forward, yearningly, only to find Marinette vaulting over his head.
"Now, now kitty," she smugly cooed, flicking her braid over her shoulder. "Don't forget, you promised to help Jeffrey this evening."
"But-" Adrien began, his heart racing as every limb in his body buzzed with exhilaration.
He and Marinette had often played a similar, provocative game of catch. Every fiber of his being was tingling, craving for him to finish that game right now.
But he couldn't.
He had to stop himself.
"Okay," he whined, pining after Marinette as she stood, one hand on her hip and one leg crossed, leaning against her baton.
Stop it, Agreste! He looked to the ground, hating himself for his lack of self-restraint. It really would be best if he kept himself away from that house.
"I might be gone all evening." He scraped his foot against the pavement. "And I didn't even get the chance to take the products I bought back to the house."
"I'll take them to her!" Tikki unexpectedly chimed in.
Adrien darted his attention to the familiar creature as she fluttered to him, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. The little Kwami had been quiet during this entire, awkward encounter, and Adrien suddenly felt sorry for Tikki having to see her charge using another miraculous. They were both equally at a loss at how to respond to this odd situation.
"Okay." Adrien winked towards Tikki. "We can drive to Jeffrey's house together. Then you can take the bag over to Marinette. Don't worry, I'll draw you a map so you don't get lost."
Tikki smiled. "Thanks, Adrien!"
"Now that that's settled," Marinette interjected, "I guess that's my queue to go."
Adrien blinked, looking her direction, unable to get a response passed his suddenly clenched throat.
"Take care of Jeffrey," she commanded, lengthening the baton and soaring into the sky. She gracefully landed on the nearby roof, glancing back only long enough to shout, "I'll see you later Chaton."
He exhaled, relief spreading as a cleansing wave through his entire body.
The temptress was finally gone.
"Well, that was certainly interesting." Tikki plopped onto Adrien's shoulder. "I've never seen Marinette act like that before."
"I have." Adrien closed his eyes, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart down. "You and Plagg usually decide that's the time for you to skedaddle when she starts up that act."
Thank God Marinette would be returning from Milan tomorrow. He didn't know if his self-control could last one more day with only this younger, yet still mischievous, version of his wife running around.
"I see," Tikki squeaked. "I think I'll have a talk with her when we all get home."
Adrien could feel the heat rising to his face once again at the thought of that conversation.
"You do that," he coughed, opening his eyes to see the empty alleyway in front of him. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yep!" she sung, scurrying into his shirt pocket.
Adrien smiled. It would be refreshing having Tikki with him for a while. If Plagg had seen what Adrien had done just now, he would certainly be giving him hell.
He boldly took a step forward. Tikki was just what he needed right now. His smile widened.
Tomorrow his wife would be home.
..._...
Please let me know what you guys think in the comments. I love your feedback and I often take your advice!
