To Lyger 0: We will return to Greece soon enough; for now, here is a follow-up to "Light in the Darkness" that I imagine a lot of readers were hoping to see!
Adrien woke up slowly to the now-familiar feeling of warmth pressed against his side, his arms wrapped around the petite form next to him on the cot. The light filtering through the canvas tent hit his eyes as they opened, causing him to blink, but blearily he looked down at the still-sleeping form of Marinette. His wife. The words still felt so surreal, to apply them to her. They had been sharing a bed for over a year, ever since their return from the other timeline. But now – especially after last night – it felt so different, so much more real. They had been like two halves of the same person for so long… but now that really was the case, and in every sense. He brushed his lips against Marinette's forehead, taking in the scent of her, allowing his eyes to drift closed.
It had been everything he had ever imagined.
Marinette – Ladybug – Marinette – had been his life, his everything for so long, even before he had known who she was. She had dropped into his life in the most sudden and unexpected of ways, the first time he transformed with his miraculous. She had tangled the two of them up in a light pole, stumbled and stuttered, fumbled to figure out her powers, and still somehow defeated that first Akuma. And that girl – that woman – had captured his heart, just as surely as she had captured his body with her yo-yo. From that moment on, it had only been her: the partner who stood up to Hawk Moth fearlessly, the girl in school who so captivated him with her kindness and quiet strength. After the last four years – and especially after the last two – he could safely say that he could never imagine living without her. And now they were one.
Slowly, cautiously, Adrien began tracing his finger up and down Marinette's spine, trying to call to mind every aspect of yesterday's ceremony. Chloe had somehow pulled the whole thing together in only a couple hours, complete with food and even something that passed for a cake – and enough of both to feed the entire refugee camp after the service. The reception celebration had begun in the cleared-out mess tent, but it had quickly spread through the rest of the camp; afterward, on their way to the tent, Sabrina had told them that she hadn't felt such warm and joyful emotions since Christmas. Adrien smiled, his arms tightening around Marinette and eliciting a sleepy hum from her, though his smile faced slightly. So many of those he had wanted to be there – Tom and Sabine, Mom, Tante Amelie, Gorilla – had been absent. With communication cut off to Europe, they couldn't know how many of them were even still alive. If he could have asked for one thing to be different yesterday, that would have been it. And yet, his friends had been there: Nino and Alya and Chloe and the rest. In spite of their losses, in spite of the absence of those they had lost, the other most important people in his life had celebrated with them.
But in the end, Adrien only really needed one person there: the one still sleeping in his arms in the uncomfortable, too-stiff cot.
This wasn't how he had imagined their wedding night – he had already rented them a vacation house along the Riviera for that week – but it had still been incredible. He looked around the small tent they had taken on the edge of Hero Town, letting out a breath. As the party had died down last night, he had lifted Ladybug into his arms in a bridal carry and Rena Rouge had pointed them toward this tent on the far side of the valley, in the shadow of the cliffs surrounding the camp. He had carried Ladybug across the camp and into the tent to find it strewn with flower petals, glass jars of fireflies set in the corners of the tent and hanging from the A-frame's central pole. Ladybug had de-transformed first, as he lay her gently down on the cot.
Adrien sighed quietly. The cot was firm and stiff, just barely long enough for him. The blanket wasn't the most comfortable. But for all that, it was theirs. And with Marinette next to him, it was perfect.
For as nice as it had been staying in the Temple, they had both agreed that Julia and Vida needed a little more space. And that they didn't want to listen to the baby cry on their wedding night. And especially that they didn't want to wake the baby on their wedding night! So they were now in a tent and out of the temple. And based on the quiet voices he could hear outside, Alya and Nino were in the tent on one side, while Chloe and Sabrina were in the tent on the other side. He shook his head in amusement: after the last couple weeks, there were worse ways they could have spent their wedding night than near friends.
As Adrien continued running his finger up and down Marinette's arm, she stirred, tightening her grip on his chest, and let out a contented sigh. Adrien held his breath, watching her face carefully, but she didn't wake.
"You know, if you keep staring at her with that same dopey grin, your face is going to stick that way, kid."
Adrien looked up at Plagg, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Meow would that be such a bad thing?"
Plagg made a face. "I suppose not," the Kwami allowed. He smirked. "That might make the fights go a lot faster: the criminals will take one look at you and fall over laughing their tails off!"
"Purr-haps I'm just happy," Adrien retorted, his smile widening.
Plagg scoffed. "Are you sure? I think there might be an undiscovered tribe in the Amazon that doesn't know yet!" Adrien rolled his eyes. Plagg shook his head, his smirk shifting into a contented smile. "I'm happy for you, kid. You deserve to be happy – you both do." His eyes widened. "Just–just don't tell Tikki…"
"Too late." Tikki's voice emanated from the vicinity of Marinette's shirt, which lay crumpled on the ground by her shoes. Her head poked out of the pile of clothing, and she grinned. "But I already knew you had a soft streak, you Mangy Cat."
Plagg gave her a halfhearted glare. "I need to stop hanging out around you, Saccharine," he retorted. "Maybe I should spend time around Trixx more often; he at least enjoys a good pun!"
"It's adorable that you think your puns are 'good.'"
Adrien cocked his head. "So is that where you disappeared to last night?" he asked Plagg.
Plagg nodded. "We went to find a few of the others – Trixx and Wayzz needed someone to commiserate with," he added, smirking.
Tikki gave Plagg a dirty look. "You needed your privacy," she told Adrien primly.
"Which we both appreciated."
"You're welcome for that, by the way," Plagg interjected, quirking an eyebrow at Tikki. "If she'd had her way, she would have stayed the whole time. She finds her bugs' personal lives so exciting…" He groaned. "Not me. It's the same way every time one of my holders gets married: suddenly they're all lovey-dovey and making goo-goo eyes at each other and…" He made a face. "I'm happy for you… but there's no way I'd actually stick around for it!"
Adrien flushed, his arm around Marinette's shoulders tightening reflexively. She hummed, her eyes blinking open slowly as she started to sit up in bed. Adrien's breath caught in his throat as Marinette propped herself up, giving the Kwamis a quick glance before her gaze focused in on Adrien's face. She gave him a warm smile before wrapping her arms around his neck and sighing in contentment, kissing his cheek as she did so.
"And will you look at that?" Plagg observed, grabbing Tikki's arm. "That's our cue to ditch out."
"But–" Tikki protested.
"Let's see if Trixx and Wayzz are interested in breakfast," Plagg cut her off, dragging her back through the tent wall.
Marinette followed the two Kwamis with her eyes as they left, cocking her head to one side, before turning to face Adrien. She hummed on finding him staring at her, tightening her arms around his chest. "Good morning," she whispered, resting her cheek against his chest.
Adrien slid his hand up into her loose hair before pressing a kiss to her lips. "Good morning, Mme Agreste."
AN: Tomorrow look for the next story in "The Colossus Saga": "Brightest Days."