whoops didnt think this was gonna take me a month to post LOL

hopefully it was worth the wait!

Chapter Forty

At some point, they decided they ought to rejoin the party, lest their absence ignite too many salacious rumours about what they were up to.

Adrien pressed her back against the door, his lips slanting over hers as he kissed her deeply. Marinette reacted instinctively, her mouth opening to allow him entrance. Adrien groaned in response.

Regardless of whether some of the rumours might be true…

Eventually, her hand closed around the doorknob, and they spilled out into the brightness of the hallway. Squinting at the sudden and quite violent change in lighting, Marinette blinked several times to clear her vision.

When it finally did, she collapsed into giggles at the sight before her.

"Your shirt is buttoned up wrong," she told Adrien, smirking as she took in the state of him. His pretty blonde hair was now irreparably mussed, his formerly crisp white shirt wrinkled and done up in a way that wouldn't have fooled even the most oblivious of observers.

"Honestly," she huffed, running a hand down his front as she quickly fixed his buttons. "Can't have you running around all sexily disheveled. Think of the children." Marinette straightened his collar, pressing a quick kiss to his chest—in the area right over his heart—once she was done.

It really was true though. Adrien was so hot he could make just about anything look attractive.

Including, she noted with some annoyance, the look of insufferable smugness he wore as he eyed her in return.

Marinette sobered immediately, glancing down with trepidation.

Oh dear, she thought, finding herself in a similar state of disarray. Guess he's not the only one who looks like they've been thoroughly and quite enthusiastically ravished. Her cheeks grew hot.

Adrien reached over to pull up the strap of her dress, the tenderness of his touch completely at odds with the way he was leering at her. "You were saying?"

Smoothing a hand over her hair, Marinette stuck her tongue out at him even as she laced their fingers together.

"Oh, shut it, you."

They made their way downstairs side by side, ignoring the odd looks being thrown their way.

The speculation was understandable. After all, it wasn't every day that supermodel Adrien Agreste was seen walking hand in hand with a girl whose idea of appropriate party attire involved accessorizing a cute sundress with a life preserver.

"Do you want something to drink?" Adrien asked once they'd reached the main area of the house.

"That would be great, thanks," she smiled up at him. "I'll have a vodka cran on the rocks. Hold the vodka, light on the rocks."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "One cranberry juice, coming right up."

Feeling love drunk and more than a little bit giddy, Marinette decided to give in to her cheeky impulses and blew him a kiss as he walked away—figuring Adrien would either laugh it off or maybe, if she was lucky, blush that very becoming shade of pink she was growing so fond of.

To her surprise, however, instead of either of those options, Adrien reached up in full view of everyone at the party and pretended to catch the kiss in his hand, making a big show of folding it up and tucking it in his shirt pocket alongside the flower he had already stored in the place of honour there.

"Dork," she laughed to herself, making her way toward the dining room. It was less crowded in there, and—most importantly of all—quieter, which made it the ideal place to wait. Fishing her phone out of her dress pocket, Marinette checked to see if she had any messages.

Only to remember, when the screen remained black, that it was still switched off.

"Whoops," she mumbled, quickly turning it on. Hopefully no one had been trying to reach her.

The screen hadn't been lit for more than a minute before the phone was ringing, the vibration startling her enough that she dropped it, sending it skittering across the smooth marble floor toward the balcony doors.

"GAH!" She jumped about a foot in the air, pressing a hand to her chest and glaring daggers at the blasted device where it lay still buzzing on the ground. "Damn thing…" She shook a fist at it.

Then, upon realizing that someone was trying to reach her and she should probably answer, Marinette went scrambling after it, just managing to catch the call on the last ring.

"Hello?"

"Oh my god, Marinette!" Alya's worried voice filled her ear. "I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you! I only just got your message. One of the demon spawn I was babysitting thought it would be really fun to see what would happen if they dropped my phone in the bathtub. Brat..." She let out a menacing growl. Marinette could almost imagine her hands flexing into claws as she faced down a herd of rabid eight-year-olds.

"Anyway, long story short, my phone has been sitting in a bag of rice ever since, which thankfully seems to have done the trick seeing that it has decided to rejoin the land of the living... BUT that is neither here nor there!" Alya quickly switched tracks, intent on getting back to the matter at hand. "What happened, are you alright?"

Marinette met Adrien's eye as he entered the room, a recently acquired drink in each of his hands.

He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling adorably. The corners of her own lips twitched up in response.

God, it should be criminal to be that cute.

"Yeah, I am," she answered, truly meaning the words as she spoke them. "In fact, I've never been better."

"Okay…" Alya said slowly, drawing the word out for several beats, her confusion palpable. "So what about things with you and Adrien then? I figured something must have gone horribly awry for you to leave me that kind of voicemail."

Adrien handed her a drink, leaning in to kiss the cheek that wasn't currently occupied by a cellphone.

Marinette giggled.

"The fireworks are about to start," his voice was low, evidently trying not to intrude on her phone call. She waved off his concern, taking a sip of the drink. Mm, fruity.

"Wait, who is that? Is that Adrien? Are you guys together right now? Marinette, you better fill me in right this instant or so help me—"

"Sorry Alya," Marinette said, not feeling particularly remorseful at all as she threw Adrien a saucy wink. "The fireworks are about to start and I've got a very handsome man here who is dying for a moment of my time."

"You—what—MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG, don't you dare hang up on me—!"

"Toodles!" She disconnected the call, turning her phone on silent before it began ringing again.

Alya would forgive her later. Probably.

Adrien gave her a curious look. "Who was that?"

"My best friend, Alya. We go to school together in Paris."

"I'd love to meet her someday," he said it so earnestly that Marinette couldn't help but reach out to touch him.

"I'll see what I can do," she patted him lightly on the cheek, laughing at the way his nose scrunched up in response to her teasing.

Then his face lit up, his eyes taking on a mischievous glint that sent a frisson through her, although Marinette wasn't sure whether it was in a 'come hither' or a 'run for the hills' kind of way.

"So… a very handsome man, huh?" Adrien drew closer, smirking at the way it caused her to flush. "And who might that be?"

Marinette narrowed her eyes. Oh, so that was how he wanted to play it?

Before he could react, she darted forward, planting a very loud, very wet kiss on his cheek.

"Why, your father, of course," she called over her shoulder, quickly dancing out of his reach. "I could have sworn I saw him around here somewhere…"

The sound of Adrien pretending to gag followed her through the french doors and out onto the balcony. They were, quite miraculously, the only people up there; the rest of the partygoers seemingly content to remain congregated on the larger patio below, close to the food and booze.

"That is wrong on so many levels," Adrien shuddered, coming to stand beside her. "I don't think I'll ever be able to scrub that image from my mind..."

She burst out laughing at the look on his face, right as the first of the fireworks exploded overhead.

Marinette leaned back against the railing as the world became a kaleidoscopic blur of green and gold and red around them.

"Guess I'll just have to fill your mind with other things then," she said lightly, the very picture of innocence. An act that didn't fool Adrien for a second, judging by the look he threw her. It was that same darkly intimate stare, the one that had been sending her pulse racing and tingles singing across her skin all summer. But this one felt even more intense, more concentrated.

Because this time, Marinette knew without question that it was real.

As real as the fireworks dancing through the sky above their heads. As real as the calm waters of the lake, and the silent mountains that cradled them.

"Oh really?" Adrien pulled her close, his hands settling low on her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the way they fit so perfectly together; two halves of a whole.

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

Marinette hummed, basking in the scent and feel of him. She didn't think she would ever get tired of this; of him.

Man, I really am crazy about this boy, huh? She huffed out a laugh at the thought.

"I have a few ideas," she demurred, batting her eyelashes at him. "Want me to show you later?"

Adrien was only a hair's breadth away now, so close that she could count the individual lashes ringing his beautiful green eyes.

"Why start later when we can start right now?" He whispered, before finally leaning down to capture her lips in a kiss that lit up her world more brilliantly than any fireworks ever could.

-x-

Saying goodbye the next day proved surprisingly easy to do, all things considered.

Mainly because it wasn't a real goodbye. She'd made Adrien promise to come and visit her the moment he arrived back in Paris, after all; a demand to which he'd readily agreed.

And on top of that, Adrien had informed her last night that he planned to ask his father's secretary to clear more time in his schedule going forward, so they would be able to see each other on a more consistent basis.

There would be no more of this 'only seeing each other for a few weeks once a year' crap. Adrien was a part of her life now, and he wasn't getting rid of her any time soon.

Plus, she'd already promised to introduce him to Alya, so she figured, why stop there? Marinette fully intended to incorporate Adrien into her friend group, because it was high time the poor boy made friends with some other people his age, damnit.

They might not be able to spend their every waking moment together during the school year, but they would certainly try to see each other more frequently. Besides, knowing Adrien, he probably already had the itineraries for their first ten dates planned and pre-booked.

Doofus, Marinette thought, with no small amount of fondness.

Taking one last look around her room, she zipped up her suitcase, picking it up and carrying it downstairs.

"Is that the last of it?" Her mother called from the kitchen.

"Yup!" Marinette answered, mentally counting the stairs she had left to the bottom. Only three more to go. Or was it two…?

Thrown off by her mother's interruption, Marinette lost track of which number she was on, forgetting to account for one additional step. Which meant that when her foot met air and not solid ground as she had been expecting, she went pitching forward, her stomach bottoming out at the sudden feeling of weightlessness.

"WAH!" Marinette hollered, her eyes automatically closing as she braced for impact.

And to think, I came so close to making it through our entire vacation without any grievous bodily injury… The thought flashed through her mind as her suitcase flew from her hands, landing with a clatter on the ground. But instead of winding up in an unceremonious heap with it, Marinette felt herself pause in mid-air, supported by a pair of strong, lean arms.

"My, my, Princess. Just when I thought you were done falling for me…"

She peeked one eye open. Adrien grinned down at her roguishly.

"What is it about me that you find so irresistible—my stunning good looks? My inimitable charm?"

He leaned further into her space, his green eyes sparkling with self-satisfaction when she flushed.

Ignoring the fluttering in her stomach that was entirely unrelated to her most recent brush with death, Marinette surged upward, pecking Adrien soundly on the nose before swiftly delivering a light pinch to his side.

He yelped, relaxing his grip enough for her to hop down.

"Why your immense fortune, of course, dearest," Marinette replied primly, brushing invisible dust from her clothes.

Adrien pouted. "I should have known you were only after me for my money."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Alright, kids, that's enough flirting." Her father poked his head through the front doorway, putting an abrupt end to their moment. "Marinette, once your bag is in the trunk we're ready to get this show on the road."

"Papa!" Marinette squawked, horrified.

Sabine came bustling in from the kitchen then, plucking up Marinette's pink suitcase where it lay on the ground and pushing it into her husband's arms.

"Let's give them a moment alone, dear," she not-so-gently suggested, ignoring Tom's sputtering and the way both teens blushed hotly at her words. She began strong-arming her husband out to the car with a strength that belied her size. "Goodbye, Adrien, honey. Make sure you come and visit us when you're back in town!"

"You've got five minutes, Marinette!" Sabine added, right before the screen door swung closed with a snap behind her.

For a moment, she and Adrien simply stood there frozen, neither having fully recovered from the mortification of being accused of flirting by her father.

Even though that was precisely what they had been doing.

Marinette cleared her throat loudly.

"So, when are you guys heading back?"

Adrien slouched against the back of the couch, turning his gaze up to the ceiling.

"Well, it was originally supposed to be Monday, but then my father found out about the party the other night…" His jaw clenched, the muscle at the corner twitching even as he tried to keep his tone flippant. "He's on his way back here now. He is, as I'm sure you can imagine, apoplectic."

Marinette winced sympathetically, coming to stand beside him. She placed her hand over his, giving it a slight squeeze.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Adrien tilted his head to the side, considering. "I think I'll be okay. Félix, on the other hand…"

Their eyes met.

"I guess it's a good thing he's leaving for school in a few days then, hmm?" Marinette said, a valiant if somewhat futile attempt at looking on the bright side of things.

"Yeah…" Adrien said slowly, his voice taking on a thoughtful edge. "You know, in a way I'm looking forward to having my dad back here for a few days. It'll be shit, because he's mad as hell that Félix and I threw a party, but it might also be the last time we have to spend together as a family for god only knows how long."

He frowned suddenly.

"For the record, that sounded a lot less sad in my head."

Marinette wrapped an arm around his middle, leaning against him as she tried to find the right words.

"I can't promise you that it'll be okay," she admitted after a beat, propping her chin on his shoulder so she could look at him directly while she spoke. "But I can promise you that I'm only a phone call away, whenever you need me…" She tightened her hold, willing him to understand what she was trying to say.

You'll never be alone again. Not as long as I'm here.

Adrien stared at her, his green eyes going soft and warm in a way that lit her up from the inside out.

"I know," he said finally, kissing her sweetly by way of thanks. Pushing himself away from the couch, Adrien stood in front of her, his hand extended in invitation. "C'mon, Princess. Your carriage awaits."

Marinette groaned, allowing him to lead her outside with great reluctance. She paused at the threshold, making sure to double and triple-check that she'd locked the door behind her.

"Princess again, really?" She shot him an unimpressed look over her shoulder. "You couldn't have come up with something more original?"

Adrien pursed his lips.

"How about… Bugaboo?"

Marinette shook her head, picking up her pace as she walked toward the car.

"Buginette? M'lady?"

"No, and definitely not."

"Hmm, you're not making this easy on me, sweet cheeks."

"God, please no," she burst out laughing, leaning against the side of the car for support as she shook with mirth. "For the love of god, no more. I take back what I said."

Adrien grinned down at her like the cat that had caught the canary. "Princess it is, then."

He reached around her for the handle and opened the back passenger side door.

Marinette's heart clenched. So much for this goodbye being easier.

"You'll call me when you get back?" She asked him, strangely desperate now that she was actually facing down her departure. They'd only just gotten together, and they already had to separate. Even if it was only for a few days, Marinette knew those few days apart would probably feel like a lifetime.

Who knew that being in love would turn me into such a drama queen?

Adrien nodded. "And every day before that. Probably multiple times a day, if I'm being honest. I get lonely, you see."

Marinette gave him a watery smile, appreciating the token effort at humour even though she could see that his eyes were looking suspiciously shiny as well.

"I'm counting on it," she told him, slipping into the backseat before she did something stupid like give into the urge to hug him, knowing instinctively that the physical contact would only make leaving harder.

And before she could do something really stupid, like jump his bones while her parents were right there in the car trying—and failing—to pretend like they weren't totally eavesdropping.

Adrien closed the door behind her.

"I'll see you soon," he promised, leaning through the open window to give her one last kiss on the cheek.

Marinette sat there dumbly as he said goodbye to both of her parents and then backed away, giving them room to pull out.

"Drive safe!" He called, waving as he followed them right out to the edge of the road.

She turned, using the rear window to keep him in her line of sight, not even wanting to blink for fear that he would disappear in the millisecond between her eyes being closed and open.

Just before they were out of earshot, Adrien cupped his hands around his mouth, his voice reaching her ears even across the distance.

"I love you, Marinette!"

Of course he would choose right now to say it, she laughed wetly, not even embarrassed by her parents cooing in the front seat. She stuck her head out the window, ignoring their cries of dismay.

"I love you too!" She cried, hoping that the wind would carry her words back to him.

The distance had grown great enough that she couldn't see his features very clearly anymore, but Marinette knew, somehow, that he was smiling.

And so she watched through eyes blurry with tears as Adrien grew smaller and smaller, until at last they reached the bend in the road, and he disappeared from sight.

He stayed there waving from the end of their driveway the entire time.

-x-

notes:

epilogue will be up shortly!

also i may or may not have started writing an M-rated version of the scene from the first part of this chapter... (˵¯͒⌄¯͒˵) hehe

nothing super smutty but something with just a lil more spice, you know? not sure if i'm gonna finish it or not, but if y'all would be interested in reading it let me know in the comments lol

see you next time for the LAST CHAPTER!

this work has been cross-posted from AO3