Warning: this chapter contains mentioning of blood and bodily harm. Nothing too gore or extreme but if you're uncomfortable with those, please, skip to part 3 of the chapter which starts with "Looking like he'd just gained ten years of his life back...".

Thanks. Enjoy!

Marinette

Without Alya there to stop them, neither Adrien nor Marinette even considered staying in separate rooms. Instead, they quickly grabbed Marinette's bag and were snuggling on a couch an hour later, something Marinette desperately needed after all the stress of the "Lila incident."

She trusted Adrien. She really did. She might not know everything about him, but she knew him enough to know when he was fooling around or being serious. Tonight, Adrien had been deadly serious. And sincere. Come to think of it, he had yet to lie to her in the first place, so if Adrien said marrying Lila was nothing but his father's weird whim that he wasn't going to follow through with, Marinette believed him.

That didn't mean that the pesky nudge at the back of her mind had completely vanished and that she wasn't wondering what else he'd been hiding from her—what secrets he'd let her in on once they got back to Dupont. But it also didn't mean she would refuse his offer of a night-long cuddle session to reassure her of his feelings. His arms around her, his lips on her skin, her body pressed against his. Just the two of them and no cares in the world. No Lilas, no weird demands of his father, no one but her and her Kitty, loving each other unconditionally. That was all Marinette needed tonight. That was just a fraction of what Adrien was eager to provide.

Predictably, they overslept, waking up only after the sun was high above the horizon. By the time they got out of the hotel, under the cover of Adrien's cloaking devices, it was around noon. Once they'd visited the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadero, and explored a few exhibits at the Louvre, it was late in the evening. Neither even cared to check the clock when, exhausted but happy, they settled on a couch to watch a random movie before giving in for the night.

Adrien stretched across the couch, flopping on his belly as he rested his head in Marinette's lap and hugged her midsection, lazily yawning. Not even half an hour later, he was snoozing with the most carefree expression on his face.

Marinette couldn't help a smile. He must have been exhausted. She was tired herself, but maybe she could delay waking him up just for a little longer? He looked too peaceful and she wanted a little more time to play with his hair, gently running her fingers through the silky strands, watching him almost purr in his sleep at her touch. Sometimes he really did behave like a kitten. At least with her. And she absolutely would wake him up so they could move to the bed soon, but…

a few more minutes wouldn't…

hurt…

she liked it like this…

she loved…

him trusting her…

being vulnerable with her…

loving…

her…

so…

just a few…

more….

BOOM!

Marinette jumped up in her seat, her heart pounding in her ears. What was going on?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Someone screamed on the screen as gunshots were fired by another character. Freaking movie!

Marinette looked around, scanning the area for the remote. People on TV continued to yell, their bashing, shooting and screams echoing in the room. She had to make it quieter before the noise would wake up… Wait!

Where was Adrien?

A low growl sounded from the floor at her feet. She must have sent Adrien flying from her lap to the floor with her initial jump.

"Adrien, are you okay?" Her eyes finally spotted the remote, trapped between the couch's cushion and the armrest on her right. She quickly grabbed it, turned the TV off and kneeled beside her boyfriend. "I'm so sorry. I must have pressed the Volume Up button by accident when I fell asleep."

Adrien tried to get up, stopping a few inches from the ground and hissing.

She took him by his arm, trying to help him up.

He flinched and curled in on himself on the carpet, holding his hand over his left eye.

"Adrien—" Her next words stuck in her throat. A thin line of blood trickled from under his palm… seemingly from his left eye area. "Adrien, you're bleeding!"

Marinette grabbed at his shoulder, but he pulled away, trying to sit up.

"I know." He grunted, sucking in his breath, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I think I hit the coffee table."

Marinette's heart sank. Heavy. Granite. Coffee table right in front of them.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. She quickly pulled off her overshirt and tried to clean the blood off his face. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I—"

"It's alright." Adrien managed a pained smile, his hand pressed tightly to the left part of his face. "It was an accident."

"It's not alright! How can you—" Tears rushed down her face as Marinette tried to clean his face as gently as possible. "I—I'm—you're bleeding—your face—"

He caught her hand with his free one, his gaze as gentle as he could muster through the pain. "It's alright."

"It's not!" It wasn't! Far from it! It might have been an accident, but she hurt the man she loved… and she should be doing something about it! Not crying over her clumsiness.

Marinette sprang into action, trying to remember the First Aid course she took as a teenager. "Let's lay you down on the couch. Keep pressing on the cut. I'm calling an ambulance."

She wasn't sure where she'd gotten the strength to move her body despite the ice-cold grip paralyzing her every action, or how she was able to see through the thick veil of tears streaming down her face, but a few moments later, Marinette helped Adrien settle on the couch and looked around trying to locate her cellphone. There it was, on the table—

"No. No ambulance." Adrien gripped her hand before she could step away.

She must have misheard him. "Adrien, you need a doctor to look at your—"

"I need…" his voice faltered. He clenched his teeth together as he spoke. "I need you. Not a doctor."

"It isn't the time for flirting, Adrien. You're bleeding out of your eye area. You need medical help."

"Nino. Call Nino."

"Is Nino a doctor or a paramedic?"

"No."

"Then I'm calling an ambulance."

His grip on her arm tightened. "No. Call Nino."

Marinette closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She long knew men were unreasonable and irrational when sick or hurting—courtesy of her father's frequent man colds—but Adrien was plainly insane at the moment.

"No Nino. Ambulance," she stated and marched off to her cellphone.

"No!" Adrien propped himself up on his elbow, groaning through the pain. "Please, Marinette. Don't. Call Nino. Ask for Master Fu."

"Master who?"

"Master Fu. He'll help."

"Is he a doctor?"

"No."

Marinette pressed her lips into a thin line. This was going beyond all imaginable reason. Why would Adrien want whoever this Master Fu was instead of a qualified doctor at a hospital?

"Please, Marinette." Adrien refused to look away, a mask of pain on his face as the blood continued to trickle down his face. "Call Nino. Ask for Master Fu."

Marinette closed her eyes, her heart tightening. He was insane! He couldn't be serious! Something gripped at her throat, a strange feeling coiling at the pit of her stomach. Adrien worked at the palace. He surely knew all kinds of people. Perhaps there was something about this Master Fu she didn't know about?

"Please. Call Nino." Adrien kept repeating, laying back down on his back, his every word quieter than the previous one. "Please, Marinette. I need you… not a doctor. You can… heal me."

Marinette froze. Could pain make a person delusional? True, she was a self-healing freak, but there was no way she could heal someone else. She'd tried a few times when she was younger. It never worked.

"Please, Marinette. I need you."

She couldn't stall anymore. She had to get help! Marinette opened her cell phone and tapped on Contacts.

"Nino," Adrien whispered from the couch. "Call Nino."

She halted, her finger hovering over the 112 number. Her eyes shifted to Adrien, who kept murmuring the same nonsense about Nino and Master Fu and her.

"Please, Marinette. Nino."

"Damn it!" She clenched her teeth together, closing her eyes for just a moment. With her heart's pounding echoing in her ears, Marinette took a deep breath in and pressed on Nino's name.

His pain either subdued or he got used to it, but Adrien had been more or less able to talk normally for about ten minutes before Nino and Alya arrived. Not that the two of them had talked much, because Marinette kept freaking out that she'd made the wrong choice, nervously pacing the room and threatening to call an ambulance after all.

"Dude, what happened?" Nino rushed straight for the couch, crouching to look at Adrien.

"An accident." Adrien weakly smiled. "I'll be fine."

"Let me look at it."

Marinette closed her eyes as soon as Adrien started to slowly lift his left hand from his face. There was no way she could stomach to see what she had done to him and not call for a doctor that very moment.

"Come here." Alya came up to her from behind, wrapping Marinette in her arms and pressing her tightly to herself. "I leave you alone for one day, and what do you do?"

Tears burst from Marinette's eyes. Alya was right. She was a horrible, horrible person, and—

"You stop that right there," Alya scolded, taking Marinette's face in her hands. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But you're not horrible and the world isn't going to end because you were born into it. It was an accident."

"It was," Marinette sniffled. "But he needs a doctor, and he refuses—"

"He doesn't need anyone but you, Mademoiselle." A strange, little man Marinette hadn't even noticed up until now as he walked to stand by their side. "There isn't a single doctor in the world who would do a better job than you, my dear."

"That's Master Fu," Alya explained, no doubt noticing Marinette's perplexed expression. "Adrien's mentor and teacher, is that right?"

"Something like that." Master Fu nodded. "Now, I think we'd better patch my student up before he faints of blood loss."

"Please say you're a doctor," Marinette whispered, all of her metaphorical fingers crossed. Maybe Adrien did have a good reason to call for this man instead of an ambulance?

"I'm afraid I'm not." Master Fu apologetically smiled.

"But Adrien said you can help."

"I can." He nodded and pointed at Marinette. "But only by helping you heal him."

"Me?! But—"

"Guys, you'd better hurry," Nino called. "He's getting too pale for my liking."

"Excuse me, but what can Marinette do?" Alya asked, watching Master Fu intently. "She's a baker's daughter with a passion for fashion. No medical knowledge beyond first aid. We should call an ambulance."

"Nino has told me a little bit about you," Master Fu addressed Marinette, ignoring Alya's suggestion. "Your body heals incredibly fast on its own, doesn't it?"

"Yes." Marinette nodded. "But I can't heal others."

"You don't know that." Master Fu's smile turned mysterious as he stretched his hand out. "May I have your hand?"

Marinette glanced at Alya.

"Guys, hurry up," Nino yelled. "He's losing consciousness!"

"Will it work?" Marinette searched Master Fu's eyes. For someone who was speaking nonsense, he seemed incredibly sane and confident in whatever it was he thought she could do. And Adrien did insist on bringing this man here. Maybe he knew what he was doing? Maybe it was one of those secrets Adrien was planning to tell her? Maybe—

"If you do exactly as I say, it will."

Marinette put her hand in Master Fu's without another thought. "What do I do?"

The moment she touched him, the man's eyes widened, a silent gasp slipping out of him. His body tensing, he stumbled backwards, letting Marinette's hand go. Closing his eyes, the man deeply inhaled and rubbed the hand Marinette had just touched. "I apologize. It's been a while since I worked with such power. It'll be a challenge to guide it at my age."

"Master Fu." Nino was practically begging. "I don't want to be a nuisance but, please, can you hurry up?"

"Of course." Master Fu motioned Marinette to follow him.

"What do you mean power and guide it?" Marinette asked, watching her hands as they walked. "And what just happened? No one's ever reacted to my touch like that before."

"No one ever was trying to channel the power you have inside you out of your body," Master Fu said with a straight face, but before Marinette could question him any further, they reached the couch.

Suppressing a gasp, Marinette covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes watered. If not for the bloodstains on his skin, Adrien's face would be almost white. His eyes were closed. He struggled to breathe. A huge gush split his skin right across his left eye, all the way from his eyebrow reaching down to his cheek.

"The bleeding stopped," Nino said, stepping away. "But he needs help ASAP. From what little I know, he's at risk of losing vision in his left eye, possibly a concussion as well. Blood loss shouldn't be life-threatening, but we'll need to replenish his supply stat."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him." Master Fu looked at Marinette. "Do you want to help him?"

Her voice was barely a whisper but she meant every sound. "I do."

"Then give me your hand, close your eyes, and imagine his face without injuries. Imagine him healthy and happy. Imagine how well he can see, how well his brain works. Imagine his body functioning perfectly, every little detail. Don't stop until I tell you, and don't open your eyes no matter what."

There was nothing else she could do, so Marinette did what Master Fu instructed her to do, no matter how insane it sounded at the moment. She let him take her hand in his, warmth coursing through her body as soon as images of a happy, healthy Adrien flowed through her mind.

Alya gasped somewhere in the background. Adrien and Marinette were watching a sunset in Marinette's imagination. He looked at her with those gorgeous green eyes of his, caressed her cheek with his hand, whispering "I love you" in her ear.

It had gotten so hot in the room that Marinette could barely stand on her feet anymore. So, she imagined Adrien picking her up and carrying her up the stairs to her room, just as he used to do when she was tired after a long day of studies and work.

Something weird was happening to her body. She felt cold and hot at the same time, the weight of several mountains on her shoulders at one moment, feeling like she could fly the next. But in her mind, Adrien was smiling, placing light butterfly kisses on her shoulders, giving her the umpteenth bouquet in a week, coming up with yet another round of awful puns with her father.

Alya and Nino were whispering somewhere to her side, but Marinette didn't care. She persisted. Adrien riding his bike. Adrien reading a book, splayed all over her bed as she worked on her sewing. Adrien, her perfect, healthy Adrien, kissing her eyelids goodnight as they fall asleep in each other's arms.

"How are you feeling?" Master Fu asked.

"Fine," Marinette whispered, trying not to lose her train of Adrien thoughts.

"Brand new."

Her eyes flew wide open. Adrien was already halfway up, reaching for her, pulling her in his arms with a smile on his gorgeous, now completely normal—spare the damned bloodstains—face.

"Thank you," he whispered in the crook of her neck. "Thank you so much."

Her body shook, tears bursting out of her eyes, and if not for Adrien holding her up, Marinette wasn't sure she'd remain standing. Still, she pulled back, taking his face in her hands and looking him over to make sure it wasn't a fragment of her imagination. She had to see it one more time to believe. She had to run her fingers over the place that had been mutilated just a few minutes ago.

Nothing.

Nothing but the flawless, silky smooth skin of the handsome man she loved.

"How?"

He covered one of her hands with his and brought it to his lips, placing a lingering kiss on her fingers. "Are you ready for our talk to happen a bit sooner than we've planned?"

She held her breath, her eyes locked on his. This was it. She wanted to know everything about him, and now he was offering to tell her. Was she ready? She couldn't say. Not with all the craziness that happened just now. Yet, she knew without a doubt that if she wanted this relationship to work out, this conversation needed to happen sooner rather than later.

"Absolutely."

Looking like he'd just gained ten years of his life back, Master Fu departed about ten minutes later, right after inviting Marinette over for tea the next day. Predictably, she couldn't say no. Alya had wanted to stay and hear Adrien explain everything, including the strange light that had enveloped Marinette, flowed through Master Fu and healed Adrien. However, Marinette had sided with the boys that perhaps whatever Adrien wanted to talk with her about, it was better done in private, before anything could be explained to everyone else. Conceding, Alya left with Nino a few minutes later.

The moment the door behind them closed, Marinette turned to Adrien with a silent question in her eyes.

"You might want to sit down for this one." His smile was nervous and shy as he motioned her to a set of chairs by the window. As soon as she obliged him, Adrien dragged his chair closer to hers and said, "So, basically, Qigong has nothing to do with your body's ability to self-heal in record time. It's the magic inside you that heals you, not your qi."

A few months ago, she would've ridiculed him for believing in magic in the first place. A few hours ago, Marinette would've called him out on doubting her beliefs about Qigong. But right now…

Right now, she was looking at the flawless skin of his face but could still see the bloodstains decorating his clothes from the corner of her eye.

Right now, he was watching her with a hint of a nervous smile on his lips, but the images of him curled up on a floor, wounded and in pain lingered in her brain.

Alya had claimed she'd seen a stream of light envelop Marinette, flow through Master Fu and heal Adrien's face where the older man placed his hand, and Alya had never lied to Marinette in all the time they'd known each other.

Marinette herself could still feel the echo of something inexplicable, something supernatural, happening to her body as the healing was taking place.

So… was what Adrien was saying such a crazy notion?

"Magic of creation to be precise," Adrien added. "Healing is just a small part of what you can do."

Her ears rang, drowning out whatever else Adrien tried to tell her. Creation? She gasped for air, her chest heaving heavily up and down. Inside her? That couldn't be right. Creation magic… sure, perhaps, it existed. But in her? No way. She looked at her hands, still remembering the overwhelming warmth that presumably healed Adrien. Her eyes jerked to his face. It was perfect. Flawless. But she also clearly remembered a huge cut across his eye and blood, lots of blood. Who closed the window? She needed to breathe. And why was the room—

"Marinette?" Adrien was reaching for her, looking at her intently. "Marinette, are you alright?"

She wasn't. Not in the slightest! She didn't understand. She was a normal human her whole life…

"Marinette, look at me." Adrien kept his eyes locked on hers, gripping her shoulders slightly. "It's not a big deal. Being able to use magic doesn't make you in any way deficient or anything else. I know what you're imagining right now. That isn't true. It's quite the opposite. It's a privilege—"

"You must be mistaken…" she mumbled, looking at him with a faint hope that she might have been imagining this whole thing, that this was just a dream she'd soon wake up from and thankfully wouldn't remember. For the first time in her life, she was thankful to Chloé for bullying this "can't remember her dreams" thing into her. "I can't be magical. I'm a baker's daughter from the province with crazy aspirations beyond my reach."

Adrien shifted in his chair, settling as close to her as he could. Taking her hands in his, he spoke, emphasizing every word. "Marinette, you're a baker's daughter from the province with perfectly reachable goals who has one of the most powerful magic inside of her, the rarest of gifts that will bring joy and happiness to a lot of people, perhaps save thousands, if not millions, of lives. You are incredible, strong, and beautiful. Don't belittle yourself."

"Easy for you to say!" she blubbered. "You're not the one who just found out there is something freaky about you."

Adrien's lips curled in a cocky smile. "I didn't think it was freaky when I found out I could use magic."

He what?

"I can't exactly remember my reaction, though," Adrien continued. "I was still a toddler, but Maman told me I gasped, then got a mischievous look on my face, and went on to destroy the couch my parents sat on right after that."

Something roared in the distance, echoing like thunder through the room, sending tremors up Marinette's spine.

"You…" She couldn't utter another sound, staring at him with her eyes wide. "You can do… magic?"

Adrien nodded. "I can use magic as well. Only mine is the opposite of yours: destruction."

Her hands slipped from his grasp on instinct.

His eyes followed its movement, voice getting quieter. "It isn't so bad, you know. It's just an extra ability most people don't have. Comes in very convenient, at times."

"Prove it." The words slipped Marinette's lips before she could think about it. But once they did, she refused to take them back. If Adrien were to spit such nonsense about her and himself, he'd better have good proof behind his words.

"Sure." Adrien shrugged and looked around. It took him a few moments to locate a hotel brochure on a side table, get it, and settle back into the chair. Once he did, he held it up in his hand, his fingers flickered with a neon green glow, and the paper disintegrated to dust.

"And then there's Plagg, my kwami," Adrien added. "Plagg, would you mind showing yourself?"

"Sleeping," a voice, deeper than Adrien's and yet somehow more childish, grumbled from somewhere on Adrien's chest.

"Plagg, please. Don't you want to have Tikki awaken sooner rather than later?"

A black blur zoomed out of Adrien's shirt and floated in front of Marinette's face.

It was a cat. No. A tiny black… cat-like creature with glowing green eyes that narrowed on her. "You let her go, you heathen! She didn't deserve to be asleep for so long. Do you even realize how many decades it took us to find a perfect couple of soulmates to bond with, and for what? For you to keep her hibernating all this time?"

"Plagg, manners," Adrien hissed, grabbing the creature out of the air and squeezing it.

"I farted on them," Plagg growled. "I want my Sugar Cube. You've got yours, give me what's mine!"

"I'm so sorry about him." Adrien nervously grinned at Marinette. "He hates being woken up, and he's been a bit moody the last few months."

"Wouldn't you be 'a bit moody' being so close to your other half and yet further away than ever because of one, stupid girl?"

"That's enough, Plagg," Adrien seethed through his teeth. "You're on a dairy-free diet for a week—"

"But—"

"Another word and I'll make it a month."

Plagg glared at both of them before flying away towards the bed. "Why did you call for me then, if I'm too much of a trouble for you?"

Marinette rubbed her eyes. Okay… so it was either a crazy dream or someone spiked her drink at the bar a few hours ago. Whatever it was, she'd had enough of it. Her hand reached for her other arm. Surely if she's pinched herself—

"Ouch."

Adrien barely surpassed a chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand. "Sorry. I shouldn't have. But I get it. It's a bit too much, isn't it?"

Marinette glanced in the direction that "plague" flew, spotting the creature curled up on the bed a few meters away. "What is it?"

"His name is Plagg. He's my kwami."

"What's a kwami?"

Adrien seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment before slowly explaining: "Kwamis are the embodiment of the abstract concepts from which magic is born?"

She raised an eyebrow, trying to comprehend the meaning of his words. "Huh?"

"Sorry." Adrien rubbed at the nape of his neck. "Long story short, they give people magical powers."

That she could at least understand. But then… "If I can use magic, where is my kwami?"

Adrien hesitantly raised his hand and pointed to the middle of her chest. "For now, inside you. Kwamis choose people when they are born and, until the person awakens them, they hibernate inside them. But don't freak out. It isn't as weird as it sounds. Master Fu can explain it a lot better than I can. We should visit him tomorrow."

Marinette was still not past the "hibernates inside you" part, staring at her own body. She hesitantly touched her chest, pressing lightly. "In my body? Like inside inside me? Where exactly? My heart? My stomach? My—" Her hands shot to her head. "Please, don't tell me it's in my brain?"

Adrien snorted, muffling the sound the second Marinette glared at him. "No, it doesn't work like that exactly. Kwamis aren't physical. When they're hibernating, they are fused with your essence—your soul, one might say."

"My soul?"

Adrien nodded. "It basically becomes a part of you. Think of it like magic flowing through your veins. That's why your body heals so fast."

Marinette stared at him for a good two minutes, neither of them daring to break the silence. She looked down at her trembling hands. Magic flowing through her? Some magical creature fused with her soul? Its essence coursing through her veins? That shouldn't be possible, should it? But if it were… Marinette closed her eyes, heavily inhaling. "How do I get it out?"

"Master Fu can explain it a lot better than I can," Adrien responded. "We'll visit him tomorrow, and he'll tell you everything."

That strange old man. Perhaps she should visit him. He was able to access whatever it was inside her to heal Adrien, so perhaps he could also kick whatever this kwami thing was inside her out?

Marinette groaned, grabbing her head with her hands. How did it come to this? She lived her life peacefully, didn't bother anyone, and now she had to think about how to get some abstract conceptual thing out of her soul? Why did Adrien even have to tell her about this? She could've happily continued in her little blissful—

Her eyes shot open. Marinette looked at Adrien, her breath scattered. "How did you know I have magic in me?"

"Our kwamis are two halves of one, like Yin and Yang," Adrien said. "Creation and destruction. They're eternally bound to each other, which makes it possible for them to sense the other at short distances."

A supernatural link between her and Adrien? Then… "Why did you come to Dupont, Adrien?"

She had always found it strange that someone who was working and studying at the palace would feel the need to come to the province to see how the peasants lived. Marinette had chosen not to question it beyond Adrien's original explanation before, but now, this new revelation nudged her worries again.

He didn't deny it. "To find you."

Marinette sucked in her breath. Did that mean—

Adrien grabbed her hand before she could even finish the thought. "But not for your magic, I swear. It helped me, but it isn't why I came looking for you."

Her chest ached. Was their relationship… Was his love for her even real?

"Marinette, please." Adrien was squeezing her hand, his eyes earnest and searching hers. "I know what it looks like, but I promise you, I don't want your powers. I've got my own, I don't need yours. I asked you to heal me instead of calling for an ambulance only because I didn't want my location outed to my family and Lila, and, believe me, they would've known if the ambulance were to come here. And also because I promised to tell you everything, and this was too perfect of an opportunity to pass it up. It's about time you learned you have magic in you. For your own good and benefit. No one else's."

"What are you talking about?" Her voice was so quiet, she could barely hear herself. "I lived just fine not knowing anything. I could've lived perfectly fine my whole life not knowing about any of this."

"Not if we want to be together," Adrien said, his voice pleading. "Marinette, I love you, and I want you in my life but for that, you need to know who you truly are. If you don't, people will try to use you. They will try to influence you, to do everything possible to get you under their thumb. And I don't want that to happen. I want you to stay as strong and independent and free-willed as you are right now."

"Then why did you come looking for me?" She cried, snatching her hand back from his. "I was happy being oblivious to all of this. No one knew, no one would've found out. I wouldn't be freaking out about this whole magical nonsense and creatures living inside me."

Adrien sighed, curling up on himself a bit. His eyes on the floor, he let a few moments pass before he spoke. "My father told me I had to marry Lila. I refused, but… Let's just say things are a little complicated between us, and sometimes I have to act against my own will if he orders me to do something. More often than not, I don't have a choice but to obey him. So, when he offered me an alternative, saying that I can either find you or marry the woman I despise, I didn't think twice. For me, the choice was evident."

She stared at him in shock. "What do you mean you don't have a choice? Adrien, you're an adult. No one can order you around. You can just walk away if you don't like something."

He shook his head. "Not when you're magically bound to obey his every word."

Marinette swallowed the sickly feeling in her stomach. "What do you mean?"

Adrien shifted his eyes to the window, watching the city lights outside for a few moments before explaining. "My father also can use magic. His powers… basically, he can take control of people, imposing his will upon them and making them obey his every word. I was a toddler when I discovered my magic and, as you can imagine, a little kid with a power of destruction in his hands running around the house sounds a bit terrifying of a prospect." He sadly chuckled, returning his gaze to Marinette. "Father used his magic on me to keep everyone safe. Per his original spell, I am to obey his and my mother's every command until I finish my education, which is this coming spring, at which time the spell will wear off on its own."

Her mind refused to believe what she was hearing. On one hand, a toddler that could destroy anything he touched did sound like a horrifying prospect, but on the other, Adrien was twenty-two. He should've had his freedom by now. "Adrien… that's… I'm sorry."

"That's fine." Adrien shrugged. "Spare the 'marry Lila' demand, most of his orders are reasonable, and he's been slowly easing his grip, allowing me more and more freedom as I get older. Not to mention, now that my own magic is stronger than his, I can argue with him. We can reason and compromise. There were a few times I was even able to convince him to recant his order."

A memory popped in her head, something that made a whole lot of sense with this new information. "That's why you said it's better if you two don't communicate right now? So he doesn't order you around?"

Adrien nodded. "I don't want him to interfere in my life more than he already has, and I don't want him to order me back sooner than I'm already bound to return."

"New Year's…" It dawned on her.

Adrien nodded.

"That's just a few weeks away." A few weeks until she'd lose him to his father. Marinette gripped her hands together. This whole thing was insane. This evening was insane. As of now, she was questioning everything she'd ever known, everything she'd ever been taught. But one thing was clear: she didn't want to lose Adrien. Whether she accepted this new world of magic that was opening up to her or went back to her blissful bubble of obliviousness and denial, she needed him. Now, more than ever.

"I know it's a lot to take in." Adrien reached for her hand, hesitantly entwining their fingers together. When she didn't pull away, he continued. "And it's not even all of the things I need to tell you."

"There is more?"

"There is always more."

She wasn't sure she could handle more at the moment. Magic, hers and his. Creation. Destruction. Grumpy cat-like kwami thing. Something similar was living inside her. Adrien's father's almost absolute control over his life. An old man in a red Hawaiin shirt, who somehow was able to channel her magic to heal Adrien and held the answers to all of the questions roaming in her head now. Adrien's now-perfect, mauled-an-hour-ago face—

"Do you want to rest for a bit, and for us to continue this in the morning?"

Marinette glanced at the clock. It was the middle of the night already. Perhaps rest wasn't such a bad idea? She'd have time to process this… to start processing this before he hit her with whatever else he had to tell her. "Sounds good."

"Alright."

She stood up.

Adrien followed her suit, holding her hand in his. "Before you go, I want you to know that I do love you, Marinette. I know with all of these new things coming to light, there might be questions and doubts, and it's all fair and reasonable, and we'll get to them all tomorrow, but I just want you to know that I was always honest with you about my feelings. I am in love with you."

Marinette closed her eyes, unable to utter anything more than: "I believe you."

He brought her hand to his lips, lingering on the tips of her fingers a moment longer than usual. "Let me know when you're ready to continue this conversation."

"I will," Marinette said, heading for the door. "Goodnight, Adrien."

His smile was small and weak as he followed her out in the hallway, leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on her temple only a moment before she opened the door to her and Alya's room. "Good night, Marinette."