Chapter 4: How Do You Spell Wed-Nes-DAY?

Now that he's shared an intimate moment with Marinette, Adrien is starting to question his feelings for her. Per their agreement he would have to terminate their contract, but that doesn't seem like an option for him anymore.

Adrien laid awake staring up at his ceiling, tilting his head to the side, he glanced at his clock. He had about an hour before he was supposed to be meeting up with Marinette for their weekly movie night, but tonight he wasn't sure if he was into going.

"Why not? Didn't you have fun last night? Fu knows I did!" Plagg wolfed down a slice of camembert cackling above Adrien.

Rolling over to his side, Adrien grasped his pillow, 'Last night was weird, but in a really good way.' That was the first time in a long time he felt so close to someone, especially in such an intimate way. When he and Kagami were together, they both went as far as doing hand things, but never to that extent as he had with Marinette.

"Let's say you don't show up, what would Pigtails say?"

The way she opened up to him, both emotionally and physically screamed volumes; Mari was so comfortable with him, like they've known each other for ages. In all honesty, it hadn't been that long since he had first met her and by extension Ladybug. Even then they weren't that close, despite what the tabloids say.

"Don't you think she'd be suspicious if you didn't show up?"

Adrien reached for his phone and began to go through his photos, after quickly scrolling through; he found a few of the landmarks of Paris, he'll never get tired of seeing the sights. After quickly scrolling past his candid shots of Ladybug, he stopped on a recent picture Kim took of them at school; there he noticed Marinette's face.

"Although, I can see why you're hesitant to go; I don't think I could look someone straight in the eyes after they've had your dick in their mouth…"

In the group shot with the class, her smile was simple; she was making a memory with her classmates. With their friends, her grin was sincere; she was truly happy to be with them. In the photos that he was in, she was always looking in his direction, with the brightest of beams. However, on the rare occasions that he and Marinette were together, her face was that of dread, she appeared so uncomfortable; like she wanted to run away.

It was heartbreaking.

"Maybe if you call and reschedule now, she'll only be a little mad…" Plagg suggested wolfing down another slide of camembert.

It's then when he noticed that what he was doing to Marinette, was what Ladybug was doing to him; except Ladybug knew how he felt about her, whereas Marinette was suffering. Keeping this huge secret, to herself, to avoid getting her heart broken. Now that he knew that she had deep seeded feelings for him, that nervous chuckle made more sense now.

He felt bad, it wasn't fair that he knew her secret, and she didn't know his; he was taking advantage of her.

BING

Adrien repicked up his phone again, then sprang up when he saw a notification from InstaFrance. "Marinette?" On his screen was Marinette in her room with her phone held high displaying her masterpiece for the world to see.

"I can't believe I finally finished my "Princess Kaguya" dress, can't wait to wear it for real! Thanks, to my lucky black cat!"

AlyaLadyBlogger: That looks great girl! Who's this black cat, though?

TMNDJ: Looks great! I have the perfect song that matches this vibe!

DivineRose: That's so pretty!

Deep_and_Brooding: Awesome.

No, he wasn't taking advantage of her; he cared about Marinette, they were friends. They had a mutual agreement to be each other's comfort person; unbeknownst to him she had done things for him and now he wanted to be there for her in any way he was able to.

"I mean, we could always just stop by to pick up some sourdough, maybe stay for an hour or so…"

Adrien decided, he slammed his phone on his bed then swung his legs to the edge. "Plagg, we're going!"

Plagg crossed his arms, appearing very smug, "Oh, well I'm glad I was able to convince you."

"Plagg, claws out!"

"That was a really good picture, Marinette. You've gotten so many likes already!" Tikki cheered, swirling around Marinette's head.

LukaLyrics: Your chorus of colors and talent make a gorgeous compilation.

AllStarAlec: Pretty dress Mari

KingAthlete: Sexy dress, but I bet it would look better on me!

MaxiMillion: I find that outfit 97% historically accurate.

"Thanks Tikki, I was actually nervous posting it." Once again, Marinette carefully crawled out of her dress, placing it back into its plastic bag.

Tikki retreated to the desk and collected a cookie, "Why's that, Marinette?"

Now in her underwear, Marinette placed her dress back where it came from and walked back to her desk to join Tikki. "I don't know, I guess I was worried about what people might say," Marinette picked up her phone again, noticing that she received a new comment:

AgresteBrand: You look beautiful, as always, Mari.

"Who would see it…" Marinette deflated, placing her phone back down and she reluctantly grabbed a cookie from Tikki's stash.

"What's wrong, Marinette?"

She quickly finished her cookie then sighed, "Am I doing the right thing, Tikki?"

"What do you mean?"

Marinette stood up and began to change into her comfy clothes, "It's just that, I know I'm using him as a crutch to get over Adrien, but when it comes to Chat Noir, I feel like I'm taking advantage of him. I know how he feels about me, well Ladybug, and instead of accepting him as is; we're doing this whole thing. I think-I think I'm starting to see him in a different light..."

Tikki floated into her face, showing her concern. "You were looking for a way to get over Adrien, and by doing that you ended up under Chat Noir. On the other hand, Chat Noir was trying to get out from under Ladybug's spell and wound up coming over here to see you!" She giggled.

Disheartened, Marinette slumped back in her chair devouring another cookie. "I'm sorry, Marinette, I don't mean to laugh but you can't help how you feel! You're growing and learning about the world and yourself every day!" Tikki reached down and touched Marinette's knee, stopping her from nervously tapping her foot.

"Marinette, you're having conflicting feelings, because he's showing you another side of himself that you, as Ladybug, don't normally get to see."

"Because I never gave him a chance…" Saddened again, she shoved another cookie in her mouth.

"True, however you had someone else that you were in love with, which stopped you from seeing what Chat Noir had to offer, now that you've gotten to know him better, your heart has also changed."

"So, what do I do? I can't keep harboring feelings for Adrien, especially when it's not going anywhere, and I can't develop feelings for Chat Noir because we'll have to stop this thing we're doing and I kind of want to see where it goes…" She looked anxious as she poked at her fingers. "He's sweet, loyal and very attentive; but I just don't want him to think that I'm just using him when we're both supposed to be comforting each other."

No sooner did Marinette finish her sentence was there a signature thud on her roof, "Merde! I forgot Chat was coming over! Quick Tikki hide!" Tikki snatched up the last cookie and took off for her hiding spot. Marinette, realizing she was still in her bra, ran off to find a shirt; right before Chat poked his head through the skylight.

As per usual, Chat managed to dodge her bed and this time her ladder; once he landed, he made his presence known. "Honey, I'm home!" He laughed, looking around for his hostess.

"Haha you're so funny," From behind her shade, Marinette walked out dressed in a large grey T-shirt that was covered in, what Chat assumed were flour and pastries stains. She was doing her best to keep her bare legs covered as she walked to her computer. Marinette avoided eye contact with Chat, and hurried to find a movie they'll agree to watch, "Here pick a movie and I'll-"

Marinette dashed past Chat toward her stairs but was caught by the waist by a claw hand and pulled backwards into a hard-muscular chest. "And where do you think you're going?" Another clawed hand wrapped around her torso.

Trapped, Marinette panicked, but wasn't part of the agreement, yet she was interested in his boldness, "I-I was going downstairs to get us snacks and cheese for your kwami, but apparently I'm doing this no-" In a swift turn she was face-to-face with her assailant, he gently stroked her cheek and looked deep in her eyes.

Why was he looking at her like that, why was her heart beating so fast?

He snuggled on the right side of her neck before Chat gingerly brought his other claw to her face, "How was your day, Marinette?" She couldn't help but look back wistfully, all her thoughts seemed to go numb.

"I-It was good, I managed to p-post a few project pictures up on the site, h-how are you?" Chat squished her cheeks together briefly before going in, connecting their lips together. It was silly, but adorable; she didn't mind the physical contact.

He placed his forehead up against hers and sighed, "I'm better now that I got a chance to recharge my batteries…" After a few seconds he closed eyes, enjoying the silent moment, Chat resumed himself, kissing her forehead and letting her go. "Okay you're free…"

Marinette was left bewildered, she felt herself unable to form words, similar to how she acts when the real Adrien is around. She smiled as she backed up towards the latch, after she opened it, she soon disappeared into the floor.

Against his better judgement, Chat decided to change back and feed Plagg, since he was going to be here for the majority of the night. "Plagg, claws-"

"Wait!" Startled, Chat Noir jumped. Marinette had come back just in time, covering her eyes just in case. She walked up to Noir with something in her hand, "I-I forgot to gi-give you this." Since she couldn't see, Marinette carefully stepped forward, waving the material in her hand, searching for Chat.

He reached and grasped her wrist and removed her present, "What's this?" Unraveling the cloth, Chat discovered that what he was holding was a black mask with eye holes and a pair of faux kitty ears.

Marinette kept her eyes covered even after she turned her back to Chat Noir, "I made you a mask, you know your face; so you can you know get naked-I mean to get the un-transformed, so that you can give your kwami a rest, you know? There's also a change of clothes on my chaise. Yeah, okay bye!" She hurried downstairs, careful not to fall, it would be difficult to explain her beat-red face to her parents.

Chat just stood there watching the trap door as it closed for good this time, he signed and looked back at his gifts. "Marinette, she's so awesome." Without knowing it, she helped him out again; by getting food and allowing Plagg to rest was so considerate.

"Plagg, claws in!" Within seconds Noir's catsuit melted into Adrien's clothes from earlier, and his tiny God of chaos was back.

"So, what was that about?" Plagg asked, referring to that scene Adrien had put on with Marinette only minutes ago.

"What was what about, Plagg?" Turning away, Adrien started removing his own white jacket and black top, replacing it with the pajama top Marinette had just given him. It was a simple black shirt with a giant green paw print.

Plagg slapped himself in the head and rushed into Adrien's face, "Oh come off it, Adrien! All the shoujo bubbles and doe eyes?"

Adrien continued to remove his shoes then went for his jeans, trading them for Marinette's matching black sweatpants that were covered in tiny paw prints. "What, asking her how her day was? What's wrong with that?"

"I thought you guys were just, what did you call it, 'Bed Buddies'?" Plagg asked, crossing his little paws.

"Well yeah, we are!" Adrien found a place for his shoes so that they were out of the way and so Marinette wouldn't recognize the brand label.

"Then, what are you doing? You're supposed to come here, bend her over and raw dog her til she can't move, this was not a part of the plan!"

Adrien finished tying his pants as he glared at his kwami with wide eyes, snatching him out of the air. "Where the hell are you learning this terminology from?"

"Internet…"

"I've got to change my computer's password…"

"See, I told you this was going to happen! I knew it was only a matter of time before one of you started to develop feelings for the other, I just didn't think it was going to be you."

Adrien was on the cusp of scolding Plagg but halted when the trapped few flew open, he quickly placed the mask over his face.

"I'm back!" Marinette warned her guest as she glided up the stairs swiftly with a tray, "I grabbed an assortment of goodies for the humans and a tiny tin of Camembert for Plagg!" She stated placing the tray down on her desk. She turned and saw her, now two guests, in what looked like a heated discussion, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine!" The boys sent one last electric glare before turning tails on each other. Marinette shrugged as she set up her food she brought, "What did your parents say when you brought up all this food?" Chat Noir came out of the corner, grabbed a croissant and placed it in his mouth.

Marinette was grabbing her own plate of snacks, "I told them I was stress eating…" She looked away and went to start the computer for movies, "And this must be 'King Chaos', I presume?"

Plagg floated over to Marinette and landed in her inviting hand, she gently petted the top of his head, "It seems like my reputation precedes me! Nice to see you again, 'MultiMouse'!"

That's right, as far as Chat Noir knew Marinette helped him and Ladybug with Kwamibuster a while back and so that's when they met. She carried Plagg with her to the desk, sitting him down in front of a mini plate with a few pieces of cheese on it. "Here you go…"

"Thank you 'Pigtails' at least someone here has some manners!" He threw the slice in the air and caught it in his mouth.

Chat Noir choked on his sweet bread, "Hey, I fed you before we left!"

Plagg scooted up another slice, "Yeah that was Swiss cheese!" He devoured another slice before he heard a tiny voice from across the room. He glanced past Marinette to see a familiar red flapper waving to come over here.

"That's all we had, the shipment hadn't come in yet!"

"Whatever!" After inhaling the last piece of cheese one the plate, Plagg floated in Marinette's face, "As much as I love to sit here and watch you two suck face, I'd rather spent my night drowning in the disillusion that I'm a useful member of society; so 'Pigtails' if you don't mind…"

"Pigtails?" Marinette watched as Plagg seemingly placed himself on top of her hair and patted her scalp, giving her the clue as to the sudden nickname. "Oh." She plucked Plagg off her head, then taking the camembert tin, placed him inside and headed for the window at the end of her room.

Normally she'd bring treats to her upstairs loft; she had a special place made for Tikki, but since she had company tonight; Marinette moved Tikki's hand stitched kwami bed to the windowsill. Giving Tikki and her guest more privacy covering their presence with her shade, she winked at them both and mouthed, "behave".

Marinette turned just in time to witness Chat Noir moving her chaise in front of her desk, obviously ready to start their movie night. He angled the seat so that the back was facing her stairwell, giving him easier access to the treats on the desk. Walking up she noticed that Chat Noir had his legs open, his left leg stretched out along the cushions, waiting for Marinette to sit. She was hesitant at first, but relaxed when he held his hand out to guide her to him.

Marinette allowed herself to be guided slowly down in the chair, paying close attention to Chat Noir; he looked weird-different being in civilian clothes. Chat's face was chipper as his toes danced and bounced while he chewed, his hair resembled how it was when he transformed into Mister Bug. "Ready?"

Marinette was brought out of her thoughts, when she noticed that he was waiting for her to get comfortable. She leaned on his shoulder, meeting her hip with his crouch; she smiled then reached forward and clicked the mouse. "Ready!"

In a bright desolate land of destruction and ocean, stood a polka-dotted clad hero searching for answers, the air was thin; she was on a building, one of the very few that was still standing tall.

What happened? Where was she? How could this happen again?

She had already fixed this disorder in the past, to prevent the future, -this from happening, so what occurred this time?

"Bunnnyx! Where are you? Why have you brought me here again, what happened this time?!"

No answer.

Ladybug walked towards the edge looking down to see more of nothing, filling her with more dread; she began to walk. Looking around, holding her body, she felt a dark chill crawl up her spine, rubbing her arms as if some sudden snow front came rushing in.

"No one can help you M'lady, no one except for me..." Turning her on her heel, she witnessed a ghost with piercing blue eyes descending from a higher loft and landing behind her.

"Chat Blanc?!" Distress set again, how could he be here, it wasn't possible! "Chat Noir, ho-why are you here? I-I fixed everything! I devilized you, I purified the akuma; h-how?" Ladybug's heart was about to leap out of her chest while tears threatened to appear.

Chat Blanc slowly stood up and began to saunter towards his paramour, "You may have healed by body, but my heart is still broken, Bugaboo…"

Ladybug started backing away from her former partner, terrified of what he might do this time. "Wh-what do you mean, wh-what are you ta-talking about?" She reached down for her yo-yo, but it was gone.

Blanc launched forward with no warning and grappled Ladybug by the neck, he continued forward strong until they reached the end of the building. Ladybug found herself dangling over a never-ending pool of water, "Pl-Please don't do this, I-I can fix this again; we can fix this!" She was traumatized, tears burning her face, choking as he squeezed her jugular.

Straining to breathe and regain control of the situation, pushing away from his grip was no easy task; Ladybug dug her fingers into his wrist, although that did nothing. Of course not, he felt nothing. "That's right, there is a way to fix this Ladybug, you just have to do one thing for me…"

"Ye-Yes, Chat Noir, any-anything just please let me-"

Loosening his grip, Blanc yanked Ladybug forward, brows furrowed as he brought her to his face, "Tell me, why you never loved me…" He kept her at a distance, dangling her by the neck like a piece of meat, waiting for a conclusion to his question.

Ladybug tip toes were barely able to reach the floor below, "Chat Noir, please we don't have time for this, please-"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

Chat Blanc slung Ladybug back over the edge, leaving her gasping for air; she attempted to scratch at his hand again. "I do love you; I love you with all my heart!"

"Liar! Tell me the truth or I'll drop you!" He wasn't letting up, whatever caused him this pain never left his heart, it didn't matter how many magical ladybugs she sent out, nothing was going to heal the pain in Chat's heart that she caused.

"I'm telling you the truth!" Ladybug struggled to speak as he further squeezed down on her vocal cords, "I do love you, you're my very best friend, my most trusted partner! I can't do this job without you!"

"Then why?!" He shook in frustration, having her feet just barely touch the roof; Ladybug was barely able to see his tears falling, along with her own. "All the blood, tears, and sacrifice in order to keep you safe and this is how I'm repaid? All the years I wasted pining after you and for what? So, you could pretend to play house with some douche?"

"Ch-Chat No-Noir, I'm sorry, but I ca-can't help the way I feel!"

Glaring, Blanc turned his face away then with his free hand dropped his face into it, for a second Ladybug could have sworn she heard chuckling, yes, he was laughing.

"Kitty, please! If-If you let me go no-now, things wi-will be different; we'll-we'll-" He turned his head back in her direction, his eyes were mixed with joyful misery; for a brief moment Ladybug thought she had gotten to him.

"Wrong answer…"

Chat Blanc tightened his grip on Ladybug's throat and began to walk forward, dragging her feet against the ground. Furiously scratching at his wrist, Ladybug proceeded to smack and kick as a way to try and escape but it was all for not. His tears were falling like a waterfall and his bottom lip stiffened up as he arrived at the edge of the building. "Sweet dreams, My Ladybug!"

"Chat Noir? Please don't! Chat Noir?!" Suddenly, Ladybug was able to breathe, unfortunately, it was because her throat was released, letting her fall into oblivion. "Chat Noir!"

"CHAT NOIR!"

Marinette sat up with a start, reaching out for nothing but a horrible memory of a bad experience, tears burning her irises, heart pounding behind her ribs and her hands were shaking.

"Whoa whoa Marinette, what's wrong?" He had felt Marinette squirming beside him, but he presumed she was having a crazy dream; like when you show up to school butt naked or when you're being chased around by a giant bust of your father's head.

After retracting her arm, Marinette folded within herself and began to cry. "Hey hey, what happened, what's wrong?" Scooping her up by the waist, Chat drugged her into him and laid her head on his chest; that was beating rapidly in fear with her. "Princess, you have to calm down or you'll wake all of Paris!"

Marinette was shaking like a rattle; her face was wet with sweat and tears, and she grasped onto Chat Noir tightly. She did her best to steady her breathing, but the flashes of her nightmare caused her to hiccup as she continued to sob. "Icy blue eyes…"

"Shh shh I'm right here, Mari…" Chat Noir held Marinette across her torso with his other behind her back and started to rub it up and down. "It's okay, let it out…"

'Where am I? What am I doing here? Where's Chat Blanc?'

Marinette finally opened her eyes, despite the burning, and looked up at her capturer, "It's okay Mari, let it out…" Looking up at him, he brought his hand up to her cheek and removed her tears.

'Right, Chat Noir and I were watching a movie. I'm at home; he's here with me. Safe.'

Marinette wiped her own tears away, doing her best to calm her heart. She sniffed while trying to focus her eyes on his, "Green eyes and blonde hair…" Marinette reached up and touched Chat Noir's face with her hands, he quickly covered her hand. Realizing that this was the first time she had ever felt his hands like this. If she, had it been only for a brief moment while they were detransformed. Unconsciously Chat leaned into the touch before embracing Marinette again, running his fingers through her hair. "I won't ask what happened, but just know that I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you…"

They didn't say much after that, by now the movie was over, the credits were rolling; and it was far past midnight. Looking down, Adrien saw that Marinette had fallen asleep in his arms, he smiled at her cuteness and the way she drooled on his shirt.

'Well, it is her shirt, so I guess she can drool all she wants to.' Adrien slowly rose from the chaise, carefully to not stir Marinette. First, he lifted her off his chest, taking her arms in his and removing them from around his stomach. Next, he lifted her up by her torso, slipping his legs out from under her and slowly lowered her onto the softness. Lastly, Adrien removed his shirt, folded it up and placed it under Marinette's head.

Steadily, he dropped down to the floor and began searching for his shoes in the darkness. Without his night vision it was harder, but eventually he was able to locate his shoes then called out for Plagg.

"Plagg, where are you?" Whispering the best, he could while he removed his pants.

Elsewhere, Plagg had woken up disoriented, not used to the fluff and smell that is Marinette's room. Hearing Adrien, Plagg rose, but not before glancing over to his own bed buddy and giving her a kiss on the giant spot on her head. After rubbing his eyes, Plagg found Adrien in his original clothes. Plagg floated over, yawning, "Wh-What, what happened? What's going on?"

"Shh!" Adrien shoved his finger over his mouth, "Quiet! Marinette fell asleep and we need to get out of here!" Adrien spoke his transformation phrase then strolled over back to Marinette. He glanced back down at Marinette and gently draped a claw over her cheek, which inadvertently woke her up.

She slowly rotated herself on her back and started rubbing her eyes, "Hmm Kitty?"

Chat Noir immediately knelt down next to her, "Hey Princess, how are you doing?" He brought his hand open and brushed her bangs off her face.

"I'm okay," Marinette turned again and landed on her side, "Wh-what time is it?" She asked as she yawned

"Late, which means Princesses need their beauty sleep." Carefully Chat Noir stood up and then tucked his hands underneath her back and knees, lifting her up and taking over to her ladder.

"I'm sorry…" Chat Noir adjusted Marinette so that she sat in his left arm while he used his right to climb the ladder, the whole time she had her arms around his neck for support.

"What? Why are you sorry?"

When they reached the top, Chat Noir let go of Marinette, giving her the chance to crawl into bed and under the covers. "I fell asleep on you during the movie and-" When she was all tucked in Chat crawled over her and nuzzled her face, before motioning his face to kiss her lips.

"Don't be sorry, you did nothing wrong." Chat sat back on his hunches, "Besides, it wasn't the first time you bathed me in drool, and it won't be the last." He chuckled before he engulfed her in a loving hug, which she quickly reciprocated. Letting go, Noir held Marinette's face to place a sweet kiss on her lips, "I have to go now, but I didn't want to leave you without saying good-bye."

"I know…" Marinette took his face into her hands and brushed her thumbs along his jawline. "Wi-Will I see you tomorrow?" She asked, bringing Chat's face closer. With hope in her eyes, their lips soon meet; a sigh leaving her nose.

Pulling back, Chat Noir smiled, "Only if you feel like having company…"

Marinette giggled, letting go of Noir's face, "Then I'll see you tomorrow night."

Chat Noir displayed his signature grin then nodded before leaping up and out of her skylight, he came back for a second and blew her a kiss before he disappeared again. Marinette snuggled herself back into bed then laid her head down on the pillow, she listened out to make sure that Chat Noir was actually gone before she stuffed her face in her pillow and began to weep again.

Tikki flew from her hiding spot, having been woken up by the sobbing, "Marinette, are you okay? What happened to Chat Noir? I'll yell at his kwa-"

"No Tikki," Marinette hoisted herself up and instantly grabbed Tikki in her hands, "It was nothing that the boys did, I-I just had a nightmare while Chat Noir and I were watching a movie…" She lowered her hand into her lap, melancholy before flopping her body backwards.

"It must have been one bad dream, but it's over now!" Tikki floated herself to Marinette's cheeks, giving her eyelids tiny baby kisses before she relaxed on her stomach and began to drift back off sleep.

Marinette smiled at the affection and snuggled into her blankets, "Did you have fun with Plagg?"

"Yeah, it was nice! Thanks for letting us borrow your phone, I plugged it up by the way…" She yawned.

"Thanks Tikki, good night…"

"Good night, Mari…nette…"

Translations:

Merde = shit

Chaise = chair