A/N: I remember telling readers on chapter 20 that this chapter was coming out soon...but then here we are nearly 10 chapters later. Omg. I'm sorry!
Now we wait 20 more chapters until they have their first kiss! Hehehe. I'm kidding I wouldn't torture you guys...
Or would I...?
No.
Anyway. Early update to celebrate a new year!
Happy New Year!
Enjoy! And cry with me.
Marinette felt sick.
She had missed another one of Luka's calls.
It wasn't like she hated Luka or disliked anything he did to her that night, it was more so over that she was in love with another man, and she was much too shameful to face him again.
Luka didn't deserve it, that she acknowledged, and in fact if it were up to Marinette she'd want him to move on and find someone better.
She certainly knew that she wouldn't be good for him. He had only ever shown her love and compassion, yet here she was ghosting him all because she couldn't confess to the man she lived with that she was in love with him.
If Luka chose to never talk to her again, she couldn't say she blamed him. She truly felt like a horrible person.
Marinette tugged the towel out of her damp hair, the young woman sat on the bed, knowing to be quiet as Adrien was downstairs talking to his beautiful girlfriend.
A beautiful girlfriend that wasn't her.
Yet here she was, a broken woman, wearing the marks of a man she had nearly slept with while her wedding day was in the upcoming morning.
She reached up, her fingers brushing against the dark spot on her skin.
Marinette was sure she heard somewhere that cold spoons would lighten up the marks, but if she couldn't get that to work, she'd need extra makeup to cover it. She couldn't face a ton of strangers and her family members with a massive red mark on her neck.
It couldn't be missed, the color would contrast the white on her dress and worst of all, she'd be suspected of having sex with Adrien.
She widened her eyes, a deep blush brewing on her cheeks at the thought. Marinette reached up, her hands running through her wet hair, worried about what Kagami would think if she somehow saw the mark on her neck.
The female sighed, thankful that she had put some spoons in the freezer overnight to place on her mark in hopes to lighten them.
Marinette had to mentally prepare herself for the day that was planned ahead for them both tomorrow.
She knew she'd be showcased to the entire venue, and though Marinette knew that she couldn't wear her grandmother's dress to the ceremony, she had hoped she could somehow get them to let her wear it through the reception and throughout the rest of the night.
All she had to do was show up and look pretty.
She exhaled, throwing the towel to the side as she slowly climbed off the bed and tugged open the drawers. She pulled out her pajamas and threw them to the top of the bed.
"Well, looks like the entire world is going to know I'm married tomorrow." Marinette murmured, glancing down at Tikki who purred softly.
The cat glanced up at Marinette, yawning softly as she kneaded her pillow and then relaxed against it.
It went without saying that Marinette was a nervous wreck for tomorrow. She wasn't sure how it was about to go down, but she couldn't have hoped for it to go any faster.
"This will be fun," Marinette sighed as she dropped her towel and reached for her underwear. "It still hasn't set that he's legally my husband..."
Marinette slipped her panties on, she reached for her nightgown and carefully slid it on.
"I guess all that's left is to gather the courage to tell him how I feel, and figure out when that time should be."
Marinette ran a hand through her hair, glancing at Tikki who closed her eyes, purring herself into a nap.
The young woman hummed, acknowledging that talking to a cat was completely insane.
Her blue eyes glanced out towards the window, enjoying the night sky as Marinette tried to distract herself from her unfortunate ineptitude.
She truly felt like a lost cause.
"You're bailing on me again?" Adrien asked, his heart sinking into his stomach.
He almost felt sick.
"But we see the fireworks every year..." Adrien whined, leaning into the sofa with a grimace. He clutched his hand against the phone that rested upon his ear.
"Bastille day is next week, we never get to see the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. The park is where we always go...it's a tradition..."
Kagami was silent on the other line, she exhaled, a small groan emanating from her as the audio shuffled.
"I know, and if the fireworks were any other night, you know I'd be there. Something really important came up, an issue regarding my family and I have to tend to it. I can't leave it be. I promise I'll make it up to you and do everything I can to make it to the ones by the Eiffel Tower."
Adrien shrugged, somehow speculating that if he clung on to that hope that they'd catch the next showing, he'd let himself down.
"Yeah, but we always go to the park to watch them," Adrien murmured, his eyes glancing down towards the floor.
"I guess I'm upset that I'll miss them this year..."
Kagami whimpered on her opposing line, a little lift in her voice as it quivered the moment she began speaking again.
"You won't go to the park without me, right? You know how sad I'd be to know you went to see them without me."
Adrien shrugged, feeling completely defeated. It was almost like he didn't want to see the fireworks anymore. He began to pick at the loose thread in the seams of his jeans and he sighed.
"Don't worry, I won't be going to see them. There's really no point in showing up to the park just so I can watch them alone..." Adrien deadpanned, his eyes glancing back up towards the ceiling.
"I'm so sorry." Kagami murmured, her voice remaining soft as she attempted to assure him. "I promise I'll call you first thing tomorrow morning and we can go out on a nice little date, then next week we can go to the Eiffel Tower to watch the display."
"Alright, I guess I'll just grab an early night of sleep," Adrien deadpanned, knowing that he was to be ready for a ceremony the next morning. "I'll talk to you later."
"I love you," Kagami murmured. "I love you so much, I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
Adrien listened to her voice, his heart tightening in his chest as he tried to find comfort in her words, but with how she's been with him lately, there was no room for that.
He had been clouded with so much doubt, he found himself hurting at the fact that he couldn't believe a single promise she made.
He clenched his jaw, his hand gripping even more so against his phone as he couldn't formulate the words he wanted to convey to her.
The only thing he wanted to do was cut the conversation short, and perhaps go for a swim in the pool out back to clear his head before eventually settling for a shower and then lay awake for a few hours mentally preparing himself for the wedding ceremony that was supposed to take place the morning after.
"Okay," Adrien sighed. "Talk to you later." His voice was flat as he drew the phone away from his ear and hung up the phone before she could even reply.
The blonde casually tossed his phone on to the space beside him. He leaned into the sofa, his lips pressing together tautly as he tried to quell down his massive disappointment.
He closed his eyes, relaxing as he allowed his head to rest on the back of the couch. He knew he promised Kagami he wouldn't go to the park to watch the fireworks without her, but it didn't take half of his mind to know he'd only hear the loud booms from where he stood.
He was just so disappointed.
Immediately, his mind reverted back to what Kagami had said earlier.
He reminisced the times she told him that she loved him, and Adrien couldn't help but to wonder if she actually really loved him.
She seemed almost angry all of the time, and it certainly showed in their relationship. They were always fighting and misunderstanding each other, and when they found time or opportunities to mend and work things out, she'd always cancel on him.
Adrien worried that they were growing apart, and Kagami was slowly growing bored of him.
He furrowed his brow, exhaling as he tried to derail his mind for the inevitable self deprecation that was soon to follow.
"It's one of the reasons why one of my friends fell in love with you,"
Adrien tensed at the sound of Alya's voice that protruded into his mind instantly.
He made a mental note earlier to not allow Alya's vague comment to consume him completely, but since he had heard her say it, he couldn't stop speculating what she meant.
It was true that it was a good distraction to think about which one of Alya's friends had feelings for him, but it didn't necessarily prevent him from going off the rails.
In any case, the mystery of it all only exacerbated his anxiety.
He never recalled holding a conversation with any of Alya's friends. He knew of some who attended his engagement party with Marinette and when he was at the bachelorette party, he had only seen Rose for a couple of minutes.
It drove him crazy.
None of it made sense.
The only other one of Alya's friends that he had close contact with was-
His eyes shot open the moment he heard someone tiptoe into the kitchen across the way.
Adrien felt his heart squeeze in his chest at the sight of his roommate sneaking into the kitchen to dig through the freezer.
"Marinette?" Adrien mused, casually leaning forward until he stood up from the couch.
Marinette froze, awkwardly tugging out the cold spoons from the freezer and slamming it shut.
The young woman peered over towards him, her skin covered in a deep blush. She had an acne patch sitting on the bridge of her nose and she cleared her throat.
"O-Oh hey!" Marinette breathed, pressing her lips together as she showed him the spoons. "I uh...just had to grab some spoons. I thought you had already gone out with Kagami."
Adrien shook his head, the startled face on Marinette nearly making his heart squeeze in his chest.
The male stuffed his hands into his pockets awkwardly, as he contemplated approaching her.
"Uh, no. She canceled on me. She said she had somewhere to be." Adrien explained, exhaling while keeping his eyes away.
Marinette frowned, glancing down at her frozen spoons. Her heart sank at the disappointment in Adrien's voice. She recalled it was all he talked about the night before during dinner.
It was his favorite part of their relationship, they had gone to see the fireworks every year for the four years they were together.
The young woman had never been to see the fireworks, as she was always working those nights at the club. It was during the holidays like those where she banked the best, people were drinking the night away and giving away large tips for whoever was on the dancefloor selling shots.
This year was a little different, Marinette had to take the next few days off as she was supposed to be getting married and it was supposed to be witnessed by a lot of family and friends...as well as strangers.
"I've never seen the fireworks." Marinette murmured, lifting her eyes up to see him. "You saw them for three years in a row! That's pretty amazing, better than anything I've ever done. I'm sure you won't be missing much though. They do the same thing every year."
Adrien chuckled at the lift in her voice, his green eyes glancing at the acne patch that sat on her freckled nose.
"Yeah, the displays are usually the same. They do different finales though, at least there's that." Adrien replied, chuckling softly at the thought.
Marinette smiled, her blue eyes capturing his eyes as she saw the smile on his face.
Adrien was like the only bright star in her dark sky.
When her star was crying, she was completely shattered. Even if her star was meant for another woman, she wanted to keep her star shining the brightest he could be.
His smile was her smile.
"I do have off the next week or so, if you want you can see the bigger show by the Eiffel Tower. Alya and I have talked about going for years, but we never had the chance to go. Maybe this time might be our lucky year! You're free to tag along. Alya can bring drinks, I can bring snacks, I'm sure it'll be fun!"
Marinette piped, a small blush dusting her cheeks as she approached Adriem with a hopeful smile.
She didn't want it to sound like a date, of course she'd never push those boundaries, but the thought of watching fireworks with Adrien set off a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.
Adrien glanced down at her, his eyes widening as it settled in.
She was Alya's friend.
She was the only friend of Alya's that he talked to, the only friend of Alya's that he spent the most time with.
If one of Alya's friends was in love with him, it had to be Marinette.
There was no other explanation.
Adrien blinked, his heart squeezing at the thought. He couldn't understand why that thought made his heart feel full.
But it couldn't be Marinette.
She had Luka. She loved Luka. In fact, Adrien was sure that Marinette confessed to him that she had feelings for Luka the night before.
The marks on her neck only solidified that fact, he knew if it hadn't been for him calling at the wrong time, she would have spent the night with Luka.
His soul inwardly deflated, it couldn't be Marinette.
So there had to be something he was missing.
"Are those spoons for the hickeys?" Adrien asked, a weary smile tugging on his lips as his eyes moved down to the steaming spoons she held in her hands.
Marinette blinked, her eyes widened as she almost wanted to wither away the moment Adrien mentioned the hickeys on her neck from Luka.
She cleared her throat, shifting her weight as she quickly glanced down at the spoons with a grimace.
"U-Uh yeah." She stuttered, her heart racing in her chest. "I heard somewhere that cold spoons should help lighten up the marks. I don't want it to be too noticeable when we go to our ceremony tomorrow."
Adrien reached up, placing the tip of his thumb into the top of his lip as he worried that Marinette would be too embarrassed to walk around his family with the hickey on her neck. She was certainly a bashful girl, and Adrien couldn't admit to himself that he thought she was cute.
He reached over, taking her hand and tugging her alongside him.
"Come on, let me help you get those on before those spoons get too warm to work."
Marinette stumbled as he grabbed her hand and tugged her into following him towards the back steps.
She blushed deeply, her eyes growing glossy as she focused on making it up the stairs to their master bedroom in one piece.
"D-Do you think these will work? I'm worried that if I put a lot of makeup on to cover it up, it'll rub out on the dress somehow..." Marinette explained, her heart squeezing in her chest as her mind reverted back to her grandmother's traditional Chinese dress that she had ironed and hung in the closet for the following night.
Marinette sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Adrien gingerly picked the spoons from her hand, making sure not to touch the tops and warm them up with his hands.
"I'm not sure. I've never tried to lighten up a hickey before. I probably should have, Kagami left a lot of them on me." Adrien murmured, turning the spoons over to that he could aim the underside of them towards the mark in the center of her neck.
"There was something I wanted to ask." Marinette murmured, jumping as he pressed the cold spoon to the sensitive area of her neck. "I-I know that there was already a wedding dress picked out for the ceremony, but my mother brought me my grandmother's dress. It means a lot to her that I wear it to my first wedding." Marinette pressed her lips together, her heart racing erratically in her chest as Adrien briefly looked up at her.
"A-Actually, it means a lot to me that I wear it as well." Marinette explained, her heart feeling like it wanted to spill out of her mouth. "I was hoping if there's anyway I could wear it for the entire reception. I know it will take a few hours for the entire wedding party, but that way everyone can see the dress. I can embrace my heritage, and I can show off the dress that means a lot to me and my mother."
Adrien smiled warmly, rubbing the spoon in small circles against the dark hickey on her neck.
"I wouldn't tell you not to wear it. It seems like it means a lot to you. I don't see an issue with you wearing it at the wedding reception. My father designed the wedding dress, I'm sure he'd want you to walk down the aisle with his dress." Adrien pulled back to look at the hickey on her neck.
"But as far as the wedding reception goes, you can wear what you want. I'd encourage you to wear your grandmother's dress."
Marinette felt her heart jump, she glanced up at Adrien with a wide smile.
Her chest heaved with excitement, and it took all of Marinette's willpower not to leap into Adrien.
"T-Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me," Marinette breathed softly.
Adrien placed the warm spoon beside him, immediately reached for the other. He placed the convex side of the cold spoon against the mark, being careful when she winced at the cold touch.
"You don't have to thank me, Marinette. In a strange twist of fate, we've been chosen to be matched. This may seem like it's just for show, but it's still our wedding." Adrien pulled back to look at the work on her neck.
Marinette blushed, exhaling as she nodded.
He was right. Even though the wedding was real, it wasn't something that was meant out of love. She loved him, but the feeling wasn't mutual. This feeling was pure agony.
"I think the swelling went down a bit. But I don't think this is working, Marinette. You're probably going to have to use a bit of makeup." Adrien murmured, offering her a playful pout as he placed the spoon in the space between them.
Marinette blinked, reaching up to touch the cold area on her neck with a grimace.
"Oh, I guess that's okay. I should have been more careful..." the young woman simply shrugged, feeling completely defeated as she was going to marry the man of her dreams, with another man's mark on her neck.
Adrien kept his eyes on her, his orbs briefly dropping towards her lips as she rubbed the tender skin on her neck.
There was a subtle tightness in his chest and Adrien looked away.
If Marinette really did love him, would that mean she wanted to marry him?
Why did she go off with Luka?
What would it mean for them?
Adrien exhaled, his heart hammering away in his chest as he couldn't deny that he had felt some sort of attraction to Marinette.
He had wet dreams about her, he felt protective and comfortable around her, and there was even a time the two had almost-
"I don't understand..." Adrien breathed out, his brow furrowing as he was thinking out loud. He was conflicted and Adrien was beginning to feel a whole new slew of emotions, it was almost making him guilty.
This drew Marinette's attention immediately. The young woman glanced at Adrien with wide eyes of curiosity.
"W-What?" She asked, her hand dropping into her lap almost instantly.
Adrien pressed his lips together, almost ready to drop the conversation and simply take a shower to finish the night early, but he knew the thought would only keep him up all night.
"If you loved Luka, and he didn't love you back." Adrien prompted, turning to face Marinette as he spoke. "Then why would he leave a hickey on your neck. Why would you allow him to give you one?"
The male felt incredibly bashful, he reached up with a soft blush and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.
He knew he was being impertinent, but there were times where he simply couldn't help himself that he just had to indulge in it just for a little while.
There was silence between the two, and for that moment Adrien wished he could eat his words. He had a habit of pushing buttons far enough to draw Marinette away. That was the last thing he wanted.
Adrien glanced down, his heart squeezing in his chest as the silence screamed in both their hearts. He clenched his fists, parting his lips to say something but paused the moment he heard a small laugh from Marinette's beautiful plump lips.
"Because Luka isn't the man I'm in love with..." Marinette breathed, the confession rolling off her tongue with ease.
It was almost as if Marinette had completely wrapped her hands around his heart.
Adrien could have fallen to his knees.
The pieces of the puzzle had began to fall into place, and Adrien was beginning to see it.
Marinette confirmed that she didn't love Luka, but she didn't say that it was him either.
Adrien glanced away, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest in a painful manner.
"So there's someone else?" Adrien asked, his voice quivering as he was almost afraid of the answer.
He shouldn't feel this way.
He couldn't feel this way.
He had a girlfriend he had loved and been loyal to for four long years.
If he loved Marinette, it would do damage to Kagami.
It would ruin the plans they had made together.
It would make him a terrible person if he had left Kagami behind after she tried to make everything work for so long.
Adrien bit his lip, knowing that there was something between him and Marinette, he just wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Yes..." Marinette murmured, glancing down. "There's someone else..."
Marinette sunk into herself, not expecting Adrien to pick up the pieces.
She had offered them to him before and he completely stepped on them.
She reached up to lightly tug off the acne patch from her nose and she looked up at the wall across from her.
She saw Adrien look away from her at the corner of her eyes and Marinette had felt completely defeated.
"Cats can't fall in love with insects..." Marinette murmured, her eyes glancing back down to her lap as her voice quivered.
Adrien widened his eyes, his heart taking a sharp beat as he listened to her words. He reached up to run his hand through his hair as words bubbled to his lips, but they were too jumbled to speak.
Adrien didn't know what to make any of this. He had felt entirely too confused, but the one thing he understood was that Marinette felt unloved.
Adrien couldn't let her feel that way either. It didn't matter if they were confused about each other, or if he was confused about her. She didn't deserve the feel that way.
"Marinette," Adrien prompted, turning to her and taking her hand.
Marinette paused, her heart skipping a few beats the moment Adrien had gingerly taken her hand into his.
"The night is still early. Let's go see the fireworks. I know it was a tradition for me and Kagami, but I really want you to experience it." Adrien piped. "I want to watch the fireworks with you this year."
A deep blush covered her cheeks, and Marinette was sure her head was about to roll off her shoulders.
Adrien wanted to watch them with her?
She didn't know what that concept filled her with so much joy and fear at the same time.
"T-To the park that you and Kagami go to every year?" Marinette mused, her brow furrowing as her heart pounded painfully. "Are you on drugs? Kagami would literally stab both of us if she found out you took me there instead."
Adrien rolled his eyes at the thought, too much into the experience with Marinette to give a shit at what Kagami thought about it.
She bailed on him several times in the last few months, it didn't seem fair to wallow in his own self pity while Kagami went about her life.
"It's fine, Marinette." Adrien assured, clasping her hand in both of his hands before he brought it to his chest to plead with her. "We don't have to tell her anything."
Marinette hesitated, her hands trembling as he held on to it. She glanced up, butterflies bubbling in her stomach as Adrien playfully pouted towards her.
His green eyes pleaded with hers, and Marinette couldn't refuse. Perhaps watching fireworks with Adrien would be the perfect close to her night.
At least then they'd have something to talk about during their wedding reception the following night.
Marinette smiled sweetly, her hand contining to tremble in his gentle grasp.
"Fine..." she breathed, finally giving in. "I still have some of the snacks my mother brought over. I can bring those with."
Marinette felt her heart nearly soar through her chest, just from the sight of seeing Adrien smile at her once more.
The night sky was warm, and Marinette almost wished that she had wore more appropriate shoes.
Her flats began to ache her delicate feet as she climbed through mounds and mounds of thick grass.
The warm wind blew through her loose hair and her delicate thin skirt, and Marinette was tempted to lay out her picnic blanket and set up shop wherever she fell.
"Adrien," Marinette breathed, her heart thumping within her chest as Adrien kept a tight hold on her hand, ushering her. "I think we've walked far enough. We can sit around anywhere. There's so much grass everywhere."
Marinette could tell that Adrien was only more excited to take her more deeper into the park, but she just wanted to sit down and rest her feet.
As far as Marinette was concerned, she never even knew that this park existed. It certainly did seem like a secret place that existed just for him and Kagami.
That thought put Marinette on edge. She genuinely did not want Kagami to find out that she was here.
"Are you tired already?" Adrien asked, a soft chuckle emanating from the base of his voice. "We still have one more hill to climb. Kagami and I used to go up that way every year to see the fireworks. You have a ton of space to set up the blankets and the view is so much better."
Marinette groaned, holding the basket of snacks against her chest. She was incredibly concerned about how much walking they'd do when they finished the work show and returned to their bodyguard's car when it was over, but that was something she'd worry about when she got there.
Adrien had seemed so excited to share this experience with her, it was enlightening to her.
Marinette bit her lip, trying not to get ahead of herself. She had almost wished she had encouraged their bodyguard to drive into the park had she known all of this walking was involved.
Adrien released her hand, an excited grin on his lips as the duo reached the base of the grassy hill.
"We're almost there!" Adrien piped, his heart racing erratically as the fireworks show was just about to start. "I promise it'll be worth it!"
Marinette sighed, a grimace on her features as Adrien took off, climbing up the hill and leaving her behind.
The young woman groaned, almost tempted to sit on the bottom of the hill and stuff her face while Adrien watched the light show on his own.
But what kind if wife would she be if she allowed that to happen?
After all, Adrien did bring her here because he wanted to share that experience with her. He had taken her to a place that meant a lot to him, and from the looks of it, he was damn well excited to continue.
He had asked her exclusively to accompany him. Marinette couldn't let him down all because she felt like her feet were about to fall off her ankles.
How silly was that?
Marinette chuckled, following close behind him. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she climbed the hill.
"Adrien wait," she breathed, focusing on not tripping in the grass and losing a shoe. "You're going too fast. Wait up!"
Adrien was too far in his own world of excitement to slow down.
It almost brought him back to his childhood when he made something special for his mother and he'd wake her up, jumping up and down because he was excited to show her this thing that he'd hope she would be proud of.
He knew the top of the hill was the most beautiful and secret part of the park. It was an area that he discovered with Kagami. It was a beautiful secret that he was excited to show Marinette.
Marinette felt that excitement.
She took off after him, her blue eyes remaining on the sky above them. She smiled at the fireflies that fluttered around her head.
The young woman glanced up, her heart racing in her chest as she nearly lost sight of Adrien.
"You're getting way too far ahead!" Marinette whined, willing herself to move a little faster, despite her actually desire to plop on to the grass and die.
She kept an eye on her feet, being meticulous not to trip and roll over the hill she had spent so much effort climbing. She could feel the ground subtly flattening out, signaling that they were reaching the top.
"Are we finally at the top?" Marinette asked, her breath hoarse from the exercise. "Because I'll be honest, my feet hurt so- mgh-" Marinette whimpered, her head smacking straight into Adrien's upper shoulders as he was stood still like a rock.
Adrien was completely stiff, stood straight in his tracks.
Marinette stumbled back, briefly glancing at Adrien's face.
Her heart shattered into small pieces at the horrified expression and Marinette immediately whipped her head in the trajectory of Adrien's visage to see what it was that caught his attention.
"Adrien, what's wro-" her voice cut short the moment she spotted the top of the hill.
Granted, Marinette didn't see it right away, but the moment they had climbed up halfway, the summit of the hill was indeed beautiful the way Adrien had described it.
But it wasn't what they both saw in that moment in time.
The tree at the summit casted an eerie shadow in the moonlight that cascaded the nature all around them.
In that shadow, Marinette spotted Kagami underneath the tree, her arms wrapped tautly around a familiar figure that had most of her clothing strewn from the strength of his hands.
Kagami, hitched her leg up at his hips, naked from the lower half as her hands rummaged through her lover's dark and blue hair.
The same blue haired male that once complimented Marinette's eyes that night she had first met him at the bar
