Author: There are some unwanted sexual advances in this chapter (in which a character says no) - just in case that kind of thing upsets you.
The long, mindless run had cleared Adrien's head and, hopefully, had stopped Plagg from his bout of laughter. Transforming back to himself, he approached the house with caution, uncertain of where Marinette might be. Throwing the door open with a loud thump to announce his arrival, he spotted her sitting on a chair on his back deck, cradling a mug in her hands. She jumped a little at the intrusion but smiled softly in his direction before turning back to look over the valley.
Taking the other chair on the porch, he examined the view that he knew by heart with a fresh set of eyes. What did she think of this location and the sight it afforded?
"Like the view?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
She nodded. "It's beautiful."
His fingers drummed anxiously against his thigh. There was still plenty of time left in the day. Trying to fill it with awkward silences and glances seemed like a terrible way to spend it. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed her hand.
"Come with me."
Mug of tea left behind, he led her carefully down his path to the valley, stopping to comment on the things that he'd always loved along the way - the wildflowers in bloom, the height of the trees that edged the trail, the gentle ripple of the river. Together they walked along hand-in-hand, sunshine warming their skin, exploring all the wonders of nature. He would tuck in close beside her to point out wildlife creatures hidden just off his trail - soft rabbits, a deer, birds rustling through the brush.
Now and then, she would stop walking, causing a gentle tug on his arm from their handhold. It was at these times that he would find her staring at something with a slightly glazed over look and a soft smile before a hard blink brought her back from whatever cloud she'd been on. She would look at him in surprise - apologizing quietly.
Finally, he had to know.
"What are you doing when you stop like that?" Embarrassed, she bowed her head.
"I'm sorry. I will try not to do it again." He pulled her chin up to look at him.
"Tell me."
"I-I-I… I'm just feeling inspired. I've never seen such a beautiful place before. It is making me wish I could draw it, so I'm kind of painting it in my head." Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip nervously. "I'll stop doing it."
"No. Please. Paint away" He smiled, waiting until the embarrassed look faded into one of shy happiness before he let her chin go, tucking one of her stray strands of hair behind her ear and running the back of his fingers against the softness of her cheek.
It was silent and peaceful as they meandered along. Every time he felt her hesitate, he would stop instantly to see what had caught her eyes. Sometimes he would ask her why something looked beautiful to her and listening to her soft tone of appreciation made him take fresh new looks at the world where he had lived his whole life.
He loved this warm feeling of her hand tucked into his, wandering through the canyon - nowhere to go and nothing to do pressing in on him. The only nagging reminder of his everyday life was the complaints made by Plagg about the lack of available cheese - behaviour which ended up with the little creature being plucked out of the sky and stuffed into a pocket inside Adrien's robe that housed an emergency stash.
The sun was edging over the tops of the mountains, casting long shadows across the valley when they made their way up the trail back to the house. Already, his mind was brimming with ideas on what art supplies he needed to bring to her - paints, papers, whatever she needed to bring the beauty she saw alive.
It was an evening of relative silence while she made them a meal and he contemplated what exactly he was doing with this plan. When he'd found her on his doorstep, the single thought of the perfect troublemaker opportunity being handed to him was all he thought of. But now, he wasn't so sure what he was doing.
She moved around the kitchen with confidence, somehow managing to turn the meager food stores that he had there into something that smelled delicious. Marinette wasn't just a pawn to play a prank against his father - she was a real person with real feelings. He felt conflicted with a gnawing sense of guilt combined with the frustrating realization that if he told her the truth and sent her to his father's house she would become just another body in the women's corner - living a meaningless life.
A low growl rumbled in him at the conflict.
"Everything ok, Adrien?"
Her voice startled him out of his turmoil. Forcing a reassuring smile, he accepted the bowl of food she held out.
"Yes, sorry. Just got distracted for a moment. Thank you for the meal."
They ate in silence, Adrien hyper-aware of the woman sitting beside him. Every time she shifted in her seat, his skin tingled. Every time she smiled, his heart lurched. Every time she sighed, he stared at her face.
Plagg's annoyed chuckles from wherever he was hiding were started to irritate him. Marinette just kept glancing over at the little cat with puzzled expressions.
Supper over, she pulled the bowl from his hands and took them to the sink. Adrien watched, trying to figure out what to say to her. A sharp curse mumbled under her breath brought him to hastily to her side, finding her wringing out the sleeve of her gown in frustration. She blushed when she realized he was there.
"Sorry. It keeps rolling down."
Decisions popped into his head all at once - find her clothes, visit her village, make her happy. One thing at a time. A whistle to Plagg, a gentle brush of his fingers against her cheek, and a promise to be back soon where all he did before he rushed out the door and changed into his cat to run faster.
Chloe. Chloe had plenty of robes - likely more than she would even admit to owning. She could give him one.
Chloe's house wasn't far away, situated in the mountains with a series of hot springs surrounding it. The building itself was a reflection of her preference for all things beautiful. Gold trimming, expensive marble columns embedded with sparkling gems, coloured glass window. It was the complete opposite of everything Adrien himself preferred.
Stepping into the hall mid-transformation, he called out for her. From her room up the stairs, she practically glided into view and dangled over the railing. She was a beautiful woman, he had to admit - her golden hair smoothed back into a long, sleek ponytail that curled down her back. She was dressed in a matching gown that had many layers of gauzy thin fabric, cut in a way that accented all her perfect curves. Even her jewellery glistening in the sunlight.
"Adrikins!" she cried out. How he hated her nickname for him. She flew down the stairs with graceful movements and threw herself at him, arms clutching at his neck as she pressed herself tightly against him. Only grasping her waist in an attempt to avoid falling backwards, he tried not to cringe at her closeness. Plagg made a gagging noise next to his ear.
"Hey, Chlo. I was hoping for a favour."
When she pulled away from him, still touching his arms, he could see plans being made in her head. "A favour?" Her attempt at feigned innocence was a failure, even as she batted her eyelashes.
"Yes. I need a woman's robe." She seemed surprised at that, puckering her lips slightly and narrowing her eyes to study him suspiciously.
"For who?"
"Oh, just a little something I'm working on." He flashed her a grin, one that she was too familiar with - one that he knew was his signature troublemaker smile. She rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Come pick one." She led him up the stairs to her room, flinging open an oversized set of doors that revealed her seemingly endless closet of gowns.
Chloe preferred gold, whether that be jewellery, decorations, or clothing - as this selection of dresses demonstrated. It was almost blinding, the amount of yellow that lined the walls with a splash of other colours intermingled here and there.
His eyes were instantly drawn to a soft pink gown with black sleeves. A pattern of small vined flowers weaved its way across the front. It was perfect. Marinette would look beautiful in it. He couldn't control the smile that appeared on his face.
"How about this one?" Chloe eyed it disapprovingly, waving her hand in a dismissing motion.
"Sure. Take it. It's ugly anyway." With careful fingers, he slid it from its hook and draped it over his arm.
"Thanks, Chlo. It's exactly what I -" His voice trailed off as he turned around. Chloe had stepped closer, all but pinning him against the closet wall. Her eyes were almost predatory as she invaded his personal space, hands splayed against his chest, and one leg hooking around his. Hot breath against his neck, followed by lips pressed against his jaw made him jump.
She pushed him to the wall with her hands, her head back to look at him with wanton eyes. He always knew she wanted him - she'd never hidden that from anyone. But it wasn't from care. It was her driving need for beauty and perfection. He wasn't vain by nature, but he knew he was attractive enough for her to consider him an asset. A loud hiss from somewhere off to his side startled him back into action.
"Chloe. Stop." Somehow he managed to wiggle his arm out from between them, using it to hold both her wrists and gently push her away from him. Making sure her eyes were meeting his own, he very clearly said "No" before shoving himself away from the wall. She frowned, jerking her hands out of his grasp and crossing them over her chest, one hip cocked out in defiance.
"Who's the gown for, Adrien?" He sighed. Of course, she would resort to jealousy.
"One of my father's wives." Simple enough. Not exactly a lie. Chloe just glared with skepticism, anger flashing through the piercing blue of her eyes. Steady steps brought him out of her closet, through her room, and into the hallway. It felt safer here.
"Thanks, Chloe." And with that, he bolted, running through the doors of her house with the gown in hand, Plagg hot on his heels. All Adrien could think of was how he needed to see Marinette right now to get rid of Chloe from his brain.
Marinette wasn't quite sure how to feel about Adrien's continuous and spontaneous penchant of running out the door and vanishing for extended chunks of time. Where did he keep going?
A low-burn of panic churned in her stomach at the thought that maybe he was running home to his harem of wives to get the attention she hadn't offered yet. The thought made her anxious and sent a wild pang of unexpected jealousy through her.
It surprised her. How could she be jealous? They hadn't even spent much time together alone - and when they had, it had been, for the most part, very quiet. He didn't talk much and he seemed more interested in leaving than staying. But despite that, she felt like there was more there. The stirring of something deep inside her.
His eyes pulled her in every time he smiled. Today's walk through the wilderness had been almost magical. She flushed slightly at the memory of her hand in his, of his habit of running his fingers on her cheek. It had been a wonderful afternoon. So why had he run off again?
Marinette made her way to the back patio with a slightly heavy heart. Sunset over the mountains was beautiful but didn't do much for the ache she was feeling. With a sigh, she lowered herself to the chair, tugging lightly on the ladybug charm around her wrist. Glancing at the bauble, she smiled. She could almost hear her mother's voice chiding her softly.
"My little ladybug, you are strong and smart. You can find a solution to any problem if you just stop and think. Keep your chin up."
Rubbing her thumb over the raised spots of the ladybug, Marinette considered the words she'd heard her mother say so many times. She didn't even really know the problem yet, so she couldn't find a solution for it.
"Marinette!" She jumped to her feet as the door flung open, revealing an out-of-breath Adrien, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling. He skidded to a stop beside her, thrusting out his arms. He looked like one of the young boys in the village, eager to show off a wild creature that he'd managed to capture during his playtime. He practically quivered with excitement. She couldn't help but smile as she took the offered fabric in her hands.
Unravelling it slowly, she gaped at the softness of the material as it revealed a robe unlike one that she'd ever worn before. And in her favourite colour, pink!
"Do you like it?" She nodded, clutching it close to her chest. She didn't dare ask where it was from, deciding the thought of him rummaging through another wife's closet to smuggle it out to her wasn't the dream she would accept.
"Oh, yes!" Without thinking, she stretched up and kissed him on the cheek before rushing to the bedroom to change.
It fit so much better than Adrien's, snug in the right places and loose in others, giving her much more feminine contours. She smiled happily, realizing the sleeves didn't need to be rolled up. Pulling the sash into a tight bow, she stepped out of the room and twirled in front of Adrien.
"Thank you," she whispered, kissing his cheek again before sashaying across the room. "It fits perfectly."
Adrien was slow to react, his brain frozen somewhere between the unexpected kisses and her twirling that reminded him of his earlier encounter. She beamed brightly now, the robe securely wrapped around her in a way that showed off all the curves of her body. He had known it would be beautiful on her, but by all things holy, he hadn't expected her to outshine the Goddess of Beauty herself.
Mentally, he berated the line of thoughts that flooded his brain as soon as it rebooted, eyes unable to tear away from the vision that she made. She was just making tea. There was no need to be imagining taking off the gown that she had just put on and kissing her senseless.
In amazement, he watched her smile at Plagg, reaching out to scratch the cat between the ears before passing him some of his beloved cheese. The rumbling sound of purring could be heard across the room. Had anyone ever made Plagg that happy?
He needed to move before his feet grew roots to the floor and he spent the rest of his life just watching her instead of anything else. Sharply, he cleared his throat and forced his feet to walk. It only took a few steps to reach her.
"You look beautiful." She smiled again, the blue in her eyes alight with joy. She gently ran her hands across the waistline of the dress.
"I feel like I am a princess!" And then she laughed. At that moment, he realized he wanted to hear that sound every day for infinity.
"Dance with me, Princess." His voice betrayed him, raw and deep, even as he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. She squeaked slightly, eyes wide in surprise. He led her to the middle of the main room before he guided one of her hands to his shoulder, the other tucked into his, and pulling her flush against himself.
"There's no music," she mused, laughing slightly. He just smiled.
"We don't need music." His movements were smooth and practised, gliding them in a pattern that made her robes swish back and forth.
He never took his eyes off hers, drowning in the softness they offered. She radiated happiness - true happiness - and he was lost.
She kept stumbling over her feet, giggling as she did. Pulling her closer with a soft laugh, he lifted her slightly off the ground, twirled her around and set her down again. This time, he perched her toes onto the tops of his feet before returning to the movements of the dance. She threw her head back and laughed as they danced, her arms draped around his neck.
He didn't know when, exactly, but suddenly his lips were on hers. In his arms, he felt her stiffen in surprise before relaxing against him with a soft sigh. His arms tightened around her as he pressed his lips harder to hers. He wanted more than this. More than close bodies and lips moving against each other. He wanted to be loved.
His deepening movements were almost desperate, trying to coax it out of her, trying to get her to understand how he was feeling, trying to figure out how she felt in return. Her fingers slid up his neck and into the back of his hair, gripping slightly.
It was that motion that brought him back to himself with a hard crash of reality - forcing him to remember who she was, exactly, and why he couldn't - shouldn't be kissing her. If he didn't stop now, he didn't know if he could stop at all. With a jerk, he pulled back from her, physically removing his body from hers to put a gap of space between them.
She was slow to react, opening her eyes to blink at him with dazed confusion. Her face was flushed and lips swollen from their kisses. Not trusting himself to keep his hands to himself, he moved two more steps backwards, even as a sense of loss filled him. Cursing to himself as she whispered his name in a quiet question, he put out his hand between them to stop her from following.
"No," he said, roughly, unable to stop the anger in his voice. "Go to bed. Stay there. I'll see you in the morning."
"But, Adri-" He cut her off with a gesture.
"Go to sleep, Marinette. Please."
How he wanted to smooth the resulting frown off her forehead, pull her close again and never let go. How he wanted to take the hurt look of rejection from her and claim her as his own. He growled softly, spinning around so she couldn't see his struggle. Yelling for Plagg, who immediately appeared from wherever he'd been hiding, Adrien left. Again. Maybe he should be renamed as the God of Running Away.
The sun had sunk behind the mountains, leaving the world in darkness and the sky twinkling with its countless stars. Slumping against a tree, Adrien stared at the stars, trying to clear his head. Why had he thought this would be an opportunity for mischief and fun? All it was doing was confusing the hell out of him and giving Plagg the biggest laughs of his immortal life.
He was gone again.
Marinette's brain felt like it was trapped in some kind of mud, trying to pull itself out of the sludge to figure out what had just happened. One minute there had been dancing and laughing and wonder. The next, he was kissing her. It had been a desperate sort of kiss - as if he was asking her for something she couldn't understand. She had never been kissed before and it had left her breathless. On fire from the inside, even.
Her fingers touched her lips.
What had happened? Why had he pulled himself away so abruptly and left? The look in his eyes before he'd run off had been so conflicting and almost unreadable, but anger had laced his words.
Maybe she was a bad kisser. Maybe she was a disappointment as a wife. She collapsed to the ground, fear taking her ability to stand. Maybe he had left to burn her village because she hadn't fulfilled the needs he had.
The fingers on her lips pressed harder to trap the sob that tried to escape.
She didn't know how long she knelt there, unable to move as the conflicting emotions and sensations of the day swirled around her. Shadows seeped into darkness, plunging her into the night and still, she stayed frozen, staring at nothing as she replayed everything over and over, praying silently that her village would be spared.
Author: Gah - he needs to stop running away. It's really hard to write a story where one of the main characters runs off all the time!