Adrien blinked at the doorway she escaped from for longer than he knew was sane, hoping somehow sheer will would bring her back to him. When she didn't appear, he sighed, throwing his legs off the side of the bed and dropping his head into his hands. What did he have now? No powers. No immortality. No home. No Father. No Marinette.
"Ya, but you still have me," chirped Plagg, the sounds of gulps bringing Adrien's attention to his partner with disgust. A toothy grin and flashing green eyes returned his glance. "Lucky you."
"Great."
"You know, it could be worse," the cat drawled, eying another chunk of cheese on the table beside the bed with more admiration than he'd ever shown Adrien. "You could be dead."
"I was," muttered Adrien, wondering what exactly he was going to do now. Plagg's snort nearly made him choke on his precious cheese.
Adrien wasn't sure if the heaviness in his bones was from the loss of his mortality, the need to recover from the trauma of death, or from Fu's magical treatment. Whichever it was, it made him groan as he forced himself to stand.
"Oh good. You are up." Fu stood in the doorway, holding a plateful of food. "Come to the kitchen and we'll eat while we talk."
The kitchen of Fu's house was simple enough - the kind of place that brought comfort as you sat at the wooden table and looked out an oversized window to the picturesque mountains. Adrien slid into the space that Fu gestured to, annoyed at Plagg's near squeal at a newly filled plate of exotic cheese. The Guardian just chuckled under his breath watching the cat devour mouthful after mouthful.
"You must have questions," Fu said finally, his eyes feeling like they bored into Adrien's soul more than just a simple glance. Adrien didn't even know what to ask, truthfully. He just felt adrift with confusion and loss.
"Why?" he finally asked, keeping his gaze carefully focused on Plagg, trying to not grimace in disgust.
"Why what?"
"Why did you save me?"
Fu made a soft "ah" sound, leaning back in his chair and stroking the short goatee that dangled from his chin.
"Immortal or not, you are still a god, Adrien. And you had something to live for." Adrien felt the burn singe across his face as he thought of Marinette. Yes, he had something, but now it was over. He destroyed that hope when he'd revealed how his intent to play a prank on his father had backfired. She didn't want him now. The vision of her leaving his room without looking back solidified it.
"Too late for that now," he mumbled, gaze returning to Plagg's gluttonous chewing. The Guardian made a short hum, leaving the room in heavy silence for longer than Adrien felt comfortable. He shifted in his chair, taking one of the offered pastries and shoving it into his own face in a manner far too similar to his black cat. Still, Fu said nothing.
When Adrien finally felt brave enough to look the old man in the eye, he felt a shock tear through him at the unyielding gaze. Fu's stare left him jumpy, stripped bare for the Guardian of the Gods to see in all his mischievous failure. Unable to turn his eyes away, Adrien waited, trying not to let himself fall apart.
"You two are made for each other."
The words vibrated on his heart, pumping it more to life than any magic healing ever could. He didn't want to dare to believe it. If they had met in any other circumstances, maybe they could have been together. Maybe Marinette could have been his bride instead of his father's. Maybe - there were so many maybes and what-ifs…..
Fu expression remained unyielding.
"So what do I do?" Adrien asked, his experience as God of Mischief not offering him any solution to the situation. "What do I do?"
The smile on the Guardian's face suddenly made him nervous.
She felt hollow. Empty. The walk back to the village combined with constant emotional breakdowns along the way left her drained and unprepared for what she would find when she finally passed under the village gate.
The first step back into the village made her want to throw up, charred remains of buildings crumbling into ashes and families huddled together outside what used to be their homes. The fire that always burnt in the middle of town had been extinguished - a sign of the end of the terror of the Fire God and, ultimately, her failure to the people around her. She stared at the circle which once was the symbol of the village blankly, unfeeling as she sunk deeper into herself.
Sensing eyes on her, she clutched at the opening of her robe, pulling it tighter around her as if somehow that would hide her from their disapproving stares.
The bakery felt like so far away, her feet throbbing from the long walk and her heart aching with the sting of rejection. Stepping through the doorway of her family home, brought refreshed air to her lungs, collapsing into the arms of her parents.
A moment of emotion bubbled over as her mother's arms wrapped her tight and rocked her through a fitful of body-wracking sobs and blubbered nonsense that the woman would never understand. Her room remained untouched from when Adrien had removed everything, a blanket thrown over the lumpy mattress.
She didn't mind, dropping onto its familiar frame and curling the blanket around herself to fall into a dark and dreamless sleep.
The following day was half gone by the time she attempted to open her eyes. A cup of water waited on the table, a welcome gift to her dry throat after so much crying and a night of sleep. Sitting up, she grabbed the cup, downing the contents quickly before looking around her room.
At the end of her bed sat a black cat, eyes wide and head tilted in curiosity. The glass slipped from her fingers, the clatter as it hit the table making the ears of the cat flatten against his head.
"You," she whispered. "Why are you here?" The responding sound of a deep rumbling purr came from the cat before it gingerly stepped its way over the lumps in the bed to press against her arm. She smiled at the antics of Adrien's cat, reaching out to scratch its ears and giggling softly as he flopped awkwardly on his side in joy.
"Oh, kitty. What a mess."
Marinette stroked the soft fur of the purring cat in silence, trying to figure out exactly what she should do. Her heart remained on the mountain, wrapped up in a package of golden hair and gentle green eyes.
"I love him, you know," she admitted. The melodic sounds of purring vibrated beneath her fingers while she stared up at the beams of the wooden ceiling. "I'm so confused."
The words tumbled out unbidden to her silent confidante, a rambling sort of speech that paused ever so often with heart in her throat as Marinette tried to make sense of everything that had happened since Kagami's mother first attempted to bribe her family with gold. The lure of destiny, she supposed, that led her from the bakery door to the bridal chair in Kagami's place. Without that sacrifice, Marinette never would have met him.
Her cheeks flushed as she recounted his laughter and twinkling eyes and the inescapable magnetic pull between them. But betrayal cut deep. Had he even really loved her at all or was it simply a game? How could she even tell?
The black cat twitched its tail in a sudden lash against her, making a strange noise between the purrs. She paused in her musings to continue scratching his ears.
"Sorry, kitty," she cooed, earning a head butt for her efforts.
"He gave up his immortality to try and save me. And then he jumped in front of his father to stop me from getting burned. He died because of me. ME. If Fu hadn't been able to save him-" A lump in her throat cut off her words, guilt gnawing at her insides in an unpleasant writhe. Adrien would be gone.
Unseeing eyes stared at the store as her brain replayed the blast of fire over and over again. Love, she realized, was a tangled ball of complicated feelings and actions. Sacrifice was only a piece of that. Much as she had given herself for her village, he had given himself for her. A long sigh left her.
"I'm a human, kitty. I don't belong in his world any more than he belongs in mine."
The cat lashed his tail again, walking away from her side to the other end of the bed and jumping onto the floor.
"Leaving?" she mused, watching the creature pace abruptly back and forth. For a long moment, the eyes of the cat simply stared at her before walking to the opposite corner of her room and sitting there.
Shifting with a shimmer she could barely see, the shape of the cat changed, morphing into a disfigured blur of black and skin, leaving her gasping with a hand over her mouth in surprise. It lasted little more than a minute before the cat transformed into two - one a sassy small black cat who floated instead of walked and one a golden-haired god named Adrien.
All the colour drained from her face as he transformed, leaving giant blue eyes staring at him in a state well beyond shock. Too late now to change his mind, his body formed around him.
"Please don't panic," he said, afraid to step any closer. She said nothing, continuing to gape unblinkingly in his direction. Exchanging a quick glance with Plagg, who looked significantly worried, Adrien decided to risk moving to the bed and sitting down at the end.
"Marinette?" She hadn't moved at all, the pallor of her face concerning him more than he cared to admit. Was she even breathing?
"Please say something." Her brow creased slightly and she blinked.
"Adrien?" He took a deep breath of relief. "You are a cat?"
His neck suddenly felt uncomfortable, his hand rubbing against it in search of relief as he tried to figure out exactly what to say. Marinette continued to just stare at him in shock, though the colour slowly seemed to be finding its way back into her cheeks.
"Kind of," he admitted, looking over at Plagg who returned his gaze with one of semi-amusement. "Fu gave me my powers back."
She blinked.
"I guess he can do that as the Guardian. I don't understand but it was something about balance or such. So he would give me my powers back somehow. I am the God of Mischief. One of my powers is that I can transform into a cat. With Plagg's help."
She blinked again, before shifting her eyes to the floating cat and back to him. He could practically hear the thoughts rolling through her head, putting the pieces together.
"A cat," she whispered. Suddenly her eyes popped wide. "You watched me! As a cat!" Her face lit on fire, and he couldn't help but smirk a little.
"Not exactly, I tried to be a gentleman and leave. Even as a cat." She dropped her head into her hands with a low groan. "Besides," he continued, "I saw a lot more as Adrien."
Her head popped up at that, her eyes practically throwing daggers in his direction. He couldn't help but laugh, a quiet chuckle that rumbled deep in his chest.
Sidling closer, he took her fingers in his, leaning closer into her space as she flushed and the death stare changed into wide open innocence.
"I meant everything that I said. I love you, Marinette. I want you to be my wife. MY wife. But most of all, I want you to be happy. If that isn't with me -" Oh, how he wanted that to be with him.
She remained quiet for long enough that he worried maybe she would say no.
"You are a God. I am a human," she said finally, eyes locked with his. "You will outlive me a thousand lifetimes."
He didn't care. Every moment he could spend with her made eternity worth it.
"It was a lie." Their relationship was founded on a lie. His lie. A game that he planned without thinking of the long-lasting doubts and consequences that his actions would cause her. Apologies may never be enough. But he was willing to try anyway.
"Mischief God or not, I promise that I will never lie to you ever again." He would swear on Plagg if he had to. She simply studied his face. What she was looking for, he wasn't sure, but his heart leapt in his chest with hope as her lips curled in the tiniest of smiles.
"It's going to take time, you know. To trust you." He understood. Of course it would.
"Whatever it takes. I want you to know how much I love you," he promised.
Arms flung themselves around his neck and her body pressed against his in a tangle of blanket and limbs. Her lips smashed against his, seeking assurance, he supposed, of his feelings and he gladly gave it, sliding his hands around her back to draw her closer.
When she pulled away, it was with a gasp for air, fingers twisted into the locks of his hair and eyes sparkling.
"I love you, too."
That was all he needed.
Author: Time to wrap things up~