A few days later, Adrien stood in the kitchen in her parents' apartment next to Marinette as she looked for a recipe on her phone. Adrien leaned in close, peering over her shoulder. They had taken it upon themselves to fix dinner for her parents that night since they had a couple late deliveries to take care of.
"What's your favorite?" she asked him, appearing to be having a hard time deciding.
"Me?" he asked, a little stunned. "Um…" He thought for a moment, gently prying her phone from her hand and typing in a few characters. "This," he said, holding up the device so she could see. Her eyes widened.
"How did you get your father to let you have that?" she asked. He shrugged.
"I…don't really remember? Maybe it was one of Maman's favorites or something. Or a special occasion."
"Oh," Marinette said, looking embarrassed. "Right. Sorry." She sighed. "Sometimes I forget you don't remember a lot of things from before. You generally act the same." She looked at the clock. "Well, if we're making that, we better get started.
Working in perfect sync, they moved around the kitchen in an intricate dance. Dinner was finished in record time, and by the time Tom and Sabine returned, they had the table was set with a perfect coq a vin, asparagus, and baby potatoes, and hazelnut crepes for desert.
They spent a perfect evening, the young duo feeling perfectly at ease. As they finished their meal, Marinette challenged Adrien to a Mario Kart battle while Tom and Sabine took the clean- up duty.
"Anyone up for a movie night?" Tom asked as the elder couple re-entered the room.
"I'd be game," Adrien said, frowning in concentration as he impatiently pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, not taking his eyes off the screen. He was doing fairly well, but Marinette was once again in the lead. But Marinette shook her head.
"I'd love to, but I have homework that's due tomorrow. I have to get home and finish it up," she sighed. "What? Hey, no fair!" she protested as Adrien's character hit hers with a lightning strike, allowing him to take the lead just as they crossed the finish line.
Adrien smirked. "And that's how it's done, Bugaboo," he said happily, raising his arms in victory as she pouted. Then she sighed in defeat, putting her controller down and standing up to give her mother and father a kiss goodbye.
"I'll see you out," Adrien offered, completely missing the knowing looks from the future in-laws (or so they hoped, anyway) as he followed her out the door and down the stairs. This had become a regular thing with them. She would visit, and he'd show her to the door at the end of the evening. Sometimes they'd meet up to spar or have a sleepover at her apartment later, unbeknownst to the parents, sometimes not.
"Will I see you later?" Adrien asked hopefully as she readied herself to go outside, pulling on her jacket and scarf. She shook her head reluctantly.
"I really do need to get my homework done," she said. "I'm going to take the long way home tonight I think, though." She shot him a meaningful look. "I could do with a little fresh air, and there's no telling how many more decent evenings we'll have. Winter isn't too far off, you know." He nodded, softly kissing her cheek.
"Later, Bugaboo," he said with a jaunty two-fingered salute. She winked at him.
"Bug out," she whispered softly, before opening the door and disappearing into the night.
Marinette had made her way around Paris at night hundreds of times. As Ladybug, being out at night was practically a full-time job. But she had to wonder at how different it was to walk around at night on the streets. She hadn't done it recently. Often when she was out alone in the dark, it was as her alter-ego, swinging swiftly through the rooftops.
The longer she walked, the more unsettled she became. A prickling feeling on the back of her neck told her she was being watched, and she was fairly certain it wasn't her Kitty watching her.
Her heartbeat pounded in her chest, her adrenaline spiking. Mentally, she ran through her options. Transforming into Ladybug was out- if someone saw her they'd possibly get her identity as well as getting to have Ladybug arrested. Running quickly home was out, too. There was no way she thought it a good idea to lead some stalker or predator to her apartment that she lived in alone. She could text one of her friends, but didn't want to put anyone in danger by linking them to her if it was, for some reason, a targeted attack. And getting a hold of Adrien was out, because, while she knew he could look after himself, she didn't want anyone to know Chat Noir had returned, or that she had ties to him outside being superheroes. On top of that, she didn't know if she could go on if something happened to him again.
Finding she had no good options, her worry and fear skyrocketed. She thought she could hear quiet footsteps behind her now, though every time she turned to look, no one was there. She took a deep breath, remembering something she had learned once in a self-defense class she'd taken her first year of university, taken at the behest of her father.
"Someone trying to harm you will likely want to take the path of least resistance," she remembered the instructor telling them. "The single best thing you can do is to be confident. If they think you're unlikely to fight back, you make yourself more of a target."
"Stand tall. Show them you're not afraid," she recited to herself out loud. While Marinette was small and light, she knew she could hold her own in a fight without her powers, as long as she wasn't ambushed. Although, she didn't want to give herself away as Ladybug by being able to fight. No one would expect tiny, aspiring designer Marinette to be able to take down someone three times her size and weight.
She kept walking, deciding to circle back around toward the Eiffel Tower instead of going back to her apartment. That area was well-lit and still highly populated at night. It would be a safer place to hang out until she figured out what she should do.
She could still hear the footsteps behind her. Thankfully, it seemed they weren't trying to chase her down to grab her, just tailing her from a distance.
She reached the well-lit Trocadero, finding herself a conspicuous place to sit where she could see things coming from a distance. She didn't want to put herself in such an unnoticeable spot that, if someone tried something with her, no one would notice. The back of her neck was still prickling, the tiny hairs standing on end. She feigned unconcern as she took her sketchbook out of her bag, pretending to work on a drawing while subtly looking about for signs of the person stalking her. If someone looked closely though, they'd be able to see her hands were shaking too badly to draw.
"Tikki," she hissed. "This is bad. Do you have any suggestions?"
"No, Marinette," Tikki said softly. "You did a good thing getting to a public place though. Quick thinking!"
"Yeah, but now what?" she muttered, trying to look as though she were mumbling to herself as she considered her work. "We can't stay here all night; people start to disappear around nine or ten. That's pretty soon. If someone wants to try something, they shouldn't have any trouble once there aren't any witnesses."
"Call Adrien," Tikki whispered. "He needs to know-"
"No." Marinette said firmly. "I can't let him get hurt again. And Chat isn't even supposed to be alive anyway." Tikki didn't argue. She surreptitiously looked around. "What I don't get is why whoever it was didn't just grab me before? I might have been able to outrun them, but they wouldn't know that. I'm easily smaller than most people. It would have seemed simple to make me do what they wanted…unless…"
"Unless they know you and suspect that you're Ladybug," Tikki finished. Her voice sounded concerned.
"Yeah. Or work for someone that does," Marinette muttered.
With that unsettling thought, Marinette set her sketchbook down on her lap, glancing around more obviously this time. Something was very, very wrong about this.
"Princess!" A familiar voice rang out across the square. She caught of Adrien making his way toward her. She fought to not let her relief show on her face, but she was sure he could read it from her eyes. Like always.
When he reached her, she stood, attempting to confidently take both his hands in hers and look lovingly into his eyes.
"Play along," she whispered, and she barely had time to register the questioning look he gave her behind his oval-shaped spectacles before she kissed him full on the mouth. He stiffened, and she could hear his sharp intake of breath, before he wrapped her in his arms, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. It was desperate and tender, fear filled and loving, all at the same time. So intent was she upon continuing to kiss him that she almost forgot about everything that had happened. Almost.
"Where were you, cheri?" she asked in a carrying voice as she pulled away from him. She could see he looked a little dazed. "I was worried you'd stood me up."
Adrien chuckled a bit, though instead of the usual twinkle, his eyes were blazing with fire and passion. She'd never seen that kind of look from him before. "Never. I just stopped to pick up…this." Out of nowhere, he produced another deep red rose. She fought down a blush.
"It's beautiful. Thank you," she said to him sincerely, tucking it into her sketchbook. "So? What did you have planned?"
Adrien winked at her, poking the tip of her nose. "Ah, that's a secret, Princess." He offered her his arm and together they turned and walked away, Adrien leading her back in the direction he'd just come from. Adrien began to unconcernedly chatter about this or that movie he'd seen, Marinette just basking in the relief that came from his presence.
When they got to what they considered to be a far enough distance as they disappeared down into the metro, and Marinette was satisfied that they were no longer being watched, she nudged Adrien. They silently conversed, Marinette asking with a raised brow if Adrien could sense anything. He imperceptibly shook his head, and they both breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders drooping as the tension released slightly.
He turned to her, studying her intensely.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked in a rush, checking every inch of her he could see. She shook her head.
"Not hurt. Just shaken." She looked at him. "I have questions, but we can't talk here."
He nodded. "I have questions, too. Let's go back to your folks' house," he suggested. "It's relatively close, and they won't mind if you stay the night." He looked at her through his hair, before he mumbled, "Besides, I'm not letting you out of my sight again tonight."
She just nodded, allowing him to steer her onto the train that would take them nearest the bakery. She was grateful for his warmth and protection as he held her close to his side. She sagged into him as the adrenaline rush began to die down, leaving her exhausted.
In no time, he was leaving her on her parents' doorstep as he ran into an alleyway nearby to transform and hop back up into his room so as to escape detection. He'd told Tom and Sabine that he was going up to bed early, so they wouldn't have expected to see him at their front door. He discretely kept an eye on her until she'd disappeared inside, then vaulted onto the balcony and out of sight.
Adrien was pacing his room, his mind racing. What on earth had happened? He needed to talk to Marinette. He supposed in a couple of minutes he could pretend to wander down having heard voices or something. Yes, he thought he'd do that. After that…well, his mind never worked well with plans anyway. He'd make it up once he got there.
He took a deep breath, willing himself to be as nonchalant as possible, before opening the trap door and veritably bounding down the stairs toward the kitchen. He slowed and quietened his steps as he came closer so he could hear.
"It was pretty scary," Marinette was saying to her parents as they sat around the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Sabine was bustling about making a cup of tea as she listened, and Tom was looking murderous at the thought of his daughter being tailed by some unknown creep. None of them noticed him. "I was just walking home and the next thing I know…well, it was almost like one of those movies; you know, like that weird feeling you're being watched? Yeah, that's what it felt like. Absolutely terrifying. I remembered my self defense class and tried to pretend like I was calm and confident, and whoever it was followed me all the way back to the Trocadero. I was waiting there in the light, trying to figure out what to do, and…" She finally caught sight of Adrien and her eyes softened. "…and an old friend happened by and walked me back here."
Adrien's heart skipped a beat at the look she was giving him. He was so glad she was ok… He kept quiet as he rummaged through the fridge under the pretense of looking for a snack before bed.
Tom and Sabine exchanged a look.
"We want you to stay here for tonight," Sabine said firmly. "I don't want you out wandering the streets in the dark."
Marinette looked relieved. "Thank you, Maman. I'll be fine on the sofa, don't worry."
Adrien spoke up now. "You can take my bed. It's technically yours, anyway."
Sabine looked at him with pride. "Such a gentleman," she said happily. Marinette, though, shook her head.
"This is as much your home now as it is mine, if not more," she said with a smile. "I'd feel bad about displacing you. Besides, I think I'll just watch a movie for a while anyway. Not sure I'd be able to sleep right now, even if I wanted to…and I really do want to…it's just…"
"The adrenaline rush," he finished for her, nodding. "I can…keep you company for a while. If you like. I was…having trouble sleeping anyway."
She nodded. "That would be nice, thank you," she replied with some composure, though he could read the relief flooding her eyes. Sabine went to find a pillow and blanket for her daughter while Tom leveled Adrien with a stern look.
"Now, Son, I like you. But any funny business-"
"Oh, Tom, stop it," his wife chastised him as she reappeared with an armful of bedding. "They're adults. Besides, they're both honorable, responsible people. We can trust them," she added with a look to the two of them that clearly said, "Prove me wrong and you're in deep trouble."
"Well, we're heading to bed. Jean Luc, you have the day off tomorrow. So don't worry about getting up first thing. We've got it."
Adrien nodded from his spot at the now-vacated breakfast bar. "Thank you. Goodnight Mad- uh…Sabine. Night Tom."
Tom waved. "Night kids. Don't stay up too late," he winked at them and they were gone.
The second the parents were safely ensconced in their own bedroom, Adrien closed the space between them with three long strides, wrapping his partner safely in his arms. She sagged into him, finally letting all composure fade away completely. He held her as her body trembled and her breathing came in short gasps, letting his purr rumble quietly to calm her.
"Shhh," he soothed. "You're safe now. I'm here. You're safe."
She allowed him to calm her, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you for coming for me," she whispered. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"I will always come for you," he said sincerely. Marinette raised an eyebrow.
"Have you been watching the Princess Bride, Kitty?" He looked at her in confusion and her jaw dropped. "Oh. My- We have to watch that. It's a classic!"
He watched her as a bit of her sparkle returned, before he interrupted her.
"Milady," he said heavily. "I- I think we need to talk about what happened first. Sorry. But it will be better to get it over with. Then we can watch whatever you want. Plagg, Tikki?" He called. "We're probably going to need your advice."
The two kwamis made their appearance, settling down on the coffee table as the two young people made their way to the sofa. They sat down half facing each other, each with a leg tucked under themselves, knees touching.
Reluctantly, Marinette recounted everything she could remember about the encounter.
"Tikki and I think whoever is behind this knows me and suspects that I'm Ladybug," she finished unhappily. "We couldn't think of any other reason they wouldn't just grab me."
Adrien felt incensed by her admission. He shifted uncomfortably. "Unfortunately, I think you're right," he said finally. "Being as small as you are, if it were a random attack, they probably would have just…done whatever they were going to do. No, this sounds premeditated. And very specific."
There was silence as they processed this. Then Marinette shattered it with another question.
"How did you find me?" she asked, looking at him curiously. He frowned.
"I'm- I'm not really sure," he admitted. "One minute I was getting ready to sit down to play a round of Mecha Strike with your dad, and then the next I felt like something horrible was about to happen. I made my excuses to your parents and went up to my room to transform. As soon as I was in the suit, it seemed like I was somehow being drawn to you. It was all instinct. I followed it and found you at the Trocadero."
"It became apparent to me that I couldn't just hop down there as Chat. It could give you away or put you in danger, and Chat isn't supposed to even be alive. And my senses were still picking up danger, but I couldn't exactly tell where from." His cheeks grew warm as he remembered what came next. "So I de-transformed and hoped you wouldn't mind putting on a little show. Somehow, we seemed to be on the same wave length."
She tried to smile at him, but it came out as kind of a grimace. "We should be able to be, we've been partners so long," she remarked. He shifted uneasily.
"What are you going to do about the stalker?" Plagg asked from the table, pulling the discussion back on track. Marinette looked upset.
"I don't know. I don't think I want whoever that was to be able to follow me to my apartment. And I can't stay with a friend for that very same reason. I don't like that I've put Adrien in a dangerous position, now that he's been seen with me, but he's more likely to be able to handle whoever it is than my other friends. And I know Maman and Papa are probably in danger now, too, but…I don't know. It just feels safer here with all of us in one place."
"Your parents will never send you away Mari, you know that," Adrien chimed in. "You can probably ask them if you can camp out here for the next little while." Adrien looked at her warily before he spoke again. "Actually, I think you should stay here with me for a few days anyway, or perhaps I could stay at yours. If something else happens, I want to be able to protect you. And I don't think you should try to go anywhere alone, especially at night." He knew he was probably playing with fire at these words, but he didn't care. As expected, Marinette narrowed her eyes at him.
"I can take care of myself, Adrien. Anyway, you won't be able to be with me every minute. I still have to go to classes, and you still have a job. It's not practical for us to do such a thing."
Adrien frowned back. "Then take a few days off," he said firmly. The intense look in his eyes grew as he continued. "Milady, your safety is more important than anything else in the world to me. If someone is targeting you, we need to catch them before we send you back to your regular activities. Period."
She looked at him in surprise, cheeks flushing, but didn't attempt to argue further.
"Do you think Lila's involved?" she asked suddenly. "It seems like a pretty big coincidence given that this happened just after she visited earlier this week trying to threaten me."
Adrien scowled. "If it is her, she must be pretty confident that she won't be caught. Otherwise she'd have stayed far away so there couldn't possibly be any link between her and whatever happened."
He thought for a moment. "Do you think whoever it was has Miraculous powers? Or should we be calling the police and giving them a report or something?" he wondered.
"I think you should let the police know either way," Tikki squeaked. "Since we don't know what we're dealing with, we should err on the side of caution. The more people you have looking out for this situation, the better. Especially because you can't openly be Ladybug anymore without someone trying to arrest you."
Marinette nodded. "If it's something that's dangerous for more than just me, we better make sure Paris is as protected as possible, with or without Ladybug."
Adrien grimaced. "Unless you actually saw someone though, it's unlikely that the police will be able to do much. They may not take you seriously or dismiss you immediately; and they won't be able to track someone they can't see since they don't have any powers."
Marinette sighed. "So unless we actually have a visual on this person or people, we keep quiet."
"Right." Adrien's eyes bored into hers. "All the more reason for you to stay. You're safer here with me than with anyone else in the entire city. I will never allow anyone to harm you," he said tenderly, reaching out a tentative hand to brush her hair away from her face. She nodded and blushed at the intensity of his gaze, and he snapped himself back to the present. "Now, how about that movie?"