Chapter Nineteen

Note: First of all, I would love to thank all of you for your words of encouragement. They seriously warmed my heart. Now, I would like to formally announce Arc 2 of this little story of mine. The writing of which makes me cackle like a witch in a house made of candy. So, enjoy!

Finally, around 2AM, Adrien and Marinette managed to shoo away the last of the stragglers. Alya and Nino had headed home around midnight, shortly after Marinette's parents had headed back with Rico. The couple forded a seemingly endless round of questions that only got more convoluted the more alcohol from the free bar was added to the group. They kept trying to rid the mansion of party-goers, hinting at how tired they were, at how the rates for the bartender went through the roof after midnight, etc. etc. Even once they shut the door behind the last guest, they did a quick, careful sweep again just to be sure someone wasn't passed out in a closet or hiding in a cupboard. Luckily, they were alone at last.

Marinette sighed, her shoulders relaxing. Adrien loosened his tie, placing a hand at the small of her back. He tipped the bartender and the clean-up crew—a pair of men from the maid service used to working over the Agreste mansion—and gave them instructions to let themselves out after the downstairs was taken care of, before leading Marinette upstairs. She leaned into his side and closed her eyes, fully exhausted and trusting him not to run her into any walls.

She trusted the wrong cat.

As soon as they were up the stairs and out of a direct line of sight, he grabbed her around the waist and pushed her against a wall, kissing her hard on the lips. Marinette's eyes flew open, then fluttered shut with a moan as she jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist. He turned—still in the hallway, and slammed her into the opposite wall, with a force that knocked a canvas off the wall. They didn't notice. She wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him desperately, like he was the only thing keeping her clinging to life. He pulled back and grabbed her ass, lifting her a few inches higher before shoving her back into the wall just as roughly as before, grinding his hips against hers.

One of the men rushed up the stairs to see what the commotion was, visions of akumas dancing in his head. He promptly turned tail and ran back downstairs without a word.

"How much do you love this dress?" Adrien asked as he kissed a path down her throat to the tops of her breasts. He couldn't quite get the zipper at the back down.

"Rip it and I murder you, fiancé or no." Marinette warned, narrowing her eyes.

Adrien growled in frustration and walked them to their new room, dropping her on her feet inside the door, locking it behind for good measure. He stepped towards her, motioning for her to turn around so he could get to the fastening better, but she shook her head with a saucy smile. "Ah, ah, kitty." She could see his pupils dilate as she stepped into his space, not quite touching him. Slowly, still not touching, just barely brushing her fingertips on the fabric of his shirt, she guided him to the bed. He sat down hard on the foot of the bed as it hit the back of his knees. Marinette pressed a feather-light kiss to his lips before standing back. She placed one foot on the edge of the bed, right between his spread knees, and bent, undoing the side zipper and slipping it off. She did the same with the other, until she was finally rid of the ridiculous things.

Adrien smiled at her, eyes flashing in the moonlight streaming through the windows, glad they were one-way glass. He had always fantasized about making love to her in the moonlight. He reached back for the remote they kept magnetically attached to the headboard of their bed and switched on some music, something sensual and wordless and powerfully beautiful, before raising up to rest back on his forearms, watching Marinette move.

Marinette slid her hands up her body, her arms crossed, then raised them to the ceiling, eyes closed, head back, swaying and gyrating to the beat. He watched her stomach move under the skin-tight fabric, watched her back arch, her hips sway. He was riveted to her. She turned her back to him, looking over her shoulder, and reached back, slowly unzipping the dress, revealing smooth, white skin. No bra, that he could see. It stopped just below the small of her back. She let it slide off her shoulders and lifted a leg at a time to step out of it. Adrien's heart seized for a moment as all of his blood rushed downstairs. Just below where the zipper stopped, the lowest possible point before heading into publicly inappropriate territory, the bottom of a black lace…something…he didn't know as much about women's underwear as some…so sue him. The lace trailed down to create a tight, short mini skirt, stopping barely covering her ass, completely see-through. It curved up and around her sides, and he could see a thin, almost-invisible rubber strip across her shoulder blades holding the sides together. As she turned, hips swaying again, she revealed the rest of it. There was a padded support for her breasts, trailing down with unbelievably fine lace into a simple, tight shift. She stepped forward, placing a hand on either side of his knees and bending over, shoulders still moving with the beat of the soft music. He had a clear view down the top of the shift. She slowly crawled her way up the bed, until her face was even with his.

"So, what do you think?" She asked in a husky whisper. "Of the rest of my outfit tonight."

"I think," Adrien's mouth was so dry he had to swallow before continuing. "That it's a good thing you didn't let me see this before the party." He sat up slowly, until she was straddling his waist, the shift riding up her thighs. His hands found her waist and he ran his fingers over the lace.

"This," She said, her lips at his ear. "You can rip."

Adrien groaned, and his fingers dug into her skin, easily tearing the delicate lace. Faster than she could blink, he flipped them, pinning her to the bed. He kissed her lips tasting wine, then down her neck, lighting a fiery trail everywhere his lips touched. As he came to the top of the shift, he looked up into her eyes before taking it in his teeth and tearing it away. Marinette gasped and arched, so turned on by the display that even she was surprised. Adrien grinned as he finally got to what he had been trying to. He latched onto her nipple hungrily, nibbling and sucking. Marinette's hands combed through his hair. She could feel the little bit of stubble from the day as his face brushed her skin, could feel the tattered edges where he had torn the lingerie. Greedily, he kissed and tasted and groped at her, driving her crazy. He pushed her back on the bed inch by inch, until they were fully stretched out across it, before pulling back, sitting on his knees between her legs. Marinette raised up and reached out towards him, going for the buttons on his shirt.

Adrien grabbed her wrists, a devilish light in his eyes. "Ah, ah, ah, Bugaboo," he purred. She lay back down as he reached into his jacket. He pulled out her scarf from earlier. Her heart was racing as he kissed her again, his fingers entwining in hers as he spread her arms. He pulled away. "Do you trust me?"

Marinette smiled up at him, then nodded. "Always, minou."

He kissed her, more gently this time than before, then placed the scarf over her eyes, tying it loosely behind her head. "No peeking. Keep your hands where they are." He ordered in a sultry whisper. Marinette opened her mouth to reply, but only a gasp left her as he trailed hot kisses down her throat. She opened her eyes behind the scarf, but she could see nothing but darkness. She kept her hands palm-up on either side of her head as he requested, back arching as his lips made their way across her body, his hands pulling away the tattered remains of her outfit, his touch electric on her scorching flesh. The fact that she couldn't see him, couldn't predict where his fingertips or tongue would brush next seemed to heighten everything. She was on fire, burning up, desperate.

"Adrien!" She gasped as he flicked his tongue against her swollen bud, one hand holding her thigh to the side as his other found her slick entrance. She could feel that cocky smirk she loved as he kissed her inner thighs and every inch of her most private areas. Her hands slid up a few inches to grip the pillow under her head, mouth hanging open as his mouth and fingers attacked her, quickly driving her over the precipice. He didn't stop as he felt her tensing, as she began thrusting her hips closer to his face, as her back arched. She cried his name, moaned it, grit it between her teeth. It was all she could see, and he loved it. He wanted her to feel everything. Everything that she made him feel every time she smiled at him, every time he saw that mischievous glint in her blue bell eyes, every time she reached for his hand or curled up into him or leaned on him as if by instinct. She meant everything to him, and Adrien wanted to make sure she knew that.

Marinette finally felt the endless waves subside, her mind washed clear of absolutely anything else, seeing stars in the darkness behind the blindfold. She collapsed back on the bed panting and gasping for air, body slicked with sweat, muscles cramping from the intensity of her pleasure. "Adrien…" she sighed once more as he pulled away, licking his lips.

Adrien looked down at Marinette, wearing nothing but her scarf and her ring, body glistening in the moonlight, chest heaving, a dreamy smile on her face. He quickly stood, pulling away his clothes before stretching out over her again, holding his torso up with one forearm, his weight settling between her legs. He kissed her neck as he undid the scarf and pulled it away. Marinette turned her head and cupped his cheek, bringing his lips to hers for a long, slow, smoldering kiss. "You are amazing," Adrien murmured as he pulled back, pressing his forehead to hers and letting her breathe.

Marinette giggled, feeling drunk on passion. "That's my line." She pushed him sideways, rolling with him so that she was straddling his waist. Her core, now dripping wet and blazing hot, rested over his painfully hard member, and he groaned into her kiss. Marinette's legs still trembled against his hips, and he felt a rush of satisfaction that he had given her that much pleasure, as his hands gripped her thighs. She combed her fingers into his hair—slightly damp with sweat, but still soft and perfect in her hands—as she ground her hips against him.

Very suddenly, Adrien sat up, making Marinette squeak in surprise, almost biting his lip as he lifted her a few inches in his lap. She grinned at him, reaching down to line him up just right, and with one thrust, he filled her. Marinette threw her head back, eyes closing again as he lifted her and let her fall, again and again. Adrien groaned at the feeling of her muscles still spasming as he thrust in and out, and brought his mouth back to her chest, nibbling and sucking mark after mark into her breasts, teasing her nipples. As he began losing himself to the feelings washing over him, he kissed her lips, one arm wrapping around her back, hand resting on her shoulder blade as the other still gripped her thigh. Marinette pumped her legs, moving her hips faster, circling them the tiniest bit and making her kitty groan. One of her hands slid from his hair to his neck, across his chest, running her nails lightly over the skin of his abdomen and making him shudder and moan, then slid under his arm to his back, reaching up to wrap her hand over his shoulder from behind. Their chests were pressed together as they tried to pull each other even closer, speeding up, losing control, the rhythm becoming unsteady and frantic.

They pulled away as they both drew closer to the edge, faces in the crooks of each other's necks. "Yes, yes, Adrien…" Marinette panted.

"Come with me." He growled as his grip on her tightened. "Come with me, Eliza." Adrien's voice lilted with an accent both strange and familiar.

Marinette was confused for a moment before something warm and electric washed over her. She felt her own consciousness wash into the river of ecstasy rushing through her mind, slipping out of control, and felt her lips form words she hadn't thought. "Griff, yes! I am yours! Now! Always!" she gasped in the same lilted accent. Then, as she fell into orgasmic bliss, she could sense…something, some revelation, but she couldn't bring herself to care, and she couldn't think, couldn't move, her body arching and locking up, her mouth open, cries falling from her lips as she and Adrien clung to each other.

The world around them shuddered into darkness.

"Marinette…Marinette…Marinette!"

Marinette felt like her eyelids were made of lead, her ears filled with cotton, her body filled with wet sand. She could hear the voice, but it took her brain a full minute to work out that it was Tikki's voice, and that someone was jabbing her shoulder over and over again. Still, she couldn't figure out how to make her body move for her for another minute. She cracked her eyes open with what felt like monumental effort Tikki stopped kicking her shoulder and zipped in front of her face with a movement quick enough to make Marinette's head spin again. "Wha' is't?" She mumbled, mouth dry and tongue thick and heavy. She closed her eyes again and felt herself instantly falling back asleep.

Tikki slapped her face. "No! You can't go back to sleep!" Tikki said frantically.

"Can't?" Marinette asked, pouting at her Kwami.

"No!" The little bug responded. "Marinette, something is very wrong."

"Nothin's wrong, Tik. Ev'rythin's perfect." She mumbled, swatting her hand at the god. Or, she tried to swat at her. She could barely move her hand off the bed. She frowned and glanced down at the disobedient limb and tried to make it move, and managed to lift her hand slowly, but it was much harder than it should have been, and she felt pins and needles, like it had fallen asleep. In fact, she felt that crawling sensation all over her body. She turned her head, trying to find the source of what was making her feel that way, and saw Adrien's still-sleeping face next to her, his lips parted, a light snore sounding from his mouth. She looked down and saw their limbs still entangled, and realized with a flush of embarrassment that he was still inside of her, and that Tikki had come upon them like this. She groaned and pressed her head against Adrien's shoulder. Then she realized something. The sunrise was shining through their windows. Which meant they had only been asleep a couple of hours. But she was starving, and thirsty, and they were dry. Not soaked with sweat, not even sticky with recently-dried sweat. Completely dry. In fact, her skin almost felt chapped and dehydrated. "What's going on?" She asked, sobering up, forcing her tongue to work for her.

"I don't know!" Tikki said, panic raising her voice to an even higher pitch than usual. "Plagg and I found you like this, and decided to leave you alone for the day, and spent the day watching that Firefly show you two are crazy about. And then we spent two days at Master Fu's, and we come back, and you're still here. You haven't moved, haven't woken up. Something's wrong!"

"Wait…so…three days?!" Marinette forced her hands under her and lifted her body. Her muscles quaked and complained, and she winced as she forced herself free of Adrien's grasp, feeling him slide out of her. She collapse back onto the mattress, then tugged at the comforter hanging off the edge of the bed, wrapping it around herself, before forcing her body to sit up. Her head spun. "That's not possible." She argued, despite what her body was telling her.

"It's the truth." Plagg said. "Can you throw a blanket or something over him?" He asked, averting his eyes. Adrien still lay spread-eagled and unmoving on the bed. Marinette grabbed a pillow and covered his hips with it, preserving some of the cat's modesty.

"Adrien," She breathed. She shook his shoulder, but he didn't stir. "Adriiieeeeeen," She crooned, taking the ends of a lock of his hair and tickling the tip of his nose. His face wrinkled, and a hand twitched like he was going to swat it, but the muscles shook, and it dropped back to the mattress, his face relaxing once more. Marinette frowned. "Adrien. Come on. This isn't funny." She patted his cheek.

"We've already tried everything we know," Plagg said. "It took us almost an hour to wake you up. The kid hasn't reacted to anything."

"Can one of you go into our first aid kit in the bathroom?" Marinette asked after she tried, and failed, to stand up. "We should have a small bottle of smelling salts in there." Tikki zipped away and was back within seconds holding up the brown glass bottle. Marinette pulled off the stopper, hands still shaking and waved it under Adrien's nose. His face scrunched up again, but this time, his breathing quickened, and his eyelids began to flutter open. She stoppered the bottle again and cupped his cheek. "Come on, minou." She murmured, thumb caressing his cheekbone.

"Ma…ri…?" He groaned as his eyelids finally opened, face turning and gaze focusing on her.

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the stars." She breathed. "Adrien, I need you to wake up. Start moving around." He groaned as he tried to move. "I know. I know. But you have to." He struggled, and she helped him the best she could, until he was sitting with his back resting against the headboard. His fingers massaged his temples.

"Wha's goin' on?" He mumbled. "Did we get drunk last night?"

"I have no idea. But I don't think this is just a hangover." She answered. She turned to Tikki. "I think…something happened last night—well, the other night. I remember…there was a moment when I wasn't me. This is definitely Miraculous-related. We need Master Fu." Tikki was gone before Marinette had finished her sentence, in full crisis mode.

Plagg shook his head. "I'll go after her, make sure she doesn't have a panic attack and fly in front of a bus or something."

"Why…Master Fu?" Adrien asked. His eyes were closing again, head slumping forward, and Marinette clapped her hands. He jerked back up, looking confusedly at her.

"Adrien. We slept for three days." She said slowly.

Adrien looked out the window, brow furrowed. "We couldn't've."

"We did." She said. She felt her muscles weakening again and scooted to sit against the bed next to him. "Hey, you don't happen to have any of those handy little maids or cooks or anything anymore, do you?" She asked, knowing the answer.

"The housekeeper doesn't come until noon, and she's the only one." He answered, rubbing his growling stomach.

"I don't think I can make it downstairs for food." She looked at the door, and shuddered, imagining the trek to the kitchen.

Adrien reached for his cellphone on his bedside table, but it was dead. Hers too. "Damn it," he groaned, the back of his head hitting the headboard. Marinette shot him a questioning look. "We should call someone." He answered.

Marinette reached blindly over to her bedside table, suddenly glad they'd kept a landline phone. Her fingers automatically dialed the most familiar number, and smiled at the voice on the other end of the line. "Hey, maman…I know I haven't answered my phone in a couple of days…no, I think we're fine…Because I'm not so sure…Yeah…can you and papa come over? Master Fu is on his way…Yes please…I'll let him know…Thanks. Love you!" She put the phone back on the cradle and curled into Adrien, resting her head on his shoulder. "Maman's bringing us some leftover chili and cornbread from last night." She said as she snuggled into him.

Adrien almost let himself lean on her as well, then softly pushed her off him. "We should get dressed, then."

Marinette groaned, gaze flicking to the closet on the other side of the room. "It's so far away."

Adrien smiled as he made himself stand, stretching a little. Marinette heard a series of crackling pops as his spine realigned. "Aren't you the little gym bug? Come on. Look at it like an exercise." He shuffled his way over to their walk-in closet, and Marinette forced herself up as well, pulling the blanket over her head and wrapping it around herself like a cloak, the end dragging behind her on the carpet. Adrien laughed at the image.

Neither of them made much of an effort with their outfits. Marinette pulled a pair of worn pink jogger pants and a white tank top with her favorite black sports bra, not even bothering to do anything more with her hair than twirl it and pin it to the back of her head with a claw clip. Adrien just fluffed his hair, which was a bit greasy after a sweaty night and three days of sleep, and put on a pair of loose-fitting black pants and a green t-shirt. They made it back to the bed, exhausted already, and sat back against the headboard again, leaning on each other.

"Marinette?! Adrien? Tom! Tom, come quickly!"

"What's wrong with them?"

"I don't know; they won't wake up!"

"Marinette! Marinette!"

Mom? Dad? I can hear you just fine; you don't have to yell.

"We shouldn't shake them like that. Maybe they're hurt."

"How could they be hurt. They don't have a mark on them. Well, not one that doesn't look like they did it to each other."

"What do we do?...Master Fu! Thank God you're here! We can't wake them up! What's happening?"

Guys, I'm fine. I'm right here. I'm not asleep.

Someone is tugging at my eyelids, lifting my arms, shaking my shoulders. "This is not good. Marinette? Adrien, can you hear me?"

Of course I can hear you. I'm right here.

I can't see them. I can't see anyone. Just darkness. No, there, in the corner. A light. It's bright red, like blood. Like blood with a light behind it. There's lightning sparking off it, like one of those cool plasma ball lamps. I reach out for it, moving closer, and the voices become muffled, like I'm going underwater. Adrien, are you here too? Do you see this light?

"Adrien isn't here…" I almost recognize that voice, like from a dream. Or, rather, I recognize the accent, that soft lilt. "It's just us. Just you and me…Come to me." I follow the sound. The voices get farther and farther away, until all I hear is the static from the light. I reach out, my fingers brushing one of the electric tendrils. It doesn't hurt. It's warm and soft. At my touch, it seems to swell and brighten. The other tendrils of light move towards me, until I am surrounded. They all brush against my skin, and I am surrounded by a glowing ball of energy, obliterating the darkness. "We are one now…"

We are one. The words echo around me, around us. I feel something fill me, unbearably hot. I begin to scream, thrashing around. Sound begin to come back to me.

"Tom! TOM! NURSE! Someone, anyone help!"

"What happened? What changed?"

"I don't know. One minute she was fine, just laying there, and the next this! Help her! Do something!"

"We're doing everything we can. Please…Yes, please take them out of the room for now. We will help your daughter."

"Adrien! Adrien, please! It burns. Make it stop." It is so hot my body is melting around me, so hot it feels like my very soul is melting. And the something is melting with me. Into me. Becoming a part of me.

"What the hell?! Step clear of the patient! Something is happening!"

"What the hell is that?!"

"That's not possible!"

"Is she doing it too?"

"You mean it's happening to both of them? How is this even happening?!"

"ADRIEN!" I can feel my muscles lock, body arching and frozen as it melts. Then just as quickly as it came the heat recedes. I let myself have a breath of relief, before I feel all the heat around me sucked away, leaving only blistering, searing cold. I begin screaming again, sobbing, feeling myself become solid again, brittle. Then so cold that everything I am shatters, scattering like stars in the sky. Everything goes dark…