Me: I just updated this story, I should work on my other ones instead!

Me to Me: Update it anyway.

Chapter 9

The breath left her lungs as her jaw became slack in her shock. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe. She felt entirely numb.

It couldn't be true. It couldn't be.

And there was no way she became involved with their freaking Prince!

"No," she gasped, blinking back the betrayed tears. Her head slowly moved back and forth in denial. "Y-You're lying! You're lying!"

He winced as if she stabbed him in the heart. To him, it felt like she did. He knew this would happen, he knew it! He knew she would think of him as nothing but a monster.

"I'm not lying," he murmured solemnly, ripping his pained eyes away from her. He couldn't bring himself to look at the fear in those ocean blue orbs, fear caused by him. "I'm really a vampire."

Marinette stood utterly still, with her back and hands still pressed against the wall behind her for support. Because she knew that if the wall wasn't there, then her knees would've given out.

"But that can't be true! Vampires don't exist!"

Yes, she remembered all that had happened with Mathys, nearly being bitten by him, but it was still hard to process that the frightening creatures regularly seen in horror movies and books were in fact real, and not completely made up like she thought.

Adrien, who still stood in his Chat costume, chuckled. It was a dark, hollow sound as he met her gaze once again. His eyes lacked the usual cheeky twinkle she always saw during his visits.

"Oh, we exist alright, Princess. See?"

For proof, he opened his mouth wide. She paused, not seeing anything out of the ordinary, until his incisors began to gradually grow and sharpen. A new wave of dread rushed through her and she tried backing herself further into the wall.

Unconsciously, she raised a hand to her throat. Her perfectly intact, bite-free throat. Was he going to kill her now that she knew about him?

He closed his mouth and flashed her a sardonic grin.

"I'm not going to bite you, if that's what you're scared of."

Wait. Huh? But he-

"But you're a vampire," she pointed out confusedly. "Don't you drink blood?"

"I do," he admitted. "But I would never hurt you. Although, that doesn't matter now, does it? Because I'm just nothing but a monster in your eyes, right?" He dropped the pretense of the false smile as he looked off to the side, aiming a bitter glare to the darkened alley.

Marinette faltered as she took in his slightly hunched shoulders and his clearly hurt eyes.

A vampire was he? Yes, and it did scare her, to be honest.

But a monster? No. Mathys, who forced her against the wall and tried drinking her blood against her will, she would label a monster. But Adrien? The boy who regularly brought her roses, told bad puns, complimented her and looked at her like she was his world?

No.

"You're not a monster," she declared softly, starting to lean away from the brick barrier, closer to him.

He slowly turned his stare to her. Her heart broke when she could see how disbelief and hope danced in his eyes, both emotions fighting for dominance.

"But you're scared of me," he contradicted, turning away from her again.

"Kind of, if I'm being honest," she admitted. His shoulders slumped at her answer, yet he made no move to speak. Holding in a breath, she gathered her courage and took the few steps she needed to reach him.

He flinched when she rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. His head whipped to her so fast in surprise that if he were human he would've gotten whiplash.

"But you have never hurt me," she reminded him gently, a corner of her mouth lifting. "And maybe if you teach me about you, and maybe with more time together, I can be more comfortable. Come on," she started to lightly joke. "If you were in my position wouldn't you be a little cautious too? I mean, I'm like a living blood bank."

She let out a few giggles, and finally since she saw him this evening, he genuinely smiled.

"Just," she continued, her smile falling to give way to an uneasy frown. Internally she regretted it, but she needed to settle something. "You just can't…like, go crazy…"

One mental image of him about to viciously attack her was enough to send a shiver down her spine. But he would never do that to her, he said he wouldn't. Right?

"You mean like randomly snap? To pin you down and drink until my dead heart's content?" he quipped, shooting her an almost scornful grin. She grimaced at the way he described it, yet nodded nonetheless.

"It's possible," he divulged with a sigh, raising his arm to the back of his neck.

Was he nervous?

"But it's highly unlikely. I make sure that I'm full before going to see you, and I've also developed a better sense of control around you." He fixed her with that burning, mesmerizing gaze she had only seen a handful of times.

And like those times, it never failed to send a burst of heat straight to her stomach.

"We shouldn't talk here," he decided, effectively breaking the entranced spell he had on her. He rotated his head around to observe their dark surroundings. "You should be home. I-" he paused, his nerves returning. "Will you trust me to return you home safely?"

Well, he didn't make any move on her so far. If he wanted to kill her, he probably would've done so by now. She was still unsettled by the fact he was a vampire, but he said so himself his control had gotten better around her.

Besides, she was the one who suggested that with more time together, she could get more comfortable around him.

Marinette nodded, allowing a tiny smile to grace her features. "Yes. I-" she stopped when she realized something crucial about tonight, the memory making her gasp. "Oh my God, Alya! I came here tonight with her!"

It was likely she didn't notice she was gone, since she didn't come outside looking for her, but she couldn't leave without her!

Adrien wordlessly grabbed his cell phone from his back pocket. Huh, she didn't even know he had one.

He tapped on the screen a few times before bringing it to his ear, a sly smirk stretching his lips all the while.

"Hey, Nino? Yeah, can you come down to Délire and pick up Alya?"

…

"Yes, I mean Marinette's friend Alya."

…

"Because I'm taking Marinette home. I'll explain later on tonight."

…

"Thanks, I owe you one."

…

He rolled his eyes.

"No, I am not letting you ride the dumbwaiter for payment."

…

He directed his mildly amused gaze to the sky once more.

"No, you cannot DJ at the next Meeting of Nations, either."

…

"Good-bye, Nino."

He promptly hung up after that, pocketing the phone again before he returned his attention to her.

"He'll be here in a few minutes. Nino will take her home."

Wait a minute…

"Nino?" she questioned, lifting an eyebrow. "He wouldn't be-"

"My best friend who also goes to your school? Yes, he is," he informed her brightly, stepping closer to her. As she gaped at him in surprise, he took the moment to gently ease her into his arms so he was carrying her bridal style.

"We can talk more at your house," he assured before jumping high into the air and onto a rooftop.

Marinette's eyes were blown wide by the incredible feat she just witnessed, not to mention all the breath she held in her lungs was gone. Her head wildly looked toward the ground, to her carrier, to the ground, then back to him again.

He smirked, as though smug. "Something wrong?"

"You just jumped!" she exclaimed, still having a hard time believing it. She waved her hands around in her frenzy of astonishment. "No one can make a jump like that!"

"No human can," he corrected her, still wearing that mischievous smirk. "But for a vampire, it's like second nature. We're also pretty fast too!"

She opened her mouth to question him, but she was silenced by the sudden rush of air by him breaking out into a speeding run. She let out a soundless scream, her stomach continuously jumping as he quickly leapt over rooftops. Not caring that she might look like a coward, she turned to his chest and buried her head in the cool, leathery material.

And then, just as fast as it started, it ended.

"You're home, Princess," a warm, soothing voice whispered in her ear. Fighting down the strange tingle in her stomach, she opened her eyes and peered up, meeting Adrien's lidded eyes and even stranger smile. His head was slightly tilted as he regarded her, his stare in her eyes unflinching.

"What is it?" she wondered, feeling self-conscious.

"Nothing," he replied lightly, helping her back to her feet. "Nothing at all."

Marinette squinted her eyes in suspicion, but shrugged it off for now. "So you can jump really high and run really fast. What else can you do?"

He eyed her up and down for a moment, but not in a leering way. Actually, he seemed somewhat amused.

"Do you really want to have this discussion in that outfit? Don't get me wrong, it looks wonderful on you, but this might take a while. I'd imagine you would want to be comfortable."

She blinked, having nearly forgotten about her choice of clothing for the night.

"Oh, uh-yeah! Thanks. I'll just, get changed now," she answered awkwardly, before she scowled at him threateningly, even pointing a finger at him.

"And don't you dare try to peek."

"I hoped you would have more faith in me than that, Princess. Haven't I already proven myself to be a gentleman? But since you insist, I'll indulge you anyway. I promise I will not peek," he vowed, placing his left hand over his heart and raising his right in the air. "Cat's honor," he finished cheekily with a wink.

She grinned and rolled her eyes as she descended down the trapdoor and into her room. Honestly, she had to give him credit. The dress she wore was pretty revealing, however he kept his eyes directed on hers the entire time.

How many men could she say would do that?

A few minutes later, when she was clad in her pajamas, she reached out to the trapdoor and opened it again. She found him a few feet away with his back to her and his arms crossed, staring out into the night.

"Adrien?" she called softly, the sound of her voice bringing him to turn around. "You can come in now."

He swiftly walked over to her and jumped through the trapdoor once she was out of the way, landing on the bed on his butt. They situated themselves to be seated across from each other, sitting Indian-style.

"You know my real name, but not what I really look like," he pointed out, half-smiling. "I suppose the first thing we should do is fix that."

She watched, mouth parted in curiosity and shock, as a green light engulfed him. The ring of green went up his body, revealing jeans, a t-shirt, and neatly styled hair minus the cat ears. His eyelids fluttered open, unveiling two humanized, shining emerald orbs. She had to admit, she was almost beginning to think the cat eyes were natural for him.

While she did like his old eyes, she found herself unable to look away from these new ones. They were as bright and sparkling as a gem, somehow human but not at the same time. She had never seen eyes like his before, none so dazzling or such a pure green.

"I think you broke her," a sarcastic voice mused, followed by a devious snicker.

Marinette looked to Adrien's shoulder at the same time he rolled his eyes, to see a small, cat-looking black…thing.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at it.

At the same time Adrien opened his mouth, the black blob spoke.

"Name's Plagg. I'm a kwami, nice to meet you," he introduced, waving his arm as though he was bored. "Now, got anything to eat? I'm starving!"

"Plagg!" Adrien scolded, plucking the kwami off his shoulder and holding him in front of his face. "Be polite."

While Marinette watched on in a mixture of amusement and intrigue, Plagg sighed and fazed out of his captor's hand to hover in front of her own face.

"Sorry," he apologized, rolling his eyes. "Can I please have something to eat? Like maybe some camembert?"

She giggled at the same time Adrien let out an exasperated groan.

"You can find the camembert in the refrigerator downstairs. But only take one wheel, otherwise my parents might notice."

"Only one wheel, Plagg," Adrien reminded, shooting the kwami a threatening look.

"I heard her the first time," Plagg grumbled, turning to him.

"Well I know how much of a glutton you are. This isn't home, where you can have all the cheese you want. I don't want Marinette to get in trouble because of you."

"Okay, okay, sheesh. I'll only have a wheel, kwami's honor."

With that last sarcastic remark, Plagg flew out of her face, down below and presumably through the trapdoor to get the cheese he desired. Adrien sighed, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck.

"Sorry about him. I've been trying to teach him better manners but-"

She cut him off with an amused giggle.

"It's fine, he's actually kind of cute. So, I'm guessing Plagg is responsible for your costume change?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Remember when I told you a little of my Miraculous when we first met?"

She pursed her lips, trying to recall the memory. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with recognition.

"Oh, yeah! You said that it gives you the costume and that it protects you?"

"Yep. Only, I need both Plagg and the Miraculous itself to complete the transformation." He held up his right hand; it was her first time seeing either of his hands without gloves concealing them. His fingers were kind of long and slender, like a pianist's.

"My ring is my Miraculous." He tapped the silver band with a finger. "When I transform, it protects me from the sunlight."

"Wait," she spoke, halting him with her hands raised in the air in the universal 'stop' sign. "So that's true? That vampires burn in the sunlight?"

"Unfortunately," he admitted with a frown. "It's amazing that for all the strengths we possess, something virtually harmless for humans is our downfall." A chuckle escaped past his lips. "And I can barely even wear the suit out in public in the sunlight, it's not exactly a common item to wear."

Marinette couldn't help but feel sorry for him in that moment. She couldn't imagine not being able to see the sunlight every day. Something that was always there just ripped away from her? And only being subjected to the nighttime? It sounded miserable.

Well, she knew now that she wasn't going to take advantage of it anymore.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to sympathize with him. "That must be horrible."

Adrien shrugged. "Nah, it's really not that bad. I mean, you humans have so many weaknesses, I really shouldn't be complaining over one."

"So, you're indestructible?" she deduced.

"Not at all," he replied, a corner of his mouth quirking up. "We're extremely durable, but not indestructible."

She tilted her head, not understanding due to one trait she always assumed all 'mythological' vampires held.

"But I thought vampires were immortal?"

"We are…just as long as nothing kills us."

"What can kill you, then?" She didn't mean to sound so morbid, but she couldn't help but be curious. If he was 'extremely durable' as he said, then what would it possibly take to kill him?

The vampire before her smirked. "Careful, Princess. I might think you're plotting against me."

She slowly matched his expression, not able to resist the bait.

"Maybe I am. I mean, you are a vampire, after all. That makes you dangerous."

He dramatically gasped and placed a hand over his heart, looking at her with such comical offense it almost made her laugh.

"I save your life and you want to kill me anyway?" He suddenly flung an arm over his forehead, effectively looking like a distressed character from a soap opera or something. She couldn't contain her laughter this time, her giggles escaping past her fingers that were pressed to her mouth.

"Oh, what a cruel fate. But I suppose if I have to die by anyone's hands, I would rather it be by the fair Princess's."

He shifted closer to her, bearing his chest to her as if he was sacrificing himself.

"Just please let it be quick, is all I humbly ask."

Marinette snorted, using her finger to push on his chest, effectively making him sit down like normal again. "You silly cat."

Adrien grinned, dropping the façade. "Your silly cat."

He secretly delighted in the little blush that adorned her cheeks. However, it very quickly vanished after she took a breath and shook her head.

She thought about asking him her question again after they had gotten off-topic, but now she felt that she didn't want to know. She didn't want to know of the undoubtedly violent things a vampire had to go through to be killed.

Maybe it was better to be oblivious, in this case.

Instead, another question came to her, drawing out a smirk to gradually curl her lips upward.

Her eyes roamed up and down, taking in his normal attire. "You said you're a prince. No offense, but you hardly look the part."

After all, princes were dressed in those nice jackets, with the gold buttons and epaulettes on the shoulders. They certainly didn't dress in jeans and t-shirts, like a common, casual boy she would see on the street or in school.

He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "What were you expecting? The typical costume you see in those fairy-tale movies?"

"Well, yeah! That's how all princes dress…or," she faltered, suddenly feeling very unsure and embarrassed by her conclusion. "At least, that's what I always thought," she finished, awkwardly fiddling her fingers together.

"You're not completely wrong," he conceded, shrugging one of his shoulders and smiling.

At his admission, she perked up, relieved that she didn't look like a total idiot.

"I do get dressed up like that when we have an important meeting or I have to attend a ball. And don't let the movies fool you, those outfits are so uncomfortable. They're very stiff, so moving my arms is more difficult. I would've stepped down by now if I had to wear that every day," he laughed.

But Marinette was too caught up in one particular phrase: attend a ball.

"You get to go to balls? Like in Cinderella?" She was practically bouncing on the bed in her excitement.

So what if she was 17? She's always wanted to go to a ball like the princesses did in her childhood storybooks. Yes, she was aware she couldn't dance to save her life and had two left feet, but that still didn't deter her desire to go to one.

Adrien chuckled, thinking her beaming, almost childlike smile and joy was positively adorable.

"Yes, I do. Just like Cinderella. Although there is a lot less magic involved, and it's a lot more boring."

"How could it be boring?! It sounds so much fun!"

"The stories really glamorize it, Princess. It's more of an excuse to casually gather than anything else. Sure, there's dancing, but most of the time it's just guests mingling with each other and the leaders talking amongst themselves. And when you're a Prince, it's not that much fun."

He wasn't lying, he was always bored whenever he had to go to a ball. Whenever he wasn't standing by his father and listening to other important vampires speak, he was usually on the dance floor, getting dragged along by Lady Chloe. Sometimes Nino was able to show up and make the ordeal more bearable, but overall he still didn't want to go.

However…maybe if someone else came along…

"Hey," he spoke, distracting Marinette who was looking at the bed with a crestfallen expression on her face. Immediately he felt guilty for causing that, he probably should've been gentler when describing the dances. "Maybe one day I can take you."

She lifted an eyebrow as she regarded him with a disbelieving grin. "Attending a ball full of vampires? Are you sure that's smart?"

He scoffed and waved a hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry. They wouldn't dare attack the Crown Prince's Loved One right in front of him. That would be a mistake punishable by death."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he froze.

He mentally swore.

He really didn't want to explain the 'Loved One' situation now. It was far too early, she would probably be intimidated and want to run away.

Great job, Your High-ass-ness, Nino's voice mocked in his mind.

Meanwhile, Marinette was thankful for the reminder, but was aware of the sinking feeling in her stomach. A phrase like that wasn't hard to understand the gist of, and she was a bit nervous to find out its full meaning.

"Adrien? What's a 'Loved One'?"

A/N: I am so evil for leaving it here but I love it ;D