Hey guys! I'm going on vacation at the end of the week so you probably won't have another new chapter until the end of next week!
"...Luka." The name coming out of her mouth felt bitter, poisonous. She never wanted to speak his name again, but in the end that wouldn't solve anything. Was Luka their problem? Marinette thought Adrien would help her, but she didn't want to involve him if he didn't want to be. She turned around and put her caked and filthy hands on either side of Adrien's face. He flinched at having the ring pressing against his skin, but other than that his eyes only looked at her with a mixture of sadness and fury. She hated to be the cause of either of those emotions in him, but she was glad that she didn't have to carry this burden alone any longer. Alya and Nino were going to help her, had already helped her, but it was different with Adrien. Having Adrien help her, even if it was just with his presence alone, gave her a hope she didn't have when she arrived in Paris.
"Hey…. I need to know. I know things are di- different between us now, but will you help me? Will you help me bring him down?" Marinette's voice was soft but firm. She knew they were still dancing around the status of what they were, but at least she would know if she could rely on him for help against Luka. She gazed into his piercing green eyes, offering a soft smile as she watched his eyes widen.
"How could you even think to ask me something like that? Do you still doubt my love for you, My Lady?" Adrien's heart broke at the thought that she was so timid now, so reserved in thinking he could ever harbor anything but love for her. He stepped closer to her, a question in his eyes as to whether this was okay for him to do. At her small nod, he closed the rest of the distance between them. "Let me show you. Please. Let me show you the decision I've come to." He lowered his face to hers, stopping right before their lips touched for a brief moment to give her time to back away one last time. When she remained, his reservations went out the window. He crashed his lips down to hers, kissing her with a desperation he hadn't felt in six months. He could still sense the hesitation in her, left over from so many hours of beating herself up over where her life is, but she was responding to his touch. A shiver raced along his skin as he felt her hands brush up his arms before traveling to the front of his shirt. She gripped it with shaking hands, having a hard time concentrating while Adrien kissed a trail down her neck. She didn't want to stop him, but she didn't want to spread her filth to him. He didn't realize it, but he was kissing down the same area of skin that Luka had the night before. Her stomach turned again at that thought, and her hands stopped shaking. Pushing him away, she kept contact with him, keeping his shirt in her hands as she tried to catch her breath so she could think. She saw the hurt of rejection in his eyes, but she just shook her head.
"Adrien. I want this. I want you. But… I can't. I- I can't do this while I can still feel his hands on me, while I still feel him. Please understand. Just- just let me clean myself of him before you…" Marinette grew frustrated when she couldn't think of the right words to say. She wasn't rejecting him, she just wanted to be as pure and whole as he was. Turning around, she moved her hair once more, waiting for Adrien to unzip the tattered remains of her dress. After a moment's hesitation, she felt his hand trail up her spine before gripping the zipper and pulling down. This was it. The moment where she bared the entirety of what she'd done to him. Soon there would be no going back to the way they were before she left.
Adrien understood why she needed this, but his body was crying out for their union. He wanted so badly to erase Luka from her skin, from her life if she allowed him. When he raised his hand up to unzip her dress, he couldn't stand not touching her so he softly trailed his hand up the teeth of the zipper feeling her shudder underneath his touch. He could tell her body wanted him, it was just her broken mind that wouldn't let go. That man's control that wouldn't let go. Adrien took a deep breath as he started to unzip her. He knew that he would be furious at what he'd find, but he resolved to himself that he wouldn't let Mari see his anger. He wasn't angry at her, only at each and every mark Luka had left. He caught his breath as more of her skin was revealed. Skin that was black and blue. Skin that was blemished with the hatred of another man. As rough as he had been with Mari in that bathroom before she left for Milan, he would've never considered hurting her. Their passion had always been intense, sometimes hard to control, but he had chalked that up to being soulmates a long time ago. To have this man try to replicate that in the most disgusting way possible just… Well, he'd pay. Pushing those thoughts from his mind for now, he finished pulling the zipper down. Reaching both hands back up, he slowly pushed the material off of her. Not looking at her skin, he bent down, nudging the back of her legs so that she would step out of the circle of cloth. Picking up the remnants, he walked over to the sink, letting the material puddle into the circle of it. They would deal with it afterward. If he was being honest, he was stalling. He didn't want to see the damage.
Marinette knew what he was doing. Stalling. Not that she blamed him, but she did actually want to get clean. She liked being clean, and going so long without a shower was starting to bug her. Walking slowly over to him, she could see him staring down at the dress in the sink, lost in thought. Taking his hand, she raised her other up to his face, gently turning his head to face her. His eyes were squeezed shut, refusing to open and survey the damage.
"Chaton…. Look at me." Marinette spoke gently to Adrien, knowing this must be as hard for him as it was for her.
Adrien's eyes slowly opened, but he kept his gaze trained on her face. He could see a twinkle in her eyes that he had longed to see for quite some time now and it gave him the courage needed to push away from the sink. He gently pulled her back over to the shower, stopping her before she stepped in to release the ties in her hair. He combed his fingers through it, emotions threatening to overwhelm him at this simple action he thought he'd never be able to do again. While he was lingering with his hands in her hair, she once again gripped his shirt. Only this time, her hands were steady as she began to pull it up. Once she couldn't go any further without him removing his hands, she nudged the underside of his arm. Taking the hint, he raised his arms over his head, allowing her to completely remove his shirt. Dropping the white deep v shirt in a puddle of fabric on the floor, she gently turned him around so that he wouldn't have to keep his eyes closed while he was being undressed. She traced the outline of his now fully reformed tattoo on his back. He shuddered as she did, closing his eyes again briefly as she continued to trace it. It was different than the time before; a chain leash now encircled his black cat, although the chains were starting to look rusty and brittle. His eyes shot open as he felt her lips gently caress it, looking over his shoulder to see the awe inspired look on her face. She averted her eyes from his intense gaze, turning around so that he could look at hers. His gaze trailed down her shoulder blades until he caught sight of it. Her tattoo was vibrant red, the ladybug looked nearly alive. The wings had more detailing and were slightly glowing, making them look nearly iridescent. When he looked closer, he noticed that while the wings were beautiful, they looked disjointed, like they were broken. He touched it, hardly daring to think this could mean what he thought it did. They were back. There were differences in their tattoos this time around, but the message was the same: their connection was back.
Unable to hold his excitement at that thought back, he whooped and picked her up. He spun her around in a circle before setting her feet back on ground and hooking his chin over her shoulder. "We're back, Princess. It's really us again." He couldn't contain the smile on his face.
"Silly kitty. Shower first, celebrate later. You're still dressed and this water is gonna turn cold at some point." Without turning around to look at him, she stepped forward until she was under the spray of hot water. Just the feeling of the water sliding down her body lifted her spirits tremendously. She was finally washing off her mistakes. Finally. Reaching her hands up, she slid them into her hair, feeling the knots from the rough treatment it had endured. She felt hands join hers as Adrien's body pressed up against her. Something pressed into her spine, causing her to flush and smile. After all this time, some things never change. She hadn't heard Adrien finish undressing but his presence behind her was reassuring. He had seen all of her and was still there.
"Sorry I don't have any of your shampoo or conditioner, Bugaboo. I hope you'll be okay with using mine and smelling like me until we can get you some?" She could nearly hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke.
"I'm sure I'll manage just fine. Can you pass it to me? I think my hands are stuck now." Mari laughed as she playfully acted like she couldn't remove her hands from her dirty hair. Adrien laughed as he reached around her to grab the shampoo, his lips brushing her shoulder as he did. He loved the little tremors her body gave at his touch, assuring him after all this time that his touch was still wanted. He passed it to her and watched as she lathered it up. He had missed this domesticity. Just these little moments together, doing the simple things in life, made his heart swell. She passed it back to him so that he could take care of himself as well. So far, he had managed to avoid looking at her body too closely to keep his good mood. He knew this would be shot when she went to wash her body off because he wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away from the suds covering her skin.. He shook his head, spraying conditioner on her, causing her to yelp and slap his arm for making her have to rinse off again.
She reached for his loofah and body wash, her playful attitude dissipating. Now came the hard part, getting clean enough to erase his touch. Losing her nerve, she passed them back to Adrien, standing a little away now to try and collect herself. He looked at her in concern before she shook her head and gestured for him to go ahead. She watched mechanically as he washed his perfectly toned body, still lean after all these years but no longer skinny. A layer of hard muscle lay just under his perfect skin. Perfect abs bent and stretched as he scrubbed and rinsed himself clean. Perfect, too perfect. She didn't deserve that. Taking the offered items once more, she poured a healthy amount of body wash and lathered the loofah up. He could see this was going to be hard for her, so he tried to give her some space while still remaining there to show his support. He would've just done it for her, but he knew she wouldn't let him. She started to wash off her arm, turning it to scrub at her wrist where Luka's teeth had grazed her. A chill raced along her skin, causing goosebumps to rise. Would she even be able to get clean of him? Was it pointless to try and rid herself of his slimy touch? She had to try, if only for Adrien. Suddenly, she leaned forward and turned the water even hotter. She started to harshly scrub at her skin, quickly turning it red with the intensity at which she was scrubbing. A sob escaped her as she continued to scald and scrub her skin, clawing at her neck like her skin was crawling. Adrien couldn't watch her torture herself anymore. He stepped forward and adjusted the water temperature back down to normal again, having to wrestle the loofah from her hands as she continued to sob brokenly and scrub random parts of her skin. She seemed to be focusing on her neck and face, so he avoided those as he gently started to swipe across her chest. He noted the bruises around one of her nipples, like it had been pinched too roughly. He grit his teeth and gently brushed over it, causing her to whimper. He wanted to apologize, but instead continued to focus on his task. Thankfully her stomach seemed fine, but he knew the injuries in this area would be internal. He crouched down, placing gentle kisses across it to rid her of the bad memories residing there inside and out. He continued to her hips, seeing the hand shaped bruises on each one. These must be so painful, he thought to himself. He lightly brushed over the bruises, knowing she still wanted them cleaned. He once again placed gentle kisses over the bruises. Her legs and feet were covered with dirt and grime, so he had to scrub at them but eventually those too bore his kiss of approval. Marinette was still by this point, barely moving or reacting unless he moved her or brushed against a part that hurt. Standing back up, he cleaned her arms. He stopped to inspect what looked like matching bite marks on her neck and one of her wrists, nauseated at the sight. He worried about them getting infected and made a note in his mind to apply medicine and wrap her wrist once they were done in the shower. This only left one part of her to clean. He wasn't sure how to proceed, if she wanted to take over because of the intimacy involved in the action. He glanced at her, seeing her shut down expression.
"Mari…. Do you want to…." Adrien spoke softly, not wanting to startle her out of her trance but ease her out of it. He needed to know how to proceed. Once she focused on him, he repeated himself and gestured to the juncture between her legs.
"I- I don't think I can… Can you? Please…" Mari couldn't meet his eyes in her shame. She couldn't even follow through on washing Luka off. And asking Adrien to clean where she let another man touch was so unfair to him. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
Adrien steeled his nerves and gently took her hand. She still refused to look at him, but that didn't matter. She just needed to know how he felt. "Marinette. I would go to hell and back for you. I'm honored that you're allowing me this, so please don't see it as a defeat. My life's goal is to take care of you, be with you, love you. NOTHING will ever change that." Seeing her small nod, he proceeded.
Once they were both dried off and he had managed to at least make Marinette smile, he walked to his bedroom holding her hand. Opening his closet door, he walked in and selected a shirt for Marinette to wear until he could get her proper clothes. His decision was apparently the right one because a beautiful smile broke out on her face and a laugh escaped her lips. He handed her the white button down dress shirt he used to wear in lycee over his black striped tee.
"Adrien, I don't think this is going to be big enough." Marinette shrugged the shirt on and modeled it for him, the length just barely scraping the tops of her thighs. She crookedly buttoned a few buttons anyways, reveling in the soft feel of the fresh fabric and his smell. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her dressed in his shirt and his cock twitched under his towel. Turning to hide it and his blush, he found a pair of black Gabriel boxers and threw them at her with a laugh. He was happy her earlier mood seemed to have receded, he wanted to get back to just being Mari and Adrien. Choosing a pair of loose comfortable pants for himself and a worn t-shirt, he dressed and turned to her. He didn't miss the look in her eye as she took him in and it made his heartbeat speed up. Taking her hand, he guided her back to the bathroom and picked up the dress from the sink. He could feel her shrink back from it, but he just kept her close and continued walking to the living room. He stopped in front of the fire and turned to her.
"Mari, I'd like your permission to try something. I'm not sure if it'll work, but I want to give it a shot. But first, I wanted to see if you were serious about burning this. I think it could be a symbol of our resolve to put this behind us and move forward. Together. What do you think?"
"Adrien… I… This isn't going to be easy for me to just walk away from. But.. I'm willing to try. To do this with you. I- I know I've caused you so much pain- " she was silenced with a finger against her lips.
"Stop it. Stop beating yourself up over us. I've forgiven you. So let's move on, yeah?" Adrien tried to reassure her. He could see she still wanted to argue with him, but she took a deep breath and nodded.
He turned back to the fire, gripping the dress in his fist. So many memories tied to this one article of clothing, but now it was time to make room for new memories. He threw it into the fire and they stood in silence as it burned brightly.
He turned to Marinette, taking both of her hands in his, brushing his thumbs across her knuckles. His right hand grazed the ring and he made his decision. Getting down on his knees, he looked up at Marinette in silence for a moment before his deep voice reverberated throughout the room.
"Marinette. I know you've been through hell since you've left. And I know that you recognize I have as well. You admitted your mistakes, and you've placed your trust in me once again. I won't let you down. I will always be by your side, from this moment on. If you'll allow me to, I'll never leave you. I want to replace this ring with one of my own, and I want you to be mine. Fully. Forever. I love you from the bottom of my heart, Bugaboo, and I have since we were fifteen. Nothing you can do or say will ever change that. You are my heart and my soul. So please, let me make things right by removing this filthy object of control. And promise me from now on that we'll face these challenges how we should've from the start: Together."
The sincerity in Adrien's voice rang out and struck a chord deep in Marinette's soul. This man, after everything, still wanted her. Still loved her. Flashes of memories rushed through her mind: her at sixteen drawing out her wedding dress as she daydreamed of the day Adrien would propose, her at eighteen imagining what a little Adrien would look like running around a home they made together, her in Milan when she would go out to lunch with coworkers and they would talk about their spouses and families. She had been given a second chance, an opportunity to correct the mistakes she had made in her ignorance. She wouldn't fail this time.
She fell to her knees in front of him, unable to hold herself up against so much love. Tears of joy flowed down her face, so different than the tears of yesterday. She wanted to kiss him so badly but she knew he needed confirmation first. Pulling his left hand closer to her body, she placed it over her heart as she gazed at him solemnly. "Adrien, I promise that from now on it will be you and me until the end. My partner, my friend, my soulmate; you've always had my heart. It just took me a little longer than you to figure it out. No matter where I am, you are my home. I love you, silly kitty, and I'll never stop. Promise. I accept."
His answering smile was blinding. Choking out a laugh between his own tears, he pulled her in for a hug. One word fell from his lips repeatedly, the word he had refused to say for the past six months. Just her name. Marinette.
Breaking away from her, he took a deep breath and looked down at the ring she couldn't get off. Suddenly, it was crystal clear. It had always been him that had to remove it. His love for her would break any spell of control placed over her. Cliche but still, it is what it is. He had read enough to know the power of love in the realm of magic, his research always returning to the same fact: true love trumps all. And his love for Marinette was all encompassing. He was sure there had never been a person in history that had loved someone as much as he loved Marinette. With these convictions repeating over and over in his head, he gripped the ring on her finger and started applying pressure. He could feel the ring trying to overpower his attempt, but it would not win. He continued to steadily pull, feeling the ring blaze up red hot in his fingers before turning ice cold and brittle. Just as it started to slide off of her finger, a tremor went through it and it cracked clean through. Falling off of her finger in two pieces, it hit the floor with a soft thud. He could hear Marinette's gasps, but his focus was still on the ring. He picked it up and hurled it into the fire. The fire turned blue and eerily hissed like a snake before returning to normal. It was finally over. His control was broken.
"Merci, mon minou." Marinette felt so much lighter, like invisible chains had been lifted off of her. She turned back towards him from watching the fire only to find his gaze already trained on her. Heat began to pool under her skin that had nothing at all to do with their proximity to the fire.
Adrien softly touched her cheek with his palm and peered into her bluebell eyes. He had never been so in love with anything or anyone, as much as, he was with this woman right in front of him at this very moment. Her doe eyes scanned from his emerald eyes, that reflecting the flickering flame from the fireplace, to his soft lips. She licked her lips and he smirked down at her; while he peered through his lashes and leaned down towards her. Her heart raced and she lightly gripped his shirt in her fists, anticipating his soft lips touching hers. It felt like time was slowing down and she didn't want it any other way. She slowly closed her eyes as he closed his. His soft lips brushed against hers and she felt a spark between them. She sighed and parted her lips and he mirrored her motions. He touched her chin, with his thumb and index finger, and ran his tongue along her parted bottom lip. She ran her warm tongue along his and pulled him closer by his shirt. He melted into her kiss and parted his lips against hers hungrily, slipping his hand from her cheek, down her side, and yanking her closer to him by the small of her back. As their hands touched their tattoos, a flare of light caused Marinette to yank his shirt up at the same time he pulled hers up. Looking over his shoulder as he was hers, they both came to the same realization: their tattoos were glowing. Not only glowing, they were moving. Marinette watched as the chains surrounding the black cat turned charred and drifted away like ash, like something had totally destroyed them. Adrien, meanwhile, watched as the ladybug's disjointed wings knit back together and became whole before starting to buzz. Bright red and neon green neon lights shot out, from their backs, and swirled around them. They pulled away from one another slightly and looked around themselves in confusion.
"What happened?" Marinette clutched to his shirt and he held her protectively. He didn't know what had happened, but he wasn't going to let whatever it was hurt his Lady. Not after he had worked so hard to get her back. Not after they had burnt the last of their pain. He pushed her behind him and stood in front of whatever it was that had appeared in front of them. He squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at what had surrounded them. He was confused and concerned for Marinette.
"Took you long enough, Kid. Got anything to eat around here? I'm starving…" The black ball of fur stretched his arms above himself and then rested them behind his head, while he floated in front of the them. Adrien reached out to poke the black cat creature in the nose, but it flew back, making a bigger space between them.
"What are you? Where did you come from?" Adrien searched the creatures green eyes with his own curious ones. The creature seemed annoyed with him, but Adrien had no idea why. Something red flashed in front of them and interrupted the other ball of fluff from talking anymore.
"Plagg, be nice. We probably scared them to death. They are new to this. I swear if I did not love you so much… I would..." The red and black spotted bug creature flew closer to Plagg with an irritated yet loving expression.
Plagg smirked at the little red bug with half closed green cat eyes. "You'd what, ma cherie?" Tikki used to hate when he'd flirt with her. Back when they had been created together. He had always been too much: too sarcastic, too gluttonous, too flirty. Everything about Plagg screamed excessive. But that was who he was and she couldn't change that. Not that she wanted to. She had found something so alluring yet frustrating about him.
Tikki suddenly became aware of the woman hiding behind the golden boy. She flew up to Marinette with a warm smile. She did a little spin and giggled, holding out her hand. "Hello, I am Tikki and I am the Kwami of Creation." Marinette peered at her with parted lips and shimmering sapphire eyes, before she let out a giggle as the kwami snuggled her cheek and contently landed in her outstretched palms.
"So… You're Plagg then?" Adrien poked one of Plagg's cat ears and watched it twitch. "What do you do exactly?" Adrien was curious about what a kwami was or what their purpose was. Tikki didn't hesitate to tell them. This conversation had been repeated so many times over the centuries, she was used to it. It usually fell to her to give their new holders the rundown of the rules, Plagg was always more worried about his first meal than explanations. It was a very important part of the whole process and was key to their survival.
"He is the deity of Chaos and Destruction, and he loves to complain. You will get used to him after a while." Tikki smirked over at Plagg with her little arms crossed and Plagg rolled his eyes at her. He had spent years with his Lovebug and she never ceased to drive him utterly insane with her know-it-all demeanor and strict rule following. Although, he'd be lying if he denied he loved her, even if she did drive him crazy. She had his heart in her little hands and he loved every moment of it. "WE are kwamis. We grant you special abilities to survive and we protect you. All of you. All you have to say is 'Claws Out' and "Spots On'. Once you use your-" Tikki was interrupted by Adrien punching the air and calling out, 'Plagg! Claws Out!'. "WAIT!" She tried to get him to stop, but he didn't listen in his enthusiasm.
Adrien was soon covered in a blinding chartreuse light, leaving him in an all black leather suit with a belt tail, black cat ears, two zipper pockets along his sides, a golden bell zipper pull at his neck, and silver rivets on certain places. His gloves had short claws and his boots had silver toes, that mimicked cat paws. A solid black mask ran over his emerald eyes and made them glow and appear cat-like. Marinette was at a loss for words as she took in his messy hair and different demeanor. It was like his whole personality had changed, as well. "So… cool!" He brought his hands up to his face and turned his hands back and forth to check out his claws; before, he scratched them through the air with a dark smirk. "I'm gonna go get us some food, Bug. Be back."
"WAIT!" Tikki tried to grab his attention to tell him the rest of the rules, but he leapt out of the window, before she could even get the words out of her tiny mouth. She groaned and turned to see a dazed Marinette. She didn't know a man could look so sexy in a cat outfit. He was dark and mysterious, carrying himself with enough confidence to impress a whole room of women. She found herself wanting to pull on his bell and see if it was attached to a hidden zipper that would reveal his muscular chest, and how far down it would go if it did. Or how the leather felt against her fingertips. She wondered what kind of material it was and what laid beneath it. Was he wearing clothes or not? She got lost in her reverie of thoughts as her cheeks flushed and her world spun.
Tikki flew closer to a shocked Marinette with a concerned expression. "Marinette. This is very important." Tikki noticed that the woman was lost in a daydream with her hands on her cheeks and a flirty grin on her face, while she giggled at something. "MARINETTE!" Tikki exclaimed and threw her hands down at her hips with her eyes clenched tight in frustration. This girl had to listen to her and take this very seriously. It was very important that she hear her out.
The woman suddenly jumped in surprise and gave Tikki her full attention. Tikki shook her head and sighed. "Okay. Once you use your special power… you only have a few minutes to get us food. This will allow our power to recharge so that you may transform back into your superhero self. And-"
"Wait, wait, wait…" Marinette was lost and overwhelmed by everything. "What are you talking about? Superheroes? Food? Transforming?" Marinette didn't know how to take all of this in; this was new territory to her. Besides the random anime Adrien would force her to watch when they were growing up, she didn't know much about superheroes and the like. That was more Alya's area of expertise. While Adrien was out running around with Plagg, she tried to wrap her head around the whole concept in the lingering silence. Her life had taken so many twists and turns lately, she was still trying to come to terms with that as well. This kwami thing just made it all that more difficult to handle and wrap her emotions around. She was excited yet scared and she couldn't understand why she had been chosen or what this entailed for her future. "Why me? Why us? I don't feel like I deserve this. I- I've done so much that I shouldn't be proud of. Why-"
Tikki flew up and touched her cheek with a warm smile. "Because you are creative, talented, and charming. Your heart is filled with love and compassion. You have an inner strength that I have not seen in centuries. And soon a great evil will rise up in this city that you and Chat Noir will be needed to vanquish. I cannot tell you much more than that for now, but know that you are very important, Marinette, and that it must be you and no one else. Chat cannot do it without you. You two are like puzzle pieces that fit together and balance the world on your fingertips." Marinette stared at her with pursed lips in wonder. She still wasn't sure if she was really the one that should be in the suit, but she could at least try for this cute little bug. "One more thing." Tikki poked her hand out at Marinette. "You mustn't tell anyone about your secret identities. It is detrimental to your safety and the safety of your friends and family. It can mean life or death for them and yourselves. You must protect your identities at any cost. Promise me."
"Okay. I promise. I'll try for you and for Chat. I'm still unsure if I am the one that you want, but I can try my hardest." Marinette weakly smiled at the kwami and blushed. She was still lost in whether she would be able to handle such a big responsibility, but she was ready to give whatever evil was headed their way hell. She had been through the ringer and it was her time to fight. She felt the adrenaline rush through her veins and into her soul. She lifted her face to the ceiling and called out, "Tikki! Spot-!"
"Hang on." Tikki closed her eyes for a moment and focused on Marinette. She felt darkness within her and she knew that if she had any part of self doubt, that it would interfere with the magic and hinder their progress. Tikki had always cleansed her holders when they first became one. It was her way of making sure that they were strong enough to fight, but she also knew about what Luka had done to her and she desperately wanted to fix it. She had felt the darkness of his magic and the way he had slithered into Marinette's soul and it made her sick. Her wings had become mangled from the silver tongued serpent and it left a permanent mark on not only Marinette, but her as well. "I need you to lay down and relax. It'll only take me a mere moment."
Marinette gave the little bug a worried expression. "What are you going to do? Will it hurt? Is this necessary? I don't understand why- Did Adrien have to do this?" She began to worry that something was wrong with her. That she really didn't deserve to be Ladybug. Maybe she wasn't fit to be a hero of Paris, or rather, anywhere in general.
"With each new holder comes new challenges. And each holder comes with a past. I make sure to cleanse their past so that they can start anew and focus on the task at hand. I essentially give them a new path and open up their third eye. So, that they may create easier without anything clouding their creative vision." Tikki tried to explain it to Marinette, but she seemed more confused by her words. The kwami sighed and landed on Marinette's outstretched hands. Her antena dropped and she wrung her hands in front of her. "I know what Luka did to you, Marinette. I wish to erase that so that it won't get in the way anymore. So, that you may move on and do greater and better things. I want you to grow stronger from your experiences and learn from them. To move on. But with the injuries you have sustained and taken on…. I'm afraid it will be harder for you to proceed if I do not mend them. Your heart, while it is mostly fixed by Adrien… it is still broken. I want to further mend it. For the sake of not only your soul, but for the sake of our mission. You must move forward with a full heart." She poked Marinette in the nose and the woman giggled.
Marinette nodded and laid back on the couch. "Okay. I trust you. If you think it will help then I'll accept it." She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of a bright white light flash before her eyes and she scrunched up her face as she was sucked through time and memories appeared in front of her eyes like a movie. A movie of events she had hoped to never watch again.
Suddenly, the club in Milan appeared and spun around Marinette. Her chest felt like it was being slammed as two slender, yet strong, hands crashed down onto the shoulders of two men that stood in front of her with a blurred Alya beside her. Her breathing sped up as she watched the memory dissolve from her mind, as she was sucked into a bright light and thrown into the car with Luka. The drink pressed to her lips. She looked at Luka's sultry expression and took the glass from her lips. She smirked and threw it in Luka's face and the memory slammed her into the next. Where she found herself at the chapel with a makeshift bouquet of dying red roses in her hands. She threw the flowers to the ground, lit a match that appeared in between her fingers, and she set it on fire, sending the room into ashes and flinging her into another white light. She sprang out and into the bed with Luka beside her. This was the memory that she was dreading and she didn't know if she could go through this again. Tikki felt her hesitation, but she gathered all of her strength and slammed Marinette through it. Marinette grabbed Luka by the shoulders and slammed her knee into his groin, causing him to roll off of her and groan in pain. She looked back and found the key, getting out of his house and making her way through the street, as it turned into a white slate. She panted in a panic, watching behind her, expecting to see the sadistic man catching up to her while singing her name in an eerie fashion. Tikki knew that she needed something to calm her down and make her come back to reality and she could only think of one person that could succeed in doing that. Marinette ran into someone and felt their warm embracing arms around her. "Adrien." She sighed in relief and felt safe. She quickly sat up on the couch to find Tikki pleasantly smiling at her.
"You did a wonderful job, Marinette. You are very strong. I can feel it resonating within you. You have great power and control. You're ready to transform and see the world from a new perspective." Tikki nuzzled her cheek with her own. Marinette's head snapped up and she realized that her body felt different, that her head felt more clear, and she found herself inspired once again.
Marinette looked over her body and when she ran her hands down the front of her… she felt no pain. Not like she had earlier when Adrien had helped wash the serpent from her soft skin. She worried her bottom lip and took a deep breath. She put all of her energy into her heart and called out, "Tikki! Spots on!" A sparkling red light took Marinette over and left her in a full body red suit with black spots. Her hair was styled in a bun on top of her head with a red ribbon wrapped around it. The ends stuck out around the edge, giving the appearance of wings. She ran her hands over her body, taking in how tightly it contoured to her skin, much like Adrien's had left little to the imagination. Now that she felt whole and more like herself than she had in days (months if she was being honest), she could love Adrien with all of her being once again without feeling guilty about what happened. The memories were still there, but it was more like she was viewing them for research purposes, there was now no sting attached to them. Her thoughts were drawn to Adrien once again and a wicked grin spread across her lips. She bit her bottom lip as she thought about how it had contoured to his muscular thighs and hips. How she wanted to run her hands along him. Her index finger went to her lips and she tried to keep her thoughts straight. She touched along her hip to find a smooth round object. Marinette dropped her finger from her lips and took the item from her hip.
"What's this thing do?" She unhooked it from her hips and swung it out to the other side of the apartment. Marinette hadn't noticed Chat enter in through the window with grocery bags in his hands and before she knew it the string of her yo-yo had wrapped around him and they were sprawled on the floor, tangled up together. His bags left strewn across the floor around them. He looked down at her in shock and his cheeks turned red. Ladybug felt her own face flush as she felt him flex between her thighs, where she was already tingling from the sight of him and from her own thoughts. "S-Sorry, Ad- I mean! Chat. I- I didn't know you were there."
"It's okay, Bugaboo. Um…" He was at a loss for how they were going to get out of the situation they were in. He noticed how some of the pastries that were in one of the bags had tumbled out and had somehow gotten a streak of glaze on her cheek. He struggled to free one of his hands to gently run his thumb along the thin sweet liquid drop and he stuck it between his lips. She peered at him with parted lips and surprised sapphire eyes. He smirked at her and peered at her through his long eyelashes, knowing full well what he was doing to her. He touched her chin and lifted her gaze to his. "I'd say we're in a MESSY situation." Marinette snapped out of her daze, groaned at the terrible pun, and the yo-yo came undone and went back into her hand. She shoved him off of her and he sat back on his heels with parted lips. He took in her skin tight suit and how it curved along her spine and around her perfectly rounded ass. How the red and black mask made her seem mysterious. It had only been six months, but she looked stunning in that suit and it was tailored specifically to her measurements.
His mouth ran dry and he shook his head, standing up to set the bags on the table. Ladybug replaced her yo-yo back onto her hip and sighed. "Tikki… spots off." The red light went back into her back and Marinette was left in its wake. She was definitely showing off that she had listened before she had transformed and he knew it. She caught Tikki in her outstretched hands as she reappeared. "I'm sure Adrien has a spot for you and Plagg to call your own somewhere in this huge apartment, why don't you go look around and find somewhere to call home?" Tikki squealed happily before zooming off.
Chat shook his head and watched her with amused eyes. "How did you do that?" He knew he should have listened, but he had been so excited to transform that he hadn't thought twice about it. Marinette brushed past him and caught his tail in between her fingertips. She slowly let it slide through her palm until she got to the metal tip at the end and she tugged, yanking him to her.
Marinette ran her hands up his muscular chest, focused her eyes on his bell, and flicked it with her fingertip to make it ring, and his cheeks flushed even more. He lowered his eyelids and searched her bluebell eyes with his own forest hued ones. "Silly Kitty. You should have been a good Chat and listened." She grabbed his bell and yanked him down into a kiss.
He moaned against her lips with a charming yet dangerous smirk. "You're right. But I don't do good. I'd rather be your bad kitty for the night, M'Lady." He looked at her with a hungry expression and a crooked smile and her knees nearly buckled at his lowered voice that smoldered into her ears. He leaned in and ran his tongue along the shell of her ear and nibbled on it, causing her to softly mewl and grip his biceps with her nails as she felt her legs go out from underneath her. He caught her and leaned her back to slowly lick up her neck and she gasped, as he sucked on her pulse point.
"Kitty… We should eat…" Marinette gasped as he continued his ministrations on her neck, humming as he did so. Right on cue, her stomach growled loudly. She laughed as she pushed him off of her. "C'mon kitty, let's go make dinner."
He groaned as he sat back, pouting at her mocking expression. They had been so close so many times this evening, he just wanted to lay her down and get acquainted with every inch of her. But, logic won out and he ruefully stood up, pulling her up with him. Once steady, he released her hand and bent down for another kiss. As he did, he whispered, "Plagg, claws in." The green light enveloped him just as their lips touched in a gentle kiss. Plagg floated up beside them, making gagging noises. Tikki chose that moment to fly back into the room and circled Plagg as she squeaked, "Plagg, this place is huge! There's plenty of space for us, I've already started making us a home nest. I'm sure Marinette and Adrien will let us know when it's time to eat." She bodily dragged Plagg away from where he was reaching towards the grocery bags, no doubt trying to get to his cheese.
"Since it's already so late, I thought we'd just make ratatouille soup and I got a loaf of bread. Plagg told me that Tikki prefers cookies so I got you the fixings to make her some. He demanded I buy him a ton of camembert so we don't need to make him anything." Adrien picked up the grocery bags and moved them to the counter in the kitchen.
"How did he tell you that if you didn't know how to detransform?" Marinette followed him in and started unloading the vegetables and other groceries.
"I dunno, he just…. did. He spoke into my brain?" Adrien scratched the back of his head at how crazy it sounded, but it was the truth.
"Okay, crazy kitty. Why don't you start cutting up the vegetables while I get the saucepan heating with the oil in it. I'll start on the cookies while I'm waiting too." Marinette felt at home in his kitchen, it had been so long since they had cooked and baked together but it still felt totally natural. Given his upbringing, Adrien didn't have much experience with cooking outside of helping out in the bakery or making meals with Marinette. He usually took the role of support and did whatever she asked him to do. Things were much more edible that way.
She turned on the stove and oven, started the saucepan going before quickly adding up the ingredients for the cookies into a mixing bowl. Adrien brought over the chunks of onion and she added it to the saucepan so that they could start tenderizing. Once she had everything prepared, she spread the cookie mixture out onto a cookie sheet and slid it into the oven. Next she took the baguette he had brought home and cut it in half. Putting half away for another meal, she wrapped the remaining and stuck it in the oven next to the cookies. Adrien walked over with a plate full of cut squash, eggplant, tomato and bell pepper. In a separate bowl he brought the roughly chopped garlic, which she took and dumped into the saucepan after making sure the onions were done. She sauteed the garlic before sliding in the rest of the vegetables. Covering the pan, she set the timer and turned to ask where the silverware was only to find Adrien's face right next to hers. His eyes were shining as he watched her in her element. She giggled and bit her bottom lip, suddenly self conscious about taking over his kitchen. She lowered her gaze to the floor, but was immediately forced to look into his eyes as his hands went to her face.
"I love watching you cook, Mari. Especially when it's in my kitchen. You look good in my kitchen." He kissed her again, unable to keep himself in check any longer. He loved everything about this woman, it was hard to keep his hands to himself. He deepened the kiss as he pulled her flush against him. She wound her arms around his neck and grabbed the small hairs at his nape before roughly pulling him closer. His hand slipped underneath her shirt, fingers grazing her flat stomach before he dared to go higher. Her moan as his thumb brushed the underneath of her breast was all the encouragement he needed to palm it. She arched against him as he rolled her nipple between his finger and thumb, panting as he blazed a trail of fiery kisses down her neck. "A- Adrien. Br- bread!" She gasped out as he continued to assault her senses. He pulled away with a smirk before spinning her away from the oven door. He opened it and removed the bread, setting it on top of the stove away from the active burner. He turned back to her with hungry eyes and stalked towards her intent on picking up where he had left off, but she danced away from his embrace giggling.
"Uh uh, mon matou! We need to set the table before our food is done and I need to check on the cookies. Quit pouting, there will be time… Later." She waggled her eyebrows at him, finally earning herself a goofy smile from him.
They worked in a comfortable silence until the cookies were out and the timer went off. Sitting down at the table, they passed an enjoyable meal together. Not talking about anything in particular, just catching up and enjoying each other's company. After their bellies were filled and the kwami had eaten, they cleaned the kitchen and retired back out to the living room.
Adrien stoked the fire as Marinette watched him, quirking an eyebrow when he went to a closet off the hallway and retrieved an old blanket.
"Remember this, Bugaboo?" Adrien shook out the blanket, draping it around her shoulders and snuggling under it with her.
"How could I forget, I'm the one that made it." Marinette fingered the worn blanket from so long ago. It was one of her first sewing projects she did completely by herself. At the time, it was way too huge for her since she had mismeasured the fabric so she had started bringing it along their nightly walks as a blanket to sit on during the summer or to wrap themselves in during the winter nights. One side was black fleece, with neon green stitching around the border; the other side was red with black stitching. She was surprised that he had it, the last she knew it was still in her room at her parents apartment above the bakery.
"I asked your parents for it after you left. It was one of the only things that represented both of us." Adrien sheepishly admitted. Marinette smiled at his thoughtfulness, touched that he still wanting something of her around him. She looked at him through her lashes and bit her bottom lip. He gripped her face and pulled her in for a deep kiss that was filled with years worth of yearning for this woman in front of him. They fell to the floor in front of the fireplace and he rolled his hips against hers, as his old white shirt slipped up her thigh, exposing more of her soft legs. Her skin glowed in the light of the fire and caught his eye, as he slowly slid his hand up her thigh making her skin tingle beneath his touch. It was like small static charges igniting on the surface and she looked at him with sultry bedroom eyes. He was silently taking in her glow and how she looked in the warm light. How beautiful she was with the heat of the fireplace on her skin.
"Prends-moi devant a la cheminee, mon Chaton." Marinette whispered and Adrien crashed his lips back down onto hers with a soft groan. She gasped as he slowly ran his hand up the front of his old shirt, popping the buttons open one at a time. Marinette arched her back and the overshirt fell open, exposing her breasts to the warm air. She laid back onto the floor and held her hand to his cheek, as he peered deeply into her eyes. He skimmed down between her breasts, thinking that he would have to see the bruises left by another man, but he didn't find a trace of Luka on her skin. Adrien's eyes teared up and he looked into Marinette's eyes with shock. "Tikki. She fixed everything." Marinette softly smiled at him and ran her hand through his hair to try and sooth his pain.
"How? I-" Adrien was, for once, at a lost for words. He wanted to know all of the details for how Tikki had saved his brave woman. Wanted to know how she had fixed it all and erased the darkness within her. He had so many questions and he felt the tears fall from his eyes as relief took him over. He looked down at her chest without really focusing on anything, lost in thought.
"Chaton. Regarde-moi, s'il vous plait." She gently touched his cheek and brought his eyes up to meet hers. She used her thumb to wipe away his tears and she pulled him down to gently kiss her. She slowly deepened the kiss and he was soon lost in her again. Lost in the passion that she gave him, he ran his hand up her thigh and along her side. Feeling her soft skin beneath his fingertips and getting caught up in her bluebell eyes.
Adrien buried his face into her neck and gently placed kisses along her skin mentally thanking Tikki for saving the love of his life. He felt like he owed her a lot more than a place to call home. Marinette touched his face and directed his kisses back to her lips. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip and he parted them for her, meeting her kiss with one that was just as hungry.
Marinette hooked her fingers into the waistband of his black loose pants and pushed them down his hips. He held himself up onto one of his elbows and helped her slide them down, kicking them off once they were mid-calf. He never let his mouth leave hers, as he began to tug at the 'Gabriel' brand boxers that were around her hips. She lifted her hips and broke the kiss to peer into his emerald eyes that sparked in the light of the fire, while he slid them off of her. He trailed kisses down her neck, between her breasts, down her stomach, and to her pelvic bone. Adrien kissed along her hips causing her to spread her thighs with a sigh, and she ran her fingers through his soft hair. He groaned and wrapped his lips around her swollen clit and gently sucked on it. She clenched her thighs around his head and let out a soft moan, as she peered down at him. She watched him, as he slowly ran his tongue from her tight opening to her sensitive nub and she cried out and tugged harder onto his hair. He was gentle and made sure to make her feel like she was his whole world. Adrien pushed all of his love into what he was doing and she unraveled around his mouth, as he brought her over the edge with the flick of his tongue.
He sat up on his knees and she took his body in. How his pecs were bigger than they used to be and how his muscles moved beneath his skin. His abs were more pronounced and they wrapped around to connect to back muscles that she had never noticed before. His arms were more sculpted and filled out. His jawline, angular, and more pronounced. It was like he had aged and only gotten stronger. His cock flexed and precum caught the light and reflected back at her. She sat up and he looked at her with a confused expression. He didn't know what she was doing. "Sit over there." She pointed to an armchair that had wood details that resembled gnarly branches of a dead tree.
Adrien got up and sat down in the chair with his forearms on the arm rests. She crawled towards him and ran her hands up his thighs. She peered at him through her lashes and gripped his thighs, while she slowly licked from the base to the tip of his cock, catching his salty precum on the tip of her tongue. She swallowed it and proceeded to wrap her lips around his swollen head. Adrien cried out and leaned his head back against the back of the chair and widened his legs. His hand fell to her hair, while the other went behind his head and flexed. "Ah! Mari." He moaned as she took him into her mouth and worked him with her lips and tongue. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, coaxing her to keep going with his soft pants and quiet moans. Adrien looked down to catch her glassy eyed stare with his own. His lips were parted and his cheeks were flushed, while his hair fell in front of his chartreuse eyes.
She slowly closed her eyes, wrapped her hand around the base, and began to work her hand and mouth in tandem together, changing angles and swirling her tongue around him. Adrien shifted his hips and tried to keep them still as he watched her with love filled eyes. "I'm gonna cum if you keep doing that, Bugaboo."
She smirked and let him go with one more flick of her tongue on the tip of his cock and it flexed in response; while he groaned at the loss of her warm mouth. He leaned forward and gently pushed her back down to the ground in front of the fireplace. Marinette peered up at him with a dreamy expression. She watched him smirk and slowly bend down to capture her lips with his. "I promise to be gentle. We're gonna go nice and slow. Okay?" Adrien whispered and slowly slid his hand down her side and around her hip. She swallowed hard and lowered her eyelids, biting her lip, and focusing on his soft touches. He slid his hand over her wet folds and slipped his middle finger inside of her tight core. Marinette gasped at the feeling of his finger filling her and she suddenly clutched his bicep with one of her hands.
She bucked her hips and arched her back, letting a soft mewl escape from her pink lips. "Ah…" Marinette slowly slid her hand down his arm and gripped his forearm, that was busy holding him up above her, while his other was busy dipping in and out of her at a slow and steady pace. She reached up and licked his top lip with her tongue and he captured it with his lips, tangling his tongue with hers in a heated kiss. She rocked her hips making sounds that let him know that she wanted more. He slid a second finger in and picked up the rhythm. She dug her nails into his bicep and he groaned, trying to keep himself together. He wanted to bury himself inside of her and claim her as his own. He wanted her to be all his once again. To erase the other man that had hurt her. That had hurt them.
"Ready?" Adrien kissed her lips one last time and trailed kisses down her neck. She nodded and let out a whine, biting her bottom lip at the loss of his touch. "Hang on, baby." Adrien aligned himself with her tight opening and slowly eased into her. She cried out and arched her back, clawing at his arms, his shoulders, anything she could get her hands on. He sank against her body with a groan and she bit into the muscle in his shoulder, causing him to moan louder. He slowly pumped in and out of her and she wrapped her legs around his hips.
Marinette felt like she couldn't hold on much longer, as the pressure built up in her body and along her spine. Her clit swelled up and tingled as his pelvis brushed against it, sending shivers down her spine and into her core. He angled himself just right and grazed the swollen bundle of nerves, causing her to bite down and scream into his shoulder, as she came hard around him. Her walls squeezed his cock and he grit his teeth with his head buried into her shoulder. "Marinette…" He barely got her name out from between his clenched teeth, as he tried to focus on not coming undone.
She was beautiful and like a goddess that no mortal man could dream up. No one had come close to Marinette for him and no one ever would. She was his and no one else's and he was going to make sure of that. He lifted her legs onto his shoulders to penetrate her deeper. She cried out and looked at him through her long dark lashes, as he thrusted into her harder and deeper. Marinette gripped his thighs with her fingertips and nails. He panted, rocking her into the ground. She had never felt so full and so loved. It was like they were whole and like she was finally safe and where she needed to be. He was her savior from the storm. Her hero that she would always admire. He panted and let the last wave of pleasure roll through his body and rest at the base of his spine, before it let go and called out her name. "Marinette… Ah… ah… fuck…" Adrien slowed his pumping to a steady and slow rhythm as he rode out his orgasm. She panted and felt herself get lost in the tides with him, as he gently pulled out of her and held her in his arms. They both fell into a peaceful sleep in front of the roaring fireplace, wrapped up in the blanket that had gone to the park with them so many years ago.
"Look at that one!" 12 year old Marinette had pointed up at a meteor that had shot across the sky. A 12 year old Adrien chuckled beside her on the reversible blanket, as they both laid on their backs and peered up at the sky.
Suddenly, Adrien looked at the young girl beside him and he realized that his heart felt like it had grown too big for his chest. The moonlight caught her rosy cheeks and her blue eyes sparked in the streetlights. "Hey, Mari?"
"Hm?" Marinette turned her head to peer into his glowing green eyes. She saw his cheeks flush a warm pink and she was left confused by his expression. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, before he opened his mouth to speak.
"One day… I'm going to marry you." Adrien looked up and about twenty meteors shot across the night sky above them. Marinette looked up and watched them shoot across with wonder and awe, but she was lost in his words.
She burst out into a fit of giggles and rolled onto her stomach. She poked him on the tip of his nose with a smile and said, "Silly Kitty."
A content smile graced Marinette's lips as she slept. As Tikki wondered what she was dreaming about that would elicit such a soft and loving smile, a light orb shot into Marinette's stomach. Tikki's hands covered her mouth as Plagg looked up sleepily, a confused look on his face. He looked like he was about to make a comment, but Tikki just shook her head. Her heart swelled at the thought of what this meant for their holders, who had endured so much suffering for one's so young. Tikki put her hand up to her mouth, "Shh… Don't wake them up. They'll find out when the time is right. It'll be perfect." Tikki settled back down against Plagg with a warm smile. Plagg made a few unintelligible grumbles as he rolled his eyes at his other half. He had just awoken, and now the rest of his existence was going to be annoying as hell. He yawned as he considered how to use this to his advantage to get more cheese before lowering his head back to the pillow.
Marinette stretched her arms above her head and yawned, smelling something warm and chocolatey in the air. Adrien walked over with a warm cup of tea and handed it to her. "I hope you don't mind. I decided to make pain au chocolat. It was one of my mother's recipes. I haven't made it in ages. So, we'll see how they turn out." He smirked at her, as she took the warm drink from his hands with a thoughtful smile.
"I remember those. They were delicious and gave my father's a run for his money." She giggled and took a sip of the tea, letting it warm her tongue and her throat. His mother had made pain au chocolat well and it was one thing that she had loved about her. Maybe one of the only things actually. Marinette knew how much the memory meant to Adrien. She stood up on wobbly legs and slipped his white shirt back on, buttoning enough of the buttons to be modest. She walked into the kitchen and watched him pull the chocolate filled pastries from the oven. The smell of warm chocolate and butter filled his apartment and warmed her soul. It was exactly what she needed after everything that had happened in her life. Tikki zipped in at the smell of the delicious smelling pastries, tugging Plagg along with her. She loved sugar, while he would rather just enjoy a piece of delicate fine cheese. The smellier the better in his eyes.
Adrien passed Tikki and Marinette a chocolate filled croissant and set a plate of camembert in front of Plagg. He sat down at his own plate at the kitchen table and they all talked about the past and what Tikki and Plagg had been through. How much the world had changed and what kinds of holders they had previously had before. It was all interesting to Marinette and Adrien enjoyed the light that sparked in his Lady's eyes at the history behind the kwamis. He admired that about her. About how she was always interested in the story behind objects, especially family heirlooms. They were always important to her. He rested his cheek on his palm and listened to Tikki and Plagg ramble on about a past that he would never know. Breaking out, now and then, into arguments over small details within their stories. Marinette would begin to giggle at the two arguing kwamis and Adrien relished in the sound.