I couldn't help myself, here's one more chapter. I've been up for nearly 40 hours by this point. Our air conditioner broke, so I spent the night and all of today in a 94 degree house with 11 cats and 2 kids. It's over 100 degrees every day where I live, so it's a shitty time for it to kick the bucket. So I wrote this to preserve my sanity until we could leave. I hope you enjoy and I promise, no more chapters until I get back ;)
"Luka, it has been over a month since I gave you your assignment. My patience is quickly dwindling. If you do not locate and deal with Marinette Dupain-Cheng within the next two weeks, I will personally oversee your death."
Fucking old man. Fucking bitch. Luka was not used to things not going his way. He was not unduly worried about the old man coming after him, but it was demeaning to be reminded of his failures. Failure to catch one simple woman. He threw his glass across the room of the small houseboat he was staying in, watching as it shattered on impact and liquid seep through the carpet just like blood. Picking up his phone, he dialed one of his oldest 'friends' in the business. If she was unable to locate Marinette, then he would worry.
"What?" A cool female voice rang out after the third ring.
"Nice to hear from you too," Luka said dryly, "I need a favor. Come over and let's make a deal? I'm in your neck of the woods. I'll send you the coordinates. Tonight at seven?"
"..." A sharp click announced that she had hung up without responding. Unperturbed by this, he sent the coordinates to the location of his houseboat over and started preparing for the evening of fun ahead. It wouldn't do to not have the special supplies required for this meeting on hand.
The once immaculate interior of the houseboat lay in ruins. Furniture was overthrown, hundred euro notes lay burned and scattered among disheveled mounds of white powder, a crooked line of specialty knives still bit into the wood where they had been haphazardly thrown earlier. The oven burner was left on, the red glow accenting the smoke that lightly billowed in the breeze from the open windows. The two occupants of the aforementioned houseboat, however, didn't give a shit about any of that. Luka growled like an animal at the woman riding him, feeling the sting of her nails as she scraped them down the side of his neck and the cool beads of blood dripping down after them. She ignored his noises as she bounced on his cock wildly. It had always been like this between them. This was how they worked out the details of their little deals: he would provide the drugs and the place, she would provide the service and carry out his wishes. He paid her handsomely for it, naturally, and as such she was the one person who had never disappointed him. She was the best around, and Luka only surrounded himself with the best.
Once their 'business' had been concluded, she surprised him with her next words. "I can get the old man off of your back if you'd like. I'm one of his best clients, he'll be a little less rigid once he learns I'm involved."
Luka was already shaking his head and opening his mouth to protest, but she put a finger to his lips. "Trust me, he is very interested in seeing this through. He'll want to make sure it's done right, and he knows that I'm very thorough with my job. I know how you like to play with your food before you eat it, so let me get you the time to do so, okay?" She turned with one last smirk and walked out onto the deck, heels clicking until only the gentle lapping of waves remained. Luka sighed and stretched out on his bed, mellowed by the drugs and the sex. He fell asleep planning what he would do to Marinette once he caught her.
Adrien quietly unlocked the front door of their new home, glancing at his surroundings one more time as he had done every day since they had secretly moved in a few weeks ago, before slipping in and quickly closing the door behind him. Walking over to the low wrought iron table that ran the length of the entryway, he dumped his keys, phone, wallet and laptop bag on top of the glass. He slipped off his shoes and placed them next to Marinette's on the floor under the table. He teased her mercilessly about her weird aversion to having shoes on in the house, as well as her obsession with her 'no shoes in the house' rule, but he secretly thought it was adorable. The way she took pride in even the littlest details of her life made his heart swell. His Lady had taken this shell of a house and already made it a home in the short amount of time they had been there, much like she had taken his shell of a heart and restored it to its former glory in that same amount of time. Padding along the cool tile, he bypassed the first set of doorways he came across, choosing instead to keep heading towards the last doorway furthest down the hallway. Pausing in puzzlement at the closed door because it was usually opened, he knocked lightly.
"Go away, Adrien." Mari's weak voice sounded hoarse, even through the closed door.
"I'm coming in." Adrien gave her exactly two seconds before he turned the handle and opened the door. His gaze was immediately drawn to the toilet area, where his fiancee was slumped on the cool tile floor, one side of her face pressed against it. One of her hands shakily came up to hide her face in embarrassment, her face burning a bright red.
"Oh, Bug. It happened again, didn't it? That's every day this week. I think we should get you in to see a doctor tomorrow." He softly chided her as he bent down and lifted her from the floor. Carrying her bridal style, he exited the bathroom through a door directly across from the one he entered. The room beyond was darkened, the curtains drawn over the single window. He laid her on a chaise similar to the one she used to have in her bedroom at her parents apartment, brushing her hair away from her clammy face before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"No. It just a cold I'm sure. Or my body reacting to the stress of the move and Luka. You know I can't see a doctor, Adrien. I would have to give them my name and information and that would blow our cover. I'm sure I just need to rest. You probably shouldn't get too close to me though, just in case it's contagious." Marinette tried to push him away, but he remained stubbornly close to her face, looking at her like she was the most delicate flower in all the world. It was both irritating and flattering.
Adrien huffed quietly. Like he would distance himself from his Lady during her time of need. What a ridiculous thought. "Would you like a glass of water, Princess?"
She nodded and her eyes slipped closed again. Adrien rose and returned to the hallway, walking back towards the front door. He turned right into their spacious and bright kitchen, going through a large open door frame with an arched top. He walked across to the cabinets and pulled a glass down before walking over to the fridge and filling it with ice and water. He set it down on the island and leaned his hands against the edge of the black marble countertop. His hair fell into his eyes as he bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Every day this week. She's thrown up every day this week. Always around the same time of day. Somehow I don't think I have to worry about her being contagious." He had his suspicions on what phenomenon was causing her illness, but fear stopped him from approaching her about it. Surely she had guessed the same as he? Maybe she didn't want it, and was trying to figure out a way to tell him? He had no clue what her motives for not acknowledging it could mean, and so he gave her the space to choose when to discuss it. Or maybe he was just terrified of her rejection of their…. He shook his head to clear the thought before he could even finish it.
Plagg phased out of his shirt pocket, his arms crossed. His normal smirk was gone once he saw the glass of water sitting in front of his holder. He turned to Adrien's haunted expression, knowing the dark path his holder's thoughts were going down. He would need to distract him or he'd be too lost to return to Marinette or be of any help whatsoever. And, Plagg still needed his cheese. Since the smell of camembert caused Marinette to gag, Plagg couldn't just have it whenever he felt like it anymore. Plagg's heart softened at the thought of his Princess wanting to feed him and take care of him but being unable to. "Again? You should take some of those plain crackers she likes, they seem to help too."
Adrien looked up in surprise at the tiny kwami floating in front of him. If he didn't know any better, he'd believe there was a tiny hint of concern creeping into Plagg's tone. This caused Adrien's heart rate to increase even further. "You're…. You're worried about her too! Oh shit, maybe I've got it all wrong. If it's something that causes you to be concerned, I-" Adrien stopped as a thought occurred to him. He narrowed his eyes at the tiny black cat god in front of him. "Plagg. You're an all powerful being, correct?"
Plagg registered the change in his holders tone and began to panic. He already didn't like where this line of questioning was leading. Tikki had sworn him to silence on the matter, and he was not interested in being on the receiving end of her wrath should he spill the beans. "Of course. How many other floating black cat gods do you know that can eat as much cheese as I do?" His attempt at levity fell flat as Adrien's gaze bored into him. Why'd I have to get a Kid that is so damn smart? What happened to the dumb blonde stereotype, Plagg thought to himself with a small sigh.
Meanwhile, Adrien continued to talk through his thoughts as he processed them. "And Tikki took Marinette through a cleansing ritual. Because she could sense the state of Marinette's body and soul, and the wounds that needed to be healed from her ordeal with Luk-ass. This would imply that she could sense the state of various parts of Marinette's body merely by proximity. Now, I would imagine that you would be able to similarly sense something off about Marinette. Isn't that correct? Do you know what's 'wrong' with Marinette, Plagg? Because if you do, and you just aren't telling me, I will make sure that you are only fed the nuclear orange powdered cheese that comes in the boxes of macaroni and cheese for the rest of your existence. Do you understand me?" Adrien stood up straight and glared down his nose at his kwami friend. He could never be that cruel to Plagg, but he wanted to see how Plagg would react and gauge his expression. Adrien was desperate to know the answer to the question that had been eating him up all week.
Before Plagg could even move to reply, Tikki flew into the kitchen with a concerned look on her face. She knew Adrien would mistake the concern in her voice, thinking it for Marinette's health instead of how close Plagg was to revealing the reason for Marinette's sickness, so she put a slight quiver in her voice as she floated down to rest on his shoulder. "Adrien? Marinette was worried why you were taking so long to get the water. She was concerned that she had started to make you feel ill as well. Is everything alright?"
"No, everything's fine, Tikki. Plagg was just suggesting I grab those crackers she likes as well, so I was just about to do that and head back to her." Adrien waved a hand in Plagg's direction and turned towards the pantry, his focus shifting to finishing his mission and getting back to his soon to be wife.
He didn't notice that Plagg heaved a sigh of relief at the same time he released a sigh of worry.