Chapter Twenty-Seven: Feelings Before Duty

Someone was tapping on her door, but she couldn't bring herself to open it. She didn't care if it was Gabriel, or Lila, or—

"Mari," Adrien whispered through the door. "Please, let me in?"

She pictured his emerald orbs, sincere, full of love, and it made her choke. She couldn't face him now. He was so pure and so perfect, and she was just a piece of taint. She sighed, wiping her face aggressively.

"I n-need a few m-minutes, please?" Her voice quivered, and she could feel his hesitation.

"Alright," he breathed back. "Do you want me to wait out here or on set?"

His help just hurt her heart more. Why did he have to be so considerate? "I d-don't know, on set is fine," she whispered, crying.

She heard him sigh, and she thought he'd let it go, but something thunked the door. "I'm sorry, Mari, I can't. What's wrong? Please? Let me in?"

Tikki touched her arm gently, nodding at the door. "Let him in, talk to him," she encouraged.

The bluenette bit her lip, frowning. "I j-just don't feel well," she lied.

Silence. After a moment, he sighed again. "Mari, I don't expect you to tell me everything, but please, don't lie to me, okay? I can hear it in your voice, and I can practically taste the lie in my mouth when you say it…I don't know how, but I can…"

"Plagg," Tikki muttered.

"What?" Marinette's brows pulled together, and her kwami shook her head vigorously.

"Huh?" Adrien sounded confused, and she gasped.

"N-Not you!"

"Is somebody in there with you…?"

She cleared her throat. "Y-yes…the same…type of person who…keeps you company most of time," she tried slowly.

"O-Oh, right. She okay?"

Tikki nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. She was just commenting about what you said about the taste. I'm sure she can fill you in later."

"She can fill me in now," he offered.

Marinette frowned, sniffling. She didn't want to let him in. She was tainted and she was disgusting. She didn't deserve him. "N-No," she growled. "L-Later."

Tikki huffed, and surged forward, unlocking the door without her permission and Marinette balked. "Y-You didn't say I couldn't," she squeaked, quickly retreating.

"Tikki!"

Adrien pushed the door open, peering inside. The bluenette shuffled further into the corner, sitting on the floor. She didn't want him to look at her. She was worthless. She couldn't heal him, she'd given into Luka…she hated who she was right now.

"Mari?" He pushed the door shut, locking it again.

"You can talk to Tikki, I guess," she muttered dejectedly.

She didn't need to look at him to know he was contemplating arguing. "What's up, Tikki?"

She scoffed. "You're going to be able to smell all of Marinette's emotions and….urges, now," she pointed out, which drew the girl's attention.

"What!?" They both gawked.

"You chose her as a mate, correct?"

He flushed violently. "I'm not going to …just fuck her and leave if that's what you mean," he grumbled.

The crimson kwami nodded slowly. "You've chosen to stick by her, and therefore, you're linking to her. You've marked her, so you'll be able to recognize her scent easier. So, even without your transformation, you're going to pick up on her scent and taste, thanks to Plagg's inherent abilities."

"O-Oh," he whispered, swallowing. "That's going to suck."

Marinette glowered. "Seriously?"

"I j-just mean…your scent is so…intoxicating when I'm Chat…I have a very difficult time controlling myself…now…having to smell it all the time, I'll have to learn some new level of control, I guess."

She blushed, tearing her face away. "O-oh, okay."

"What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing," she spat, curling up more.

Tikki scoffed. "She has it in her head she isn't good enough for you now because my big mouth let it slip you hadn't been with anyone before her, and now she feels even more guilty about Luka, which was her only other sexual encounter before you."

"Tikki," she hissed angrily.

"Luka…was your first?"

The pain in his voice just made it hurt more and she shifted, hiding her face. "G-Go away!"

"Mari…"

"I said get out!"

"Stop!" His growling command startled her, making her jump, and she looked at him. His chest was rising and falling in haggard breaths, his eyes narrowed. "I won't let your stubborn ass nature get in the way of us," he spat. She blushed, and opened her mouth, but he sliced a hand through the air. "If you can honestly tell me that it's because you have a problem with me, or you're upset with me for some reason, I will go and give you space," he said, taking a step closer, making her push her back further against the wall.

"I d-don't have a problem with you," she whimpered. "It's me, I'm tainted. I'm disgusting."

His face contorted, and he took another step forward. "Far from it," he breathed. "You're the most beautiful thing on this planet." He grabbed her wrist, propelling her upwards with ease into his body. "I can't get enough of your luscious body, the pure unfettered delight of your skin…"

His fingers curled around her hips, and she squirmed, yanking backwards. "N-no!" She put her hands over her face, sobbing. "I c-can't. You sh-should be with someone who deserves you! I…I…"

She gasped as he lifted her up, pressing her into the wall. He pinned her with his hips, grinding between her thighs, and she swallowed the next moan. Adrien's hands pulled hers from her face, trapping her wrists to the barrier. "I guess you're going to have to tell me to stop then. Tell me you don't want me, Mari, because otherwise, I'm going to fuck you until you understand I don't want anybody but you…and I certainly don't think you're tainted."

He pushed his hardness between her thighs, and she moaned, back curving. "Mm, b-but Adrien—"

He shoved against her again, hard, and she cried out. "No," he snarled. "Either tell me to stop, or close your damn mouth," he commanded. "I won't listen to you put yourself down anymore, it hurts too much."

The bright scarlet that filled her cheeks was sudden and his…aggression made her squirm. She wanted to argue…wanted to tell him to stop...just because she could…but…but...Her hips pushed back against him, her responding moan was loud as her panties got increasingly wet.

"F-fuck, I can smell you," he whispered hoarsely, inhaling sharply. His face found her neck, and his teeth were in her pulse almost as fast, grinding against her frantically.

"A-Adrien!" Her scream was full of surprise and pleasure as his fingers curled into her trapped forearms, and her legs locked behind his back, desperately thrusting to match his rhythm as the euphoria began to fill her body. She started to shake her head wildly. "Too many clothes," she whined.

He released her arms, and grabbed her shirt, tearing it up over her head, throwing it. Her bra came off next, and the cool air made her shudder, but she curved her spine, so her heaving breasts pressed into his already naked chest.

"G-God!" Feeling his skin against hers was…

"N-Not enough," he whispered, and spun them away from the wall, taking them both to the floor on his knees, pushing her back into the ground. He pried her legs from around his waist, and she let him, her own hands already fumbling with her pants.

Someone banged on the door, but Adrien didn't even pause, not the way she did. He was still tugging her Jeans down, pulling her boots and socks with them. "Gabriel says you've got three minutes," Luka commented.

"Fine," Adrien replied before she could, and he smirked at her as she pursed her lips. However, he pushed his slacks down his hips, revealing the hardest part of his body, and she bite her lip, making his eyes darken. "F-Fuck," he breathed.

"Oh, I thought Mari was in there," Luka said, sounding genuinely confused.

Marinette smirked this time as he pushed her thighs aggressively apart. "I am," she called, and Adrien's smile was satisfied, smug, making her blush.

"O-Oh…well if you—"

Adrien slammed inside of her, making her back bow, and her lips parted, releasing his name in a scream of pleasure as her nails tried to make groves in his shoulders, but he ensnared them, slamming them into the floor as he picked an erratic rhythm. She managed to flatten out, but his demanding mouth captured her lips as fresh moans and cries escaped, and her legs encircled him helplessly, desperate to cling to the pleasure he incited in her body.

"Are you two f-fucking?"

The bluenette's lips tore free in a gasping moan, and Adrien trailed his mouth down her neck, licking the new set of teeth marks before nibbling on her ear. "Mine," he growled, his body sliding against hers easily as the sweat built up between their heated skin, and she felt…so close, the knot behind her navel tightening dramatically.

"A-Adrien," she keened, heels digging into the small of his back with each thrust as her peak neared. "P-Please, G-God, don't stop!"

He growled into her ear, moaning. "Wouldn't th-think of it," he teased, groaning. "G-God you feel so good." His palms slid upwards along her forearms, lacing their fingers together so she could squeeze his hands, but he could still pin her down as his thrusts got harder, and that was all it took.

Her spine left the floor, and she let the pleasure tear up her throat, and she was vaguely aware of his teeth sinking into her soft flesh, but he started to suck, and the waves only intensified as he moaned against her supple breast.

When she came down, he collapsed above her, panting, chuckling happily against her face. "Do I need to fuck you a-again, or are you g-going to stop avoiding me and thinking you're tainted?"

She blushed deeply, looking away. "I w-won't avoid you, s-sorry."

He snorted. "Well, that answered part of my question, but I'll take it f-for now. I have another question now," he whispered, tracing a hand down her side, making her shiver. "My father brought up a good point yesterday, and I g-guess…I was just too lost in you to think about it…b-but…um…are you, do we need to worry about…"

He sounded embarrassed, and she frowned. "Worry about what?"

"The fact I've not been using anything," he whispered, holding his breath.

"Not using…" Oh, she started giggling, hugging him tight. "I mean, if you want to get some condoms as an extra precaution, you can, but I've been on pills since I started my period years ago. I was having issues, and the pills helped regulate it. I just…I forgot to mention it because I g-got lost in you too," she admitted, flushing.

"O-oh, good!" His body relaxed above her, and Marinette couldn't help but laugh harder. "I m-mean not that kids with you would be horrible, or th-that I wouldn't stay," he said, panicked, and she flicked his ear.

"Silly," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "I understand, but I think you're dad is waiting for us now, and I'm sure Luka won't have been quiet about what we were up to," she sighed.

"Don't care," Adrien commented. "We won't be the first couple to have a quickie on a break, and if he wants to fire me he can," he teased. He pulled free, hesitating, from her body, but helped her to her feet, eyeing her naked form, and he groaned. "Fuck, when do we get out of here?"

She snorted, punching his hip. "Not soon enough," she replied throatily, and he pushed her back against the vanity, his recovering arousal pressing into her core.

"W-We could just quit now and then we could fuck all the time," he offered, grinning broadly, and it made her heart falter.

"A-As appealing as that sounds," she whispered hoarsely, licking her lips. "I th-think we should get back out there." God, she hated herself. Staying in here with Adrien sounded so much better.

He chuckled, kissing her gently before pulling back once more. "As you wish," he whispered, grabbing his pants from the floor. "I'll let father know you'll be out in a minute, since…um..I'm not sure where I threw most of your clothes," he teased, and she balked, looking around, unable to toss a reply before he disappeared out the door.

***POV Change***

"That sounded like quite a break," Gabriel growled, eyeing his son venomously as he stalked closer.

Adrien didn't care as he shrugged, his smile broadening, in fact. "I was just helping her with a stress relief technique. She'll be ready to finish the shoot in a minute."

Gustave made a noise off to his left before going into a suspicious coughing fit. Adrien suspected he was trying not to laugh, which didn't help matters.

"Do you think this is funny?"

"Well, father, I'd say watching her best friend collapse on set, and having to deal with other responsibilities atop this, plus constantly being on point every time she's asked during every shoot despite being an amateur has earned her some slack. Anybody would be stressed. Not to mention she was attacked simply because of her status now, and the image we make of her," he pointed, out, eyes suddenly narrowing.

He watched his father's jaw tighten as he clenched his teeth. "You are growing bold because of her, and don't think it doesn't have its limitations with my good will, Adrien," he bit out carefully. "However, I can concede to your point, and I'll let it go…this time."

"Thank you, father," he said, incredibly careful to sound calm and even when he uttered the words. He was skating a thin line, and he knew it. Luka looked like he swallowed a bunch of hot coal, and Adrien grinned, his broad Chat grin. He couldn't help it.

"S-sorry," Marinette huffed, out of breath as she jogged over. "I'm very sorry Monsieur," she gave a bow in Gabriel's direction.

"It's quite fine, Mari," he breathed, smiling. "I hope you're feeling better."

Adrien's mouth tasted bitter and his 'tail' twitched. He…he still couldn't place this tone his father kept using with his girlfriend. Affection? Lust? Desire? Endearment? None of the words quite sounded right, but all of them sounded right…but he knew he had to be mistaken.

"Y-Yes," she blushed. "Thank you, what's next?"

His phone chirped, and he looked at the display. "I have some business elsewhere to take care of. You four can finish your shots, and when Chloe is feeling better, we'll schedule a day to make up shots for her."

His father left. Well, he'd never been one for lingering goodbyes. Or, goodbyes in general. "I'm glad he didn't notice the marks, but you should probably get to make-up first," Adrien commented, touching a hand to the left side of her neck and one to the mound of her right breast. There were bite marks in both locations.

"R-Really!?"

He flushed. "Sorry, not sorry."

She giggled. "I kind of like the fact you want to mark me up and claim me," she teased, and his cock twitched, a growl creeping free.

"F-Fuck, don't say that, not right now," he hissed, pleading.

"Mm," she grinned, "Mine," she moaned, biting his lip hard enough to hurt, before withdrawing just as quickly. She licked crimson from her mouth, and he gulped, watching her head towards make-up. It was a miracle he didn't fuck her right there.

***POV Change***

She didn't even make it three steps to the mansion when the entire ground shook. Her eyes widened, and Adrien grabbed, her, both squatting close to the trembling surface. At first, she thought it was a quake, but a screams and sirens echoed in the distance, followed by an orange light cascading into the sky.

Her phone didn't go off, and she frowned. "Shit, Italy wouldn't have an Akuma warning system, would they?"

Adrien shook his head, propelling her upwards and into the house as the quaking settled down. "Is everybody okay?" His voice boomed as they cleared the door, and everyone nodded, eyes wide. "I suggest everyone stay away from any heavy objects near the walls, and probably retire to your rooms in case the house starts shaking again. Not much we can do until then," he offered.

Marinette snatched his hand and yanked, jogging down the hall to her room. She slammed the door closed, gulping for air, and Tikki automatically zoomed out of her purse. "Tikki, spots on!"

When the light faded, she pulled her yo-yo from her hip, but faltered because Adrien was still staring at her. "S-Sorry, I'm just….still, in awe," he grinned, broad and dopey before Plagg made a disgusted sound. "Plagg, our song is playing! CLAWS OUT!" She bit her lip watching him transform, and his tail swished, surging forward to grab her, kissing her. "P-Please don't do that right now," he growled.

"S-sorry, you're just so…I like how you transform," she giggled. "And you're really sexy," she blushed.

He snorted, shaking his head. "Later," he groaned giving her ass a squeeze, pushing her towards the windows. "Italy needs Ladybug."

***AKUMA in Italy***

"I hate flame based Akuma's," he hissed angrily, flipping backwards in a wide arc to land on the ledge by her side. "Makes it nearly im-paws-ible to get close," he finally teased, wriggling his eyebrows at her.

Ladybug rolled her eyes, scoffing, but she couldn't stop the twitch of her lips. "Puns? Really? You're so juvenile."

"Hey, you love it, don't be catty."

She snorted, giggling, flinging out her yo-yo, stepping off the roof to swing. Of course she loved his dorky puns, but she didn't have to admit it. She heard the sound of his baton touching solid matter, knowing he was vaulting close behind.

"What's your plan my Lady?" His voice carried to her through the wind, and she caught a glimpse of him launching off a roof to her left, somersaulting with impossible speed ahead of her. What was the plan? She wasn't sure yet. So far, they'd been unable to reach the Akuma. It was buried in the center of a flaming inferno, and Milan was burning.

She threw herself in another wide arc, releasing in time to tumble to a crouch on the surface of a roof, staring down at the raging fire. It almost had a life of its own, and something roared from the center of it, agonizing, and angry.

Chaton landed beside her, scratching his jaw with the end of his weapon. "I don't see the actual Akuma," he commented.

"Neither do I," she agreed. "I don't know what we're supposed to destroy if we can't even get inside."

"I'll have a closer look," he grinned, shifting, and she snatched his arm, eyes widening in panic. She was not going to let him get seared. What if her power didn't allow him to heal? What if he…

"It's okay, Ladybug, I'll be fine," he murmured, blinking into her bluebell orbs.

"N-No!" Her heart hammered uncontrollably, her grip tightening. Shit. This. This was one of the reasons she'd remained secretive for so long…keeping distance between her and Chat Noir. They had a duty to perform…but now, all she was worried about was him. She didn't care that other people were suffering. She didn't want him to get injured...or worse.

She'd always cared about Chat diving in the way to save her. She'd always cared about him being hurt, but now, it froze her insides to the point where she could barely function. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"M'lady, we have…work to do," he whispered softly, touching the fingers that were trapping his arm.

She flinched, going purely on instinct when she reacted, tears falling down her face. "I'm s-sorry," she breathed automatically, yanking his baton from him. He was going to do something reckless to protect her, always. What if she couldn't save him the next time?

His eyes widened in surprise, and her heroine name didn't make it by his lips before the blow struck the back of his head. His eyes went blank, and she repeated her apology as he crashed to the roof, unconscious.

"S-Sorry," she sobbed.

She gulped, turning to face the beast. He might forgive her. She'd rather face his anger though, than his demise. She spun his baton deftly in her fingers, launching herself towards the faceless Akuma.

AUTHOR NOTES REVIEWS:

Phew, finally, an Akuma! Yes! I mean…wait…why is this a good thing….?

Trying414, Adrien is such a sweetheart...yet so aggressive…I want one. We will be visiting Chloe next chapter, I promise! Yeah, Luka can fuck off at this point.

Faefolk11, thank you for pointing that out, it was supposed to be 'insides' -_- fingers got away from me. Also, interesting theory, we'll just have to find out! Yes, her guilt…and her emotions…are slowly getting in the way, if you couldn't tell by the end of this chapter. She's processing a lot!

Kazza2182, Yes, yes he is a dick. She actually was wearing a sweater for the spar, Marinette was wearing less, so…you could very well be right about being injured. ;)

Italian guest, thank you for pointing that out, my Italian is quite rusty, my Spanish is much more used, honestly, so I should have known better to use the a instead of the o (feminine/masculine inflection), but I fixed it thanks! No problem for the reviewing, I enjoy interacting, and I figured you might be the same person who mentioned the tower. Glad I can please ^_^

Emjrabbitwolf, lol, oh, okay, Lila basically said she wanted to rip off Adrien's clothes. His response was 'Feel free to start with Luka' when he shoved her towards him. Hope that helps : ) You may be getting the right feeling about Luka…Also, yeah, Chloe…we got things going on with Chloe : ( As for marks on Adrien? Lol, I'm pretty sure his dad said LESS marks. I'm not sure there is a force on the planet that would stop Adrien from being with his Marinette now, so we'll see what happens! As far as the sexual lawsuits and stuff are concerned, yeah, you would think, but unfortunately, A, it happens more often than it should with little to no action done about it, and B, we'll be addressing it in coming chapters through different means anyway :P Mostly through blood and beatings me thinks. Yeah, Gabriel might have been a bit mad about his scars…for several reasons, but he only has himself to blame! Marinette is a hot mess of emotion right now…it's going…to mess things up…I think…I hope not…but geez…

Nymphadora, oddly enough, I LOVE Luka on the show, despite wanting Adrien and Marinette to be together, but I write however it comes out, and Luka got the short stick again this story. He got a bad role in Threads too, but that wasn't as much his fault, and he came back around. I just wanted to say I think Luka is a wonderful character in the actual show, he just…developed horribly in this particular fiction. He has become a sexual deviant I think…hm…wonder how that happened? Obsession with Marinette mostly likely…