Chapter Text
Adrien stared at the clouds through Marinette’s skylight. Being late spring, the sun had risen hours ago. And Adrien had watched as the dark blues of night gradually lightened into the greys, then the yellows of the morning. Occasionally, a flock of pigeons would fly by and add some interest to his view.
Marinette stirred in her sleep. This time, she stretched her leg over Adrien’s thigh. And, once again, the covers shifted with her movements. Adrien closed his dry, tired eyes and reached for the top of the blanket. Then, like he had done dozens of times before, he repositioned the covers snuggly under Marinette’s chin. Once he was sure her modesty was preserved, Adrien allowed his eyes to open again.
Oh, man. He had barely slept. Marinette's bed was just… unbearably hard. But that wasn’t the real reason he couldn’t sleep. Nope. The real reason, …er reasons, were so much softer. Distracting soft –not that he was complaining.
Adrien sighed as he rested his chin against Marinette’s head. She was snuggly pressed against his side, using the crook of his shoulder as a pillow. Her cheek rested on his chest, and her free arm was lazily sprawled across his body.
Adrien’s hips ached from resting in the same position for so long. How could Marinette sleep so soundly in such an uncomfortable bed? And… he really wished he hadn’t left his phone in his jeans. If Plagg was around, he could fetch it for him. But both Kwamis seemed content to remain out of sight. Hmm… Was there even a mattress store nearby? If not, could he pay extra to find one with same-day delivery?
Though, it surprised him that Marinette seemed unenthusiastic about purchasing a new mattress. In fact, when he had brought it up last night, she almost seemed disappointed. Adrien tried not to read into it too much. She was exhausted, after all.
Soon, Adrien heard the gentle creaking of the stairs, followed by the opening of Marinette’s trapdoor.
“Adrien?” Sabine called out. Instantly, Adrien felt Marinette startle awake. Her arms and legs immediately clenched tight around his body. “Do you take coffee or tea with your breakfast?
“Oh, tea would be wonderful,” Adrien answered politely.
“You two need to get a move on,” Sabine chided sweetly. “You don’t want to be late for school.”
The door shut a moment later. Marinette still clung to him tightly. Adrien could feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Poor thing, her mother must have really startled her.
Adrien gently kissed the top of his girlfriend’s head. “Good morning, sleepy head. Rest well?”
Marinette made an abrupt squeaking noise; then, she quickly scrambled to her knees. The blanket Adrien had diligently kept tucked under Marinette’s chin fell uselessly to the bed.
Adrien’s groggy mind was slow to register the sight before him. Marinette’s beautiful face stared back at him with a puzzled expression. There was skin. A lot of beautiful skin. Skin bathed in the soft golden light of morning. After a moment, Adrien was finally able to snap himself out of his temporary stupor. He quickly clamped his eyes shut and covered his face with his hands.
Marinette shrieked again, and Adrien felt the blankets pull away.
“I… I didn’t see anything,” he lied.
“My p… pajamas? I..umm, last night-” Marinettes gulped. “I… I threw them on the floor.”
“Oh, yeah. Yes, you did,” Adrien confirmed. “I remember very well.”
He felt Marinette crawl over his feet and down the loft's ladder.
“Oh, no!” she called out from below.
“What's wrong?” Adrien asked, cautiously opening an eye. “Can you not find them?”
“It’s not that. They’re… they’re right here next to your clothes.” Marinette was talking much faster and higher-pitched than usual. “My mom would have seen them when she opened the trap door.”
“…so?” That doesn’t seem so bad .
Suddenly, Adrien’s jeans flew over the side of the bed. The rest of his clothes rapidly followed them. Adrien groaned as he sat up, his sore muscles protesting as he moved. Once he had dressed, Adrien waited an extra minute before climbing the loft ladder. Hopefully, Marinette would have finished dressing by the time he got down.
Adrien found a fully-dressed Marinette red-faced and pacing back and forth.
He reached out and touched her arm, trying to get her to stay still. “What’s wrong?”
“Our clothes…” Marinette hid her eyes with her hands as she spoke. “My mom’s going to think that we… we…”
“Slept without our clothes?” Adrien finished her sentence. “Yeah, We kinda did. If your parents had a problem with that, they wouldn’t have invited me to stay the night.”
“Not the sleeping without our clothes thing. She’s going to assume that we-” Marinette lowered her voice as she peaked through her fingers, “You know, did the other thing.”
“Oh, that,” Adrien chuckled, then shrugged. “Well, my father and Nathalie think we have. So does most of our class.”
“That’s different. These are my parents…” Marinette whined. “I can’t go downstairs. I can’t face them again. Ever!”
Adrien gently took her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face. “Hey, it's okay,” he gently assured. “How about I go first?”
He turned and opened the trap door, but Marinette remained glued to her spot. The irony wasn’t lost on Adrien. This girl could bravely battle dozens of akumatized villains but cowered at the thought of seeing her parents.
Taking Marinette’s hand, Adrien led her down the stairs. Marinette followed close behind, crouching to hide her face behind Adrien’s shoulders. Ultimately, there was no reason to hide; the kitchen was empty when they entered. Two steaming hot mugs sat on either side of a large plate of assorted pastries.
Marinette didn’t say much over breakfast. There were times when her eyes met Adrien’s, but she would quickly look away. It was absolutely adorable, Adrien mused, how her cheeks seemed to be permanently flushed.
At school, Marinette’s guilty behavior continued, constantly blushing and stammering. Adrien found it cute but also wondered how on earth she had kept her Ladybug secret all these years.
At lunch, Adrien decided to stay with Marinette and his classmates. While he always enjoyed their company, he was also avoiding going home. Last night, when he had texted Nathalie about spending the night with her Marinette, he never got a response. Strangely, that made him even more uneasy than if his father had angrily objected.
After school, Adrien had fencing practice. Once that had ended, Adrien stalled as he packed up his gear. The idea of going to Marinette’s again tempted him, but Adrien knew he shouldn’t avoid his home any longer. Who knows, perhaps his father would just continue giving him the silent treatment. And all of his worry was for nothing.
The sun was setting by the time Adrien made it home. Once he had climbed the stairs, Adrien was shocked to find his bedroom door wide open. He hurried into his room to find it completely ransacked. All of his drawers were opened with their contents strung all around. Further looking around, Adrien saw that his shelves were in complete disarray and, worst of all, his computer was missing. Had they been robbed? Adrien ran out of his room to see the full extent of the burglary. Soon, though, he discovered his room was the only one targeted.
A realization washed over Adrien. This was his father’s doing. Anger quickly replaced the shock as he balled his hands into fists. He raced down the stairs and stormed into Gabriel's office. His father had crossed the line this time. And this time, Adrien wouldn’t be ignored.
But, instead of finding his father, he only saw Nathalie. Though, this did little to curb the rage inside him. Adrien slapped his palms on her desk, startling her.
“What happened to my room?” Adrien tried to control the anger in his voice, but he knew he was still speaking too loud. “Where is my computer?”
“Your father had it searched, Nathalie calmly responded. “And your computer has been sent away for analysis.”
“He what?!” Adrien knew his father would never find anything. Months ago, Max had demonstrated how to protect his privacy from prying eyes, but that was hardly the point. “This has to stop, Nathalie.”
“Yes. I agree,” she responded flatly, “Then, end this. Tell him where the child is.”
Adrien stared back at her, clenching his jaw. He folded his arms across his chest and stood up as straight as possible.
“No,” he answered slowly and clearly.
“That’s not a word your father is used to hearing.”
Adrien threw out his hands. “You realize how messed up that is, right?!”
Nathalie’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly as she looked away.
Rage cursed through Adrien’s veins, but he knew it wasn’t Nathalie’s fault. She didn’t deserve his anger. Adrien took a deep breath to calm himself. Just then, a crazy idea popped into Adrien’s mind. He crossed his arms and replaced his frown with a smug smile.
“Has Father really thought this through?” Adrien asked melodically. “About what would happen if I returned home with Hugo?”
“What do you mean?” Nathalie cocked her head.
“Well, thanks to Dylan’s photos, most of Paris thinks Hugo is my child. And people still believe the headlines that Marinette and I were married three weeks ago.”
Nathalie looked confused. “Why does that matter? You're too young to get married, anyway.”
“That’s… not necessarily true.”
Nathalie’s eyebrows raised.
“All it would take is a sympathetic judge,” Adrien spoke slowly, his mind quickly crafting his bluff.
“What do you mean?”
“A judge could allow me to marry Marinette. It would be an extremely reasonable request, don’t you think? Wanting to marry the mother of my child.
“Are you admitting the child is yours, then?”
Adrien didn’t answer but allowed a half smile to creep across his face.
“I see. So, you want to marry Marinette?
“Oh, I am going to marry Marinette. But if Father doesn’t back down, I will marry her as soon as possible.” Adrien felt a tingle of excitement with his words. Sure, it was all part of his bluff, but that didn’t stop his mind from filling with images of Marinette in her white dress and veil. Of pledging his undying love and loyalty. Of sealing their vows with a kiss. Of their following wedding night–
But right now, he needed to focus. Focus!
“Are you aware of emancipation?” Adrien asked.
“Only vaguely.”
“I get married, Legally, I would be considered an adult, with all the rights that would entail.”
Nathalie blankly stared back at him.
“I’d be able to control my own contracts. And decide who can and who can’t use my image.”
Adrien thoughtfully touched his chin in mock concentration. “How many photoshoots do I have coming up? Press events? Public speaking arrangements?
“I would have to check,” Nathalie adjusted her glasses. “But the number is considerable.”
“Understand this.” Adrien set his jaw and spoke firmly. “I would leave, all of us. It doesn’t matter how hard he tries. Father will not get Hugo. Or me anymore, And there would be nothing he could do. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Nathalie suddenly looked away, seeming quite uncomfortable.
Adrien felt a pang of guilt; perhaps he had come off more assertive than he intended. “A… Are you okay?”
“I just wished we had spoken earlier. It may have avoided some unpleasantness.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father has gone to talk with Marinette alone,” Nathalie winced as she spoke. “I’m afraid it won’t be a good conversation.”
“Wha..?!” Adrien paled. His stomach turned as he pictured Marinette facing his father on her own. Without another word to Nathalie, he bolted out the office door.
Moments later, Chat Noir leaped over the rooftops toward Marinette’s house.
Just as he was arriving, he saw Gabriel exit the bakery and get into the waiting car. As he got closer, Chat Noir could see a smug, satisfied smile on his father’s face. Rage coursed through his veins. How dare he go after Marinette! It took everything Chat Noir had not to punch through the car window and grab Gabriel by the neck. But that wasn’t what was most important now. He had to make sure Mariette was okay first.
Without bothering to knock, Chat Noir quickly opened Marinette’s bedroom hatch and jumped down to the bed. He immediately saw Marinette sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, a frantic Tikki hovering at her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” Adrien dropped his transformation and knelt in front of her. He noticed Marinette’s hands were clenched in tight fists as they tensely pressed into her legs. “What did he say to you?”
Marinette didn’t answer. Adrien noticed her red eyes brimming with tears, and her whole body seemed to vibrate with anger.
“It was terrible!” Tikki cried out. “Such an evil man!”
“Marinette?” Adrien held her by the shoulders and tried to get her to look at him. But she only stared blankly ahead. “Please talk to me.”
“You need to get her out of here,” Tikki yelled at him, waving her tiny arms.
“What?”
“I’ve never seen her so upset! She’s vulnerable to Hawkmoth right now! More so than ever!”
A deep fear washed over Adrien; he'd seen people akumatized over far less. There could be a butterfly coming for her any second.
“Go!” Tikki commanded. “Take her somewhere she feels safe.”
“Somewhere safe?” Adrien repeated as he took Marinette into his arms and rose to his feet.
“You need to get her out of Paris. Now!”
Adrien nodded. He knew just the place. “Plagg, claws out! Power up!”