Aftermath Ch 9 - A Life Worth Sharing

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

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Chapter 9 - A Life Worth Sharing

Ladybug dove off the building. Her stomach dropped in a way that had become familiar long ago. She laughed in exhilaration as the string of her yo-yo swung her back up with the wind whipping her hair around her face.

A shadow passed overhead, accompanied by a familiar joyous whoop. 

She laughed again, and shot off her yo-yo towards a beam of the Eiffel Tower. She pulled herself up to the platform. He was there waiting. 

He stood taller than her, even draped casually over the end of his staff. His feline eyes sparkled from behind his mask as he turned a boyish grin in her direction.

Her heart leapt and she forgot how to breathe. 

It had been so long. 

“Same as yesterday, m’lady?” 

Her throat lodged closed. She could only nod. She had missed him, looked for him around corners and in the shadows for years. And here he was before her, like no time had passed. 

He launched himself upwards, and she followed him, her laughter echoing his own. She would follow him anywhere. 

If only he had left her a trail of breadcrumbs. 

Aftermath Ch 8 - A Life Worth Living

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

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Chapter 8 - A Life Worth Living

Marinette had been dreaming of her first date with Adrien Agreste since she was fourteen years old. The reality of sitting opposite him, sharing an ice cream sundae, was both everything she had imagined and nothing like it at all. 

She had always wanted to take him for ice cream. That part hadn’t changed. But when she was fourteen she couldn’t sit next to him without exploding out of her skin. And now, he was one of maybe three people where she felt like it was maybe almost enough to just be herself.

She took a spoon of mostly whipped cream and licked it lazily off her spoon. Adrien took an overly large bite himself, leaving a white trail across his upper lip, causing her to laugh. 

He grinned back, unashamed. “What?” 

She gestured to her own lip. “You left a bit behind.” 

He licked the white streak away. And then burst into laughter. 

His joy was infectious. “What’s so funny?” 

“I can’t believe I’m here. With you! ”

Aftermath - Ch 7: Deserving Good Things

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

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Chapter 7: Deserving Good Things

The weather could not be more perfect. The grass was a luscious green, and the sky an uninterrupted expanse of blue. Nora, Ella, and Etta had spent the last two hours painstakingly following every one of Marinette’s instructions to the letter. The reception area was now a garden of color made up of table runners, paper origami birds, and crystal vases filled with long stemmed fire lilies. They were now in the process of tying orange and yellow flowers to every chair along the aisle and to the arch where Alya and Nino would exchange their vows.

“Marinette! You need to go get dressed,” Nora told her. “I promise you we’ll finish this.” 

Marinette shook her head. “We still need to check the centerpieces and the decorations at the entrance since those flowers arrived so late.”

At least the majority of flowers had arrived on time, and thank goodness Adrien had noticed they were missing a whole three sets of bulk bouquets when they started sorting them out. 

“Adrien’s already on it.”

Marinette pressed her lips together, itching to go check on it herself. Adrien knew how she wanted everything set up. He had an amazing eye for detail if not for design, but he already knew the design. She had spent hours showing him prototype after prototype. 

“I should go check in with my parents then to make sure the crepes are coming along,” she said. 

Nora glared at her. “One, your parents have catered so many events by themselves and don’t need your help. And two, Noël is already helping them.”

Marinette opened her mouth to object, but her tongue failed her. She couldn’t explain why she felt so anxious - that she couldn’t just leave before everything was just right. This was Alya’s big day! Marinette needed everything to be perfect.

“Go!” Nora roared. 

Aftermath - Ch 6: Out in the World

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

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Artwork for this chapter brought to you by the amazing @itsyagirlmaggie with Adrien and Marinette with their new hair colors!! Just look how expressive and cute they are! And those shirts! Aah! I am so spoiled!!

...

Chapter 6: Out in the World

Adrien was still in bed when Marinette arrived. She frowned in concern as she circled around the bed. Was he asleep? Sick? 

But his eyes were as clear and vibrantly green as always. He didn’t smile, or even look at her. Her heart sank in her chest.

“Hey,” she greeted softly. 

“Hey,” he croaked back. 

“You okay?” 

He shook his head, and then his eyes turned glassy and he turned away. 

She sat on the bed beside him and let her fingers card through his hair. 

“What’s going on?” 

“I wanted to bake you something, but I didn’t have all the ingredients. I went to the store, but… before I went in, someone recognized me.”

She winced. “As a model or as Hawkmoth’s son?”

“Take a guess,” he mumbled into his pillow. 

Celebrity Status - Ch 11: Don't Cry

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

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This chapter was written for @ladrienjune Day 22: Fragile. One scene gave me some grief, so I'm again late. But I'm super excited to bring this update to you! I had a lot of fun with it.

Chapter 11: Don't Cry

Marinette read through her handwritten note only to immediately crush it into a ball. It said too much. If anyone ever read it, they’d know Adrien was the perfect hostage for Ladybug. She couldn’t commit any of that to paper. 

But she couldn’t visit him either. The scandal itself proved that even when they thought they were alone someone might see. And anyone seeing her coming and going from the mansion at all, and his window in particular would be just as incriminating as a love letter.

Her throat clogged closed as the tears took over again. She didn’t know how many times she had fallen to pieces. She had lost count. It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t even break up with him properly! The world had to steal that from her as well? 

But she had to tell him something . She grabbed another piece of paper, ignoring the tears running down her cheeks. 

…

Celebrity Status: Ch 6 - Just Another Day

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

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Chapter 6: Just Another Day

“Who wakes up thinking I’m totally cut out to be a superhero?!” Ladybug asked. “No one. Certainly not me,” Ladybug said, laughing. 

Adrien winced and x-ed out of the tab. He knew her comments hadn’t landed well before any commentary or analysis came out. 

This was all his fault.

Turned out that while humility and self-deprecating humor played well for a wealthy privileged male teen model, the same traits were not admired in a female superhero tasked with saving the city over and over again. 

He probably should quit as her PR coach before he made things worse, and he’d have to figure out how to make it up to her. 

Aftermath - Ch 5: Reason to Live

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

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Chapter 5: Reason to Live

After their unplanned disaster sleepover, Marinette and Adrien fell strictly back into their routine. She came over six days a week, and stayed home for one. She didn’t risk any more late night visits, and he didn't ask her to stay. And he hadn’t mentioned her slowing down or stopping her visits again even though he could take care of the place and himself almost on his own now. 

He really didn’t need her. 

But as long as he didn’t send her away, she was going to keep coming. The guilt for taking advantage of his kindness, for making him put up with her usually only haunted her as she was falling asleep or while she wallowed pitifully during her seventh day of “rest”.

But every time the guilt became almost unbearable he would ask her to teach him something new.

First, it was laundry. She taught him all the basics of washing, folding, and ironing in an afternoon, though she insisted most people their age didn’t bother with ironing. Modern fabrics and detergents didn’t need it nearly as much, especially if you put things away right out of the dryer. Nino still came over to take care of the chores, but now, the three of them tended to do it together, which made the folding and stowing parts way faster, and more fun because neither one of them would stop cracking stupid jokes.

Adrien’s sense of humor was far too reminiscent of a certain cat.

She quashed that thought before it could sour her mood, instead trying to savor every bout of unrestrained laughter shared between them.

Then, Adrien suggested out of the blue that they go for a walk. 

“Like outside?” she asked.

Love Remains - Ch 7

Written for @thelibraryloser‘s birthday, which was way back in July! But I'm making steady progress again! Woot!

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

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Chapter 7

Forty-three days since Marinette lost her memory. 

Like some kind of cosmic joke, Adrien seeks her out the next day constantly. She tries, but she can’t seem to avoid him. 

“Marinette,” he whispers in math class. “Can we please talk?” 

“I don’t know what there would be for us to talk about,” she says, refusing to look at him. Instead, she pretends to focus on her notes, though she’s still so angry she can barely read any of it.

Is she being unreasonable? 

Probably. 

Does she care? 

No. Adrien had done nothing wrong. She knows that, but he is also there, an easy scapegoat when she can’t actually lash out at the person who is actually ruining everything.  

Her former self. 

But she also doesn’t owe Adrien anything. She doesn’t have to talk to him. 

“Marinette, please,” he begs at the end of class when she skirts around him. 

Something within her snaps, and she whirls back around to face him. 

“What?!”

Spin the Bottle

Core Four OT4 - Read on Ao3

I had too much fun with this one! Please enjoy! ^_^

...

Nathaniel’s family home is not as large or ostentatious as the Agreste family manor, but that only means Adrien feels more at ease. The space is wide and open, but still feels like a home rather than a museum. And all his friends are here for a party, which makes it even better. 

“Dude! You’re here!” Nino greets, holding out his hand.

“Wouldn’t miss it!” Adrien exclaims, clapping into Nino’s open fist. He may have used a bit of Plagg’s aid to make it, but he knows from bitter experience that no one will miss him until morning, so why shouldn’t he come? 

Nino ushers him inside. Rose and Marinette are helping Nathaniel pour snacks into large plastic bowls. The rest of the class - minus Chloe and Sabrina, plus Marc - are circled around Kim and Ivan who are locked in an arm wrestling match.

“Yay! Adrien! You made it!” Mylene says. Everyone else cheers in greeting. Adrien grins back. 

“Hey guys!”

Kim looks up then, and in that moment Ivan pounds Kim’s fist into the table. Kim throws a pout at Mylene. 

“Is it surprising that I’m here?” Adrien asks Nino quietly. 

“I’m not gonna lie, dude. I didn't want to get my hopes up.”

Adrien sighs.

Nino offers him a dazzling smile and Adrien only feels warm. “But I’m always really glad to see you.”

“Me too!” Adrien agrees.

“C’mon Agreste! Welcome to the party!” Kim says, his arms draping over his shoulders. “Want to go up against Ivan in arm wrestling? No one can beat him.”

Adrien isn’t sure that’s a good idea. Some of his miraculous enhanced strength seems to carry over whenever he’s wearing the ring and Adrien doesn’t want to accidentally hurt anyone. 

“No? Anyone up for a game of spin the bottle?”

“Spin the what?” Adrien asks.

“Oh, Agreste. You are so deprived,” Alix says. 

“Spin the bottle is a kissing game,” Max supplies. 

A kissing game? 

“I dunno, man,” Nino says, pinching his own shoulder. “I have a girlfriend. Not sure if I should be kissing anyone else.” 

Alya waves away his objection. “It’s a silly game! And I’m right here watching.” Then she pauses and turns back to Nino. “Assuming you’re okay with it?” 

“Uh… yeah, sure. Levels one and two?” 

She nods. 

Adrien has no idea what they’re talking about. How could there be levels to a kissing game? 

“Then sure! I’m down,” Nino agrees.

“What’s spin the bottle?” Adrien asks again. 

Aftermath - Ch 4: Not Okay

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

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Chapter 4: Not Okay

Adrien was especially quiet today, but he was also out in the living room, which was usually a good sign.  Marinette wasn’t sure what this new combination meant. 

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Do you think you could give me some cooking lessons?” Adrien asked in response. 

Marinette blinked at him from across the tiny white table. “What do you want to learn to cook?” 

He laughed. “Anything! I don’t know how to do any of it. We had a professional chef my entire life. I’ve never so much as boiled water.”

“Are you sure you want to learn from me?” she asked, keeping her gaze on her own hands. “Alya is a better cook.” But that wasn’t her real objection. She wasn’t sure how much cooking she could still do, and she wasn’t keen on finding out what she was capable of with an audience even if that audience was as kind and patient as Adrien. Adrien was one of the few people in her life that seemed to forget that she was disabled now - she didn’t want to spoil that image he still seemed to have of her. 

“I was hoping if I learned how to make a few staples, Alya wouldn’t have to spend quite as much time preparing meals for me.”

Marinette made herself smile. “Okay. Let’s make a list of some simple things, and then text Nino all the ingredients we need.”

Marinette relaxed as she learned exactly simple the things Adrien wanted to learn were. He apparently didn’t know how to make sandwiches, boil eggs, and how to cut cheese, of all things. 

“You don’t need me to teach you how to make a cheese plate,” she insisted.

“Nathalie paid a lot for some very small cheese plates at various events. Seems like some skill is involved.” 

Marinette giggled. “The skill is in picking out the cheese, and in presenting it in an artful way - not in cutting it so you can eat it for your own consumption.”

His green eyes narrowed in clear suspicion. “It can’t be that easy.” 

Would Trust You With Everything - Ch 2: Glad You’re Here

An Adrino Story - Canon Divergent from Rocketear, S4 AU.

Chapters: 1 | 2 | ...

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Chapter 2: Glad You’re Here

 After Chat Noir left, Nino didn’t bother trying to go back to sleep. Maybe he should have, but he didn’t think he could handle just laying there. That would give his mind too much space to spiral.

 So he got up and tried to work on a remix for one of his favorite songs, but he couldn’t focus on that either and every edit he made felt like it was in the wrong direction. He gave up within ten minutes, and  trudged downstairs.

 It was probably just after five in the morning, but Nino didn’t bother to check the time. His maman wasn’t yet home from her night shift, and no one else was up. Perhaps Nino could make everyone breakfast.

 He went through the fridge and the pantry twice, and nothing seemed remotely appealing or worth the effort.

 Nino could not make breakfast.

 Maybe Nino could buy breakfast.

Would Trust You With Everything - Ch 1: Want to be There for You

An Adrino Story - Canon Divergent from Rocketear, S4 AU.

Chapters: 1 | 2 | ...

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Chapter 1: Want to Be There for You

 Adrien lay in his bed, staring at the vaulted ceiling. Sleep didn’t feel anywhere close, which wasn’t surprising as these were his last few hours of freedom before Fashion Week started. Adrien would be missing a whole week of school and would have even less free time than normal.

 Adrien was not excited.

 And tonight he was restless.

 A run as Chat Noir would have been a nice way to get out his energy, but he didn’t really want to run the risk of running into Ladybug. It was getting harder to hide his frustration at being left in the dark, and he didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize whatever good opinion she had left of him.

 Maybe he could get a jumpstart on his school work. It sounded boring, but it needed to be done, and Adrien was not likely to have much time to work on it between fittings and shows.

 Luckily, Nino’s ringtone from his phone saved him from that eventuality.

 “Dude, what’s up? I’m so bored,” Adrien said, as the video loaded, but when it fully rendered, Adrien was looking at a black screen. Nino’s face wasn’t there and Adrien couldn’t see anything in his room. Maybe Nino had butt dialed him.

 “Nino?”

 A choking sob answered.

 “Nino! What’s wrong?”

 The phone moved rapidly, and Nino’s room and face flashed past. Adrien thought his eyes were puffy from crying, but he wasn’t certain as the camera settled onto Nino’s chin and neck, so Adrien couldn’t see his face.

 “Alya and I broke up.”

Love Remains - Ch 3

Written for @thelibraryloser‘s birthday.

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3

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Chapter 3:

Zero Days Since Marinette Lost her Memory

She woke up for the first time held in black clad arms. His masked face was the first thing she saw. She was cradled to his chest as he shook with heartbreaking sobs.

“I’m sorry, m’lady,” he was saying over and over again. “I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough. I’m so sorry.”

She didn’t know what he was talking about. But she knew that in his hold she was forever safe and cared for. She also knew she couldn’t stand to see him sad.

She reached up and brushed his tears away. “Please, don’t cry, kitty.”

His cries only intensified. He buried his face in her shoulder, leaving her with a face full of blond hair.

She didn’t mind. She squeezed him harder, knowing without understanding how she knew that he needed her.

Love Remains - Ch 2

Written for @thelibraryloser‘s birthday.

Chapters: 1 | 2

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Chapter 2:

Six Days Since Marinette Lost her Memory

Marinette stood in the center of her own room. The pink walls were adorned with sketches and photos, and other unfamiliar souvenirs of her life. Her eyes jumped curiously from a hand made purse to a bowler hat decorated with a feather to a cork board covered in pictures of her friends.

She loved her room. Which made sense, she supposed. She had theoretically been the one to decorate it, but she didn’t remember decorating it. And now, the room was like a cave filled with treasure. Because each little piece of it held a secret - some part of herself that meant something to her, a clue to what her life had been like before…

Before she had woken up in the arms of a boy wearing a magic black catsuit. His heartbroken sobs had caused something in her chest to twist painfully. She hadn’t understood why then, but from that very first moment she knew she had wanted to make things better for him.

She had no idea how to do that now that she understood what she had lost. Sixteen years worth of memories.

The echoes of which were papered onto the walls and notebooks of her room just waiting to be rediscovered.

No one else seemed to share her excitement. Like Chat Noir, her parents had been devastated. She hadn’t known what to do in the face of their grief. She hadn’t known how to comfort or assure them.

They had brought her to the hospital where she had spent four excruciating days being poked and prodded, scanned, interviewed, and asked to fill out questionnaires and surveys until they all blurred together.

The neurologists found nothing wrong with her. Other than the missing memories of course. There was no apparent cause of her amnesia. In fact, her memory loss didn’t line up with the usual progressions and symptoms of any known type of amnesia. It was almost as if she hadn’t actually experienced any neurological disease or injury at all. It was more like her mind had just been erased. And with unprecedented symptoms and no discernible cause, the doctors had been unable to say whether her memory would return or not.

Which had upset her parents all over again.

But not her.

You Don’t Have to Pretend with Me

“Can I talk to you?”

Carapace sighed at the question. “Yeah, of course.” And he obediently followed Ladybug.

“What do you have against Chat Noir?”

“Nothing!” he denied.

She gave him a flat disbelieving look.

“He has something against me!” Carapace insisted.

“Nino, I don’t get it. You’re one of the most chill, accepting guys I know. And Chat is the sweetest! I need both of you on the team. I literally don’t have anyone else I trust to replace either of you. I need you to get along. You think you can do that?”

Nino felt like he was being chastised by his mother for not getting along with his little brother.

He nodded. “Yeah, I will try.”

It shouldn’t be that hard. Nino didn’t not like Chat Noir. He thought the dude was cool and hilarious. His sense of humor reminded him of Adrien. Things hadn’t always been tense between them. When they fought back to back during Heroes’ Day, it had felt like they were brothers.

But it was clear to him that Chat Noir wasn’t his biggest fan. The other hero had been welcoming and kind to Rena Rouge on day one, to the point of borderline flirting (and Nino wasn’t a huge fan of that even now), while he had always been somewhat aloof with Carapace.

Then there  was  the whole Chat Noir is stealing my girl thing. And even though he  knew that wasn’t what happened, it was hard to just let go of all those feelings, especially since Chat Noir had been acting differently around him after Rocketear. And maybe he had a right to be after Nino's akuma had thrown him into a van, but it wasn’t like Chat Noir knew that Nino and Carapace were the same person, so why had he started avoiding Carapace?

With all of that, it was easy to snap at the other hero.

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 6: Here For You Always

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 

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Chapter 6: Here for You Always

Being superheroes and needing to maintain secret identities even while dating didnt make for a conventional sex life. Had Adrien splurged on a hotel room with a balcony here and there? Absolutely. But most of their trysts had occurred in private little nooks and crannies throughout the city. There were now rooftops that would hold special meaning to him for the rest of his life. And the hookups themselves were exciting and fun, and held just a bit of fear that they might be caught, which often only elevated his excitement.

He won’t trade any of those memories for anything.

But she’s naked right now in her bed, and there’s no worry that the sun is creeping through and might reveal his face. There’s no fear that someone might turn a camera towards them. There’s no rush at all. He gets to lay there, curled up against her with their fingers and legs still tangled in one another, as they both catch their breath. It’s soft and safe. He gets to cherish and savor this time with her now, in a way he didn’t get to before. And he won’t trade away any of these new memories with her either.

His free hand idly traces patterns on her belly. It doesn’t look any different yet, but he knows there’s the potential for life inside her, a baby that is part her and part him.

Which is terrifying, and yet, also amazing.

“What do you want to do?” she asks.

He kisses her shoulder. “It’s your choice,” he whispers.

“But surely you have an opinion.”

He definitely has a lot of feelings. He’s not sure what any of them mean. “I don’t know what we should do,” he admits. “There’s a lot to consider.”

She snorts. “Like we can just make a list of pros and cons and it’ll figure itself out.”