Celebrity Status - Ch 12: Something Important to Tell You

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This chapter was written for @ladrienjune Day 28: Sharing Secrets. I'm super excited to bring this story to a close for all of you! I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you do as well!

Chapter 12: Something Important to Tell You

Once out of hearing range, Adrien was tempted to find the nearest alleyway, transform, and storm Marinette's balcony. But Ladybug might not forgive Chat for figuring out her identity. It was safer to do this as Adrien.

He would have gotten to the bakery faster if they had eaten at school, but it ended up not mattering because Marinette wasn’t home. 

He ended up back on the streets, wandering aimlessly. 

He texted Marinette, but she didn’t respond. 

A few minutes later, Ladybug was seen swinging overhead. And he grinned. Time for a new plan. 

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 10: Can't Give This Up

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |

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Chapter 10: Can't Give This Up

It had always amused Marinette that Adrien always referred to their hook-ups exclusively as love making, and never sex. 

But she doesn’t  think even he could label what they had just done as making love. She rolls off of him, panting just as hard as he is as they catch their breaths. 

No, what they just did cannot be classified as love-making. It was too desperate, fueled by defiance and anger. 

And the worst part is, it didn’t work. She’s still seething. Instead of devouring the sight of her naked and hopefully satisfied boyfriend like he’s a piece of candy, or finding comfort curled up next to him, she’s thinking of Gabriel fucking Agreste and all the ways in which she needs to murder him. 

Love Remains - Ch 9

Written for @thelibraryloser‘s birthday, which was way back in July! But I'm it's finished now and on Tumblr! Woot!

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

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Chapter 9: Epilogue

One Hundred and Six Days Since Marinette Lost Her Memory

Adrien turns behind him, and Marinette immediately catches his eyes, smiling that small smile with her cheeks turning pink and her eyes sparkling with playfulness. 

He smiles back. 

He can’t believe that she’s there, that she loves him, that she fell in love with him twice. 

That she’s Marinette and has been sitting behind him since they met and he never realized. 

He doesn’t know how he can be so lucky. He’s always not sure he deserves it. 

He feels guilty about it sometimes.

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 9: Outside Pressure

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

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Chapter 9: Outside Pressure

When Adrien arrives home, Gabriel is standing at the top of the stairs like a deity ready to cast judgment. It’s never a good sign, and it’s an even worse sign when his father lets the silence stretch.

But for once, Adrien feels less intimidated and more frustrated. He also knows if he says anything at all before his father has prompted him, it will only make things worse. 

So he waits. 

“Well?” Gabriel finally asks. 

“May we discuss this in your office?” Adrien asks.

“You are in no position to make demands.,” Gabriel says. 

Adrien’s shoulders cave in on themselves. That was hardly a demand.

“I had somewhere more important to be,” Adrien says. It’s surprisingly easy to meet his father’s ice cold gaze. There’s no way he’s going to make it out of this unscathed anyway. Missing a photoshoot is the least of his transgressions. 

“More important?” Gabriel echoes, his incredulity clear. “You think a sweet stroll through the park with your girlfriend —“ Gabriel spits the word, and Adrien flinches at the venom in his father’s voice. “—is more important than our family’s business obligations?”

“No! Of course not! That’s not what we were doing!”

“I have half a dozen photos on my desk that say otherwise!” 

“We’re pregnant!”

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 8: Time to Decide

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

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Chapter 8: Time to Decide

Adrien wakes up in his own bed and feels remarkably alone. There is no luxurious lie-in in Marinette’s arms or fluffy pink blankets. The contrast is becoming more and more painful by day. Before he can ruminate over it too much, Nathalie walks in at 6:30 as she always does.

She runs through the day’s schedule, and he forces himself to listen far more carefully than he usually does. He needs to perform perfectly today because tomorrow is Marinette’s appointment. And he knows he’s going to have to talk to his father about the situation shortly after that.  

He’s not looking forward to it.

“Nathalie, I do need to request one change to tomorrow’s schedule.” 

“The morning is pretty inflexible with a photoshoot in the morning,” she says. “But I can likely squeeze something in afterwards. What do you need?” 

He hesitates for a second, his gut twisting in anxiety. But he can do this for Marinette. He can do anything for Marinette. “I need you to cancel the shoot.” 

She looks up from her tablet. “Adrien, you know I can’t just cancel a shoot.” 

He shakes his head. “I’m not asking. I’m informing you that I will not be there. I have another appointment.”

She frowns. “I schedule all your appointments.” 

Adrien takes a breath. This conversation was nothing compared to what it would be like with his father. “This is an appointment for my girlfriend.”

Nathalie considers him for a moment before speaking. “You have a girlfriend?” 

He nods. “For a year now.” 

She sighs and turns back to her tablet. “Well, that explains a lot. Why did you keep it a secret?” 

“Because I wanted to keep having a girlfriend.”

She doesn’t comment. “May I inquire what this appointment is in regards to?” 

“We’re pregnant.” 

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 8: Time to Decide

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

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Chapter 8: Time to Decide

Adrien wakes up in his own bed and feels remarkably alone. There is no luxurious lie-in in Marinette’s arms or fluffy pink blankets. The contrast is becoming more and more painful by day. Before he can ruminate over it too much, Nathalie walks in at 6:30 as she always does.

She runs through the day’s schedule, and he forces himself to listen far more carefully than he usually does. He needs to perform perfectly today because tomorrow is Marinette’s appointment. And he knows he’s going to have to talk to his father about the situation shortly after that.  

He’s not looking forward to it.

“Nathalie, I do need to request one change to tomorrow’s schedule.”

“The morning is pretty inflexible with a photoshoot in the morning,” she says. “But I can likely squeeze something in afterwards. What do you need?”

He hesitates for a second, his gut twisting in anxiety. But he can do this for Marinette. He can do  anything  for Marinette. “I need you to cancel the shoot.”

She looks up from her tablet. “Adrien, you know I can’t just cancel a shoot.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not asking. I’m informing you that I will not be there. I have another appointment.”

She frowns. “I schedule all your appointments.”

Adrien takes a breath. This conversation was nothing compared to what it would be like with his father. “This is an appointment for my girlfriend.”

Nathalie considers him for a moment before speaking. “You have a girlfriend?”

He nods. “For a year now.”

She sighs and turns back to her tablet. “Well, that explains a lot. Why did you keep it a secret?”

“Because I wanted to keep having a girlfriend.”

She doesn’t comment. “May I inquire what this appointment is in regards to?”

“We’re pregnant.”

Nathalie’s head shoots up, her eyes wide. It’s the most uncontrolled action he’s ever seen from her and it sends his nerves skyrocketing. But Nathalie knowing can’t possibly make things worse, and might actually make some things better when he has to face his father.

“I wouldn’t have expected that of you.” And she would know, having been his primary source of sex education.

“We were careful,” he says.  

“Not careful enough, apparently.”

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 7: A Fight

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

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Chapter 7: A Fight

 “Pound it?”

 Ladybug glares at his offered fist, and then glares at his face for good measure. She does not raise her hand up to his. “What the hell was that?!” she demands instead.

 “What the hell was what?” he echoes, dropping his fist.

 She hates it when he plays dumb. “You took that hit for me. You didn’t have to. I had it!”

 “I always take hits for you.”

 Her arms fly outward in frustration. “Not like that! I was fine! You weren’t close enough. You could’ve killed yourself just getting there!”

 “I’m okay now. It doesn’t matter.”

 “We both would have been okay the entire time if you had let me take care of myself.”

 He wilts like a kicked puppy and she feels like it’s her fault, but she can’t take it back either.

 “I’m sorry,” he says, glancing down. “I just… he tried to hurt you. I went a little ballistic.”

 Ballistic is putting it mildly. He tried to cataclysm the akuma and she had to yell at him to stop.

 “I’m not suddenly made of glass, you know.”

 “I never said that you were.”

 “Maybe your actions are louder than your words.”

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.”

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 5: Best Friends

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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Chapter 5: Best Friends

 Even by his own standards, Adrien wakes up ridiculously early the next morning. He tries to squeeze in the homework he wasn’t able to focus on during his free period the day before, but he can’t focus anymore now than he was able to yesterday.

 It doesn’t help that the mansion feels ten times more oppressive than normal after having such a loving family dinner with Marinette and her parents.

 Nathalie eventually comes in to deliver his schedule like she always does.

 “Do you think I could head to school early?” he asks before she can open her mouth. “There was a reference book in the library yesterday that was super helpful for my history paper.” He’s lying, but he lies often, so it’s not hard or remotely nerve-wracking anymore. He doesn’t even have a paper currently.

 “Can you not find anything online?” she asks.

 “I tried. And I found some resources, but they weren’t as perfect of a fit for my topic.”

 She nods. “There’s no conflict. Your bodyguard is already downstairs. You have nothing on your schedule other than school today, but there’s a fitting tomorrow for your shoot next Thursday.”

 Thursday? That’s the day of Marinette’s appointment.

 “What time is the shoot?”

 She glances down at her tablet. “Eight to noon.”

 He nods. He definitely can’t go to the shoot, but he can’t tell Nathalie that yet. If he tells her this far in advance, his father might find a way to make it impossible for him to leave the house.

 The drive to school is uneventful. But when his car drives away, Adrien does not go inside. Instead, he walks across the street to the bakery, hesitating only a second before heading inside.

 “Adrien!” Tom greets, his face lighting up.

 This time, unlike the night before, Adrien returns the expression whole-heartedly.

 “Good morning, T-Tom,” he says. Tom’s smile grows. “I was hoping I might walk Marinette to school this morning?”

 Tom laughs. “I doubt she’s even awake yet. Why don’t you head on up, and see if you can coax her out of bed?”

 Adrien repeats the direction in his head before he believes it. Has Tom just sent him to Marinette’s bed?

 As Marinette already pointed out, she is already pregnant, so it’s not like anything worse can happen, but her parents being so accepting of their relationship and situation still feels bizarre.

 But it also feels nice.

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 4: You’re Family Now

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

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Chapter 4: You’re Family Now

 Adrien can’t remember ever being this happy in all seventeen years of his life.

 And it feels wrong that he’s so happy given the circumstances, but the last two days he’s been able to just turn his head, and his lady is right there. Every time she catches him staring, she beams back and his smiles only grow.

 She’s so gorgeous and brilliant, and he absolutely cannot believe that she’s his girlfriend.

 He has no idea how he’s this lucky.

 And he feels so guilty. He shouldn’t be happy right now. Marinette was definitely less stressed about being pregnant than she had been two days ago, but it was still a huge deal. A risk to both her future and her life. And he couldn’t help but feel it was entirely his fault.

 (Had Adrien stayed up too late researching all aspects of pregnancy including anything and everything that could go wrong? Yes. Yes he had).

 He hadn’t intended to freak himself out and he certainly didn’t want to scare Marinette. He had only wanted to better understand what she was going through.

 He’s also terrified of becoming a father. He doesn’t feel remotely ready to be a parent. He’s not confident he even knows what being a good father means or looks like.

 Then there was his own father to worry about. Adrien doesn’t know exactly how his father will respond to the situation, but he knows it’s not going to be good.

 But the second he’s sitting next to her - his fingers intertwined with hers, her blue eyes smiling at him - his fears fade away to nothing.

 If she needs or wants him to become a father at seventeen, he will. He will face anything for her and he likes to think she already knows that.

 But even her presence is not enough to make the smallest dent in his guilt.

 The guilt never fades away. Because whether Marinette wants to keep the pregnancy or not, he’s low-key certain he’s ruined her life.

Not Part of the Plan - Ch 3: A Father’s Patience

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 |

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Chapter 3: A Father’s Patience

 Marinette:

So… there’s a whole bunch of things I forgot to tell you.

A Love Square Short Story: Displaced

Thanks to @chocoluckchipz​, @ladyofthenoodle​, and @jennagrinsoverml​ for the beta!! And to Ladyofthenoodle for organizing our little collection. Check out the other works!! They are all so different and I love that!!

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Adrien slipped through the front door to his flat. It was fully dark, and he was exhausted despite the fact that it was barely past nine in the evening. Social gatherings for society’s elite tended to do that.

 He loosened his tie and dropped his suit jacket unceremoniously across the back of the sofa that was already cluttered with unopened boxes, mail, and unfolded laundry.

 He really should have listened to Nino and hired a maid or cleaning person of some sort. But well, he still had a secret to keep, and keeping that secret was more important to him than ever.

 He moved to his bedroom on autopilot without turning on the light, intending to collapse into bed immediately.

 But when he tried to slip into his space, he found it was already occupied. He flipped his phone flashlight on towards the ceiling to light the room in a soft glow.

 In his wife’s place, Ladybug lay sprawled diagonally across the bed, and their beautiful four month old Emma was spreadeagled the other way, taking up far more space than she should be able to given she was a whole 62 cm long.