Adrien
The door to the Dupain-Cheng's apartment wasn't locked, just as Tom had promised. Adrien creaked it open as quietly as he could, swiftly scanning the area. No one was in his immediate sightlines, and the only light seemed to be coming from the kitchen.
"Really? Everything?" A giggle as bright as tiny bells' song echoed down the hallway.
Adrien's lips stretched in a smile. His Lady. His Princess. If he had his way, the future Queen of France.
"Everything to the last thread, I tell you." That was unmistakably Plagg. Adrien could practically feel the smirk on the fiend's treacherous face as he continued, "But I have to give it to him: the kid needed only a few months to learn how to use that shield without destroying all of his clothes in the process."
Marinette laughed, giving Adrien a chance to carefully place the presents he'd brought on the floor and sneak up on her. As soon as she was in his reach, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to himself, picking her off the ground and swirling them around. "Hey, Princess."
Plagg groaned and flew away. Marinette yelped, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. "Adrien! What are you doing here so early?!"
"Came to check up on you." He let her go, looking her over. Dishevelled hair (his fault), rosy cheeks, sparkling eyes, and a cute outfit—his future queen was a vision to behold, and one had to be insane not lean down to kiss those luscious lips of hers.
Adrien was not insane.
"How are you?" he whispered, pulling away after a kiss so soft his knees were threatening to give out.
Marinette watched him for a few moments with a dreamy gaze, then shook her head and leaned against the counter. Her smile trembled as she spoke, "A bit nervous."
"Don't be." Adrien leaned his forehead against hers, his gaze on her eyes, his arms around her waist. "You're their daughter, and they love you an abnormally large amount. They won't reject you for having magic in you. It's not like it's something you chose."
"I know," Marinette whispered. "But I still can't help but worry."
She really shouldn't. It was Tom and Sabine they were talking about: two of the most kind, big-hearted people Adrien had ever met. Still, he understood. Telling your parents—who had never believed in magic—that you weren't exactly the regular human they always believed you to be must be a terrifying prospect. Especially for Marinette, who adored her parents too much to ever risk disappointing them.
"I'll be right here, by your side, the whole time," Adrien whispered, brushing his lips against her forehead.
"Thank you." A shy smile tugged at the corner of Marinette's lips.
"Until then—" he placed another peck on her skin, "—what can I help you with?"
A spark of mischief sneaked into her eyes. Marinette's lips widened into the most exaggerated grin he'd ever seen on her face. "Would you mind cutting the bread, Your Highness?"
Adrien laughed, slightly bowing to his girlfriend. "As you wish, My Lady. Let me just put the presents under the tree first." He nodded towards the packages he'd left at the door.
"Did you bring me anything?" Plagg peeked out from behind the fruit bowl where he had hidden.
"That depends." Adrien quirked an eyebrow. "How many embarrassing stories about me have you told Marinette?"
Marinette snickered and quickly got back to chopping veggies.
Plagg pouted, looking away. "Not that many."
"Oh?"
"Just a few."
"A few you say?"
"Oh, come on! She would've found out sooner or later!" Plagg threw his paws in the air. "I've done you a favour by getting those out of the way. Now, you can focus on all your gross, lovey-dovey stuff without worrying she'll find out about the time you offered to destroy the 'red menace' that kept coming back to torture your mother every month in front of your father's closest dignitaries."
His whole face flamed, even the tips of his ears warming up. "I was seven, Plagg! I didn't know what it was!"
"Well, you found out that night, didn't you?"
Marinette muffled a snicker.
Adrien glared at the fiend. "I hate you."
His girlfriend burst into laughter, putting down the knife. Turning to Adrien, she wrapped her arms around him, softly petting his hair. "There, there. You'll survive."
"I was a kid. I didn't know."
"It was a kind offer, though," Marinette added, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm sure all the women in the world would appreciate you getting rid of the 'red menace'."
Adrien glared at Plagg again, seething through his teeth. "You were supposed to help her with magic, not embarrass me."
"I did help her with magic," Plagg grumbled.
"He did help me," Marinette confirmed, pulling away. Holding her hands in front of her chest, she closed her eyes. A moment later, a soft glow sparked between her palms, morphing into a croissant almost instantly.
"See?" She offered the pastry to Adrien. "Try it."
Adrien took the croissant from her palm and tore it apart. The smell attacked his nostrils. He shoved the pastry into his mouth without a second thought, almost moaning from pleasure as the flavour hit his tongue. "It's delicious."
"Papa's recipe." Marinette grinned.
"Her cheese can use some work," Plagg grumbled, stretching on Marinette's shoulder. "But the one this afternoon was pretty decent."
"Plagg's presence made a huge difference." Marinette reached out and scratched under the cat's chin. "Thanks for letting him stay with me."
The fiend closed his eyes and purred in delight. Adrien quirked an eyebrow, almost choking on the pastry in his mouth. Plagg had never been affectionate with anyone—even him. Was he reacting to Tikki inside Marinette, or... It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that Marinette was able to find a way to his heart in the few days he'd let Plagg stay with her. She was that amazing.
"Let the party begin!" Tom's voice thundered from the hallway, Sabine and him entering the kitchen soon after. "We brought dessert."
"And we're almost done with the rest." Marinette threw the ingredients she had just chopped into a bowl and started mixing them. "Adrien just needs to cut the bread. The rest is done and ready to go on the table."
"She's putting you to work, son?" Tom grumbled. "Is that any way to treat guests, sweetheart? We want him to come back, don't we?"
"Says the man who has treated him like a workhorse all week in the bakery."
"That was his payment for taking you to Paris for a week."
"And this is him earning his keep for the evening."
Tom shook his head, groaning. Turning to Adrien, he put his arm on his shoulder and said, "Son, believe me, she isn't like this all the time. She's pretty polite and sweet. A bit clumsy, but crazy talented in the kitchen and with a needle. She'll be a good wife. I know she wants three kids and—"
"Papa!!!"
"What? You don't want me to tell him about the hamster?"
Marinette's cheeks reddened as she glared at her father.
Sabine took the salad bowl from Marinette and shoved it into her husband's hands. "You embarrass my daughter one more time, dear, and you're spending Christmas down in the bakery alone. Now, take this to the table and stay there. We're almost done."
Tom pouted and tugged Adrien towards the table. "We'd better listen, son. Sabine's from a very distinguished martial arts master's family. Getting on her bad side is pretty dangerous."
Adrien nodded and followed Tom to the table, grabbing the bread on his way. Tom Dupain was a large and imposing man at first sight. But ever since Adrien and Marinette started dating, Adrien had learned rather quickly that—just like Marinette had told him before—her father was a huge softie in the body of a giant. Her mother, on the other hand, was a gentle and kind woman... until you dared to touch her loved ones. Marinette had inherited that. A gentle flower that would turn into a tigress should you wrong someone she loved. Adrien adored that.
They sat down to the Christmas Eve dinner soon after. Surrounded by great food and the people he loved, Adrien didn't notice how time flew by, enjoying the conversation perhaps even more than the delicious meal. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary: a couple of questions about how everyone's day had gone, a few inquiries about their Paris adventure, a lot of family stories and plans for the future, and, of course, an obligatory pun battle between Tom and Adrien. Neither Sabine nor Marinette were impressed, proclaiming that Tom's puns were getting old and Adrien's were poorly timed, which was ridiculous because both men were at the top of their games as far as Adrien was concerned. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so much laughter around the table—and even tears of joy in everyone's eyes. Even the worry on Marinette's face vanished as she giggled over Adrien's jokes and challenged her father to all kinds of silly competitions.
Time was merciless, though. Once Adrien and Marinette finished washing the dishes, she was nervously biting on her lip again. Her hands trembled as she wiped the counter, gripping the cloth. Adrien slowly reached out, laying his palm over her hand. "It'll be alright."
Marinette looked at him with eyes full of fear and uncertainty, then dropped her gaze back to the counter and scrubbed harder.
"Do you want to postpone? It's nothing urgent."
She shook her head. "I want to tell them. I need them to know."
"Okay. Would that be easier if I told them?"
Marinette turned to look at her father, setting up their game console for a UMC tournament. Her eyes shifted to her mother, coming into the room with a pile of blankets. "I should be the one to do this, but thank you for being here. It helps. A lot."
"Of course." Adrien took the cloth from Marinette's hand and put it away. Bringing her hand to his lips, he placed a tender kiss on top of it. "For luck."
"Thank you. I'll need it."
"Marinette? Adrien?" Tom called. "We're ready when you are."
Marinette sucked in some air. "It's now or never."
"You can do it."
She took another deep breath in. "I can do it."
"I'm here if you need me."
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."
"Shall we then?"
Marinette nodded, her posture straight and confident as she headed for the living room, Adrien following in her wake.
"Maman, Papa." She stood in front of her parents seated on the couch. Adrien settled on a chair to the side. "There is something I have to tell you."
Her parents' eyes focused on her. The next ten minutes were a blur: tense as a string on a violin, tangible like the lump in his throat. Marinette did amazingly, though. Choosing her words carefully, she started by mentioning that she hadn't told them everything that happened in Paris yet. Then, she proceeded to mention Master Fu, Adrien's teacher they'd met during their trip, and retold to her parents the tale of kwamis and magic she'd learned from him. She probed at their reaction to the revelation that people who use magic are real and their abilities are given to them by something called a kwami.
When she whispered that she might be one of those people, she didn't look them in the eyes. Adrien, on the other hand, saw their reactions clearly: surprise, confusion, and curiosity were written all over their faces. Not a shred of disgust or hatred or disappointment.
"So, what you're saying..." Tom spoke when Marinette failed to continue. "Is that you can use magic and you have one of those kwakis in your possession?"
"Kwamis." Marinette nodded. "And, yes and no. A kwami chose me when I was born, so technically I do have one and I can do a little bit of magic, but not much. Not yet. I'm still learning. And my kwami is still dormant within my body, so I can't really say I have one either. Not until I awaken her."
Tom looked at his wife, then his eyes darted to Adrien. "I assume you knew about this."
"I was the one who told Marinette she has magic," Adrien responded, standing by Marinette's side. He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She needed support, and he was there to provide. Even if in something so small as holding her hand. "Her magic is linked to mine. She's the sole reason I came to Dupont."
Tom gulped. His jaw slacked as he stared at Adrien in bewilderment. It was Sabine who broke the silence this time. "You can use magic too?"
"Yes. Ever since I was a child. I wield the power of Destruction, a companion to Marinette's Creation."
"It's crazy, right?" Marinette nervously chuckled. "That self-healing thing my body does. You know it, right?"
Her parents nodded in unison.
"Well, basically, it has nothing to do with qi and Qigong," Marinette continued. "It's the magic of creation inside me that heals my body whenever I get hurt, and I can access it now. Adrien taught me. Look, I'll show you."
She held her hands in front of her and concentrated. The space between her palms glowed, a green apple appearing in the midst.
"Here!" Marinette grabbed it. "See? It's tiny, but that's because I haven't practiced much with fruit. I can do pastry well, though. I managed to create a breakfast for myself today and it was delicious, so it's nothing dangerous or monstrous, and neither am I... I can make some for you, too, so you can try it. Let me—"
Her father's hands landed on her shoulders. He waited until Marinette looked him in the eyes before speaking, every word loud and clear. "You are not a monster, pumpkin. And nothing is wrong with you. I know people are talking shit about magic, and truth be told, it's a lot to take in, but you don't have to worry about us thinking you're somehow dangerous or weird. We know you. We love you. You're our Marinette, and I don't care what people say. If you're magical, then the whole world is wrong telling us that magic is evil and dangerous."
"Your papa is right." Sabine wrapped her arms around the two of them. "Magic or not, you're still our daughter, and nothing will change that. We love you, sweetheart."
Tears spilled out of Marinette's eyes as she melted into her parents' embrace. Her body trembled, and she tried to wipe her eyes dry, whispering words of gratitude and love to the people holding her up.
They hugged her tighter.
Adrien couldn't look away, trying to squish the pinch of jealousy as fast as he could. His father was never one for expressing his emotions. His mother had showered him with affection, but the Dupain-Chengs were truly exceptional. Their love for Marinette knew no bounds, and Adrien felt like an intruder. Perhaps, he could slip away quietly? If he just—
"And where do you think you're going?" Tom grabbed his arm as soon as Adrien stepped toward the door. "You think you can come here, tell our Marinette she has magic, and disappear?"
"I just—"
"No 'justs', young man. First, you look like you need a hug." The man pulled Adrien into the bear hug. Only after squeezing the air out of Adrien's lungs (and possibly bruising a rib), Tom let everyone go and added, "Now, I want to see this khaki thing. Do you have one?"
Adrien nodded. "I do."
"Then show us." Tom and Sabine watched Adrien with naked anticipation, like a couple of five-year-olds waiting for their presents on Christmas morning.
"Okay." Adrien nodded. "Plagg?"
"What am I, a freak show?" his kwami grumbled from Marinette's hair.
Sabine flinched away. Tom frowned, locking his eyes on his daughter. "Sweetheart, something—"
"Plagg, would you please come out?" Adrien grumbled.
"Fine!" Plagg flew out and floated in front of Tom and Sabine. "What happened to keeping me a secret from everyone?"
"Marinette's parents aren't everyone," Adrien retorted. "They're family."
Tom completely ignored his remark, blankly staring at the kwami. "It's a flying cat."
"Black, flying kitten," Sabine echoed. "Why is he with you, honey, if he's Adrien's?"
"He's helping me," Marinette replied. "Remember when Adrien mentioned that our powers are linked? So are our kwamis. When Plagg's around, I can feel Tikki, my kwami, a lot better. It's helping me get a hang of my magic." She reached out and petted Plagg, much to his satisfaction.
"Plagg?" Tom asked. "Is that your name?"
"That, or The Great and Powerful Kwami of Ultimate Destruction." Plagg smirked.
Tom stared at him for another moment before asking: "So you destroy things?"
"With a flick of my whisker." Plagg grinned. "Better treat me well. I want Camembert."
Adrien grabbed the fiend out of the air and squeezed him hard. "Be nice, or you'll be on a dairy-free diet for a week, my friend. We're trying to get these people to like us, and you're threatening them for cheese?"
"What?" Plagg whined. "I'm hungry."
"It doesn't mean you can—"
"Marinette will feed me." Plagg grinned wider. "She likes me."
Adrien squeezed him harder. "You, little—"
Plagg stuck out his tongue at Adrien and phased through his hand to Marinette. "Can I have some Camembert, please?"
Tom's laughter roared through the room as the women giggled.
"Of course," Marinette said, vanishing to the kitchen and reappearing a moment later with a wheel of cheese. Plagg took the offering, plopped onto the coffee table, and, to Adrien's astonishment, thanked his girlfriend for the food.
"How? How did you—? He never says please and thank you!" Adrien struggled to understand. He'd been stuck with Plagg his whole life but had never seen the kwami be so polite.
"I don't know? I guess I have a way with cats," Marinette smirked, winking.
"Of course, you do." Adrien chuckled, turning to Tom and Sabine with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. Plagg isn't usually so rude but he's been a bit moodier recently. Being so close to his partner, but still so far away after a few hundreds of years apart, is hard on him."
"His partner? You mean the kwaki inside Marinette." Tom gestured to his daughter.
Adrien nodded. "Her name's Tikki. She's the kwami of Creation."
Everyone fell quiet for a moment. Tom kept staring at Plagg. Sabine shifted her gaze between Marinette and Adrien. When everyone else remained silent, she raised the next question. "Adrien, you mentioned that you came to Dupont because of Marinette?"
Adrien nodded. "That's correct."
"And how did you know who to search for? Is there anything that gives away her abilities? Should we be concerned that someone else can come looking for her just like you did?"
"Come to think of it, your maman's right." Tom looked at Marinette, concerned. "Are you in any danger, sweetheart? Is that why you're telling us all of this now? Whatever it is, you know, we'll do whatever it takes to protect you." Shifting his attention to Adrien, he added with a frown, "And you. What are your real intentions with our daughter? You came all the way from Paris to find her, so—"
"It's nothing like that, Papa," Marinette interrupted before Adrien could. She looked at him, then back to her parents. "I'm not in any danger. And I'm telling you all of this now because I just found out myself while we were in Paris, and I wanted you to know. As for Adrien..." She paused. How the heck was she going to explain that one?
"Marinette and I are soulmates," Adrien blurted out.
Guess they were going for the truth. Marinette gave Adrien a look and turned to her parents who were gaping at them like fish. "Adrien and I are linked, just like our kwamis. We've been meeting in our dreams every night our whole lives."
Sabine frowned. "You told us you don't remember your dreams."
"I didn't. Not until the spell broke while we were in Paris."
"The spell?"
"It's a thing that runs in my family," Adrien explained. "All firstborns on my father's side meet their soulmates in their dreams, but we're the only ones who remember it."
"That's why Adrien came looking for me," Marinette added. "He remembered me while I couldn't."
"But you remember now?" Sabine asked.
Marinette nodded.
"There were seals in place that kept Marinette's memories blocked," Adrien explained. "The last one broke while we were in Paris."
"Seals?" Tom and Sabine looked at each other. "What seals?"
"Usually there are two, but there were three in our case," Adrien said. "My face, my full name, and my powers since they are unique and could identify me. The magic got weaker with each thing Marinette found out about me in her awake state. The moment she learned all three, the barrier wore off, and she remembered all of our shared dreams."
Tom and Sabine remained silent for a few moments, their gazes shifting between Adrien, Marinette, and each other. Marinette barely breathed by his side. Adrien only prayed they wouldn't ask why Marinette's memories had to be blocked and not his. They agreed to keep his royal heritage a secret for now. One step at a time.
"That's...soulmates? Meeting in dreams?" Tom ran his hands through his hair, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in. "I thought those things were the stuff of fairy tales."
"We also thought magic wasn't real." Sabine gave him a look. "And now our daughter creates apples out of thin air."
"Is there anything else we should know?" Tom mumbled, then stalled, shook his head, and plopped on the couch, grabbing a game console controller. "You know what? That's enough for today. Whatever else you two have to tell us can wait until tomorrow. Today is Christmas Eve, and we have traditions to uphold, and one of those is me vanquishing Marinette in UMS."
Adrien sighed with relief. Marinette snorted. "Please, Papa! You haven't won in years."
"But what if you team up with your soulmate and I team up with mine?"
"Then you have even fewer chances."
"Shall we see?" Tom held out a controller to Adrien. "You want her? You've got to go through me, soulmate or not. Three out of five wins."
Adrien laughed. They'd been playing for weeks now, and the count was heavily in Adrien's favour. Tom's persistence was admirable, though. "You're so on."
Marinette sat on the couch and picked up a controller as well. "Let's make it even more interesting. Everyone plays for themselves, and if I win, you both are cleaning the house for a week."
Adrien looked at his girlfriend, nonplussed. "But I don't live here."
Marinette smirked and powered on the console. "Then don't lose."
***
"I think we fell asleep on the couch."
Ladybug shifted in his arms, settling her head on his chest. "I don't remember much after my parents left and we started watching a movie."
"Can't blame you. It was a stressful day." Chat gently ran his hand over her hair, brushing her bangs away from her forehead. "They seemed to take it well, though, no?"
"I'm not sure." She looked away. "Seems like it, but Papa changed the subject rather quickly. I don't think he's fully comfortable with the idea yet."
"He just needs some time to process it. Nothing more. They didn't kick me out for bringing this all into your life, did they? So we should be good."
A faint puff of air escaped her lips. "Kick you out? Adrien, I think they love you more than they love me at this point."
"My mom would've adored you, too." Chat smiled, watching his Lady. "Can't say much for Father. He's... a complicated man who barely expresses his emotions, but Mom would've loved you like her own."
Ladybug raised her eyes to him, her gaze soft and calming. "Tell me about her."
"My Mom?"
"Yes. All I know is that she's been in a coma for months. Tell me who she is as a person. What did you do together? What happened to her?"
Chat shifted in his seat. Not that he was uncomfortable discussing the topic, but with all the complicated emotions he had about the situation, he had no idea where to start. Not that there was much to tell anyway. "We aren't sure what happened. There was a ball at the palace. Lots of people in attendance. Mother went on a walk in the garden to take a breather and never came back. A guard found her unconscious on one of the paths. She's been in a coma ever since, apparently from the theft of her miraculous. That's all I know."
"What kind of magic did she use?"
"The power of Emotion," Chat said, a soft smile descending on his lips, memories of a happy childhood flooding his mind. His mom was one of the best. "When I was small, Mom would create little, fluffy balls from our happy emotions. They were like tiny chicks, soft and warm and colourful. They loved to be cuddled. I could play with them for hours. And when I was upset, Mom would make something out of her desire to protect me. It was always something big and soft and snuggly, and it would hold me and my mom in a tight hug until I felt better."
Chat paused, a knot forming in his throat. What wouldn't he give to bring his mother back? If there was anything he could've done... Why didn't Father trust him to help when it all happened? He could've—
"She seems like a wonderful woman." Ladybug gently cradled Chat's cheek, turning his face to look at her.
He closed his eyes, melting into his Lady's touch. "She was... is the best. Kind and loving. Always smiling. She gave the best hugs and told stories like no one else. We even had our own secret sign language to joke around behind everyone's backs."
Slightly caressing his jaw, Ladybug leaned her forehead against Chat's. "Do you think once I awaken Tikki, I could heal her?"
Chat held his breath. He hadn't dared to hope, but... "We could try. Master Fu said we need to find her miraculous, though."
"But we could try," Ladybug said, softly pressing her lips to his cheek. "Speaking of parents. Papa asked me to pass on a message to you in here."
Chat quirked an eyebrow. "Do I sense a test to see if this whole thing is true?"
"What kind of parents would they be if they didn't check this crazy claim of ours?"
"Can you call this an accurate test, though? You could've told me while we were awake, and they would've never known."
His Lady shook her head. "They know me better than that. I wouldn't lie to them."
Chat smiled, kissing the top of her hair. "Something I also admire about you. Okay, what's the message?"
The grin on her face widened, accompanied by a glint in her eyes. "He wants you to cook breakfast for us."
"Breakfast?"
"Anything you want."
"You do realize my cooking repertoire is very limited, right?"
"I don't care. Neither do they. Just cook something so he believes we really do share dreams."
Chat shrugged, pulling her closer. "Okay. You asked for it."
"Technically, it was Papa who did, but I'm looking forward to it too."
"Then I shall not disappoint, my Lady." Chat planted a few butterfly kisses along her jaw. It was too long since he had last kissed her. "Prepare for the best Christmas breakfast you've ever had."
Ladybug shifted, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her eyes on him, her breath hot on his skin, the lady of his dreams whispered against his lips, "Do I get an appetizer?"
"For breakfast?"
"Yes."
He grinned. "Of course. Whatever my Lady desires."
She cradled his face, her thumb glazing over his lower lip. Her gaze locked on his mouth. "I wish for you, Chaton."
And who was he to deny his Princess? His lips locked on hers before she could utter another sound as he whispered against her skin, "As you wish, my Lady."
***
Due to personal circumstances, Dreams of You is going on a hiatus until the beginning of March, possibly April. I greatly appreciate all of you who supported me until now through kudos and comments and promise to do my best to give you the wait-worthy ending of this story. Happy reading. I hope to see you all again in a month or two. <3