A/N: For any guest readers, please try to make an account if you leave any reviews or questions regarding updates. I can't answer your questions or respond to guests.
I read reviews on all platforms and I'm taking all advice into account. I want to be a better writer and hope to continue to provide good stories to you all.
Thank you for your support and thank you for your constructive criticism when it comes to certain issues in my stories or if there are anything that may confuse you guys with the plot.
Sorry for this useless chapter, it was actually a lot longer but the next chapter will have Adrienette NSFW and I needed the chapters to balance with more plot so it's not considered solely a "lemon" story.
If you are uncomfortable with any of these elements, please don't read. There will be warnings between breaks, you can skip it to continue the plot if you feel more comfortable with doing so.
Even so, I think this chapter is pretty long.
It is possible that I might update this story more often than just once a week, just because it's such a super long story and because I'm finishing my other story, I can solely focus on this one. If you guys prefer just the weekly updates, please let me know.
Please enjoy.
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"Alya, what the fuck?!" Adrien exclaimed, his chest heaving as he could still recall the back of Marinette's head in his mind.
He was just so close, but then he ended up being so far.
"You had to pick tonight of all nights to fuck with Nino?!"
Alya furrowed her brow, the lines under her eyes deepening with frustration.
"You told me that you'd be around if I needed your help!"
"Yes, but now wasn't the appropriate time to do something like that! I was in the middle of trying to tell Marinette something really important!"
Alya furrowed her brow, her lips pressing together as she glared at him. The young woman crossed her arms. She knew she had made a big deal to Nino that making a fuss about how their relationship ended at their best friends' wedding wasn't appropriate, but Alya was meticulous.
She genuinely wasn't sure when she would see him next, by the way they were going she was almost certain they were going to hate each other.
"Telling Marinette something?" Alya mused, perking her brow. She had recalled that she attempted to drop subtle hints about Marinette's feelings for him, but he didn't seem to pick up those pieces.
As far as Alya was concerned, Adrien was way too preoccupied with Kagami, that he was more than willing to divorce Marinette so that he could be with her.
Now, how early was Adrien planning on speaking about it? Alya wasn't totally sure, but it didn't seem right for him to want to talk about it on their wedding night.
Marinette was having such a good time, Alya wasn't prepared to witness her broken heart.
"Adrien, you're not going to tell Marinette anything. Especially not tonight-" Alya replied sharply, a feeling of protectiveness washing over her. "I know you want to divorce her, but you really need to think about this."
Adrien widened his eyes, the reminder of his choices to leave Marinette behind sending a sharp sensation inside of his chest.
He didn't know how he could be so foolish, but he was grateful he caught it in time. The thought of leaving Marinette the way he intended to, tore at his heart relentlessly. He couldn't understand how he could be so short sighted, especially when it came to Marinette's feelings for him.
This would have been something he was likely to regret for the rest of his life.
It was a given that if fate had carried him in a different trajectory, Kagami's infidelity would have never changed.
Marinette would have left his life like she had promised, he'd eventually catch Kagami in her act and he'd be left alone to wallow in his regretful decision with tribulation.
It was sure to be agony.
"Alya, I'm not divorcing Marinette..." Adrien explained, his heart aching at the sound of his own words. He didn't realise how desolate they had sounded until now.
"What I want to do is-- quite the opposite." Adrien explained, his chest growing tight as he reached up to rub the back of his neck.
Alya furrowed her brow, her nails digging into the sides of her arm as her lips pressed together. The brunette narrowed her eyes, preparing a rebuttal as she was growing suspicious of the blonde.
"The opposite?" She inquired, her bottom lip moving between her teeth as she began to slowly approach him, attempting to corner the tall male into a corner. "And what were you about to-"
Alya froze, her voice cutting off the moment the door behind them opened abruptly.
"Alya, what the hell are you doing?!" Nino exclaimed, his chest heaving as he slammed the door shut behind him. Nino paused, his eyes glancing between Alya and Adrien who both awkwardly stood in a corner.
Alya exhaled, taking a swift step away from Adrien who's cheeks grew redder than a grape tomato.
"I-Is there something going on between you two?" Nino inquired, his eyes growing wide at their awkward position.
Alya reached up, running her hand through her hair with a grimace before she awkwardly crossed her arms.
"No, but I guess you can understand the limit of boundaries..." Alya muttered, clearing her throat.
Adrien groaned, his heart racing as he was beginning to feel a bit antsy, Marinette was right outside the door and all he wanted to do was get to her so that he could be up and honest about his feelings.
Nino exhaled, his jaw clenching as he glared at Alya.
"Are you shitting me?" He asked, his voice quivering. "You throw yourself in a room with my best friend on his wedding night to talk about boundaries?"
Alya rolled her eyes, her cheeks growing pink as she ran her hands through her hair, briefly turning away from the both of them.
"No. To reiterate that when I set a boundary and ask you to leave me alone, you should fucking leave me alone!"
Nino rolled his eyes, his chest heaving as he was growing more and more frustrated.
"So is this one huge manipulative message? You think it'll kick some sense into me?" Nino retaliated. "Alya, why is it so hard for you to accept that I love you and care about you?!"
Alya widened her eyes, immediately spinning around to face him, as his choice of words had ignited an anger she never knew she was capable of.
"Piss off Nino!" She exclaimed. "I understand and I reciprocate the feelings for you. But you need to stop pestering me and when I decide to come to you, then you should wait for that. Don't involve other people in our business!"
"Am I not allowed to be concerned? I can't stress enough how much it bothers me to be placed in the dark. Why is it so hard for you to admit that you're wrong? Or just talk to me!" Nino retorted, his voice elevating.
"Enough!" Adrien interjected, his heart racing in his chest as he stepped between the two of them. The blonde pressed his lips together, worried that their voices could he heard through the music and through the door of the hallway.
"Whatever issue you both have, get it together. Screaming at each other won't solve anything, and would likely attract a shit ton of attention, especially knowing that the media is packed outside, waiting for any of us to walk out."
Adrien shifted his gaze to Nino, his breath quivering as he exhaled, but he refused to remove his gaze from Alya who stood her ground.
The brunette clenched her fists, her eyes fixated on Nino as Adrien stepped away.
There was an eerie silence in the air, and Adrien couldn't help but to reflect back to Marinette.
He was just about to confess to her, but didn't want to take the risk of leaving Nino and Alya alone and have it escalate.
If that was put on the front cover, Adrien was worried that it would piss his father off and because they were guests of both him and Marinette, they'd surely get blamed for this.
"Nino..." Alya murmured, her position softened the moment her hands dropped to her sides. "I-I..." her voice trailed off, her chest growing tight. "I'm pregnant."
Adrien froze, just as Nino did right beside him.
If the room wasn't silent then, it surely was now.
Adrien suddenly felt out of place, he knew something was up with Alya, but he had absolutely no idea that it went to that extent.
"Y-you're pregnant?" Nino asked, his voice quivering as Alya glanced away from him quickly.
"I told you that boundaries were important to me. I needed some time to figure out what I wanted to do, how to fit this new...baby in our lives. You included Marinette in this issue, and it forced me to come out with it before I was even ready, before I mentally grasped the concept that I was pregnant."
Nino pressed his lips together, a grimace tugging on his face as the reality of what he had done started to set in.
It was evident that Nino wanted to reach out to her, but now he wasn't so sure if that's what he should do.
Alya had just expressed her frustration and feelings at how she had to tell her secret because it was Nino's choice to include Marinette in the issue, just so he could grab a bit of insight.
This whole time he was worried that he did something to Alya that had broken her heart, but it turned out to be something much more serious.
He had began to understand why she isolated herself, why she had isolated him.
He couldn't understand what it was like to be in her shoes, of course he'd never be a pregnant woman no matter how hard he tried, but the best he could do is try to empathize and take responsibility.
Of course, regardless of Alya's decision as to whether or not she wanted to keep the baby, he was going to step up to the plate and be responsible. He wasn't going to allow Alya to go through this alone.
"Alya..." Nino breathed, his hands clenching in his pockets as he approached her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." the male clenched his jaw, sliding his hand out of his pocket and rubbing the back of his neck.
"I understand. You're right. I shouldn't have stepped out of line the way that I did. I should have waited until you were ready to share this with me." Nino glanced down, chewing his bottom lip, and for a brief moment it was like Adrien wasn't even in the room with them.
"Let me be here for you. I don't want you to go through this alone. Whatever decision you make, you know you have my full support." Nino assured, offering her a weak smile. "Please...let me be here, don't keep me out anymore."
Alya blinked with frustration, tears pooling at the edges of her eyes as she knew she wanted Nino to know eventually, but she wanted to do it on her own terms.
She recognized the way she went about it wasn't exactly the best idea. There were other ways she could have went about it, and in fact she probably shouldn't have involved Adrien in her issue just as Nino shouldn't have involved Marinette.
But God damn, she needed him to truly understand that.
Their lives were about to change, and she needed that time to fully grasp that and figure things out before she expected Nino to climb on board and change his plans regarding his life.
How did she expect him to just drop his plans of life to help her care for a child they had both conceived accidentally?
She knew it was an unreasonable thought, but she couldn't help herself.
It almost didn't seem fair.
Adrien glanced at the both of them, his eyes lowering as Nino apprehensively took Alya into his arms and drew her close.
The blonde quietly glanced away, hearing Alya lose composure as she began to sob into his arms.
His heart squeezed into his chest as he recalled back to what he wanted to do in the first place before Alya had even interrupted him in the first place.
"I'll let you two figure things out..." Adrien whispered, backing himself away from the couple. His hand reached behind him, fumbling with the door before he eventually found the handle.
Adrien opened the door, quickly closing it behind him as he reentered the ball room. His green eyes bounced around the area, his heart sinking into his stomach as there was no sign of Marinette.
The blonde sighed, knowing that Marinette had to entertain so many guests, it was likely that she had escaped off with her parents somewhere.
He wasn't sure if he'd see her for the rest of the night, but he could only hope he'd have the chance to talk to her at home.
He had certainly hoped he didn't miss the opportunity to tell Marinette how he really felt.
And just like that, Adrien had felt completely helpless once more.
He'd have to thank Alya for that.
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Marinette placed her makeup wipe on to her vanity. Her hair was a stiff mess, and Marinette couldn't wait to hop into the shower and finally wash it out.
She didn't expect to have so much fun at the ceremony, and Marinette couldn't help but to become distracted.
There were so many faces to see, so many people to meet, so many things to catch up with and so much food to try.
She had to admit that it was a little awkward. Somehow she had gotten disconnected with Adrien, and she hadn't seen him for the remainder of that night.
After she had kissed her parents goodbye, Marinette ended up leaving the ballroom without him. She had stepped into a private car and had gotten a ride back to their shared home to which she occupied it briefly before Adrien was brought back in a separate vehicle.
Surely it didn't seem too awkward, especially since their marriage was only an agreed contract. Had they really loved each other, it would have been an entirely different story.
Marinette felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest, as she placed her messy face wipe on to the vanity table top. She reached up, picking the pins out of her hair with a grimace.
She could still hear her voice expressing her confession. She had flat out told him that she was a lovesick ladybug who had become smitten with a black cat that was entirely too dense to recognize her feelings.
But this time was a little different.
This was a full blown confession, and from the looks on Adrien's face, he had fully heard and understood what she had mentioned to him in her trance.
There was no going back on this. She had made her own bed, it was time she lay in it.
Marinette wanted to be alone in their bedroom, she only wished to have a bit of time for herself so that she could mentally prepare of what was to come, but the presence of Adrien sitting on the edge of the bed behind her was only growing more and more overwhelming.
The only route out was the bathroom on the other side of the room.
She cursed the room for being so big, it would take an eternity and a day to escape. She would need to grab her night dress from the closet and run towards the shower and she could avoid confrontation.
Marinette felt her stomach drop, and she carefully slipped off the vanity chair. The young woman wandered towards the closet, her hands trembling as she grabbed her silk gown from the hanger and ditched the underwear.
She'd worry about that later.
She could feel Adrien's eyes glaring into her back and Marinette was even tempted to leap off the balcony to escape the tension between the two.
Her toes lightly pressed into the hardwood floor, and by the way Adrien faced away from her, Marinette took that as an opportunity to leap.
If Adrien was uncomfortable or mad at her for what she had foolishly spluttered out, Marinette would need to reprimand her actions in a space of solitude.
Marinette exhaled, clutching her nightgown to her chest as she walked by him. Her blue eyes remained fixated on the open bathroom door and she could almost anticipate the feeling of her hair being soft again, or the warm hot water touching her skin while she attempted to clear her head.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
His voice struck a nerve in her chest.
Her mouth went completely dry, and with aching muscles, Marinette stood right where she was.
Her hands clenched even tighter against her night gown. The fabric of her traditional Chinese gown brushed against her thighs painfully as she had suddenly became incredibly aware of all her senses.
Marinette contemplated dissimulating a place of ignorance. She felt that if she simply put on a facade, portraying that she had no idea what he was talking about, she'd have a legitimate escape.
However, knowing him though, he wouldn't just let it go. If anything, that notion would possibly make her situation worse.
It was what she implied before.
She made her bed, she had to lie in it.
Marinette glanced down, her heart squeezing painfully in her chest. She pressed her lips together, her muscles aching as she felt her knees grow weak.
There was a weird sensation inside of her. Her body nearly felt warm and cold at the same time, and it was almost as if every hair on her body stood on end. She never thought she'd actually hear the words flowing from her lips.
"B-Because..." The young woman stammered, her eyes remaining on the ground. She desperately wished she could just return to normal, but there was definitely no going back now.
She'd have to accept this fate.
"Because you were in love with Kagami..." Marinette replied, her voice quivering as she reflected back to their relationship.
There was no denying it. Adrien was fully aware of her feelings.
"I was already insinuated as a homewrecker. I felt that if I said something to you, I would be what she said I was." Marinette clenched on to her nightgown, the pigtails atop her head slowly coming undone into stiff ringlets beside her cheeks.
"I knew you didn't feel the same, I was worried things would change and then you said you wanted to divorce me because things were getting serious." Marinette bit her lip, her heart racing faster than she could breathe.
"It was an accident... I had no intentions of breaking up a serious relationship that had been going on for years before I even knew who you were."
There was an aching sensation in her ears, an undeniable ringing noise as the silence that brewed between them had started to scream in both their hearts.
Marinette only grew more rigid as she could hear Adrien move away from the bed and approach her delicately. She gasped, feeling his hand guide her by the hip so that she could face him completely.
She gulped, her heart threatening to spill out from her lips, the moment her eyes met the loose buttons on his shirt, revealing the even skin of his chest and neck.
A deep blush coated her skin, and Marinette quickly glanced away, her chest feeling tight.
Adrien slid his hands into his pockets, a grimace on his face as Marinette kept her gaze away from him.
"Have I been hurting you this whole time?" Adrien asked, his voice low at the possible situation.
Marinette shook her head, exhaling as she attempted to calm her nerves.
"No, I did it to myself. I didn't mean for it to happen, but then we spent time together and we've been through situations..." her voice trailed off, the lines under her eyes deepening as she recalled the times she was left alone with an assailant inside of the club, and when she saw him again in the motel lobby before Adrien intervened.
She didn't know where she'd be.
It happened quite a few times that Adrien unknowingly pulled her out of situations she wasn't mentally ready to handle yet.
"You've been good to me in ways you'd never understand..."
Adrien blushed, his heart palpitating faster than he could have ever anticipated. He wanted to speak, but by the way his mind ran, he couldn't formulate any proper sentences fast enough to get them out to her.
The air had fallen silent between the two of them again, and both Marinette and Adrien wanted to slap themselves for what they did and didn't say.
"I-if...if it's possible to pretend that I never said anything, to go back to being friends like we were before, I'd be more than grateful." Marinette stammered, her heart aching in her chest as she took Adrien's silence as a token of rejection. "I don't want to lose our friendship, I want you to be in my life." Marinette glanced up at him, her lip quivering as she couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of sorrow that had emerged from Adrien's perceived desolation.
"Y-You know. I'm going to take a shower! But no sex!" She chuckled nervously, tears bubbling in her eyes as she tried desperately to go back to the jokes and demeanor they had before, but she knew it was in vain.
Adrien frowned, his heart shattering the moment he spotted the tears pooling at the edges of her beautiful blue eyes.
Adrien parted his lips, ready to reach out to her and assure her that everything was okay, but he had barely touched her before she had turned around awkwardly and locked herself in the bathroom.
The male felt his heart sink deep into the sour acid of his stomach. He wanted to her to know he loved her too, he wanted to tell her how foolish he was for telling her that he wanted to divorce her so that he could be with Kagami. He wanted her to know that he almost made a huge mistake, but he couldn't get the image of her about to cry out of his head.
It was a new kind of sadness he had become familiar with, and it shattered his soul completely.
"Marinette-" Adrien whimpered, moving towards the door with a grimace. "Please don't cry, I don't want to make you cry anymore."
Adrien frowned, his hand laying flat against the door. He could feel her on the other side. He pressed his forehead into the door as he wanted to words to flow out of his lips as they effortlessly did when he was with Nino, but his mind was so conflicted about everything that happened over the span of two days, he felt like he was going batshit crazy.
Marinette dropped her nightgown on to the bathroom floor, her heart aching in her chest. She leaned against the door, her eyes closing. For a brief moment, Marinette could feel the warmth of him from behind the door.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she couldn't have felt anymore like shit. Her body shivered as he spoke to her, and she listened to his voice, assuring her not to cry.
Marinette felt so conflicted, she felt like a complete mess.
How could the night start off so perfect and then decline rapidly?
She knew the only logical thing to do was to face the fact that he rejected her. She needed to tackle it head on. She was sure that once it was over and done with, they could go back to the way they were.
Though her initial thoughts were to eject him out of her life, Marinette found that she couldn't imagine her life without him.
She valued their friendship, the last thing she wanted to do was lose him completely.
Marinette exhaled, her hand reaching up to rub the skin on her chest in a desperate attempt to soothe the ache.
Her knees grew weak, but she willed herself away from the door and turned. Her hand trembled as she reached for the door.
The squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself briefly before she tugged opened the door.
It was almost as if the world stopped between the two of them and in that instant her eyes connected with his.
Her breath escaped her lips in a soft quiver and Marinette whimpered, her heart pounding against her chest as Adrien wound his arms around her waist and drew her body closer to him.
Adrien buried his face into her neck, his arms remaining taut around her as he held her close.
Marinette widened her eyes, her hands resting on his shoulders. A deep blush coated her cheeks and Marinette allowed herself to rest into him.
Without words, Marinette consented. She'd tell him again if she had to. But they were married now, and Marinette knew she didnt want anyone else to have her.
She reached up, her hand slowly sliding into her hair.
Adrien moved her face, his lips resting at her cheek and in that moment, Marinette forgot what it was like to breathe.
Adrien pressed his lips against her cheek, his grip loosening from around her.
His blonde hair tickled her skin as he pulled away and he glanced down bashfully.
"I'll see you when you're done." Adrien quickly glanced at the shower before he playfully tugged at her stiff hair.
"We can talk about this."
Marinette pressed her lips together, chuckling at how complicated they were.
She nodded, her heart racing as Adrien left the bathroom.
Marinette glanced back at the shower, biting her lip as her mind began to race a million miles a minute.
If she was going to consummate her marriage and lose her virginity tonight, then so be it.