A/N: WARNING: CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT, PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH ANY OF THESE ELEMENTS. THERE WILL BE BREAKS IN BETWEEN IF YOU'D LIKE TO SKIP THROUGH AND CONTINUE ON TO THE STORY.
Also, just a psa there are fake accounts of me online, I've recently discovered a tiktok account that had been active for about a year. There are several fake wattpad accounts. The only backup account I have on wattpad are Kandykate94 any other accounts are fake, please do not interact with them.
Please don't hate me for this chapter, I like to make my love scenes as realistic as possible especially because both Marinette and Adrien are both inexperienced. Enjoy the vanilla.
_________________________________________
Marinette rubbed her eyes, a soft yawn escaping her lips as she moved the litter tray into the guest bathroom down the hall.
She could faintly hear the shower water halt and she could almost hear Adrien moving about in the master bedroom bathroom.
The young woman exhaled, her heart aching inside her chest as nervousness swept over her once more. She was glad that Adrien decided for a shower after she did.
It gave her some time to get her head straight. She had worried that things were going to be awkward. Hell, she only imagined that Adrien didn't feel the same way.
In the back of her mind, Marinette wondered if not wearing a bra beneath her silk night gown was a good idea. In fact, she couldn't help but wonder if consummating marriages were a traditional thing.
Was that expected of them? Was she meant to have children with him?
Marinette quickly shook her head, the blush rushing down to her chest as the thought of children was something Marinette wanted to worry about in the far future. She wasn't mentally prepared for children, especially because despite being married, she didn't exactly know what she meant to Adrien.
"What am I thinking?" Marinette whined, her blue eyes glancing down at Tikki who hopped into her litter tray and began to dig her paws helplessly into the sand-like substance. "He hasn't even said he liked me, yet here I am hoping that we have sex somehow. Is that the person I've become?"
Tikki dug a small hole, her whiskers moving forward as she smelled the litter before the feline turned to face Marinette. The small kitten mewed, hopping out of the tray and brushing her head against Marinette's ankle.
Marinette sighed, glancing down at her pet with a grimace.
"Of course, I've become the person who talks to her cat,” Marinette murmured, reaching down to glide her fingers across the soft and silky black fur on Tikki's head.
Marinette bit her lip, her heart about to leap from her chest the moment she heard Adrien in the room down the hall.
She mentally kicked herself, preparing to make herself into the world's biggest fool. If it were possible to accept the loss and pretend like nothing happened, perhaps the night would go along peacefully, but she knew Adrien far too well.
Marinette exhaled, her hands trembling as she allowed Tikki to resume her business. The young woman turned on her heels, her mouth nearly feeling dry as a bone as she willed herself back to the master bedroom where she knew Adrien would be.
"Are the chips still on the table where we can pretend that none of this ever happened and I'd never opened my big fat mouth?" Marinette asked, her tone of voice meaning to be light hearted and funny, but somehow faded the moment she spotted Adrien standing by the bed without a shirt.
Marinette blushed, her eyes wide as Adrien ran his hand through his damp hair. He adjusted his pyjama bottoms, an impassive look on his face before eventually dropping his hands to his sides.
He glanced back towards Marinette, a brief smile on his face before he turned to climb into the bed.
"I don't think that's possible." He murmured, running his hand in the space beside him.
Marinette gawked at him, her hands nervously cupping her cheeks as she felt like such an awkward potato, she was better off sleeping on the floor in the guest room down the hall.
Adrien moved his eyes in her direction, a soft chuckle emanating from his chest as he impatiently pat the space beside him.
"Come lay down. I have to talk to you."
Marinette gulped, her heart swimming rapidly in her chest as those words usually didn't mean good things.
It was the moment of rejection.
Marinette glanced down, nodding in embarrassment before she moved towards the bed and climbed onto it awkwardly. She lay beside him, her eyes remaining on the pulse of his neck.
She nuzzled into her pillow, a grimace on her face as she reached for the blanket and tugged it over her body.
"Should I be worried?" Marinette asked, her voice quivering slightly as she squeezed her eyes shut.
The blush on her cheeks contrasted greatly against her freckles, and Marinette was sure she could feel Adrien's eyes burn through her skin.
There was a brief moment of silence between them, and Marinette nearly felt like passing out.
It was going to be one hell of a night.
"Marinette, can you look at me?" Adrien asked, his voice solemn as he looked at Marinette with a grimace. It was almost as if she were on a scary ride, and she had squeezed her eyes shut in order to avoid experiencing the scary heights.
Marinette stubbornly shook her head, whimpering as she turned onto her belly and buried her face into her pillows.
"No, I already know you're just going to talk about the divorce, and I just want to sleep tonight or watch movies."
Adrien frowned, reluctantly reaching over to brush a few strands of her dark hair away from her flushing cheeks.
"It was really stupid for me to say something like that to you." Adrien murmured, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "I know that if I had gone through with it, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. I told you then that I didn't want to lose you and I still mean it."
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut even tighter at the sound of his words. Her heart swam in her chest and she was almost too scared to face him.
"I know my father will get the jewels, because we've fulfilled the contract. In fact, I-I don't know what we are now, but I can assure you that I have no intentions of divorcing you. There's still time to figure things out." Adrien assured, the frown on his lips only deepening.
Marinette trembled, her heart thumping in her ears as Adrien leaned close, resting his head on her shoulders.
"Things don't have to be awkward. I acknowledge your feelings, and I'm sorry I didn't notice how you felt before."
Marinette felt his skin on hers, and she was incredibly close to breaking down. She pressed her lips together, the aching sensation returning to her chest.
Marinette subtly pulled away, her hand reaching up to rub the skin raw on her chest.
There was so much ache.
Marinette didn't want to be a pity case. She loathed herself for saying anything at the ceremony, but she knew things would never be the same again.
Adrien furrowed his brow, drawing back to glance at the young woman rub her skin raw.
"Why do you do that?" Adrien asked, his voice dropping to a whisper as he gently caught her hand and moved it away from her chest. "I've noticed you've been doing it a lot."
Marinette blushed, her bottom lip quivering as he drew her hand away from her skin. Words began to build at her lips and she wanted to keep herself contained, but the more she thought on it, the more she found herself struggling.
"B-Because it hurts..." Marinette breathed, tears pooling in her eyes. "To love someone, and then having to hide it because you don't want to ruin a relationship. I know we just married because we had to, but I couldn't help myself. I understand that you don't feel the same, but I don't want to ruin what we have. I really don't want you to see me any different."
Adrien reached down, sliding his hand into hers. He brought her hand up to his lips and pressed soft kisses to her knuckles before he looked at her again.
Marinette pressed her lips together, her breath catching into her throat as she had become frozen the moment his eyes looked into hers.
"Marinette, I felt something for you the very first time we met." Adrien confessed softly. "Back then, I didn't know what it meant and I'm sorry that it took so long for me to figure it out. I know there was a wall between us. You were uncomfortable being around me, and I was foolishly too preoccupied with Kagami but I felt warm around you. I felt like I wanted to protect you, and continue being with you. It broke my heart when you mentioned that you didn't want to be my friend if we divorced and it shatters my soul to see you cry. I'm sorry for those times I neglected and hurt you for Kagami, I'm sorry for how cruel she was to you and how blind I was to everything including your feelings. I'm sorry for the mean callous things I've told you, I'm sorry for the things you've been through and for the stress you've been under, and I'm sorry for the scary faces I've made." Adrien brushed her cheeks with his fingertips.
Marinette widened her eyes, her mouth growing dry as she wasn't sure she was hearing what she was actually hearing.
If she heard correctly, Adrien had just admitted that the feelings were reciprocated.
"I know things haven't been the best, not for either of us but I want you to know that I want to make you happy. I promise that you won't hurt anymore, not while I'm around." Adrien murmured, grabbing both of her hands and pressing small kisses to her skin. "If you'd give me that chance to make you happy."
Marinette gasped, her limbs trembling. Had it not been for her laying down already, she probably would have collapsed.
She wasn't sure if Adrien was asking her out officially, seeing as though they were technically already married, but she was sure that was a love confession.
The young woman was in complete disbelief.
He had felt something for her too.
It almost didn't seem real.
"Y-You have feelings for me?" Marinette asked, her voice quivering as Adrien pressed small kisses to the palm of her hand and the inside of her wrists.
Her heart slipped into her throat the moment Adrien guided her hand to the soft skin of his chest. A weird sensation of heat flashed throughout her body and Marinette almost forgot to breathe.
Adrien glanced up at her, his green eyes looking into hers and Marinette couldn't look away.
"I have feelings for you, Marinette."
Marinette bit her lip, her cheeks growing as warm as the rest of her body.
In an instant, she wrapped her arms around him, drawing him taut against her body.
She buried her face into his neck, her fingers lightly running up his bare shoulders before they settled into his damp blonde hair. Her fingers gently tugged at his thick locks and Marinette attempted to wrap herself around him completely.
Adrien shivered at the way her hands delicately touched him, and he only wrapped his arms around her tighter.
The blonde turned his head in, pressing soft kisses to her warm cheek before his hands traveled down the length of her spine.
There was an eager sense of yearning in the way that they held each other, and they held each other for dear life.
Marinette buried herself in his warmth and she couldn't have asked for a better moment. She kept her eyes closed and she pressed soft kisses to his cheek.
She wanted to thank him for everything he had ever done for her.
Adrien couldn't explain how much he appreciated Marinette. She had been there for him on his darkest days. She had been incredibly patient and understanding. He had been breaking her heart this whole time, and even though she struggled, she eventually decided to stay with him.
Adrien couldn't help himself, he allowed the moment to take control of him and before he knew it, his lips were on her neck.
Marinette gasped softly, her heart hammering away against her chest plate at the sensation of his wet lips moving down her neck delicately. Her hands gripped tighter into his hair as his tongue danced along the soft pale skin of her collarbone.
His nose brushed against the side of her neck, and Adrien breathed in the scent of her body wash. She was like a delicate piece of fruit, and despite how much he wanted to take his time, he was too eager to taste her.
Marinette exhaled, her breath quivering as Adrien's lips moved back down to the base of her throat.
She furrowed her brow, her body growing warm as his lips latched on to the hollow of her neck where he suckled against her delicate skin. His tongue pressed against her skin and he subtly dropped his hands to her hips where he drew her flush against him.
Marinette habitually gripped onto him, her thighs trembling as she could feel his body heat permeate through her nightgown.
She had never experienced such bliss, yearning and such trepidation.
Marinette had always pictured this, in fact she had dreamt of her first time with Adrien.
But the more she over thought it, the more she worried that it was going to hurt, or that he wouldn't like what he saw, or perhaps he'd regret it and wouldn't want to see her or want her in the coming days.
"A-Adrien,” Marinette whimpered, her train of thought wiping away instantly the moment he sunk his teeth onto the skin of her neck and dragging it down back towards her throat where he carelessly marked her skin.
His lips latched on to her clavicle where he sucked and nipped at the skin delicately.
Adrien continued to mark her skin, his lips kissing each swelling mark in its wake. His hands slipped up the soft fabric of her nightgown and Marinette felt her body freeze. She buried her face into his hair, her blood pulsating through her veins in a desperate heat.
Adrien felt her delicate warm skin at his fingertips. He listened to the quivering breaths that expelled from her lips, as his hands gently traveled up her body.
Her nightgown bunched up against his wrists the further his hands traveled up her body.
Despite it being his first time as well, Adrien had started to act on instinct. He had some experience with Kagami in the years they've dated.
Sure, they've never went all the way, but they got close at times. During the times they did get heated, the furthest Adrien ever got was a handful of breasts.
He and Kagami made out a couple of times, and yes, she did squeeze the hell out of his groin, but she did allow him to grab her breasts from time to time.
It went without saying that Adrien was a virgin when he met Kagami, and as awful as it sounds, she had trained him to things she liked and things she claimed most women liked.
Granted, Adrien never really grabbed or fondled Kagami's breasts without any clothing in between.
This was the first time he had ever really touched a woman's skin this intimately.
When he was with Kagami, she had instructed him to work solely on the nipples. That was what she taught him. He believed that's what stimulated a woman, at least that's what worked for her.
Adrien genuinely wanted to stimulate Marinette so that he could make her first time as pleasurable and painless as possible.
Of course, Adrien had every intention to go all the way, especially if Marinette allowed him to.
Adrien was well aware of the long term relationship Marinette had with his cousin, he was sure she had some experience. He could only assume Marinette knew what she liked, and he hoped that she would open up to him and show him what she liked.
Marinette moved her hands to his shoulders, her nails nearly digging into his skin as his hands cupped the petite mounds against her chest.
Her blush rushed down to the top of her breasts as he squeezed each breast tenderly. She opened her eyes briefly, but closed them once more to keep herself hidden against his neck.
His thumbs ran across her nipples, his digits applying a bit of pressure causing the soft pink nubs to harden.
Marinette dug her nails into his skin, a strange sensation brewing across her chest.
It wasn't pleasurable, and perhaps it was a bit painful. All in all, Marinette wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she didn't want him to stop because she was inexperienced.
"Ngh-" Marinette whimpered, her chest drawing back from the pressure his thumbs applied on to her breasts.
Adrien froze, his thumbs immediately drawing away from her nipples as Marinette inadvertently drew back.
It wasn't the type of sound he had expected her to make, in fact, when he did it to Kagami, all he heard were overwhelming moans and pleas for him to continue and do it more.
This wasn't that sort of sound.
Adrien felt his heart ache in his chest and he slowly pulled away from her.
Marinette released him, her face flushed from the intimacy. She lay on her back and as Adrien retracted his hands from her nightgown, he had settled above her.
Marinette glanced up at him, her hands awkwardly tugging down her gown to cover her breasts.
Adrien hovered above her, his green eyes glancing into her blue eyes that held something he hadn't seen before.
"H-Has Felix touched you?" Adrien asked, his voice hoarse as he moved his eyes down to her nipples that poked through her gown. "Has he touched your chest?"
Marinette pressed her lips together, the young woman glanced down shyly, almost as if she was ashamed of answering.
"F-Felix never touched me," Marinette whimpered, her hands clutching on tightly to her nightgown.
"B-But it's okay, I want you to touch me." Marinette immediately reassured.
Adrien's fingers clenched on to the bedsheets beside her head, and then everything started to make sense. He couldn't tell why, but guilt had started to evade him.
What he would have expected to see a lustful woman beneath him, someone who only begged him to do more and more because she knew what she wanted, soon turned into someone completely different.
The woman beneath him wasn't Kagami.
This was sweet little Marinette.
He didn't see lust and want in her eyes, he saw pure innocence, curiosity and complete cluelessness.
Adrien had grown so accustomed and almost trained to Kagami, that he hadn't notice his mind had somehow conformed to hers.
The more he examined the way Marinette's freckled face blushed, and the way he looked at her, the more he wanted to destroy her.
It was where his mind reverted to, because he was a man.
A man that Kagami had created.
Marinette was a fragment of a new beginning. She was a fresh start. She was the light that guided him to a new life and a new relationship. She was the support he needed to reform and it was only then that Adrien realised that he needed to do a lot of healing.
His green eyes moved over to the marks on her neck, and Adrien shook his head.
"Fuck," he breathed, pulling away from her completely and laying on to his back.
Marinette widened her eyes, her heart sinking into her stomach as she worried she had said something wrong.
Did Adrien prefer to sleep with someone with far more experience?
Or did Adrien misunderstand a noise or moan?
"Adrien? Is everything okay?" Marinette asked, turning to face him awkwardly as he covered his face with his hands.
Adrien sighed, rubbing his eyes before he nodded.
"I'm alright, Marinette." He murmured, turning to face her. "I just- had something to think about." He spoke, reaching over to fix a strap on her nightgown.
Marinette frowned, her heart squeezing in her chest as Adrien seemed more and more withdrawn from the idea of them going any further.
"Did I do something?" Marinette asked. "I promise, I really did want you to touch me."
Adrien shook his head, his fingers moving towards her cheek where he lightly caressed her skin.
"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just thinking about the way that I am. I didn't want to coerce you into your first time. Kagami is still apart of me, in ways I didn't even recognize, and you deserve better than that." Adrien explained, taking a deep breath. "Please trust me. It has nothing to do with you or anything you did."
Marinette almost felt her heart stop, the frown on her lips only growing deeper. She glanced down, her soul shattering at the mention of Kagami's name.
She nodded, reaching for the blanket and tugging it over their bodies.
"Okay, I understand." Marinette whispered, turning away from him awkwardly. She closed her eyes, her lips pressing tightly together as she tried to keep herself from crying.
Even while they were alone, Kagami had a way of getting in between them.
"Goodnight then," Marinette breathed, her voice quivering.
Adrien glanced down, sighing as he felt incredibly foolish once more.
If he was bad at one thing, it was definitely getting his feelings out in the way he wanted.
He reached over towards her, his arms swathed themselves around her and drew her close.
He pressed his face into her neck and closed his eyes.
"I promise, when I come up with the right way to say things, I'll explain everything to you." Adrien pressed soft kisses to her cheek, his face soon nuzzling into her neck.
Marinette listened to him, her heart racing as she felt herself in his arms once more.
She smiled weakly, leaning into him as she tried to find comfort in his words.
"Okay..." she whispered. "I'll be patient..."
___________________________________________
Marinette felt grody for work.
She had slept halfway through the night and even though she was supposed to be off, she grabbed some extra hours for the extra money she spent on the piano for Adrien.
Besides, Alya was on the clock for the night and she didn't mind spending some extra time with her best friend.
There was a lot of things to talk about, and Marinette figured that if she did it in a public place, Alya wouldn't freak out or press her with many questions.
Marinette couldn't stop thinking about the night before, her mind often wondered back towards what her and Adrien almost did.
Of course she woke up to an empty bed, Adrien had whisked himself away to work and Marinette had a few hours to herself to recollect her thoughts.
She had enough time to cover the hickeys all across her neck from him, and Marinette felt bashful the entire time. She felt a little giddy to know that she wore Adrien's kisses across her neck, though it was still a little weird that he touched her breasts before they even shared their first kiss.
She could still feel the tingling in her breasts from when Adrien rubbed her nipples.
She almost felt too silly for being this sore. How pathetic was she?
Marinette sighed, her heart aching in her chest at how awkward it ended up being. She had hoped that the distraction of work would quell her worries, but each time she looked at the bar, she couldn't help but to think about the moment she first met Luka.
She wondered where he was. She wondered how he was doing. Most importantly, she wondered how he got into the likes of Kagami and for how long.
Marinette ran over possible scenarios inside of her head as she covered the marks Adrien had left behind with makeup right before her shift.
She wasn't sure how she'd react if Luka did show up to confront her.
He wouldn't do such a thing.
Would he?
If he did, she certainly wouldn't know what to say to him.
"Marinette,” a voice emanated, cutting into her train of thought.
"Marinette!" Alya called out again, reaching up to shut the faucet that had began to pour all over Marinette's hands. "You're making a mess!"
Marinette blinked, placing the overfilled cup into the sink before she grabbed a sanitized towel to clean her hands.
"S-sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention." She blushed, offering Alya a weak smile.
Alya shook her head, placing the tray of jello shots on to the bar before she stepped aside to allow Rose by them to bank down the till before the next rush of dancers came in.
"Are you stuck on something? You seem a little bit off your rocker tonight. You can ask Rose to leave early if you're tired. I know the wedding was incredibly exhausting." Alya murmured, grabbing the sanitized towel and cleaning off the bar.
Marinette reached up to rub her temples, ignoring the loud booms of the music around them.
"I just....I'm just worried about Adrien." Marinette deadpanned, setting her towel aside. "Before the wedding, he caught Kagami with another man and since then he just seems like he's not over her. Which I guess is understandable..." her voice trailed off as she glanced at Alya who stared at her with wide eyes.
"I guess I thought that my husband would like me by now."
Alya moved over, standing beside Marinette with a look of pure perplexity.
"Okay, one: what the actual fuck? It surely explains why she was such a hawk when it came to you and Adrien being alone. That's incredibly fucked up!
“Two: Adrien already likes you. Nino told me he confessed about it the night of the wedding. He tried to confront you about it, but you disappeared before he had a chance to catch you."
Marinette blushed deeply, her heart picking up the pace inside of her chest.
"S-so he's told others?" She mused shyly.
"Do you think he means it?" Marinette asked, her heart fluttering at the thought of Adrien letting others know how he had feelings for her.
It was quite invigorating.
Alya scoffed, leaning against the bar as she pushed the jello shots away from their perspectives.
"Yeah, I genuinely feel like he has feelings for you. If he had caught Kagami with some other guy, it's only natural for him to want to take a step back. He probably has trust issues and it will take him a bit to unsee that. He needs to heal, but I don't think that'll change his feelings for you."
Marinette subtly nodded.
She noticed his reluctance after he had touched her the night before, but she never thought about it being something of healing, especially because Marinette was under the impression that she made him think he hurt her.
"I guess you're right. I mean after I found out that Felix cheated on me, I shut him out." Marinette sighed with a grimace.
Perhaps it was better to allow Adrien to move at his own pace.
She wasn't like Kagami. She wasn't in any rush to do anything.
Alya offered her a weak smile, she slowly wrapped her arms around Marinette, hugging her lightly.
"Don't worry, it'll all work out somehow."
Marinette chuckled, nodding softly as she tried to find comfort in the gesture, but in the back of her mind, she still couldn't help but to worry.
Alya glanced at Marinette, allowing nothing but the music to envelop them completely.
Alya had a hunch that Marinette was still bothered by the situation, and she only hoped that it would ease.
"Look, I took your advice." Alya murmured, rubbing her cheek on to Marinette's freckled cheek. "I told Nino about my pregnancy."
Marinette gasped, pulling back to glance at Alya with a wide smile.
"You did? How did he take it? Is he alright with the whole thing?" She asked, her toes tingling as she bounced with excitement.
When she had spoken to Nino in the past about Alya ignoring him, Marinette got the sense that Nino wasnt the type of man to bail on his responsibilities.
"He was a bit surprised," Alya chuckled, her shoulders shrugged sheepishly. "But he didn't run away. He insisted he'd stay and support me with whatever decision I make. So I guess that's good."
Marinette grinned, wrapping her arms around Alya and squeezing her once more.
"Of course that's good! I told you he wasn't gonna run away!"
Alya scrunched her nose, a warm smile on her face as both women heard someone approach the bar.
"Evening, bitches!" Chloe piped, taking a seat at the bar and patting her hand against the bar top. "Your queen has arrived!"
Alya snorted, releasing Marinette so that she could tend the bar.
"Good evening, your highness. Marinette's shift is almost over, so it looks like you're stuck with me for a few more hours." Alya teased. "I hope that suits you."
Marinette giggled, shooting Chloe an apologetic glance. She had to give Alya props. For a pregnant woman, she worked the most hours than anyone that was scheduled.
"Oh, that's fine~” Chloe sang, her eyes moving over towards Marinette.
"You wouldn't catch me dead in a shoddy place like this, but I've come to let you ladies know that I'm throwing a party tomorrow night. They're still throwing the fireworks for Bastille day, I thought it would be perfect seeing as though the Agreste wedding was still in the papers. It's gonna be huge. I would like for you bitches to come. It'll enhance my status quo."
Alya chortled, leaning against the bar with a grin.
"Is that your way of saying you like us? I mean there's no way we could pass up an invite from Chloe Bourgeois herself. We'd have to be dying."
Chloe snorted, tapping her fingers against the bar as she fixed the strap of her cocktail dress with her other hand.
"I guess you can say that. I've ordered a ton of drinks for the party and I even ordered sodas to accompany your future little crotch goblin."
Alya furrowed her brow, a snort escaping her nose at Chloe's choice of wording.
"Crotch goblin?" Alya reiterated. "Are you referring to my unborn child?"
Chloe gasped, a wide smile on her face as she faked an expression of surprise.
"You see? I am capable of love!" She squealed with a small laugh.
Marinette shook her head, giggling softly as she approached Alya from the left towards the bar.
"Can I get you a drink before I clock out? Or are you going to sit here and continue to be fabulous all night?" Marinette asked, perking a brow.
Chloe pressed her lips together as she pondered.
"I guess I should order your most expensive drink on the menu~" she teased.
"How did the personal interview with my mother go? Do you think she hired you?"
Marinette pursed her lips, moving behind Alya to grab a martini glass to prepare Chloe's drink.
"I didn't fall or trip over my words. I guess that's a start. I think she caught my schmoozing about halfway through the conversation though.”
Chloe rolled her eyes with a small smile.
"Schmoozing can only get you so far." The blonde muttered, drawing back as Alya placed a coaster in front of her.
"Tell me about it." Marinette groaned, turning over to place the glass by the drink mixer.
Marinette bit her lip, focusing on the cocktail she was meaning to prepare while she allowed the music to drown out Alya and Chloe who began to playfully banter with one another.
Marinette bit her lip, focusing on the task at hand.
She was almost finished with the drink and she was ready to present it to Chloe shortly before clocking out but paused the moment she felt someone approach her from the far end of the bar.
"Marinette,”
The young woman froze, her heart aching as she recognized his voice.
She almost wanted to pretend that she didn't hear him, but by the way she visibly reacted to the sound of his voice, she already knew that he noticed it.
Marinette glanced up at Luka, a deadpanned expression on her features as she quickly glanced back and Alya and Chloe, hoping that they didn't see.
Luka frowned, knowing full well that Marinette was in no mood to deal with him and it fucked him up.
He didn't expect to get caught up in the issues of Kagami, but he didn't want her to get the wrong idea.
The least he could do was give her an explanation.
"Please, listen to me." Luka pressed, the lines under his eyes deepening. "Let me explain everything."
Marinette shook her head, her lips pressing together tautly.
"Luka, I don't know if I have the time. I really just need to serve this drink and head home. Please just leave me alone."
"Marinette please," Luka pleaded, moving down the length of the bar table before she could walk away and avoid him. "I'm begging you, I need you to listen to me. Just- let me meet you outside or something. Give me a chance, let me explain everything."
Marinette sighed, her chest growing tight. She knew that if she'd ignore him and continue, he'd simply follow her towards Chloe and Alya and just make a scene.
Marinette didn't want Alya to know that Luka was the one sleeping with Kagami, because she knew Alya would possibly attempt to castrate him.
Her life was already a daytime drama, she couldn't handle her best friend going on a murderous rampage.
Marinette would have liked to have thought that she wasn't a single rose in a basket that Luka decided to pull. Marinette wanted to believe he genuinely liked her, but how everything went, it almost seemed like he didn't.
It was simply unforgivable.
Adrien wasn't the only one furious with Luka.
Marinette certainly was too.
"Just give me a bit of time to think about it for the night. For now, I need you to step away from the bar before you draw anymore attention. I don't need any of my friends getting involved with this." Marinette explained, keeping her eyes off of Luka.
She couldn't find it in herself to feel guilty, despite the shattered glance in his face as she left him far behind her.
Marinette forced a smile on her face, unable to rid the imagine of Luka from her mind as she served Chloe the drink.
___________________________________________
Marinette opened her eyes, her palm open and out into midair as the raindrops landed on her skin.
The young woman furrowed her brow as each droplet caught into her long lashes that framed her blue eyes.
The droplets slipped through each stand of lash almost as if they were caught in a web.
Marinette reached up, wiping her eyes as she shifted her weight from one leg to another.
She stood underneath the awning, her lips pursing as she glanced down the narrow empty street, waiting for Adrien's bodyguard to pick her up and give her a ride home. Marinette would have taken the bus, but with the way it had been pouring, she didn't want to take that risk of becoming completely soaked like the last time she got caught in the rain.
She had said her quick goodnights to Alya, Rose and Chloe before she hauled ass out of the nightclub in an attempt to evade Luka, and his demanding explanation.
She didn't see him on her way out the door, so she could only assume that she had lost him somewhere off in the crowd. If she had completely pulled it off, she would have avoided any sort of confrontation.
Luka had a lot more explaining to do, not just with her, but with Adrien as well.
"Marinette,”
Marinette froze at the sound of her name. She sighed, her eyes lowering to the ground. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, her heart racing and her brain scolding herself for speaking way too soon.
She clenched her fists inside of her pockets, vexation pulsating through her veins as she turned to him.
"Luka, I really can't do this right now-" Marinette froze, her voice trailing off at the look on Luka's face.
Luka's cheeks were a dark pink, his eyes swollen and flushed. Tears streaming down his face profusely. There were deep bags beneath his eyes, and his usual stylish clothes were limited to just a set of sweats.
His face had taken a pale glow to it and it almost looked as if he caught his death.
"Marinette, I didn't know about her boyfriend." Luka breathed, his voice quivering as he took Marinette's stunned silence as a chance to speak.
"I feel like shit. I haven't been able to eat, or sleep or function normally. I've been feeling so sick to my stomach, especially to know that I fucked up a relationship, and that you're angry with me. I know it seems some sort of way, but I've called you and I wanted to wait for you. It's just- she came back and she got into my head-" Luka clenched his jaw as he ran his hand through his hair.
"I....there's just so much-" Luka continued, his voice cracking. "There's so much in between and I just-"
Tears burned at the edges of his eyes.
"The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you..."
Marinette frowned, her heart plummeting into her stomach at how broken Luka was.
It still didn't excuse what he did.
She knew he was hurting and of course there were complex sides to the story. Marinette had the hunch that Luka was genuine from the start. She didn't technically play nice either. She had almost used him as someone to move on from Adrien, though she felt with all her heart that Luka would be good to her.
She had never seen Kagami show remorse, yet here Luka was, showing her every piece of vulnerability he had to offer. Marinette didn't want to admit it but it broke her heart.
She was willing to give him the chance to explain himself, but there was that look on his face that nearly brought her to her knees. It didn't matter of what his mistake was, Luka didn't deserve to suffer the way he was.
On pure instinct, Marinette wrapped her arms around him drawing him into a taut and warm embrace. She held him tightly towards her body, as all she wanted to do at that moment was assure him.
"I'm sorry that it turned out this way." Marinette whispered, her fingers lightly running through his hair as Luka slowly wrapped his arms around her in return.
"But right now, I need you to go home and get some rest. I'll give you the chance to speak, but I think it should be somewhere more private than this. I'll text you and I'll tell you when it's a good time to come over."
Luka trembled in her arms, crying softly as all he ever wanted to hear was Marinette tell him that she wasn't angry, that she didn't hate him. He needed some sort of hope that there was a chance to be forgiven and that he'd still be able to be apart of her life somehow.
Marinette closed her eyes, sinking into the hug as the rain poured around them profusely.
She could faintly hear the sound of a car pull to the curb, and she knew that was her cue to go, but she couldn't find it in her to let him go
She didn't mind holding him just for a little while. All she would expect is for his bodyguard to let her know he was here, and then escort her inside when she was ready.
"You don't hate me, right?" Luka asked in a strained whisper, ignoring the car that awaited for Marinette. "It's been on my mind the last two days."
Marinette shook her head, her hands playing with his hair gently. She continued to rest her cheek on to his shoulder and she parted her lips.
"No, I don't hate you-"
"Mrs. Agreste." A voice interjected, sending daggers straight into her heart.
It was a voice she recognized, but it certainly wasn't their bodyguard.
Marinette pulled away from Luka, a deep blush coating her cheeks as Adrien stood beneath an umbrella by the car.
His green eyes remained fixated on Marinette, his expression hard as he ignored the fact that Luka was even standing there.
Luka widened his eyes, his arms dropping to his sides as Marinette stepped beneath the umbrella Adrien kept hovered over them both.
The color drained out of Luka's face as Adrien took Marinette by the waist.
"M-Mrs. Agreste?" Luka stammered. "You're married?"
Marinette frowned, stumbling against Adrien as he opened the car door for her.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and she could almost hear it inside of her ears.
"I'll explain everything later okay?" Marinette assured, her heart sinking as she glanced at Luka one last time before she climbed into the car.
She scooted over, watching Adrien close his umbrella and move in the space beside her without uttering a single word.
Adrien closed the door, a deep sigh escaping his lips as he leaned into his seat.
There was an awkward silence between them and Marinette was worried that Adrien was irritated by the sight of Luka, or perhaps he was irritated by the sight of her hugging him.
She couldn't tell.
Marinette felt completely shattered, her hands clenching onto her coat as the car pulled away from the curb.
The young woman glanced back into the rearview window, a quivering sigh escaping her lips as Luka stood in the middle of the road, his clothes completely drenched as he watched the car leave.
Marinette almost felt like she could cry, her eyes remaining on Luka's broken figure before he finally disappeared.
And it was completely heart breaking.