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As an avid animation consumer, Adrien would have deemed himself the master of spotting cliche-tropes an entire block away.
Especially one as overused as the protagonist getting rammed by a truck whilst on a phone call.
He had always wondered why every single one of them had failed to move their feet, away from the inevitable force of a monstrous vehicle.
But hearing the honking, seeing the lights blind him and the hammering of his heart as it prepared itself for what was coming next, he understood immediately.
Hands tightening on his phone, he managed a “I’m sorry,” before his body was tossed to the side like a ragdoll. Pain filled every bit of his limbs, and he heard a crack internally, which told him he definitely broke something. Crumbling onto the floor, the sharp, prickly feeling intensified, but all his remaining attention was on the phone just a few feet away from him.
He could hear a hysterical voice through the speakers yelling, “Adrien? Adrien! Adrien what happened! Adrien!”
And he so badly wanted to reach out to her and tell his beautiful wife that everything was okay, that it was a false call, that he was alright.
But the depths of eternal sleep was so close to claiming him, and he had no physical strength in him to reach for his device.
So he closed his eyes, feeling a wet trail following down the curve of his cheeks. Something warm felt like it was leaving him, and in a haze, he realized it was his blood.
He had always been scared of seeing his own blood.
Sounds ceasing to exist, he couldn’t resist the hands that came to drown him into the depths of the ocean.
Slowly, he let himself get swept away by the waves of nothingness.
All the while, the pang of loss echoing in his head.
I’m sorry.
The light leaving him.
I love you.
Marinette.
Marinette wasn’t sure how much time had passed since her phone call with her husband.
There was just this…constant ringing in her head after she heard the awful sound of something crashing full force. The moment she knew something had gone terribly wrong.
So, so wrong.
This wasn’t like any other times in the past when they could rely on magic to bring everything back to normal.
Those days were long gone.
Ladybug and Cat Noir were Paris legends belonging to the past decade.
With heaving breaths, she screamed, knees buckling onto the floor. Desperately, she hoped that the worst hadn't happened; that he was alive.
Because dammit, they had survived far, far worse together.
He couldn’t just have left from a car crash when they defeated Chrysalis together.
She doesn’t know how long she was there on the floor of their apartment. One moment, she was tearing herself apart as violent tears took over her entire form. The next, she was being hauled somewhere–likely Alya–with the firm grips on her arm.
“Marinette. Marinette! Marinette!” Alya shouted, shaking her shoulders to get the poor girl’s attention.
Her friend was distraught.
The only other time she saw her close to this state was when she came to her revealing she and Cat Noir had divulged their identities to one another.
Alya couldn’t imagine the amount of hurt she was going through.
Receiving a call late in the evening from Adrien had been a little perplexing, but even more so when the person on the other end wasn’t Adrien.
Instead, it was a hospital staff informing her that Adrien was in critical condition. Briefly, they mentioned trying to call the first person on the contact list, but the call had gone unanswered.
Alya had been the next person on the list.
To be very, very honest, Alya couldn’t believe this had happened.
Her friends had been superheroes.
The very ones that she had idolized even after being given the responsibility of Rena Rouge.
Hearing Adrien had fallen into a coma after surviving all else felt like the universe’s joke.
“Marinette.” She tried to reach the girl, but she still had that haunted look in her eyes as she squeezed both arms around herself.
When Alya spotted Nino coming out from a long conversation with the nurse, he gave a sorrowful smile.
“They’ve managed to stabilize him, but it’s still too early to say how he’ll end up. He suffered major trauma to the head and ended up with cracked ribs, so healing is going to take a while.”
With a watery smile, Nino shrugged in an attempt to make light of the grave situation, “I wouldn’t worry. H-he’s gotten through a lot worse. And his immune system has always been fast.”
He lowered his head, and Alya beckoned towards him as the first tears fell.
“I-I just can’t bear to see him lying there, babe. He’s…he was always so lively. He shouldn’t be there.”
“I know,” Alya agreed, her voice cracking at the last word. “He’s strong.”
She looked at Marinette, hoping her words would somehow mend the hole growing in her heart, “You know he’ll get through it, Marinette.”
Marinette simply closed her eyes, lips quivering.
“I’m staying.” She stubbornly repeated.
Alya knew it was dangerous trying to argue with her friend when she was emotionally turbulent, but she also wanted her to take care of herself. Self-sabotaging was her unfortunate strong suit, and the only one that could really break the cycle had been Adrien.
But with him bedridden…she was going to have to step up to fill his role. Temporarily.
“Girl, I know you want to be here for him, but you haven’t slept. You told me you stayed up the day before completing some last minute commissions. If you don’t want to worry him, you’re going to have to take some time to recharge.”
“I-I.” Marinette’s eyes filled with tears again as she broke eye contact with Alya to turn towards Adrien’s room. “I know, but. I can’t leave him.”
Alya stepped forward to tug the girl into her arms, and she mumbled, “I know.”
Raising a hand to rub her friend’s back in a comforting gesture, she pulled back, “I’ll bring you basic necessities. Family is allowed to be in the patient's room. Just…promise you’ll try to get some sleep.”
Marinette gave her a tired, small smile with her bloodshot eyes. “Okay.”
When Alya dropped off a bag full of things from the apartment, she initiated a small hug and watched her disappear from the ends of the hallway.
Now alone with her and Adrien, she made her steps towards him, plopping onto a chair by the bed.
“Kitty,” she whispered, a hand hovering over his cheekbones. She wanted to feel him, but the tubes inserted through his throat made her hesitant.
The nurse had warned her he nearly passed.
It was miraculous he had survived that at all.
Letting her hands fall back onto her lap, she kept watch the entire night.
Even when the last lights of the hospital’s hallway dimmed away, she stayed up watching him.
Please wake up.
Please.
The room was bright and blinding when he slowly opened his eyes to slits.
Every part of his body ached, and it took a moment until he realized he was in a private hospital bed.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
His eyes caught sight of a heart monitor– his heart monitor–steadily making its rhythm known.
He wondered what had happened to him.
Breathing hurt.
A small figure entered his peripheral vision, and he frowned. It appeared to be a woman sleeping by his side.
Who was she?
The petite woman stirred and the heart monitor quickened as they met eyes.
Hers was a striking blue that reminded him of the prettiest sky.
Eyes widening with every passing second, he watched as tears poured out of her. A part of his heart panged, unrelated to the physical pain he felt numb to, and he impulsively reached up, wanting to hold her hands.
“You’re awake…” The woman spoke in disbelief. She came closer and brushed some hair out of his eyes, and he was pleasantly surprised at her beauty. It was an added bonus that her fingers felt so good mussing with his hair.
“Let me call the nurse, I’ll be right back.” She shakily let out, eyes on him the entire time until she exited his room.
He kept his gaze on the door, wondering who she was in relation to him.
Marinette was really trying to keep herself together as she ran full speed to the reception.
“Madam, are you alright?” The woman stood slowly from her chair.
She nodded, wiping the tears away from her eyes with the back of her hands, “Y-yes. I–I’m Marinette Agreste. My husband–Adrien Agreste–just woke up. I need–”
The woman understood immediately. “I’ll have nurses examine him right away.”
Marinette sent her a watery smile, “Thank you.”
She turned on her heels and made her way back to Adrien’s room.
He had done it.
Against all odds, he had managed to wake after three agonizing days.
If he wasn’t recovering, she would have kissed the living daylights out of him for his enhanced immune system.
When she entered his room again, he was already being tended to by multiple nurses and doctors. She let out a sigh of relief as she took in the response rates. He couldn’t move much, but still had the same light in his eyes as he gave his honest replies.
Stepping back out to the hallway, she dialled the call to Alya, who picked up right away.
“How is he?? Is he okay??”
Marinette gave a small smile, “Yea.” Her throat was sore from the crying, but she had never felt happier, “He just woke. The nurses are with him now.”
“That’s SUCH a relief. You have no idea how hard it was trying to fall back asleep with his coma in the back of our minds.”
She heard the car keys jingling and recognized it as Alya’s commute to work. “Thanks for the last few nights, Alya. I’m so lucky to have someone like you in my life.”
“Aww girl,” Alya cooed, “You always can count on me. You and Cat might be two halves of a whole, but a ladybug could always do with extra companions.”
“Thank you. I’ll call you later, if that’s okay?”
“Sure, girl. Keep me updated!”
Hanging up, Marinette slid the doors open, only to have all eyes on her.
The doctor walked to her with a clipboard in hand, and she recognized the tell-tale signs of uneasiness from the way he tapped his pen against it. Eyes moving from him to Adrien, who was still taking her in, she lifted a brow to express her question.
“Mrs. Agreste, I regret to inform you of this, but I’m afraid Mr. Agreste’s memory has been lost from the impact.”
Her heart plummeted, and she only registered her fall when she felt nurses hoisting her back up. Eyes unfocused, she swallowed, “W-what?”
This felt too familiar. The only difference being that her husband was fine.
Forcing herself to hang onto the doctor’s words, she heard “accident” and “amnesia” before habitually looking into Adrien’s eyes for support.
He was looking at her, but not really looking into her.
“Will his memories come back?” She whispered.
“We can’t say for certain, but with patience, there might be a chance for him to get back at least 50% of his memories.”
“O-oh.” She breathed. “I see. Thank you.”
“We’re sorry,” the doctor told her.
She didn’t know how to respond back.
Learning his name was Adrien Agreste was reassuring.
He could finally put an identity for himself without referring to himself as “it” or “him.”
The other part was finding out he was married.
To the pretty woman that had been sleeping face down on the corners of his bed.
It should have surprised him learning that he was a taken man, but everything about her just felt so… right.
From the way her eyes clung onto his like a lifeline, to the immediate calm and belonging that washed over him, he knew that he had bared his entire soul to Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Correction: Marinette Agreste.
There were so many tingles and shivers running down his spine knowing she had chosen him.
Seeing the simple silver band round his ring finger made it even more real that they had been together.
Which was why it felt like someone shot him multiple times when he saw her cry for him.
He figured it was what kept her in his room the last couple of nights, from the veins that webbed in her eyes.
An intense surge of protection–the need to tuck her away from all harm–overwhelmed him, and he wanted to stand and fiercely hug her into his chest.
But all he was capable of doing was send her gazes that hopefully stopped the seemingly-endless tears from spilling.
“Marinette? My wife?”
The way every syllable rolled off his tongue felt like it was always her.
He didn’t know his past nor his future.
But one thing was evidently clear: he had loved his wife very much so.
She looked at him with the same broken look in her eyes, and he rasped out, “Can we talk?” He made a point to look at the hospital staff stationed around his bed, “Alone?”
They didn’t need to be told again.
“We’re a button away,” a nurse added, finger pointing towards the red call button by the bed. He nodded and looked at Marinette.
“Can you sit down, darling?”
She sniffled. He wanted so badly to pocket her in his jeans. The way her nose scrunched up reminded him of a chipmunk.
“I’m sorry you had to come here because of me.” He imagined a day where the roles were reversed. If he had been living life and received a call about her getting hospitalized…Trepidation filled his stomach. That entire day would have been a blur.
“Don’t say that.” She snapped through her closed-up voice, fists clenched on her lap.
Eyes shining with ferocity, she scooted herself closer to his face.
“We’re partners. I’m always here for you.”
He smiled.
Even now, he wanted to trail a finger down her hairline with the back of his palm.
Marinette’s eyes were on his bandaged ribs, and he tried to keep his breathing steady and face devoid of pain.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
It was strange…but it felt like he had heard that before.
“Do you know what happened? To me? I don’t know how I got here.”
“You were coming back home for dinner, and a drunk driver hit you with his truck.” Her fragile frame shook, “I thought I lost you…You were,” she swallowed, “You were with me on a call, and a second later all I heard were crashing sounds.”
A few more tears escaped as she met his eyes, “Alya led me here. I don’t think I was in the right state of mind,” she laughed bitterly.
He wanted to wipe the tears away, but the pain was getting unbearable. She noticed the grimace and came to him, disregarding the hesitation of making contact with him earlier.
And believe it or not, he felt instantly better having her hands on his face.
“It’s been a long few days. You should get some more rest.” Her hands moved to gently clasp the edge of his fingers, “I’ll be here.”
He really wanted to tell her more. There was a lot he wanted to ask. But his body was forcing him to shut down, and he couldn’t resist the sleep syren anymore.
Marinette was still there when he opened his eyes after who-knows-how-many-hours later.
“Darling?”
She was with him immediately, “Hey.”
And she looked positively glowing with the sunset’s rays shining from the window. “How long was I out?”
Glancing at the clock, she told him, “Six hours.”
“Oh.” His stomach grumbled.
“Here, let me get your food.” She scuttled over to the door, bringing back a tray of…unappetizing soup.
She sensed his reluctance, “I promise to feed you everything once you're better, but for now, eat to regain some strength, okay?”
His mind started procuring images of a cream soup with sour bread. If he closed his eyes and really focused, it was almost like he could smell it as he sat at the table in their apartment. It felt familiar to him, so he asked, “Cream soup?”
Her mouth popped open, “You remember that?”
“Bits and pieces,” he admitted hopefully.
“You used to love it when I made you those. It was a staple in our home.” She smiled. Pressing a light kiss to his cheeks like it was nothing, he burned up as she shifted her focus back to the bowls. “I promise to make you cream soup the first thing when we’re home.”
He was the luckiest man alive. How did he find someone that loved him so much?
“I don’t deserve you.” He whispered in awe.
Marinette gave a smile. “Kitty, it’s always going to be you and me against the world.”
His heart spluttered, “Still, I can’t believe the person I woke up to is the most amazing woman in the world.” He added softly.
A spoon made its way to his mouth, and he swallowed it slowly.
They stayed comfortably in silence until he was done, and she coaxed him back down into a comfortable position.
It was now nighttime, but Adrien felt a rush of anxiety course through him as he wondered if she’d stay. She had gotten comfortable on the left side of his bed, with her elbows propped to support both cheeks.
He hoped that would only mean she was going to stay.
Breath slightly blowing over his face, she spoke, “Earlier this week, you talked about how we’d always find our way back to each other because we were star-crossed lovers like Romeo and Juliet.”
He listened attentively, desperate to grasp onto anything of his past that might jog his memory.
She shook her head with a light laugh. “You’ve always had the wildest imaginations with the best stories to tell.”
The way her eyes melted into his was doing numbers to his breathing. As the heart machine incessantly beeped away, the two chose to ignore it.
Marinette slumped a little into her hands, and he noted the way the content aura around her dulled away, “I-I’m going to be honest with you.”
“I’m actually really scared.”
Her gaze falling on his condition, she seemed torn on how to properly express her fear.
“I-I know we’re legally married, but i-if at any point, you feel like you were forced into a life with me or you want to explore your options, you can tell me. I-I will understand.”
She looked at him, and he could see the sincerity that shone through the hurt and pain she was reeling in. Reeling in because she loved him .
And he couldn’t imagine why she’d think he’d even want to be apart from her now, when he knew she was his axis.
He was using his better hand, closest to her, to reach for her now. Ignoring the burning sensations that shot up his limb, he wove his fingers into hers tight. So tight that it was probably hurting her, but the two paid no mind.
“Marinette.”
Already the tears were falling from his eyes, and he noticed she had more running down her cheeks, too.
“Marinette, I don’t want you to go. If you’re afraid I don’t love you back, you’re wrong. I do.”
He paused, wanting to make sure she knew how grateful he was to be with her right now.
“I can’t promise my memories will be back, but I want you with me.”
He gave her hand a squeeze, and he relished in the fact that she returned the gesture.
“You’re important, and it’s too easy for me to cherish you.”
She released a breath she didn’t know that she was withholding.
He still loved her.
When he was done, the tension left him, and he sagged. It had been physically draining to say those few words.
But he minimized the look of exhaustion on his face the best he could, choosing to focus solely on her.
“Okay.” She shyly replied, using a thumb to graze his knuckles, which– oh my gosh– were doing so much to him.
“You should sleep.” She smiled. “I know you’re trying to hide it, but you’re clearly tired.”
“I thought I was masking it well,” he pouted.
She laughed, and it was a genuine one. It filled his heart with so much warmth he felt like combusting on the spot.
“You have tells, Adrien. Now sleep.”
He squeezed her fingers, mouth opening, but she beat him to it again.
“I’ll be here. It’s okay.”
Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
With his wife parallel to him in a makeshift bed.
Three weeks later, Adrien was declared to be fully healed, to all the doctors’ amazement.
“We’ve never had anyone heal this fast, before.”
Marinette had given a knowing smile while Adrien sported an uncertain one. Her arms crossed into his, she led him away from the curious circle. Once they were a good distance away, he couldn’t help but ask.
“Do you know something?”
“I do, but I’ll tell you later.”
She knew there was going to be a lot of questions swirling in his head, but she really couldn’t wait to take him to the people he loved the most–after her.
Her poor, clueless husband had no time to react before being drawn into a bear hug upon passing the bakery doors.
“Adrien!”
“Son!”
It was amusing when she saw the brief panic flash across his features before it settled into a wobbly smile with teeth.
“Hello,” he timidly squeaked out.
“Maman, papa, you’re suffocating him,” she gently admonished, tugging away at the arms around Adrien.
“Sorry, sweetie, it’s just so good to see him,” papa gently placed him down.
She saw her husband subtly adjust the collars of his shirt, and reached over to help him. He returned a thankful smile.
“We were so worried when we heard what happened from Marinette.” Maman handed Adrien a croissant, which he took eagerly.
“Say, son, how’s your amnesia?” Papa asked, patting his back gently when he accidentally choked on the piece of pastry.
Adrien didn’t know how to put this into words without being too direct, “It’s still a little murky.”
“Guess you don’t remember your days as a hero, then, do you?”
He was stumped. Instantly looking to Marinette for assistance, she was already giving her papa an indignant stare as she whisper-shouted, “Papa!”
“Sorry, sweetie.” He gave Adrien a smile, “Don’t worry, son. We’re just good to see you back again.”
“Marinette, honey," Maman exchanged a wink, "Why don’t you take Adrien to your room? It might help.”
She took the suggestion and clasped Adrien’s hands in hers, dragging him up to her childhood room.
As the trapdoor room shut, Sabine gave a knowing smile.
If Adrien’s awestruck look was an indicator, she knew for certain the two were going to be okay.
“Sorry about maman and papa. They can be a little much.” She said as the trapdoor slammed shut.
His eyes were mirthful, “They’re lovely people. I can see why you love them so much.”
She placed a hand over his, “Adrien. They love you too, you know.”
That was definitely something he could feel. “I know. I’m thankful.”
Taking his attention off her and to her room, he noticed how familiar and unfamiliar it felt.
“Have I been here before?”
“Plenty.” A hand pointed to the skylight by her propped bed. “Most of the time, you came in through that window.”
“I did?” He didn’t know that was physically possible for a human. Though, a vague memory in his dream told him he had done some rock-climbing. Maybe that had honed his skills? Still didn’t really explain the reason why he had visited her through the skylight window. If they had been dating for a while, it would have made more sense for him to just see her through the front doors of her house.
“How?”
Marinette climbed the ladder to her bed, tilting her head to beckon Adrien towards her. He followed, of course.
As he laid down on her bed, he warmed when she curled towards him with a finger drawing over his chest.
“Paris didn’t used to be completely safe thirteen years ago.”
He put all his attention on her. Something about the way she was telling him this particular story itched away at a corner of his brain. With every attempt to pull out anything, it felt like what he had was just getting farther and farther away.
“There were villains that were ‘akumatized.’ They specifically seeked out negative emotions to villainize their victims. To break them out of it, their akumatized object had to be broken. The akuma would be captured, healed and then released.”
A blurry picture flew into his mind, but it was out just as quick as it came to him.
“Who were the heroes?”
Marinette looked at him, and it felt like every single part of him became alive at her words.
“Ladybug and Cat Noir.”
He felt his jaws open slightly at the names.
Her eyes were busy looking into his, searching for any recollection or recognition.
It felt familiar, but everything was just so blank to him.
Sitting up, she saw the silent protest on Adrien’s face as she left the bedroom. She quickly made her way down the ladder railings to her desk drawers below. Rummaging around, it took a couple of minutes to finally find the one object she was looking for.
Making her way back onto the bed, she saw his arms wrap her close so that her back was against his chest. Situating herself comfortably between his legs, she looked up at him past her long lashes. He gave a warm smile of his own.
Nevermind how her heart fluttered, it was rare for Adrien to initiate physical contact with her after his incident.
She always felt loved before, but this made her feel like she meant the entire world to him.
As the faint smell of his mint shampoo filled the air, she snuggled into him.
And it might have been her imagination, but she felt like he was taking in her scent, too.
Picking up the object in her drawers onto her lap, she turned slightly towards him.
His eyes were already on hers.
Swallowing slowly at the tension that filled the air, she let out a shuddery breath and turned quickly away. Already, a blush made its way to her cheeks. She hoped he wouldn’t notice.
“I thought you might be interested in looking up the two’s adventures. There are plenty documented on the web. This here,” he eyed what appeared to be a pink notebook, “Is a detailed recollection of every single akumatized villain encountered by the two. Though it’s all through Ladybug’s eyes.”
He looked at the object in amazement, bringing his arms over hers to flip through some of the pages.
“How…how do you have this?”
She gave a confident smile, and something in the way the corners of her mouth morphed into a smirk was really familiar. And hot.
“I was Ladybug.”
He blinked.
Marinette burst into laughter watching her husband turn into a tomato in real time.
“No. Way.”
“I’m telling you, that’s exactly what happened!”
Adrien huffed, “There is no way I turned into Reflekta! I don’t think I know how to walk in heels!”
Marinette laughed, her head tilting back as it tackled her body full force. “You definitely didn’t, but you made a sassy Reflekta.”
"And our friends–Nino and Alya–were Carapace and Rena Rouge?"
She nodded, pointing to a section where she detailed her choosing them as miraculous holders. "We fought the most as the four of us. It just made a lot of sense."
Adrien nodded. He hadn't gotten the chance to meet Nino yet, but he could see why they got close so quickly.
He flipped to another section of the diary. It had a photo of Adrien and Cat Noir.
“And you never suspected that Adrien Agreste and Cat Noir were the same people?”
“Oh. You have no. idea.” She flipped towards the back of her diary.
An entry a year later came into view.
“See this?” Her handwriting was barely legible, and it appeared to be filled with distressed thoughts.
Adrien is Cat. ADRIEN AGRESTE IS CAT NOIR. WHAT IS THIS?!
He chuckled. “So I take it, putting it together stressed you out.”
She gave him a glare paired with a soft punch to his pecs. “You, my dear husband, had the nerve to joke about how the ‘cat was out of the bag.’ Do you have any idea how flabbergasted I was to find out the boy I liked and the partner I came to care about were one of the same person?”
Adrien laughed. “I guess. How did I take the news? When you told me you were Ladybug?”
Marinette brought her hand through his hair, and he sighed. He loved it when she did that.
“You took it really well. Had an entire speech coming out of your mouth saying it made a lot of sense.” Her hands moved to the hairline close to the back of his ears, and he almost purred. “It was flattering. I was really worried about disappointing you.”
Adrien frowned.
“You would never disappoint me.” He told her earnestly.
And to get the point across, he tucked a stray hair behind her ear with loving eyes.
Marinette closed her eyes momentarily, and he watched in delight and affection when her pupils dilated in size.
Their lips were so close to each other, and Adrien had to shut his vision off to stop himself from claiming her.
Knowing they were wedded, he was aware they likely had varied moments of intimacy, but he had no memories of them.
So he felt like a young, teenage boy that was about to confess his feelings to his one and only crush.
“Marinette.”
She fluttered her eyes, “Yes?”
“C-can I?” He gulped. Don’t mess this up, Agreste. “Erm. Kiss you?”
There. He got it out there.
But his mouth just had to ramble to fill in any of the empty spaces because gosh he was so nervous and she was so pretty and her lips so shiny and she was just– oh.
She met him there. Everywhere.
Her mouth was soft, but firm as they moved against his. He had to remind himself not to be a gaping fish.
“Marinette. Marinette. I– oh gosh.” He moaned in between the moments they broke apart to catch their breath.
She was enjoying this too much, and a part of her wondered if she should have felt guilty.
Afterall, she was the sole holder of their memories, which meant she had an advantage over his weak points.
But the power coursing through her as he helplessly shifted beneath her was thrilling.
“I love you.” She declared, hands looped around his neck as she earnestly looked up at him.
He had to know that she still loved him ardently. Reverently.
Because they were a team. Ladybug by itself wouldn’t sound half as cool as being together as one.
Adrien stopped, and–against her expectations–started tearing up.
Shocked at the sudden outburst, she moved to cradle his cheeks.
“Adrien?” He sniffed, “Adrien, what’s wrong?”
He tugged her to him, covering her into his chest. “I’m so blessed. I am the luckiest man alive. I love you, too. I love you so, so much.”
Then it was her turn to cry and his turn to console her as the weight of her emotions fell on her.
When the two eventually laid back down on the bed, Adrien couldn’t help the impulsive need to kiss her forehead tenderly as she slumbered to deep sleep.
“I love you, m’lady.”
His dreams were really weird.
A black cat-like creature was bobbing around him with a slice of was-that-camembert??
“Finally!” The creature spoke out, “Took you long enough, kid.”
“Who are you?” Adrien asked.
“So I guess what Tikki saw was true.” The creature sighed.
“My name is Plagg, and I am the kwami of destruction.”
“A kwami?” That sounded really familiar…
“Didn’t pigtails run you through the miraculous course?”
She did, but there was so much information fed to him that it felt like a lot. But, he was also a fast learner that could pick up bits, so he had a vague idea of what Plagg was.
“Was I Cat Noir thanks to you?”
Plagg nodded. “It took a lot of attempts for me to reach you in your dream state, kid. Seems like the need to heal you overtook all else.”
He flew over towards his head and landed on it, burrowing himself like a cat deeper into the soft strands. “Missed this.”
“I’m sorry.”
Adrien wished there was more that he could say, but apologizing felt like the best way to sum up his emotions towards this entire ordeal.
“Not your fault, kid. I know you would have wanted to prevent it if you could.”
He was a little surprised at how well Plagg seemed to get along with his train of thought.
“How’s life been?”
Adrien shrugged. “It sounded amazing from what Marinette told me, but I feel more frustrated knowing I don’t really know. Hearing about the tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir isn’t the same as having lived it.”
“I know.” He felt rhythmic pushing against his scalp and wondered if Plagg was making biscuits.
“Why are you here, Plagg?”
The alternating tapping stopped, and Plagg whoosed back down to eye-level with the man.
“Tikki suggested there might be a way to help you, so I thought of visiting.”
His heart stopped. Could he…was he implying that, “You mean you can restore my memories?”
“Not everything,” Plagg cautioned, playing with the ends of his tail. “But, it’s worth a try.”
Adrien bit his bottom lip. “Okay. I trust you.”
Plagg gave a smile, and he reached for Adrien’s forehead with his small limbs.
Upon contact, it felt like his head was being rammed with an iron hammer over and over again.
And in simplest terms, it felt like watching an anecdotal film. But instead of being part of the audience, he was the one telling the story.
Every single emotion of all the moments spent with Ladybug–Marinette–his wife –enriched his mind. He was overwhelmed, but only in the best ways as he finally understood– really understood the stories he had already read a couple hours prior.
The first time he saw Ladybug. His first time fighting without her by his side. Defeating Hawkmoth, then finding Chrysalis. Outwitting the villain and finally retiring Plagg back to Master Fu.
He had expected the flow of memories to stop there, but there were more.
The two of them stood in front of each other, finally letting the masks between them fall. Marinette had been shocked, but Adrien felt that bliss and peace.
Their first date as their civilian selves was awkward and wonderful. Though there was a sense of loss knowing their time as Ladybug and Cat Noir had come to a denouement, he had looked forward to seeing life with her by his side.
From there, he saw all the moments of him courting her. One particular moment of him finally confessing to her, after months and months of beating around the bush, had him tearing up a little.
When Plagg finally let his paws fall from Adrien’s forehead, he opened his eyes.
For the first time, he felt whole. Complete.
Plagg didn’t look foreign to him. Instead, he felt the joys of reuniting with his oldest friend.
“Come here,” Adrien smiled, watching his furry buddy sit on his palms. “I missed you a lot.” He nudged him with his cheek.
“I did, too.” Plagg laid down. “Tikki and I wanted to pay you both a visit, but we thought it might have been better to let you live your normal lives.”
“Marinette would love to see Tikki, I’m sure.” He tapped his finger on his chin, “Do you think we could pay Master Fu a visit?”
Plagg stretched out like a hamster, and Adrien smiled being reminded of his wife’s long-forgotten dreams as a teen.
“Of course you can! Fu can’t control everything. I’ll have him send you two a letter.”
“Good.” Adrien petted Plagg’s forehead. “I’ll be waiting.”
His kwami saluted before poofing into the air.
When Adrien woke, he was radiating with joy at Marinette’s serene expression.
If he had loved her before, he felt it on a deeper level now.
Devotion.
Adoration.
Just pure amour.
“Mari.” He gently shook her, knowing it wasn’t going to be enough to wake her.
Bringing his lips to her ears, he took the corners of it between his lips, leaving whispering pecks along the ends.
“Adrien,” she turned, bringing her arms around his torso, “Gimme five more…minutes…”
“Bug,” he laughed, moving to give her the softest kisses on her eyelids. “I’m back.”
“What?” She mumbled, and he gave her another on the corners of her mouth.
“Thank you for being there for me the past few weeks.”
Eyes wide open now, Marinette’s palm shot forward to land on his chest. “It’s you? Is it really you??”
She didn’t need to wait for a verbal confirmation.
He was already there, kissing her senseless.
“You’re back. You’re back!” She shouted.
An arm tight around her waist, he kept her close, loving the way every touch and every curve of her fitting to his felt so familiar.
“Sorry it took so long.”
“The longest weeks of my life.” She moaned, burying herself deeper into his chest.
“How? How did you get your memories back?” Marinette asked, peeking out from his embrace.
“Plagg reached me through my dreams and did some kwami magic.”
Her eyes bulged out, “Kwamis can reach their holders through their dreams?”
“Apparently,” he pursed his lips in thoughtfulness, “He said Master Fu would send us a letter. For a visit.”
Eyes softening, she thought of Tikki, one of her closest friends she’s made through her teenage years. “I’d love that.”
“Marinette! Adrien! Come down for breakfast!”
Marinette gave a playful smile, “Ready to surprise my parents?”
He matched her energy with a goofy one of his own, “Of course.”
And it did feel better than the night before, reliving memories with the second parents that loved him like their own.