25. Chapter 24

Marinette sealed the letter she had been working on to send off to her parents. Upon inspecting the imprint in the wax, she absently wondered what her seal as a princess would look like. She set the stamp aside, next to the sketch of the design she had been wanting to ask Adrien for. The one she promptly scrapped after learning he was the prince.

"You look awfully happy tonight," Tikki observed.

Marinette peeked at her maid through her mirror. "I could say the same for you."

The blush that rose on Tikki's cheeks was obvious.

Marinette turned around to face her. "This doesn't happen to involve a certain butler does it?"

Tikki was torn between embarrassment and excitement. "He asked me to marry him."

And kissed her well and thoroughly afterwards. Still, Marinette gave Tikki her best smile. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you. It was so hard to convince him and I almost lost him, but then he came around and finally saw sense and…" she took a breath, only to sigh. "I'm so happy."

"Did you two talk about a wedding yet, or…?"

"Plagg is setting up the legal things. I wanted to go shopping to look at materials for my dress, but…with the lockdown…"

Marinette frowned. "I'm sorry, Tikki. Surely it won't take so long for it to be lifted. Adrien's just nervous."

"Rightly so, I suppose."

"Maybe you could go convince Plagg to let the two of you sneak off into town," Marinette slyly offered.

At least Tikki smiled. "It's possible. But it's also possible he won't be moved on that. I already fought him today, so I don't want to push something that isn't hugely important."

While admittedly wise, Marinette didn't like seeing Tikki disappointed. "Then maybe I'll just have to order several fabrics and see what you want and don't want."

A bright smile appeared on Tikki's face. "Oh, Marinette. Don't bother yourself with that. Honestly, I'll find a way around it. Though I thank you for the offer."

"All right," Marinette surrendered. "You are my friend. I just want you to be happy."

Though it was technically improper, neither girl cared as Tikki engulfed Marinette in a hug. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Tikki. You helped me so much."

"You just needed a little guidance," Tikki said, pulling away to take Marinette's cheeks in her hands like a mother would. "And I was glad to give it to you."

Marinette beamed under Tikki's approval. "Thanks, Tikki."

"Now, I suppose I should say goodnight. I have other work to do," Tikki said.

But Marinette heard the lit in her voice. "And possibly meet Plagg on the way?"

Her blush returned. "Possibly."

"Can I give you a small piece of advice?"

Tikki's brow furrowed in slight confusion, but she nodded.

"The next time Plagg kisses you, make sure that it's not in a hallway when someone is hiding behind the corner."

Gasping in embarrassment, Tikki turned redder than a ladybug. "Marinette!"

Marinette didn't hear a word over her laughter.

"Oh my word! That man! He said…ohhh." Tikki collapsed into a humiliated heap on the edge of Marinette's bed.

Calming herself but unable to keep the grin from her face, Marinette took a seat beside Tikki. "I won't tell anyone. And you two won't let it happen again. But may I remind you that you two aren't married yet."

Tikki peeked out between her fingers. "I know."

A knock coming from the door interrupted them.

"I suppose I should go," Tikki said, pulling her hands from her still red face.

"Yes, go say good night to Plagg. And stay out of trouble," Marinette said with a wink.

While it put a smile on her face, it did nothing to help with her blush. Tikki opened the door to greet the visitor.

Adrien nodded his head in polite acknowledgement. "Tikki, I beg your pardon but I need to speak to Marinette."

"I was just leaving," she assured, curtsying to him. "However, why you come to her main door when your bed chambers are connected is beyond me."

"Tikki!" Marinette cried, stunned.

However, when Tikki turned, Marinette caught her cheeky smile. Apparently, she was quick to get revenge.

Adrien coughed into his hand, clearly embarrassed. Thankfully for both of them, Tikki took her leave, but the awkward atmosphere she created stayed.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Marinette prodded.

"Uh, yes," he sputtered out. "In private. Shall I meet you on the balcony?"

Marinette hesitated. "No." This was her husband, not a suitor she was courting. Furthermore, she was comfortable around him. She trusted him. There was no reason she couldn't reply, "You can come in."

He looked minorly surprised for a moment before he forced himself to move, shutting the door behind him. "Well, I suppose this leads into my question."

"What do you mean?"

Adrien sighed then forced his gaze to rise from the floor to meet her eyes. "There is a very good reason that I called for a lockdown of the house," he began. "Plagg just informed me that he saw what he thought was an intruder on the grounds—"

"Intruder?!"

"Marinette, my lady," he said, reaching for her as she shrunk away. He pulled her against his chest, holding her there until she willingly curled against him. "Fear not. We are all on high alert. If there is an intruder, then he will be dealt with."

"That doesn't negate the fact there is someone wandering around on the property. What if he's dangerous or—"

Adrien shushed her. "It will be all right. I promise."

It took a moment to settle into his embrace, pulling comfort from being so close. "But you don't want the lockdown lifted until he's caught."

"Yes," Adrien said. "I needed to talk with Nino, Kim, and Plagg before I told you anything so that we would have a settled plan in case anything happened again."

"Again?" Marinette cried, pushing away from him so as to see his face.

He cringed. "Yes. Again."

Her panic started flaring. "And when did this happen?"

"Before we married," Adrien explained, rubbing her arms in an attempt to calm her down. Not that it was working in the slightest. "It was out of the blue when an intruder snuck into the house. We think he may have been hired by Theo to kill me."

Panic seized Marinette's heart as she clutched the fabric of his shirt. Any hope of response was gone since her tongue was practically glued into the roof of her mouth.

"We got him before he had the chance. Actually, Kim was seriously injured because of it. He took a knife to the leg in the struggle. But this won't happen again because we are organized now. If there is an intruder, he won't last long."

The story Alya once told her about a man injured in Chat Noir's presence came to mind. It seemed he was bad luck, to himself and everyone around him. She bit her lip, not wanting to think about how her own luck entered the mix.

"You will be safe," he said, taking her cheeks in his hands and rubbing little circles on them with his thumbs. "I promise you."

Marinette wasn't sure if he could promise such a thing, but she tried to trust him anyway. "All right."

"All right," he sighed in relief. "However, this brings me to my proposition. I had to rearrange the house to ensure everyone's safety. Kim and Nino are stationed together for Alix, Tikki and Alya sharing the next room over, and Ms. Mendeleiev in a room all her own close by. As for you, I have Plagg posted outside, but…" His eyes drifted shut for a moment as he collected his thoughts. He took a breath before looking back at her. "Before I say anything, I just want you to know I don't want to force anything on you, nor do I want to make you uncomfortable. However, it would be safer for both of us if…if we roomed together."

Despite making perfect sense, his words still came as a bit of a surprise.

"I can take the chair," he quickly offered. "Or your lounger. Or none of the above. Just say the word and—"

"You can stay."

The words came from her mouth so quickly, Marinette scarcely realized she'd spoken. Her only real indicator was the surprise on Adrien's face.

"You can stay," she repeated. "I want you safe."

His body relaxed, and his arms wrapped protectively around her. She happily leaned against him, absorbing his warmth and comfort.

"Let me inform Plagg of the sleeping arrangements," he said, pulling away and tilting her chin up so their eyes could lock gazes. His smile was enough to make her heart give out. "Then I'll take a moment to get ready for bed before coming back. Is that all right?"

"Perfectly."

His grin widened causing his eyes to shine with happiness. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before separating from her. "I'll be back shortly, then."

Marinette repressed her urge to respond with an "I'll be waiting."

When he left, she collapsed on her bed with the weight of what had just occurred. Heat crept up her neck from her stomach. It wasn't a sin for her and her husband to share a room. Nor was the thought of it unpleasant. Quite a change from the first night here. Now, the thought of it was only a bit awkward and outside her comfort zone, but she was going to have to face such a fact, especially if they ever were to truly be husband and wife.

She fiddled with the quilt on her bed, the one she had only just finished. He had made it perfectly clear that he would sleep on a chair or in her lounger or basically anywhere but with her. But…that felt wrong. He was her husband, after all. The man she loved very much. It didn't feel right to force him to sleep elsewhere.

Yet, she was torn. Was it improper for a woman to suggest her husband sleep in bed with her? Her lip should be bleeding from how hard she was biting it. Should she or should she not?

She wished her mother was here. While her mother had prepared her to become a wife—even the thought of that conversation left her blushing—she didn't know how to navigate this.

A knock from the door startled her from her thoughts. But, it wasn't from her main door. Leaping from her bed, she hurried to open the door connecting her and Adrien's rooms. There he stood in a baggy, white shirt and tan sleep pants, his expression soft and vulnerable and free of a mask which left his scars clearly visible. Despite his determination to hide them, to make them disappear as though they never happened, Marinette thought those marks added some roguishness to his perfectly handsome face.

"May I come in?" he asked, his voice quiet like a shy child.

Marinette mentally kicked herself for staring. She moved out of the way and motioned him into her room. "Of course."

With an awkward smile, he stepped into her room. Marinette shut the door behind him, leaning against it as to steady herself.

He looked at her expectantly. "Where would you like me to stay?" he inquired.

This was it. Marinette took a deep breath in hopes to calm her suddenly racing heart. "You…" She cleared her throat, hoping it would come out stronger this time. "You can stay with me."

It took Adrien a moment to realize what she had implied. "Are you sure?" he questioned. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable or—"

"It's all right," she assured. "It's all right. It's…it's not improper or anything…"

"I just don't want to push you to be uncomfortable around me."

Yet, it seemed that he had no problem in kissing her senseless earlier. As she studied his face, she noticed something out of place in his expression: fear. Her heart constricted. "Is something wrong?" Suddenly, her whole chest grew tight. "Did I say something wrong? Was it improper to ask that?"

"No," Adrien quickly assured. "There was nothing wrong with your request. It's just…" he sighed, his expression gentle. "I still remember that first night. Coming into my room, only to see you there looking like a trapped rabbit. I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't. You were terrified. Of me." He grasped her hands, pulling them up to his chest. "Marinette, I don't ever want you to look at me that way again. Not now that I am madly in love with you. Not now after all the progress we've made. So while I will admit I want nothing more than to lay by your side, I do not want to push your trust further than it will go."

Her mouth felt dry. Words were ethereal, swirling in her mind but unable to become reality. How was she to answer such a statement? Especially since she couldn't find the ability to speak.

Her mind slowly came back into motion. She pulled her hands from his grasp, only to hold his jaw. She raised it slightly, his eyes locking on hers. With a smile, she garnered one from him. "I trust you." Several rapid heartbeats passed before she managed to continue. "I trust you to care for me. I trust you to protect me. I trust you to hold and kiss me. I trust you to lay by my side."

She felt the tension leave his body. He reached up to grab hold of her wrists. "I'm so glad that you trust me that strongly."

"You've only proven it to me a hundred times or so."

It got a chuckle from him. "You will have nothing to fear from me. I promise."

"I know," Marinette assured him. "I know."