A Love Square Short Story: Displaced
Thanks to @chocoluckchipz, @ladyofthenoodle, and @jennagrinsoverml for the beta!! And to Ladyofthenoodle for organizing our little collection. Check out the other works!! They are all so different and I love that!!
Read on Ao3
Adrien slipped through the front door to his flat. It was fully dark, and he was exhausted despite the fact that it was barely past nine in the evening. Social gatherings for society’s elite tended to do that.
He loosened his tie and dropped his suit jacket unceremoniously across the back of the sofa that was already cluttered with unopened boxes, mail, and unfolded laundry.
He really should have listened to Nino and hired a maid or cleaning person of some sort. But well, he still had a secret to keep, and keeping that secret was more important to him than ever.
He moved to his bedroom on autopilot without turning on the light, intending to collapse into bed immediately.
But when he tried to slip into his space, he found it was already occupied. He flipped his phone flashlight on towards the ceiling to light the room in a soft glow.
In his wife’s place, Ladybug lay sprawled diagonally across the bed, and their beautiful four month old Emma was spreadeagled the other way, taking up far more space than she should be able to given she was a whole 62 cm long.
As exhausted and slightly put out as he was, he found himself smiling. Everything was worth it when he came home to sights like these. He wanted to take a picture, but there wasn’t enough light. And such a photo shouldn’t exist anyway, to protect his growing family.
He wanted to join them, but he also didn’t want to wake either of them. If Marinette was transformed she was beyond desperate for a boost of energy. And if she was sleeping in the suit, the magical rush hadn’t been enough.
So instead, he turned off his light, and moved back to the living room, intending to sleep on the couch. He immediately rediscovered the couch was not exactly open and available without half an hour of prerequisite tidying.
It was times like this where he really regretted they only had the one bed.
He stood there staring at the cluttered mess, feeling torn when Emma’s sudden piercing cries made the decision for him.
Ladybug’s breaking sobs sounded through the room only a few seconds behind.
Adrien swept Emma up into his arms, and her cries diminished, but didn’t quite die out.
“No, I’ll take her,” Ladybug objected, holding out her arms. He could still make out the tear tracks on her cheeks.
He shook his head pressing a kiss onto the top edge of Ladybug’s mask while rocking a still crying and flailing Emma in his arms.
“Let me take her for an hour or two. You get some sleep.”
The silence spoke for itself. She wanted to accept his offer, but she had lingering anxieties.
“She’s probably hungry,” she whispered.
Which was unfortunately something Adrien couldn’t help with as Emma had so far absolutely refused to take a bottle. Not that he could blame his daughter for her discerning tastes. He enjoyed Marinette’s breasts as well.
“When did you last feed her?” He still didn’t relinquish his hold on Emma.
“19h30 ish. Maybe?”
“So, she’s probably not hungry yet. She’s just awake. Go back to sleep.”
Marinette shook her head and instead grabbed his arm.
“Come cuddle with us? I’ve missed you.”
“God, I missed you so much!” he echoed, sliding into the bed beside her, passing Emma over. “Going to those dinners without you is ten times as awful.”
Ladybug, still laying on her back but with her knees bent up toward the ceiling, propped Emma up on her legs.
Once back in her mother’s arms, Emma cooed happily at them both, her tiny little hands batting at Adrien’s offered finger. When she finally grasped it, she pulled it into her mouth and slobbered all over it.
He grinned, and then turned to his wife. “You know I love you in red, but you might want to lose the suit.”
Marinette glanced down, lifting Emma from her lap, to take in her spotted legs. “Oh god! I’m still transformed! I didn’t even realize. What if I had answered the door? Tikki’s gonna kill me.”
“She won’t. She knows how exhausted you’ve been.”
It had been difficult for him and Tikki both to watch Marinette burning the candle at both ends when there was only so much they could do to ease the burden.
He had always thought that kwamis would serve as pretty good baby monitors, but Emma would hardly sleep five minutes outside of Marinette’s arms, so it wasn’t like an intelligent baby monitor would help at all.
Ladybug vanished in a flash of pink, and Marinette lay in her place. And, to his point, Tikki only smiled down at the trio before darting off, no doubt in search of sweets.
With a sigh, Marinette rolled over, pressing her back into his chest while bringing Emma in close to nurse.
Adrien draped his arm over both of them. And in that moment, with his little family in his arms, he was positively delighted that they only had one bed.
38 notes
·
View notes