“You don’t understand, Tikki, my life is ruined!!”
Adrien blinked at the sounds coming through the door to his apartment. Yikes. He wasn’t even technically home yet! Cautiously, he opened the door to find Marinette sobbing on the couch. Tikki was patting her shoulder comfortingly, and looked over and gave him a roll of her eyes to let him know the world wasn’t actually ending.
It was just Marinette, being Marinette. His lips quirked into a smile. God, he loved this woman.
“What’d I miss?” he asked, closing the door and throwing his coat on the back of a chair. Usually he was careful about hanging it up, but the problem in front of him looked like it needed immediate attention.
“The usual,” Tikki said, grinning at him.
“You say that like I’m being overdramatic,” Marinette wailed into her pillow.
“Because you are, dearest,” Tikki crooned, patting her again.
“You just watch!” Marinette said, rising just enough to glare at them both. “Soon—soon you’ll hate me! You’ll realize that I’m fat and ugly and you won’t want me anymore!! And you’ll go have an affair with some gorgeous model and never think of me again!!”
“You let her watch soap operas again, didn’t you?” Adrien said to Tikki.
“Jerry Springer reruns, actually,” Tikki admitted. “It was that or Dr. Phil, and I didn’t want her to try to psychoanalyze Plagg again.”
“Fair enough,” Adrien agreed. He sat down beside his wife and gathered her into his arms, pulling her into his lap. It was quite a feat, considering she was a bit heavier than she normally was.
“Now listen here, my gorgeous, sweet, wonderful lady—”
“I’m a watermelon!!” Marinette wailed in despair.
Now Adrien was well and truly lost. “What?” he asked dumbly.
“I looked like a watermelon!” she continued to cry, “all big, and red, and huge, with black spots like seeds….” Adrien buried his face in her hair to stifle his laughter.
“Tikki,” he wheezed, “you let her transform??”
“I thought it’d make her feel better!” the kwami protested. “The magic has helped boost her confidence before!”
“And now you’re both laughing at me!” Marinette cried. “Let’s all laugh at the big, fat, Ladybug!!”
“First off,” Adrien said, kissing her temple, “you are not fat, you’re pregnant. With my kitten, I might add,” he said, cradling her belly lovingly. As always, the action seemed to calm his wife down and she leaned into his touch, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “You being big right now means the baby is healthy and happy. Which makes me very happy.” He kissed his way down to her cheek.
“Second, you are wearing my ring,” he said, lacing their fingers together and rubbing his own fingers against her wedding band. “Which means you are mine. Cats are very possessive, my lady. So, there is no way I’m ever going to forget you or never think about you again.”
“But what if you find somebody—”
“I chose you,” he insisted, kissing her jawline and down to her neck. “And you chose me. And that means I think you’re the best. No silly little model can compare. I should know, I am one,” he added with a wink. That coaxed a small smile out of her.
“Don’t leave me,” she begged, curling up into his lap more comfortably.
“I have everything I have ever wanted, right here,” he said fervently, tightening his grip on her. Finally, she relaxed. Adrien allowed himself a glance around their apartment. It was smaller than what he was used to, but it didn’t make his words any less true. Their house was warm and cozy, with Marinette’s designer touches all over the place, making it into a home. The tiny Christmas tree in the corner was nothing fancy, but they’d decorated it together, laughing the whole time. Their friends were just a phone call away and their kwamis were now curled up on a pillow together.
Nestled in his arms was a girl who loved him more than life itself, and wasn’t afraid to show it. And cradled against their hands was the tiny, innocent, not-yet-started life they had created between them. His family. They were worth more to him than anything he could think of.
Today’s drabble was requested for Ladrien so I went all the way back to Ladrien June to dig up a drabble to continue this one from. :D
“You still have it,” Adrien said softly, reaching up to touch the red and black striped scarf circling Ladybug’s neck.
“Of course I still have it,” she laughed. “Why wouldn’t I?”
He winced, wiggling his finger through a large gap in the woven yarn. “It isn’t very good.”
Ladybug pulled the scarf away defensively, both hands scrunching it up to her cheeks. “You made it for me and I love it,” she pouted, voice muffled in the layers.
“I should get you something better this year now that you’re my, um...” Adrien trailed off, cheeks going red and Ladybug giggled, leaning closer.
“Now that I’m your what, Hot Stuff?”
His blush reached his ears. “You said you weren’t going to call me that anymore!”
“I can’t help it! You turn such a cute shade of pink when I do,” she teased.
“I’m breaking up with you,” he groaned, covering his face with his hands.
“Aww. Well, in that case, I guess I’ll just take me and my little homemade Christmas gift for you and--” Ladybug erupted into another bout of giggles as Adrien tackled her to his couch, kissing her cheek.
“I take it back,” he said, voice a little breathless as he helped her sit back up.
“Anything for a gift.”
He grinned and held out his hand. Ladybug smirked and reached on the other side of the couch to produce a misshapen package in bright green wrapping with a black bow on top. Adrien felt his heartbeat speed up. “I like the green.”
“I thought you might,” she smiled, an amused twinkle in her eye.
He carefully unwrapped the paper to reveal a soft looking scarf done in bright green and black stripes, the same style as the scarf he had made her but in Chat Noir’s colors. He swallowed thickly and looked up at her but Ladybug only stared back at him, face pleasantly blank. Her eyes, however, were a bit too bright as if she couldn’t hold all of her emotions in.
Adrien lifted the scarf up and wrapped it around his neck, bringing a section up to his nose to smell. “Warm bread and cookies,” he murmured.
“What was that?”
“I said I love it.”
Ladybug smiled widely. “That’s not what you said but I’ll take it. Do you like the colors?”
“They, uh, they look like Chat Noir’s colors.”
“They are,” she nodded, the amusement back in her expression.
Adrien pursed his lips, looking back down at the scarf. “Is he going to mind?”
“I have a hunch that he won’t.” She reached up to readjust the scarf and then leaned it to kiss him. “I’m not the only one who needs to stay warm out there, you know,” she said softly. She then stood and stretched. “I have to go now but I should be able to come by in a couple of days. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Adrien stood with her, frowning. “Tomorrow? But you just said you would come by in a couple of days.”
She winked, balancing on his windowsill. “My mistake. I have patrol tomorrow night. I’ll see Chat Noir then. I must have gotten confused.” She blew him a kiss and lashed out her yoyo, disappearing into the night.
Adrien went to the window to watch until he couldn’t see her anymore and then turned to Plagg who was now floating by his shoulder. “What do you think that means?”
“That you’re a natural blonde,” the kwami replied with a roll of his eyes.
Marinette and Adrien returned to the party with her arm in his again, but this time she really held on to him. Before, her hand had been loose, now it itched to just slide down and interlace their fingers.
He grinned as they entered the ballroom again, briefly nodding to his father, then he looked down to Marinette.
“May I have this dance?”
She giggled, nodding at him to lead her to the dance floor. It was a slow dance so Adrien grabbed her by her hips, gently beginning to sway in tact to the music as she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her temple against his shoulder. He smiled, his hands sliding around her waist to rest in the small of her back, holding her closer. She hummed, sighing contently.
Adrien slowly swayed them over the dance floor, keeping his attention up not to dance into other couples while she just enjoyed being held by him. One of his hands slid up further, then he leant his cheek against her head.
“Hey Marinette?”, he asked and she nodded slowly to indicate she was listening, “Are you happy?”
She smirked, one of her hands shifting up to bury her fingers in his hair. He silently moaned in delight, feeling a light shiver running down his spine.
“Yeah, I am…”, she replied, “Actually I’m very happy right now, yes.”
He chuckled, continuing to dance with her until the song stopped, then he went to the side, softly parting from her. She looked up to him, questioningly, but he merely shook his head, getting off the dance floor with her. He led her to the balcony where she had gone to before, asking her to go outside. She furrowed her eyebrows, watching him as he stepped forward to the railing, closing his eyes before looking at her again.
“Marinette, I-… I just want to make sure you-… You know about this. Before anything starts.”
She frowned, moving to stand next to him. He took her hands and brushed over her knuckles, then he interlaced their fingers.
“Listen, uhm-… I want to be honest to you. I-… I actually need to be honest to you, otherwise I-… Wouldn’t want me to be on your side. Uhm, I-… I wanna tell you something and-… It’s probably gonna be a shock but please, please bear with me here, okay?”
She was even more confused now but she nodded, gesturing him to continue. He took a deep breath, then he grinned sheepishly.
“Well… Chat Noir didn’t meet me. He, well, uh, he never met me.”
Okay, now that was some grade A bullshit. Marinette knew she had talked to him and she knew Adrien had told her he had talked to Chat Noir. Had he been lying to her? Had he improvised to be cooler for her? But how had he known all the stuff she had told Chat Noir?
“Did you-… What? I mean-… Did you lie to me, Adrien?”
He quickly shook his head, confusing her even more.
“No, no! I didn’t lie to you. Okay, well, yes I did, because Chat Noir didn’t talk to me, but, hear me out. I, uh-… I know you have a crush on me…”, her eyes went wide and she was about to scream but he quickly continued, “B-Because-… You told me.”
“I told you?!”, she snapped, all of this getting just a bit too confusing for her, “When?!”
“Well… This evening.”, he admitted, his smile sheepish and his hands in hers trembling of nervousness.
“I never-”, she began but even before she could finish that sentence she knew what he was talking about. She had told him and he had never met Chat Noir. Of course…
That’s why she had felt so comfortable talking to him all of a sudden, after her conversation with Chat. That’s why he had known exactly what had been going on. That’s why he-… Was such an idiot. Well, that was her kitty for her.
Suddenly, she spoke to her partner, not the blonde model boy anymore.
“… You know I’m gonna kick your butt for this?”
He gulped, nodding.
“And you know Ladybug’s gonna have a long talk with you about revealing to random citizens?”, she glared at him and he got just a little more uncertain.
“U-Uhm-… Probably…? B-But you’re no random citizen to me, I, uh, I was-”
“Hush. Do you understand that?”, she snapped and he nodded, “Good, then listen closely. Adrien, you do not reveal to random citizens. It’s dangerous and you could never know what I could do with that information. I could be anybody! My best friend is the head of the Ladyblog! And you didn’t even console me to reveal! You just-… You just did! Adrien, it’s dangerous and you could’ve landed anywhere by now! I could’ve-”
“W-Wait-…”, he softly interrupted her, his eyebrows narrowed, “Y-You said Ladybug’s gonna hold that speech so why are-…”
“Yes, I said that and you gotta listen. Now, where was I? Oh yeah. You were rash and careless and you don’t have a sense for security and safety, you stupid cat! You could’ve gotten hurt, you could’ve ended in Nadja Chamack’s seat and everyone would know about your secret and-”
He once again interrupted her, his eyes now wide and his jaw slack.
“Y-You’re-…”
“Yes and now damnit, Chaton, lemme finish. You do not reveal to citizens like that. There’s a reason why I told you not to reveal! It’s to protect yourself, don’t you have any sense in your stupid chesire head? I’m really, really-”
Her words were suddenly cut off and she was very surprised to find that something was on her lips. Something warm, moving and soft. A little vanilla taste, from a lip balm she knew all too well. That she had fantasized about tasting before. Adrien was pressed against her, the kiss tasting sweet and his warmth feeling amazing in contrary to the rather freezing night air.
He only unwillingly parted, grinning like she knew it from her partner. Widely and absolutely not model-like.
“… In love with me?”, he guessed, laughing.
“… Also, that. Yes.”, she admitted, blushing as her knees got a bit wobbly, “Get your head out of the clouds, kitty, because even if I think you’re ridiculously cute, I’m still mad at you about just revealing to someone. I set up the secret identity rule for a reason, you know?”
“Yeah, but purr not just someone.”, he smirked smugly, his face practically shining of joy.
She rolled her eyes, softly pushing him back on his nose in an all too familiar gesture.
“Aaaaaaand I’ll suffer under puns. Of course. I guess that’s the price I gotta pay.”
“Hey, you know you love it!”
She laughed, cupping his cheek now to shake her head.
“Absolutely not. Also, mister, you’re overly smug for a guy who found out about my crush before he should’ve known. After all you were the confused one and asked me for a fake date. I say you owe me.”
Adrien laughed, leaning his forehead against hers and nuzzling his nose on hers.
“Do kisses count?”, he asked, already placing a little peck on her cheek.
“Maybe.”, she smirked but before he could lean in to pay his debt she held him back, beginning to motion something above their heads. He furrowed his eyebrows, watching her quickly moving index finger, then he looked down to her again, a questioning expression on his face.
“What are mew doing, my lady?”, he asked.
“Drawing a mistletoe.”, she explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “’Cuz, you know, your father is a great organizer and all, but every Christmas Party needs a mistletoe.”
He chuckled as he watched her draw in the air with nothing but her fantasy, feeling himself falling for her over and over again every second.
“Wait, you forgot the ribbon.”, he laughed, drawing a very sloppy ribbon over her mistletoe, then he grinned down to her, “There. We got it. Can I kiss you now?”
“You can.”, she giggled just before he pressed his lips onto hers again.
Cat's are attracted to the smell of peppermint. Marinette decides to make candy canes for her classmates. Marichat ensues.
Audience: G
Word count: 1126
AO3
Marinette laid out the trays of homemade candy canes wherever she found a free space in her room. It had taken her most of the day to hand sculpt each candy cane into the perfect shape before they hardened. There were more than a few unsuccessful attempts sitting downstairs on her kitchen counter but she had taken the best of the best and brought them to her room to be wrapped. A wide smile spread across her face as she thought of her classmates reactions when she brought them into school tomorrow. Grabbing some red and green cellophane, she began humming Christmas carols as she set to work.
Chat Noir was hopping from rooftop to rooftop on this abnormally warm winter’s night. It had been a rough couple of days and he just needed to clear his head, going nowhere in particular. He stopped to look over the City of Lights and took a deep cleansing breath...only to smell something absolutely wonderful and enticing. It was minty and his heightened cat senses zeroed in on the trail. Without a second thought, he began to leap from building to building, excitement bubbling up as the smell grew stronger and he knew he was getting close. Before long, he found himself standing on top of the Dupain-Cheng bakery taking in lungfuls of the intoxicating smell. He slid to the ground with a satisfied hum and closed eyes, enjoying not only the familiar scent but the soft sounds of Christmas carols floating up from the open windows below.
“Did you hear something, Tikki?” Marinette stopped humming and looked up at her ceiling. She could have sworn she had heard someone up on her balcony.
“Is it Père Noël?!” Tikki squeaked, her face engulfed in a huge, toothy smile.
“Doubtful,” Marinette rolled her eyes as she headed towards her skylight.
“Wait, Marinette!” Tikki cried out after her. “What if it’s an akuma?” Marinette’s steps slowed. It wouldn’t be the first time an akuma had come directly to her house, although she couldn’t think of anyone who would be after her at the moment. Well one person came to mind. If he knew she was Ladybug, could he send an akuma directly to her house? She worried her lip. “Tikki, spots…”
“Hey, princess!” Chat Noir’s head appeared in the window, causing Marinette to jump, tripping over her chair, arms flailing and hitting one of the sheets of candy canes on her desk. Chat winced as the peppermint candy canes clattered to the ground. It was enough of a distraction that he didn’t catch the red smear that flew under a pillow on the chaise.
“I’m so sorry, Marinette!” Chat opened the window and hopped down. He reached down to help the clumsy, red-faced girl up from the floor. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I smelt the peppermint of the candy canes and just couldn’t help myself.” He threw her what she supposed was meant to be a disarming smile. She shook her head at her partner. Of course her kitty would follow the smell of mint across Paris.
“It’s okay Chato...Chat.” She caught herself before using Ladybug’s nickname for him. “I made extras because, well, because I’m me and I was bound to ruin at least a few,” she shrugged. “No big deal.”
“Extras? Marinette, you have over a hundred candy canes here!” Chat looked around the room full of trays of candy canes.
“Well, I’m packaging them up and handing them out at school tomorrow. I wanted to make sure I had enough.” Marinette offered. She may have gone a bit overboard but she couldn’t help it! It was her favorite time of the year, after all.
“Can...can I help?” Chat looked over at her, eyes bright.
“Of course!” Marinette and Chat worked, unsurprisingly, extremely well together. They fell into comfortable banter, singing Christmas carols, laughing at Chat’s awful candy cane puns and jokes, and talking about their favorite Christmas traditions. Suddenly, Chat picked up a candy cane that was, unlike the others, sculpted into the shape of a heart.
“This for someone special?” Chat teased with a wink. A blush settled on Marinette’s cheeks and Chat was immediately intrigued.
“Um, yes, actually. Those are for Adrien,” she said shyly.
“A bit of a fangirl, are we?” Chat probed with a smug grin, curiosity getting the better of him.
“NO!” Marinette nearly yelled before covering her mouth with both hands. Chat’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. “I...I mean, I’m not just a fan. I mean, I’m a fan but not just because he’s a model although he’s really good at that too. But Adrien is so much more than a pretty face. He’s so kind and caring and he thinks the best of everyone even if they don’t deserve it and he’s so smart and talented. Did you know he fences? And plays the piano? Like really, really well. He’s pretty much perfect at everything but of course he is, he’s absolutely perfect…” Marinette’s look glossed over as she thought about her crush.
It was Chat’s turn to blush. “You...you really think all that?”
Marinette was brought out of her daydream at the uncertainty in Chat’s voice. That wasn’t like him. He was always so confident, teasing her in and out of the mask, even if he didn’t know she was the same person. “Well, of course,” she said matter of factly with a slight question in her brow.
“Thank y...I mean, uh, he would probably appreciate hearing that from such a good friend, Marinette.” Chat covered his slip up with a slight cough.
“Yeah, a good friend.” Marinette’s expression darkened a bit, the bite of those words from not too long ago still stung. Chat noticed the shift in her mood.
“Well, I’m sure he’ll like these candy canes. They’re really cute and they smell delicious.” Chat offered, trying to lift the mood.
“Yeah...yeah, I think he will,” Marinette said a bit more confidently. She was finally going to tell Adrien how she felt and no one, especially not a certain black cat, was going to deter her this time. She smiled at her partner. “Thanks for all your help, Chat. These would have taken twice as long without your help.”
“Just your neighborly Chat here to help where I can!” He stood up and bowed gracefully if not a bit ostentatiously. “Until next time, princess!” He gave her a two-finger salute before bounding out the skylight and into the darkness.
“Until next time, Chaton,” Marinette smiled to herself and shook her head.
The black cat who had stopped for one last sniff of peppermint, however, hadn’t been out of earshot. A smile spread across his face. “Until tomorrow, my lady.”
Be Naughty (save Santa the trip)! 11: Christmas Tree
Also on Ao3
Day 10 << Day 11 >> Day 12
Hey Masquerade fans! (Masqueraders?) If you were also personally victimized by how I left the final chapter (it was a doozy of a cliffhanger), then this might just give you a little closure. If you never read my 80,000+ word porn with plot Smutember fic or have no intention of falling down that rabbit hole, scroll down to the asterix half way through the story (that’s where the smut begins).
11. Christmas Tree
“Welcome, citizens of Paris, to the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration!”
Ladybug smiles and waves from the stage as Mayor Bourgeois raises his arms with a jovial greeting from behind the podium, addressing the crowd with a booming laugh, “It is my pleasure to announce our special guests for the evening! These members of our incredible, resilient city have been working tirelessly to ensure that we are safe, happy and taken care of this holiday season!”
There’s another thunderous standing ovation as Mayor Bourgeois sweeps his arms around him, gesturing to the line of civil servants, philanthropists and local celebrities that line the platform, “First of all, we welcome our Chief of Police Philippe Loi and Emmanuelle Levac of the Parisian Council for Refugees…”
Mayor Bourgeois continues to ramble off a veritable list of notable names, each gathering an enthusiastic smattering of applause from the enormous crowd there to witness the annual ceremony. Ladybug tries to stay focused on the proceedings but the spotlights are blinding and the man that stands a few metres away even more so.
“...Jean Tremblay of Love in A Box charitable organisation for underprivileged children, Adrien Agreste of the Hospital for Sick Children…”
She tries to keep her grin from splitting her face in half, she really does but god, it is hard when she turns his way and he actually has an honest to goodness smile on his face.
“...and finally, our most honoured guest and the saviour of the greatest city in the entire world, Ladybug!”
Ladybug steps forwards and waves, the light of the flashbulbs shining in her eyes. She’s long used to it after all this time in the spotlight, having been to hundreds of these festivals and galas over the years, and while most of the cameras seem to be fixated on her, many of them quickly turn back to the familiar face of a teenager who had graced many a newscast and tabloid in the past six months, his gentle smile brightening his perfect features.
The celebration continues with a few more speeches from the honoured guests and finally, finally it’s time for what she was asked here to do. Unholstering her yoyo, Ladybug takes the huge star in one hand and launches herself up into the air with the other, circling the tree in spectacular fashion so as to give everyone the opportunity to take a photo. Sweeping upwards, she lands on the uppermost branches and paces the star on the very top of the tree, plugging in the ornament and closing the circuit, illuminating the entire 30 metre Christmas tree from top to bottom.
The crowd erupts into cheers and the festivities officially begin as the band begins to play and the choirs begin to carol. The shops lining the streets have stayed open late and street vendors from around the city offer warm cocoa and other holiday treats, beckoning Christmas revellers towards their stalls and stores. Ladybug watches from above for a few minutes and takes in the beautiful scene, the smiling faces and laughing children milling about, frolicking with one another. It’s about as picturesque as it can get after what had been the most turbulent six months of her life, and she’s glad that she’s finally able to see the lights at the end of the tunnel.
She spots him trying to make a clean exit from the platform towards the closed off section below but the media have already got their sights on him and begin their predictably consistent pursuit. She forces herself to let him fend for himself for a few moments, knowing full well that he’s more than capable of dealing with their questions on his own but she slips through the branches to get a closer look regardless in case he needs a distraction.
“M. Agreste! Do you have a moment?”
“M. Agreste was my father,” Adrien replies flatly, “As I’ve mentioned a million times before Mme. Chamack, you can call me Adrien.”
Fresh from the arrest and subsequent investigation into his father, Adrien had more or less thrown himself into his philanthropic endeavours for a number of reasons, many of which revolved around the fact that his father was a full-blown domestic terrorist and Adrien had to distance himself from Gabriel as far as possible. Hence the pomp and circumstance, the ceremony and fuss, and ultimately the need for his presence at the heavily televised tree lighting ceremony to kick off the holiday season.
Not that he was complaining too much; any opportunity to his Lady nowadays was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss, even if it meant having to face the media.
“This is the first holiday season you’ve had to face without your family. How are you faring?”
Ladybug expects his shoulders to tense and finds herself pleasantly surprised when Adrien doesn’t seem to react at all, “I’ve found myself an entirely new family of people who support me. Now, I don’t suppose you have any questions regarding the Holiday Toy Drive that Chat Noir and I have organised for next Thursday?”
There’s a distinct lack of response to his question and Ladybug can’t help but snort at the snark in his voice, ultimately revealing her position in the tree above his head. Caught, she sheepishly drops down onto the platform beside him and shrugs her shoulders, ignoring the cross sidelong glare he’s throwing her way.
“Sorry about that,” she mutters under her breath before turning towards the throng of newscasters and photographers, “I heard my partner’s name and I just had to drop by!”
This isn’t the first time Ladybug has mysteriously appeared to interrupt Adrien’s various interviews since the news broke that his father was accused of being Le Papillon . In fact, Nadja Chamack is fairly sure this is at least the one hundredth time the spotted superhero has impeded her efforts on getting the perfect scoop.
“That’s because I was telling all of these lovely reporters that Chat Noir and I are hosting a Holiday Toy Drive at the hospital next Thursday,” Adrien responds, his irritation at her constant mothering only barely audible in his tone of voice. Ladybug knows she’ll have to make it up to him later, having already been lectured repeatedly about how he can handle himself, but she just can’t help it. It's no secret how protective she's become over her partner, how protective she's always been; putting a tamper on her feelings had only led to...well, that's a story best left to the past.
(Or a sequel.)
“Sorry Chat couldn’t be here by the way,” Ladybug remarks without missing a beat, gently wrapping her arm around Adrien’s shoulder, “He wouldn’t have missed this for the world, but you know how he is. Last I heard, he was attending the fundraiser for the cardiac care unit at l’ Hôpital Necker tonight.”
“That’s right! So, unless you have any questions about the Toy Drive, I’ll be heading off to the fundraiser myself,” Adrien tips his head to the side knowingly, basking in their momentary silence, “Well, that settles it. Ladybug, could I ask you a favour? Uber prices are probably surging, and I was wondering if you would be able to give me a lift?”
Ladybug grins, “Of course. Chat is probably looking for you as we speak! Hold on!”
With a swoop and a wave, Ladybug wraps her arm around his waist and tosses her yoyo into the sky, launching them both into the air at breakneck speeds. Adrien grabs onto her shoulders for dear life, heedless to the way his stomach seems to have dropped out of his body and whoops as he soars up into the street tops of Paris, away from the prying eyes of the media and cityfolk alike.
“You know,” he grumbles, his tone contradicting the windswept look of elation in his eyes as she sets him down, “You don’t need to babysit me every time I have an interview.”
“I wasn’t,” Ladybug replies and she’s only partially lying, “I just so happened to be up there when you tried to make a break for it.”
Adrien crosses his arms and peers idly from the rooftop they’d landed on across the square, “Eavesdropping, you mean?”
“Me? Eavesdrop?” Ladybug puts on an act, pressing a hand to her chest as if highly affronted, “I would never .”
“Yes you would,” Adrien responds, leaning against the wrought iron railings of the patio, “So how about you make it up to me?”
Ladybug raises a brow, “Make it up to you? How do you suppose I do that?”
“Oh, I have a few ideas in mind,” Adrien smirks, traipsing towards her, “And all of them have to do with the fact that I haven’t seen you in a week.”
“It’s the end of the semester,” Ladybug replies sheepishly, scratching at the hairs at the back of her neck, “I’ve been designing a spring line and it’s been taking me forever to get the tailoring right and I mmpff !”
*He pulls her into his chest and kisses her desperately, messy and rough and Marinette hesitates only for a moment before kissing him back with fervour, relishing in his pent up frustrations. Life had gotten in the way of many things, but she’d always find time for him, always find time for this, whether it be in a bed or on a rooftop, just like old times.
Emboldened, Ladybug breaks away and crouches down in front of him, quickly divesting him of his favourite leather belt so as to unbutton the clip of his trousers with ease. She pulls down the zipper and shoves the waistband past his hips and knees, pushing his cashmere sweater upwards so she can lick patterns onto the sensitive skin of his abdomen, pressing kisses to the hollows of his hip bones. She chances a glance upwards and revels in the way his eyes shine in the ambient light of the Christmas tree across the way, his pupils blown wide with sudden arousal and Ladybug settles in, happy to sit for the long haul.
“Marinette,” he growls, and Ladybug savours the low purr of Adrien’s voice in its deeper register, rough with need and desperation and something else she can’t quite put her finger on. He buries his fingers into her pigtails as she continues laving her tongue along the dip above his thigh with affection, nipping and licking the pale, delicate skin she finds there. He lets out a sharp hiss as her teeth scrape further downwards, just barely grazing past the meticulously groomed curls there.
She nuzzles up against him, running the tips of her fingers up and down his sides and Adrien swallows thickly, shuddering with anticipation. She presses her lips against the pulse point at the jut of his hip and hooks her gloved fingers around the waistband of his briefs, pushing them down, his cock jutting earnestly against his abdomen. Ladybug runs her hands up and down his thighs until he feels goose pimples, her fingertips caressing faint patterns against his skin and the way he says her name, wrecked and frantic spurns her onwards, his length gently brushing her cheek.
“Please…” he begs, and Ladybug doesn’t need much more motivation than that. She looks up at him, slack-jawed and gorgeously flushed, and licks him root to tip.
Adrien writhes.
Ladybug reaches upwards and grasps the root of his cock, taking the head in her mouth and dragging her fingers up and down his shaft. She pulls away and licks her lips as she presses a chaste kiss to the head, content to watch him shudder and bury his fingers in his hair, pulling the strands to keep himself from losing it right then and there. She does love a challenge and Ladybug starts twisting her wrist in time with her mouth, increasing the pressure just a little bit with every sloppy pass. She uses her free hand to stroke his thigh, her fingers trailing back up towards his hip bones and back down again over and over, a gentle counterpoint to the way she hums against his shaft, ruthless in her rhythm and Adrien throws his head back, crying her name like a prayer.
There are bright pops of colour behind his eyelids that are most certainly not those of the Christmas lights and Adrien holds onto the railing behind him, utterly disarmed, shuddering with pleasure. Ladybug groans around his cock, her clit throbbing relentlessly against her suit and she’s burning with need, the desire to mark him with her fingertips, the need to press bruises into his thighs overwhelming. She wants him to remember this tomorrow morning when he wakes up, she wants him to shatter into her touch and she wants to swallow every moan and cry, bobbing her head and sucking harder and —
“Marinette,” Adrien chokes out, half sobbing into his palm, “ Please— ”
He gasps out loud, broken and wanton and Ladybug grasps his hips, holding him steady as he comes in hot spurts against her tongue. She sucks him through it, indulging in the way he cries out incoherently, ragged and breathless and falling to pieces on a rooftop in Paris, completely and utterly hers. She lets him go and sits back on her heels, stretching her jaw as he keeps his eyes screwed shut, flushed and spent and quivering against the sensation of the night.
25 Days of a Miraculous Christmas, Day 14: Secret Santa
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4:
Marinette looked down at the delicate charm bracelet in the gift box on her desk and found it a little hard to breathe. It was silver with pink beads and in the center a green paw was set beside a glittering crown. There were two possibilities. Chat Noir was in her class and had drawn her name for Secret Santa and was now teasing her or somehow someone had found out about their friendship (relationship?) and was holding it over her head. Her eyes darted around the room but her classmates all seemed focused on their own gifts. Nathaniel had wrapped the brightly colored scarf she had knitted around his neck and was smiling happily. Marinette squeaked, hands closing around the box when someone nudged her arm.
“Easy, girl,” Alya chuckled. “What’d you get?”
“Uh, a bracelet. You?”
Alya held up a large bundle of hair nets. “I have a feeling I know who drew my name.” Both girls looked over at Chloe who smirked at them before turning back to Sabrina.
“She’s such a brat,” Marinette muttered.
Alya waved a hand. “Little does she know that these will be excellent for keeping my hair out of the way when I’m helping my mom over the holiday,” she winked. “And at worst, the twins can use them for slingshots.”
Marinette laughed. “Silver lining.”
“Let me see the bracelet.” Alya grabbed for the box and Marinette reluctantly let her take it. Her eyes sharpened on the paw print. “Do you know who it’s from?”
“It’s Secret Santa, Al,” Marinette said nervously.
Alya tapped her nose and leaned closer. “Except I know the secret.”
Marinette swallowed thickly. “You, uh, you do?”
“It’s possible that someone else had your name originally and I know for a fact that another person begged for them to switch.”
Marinette’s eyes darted around the room again. “Really?” She saw Nino turn around to glare at Alya. He saw Marinette watching him and quickly engaged Adrien in conversation.
Alya chuckled and nodded her head towards the young men at the desk in front of them. “Well, I can promise you it wasn’t my boyfriend, so...”
“Adrien?” Marinette breathed.
The other girl winked.
_______________________
“Hi, Marinette. Did you have a good day?”
Marinette jumped to find Alya had vanished from her side and somehow Adrien had taken her place on the steps outside the school. “Adrien! Uh, hi!” She waved awkwardly, the pink pom-poms hanging off her mittens swinging out. “How are you?”
“Good,” he nodded, looking around. “A little cold.”
“This snow kind of came out of nowhere, huh?”
“Yeah.” He shifted his weight, eyeing the silver car that had pulled up to the curb for him, Gorilla sitting patiently behind the wheel. “Hey, so, um, what did you get from your Secret Santa?”
Marinette lifted her left hand and pulled her mitten up to reveal the charm bracelet, the paw print and crown charm knocking together with a soft sound. “It’s really pretty, isn’t it?”
Adrien watched the charms sway for a moment before looking back up at her. “Do you like it, Princess?” he asked, voice soft.
“I love it,” she whispered back, a fierce blush flowing over her cheeks. “Adrien, I--”
A horn honked and Adrien looked back at the car in frustration before turning back to her. “I have to go to tutoring now, but can I come over tonight so we can talk?”
She nodded. “I’ll leave the skylight unlocked.”
A warm smile spread across his face and he leaned in quickly to kiss her on the cheek before darting off towards the car. Marinette brought her mitten-covered hand to her cheek in a daze as she watched him drive away.
“Well,” Alya drawled from behind, “looks like someone figured out their Secret Santa after all.”
“Funny how that happened,” Marinette replied, unable to wipe the smile off her face.
“Sure is since I originally pulled your name,” Alya grinned. “I do have one question though.” Marinette stiffened as Alya hugged her close. “Wanna explain the green paw print, M?”
