Miraculous Fluff Month 2017 – Aug 23
Prompt: Sick Day
(( No, I know that this is late! But I've had it written, and I will not miss a day now that I'm in so deep! (except for Sundays…I don't write on Sundays. o.- ) ))
(( Ok, I posted this for Miraculous Fluff Month, since it really was inspired by that prompt, but I'm in this too deep for me to not let it be on its own too. Hehe. ))
Taking a Sick Say…or Ten
Marinette should have seen this coming. After the Akuma fight in the downpour the day before, and Tikki already seeming a bit…despondent, a pale and worn out Tikki shivering in her hands the next morning really shouldn't have surprised her. They'd fought in the rain before and usually her little Kwami was fine, but the rain yesterday was harsh and cold. It reminded her of the nightmare of trying to fight Princess Fragrance; not only was she terrified for poor Tikki's sake, but trying to be Ladybug without being able to actually be Ladybug was awful.
So Marinette wasted no time this go around. Forgoing breakfast so she would have the time before school, she raced out the bakery door toward the healer's house.
A quick run later and Marinette stood in front of the door, waiting. The first four times she had knocked had proved fruitless, and Marinette was trying to not panic.
"It's okay, Marinette," Tikki murmured from the open purse at Marinette's hip. The wise Kwami smiled. "We'll try again later. You need to get to school.
"Are you sure, Tikki? Maybe I'm just not knocking hard enough–"
At this, Tikki giggled.
"Marinette, if you had pounded on that door any harder, it would have broken down!"
Marinette grinned sheepishly. As Tikki tucked back into the purse, Marinette clasped it shut before turning quickly around and–
"OOF!" two voices yelped.
Marinette backed away from whatever – whoever – she had just collided with, instantly embarrassed.
"Oh, I am so sorry! I should've been wat–"
"Marinette?"
Words completely died in Marinette's throat, their strangled death cries echoing out of the suddenly dry chasm of her mouth. She watched as Adrien flicked his eyes from her to the door she had just walked away from. One hand was behind his back.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
If Marinette could have allowed sane thought, she would have supposed that was a fair question.
"H-H-Healer," she pointed to behind her.
"Oh! Ha, ah heh hah har…" Adrien swallowed. "Me too!"
Marinette took a deep breath and swallowed hard.
"H-He's not here. I think."
"Oh…." Adrien looked markedly disappointed.
"I-I mean, you can try, but I've been knocking for the last 10 minutes."
This elicited a direct stare from the blond model and Marinette felt herself melt under his abrupt and scrutinizing stare. As fast as the look came, though, it passed. Adrien sighed.
"Well, there's no point in waiting around here anymore then, huh?" he said, shrugging, a small smile pulling at the edges of his lips.
How did this happen? Marinette wondered for the 37th time in the last 5 minutes.
"Hummersstyguglerp," was all she could reply, looking down and kicking the ground nervously.
Adrien chuckled.
"Well…uh, should we walk to school then?"
"Y-Yeah, okay."
Adrien smiled again and backed up a bit, gesturing to allow Marinette out of the doorway area first.
Marinette found it endearing, of course, but almost shook her head at how predictable his actions were.
Always the gentleman.
As the teens walked away from the healer's house, four eyes – two normal and two tiny – watched them from a window, hidden by a shade. They shared a knowing glance, eyes twinkling.
qpqpqpqpqp
Marinette couldn't believe her luck when, again, the healer remained elusive. She was using her lunch break to be here and was starting to get desperate for time. She had even peeked in through as many windows as she could get to (she huffed when she realized she wouldn't be able to transform so she could peek in through all the windows) before toying with the idea of trying to manhandle the door open…or just kick it in…or….
She was jolted from her musings when a familiar shuffle of feet skidded to a halt behind her.
Chat?
Marinette whipped around and felt her cheeks flush in surprise when, AGAIN, Adrien Agreste stood before her. He was panting slightly, looking completely jarred from his usual calm composure, and seemed to only be able to mimic her blank stare. Marinette gulped.
"Still?" Adrien almost whined. He huffed when Marinette nodded and he let his hands drop down to his side from their questioning, outstretched pose. Marinette narrowed her eyes and cocked her head slightly. Something about the whole lack of composure he was carrying was almost…familiar.
As the two teens slowly meandered their way back to the school, a terrible silence threatening to last the whole time as it had the first time, Marinette, bolstered by her recollections of a cat-boy who would laugh at her antics – or lack thereof – tried at some type of conversation.
"S-So…"
Well, she tried.
"So," Adrien replied.
Marinette pooched her lips out in consternation.
I AM LADYBUG! she shouted to herself!
I AM LADYBUG! I AM LADYBUG, I AM LADYBUG –
"I AM LA–!" she shouted before smacking herself in the face. Marinette cursed herself and peeked up at Adrien's somewhat startled, somewhat amused look. "I am lAtely worried about my c-cat!"
Wow. You go, Marinette.
"Th-That's why I have been trying to get to that healer so bad."
"Really?" Adrien asked, sincerely questioning. "I didn't know you had a cat."
"She just appeared one day. I don't really know how she got there, but I've been taking care of her ever since." Marinette was slightly lost in thought at this. She smiled to herself. "Well, and she's helped me a lot too."
When Marinette looked up to Adrien, the sweet smile on his face made her blush again, but she kept the eye contact.
"What about you?"
"Heh, well…" Adrien suddenly looked nervous. "Would you believe that it's actually the same reason? Except my cat's not eating…which is really, really, REALLY–" he yelped suddenly and smacked his shirt. "Eh, s-sorry. Itchy tag? Eh hem. It's really weird for him to skip any meal. I'm worried about him."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Adrien. I hope he gets better soon."
He smiled. "Yours too."
They had arrived at the school steps and stopped for a moment before going inside.
"So…" Adrien started.
"So," Marinette giggled, echoing their earlier interaction. They both laughed lightly at this.
"Do you want to come with me to try again after school?"
Marinette tried to keep still, willing her vibrating frame to not betray her. She didn't trust her mouth, so she tried for what she hoped was something like a sweet smile, and nodded.
qpqpqpqpqp
Day two of the same events came and went. Adrien and Marinette were walking back from the healer's house again during their lunch break. Adrien was animatedly talking about one of his favorite comic books. When he had learned Marinette liked the artsy side of graphic novels and occasionally picked up a few for reference pieces but never read the stories, Adrien had brought a stack of his favorites from home and dropped them in her bag that morning. Now, though, he was telling her which one she should start with and why, and the basis of the story without giving anything – or, at the very least, everything – away. Marinette, though she wore a continuous blush from the attention, couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm.
"So, what's her name again?"
"Her real name or her superhero name?"
Marinette laughed. "Real name."
"Usagi, and her superhero name is –"
"Sailor Moon, I do remember that. And she uses…what kind of magic?"
"No, I'm pretty sure I gave you enough spoilers that you could pass off reading it without even opening a page."
Marinette grunted theatrically. "UGH! You caught on to my plan!"
Adrien shoved her shoulder, a little rougher than he meant to. Maybe.
Marinette retaliated, forgetting who her alter-ego was. Adrien almost stumbled over. Marinette grabbed onto his hand to keep him upright.
"Geez, Mari!" Adrien laughed, steadying himself. Marinette blushed anew – first at what she had done, including touching his hand, and second at the sound of her nickname coming from him. "I would not have thought that of you."
"Psh," she scoffed before she could stop herself. "That was nothing."
Adrien quirked a brow.
With quite a sound shove, Marinette was stumbling to the side, skidding on one foot for a good six feet, arms flailing wildly. Adrien looked completely unashamed of himself.
Marinette smirked. She maybe not be able to handle a crush, but she was always ready to conquer a challenge.
qpqpqpqpqp
Alya and Nino were waiting for their friends to show up. They would have done better to have waited in the classroom. Well, Nino would have.
Without warning, Adrien came barreling up the stairs, a manic grin on his face. And without even a wave, he pulled Nino roughly by the sleeve, causing him to stumble to the side as Adrien continued on his path inside the school.
"What–?" was all Nino could get out before Marinette crashed into him. Instead of tripping over him, though, she deftly used his toppling frame to vault herself up, over, and further into the school.
"NO CIVILIANS, CHEATER!" she shouted as she retreated from her friends.
"COLLATERAL DAMAGE!" they heard Adrien shout from inside the school. "NOT RESPONSIBLE!"
Alya reached down to help Nino up, shock etched in her features.
"GADS, what the heck just happened!?" Alya wondered.
"I dunno, but I'm gonna kill them both."
qpqpqpqpqp
Marinette started bringing breakfast by day four. As they rounded the corner of the bakery on their way back, Adrien caught a waft of the sweet-smelling scents coming from within and triumphantly popped another huge bite of chocolate croissant in his mouth. Marinette, he noted, stared at the monogram on the bakery door.
"You designed that, right?" Adrien muttered through a mouthful of bready goodness.
"Mm…" she mumbled in reply.
Several mornings, afternoons, and evenings in a row with Marinette told him that she had just lost herself in a new idea. Figuring she wouldn't be talking to him for a while, he shoved the whole reset of the pastry into his mouth, sighing contently.
He could definitely get used to this.
Mouth too full to effectively lick his figures, Adrien held his hands aloft by his face, waiting until the yumminess subsided into his stomach. A sudden snort of laughter brought his attention downward into a glittering pair of bright blue eyes.
"Wha?" he wondered aloud.
Marinette lost it. She put a hand on his arm to keep her upright from laughing too hard. Adrien grinned (well, tried to…his cheeks were considerably full). He took some of the chocolate from his waiting fingers and smeared a bit on his face before lowering his head to be in her line of sight.
"Mawri, do I haff sumfin on muh fathe?"
She chanced a glance up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. What she saw left her entirely breathless in mirth. Her legs gave out and she wholly collapsed on the ground.
"You…look…ridiculous!" she got out through huge gulps of air. After a few intense minutes of roaring, side-splitting laughter, Marinette finally pulled herself up to the side of the bakery, gasping for air. Adrien sat down next to her, grinning to himself in a self-satisfied way, and finished chewing his croissant. When he turned to look at her, she was waiting for him.
"Hey!" he protested as a giggling Marinette pulled her phone down from his face and then turned it around so Adrien could see his masterpiece. He really did look ridiculous. The sight sent the two of them into renewed titters. Adrien pulled out his own phone and turned it to them before slouching into the side of Marinette. He felt her tense until his touch, something he was getting used to, but she didn't move away. Instead, she pulled a silly duck-lipped face. Adrien laughed before turning to her. The camera went off again. Bah, he must have hit the rapid capture feature again. Oh well. He reached around and pulled Marinette slower to him. She squealed, but Adrien didn't care.
The pictures looked perfect.
The warning bell sounded and Adrien, phone still out and taking pictures, turned his head to the sound.
"Shoot!"
"What?"
"The bell!"
"Oh snap!"
The two got up and Adrien grabbed onto Marinette's hand and pulled her all the way to the classroom.
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When Adrien was alone at the lockers getting ready to head out again with Marinette to try to get to that confounded healer, he started flicking through the 30 pictures his phone had taken of him and Marinette by the bakery. Most of them were pretty silly…but when he flicked onto a certain one, he felt his face start to burn. It must have been the first picture he didn't know his phone was taking. Marinette was giggling, eyes closed. She was cute. But that's not what had drawn his attention. Next to her was a blond-hair guy staring at her with straight-up adoration. He had caught himself gazing at Marinette.
Adrien closed his locker, clearing his throat to no one for no reason and thought fleetingly of just forgoing the walk with Marinette today….
Until he skimmed through the last few pictures.
It must have been when the bell had rung. And Adrien had looked away.
And Marinette….
Marinette looked right at him. And the look in her eyes….
Was the same as the one he saw in his own.
Adrien hung his head, suddenly overheated.
"Hey, Adrien! Are you ready?"
Adrien wasn't sure how to respond to that question.
But he knew what the new background to his phone screen was going to be.
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"So, you want to be a designer, right?"
The two were eating ice cream that evening, after their walk. Adrien hadn't been ready to let her go yet, and he didn't have anything that evening, so he insisted on going to this specific ice cream shop. You know, the one that was three blocks farther away from her house than the five others they passed to get there.
"Mmhm," she responded, trying to lick off a stay blop of ice cream off her nose before giving up and wiping it away with the back of her hand.
CUTE.
"But everyone knows that by now," she waved the question away. "What about you?"
"Me? Me what?"
Marinette laughed. "What do you want to, you know, do? What's your dream?"
Adrien blinked. Dream? Was he allowed that?
"I…I don't know?"
"You don't want to go into fashion design too? Like, follow in your father's footsteps?"
"No."
Marinette stopped mid-lick and stared up at him and his harsh tone.
"Er, sorry." Adrien sighed, trying to find a way to word what he wanted to say. "It's not that I don't like fashion or whatever…I practically live it. Heh…" he breathed out a short laugh. "I do live it. But, uh…I don't really want to be…want to become my f-father."
He felt guilt even at saying this, though it was absolutely true. For as much as he loved his father for being his father, he hated seeing how Father worked over his staff, the models (including him), and the designers under him. "Niceness" was not something Gabriel Agreste was known for.
Adrien scowled, ice cream forgotten.
A hand on his arm stopped Adrien mid-step and he flicked his gaze to Marinette. A double-take didn't take away the fire he had spied the first time. The look of determination on her face was so achingly familiar, he found him staring into the blue, ready to listen to whatever this girl had to say.
"Adrien," she started in a simultaneously uncharacteristically strong tone that was so very her. "I'm not even going to pretend to know what's going on between you or your dad, and I won't ever ask or pester you about it." She took a deep breath. "But you should know that you are a good person, OK? And I can't see that ever changing."
Adrien could only stare at her, lips pursed, and blinking hard to keep back the emotion fighting there.
After a moment, Adrien found something of a shaky voice.
"Th-Thanks, Marinette."
Her soft smile felt the same as when the Miraculous Cure swept through Paris: Adrien felt renewed and filled with fluttering.
"You're welcome."
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"So…" Adrien hurried up beside Marinette that evening. She was waiting by the back door of the bakery and smiled when she saw him. Adrien's inner voice stammered a little and his body's mechanic started banging his head against the metaphorical wall. Adrien was thankful when she held out a pastry. He gladly grabbed it from her hand thankful for the distraction. Then, hoping to seem undeterred during the brief interlude, continued with what he was about to ask her.
"Do you like anyone?"
He could tell Marinette reeled back for a moment at the question and smirked despite himself.
"Like I would tell you," she muttered.
"I'm guessing he doesn't know, then?"
Marinette blushed. "Why would you say that?"
It was Adrien's turn to look surprised at her words. "'Cause I can't imagine someone saying 'No' to you?"
Marinette looked up to Adrien and he felt the heat on his cheeks again. So he did what was best and shoved the whole pastry slowly into his mouth. It worked: Marinette started to laugh before punching him in the arm.
"Thanks for the confidence, but I don't think it's going to happen."
"Whuteffer! Why noh?"
"Um, first of all, that is so gross!" she giggled at his full mouth. "But I'm pretty sure I quite soundly 'friend-zoned' myself." Marinette sighed at this and Adrien was both relief and sorry for her. He swallowed hard, and it was because of the oversized bite of pastry. Not nerves. Really.
"You should drop him a line."
Marinette looked confused. "What…like poetry?"
Adrien laughed. "No! No, no, no, like, a pick-up line."
This time Marinette laughed heartily. Like, a long time. Long enough Adrien started to get annoyed.
"Yeah, what a hilarious suggestion," he deadpanned.
"No, sorry, I just know someone who would agree with you, but I don't think I could do it."
"Seriously! You should try it out on him. I really don't think he'd reject you, Mari."
Marinette was a red mess. She sighed.
"Hey, Adrien?"
Adrien frowned slightly at the sudden change of topic. Or so he thought.
"Yeah?"
"Can I tie your shoes for you?"
"I-what?"
"'Cause I don't want you falling for anyone else."
Adrien blinked.
"A-Are you feline alright?"
Marinette, who had been looking markedly shyer than normal, abruptly scowled before rolling her eyes.
Adrien balked at the expression.
When she stared up at him again, the fierceness in the blue eyes, the red surrounded them from the heat in her cheeks matching His Lady's colors, the dark hair…in pigtails…with red ribbons….
Ah, crud.
Yeah, sure, "yay!", but…crud.
It's her.
She's her.
Adrien gulped, palms suddenly feeling sweaty.
And he had been encouraging her to drop a line to the dude she liked…and she…oh.
She did.
To…him.
Somehow they had made it to the back door of the bakery. Marinette kept glancing up at him, and Adrien was sure he looked like a red, sweaty mess. He held the door open for her as he had been doing for the past week. Instead of leaving her there, though, he gulped as he followed her up to where he actual front door was.
Were they going to have a doorway scene? Would she want that? Why did he follow her? She was smiling. He was broken. Wasn't there a movie about what to do about this? Something about…90/10?
Had that ended badly?
Marinette stopped at her door and turned to face him, taking out her keys and…and…fiddling with them.
"I, uh, had a g-great time tonight, Adrien."
Adrien stuck his hands deep in his pockets. "Yup," he dumbly answered, popping the 'p'.
He saw Marinette smile even though her eyes were on the ground. When she looked at him again, he didn't care anymore.
Forget 90/10.
He was going for the whole 100%.
Even if he had no idea what he was doing.
Grabbing her hands, he pulled her toward him slowly, while taking a step forward to her. She backed up a bit, almost to the door, but didn't pull away. Adrien took another step toward her, pushing her hair back for an excuse to put his hand behind her head and pull her face up toward him more. His other hand let go and he leaned his arm on the wall behind her, closing to the distance between them. When he lowered his face toward hers, he hesitated for only a moment.
Oh, gosh, what if she didn't want this? What if he was coming on too stro–ermmahgosh.
So that's what 90/10 means.
She had grabbed onto his face, so tenderly, and pushed herself up the rest of the way to him, meeting his lips with hers. He didn't need help with the next part. He figured he could take care of it from here.
It was soft, tender, but gave him butterflies through his whole body.
After a few tentative touches, he deepened it for only a moment before pulling back.
"Chat…" he heard her whisper. He opened her eyes and saw her gazing into his, that ferocity dancing behind the blue again.
"M'lady."
Her eyes widened for only a moment while she bit her lip. Then they were kissing again, and Adrien wove his hand farther into her hair as she pulled on his neck a little harder. It was only for a minute, but it was enough. And when they broke apart, they both started laughing lightly.
"GALL FINALLY." A new voice practically shrieked into the air.
"SHHH PLAGG WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!"
"MY PROBLEM IS A SERIOUS LACK OF CHEESE FOR THE LAST WEEK."
"YOU–"
"AND DON'T EVEN TELL ME YOU LIKED DIPPING YOURSELF IN FLOUR EVERY DAY TO MAKE YOURSELF LOOK PALE."
"I WASN'T!"
"GOOD!"
"GOOD!"
Adrien and Marinette had stepped back from each other and the two arguing blobs now floating in front of them. Adrien was the first to recover. He cleared his throat, crossing his arms.
"What."
"Uh…" the little fairies spoke hesitantly. "Tikki", Ladybug's – Marinette's – Kwami shrugged then.
"The great guardian was tired of you two dancing around each other."
As if that explained everything.
"So you faked being sick…" Marinette muttered. "And knew the healer would never be there…and we'd…keep trying to help you." Now she looked kinda…ticked. Out of habit, Adrien winced.
Tikki, however, only smiled.
"Well, you finally got that kiss from Adrien – and Chat – that you've always wanted Marinette! I think it all turned out right."
Adrien's heart fluttered. He could care less about the Kwamis' underhanded tactics. The means justified the ends. Especially now that he knew that she really had wanted this. If Tikki's words hadn't been reliable, the red brushing across her cheeks and down her neck was a dead giveaway.
"You like me that much, Bugaboo?" he smirked, and the sassy grin only widened at Marinette's obviously affected posture. "Or…really, maybe I should call you Buganette?"
Instead of giving him a retort, which he completely expected, she looked instead to Tikki, feigning disinterestedness.
"Actually, Tikki," she spoke sweetly. "It looks like I have already kissed Adrien. You remember…before all of this." Marinette's eyes flicked up to his momentarily, now wearing Adrien's stolen smirk. Tikki giggled.
"That's right! I had forgotten about that!"
Marinette gave Adrien an over-the-shoulder snigger as she turned to put her key into the door to go in.
"Wait…" Adrien felt all of his cheekiness flee. "You're serious?"
Marinette giggled, having slipped inside already.
"Wait!"
"Goodnight, Chaton."
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Walking home, Adrien pulled out his phone when he felt it buzz. Looking at who it was from, he smiled widely.
"Ugh, this is going to be even worse than when Ladybug was just a mystery girl."
Adrien ignored Plagg and opened the messages coming in from "Buginette" (yes, he had already changed her name in his phone).
-Dear mon minou, I feel quite cold up here on the Eiffel Tower and so I brought some hot chocolate.
-I figured our naughty Kwamis owed us a night out.
-And if you ever want to hear the story of how you almost killed me but I saved your sorry leather-clad skin with a kiss, then I suggest you come join me.
-'Cause it's now or never.
-Here, Kitty, Kitty….
Adrien didn't see the last few messages though.
Chat Noir raced along the rooftops of Paris, the lit-up Eiffel Tower in his sights.
His Lady was waiting for him.
And he didn't want to just be told a story….
He was hoping for more of a reenactment.
Wait…I tried to KILL her!?
Fin!
(( So..erm…this started off as a Miraculous Fluff Month Prompt. And ended 4K words later. So I upgraded it to its own story. n.n ))
(( Guys, if you like this, could you leave a review? Please? Is that sad to ask? Hardy Har. Let me know if this crap is any good...Heh heh. -.o ))
(( Really, though, THANK YOU FOR READING. Y'all are awesome. I do this for you. No lie. ))
(( AND THAT WAS A 'HITCH' REFERENCE IF YOU WERE WONDERING. THE 90/10. XD ))
(( And I didn't have time to edit this, again, so sorry if there are a ton of mistakes! ))