So we start with ice cream, then frustration over cooking, followed by Chat frustration. There's also awkward 'boy knows nothing about girls' cliche mixed in.=^-^=
Ch. 9 - Chat Education
"I can't believe you've lasted this long with only 6 pairs of underwear and 5 shirts." Marinette practically scolded Aaron as they walked down from the shopping district. She'd discovered him hovering over the washer when she got up that morning. He wasn't really sure how to use it himself and he said he was out of clean clothes. It was funny to hear at first since Marinette had run the wash only five days before.
"Well… When I left it wasn't like I could carry my whole closet, Marinette, honestly." He countered while holding his bags containing value pack underwear and t-shirts.
"I know, but you really should have done something before. This should have come way before buying Nathaniel's comics."
Aaron let out a sigh knowing he wasn't going to win. "Okay, but I was still short on money at first, and well… I thought I was doing fine."
Marinette tsked him. "Until this morning when I found you poking and prodding the washer like a cat with a mysterious new toy."
"Meow?" He teased back at her reference.
"Anyway..." She started to get things back on track. "Please make sure you have clothes enough for a whole week from now on. If a drought hits we won't be able to run the washer all the time like we have been. By the way, do you have anything for winter? Fall is only a few weeks away, Aaron."
"Um… Aside from a hoodie, no." He admitted sheepishly. "I can't say I was thinking that far ahead, but I hope to have earned enough by winter to buy a decent jacket."
Marinette just shook her head. "A decent jacket is going to get expensive, at least the kind you can wear all the time without it tearing." She informed with an exasperated sigh. "Though I suppose we can cross that bridge when we get to it."
"That's kind of what I've been doing. And speaking of bridges. Look over there." Aaron pointed across the bridge on the seine to spy Andre's ice cream cart. "Care for a treat for helping me out?"
Marinette once again rolled her eyes at him. "For someone tight on cash, you sure seem in a hurry to spend it."
"Only on you, princess." He smirked and started over before she could make any remark for the familiar nick name. When he saw her following he started in a run to make sure he got there first.
"Why hello." Andre greeted before his eyes went wide. "It's you! It's been so long my young friend."
Aaron nearly tripped at his words. "Uh no… I've never met you before." He insisted with a forced smile.
"Come now… eh?"
Adrien put a finger to his lips while Marinette caught up. "Seriously, why did you feel the need to run here? It's hot enough already."
"Just having a little fun." He teased while still giving Andre an insistent look.
"Oh hello, Marinette… Uh, care for some ice cream?"
"That's what we came for, Andre." Aaron informed with a smile.
"Good, uh… Ah, I have a new flavor for you, eh?" He turned to his cart. "For you, Marinette, I have dark chocolate for his hair and mint green for his eyes." He handed over the two scoops to the young lady. "And for you, sir, some black berry for her hair but a twist for the rest. Strawberry simply matches the best." He declared and handed Aaron his cone.
"Thanks."
"Don't think ice cream will get you off the hook for anything." Marinette warned as he paid.
"Of course not, Mari, but a little treat to beat the heat can help." He chuckled and took her hand. "At least until we get home?" She rolled her eyes and followed while enjoying her own cone. She really liked how he used the word 'home' in that sentence. He really saw a place he'd only lived in for less than two months as a home.
Marinette sat on the couch mending a few clothes while Aaron prepped dinner for that night. "How small should I cut these?" He asked coming out with a nicely peeled potato.
She pulled a thread through and looked up. "Think bite size, Aaron. Big enough to take with a fork but small enough to eat it in one bite." She explained while adjusting her thread for another stitch.
"And the carrots the same way?"
"Yes, just try not to slice them too thinly at first."
"Sure." He responded and headed back to the counter. "Okay… This is simple enough. Just cutting something up and I don't need to go very fast or anything." He told himself as he held up the knife. It didn't look hard on TV, and Marinette always seemed to get through it quickly. He held the potato down firmly and lowered the knife slowly to start the slice. The first slice went well enough, but a couple more brought him to the middle of the potato and the slow cuts he made were getting stuck part way through. "Urg… It's because I'm slow." Part of what made a slice effective was speed and force, so going slow was going to hurt him. One of the reasons he wasn't using a big bulky knife like he saw Marinette use was so he could take it slow. He managed to force the cut through the potato and start another, but it got stuck once again. "There has to be a trick to it…" Especially near the end where holding it would be tricky. It took a little work but he finished slicing long way, and started making them smaller. "These are… Kind of slippery." Holding them in place too hard made them slide as he sliced. "Come on… Stay still." He grumbled.
Marinette stopped her sewing at hearing his little grumbles and grunts from the kitchen. "Hmm?" She turned to listen better.
"This… Shouldn't be this hard… whoa-" She heard a clatter as well as a curse. "Shit!"
"Aaron? Are you okay in there?" She put her materials down and stood up.
"I… I'm fine. I have this under control." He responded but his tone made her worry anyway.
"Are you sure? It sounded like you were… Aaron!?" She peeked into the kitchen and saw him holding his hand with a balled up paper towel. "Did you cut yourself?" She rushed over and saw a little blood with the potato slices on the cutting board.
"Um… A little bit?"
She gave him a stern look and let out her hands. "Let me see."
He let out a sigh and lowered his injured hand to hers. "It's not that bad."
"Aaron… this paper towel is covered in blood." She pulled it off his hand to see an angry red line across his left index finger. "It looks like you could have cut your finger off."
"No, it just… I didn't put a lot of power into it, really. I was going slow, but the potato slipped on the board and I… Got a little impatient."
She dabbed the cut with a clean part of the paper towel. "That mess over there tells me you may have gotten more than a little." She then noticed the knife he was using. "And what were you doing with that knife? It's a steak knife, Aaron." She sighed again. "Aaron… Have you ever worked in a kitchen? I mean aside from the bakery downstairs?"
"Um… I did a little bit… With my mom when I was really little."
"Then I imagine she never let you use a knife." She pulled him along to the table, and went to grab the first aid kit from a cabinet. "I really wish you'd said something when I asked you to help me prep." She pulled out some alcohol and dabbed it on his cut.
"You were working-" He let out a pained hiss.
"But I could have at least showed you how." She explained as she dried his cut again. She pulled out a little gauze to set over the cut before pulling out a bandage. "Though maybe I should have thought of that from the start?" She asked herself with a little regret. "After all, there are plenty of other things that are new to you that I see as common knowledge."
Aaron frowned at that. "I… I can still do it you know? You don't need to do it for me."
She tightened the wrap and tied it off. "I never said I'd do it for you, Aaron. I'm just going to show you." She quickly put the medical supplies back in the box. "Now come on." She gestured him to follow back into the kitchen. "Now, why don't we clean up this crime scene?" She joked hoping it would help his sour expression. It only got a slight smile, but he still looked unhappy through it. She cleaned off what he'd cut and set up a new potato. "Okay, Aaron, first off, using this knife is not a good idea. A steak knife is good for slicing not chopping." She made a sawing motion. "Firm veggies like potatoes need to be chopped." She then pulled out the large knife he always saw her or her mother use. "This is a chef's knife. It's made for this job so you should always use it when you can." She gestured to the food and angled the knife over it while the tip sat on the cutting board. "You also should make sure you don't slam it down. Think of it like… folding the dough? The dough never has to leave the counter and you press and fold back and forth or up and down in some cases." She sliced down. "Maybe a lever would be a better way to look at it." She giggled to herself. "See?" She sliced a few times and it looked effortless.
"I see…"
"Oh, and see my other hand? Curl your fingers to avoid cutting them off. You just need to push the potato and the knife never actually moves from its place." She sliced through the whole thing and chopped it into bite size pieces in no time at all. "Just go at a pace that feels right for you." Aaron looked at his bandaged hand and then to the potato he'd sliced sitting to the side. When he compared it to Marinette's it was like night and day. His slices were rough and uneven. Some even looked broken instead of flat from the knife. "Aaron?" He looked to her. She wore a worried expression. "It's okay to need help you know?"
"I… I know." He just wanted to be helpful. She'd asked him to do something so simple, and he couldn't even finish one potato before hurting himself. He wanted to be more helpful. "I just… No, its fine. I really haven't ever done something like this." He gave her a smile though she could tell it was forced. "Thanks for showing me."
"Of course." She stepped aside. "Do you want to try, or… If your hand still hurts I can-"
"No… I want to still help." He took the knife and carefully placed it like she showed him. Though he was going at a slower pace, he was doing better even if his cut made it hard to hold the potato right.
Marinette patiently watched from his side and corrected his hands when they moved awkwardly. "Marinette…"
"Hmm? You're doing pretty well now." She noted as she gestured to the pile of diced potatoes he'd made.
"Thanks but… I actually…" He set down the knife and turned to her. "Please let me help you with any cooking from now on? I want to learn, and be more helpful. I want be able to do little things like this without you having to watch me."
"It's okay, Aaron, it's not any-"
"It is, Marinette. You were trying to get something done and that's why you asked me to help. Now you can't because I couldn't help right. It's just like at the grocery store last week. I thought I was going to be helpful, but all I did was carry a bag."
"But I couldn't carry it all by myself so it was good that you came."
He furrowed his brow and rubbed his bandage with his thumb. "But it would've been better if I could do more. More every day things that everyone else seems to know."
She looked at his expression, and could feel his frustration. "Well… If you're sure? I really don't mind showing you how to do anything really." She smiled at him and he smiled back.
"Great, so show me how to be a great cook and a baker."
Chat Noir was late to their weekly patrol and found Ladybug already waiting up near the top of Paris' landmark. "Wait long, milady?"
She chuckled but shook her head. "No, just a few minutes. I was just listening to the city sounds below."
Chat twitched his ears. "Hmm? It sounds pretty normal to me."
"It does." She admitted with a smile. "But that's why I was listening. It's just a normal Paris night. The glow of street lights, the low buzz of tourists on the Trocadero, and a slight breeze making it just cool enough to enjoy."
Chat took a look for himself and sat beside his partner. "Yeah… Peaceful, I think."
"It has been. Hawk Moth seems to have completely fallen off the radar."
"Maybe he's on summer vacation." Chat joked.
"Well… Something tells me he's not school age, but you never know. Age doesn't matter when attending university after all."
"Do you think it's something else?" He asked back curiously. It was hard to imagine what could suddenly stop Hawk Moth when they had spent years dealing with him.
"It's possible, Chat Noir, he could have even died, you know? I mean, not that I think he is, we just don't know." It was true, they knew very little about their long time enemy. Even after all these years they really only knew he wanted the miraculous to make a wish. Did he find some other way to get what he wanted? "I still don't think it would be optimistic to assume he's gone though. We should still be on our toes."
"Right, I know. It still just makes me wonder why he's been quiet. Maybe it's what he does for a living?" He only half asked with a shrug.
"It really could be anything." She agreed.
"So… Milady?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"You know that guy you told me you liked?"
"Chat… I can't tell-"
"You don't have to tell me who he is." The cat hero corrected with a smile. "Just… Can he cook?"
Ladybug raised a curious brow at the question. "Hmm? Well…. I don't know. I've never seen him cook if that's what you're asking."
"What about his clothes? Does he dress nice?"
"I'd say that one is a definite yes." She revealed with a smile. He was a model after all.
"Oh…" Definitely better than t-shirts and jeans all the time.
"Chat Noir, please don't think it's the clothes that made me like him."
"No I just… What are normal things a boyfriend can generally do? Like, do they normally know how to cook?" He asked more clearly. It was a curious question, but he didn't look very upset by her last answer anymore.
"Well… It really just depends on the guy, Chat Noir. Some can play music, others are good at sports, and then there are guys who play video games."
All things he could do! He can play piano, and fence, and he was nearly undefeated at UMS. "What about… Chores and things? You know, house stuff?" He asked more. He needed to know what he should be concentrating on.
"Um… Let's see…. If I'm going on stereotypes, then around the house guys usually fix things like shelves, or take out the trash. Then there's yard work, though you kind of need a yard." Not many people in the city had those. "Let's see… what else? Hmmm…" She thought some more. "I can't really think of a lot, but like I said before, it depends on the guy. Some guys are good at things like cooking and sewing. Honestly, learning more domestic things is usually a girl's dream for a boyfriend." She mused.
"So… This guy you like can do domestic things?"
She shrugged. "I'm not really sure. To be honest, he hasn't really been around much recently… But…" She stood up and dusted herself off. "Those sorts of things aren't what I liked about him." She said 'liked'? So not anymore? "Listen, Chaton. All girls are different, but there are a few things I can guarantee you a girl likes. If you're kind, attentive, and eager to help, then you'll be fine. Even if you mess up, just try again. A girl will notice the effort you put in and that's what will get them." She advised and pulled up her yo-yo. "Now, let's patrol."
Chat watched her swing off and let out a sigh. "I thought I was doing all those things for you, milady." Then again, that was one girl, and he was very limited to when he could act due to the whole secret identity thing. For Marinette, he should have plenty of opportunities. Plus, Marinette already admitted to liking him. "Kind, attentive, and eager… Sounds simple enough." He muttered and took off after his partner.
When he returned from patrol, Marinette still seemed busy in her room and he didn't want to disturb her again if she was working on something. He'd already lost her time with dinner after all. "What's got you worked up now, kid? You talked to Ladybug about what you should do, right?"
"Yeah, just… Wait, I should ask another guy too. Nino would know, right? He and Alya have been dating for years." He walked into his room and pulled out his phone. He shot him a text just to make sure he wasn't working.
Surprisingly enough, instead of a text back he just called. "Hey, dude. What's up?"
Aaron sat back on his bed. "Nothing really. I just wanted to ask you something."
"Is it about Marinette?"
"Huh? How'd you… Yes…" He let out a sigh.
"Hold up. Alya's here and I don't want her giving the third degree." He could hear a slight clatter through the phone. "Okay, shoot."
"Well… Actually, what's something Alya likes for you to do for her?"
"Stuff she likes for me to do for her?"
"Yeah, like to relax? Or take a load off her?"
There was a short silence before Nino answered. "Uh… Well, dude… That's gonna depend."
"On what? I'd be willing to try anything, Nino."
"Not that I don't doubt you, dude, but… It's really gonna depend on how far things have gotten between you."
Adrien felt bewildered by that. "Huh? What things between us? Baking practice?"
Nino spluttered at his response. "No, dude!" He heard a sigh. "I meant, in your relationship. There are things I can do for Alya only because of the level of our relationship. You know, like 'in the bedroom' kind of things." This wouldn't be half as embarrassing if it wasn't the sunshine boy Adrien asking him either.
"In the bed…. Oh…" Adrien felt his face go hot. "I uh… We're definitely not there yet."
"So give me a level. Hand holding, kissing? She didn't mind you putting that sunscreen on her, right?"
"N-no… And I've kissed her once." Though it was technically more than once, but not since that night in her room.
"Okay then, you should try to offer her a massage like for her feet or back. Alya spends a lot of time with her computer working on her blogs and stuff so she loves it when I rub her shoulders."
Now that he thought about it, he liked how she put his sunscreen on. It did feel good. "Okay, anything else?"
"Well, Alya likes it when I surprise her with her favorite snacks sometimes. Don't do it all the time or they'll get annoyed. Girls are always worried about their weight, you know? Hmmm… Oh, and a good tip to keep in mind for the future. Try and figure out when her time of the month is, and keep track of it."
"Her what?" He heard a sigh from the other end, and it was starting to bother him.
"Her period, dude. You know, when girls bleed out down there? Didn't you take sex ed in health class?"
Adrien blushed and thought back to the very limited lesson he'd gotten from Nathalie. She'd mentioned a cycle for reproduction, but stayed out of the specifics. Honestly, he was very grateful at the time cause it was so awkward. "Okay… I do know what you're talking about."
"Do yourself a favor, dude, and at least google it when you have a chance. It's important if you wanna earn boyfriend points, okay? Anyway, if you can keep track of it, girls can get painful cramps and be really tired. Also, irritable so be careful. That's when you'll want to swoop in the most with a treat or maybe do a chore for them. I have this app that helps me track Alya's. I'll send you the name."
"Okay, sure. Anything is helpful." And in this case, awkward as hell, but it's stuff boyfriends are supposed to know, right?
"Okay, well, see how that works out. I gotta get back to Alya. We're watching a movie and she'll start it back without me if I take too long."
"Thanks, Nino."
"Of course, dude." And he hung up and let out a heavy breath.
"Geez… I'm so glad I asked Nino, cause that would have been so awkward to learn from Ladybug."
"Humans…" Plagg muttered with an eye roll.
Adrien had just finished cleaning up the bakery kitchen from some late night practice prep. He was walking back into the apartment just as Marinette left the bathroom from her shower. "Hey, I just finished cleaning."
"Good." She set the towel around her neck to keep her hair from soaking her pjs. "And we'll get up around 9 or so to make the bread. This time I won't be doing any of the kneading, and I'll just tell you each step. Be ready." She warned and pointed a brush at him.
"Sure, I think I can handle it."
"Good, and" She pointed to his hair. "You got a little flour right there." She giggled as he reached for it.
"Well, I guess I should get washed up too." He then dabbed the little bit he'd gotten off his hair onto her cheek. "And you've got some right there too." He teased back and she looked at him in wide eyed surprise.
"Aaron!" She wiped it off. "Next time I'll just let you walk around with flour in your hair." She play pouted and headed to the living room.
"Sure." He shrugged and headed off.
Marinette did find his playful side cute, but she had just gotten out of the bath! "Honestly…" She mused to herself. She turned on a little Pop culture news while she brushed her hair, and then while she folded the laundry that had built up from the day before. She wasn't sure if it was really appropriate, so she folded all her own clothes, and then only folded his shirts and pants. He was perfectly capable of sorting his own socks and underwear himself. As she passed the bathroom she still saw the light on, and figured he was still in there and so she decided to put his laundry on his bed. His door was cracked, so she only needed to push it open with an elbow and- "Once this starts, she will shed her uterine lining which is all the blood rich-"
"Oh, M-marinette! Um…" Aaron rushed to stop whatever he was watching on his phone. "I was just… um…"
She, quickly unfreezing and setting the basket on his bed, made her escape. "Y-you left the bathroom light on!" And shut the door behind her.
"Wait!"
"It's okay! You can watch whatever you want!" She cut off and made a dash back to the living room to get her own laundry.
"Hold on, Marinette, please!"
"R-really, Aaron. It's okay." Even if it was the weirdest thing to walk in on a guy looking at. Of course it could have been something else, but honestly! What the hell else could it be!?
"Just wait, okay!" He yelled this time before she could finish picking up her clothes.
She froze and let out a sigh. "Okay."
"Oh… Thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I'm going to tell you the truth about why I was watching a video about… Um…"
"Menstrual Cycles, right?" She didn't turn to him.
"Uh, yeah… Well…" It was so hard to say it out loud, but if he didn't tell her the truth now, she'd only misunderstand. "I… I asked Nino about what girls like from their boyfriends. He mentioned I should pay attention to when that time of the month is and… Uh… Be extra nice to them." He finally finished with a blush he could feel up to his ears.
"Oh, that um… Makes sense…" She trailed off and a short silence fell.
Adrien wasn't sure if she accepted the answer or not, but it was the truth. "So…"
"I-if you look in the bathroom cabinet you'll see a mini calendar hanging on the door. I marked the corners on those days." She informed suddenly and grabbed her two stacks of laundry to head upstairs.
Our poor awkward boy is having a rough patch of dealing with everyday life. He'd never had to cook for himself, and I'd imagine Gabriel certainly wouldn't let him because of his diet. (Also, let's pretend his cut wasn't bad enough for stiches cause that's too much work for me) Next we have poor Chat asking about common boyfriend stuff. He feels pretty inferior huh? I kind of feel bad giving him that awkward ending part there, but I just couldn't resist! Tell me ya'll laughed at that please!=^-^=
Thx for taking the time to read, and please leave a comment if you'd be so kind.=^-^=
