Chapter 6: Friday, Friday Gotta Get Down on Friday
Classes are canceled for the day, thanks to the school being flooded from the sudden rain storm. Now having a three day weekend, Marinette's parents get ready for their Baker's conference trip. After they leave, Marinette closes shop early, to enjoy some "alone time" in the house.
"Are you sure you don't need any help, girl?"
"No Alya, it's fine. I'm closing up shop now anyway… We haven't had that many customers today, probably because of the rain."
Since early dawn, the sky had been filled with dark clouds, filled with water. The sun hadn't shined all day, causing the Parisians to stay inside, warm, dry and safe. Marinette had seen her parents off hours earlier, wishing them well as they traveled out of town to a Baker's convention that took place a few times a year and Tom Dupain wasn't going to let a little rain stop him from going...
"Tom, it's an absolute mess out there! We can just go to the next one in a few months…" Sabine cried, staring out the bakery door.
"But Mon amour, we already bought the passes and who knows what will happen by then! Besides this is the perfect weekend to go, since Marinette is home from school, she could watch the bakery over the weekend. You don't mind, do you sweetheart?"
"Nope! I don't mind at all; I know how important this convention is to you guys." Marinette just finished placing a tray of cookies in the giant oven, then wiped her hands on her apron. "Don't worry mom, I asked Alya to come over and help me in the morning, unfortunately we probably won't have many customers if this rain won't let up."
"Well, at least you'll have some help, right?"
"Exactly, and if anything happens, I have the police and grandpa on speed dial."
After ten more minutes of convincing, Tom and Marinette were able to sway Sabine not to cancel the trip; they had just put the last of the luggage in the car when they were finishing saying good-bye. "I left some money in an envelope in the kitchen for you girls…"
"No boys…"
"I texted you the hotel information we'll be staying at in case you can't reach us by phone.
"No boys…"
"And I also texted Gina and Rolland to call and check on you. Well, I think that's everything, I'll call you when we get to our hotel." Tom held the door open for his wife to hop in, closing the door he kissed his daughter on top of her head.
"Have fun, sweetie and remember-"
"No boys!"
"That's my girl." With one last hug Tom huddled over to the driver's side and got in, with a key turn and a rough start, the couple were on their way.
"Have fun! See you on Sunday night, love you!"
After locking the front door and flipping over the "open" sign, Marinette activated the security alarm then started up to the house. "Plus, I'm going to see you in the morning anyway…"
"That's right, bright and early, which means I should probably get the twins ready for bed, so I can get ready for bed. See you in the morning, girl!"
After hanging up the call, Marinette finished turning off the lights then locked the back door behind her. Tikki removed herself from one of Marinette's puffs, "Wow Marinette, you have the whole house to yourself! What are you going to do?"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Both ladies glanced ahead at the stairs they have yet to climb, then back at the front door, "Who could that be?"
"Maybe a customer? You did close the bakery a bit early, Marinette…"
"Not that early, Tikki." Curiously Marinette walked over to the door, it would be rude to not answer, however what person in their right mind would be here in the middle of a storm like this? When she reached the door, Marinette attempted to look out, but due to the heavy rain and dark cloud coverage she could barely make out the silhouette. "Sorry sir, but the bakery is closed due to-"
"Avon calling…" Standing there, soaking wet and shivering was Chat Noir, looking more like a drowned rat than a wet pus-
"What are you doing you crazy cat, get your whiskers in here now!" Taking a hold of his arm, she yanked him out of the rain. Once inside, Marinette placed him at the entrance, ensuring that he didn't drip anywhere else. Then hightailing it to the laundry room, she grabbed several towels. A tower of towels came wobbling towards Chat Noir, before revealing it was Marinette before she tripped from lack of sight.
Crashing into Chat Noir caused Marinette to yelp, dropping the pile of warmth she was holding; he stopped her from falling backward by grasping her wrist and pulling her into him.
She immediately pushed herself away when a chilly cold leather of his suit hit her chest. "What the hell are you doing here, we're in the middle of a huge thunderstorm!"
"I came to see -ACHOO!" He sneezed; wiping his nose as he sunk into the pile of towels Marinette dropped on him. Soon a thick blanket covered his back and wrapped around his front.
Marinette then began to wipe off Chat's leather suite of water, before reaching up and drying off his face. "That's nice and all, but you could have caught your death out there!" She took one end of the long towel and set it on top of Chat's head, taking the other end to polish his ears.
"Sorry Mari, I would've used the trap door, but it was locked. I tried the secret knock, but there was no answer. I went to the front, but the sign said 'close', so that's how I ended -ACHOO." As Marinette was picking up the rest of the towels, Chat finished drying himself off, after everything was picked up, she turned around in just enough time to have a damp towel being handed to her.
"Luckily for you, my parents aren't here to see this mess!" Marinette reluctantly took the towel and placed it over her shoulder, hiking the pile with her knee.
"Wait!" Chat Noir instantly squatted in a pounce position, only to whirled around Marinette's legs, "Did I hear that correctly? Mommy and Daddy are gone?" Once in front of her, he stood up, rubbing his wrist in a maniacal way. "While the cats are away, the mice will play…" Chat leaned forward, eyes half-lidded as he stared Marinette in the face, with a smirk.
Marinette reacted, as she often did as Ladybug, by poking his nose and pushing him back, "Sorry Kitty, but Papa told me 'No boys' tonight."
Chat, in turn, took a hold of her wrist, rotated it, bringing it to his lips, "Luckily for me, -ACHOO- I'm a cat…" There it was, those giant literal cat eyes filled with such cuteness, begging not to be sent outside for the night. Glancing outside Marinette's heart began to thump, she couldn't allow her poor kitty Chat to go back out in such a horrible storm when he came all this way just to see her.
Marinette rolled her eyes, "Well against my better judgment, I will allow you to get dry and change so you don't catch a cold." Chat's eyes lit up so brightly, while his tail switched energetic behind him. She sighed, "Wait here, I'll go grab your pajamas so you can power down and shower."
Within a few minutes, Marinette had run upstairs, gathered the pjs, as well as a dry towel and face rag and was back in front of Chat Noir. After handing out the clothes, she excused herself downstairs to make some food and hot cocoa. Entering the restroom and closing the door behind him, Chat called off his transformation.
"Claws in." Examining around the bathroom, Adrien found it to be significantly smaller than his. To the left of him was a freestanding bathtub with a faucet and shower head; in the middle was the toilet, with a stand for the paper and sitting next to that was the sink. Chat Noir, now Adrien, sat his items in the sink, while Plagg explored the facilities.
"Kid, what are we doing out here again? I swear it feels like we've been here all week…" Plagg went inside the tube to taste the soap that looked like cheese.
"Well classes were canceled for the day, and I don't have another appointment until tomor-"
"You know what I'm talking about!" Plagg raised his voice after he slapped himself in the forehead.
"Plagg, calm down, we're together now, it's fine that I'm here." Adrien was in the middle of removing his shirt, when he noticed that Plagg was suddenly silent "Geez Plagg, you're awfully quiet… euro for your thoughts?"
Flashing a quick peak of anger, Plagg retracted his claws away from Adrien. "Nah, I'm good." Plagg replied dryly, going through the medicine cabinet.
"Nothing to say?" Adrien asked, going after his pants.
"Nothing I haven't already bitched about…" Plagg closed the cabinet then flew around the space.
"Does that mean I'll have a peaceful night without you yelling at me about something?" Turning on the shower, Adrien stuck his hand inside to test the stream before stepping in.
"What's there to yell about? You're grown, you know what you're doing, so what's there to complain about?" After stepping inside, Adrien sighed, enjoying the hotness hitting his chilled skin; noticing there were tiny muffins at the bottom for safety, he snickered. "I mean, what else is there to say, it seems like you've made up your mind…"
Adrien took a second to take a whiff of the vanilla shampoo he was given permission to use, which gave him a better idea as to Marinette's sweet scent. "I told you before Plagg, I'm done. I'm done waiting, I'm done hoping and wishing that things will change, when it's not. Now, I'm moving forward with Marinette because I know she'll always be there for me, and I'll be there for her."
Plagg suddenly became frustrated, slapping his face then rubbing his temples, "What happened to 'the rules' and your feelings for Ladybug? What happened to 'ending this when things got serious'? What about the future? How are you supposed to go out on dates dressed up? Are you planning on marrying her in your catsuit? Planning on keeping a mask on hand while she's in the hospital having your babies?"
Lathering up his hair, Adrien chortled, "Well, I wasn't thinking that far ahead, but domesticity? Sounds nice…" Adrien was in the daze, finger combing his hair.
"Kid!" Plagg whined.
Adrien then reached down to the rim of the tub to snatch up the face rag and then scooped up the soap. "We're making it up as we go along; taking things so slow…feeling each other out, you know how it is."
"Yeah, I do know how it is." Plagg avoided the water as he hovered up to Adrien's head and made a cow lick with the shampoo, "So you guys gonna do tonight or what?"
Adrien, was in the middle of rinsing the shampoo out of his hair, when he choked up some water, "Plagg?!"
"What?" Plagg shrugged, taking a place on top of the shower head. "You said it yourself, I know how this goes. You come over in the middle of a storm, take a shower, you guys will go eat with all the googly eyes then you go upstairs and ugh 'make love', gross." He shutters afterwards.
Adrien continued washing his body, "Plagg, no one said anything like that is going to happen; as far as I know, she doesn't want to do anything like that!"
"Really? The last few trips here say otherwise…"
Adrien was finding it increasingly hard to finish washing up, especially when it came to his lower region, "Okay, just because I thought about it doesn't mean it is going to happen."
"Good thing I packed some prophylactics for you tonight!" Plagg cheered, placing his claw at his sides.
"You did what?!" He immediately shut off the water and carefully stepped out the bath on the soft rug underneath and went to his pile of clothes. No doubt, when he reached down in his civilian clothes, he pulled out a strip of condoms.
Adrien was left open-mouthed flabbergasted, lost for words. "How could-? Why did-? When did you-?"
"Remember that first day you guys messed around, well after we came home and you 'took care of things', I went back out…"
If there's one good thing about being a magical creature is that you have powers and abilities most other creatures don't. For example, the ability to fly, like to an all-night convenience store or the ability of intangibility, like how one would slip through a glass window of said convenience store. Being tiny enough to not be noticed is also helpful, like when one takes a box off the shelfs and magically leaves money on the counter. Speed is also a factor when escaping through an open back door, while the clerk was taking out the trash.
Adrien was stunned, he didn't know whether he was more surprised that his friend stole something from a store or that he was the best wing man anyone could ever ask for. "Plagg you can't do that; you have to pay for things!"
"I did! I left enough money…" Proudly proclaiming puffing out his chest.
Now was Adrien's turn to rub his temples, "Plagg-"
KNOCK KNOCK
"Chat Noir? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay, the water got cold for a second!" Adrien panicked, snatching up his jeans and stuffing the box inside of the pockets; folded the pants to hide the evidence, before throwing them in the corner. After finding his mask, he answered the door. "What's up?"
At first, Marinette wasn't paying attention, throughout all their time together; this had to be the first time Marinette had seen Chat Noir in less than his battle suit and the clothes she gave him. Still wet from the shower, Chat's hair was sticking to his face, making him look more like he stepped out of a swimsuit magazine.
His muscles glistened under the dim bathroom lights, and you could grate cheese on those abs. "Um oh, nothing! I heard so-some noises and I-I was just ma-making sure you were okay…"
"Oh sorry, I was-"
"He just dropped the soap!" Plagg added.
"Oh, hey Plagg."
"Pigtails…" He nodded.
"Okay, well be careful, and dinner is ready by the way…"
"Okay thanks!" Closing the door, Adrien used his back; then once he heard the door click closed, he slid down, breathing a sigh of relief.
Coming from downstairs, freshly cleaned, dried and cozy; Adrien had Plagg on his shoulder when they opened the door to the house. Turning around the corner stairs, the two walked into two steaming bowls of what appeared to be soup and tune playing in the background. It was calm and soothing; it made him feel as though it was getting his body ready for food.
"This is traditional Chinese bamboo flute music; we normally listen to it while we eat…" Adrien turned to see Marinette bringing over two mugs of equally steaming liquid. "I hope you don't mind…" She sat the cups down and waited near the table for Chat to sit down first. Once he did, she followed and took her place next to him.
Upon further examination Adrien saw that it was a bowl of ramen, the hearty squiggles of pasta dancing in the broth smelt delightful; his mind instantly went to that one scene from 'Lady and Tramp'. Adrien leaned over and took a big whiff, the aroma hitting his memory bank of days of old when his cold household was filled with light and love, when his mother made delicious smells and sounds of laughter.
The thought made him remorseful, and a tear formed in his eye, adding salt to the creation. Adrien wiped his eye before another fell, he leaned over and grasped Marinette's face, pulling her closer towards him, "Everything is purr-fect, Princess…" Thanking her silently with a kiss.
They're conversation was light, each going over their own personal events of that day. Apparently, both of their schools' classes were canceled due to the storm, so each were free for the rest of the weekend. Chat explained that after he went home and informed his parental units of the change in schedule, his other extracurricular activities were also annulled, and he was sent to his room after "dinner". Marinette revealed her parents' sudden departure for the bakery convention and how they'll be back on Sunday.
"So Alya is going to come by in the morning to help me run the shop for the day." She says slurping up more of her noodles.
"Wow that's really nice of her, I can see why you two are best friends…" Chat used his fork to stir around the remaining vegetable in the broth. "You're lucky to be so close to someone…"
Marinette finished wiping her mouth, worried about his words. "What do you mean? Don't you have a best friend? What about Ladybug? Do you-do you not consider her a friend anymore…?"
She watched as Chat placed his fork inside the bowl, wiped his face in frustration and combed his hair with his fingers. Sitting back in the chair, "Ladybug is…complicated but given our current relationship, I would consider her a friend. Yes, a very good friend." He nodded while he went back to his bowl. "Don't get me wrong, I do have a best friend outside the costume; however, he's got himself a girlfriend, which doesn't leave much room for bro time…"
Marinette, seeing the disheartened expression on Chat's face, extended her arm towards him, rubbing his arm sympathetically. "Well now, you do too and though I can't promise anything; I'll always spend as much time with you as I possibly can…"
Well, that was a nice answer, however Marinette felt that there was still something he wasn't saying, and with their current status as girlfriend/cat boy, she wasn't sure if it was okay to pry any further.
"So, Chat Noir, why are you in love with Ladybug anyway? Like you don't know her outside of the mask, she could be a horrible person, or she could've been some scatterbrain clumsy airhead and you wouldn't even know it! I-I mean, if you don't mind me asking…"
Without warning, Chat slammed his fist on the table, he seemed to have taken offense at her words, "There's no way somebody that courageous, gentle, and smart could be a horrible person!" Showing his aggression; apparently tired of hearing doubt. "Showing up for every akuma attack; saving the day, taking time out of her own personal life to do this; she could have denied being Ladybug… She could've passed a job off to somebody else, but she didn't; she stayed and nobody that awesome can be a bad person. That's why I'm in love with her," Chat flopped his arm to the side, offering his hand for Marinette to take; she reached over and sat her hand inside his palm. "Why I was in love with her…"
Marinette squeezed his hand, silently telling him to continue, "I wanted to bathe in the light that she shined in, I wanted to help her stay on the top. I promised I would be her shield, making sure that I did everything in my power to help her succeed. It wasn't because she was capable, and strong, it was because I saw her when she wasn't y'know? How did I know I was in love with Ladybug? I saw her when she felt weak and I saw her choose to be brave; even though she didn't feel it, she still stepped up, because it was the right thing to do. I told myself that she deserves the world and I wanted to be the one to give it to her, but..."
Marinette was beside herself; Chat's words were heartfelt and meaningful; knowing there was someone out there so dedicated to her, and not even knowing her true self? It kind of aroused her, if she was honest with herself; it didn't matter to him, he cared for her deeply; blindly even.
Interrupting her thoughts, Chat clicked his bowl to get Marinette's attention. "What's so special about 'model boy'? You said you're not his fangirl, but you seem kind of obsessive a bit; if I'm honest…"
Marinette chuckled, wiping her face from excess food, "Well like I said before, I was being a bitch to him when we first met. Not only did he forgive me, but he also gave me his own umbrella when it started raining…" She moved her bowl out of the way and placed her arms on the table. Glancing over to Chat made her feel on the spot; she had more to tell. "I don't know! Just looking into his eyes made me feel that I needed to be by his side for some reason, that he needed me in his life. I told myself that, if any way possible, I would make his days brighter and happier!"
Twirling her hair, Marinette sighed then continued, "I saw something in his eyes and the more I got to know him and his family life, the more I wanted to be closer to him. To show him that; even though things are bad, it doesn't always have to be. That as long as you have someone in your life that cares for you, things won't be so bad."
Marinette then propped up her head with her elbows, which is an etiquette no-no, however she was sure Chat wouldn't tell on her. "Adrien's mother disappeared before he started school with the rest of us, and now he's got this nursemaid that looks after him. She's sort of a robotic, honestly, and I think her and his dad are fucking, but I can't confirm nor deny it. Anyway…"
Chat choked on his cocoa at the observation, he just didn't know others had noticed too. "I've had a few encounters with his father, even though he's 'pleasant' in public, privately I know he's cold and Adrien doesn't deserve that. I wanted to give him hope that things would turn around for him and he wouldn't be stuck in his miserable existence. I just need him to know that I'm there for him like a sword and I'll protect him with my life."
Chat Noir quickly grabbed his mug to cover his cheeks as they began to blush profusely; hoping his hair was covering up his red ears. Marinette truly did love him from the bottom of her heart; she's confessed, twice now. In her own words, it's more than surface.
Who was he to think he deserved her love, when he himself blindly fell in love with a girl he didn't know or knew nothing about? The one for him was in front of him, opening up her heart and soul. If only Marinette knew he knew her way more than she thought, he did; she would know that she always held a special place in his heart.
Chat Noir finally pushed his bowl away then stretched his arm out to hold Marinette's face, caressing her cheek. She in turn placed her hand over his, "Thank you for everything you do Chat Noir, you are really an irreplaceable partner," She removed his hand from her face, then kissed the inside of his palm. Marinette then got up and started collecting the dishes. "And I'm sure if Ladybug were here right now, she'd say the exact same thing!"
Chat grinned to himself, scooting back the chair, rising up to join her at the sink. He scooted behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and setting his chin on her shoulder. "But my 'everyday Ladybug' is right here and if I were 'Adrien', I'd tell you that you are the most incredible woman I've ever had the pleasure of being in the company of."
Once the dishes were rinsed off and her hands were dry, Marinette spun around in Chat's arms and locked her hands behind his neck, "And if I could fly to the sun, I'd give you the world in the palm of your hand!" He bent down and placed the kiss on her lips, pulled back and smiled.
Marinette raised her eyebrow high in confusion, Chat saw this and responded, "I don't know, it sounded cooler in my head." Then went back to kissing.
She giggled before she placed their foreheads together, "Since we're done with dinner, do you want dessert?"
"I'm having it right now…" Chat flashed a smirk before he stole a kiss, unfortunately it earned him a smack in the chest.
"No Kitty, I mean actual desert, I have leftover pastries from the rush we got this afternoon. I figured you could take some home…" Marinette flicked his nose before she went over to the refrigerator; she opened the door and pulled out a small square filled with an assortment of goodies.
Chat held his hands out to receive the gift, "Kicking me out already, Princesse?"
"Well, it's not that late…" Marinette was cute, she put her fist on her hip at the same time she tapped her lips, "I'll give you a choice: one Disney movie or five matches of Ultimate Mecha Strike III? Winner takes all!"
"Rock, paper, scissors?"
In the living room, the two of them sat on the couch while they matched wits with each over the knowledge of each line of dialog in "Beauty and the Beast",
"Soyez notre invité! Soyez notre invité!
Notre commande est votre demande
Cela fait des années que nous n'avons eu personne ici
Et nous sommes obsédés
Avec votre repas, avec votre facilité
Oui, en effet, nous visons à plaire
Alors que la lumière des bougies brille encore
Laissez-nous vous aider, nous continuerons!"
(Be our guest! Be our guest!
Our command is your request
It's been years since we've had anybody here
And we're obsessed
With your meal, with your ease
Yes, indeed, we aim to please
While the candlelight is still glowing
Let us help you, we'll keep going)
"Singing" at the top of their lungs caused Plagg to leave his quiet peaceful time with Tikki to rush to stop the madness. "With all due respect, but some of us would like to keep our hearing!" Plagg shouted over the movie, holding his ears down.
Marinette and Chat laughed at each other before she checked her phone for the time, however she soon received a phone call, "Bonjour?"
"Hey sweetie, we're sorry to call you so late, but I was letting you know that we made it to the hotel safely!" It was Sabine, and she sounded like she was in a tunnel. "How are you doing, dear?"
"Oui mama, I'm doing okay, just watching a movie before I go to bed." Marinette signaled to Chat to continue the movie without her, as she got up and started to head downstairs. "No mama, you know I hate scary movies…"
Both Chat and Plagg stared after her. She closed the door behind her, then sighed. "Hey Kid, don'tcha think we should get out of here? Someone is going to eventually notice that you're missing…" There was a small moment of silence as Plagg's words set in, then they both chortled loudly.
Adrien, laughing at the likelihood of that actually happening, wiped his eye from a tear. "Yeah I guess you're right, maybe we should get going. Don't want to wear out my welcome." Flopping backwards against the couch.
Suddenly Marinette came back in a panic, like she saw something she wasn't supposed to, "Mari, are you okay?"
"Um yeah yeah, I just thought I saw a spider," She noticed that he was standing up and looking uncomfortable "Is everything okay in here?"
"Yes…no… I had a nice reminder that it's late and the storm has finally let up, so I should probably get going…" Chat slid past Marinette and started for the door.
"Wait!" Plagg continued to hover near Chat as they turned back, "Why don't you stay the night?"
"What?" Both shouted in surprise.
Fidgeting with her fingers and twisting her foot on the ground, Marinette stammered, "Well normally I would send you home, but since I'm alone tonight, I thought that you…could stay…with me? Please?"
Chat was hesitant, he was confused, was she serious? "Wh-What about your parents? I'd rather not face your dad's rath again…" Retreating his hand behind his head, letting go of the doorknob.
Marinette began to play with her hair, "They won't be back until Sunday afternoon…" She glanced up at her companion and saw the wavering in his face, "Look, you don't have to stay if you don't want to, I know it was sudden of me to as-"
"If you want me to stay, then I will." Without noticing, Chat had walked up to Marinette, placing his hand on her cheek. "I'll do anything you'll ask me to do..."
Placing her hand over his, Marinette nuzzled in the inside of his palm before grabbing it and started leading them upstairs. "Wait," Chat yanked Mari's arm, halting her from moving forward, "I'll meet you up there, I have to get my clothes from the bathroom."
"R-Right…" She chuckled nervously before rushing up, falling forward then galloping the rest of the way.
After rushing up to her room, Marinette slid past her support beam to her vanity, placing both hands on either side. "Okay I can do this, it's just sex, no big deal right? Everybody has done it before, I think? I just have to remember-"
"Just breathe Marinette, remember you don't have to do anything you don't want to, if anything happens that you don't want you can always stop it." Tikki cheered.
"Right, no pressure, I choose what I want to do," She glared at her reflection then stood up straight, "And I don't have to do anything that I don't want to do…"
Both girls squeaked when they heard bickering coming up the stairs, Marinette nodded at Tikki, who flew off to her hiding spot while Marinette retreated to her bed…
Meanwhile…
Chat flew out of the door, making a beeline to the restroom, Plagg responded smugly, "Ha! Told ya! I told you so!"
"Just because she asked me to stay the night, doesn't mean anything…" Once they reached the bathroom door, Adrien quickly scooped up his clothes then started to head upstairs.
"Just do- no… Calm down and relax? Go with the flow? You got this? Eye of the tiger, you got this!" That comment earned him an angry warning.
"Don't you have any better advice?"
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do?"
"Great…" Adrien smacked his head as he made his ascension to Marinette's bed chambers, he glanced one more time at the square imprint his jeans were making, took a deep breath then continued his journey.
"Marinette?"
"Up here…" Entering the room made Adrien anxious, he was that much closer to spending the night with Marinette, in her house, in her room, alone all night… He sat his pile of clothes on her chaise, looking back at his pants, deciding whether to take his "present" up there with him. He turned to look up at Marinette, who looked like she had just placed herself up there.
As he approached the ladder and lifted one leg up, Adrien glanced back at Plagg, "Good luck…" He started, floating off to who knows where.
Adrien sighed again before hoisting himself up the ladder, just as Chat's hair popped up from beyond the ladder; he slowly crawled up in the bed next to Marinette before putting himself underneath the blanket with her.
The last remainder of the storm had finally ebbed, with drops making sounds on the roof and balcony. At first, the two of them just sat under the blanket, Chat using it to cover his legs, while Marinette was using it as a fort. Chat cleared his throat then turned to face Mari, opening his arms up in an attempt to invite her in, but she jolted back as a natural reaction.
Seeing the anxiety in her eyes made him retract into his previous position, after a few seconds, Chat lightly pounded the space between his legs, "Damnit! We've been in bed together like this lots of times, why is it so different this time?"
Marinette slowly came out from covering her face, "That's because we weren't together in some makeshift relationship on the verge of giving our bodies to each other…"
"Right…" For his part, it was just recently that Adrien made the move into manhood, it was just happenstance that he and his dragon-eyed beauty had just finished with fencing practice when the little minx offered to show him how much she appreciated him as a fencing partner and close personal friend. Thanks to their neglectful parents leaving them alone with access to the wine cabinet, after a business meeting, Adrien had one of his own.
Now fiddling with the blanket, she lowered her hands to her lap. Long gone are the days of virginities, weeks of being in université hers was beautifully taken away by a tall green haired musician, what seemed like years ago. What a magical night of love making out on the open sea, under the starlite it was.
Marinette crumpled the sheet in her hands before she faced Chat and exclaimed, "Can we talk?" She was taken aback by the way they were still so in sync, even out of costume.
"I'm not ready to have sex with you, yet!" There, they did it again.
Both grasped their chest and pointed to the other, "You too?"
"Oh, that's such A relief!" They both excitedly hugged the other as they laughed into the night.
Chat quickly pushed Marinette away to grab her shoulders, "What made you think I wanted to have sex with you?"
She shrunk back into the blanket, covering her head then collapsed to lean against Chat, "I found your condoms in your clothes!"
"Bonjour?" Marinette signaled to Chat to continue the movie without her, "Oui mama, I'm doing okay, just watching a movie before I go to bed." She got up and started to head downstairs. "No mama, you know I hate scary movies…"
Once outside, Sabine went on about how they barely made it to the inn before the storm attacked them again. "I swear if your father doesn't get rid of that old jalopy, I'll scream!"
"It got us here, didn't it?" She could hear her father in the background, retorting back.
"Well, I'm just glad you guys made it there safely." While listening to her parents bicker, Marinette continued down the hallway, passing by the restroom; something caught her eye. In a small pile of clothes was something blue, square and shiny; far be it for her to snoop into anyone else's things, she of all people knows how important privacy is, but this she couldn't ignore.
Marinette crouched down and carefully pulled out the item from what appeared to be a back pocket; it was longer than expected but it was indeed what she thought it was. It hadn't been that long since the last time she had seen-
"So with that sweetie, we'll probably be back Sunday evening/night..." Oh right she was still on the phone, her ears went deaf for a moment when she saw- "Oh ma chérie did you hear me?"
"Yes! Sunday night!" Marinette came back to reality when her mother spoke again. Without realizing it, she sprung up, surprised, taking the package with her. "I-I'll make sure everything is set, cl-cleaned up and ready when you two get in!"
"Okay love, have a good rest of your night, and don't stay up too late!" Nervously chuckling, Marinette blew kisses through the receiver then shoved her phone in her pocket.
"Tikki, are-are these what I think they are? I mean I know what they are but why does Chat Noir have them?" Marinette pinched the tip of the packages, bouncing from foot to foot.
Tikki appeared as she swirled around the display, she tapped her flipper against her face, "I'm not sure Marinette, but I think I'm pretty sure that he wants to-"
"No. no, no they can't be!" She began to spin around, staring down at the shimmering plastic. "We're not there yet; we haven't talked about this!" Marinette found herself sitting on the toilet, dropping her head in her lap.
Tikki reluctantly avoided Marinette's gaze; "Actually, you did… After that first night you both came up with your contract, you two discussed the matter of sex; although be it briefly, but you did." Tikki was right, Marinette panicked, unsure of her next move.
Once upon a time ago, Marinette had imagined that on her white wedding night, on a large display of rose petals. Marinette would be laid down and made sweet love to as Mrs. Agreste, although due to recent events that was no longer the case. Now that Marinette was ready to be Mrs. Noir, they needed to have a very detail conversation about sex and what comes along with it.
Lifting her head, Marinette glanced over at Tikki then at the packaging she still had in her hand, "Tikki, I don't know if I'm ready for this… I mean, I just got over Adrien and now Chat Noir wants to do… that!" Mari exclaimed, motioning to the packaging.
Tikki giggled, "Marinette, didn't you say that you loved Chat Noir?" She waited for Marinette to nod. "Well, this is just the natural progression," Marinette just stares blankly at the pack, as Tikki floated down and touched her hand, "You're grown now, Marinette, and with that comes grown-up responsibilities and grown-up decisions."
Marinette smiled at her wise little guardian, she agreed then stood up and went to the sink. "And you're right, I don't have to do anything I don't want to do!" After wiping down her face, Marinette puts the condoms back in the pants pockets.
"Don't fret, Marinette! You're smart and you know who you are, follow your heart and it will lead you to where you need to be…"
"Now you sound like a Disney movie, Tikki." Shutting off the light, Marinette closed the door behind them.
"Look Kitty, I know we talked about it briefly, and I don't want you to get the wrong impress-"
"No!" Chat sighed, slumping back against the giant kitty plushie, both hands covered his eyes as he groaned loudly. "Look, I won't get into it right now, but a 'friend' of mine bought them without my permission or knowledge..." He finished staring off into space, silently searching for Plagg.
Marinette laughed, "Are you sure? I remember when you used to call me a 'friend'…"
"Well, you asked me to stay the night, are you sure it wasn't your idea to get the condoms?" Chat Noir crossed his arms as he puffed out his cheeks. "You made me dinner, we Netflixed and chilled…"
"Ah yes, the international signs of 'sexy time' seduction…" Marinette retorted back, "Why would you think I wanted to sleep with you? I mean not that I wouldn't, I just-"
For the first time since he'd arrived, the two friends fell upon a strange silence, both not wanting to pass over that threshold of conversation that desperately needed to have. Unfortunately, time was of the essence and now that they've gotten this far; there was really no turning back.
Once upon a time ago, he had imagined that on his summer wedding night, on a large display of rose petals, he would lay down to make sweet love to his wife, as Mr. Ladybug. However that was no longer the case, now he was ready to be Mr. Dupain-Cheng-Noir.
"So since we're weirdly on the topic, did you want to-"
"No! Yes! Eventually! But not before I'm ready to!" With that she huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, falling back on her pillows.
Chat winced at her sudden loudness, "Yes! Right of course, Marinette…" He placed his bare hand on top of hers, "I would never ever pressure you to do something that you don't want to do…" Fingering her chin, he lifted her chin up to face him, "I love you too much to hurt you in any way."
Shocked, Marinette tensed up, did he just confess? "Yo-you love me?"
Chat quickly covered his mouth out of disbelief of what he just said himself, he stared at Mari to see what her reaction was. It didn't appear angry or disgusted; her face appeared as if she was hanging on his every word, waiting for an answer.
"Yes…"
Marinette silently grasped, placing her hand over her mouth. "I know it's way too soon to say that, but we've known each other for years, and over the past week;" He removed her hand from her mouth and held it in his hand, as he caressed the back of it. "I've been feeling differently towards you."
Chat adjusted so that he was facing Marinette, scooting to the end of her bed and turning around cross legged. "My life was pretty empty before I met you; then you showed up and turned my world upside down. That's why I've been coming over every day this week, I wanted to see- I needed to know you're okay… I don't know if what I feel for you is love, but what I do know is that you're the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about at night."
Enjoying the warmth, Marinette collected Chat's hand in hers, bringing them to her lips and kissing his knuckles. "That to me sounds like love, and I feel the same way, Chaton." She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and helping him lay down fully on the bed.
"I wouldn't pressure you either, Kitty. I just want to make sure that we're on the same page, I would… want us to make love in a special place…" Marinette laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, while she draped her other arm over his stomach.
Chat stretched his arms out, then wrapped his trapped arm around Marinette, pulling her closer, while his right was tucked under his head. He chuckled as he leaned over and kissed the top of her head, "Well besides you and the free pastries, this place is special to me."
"Hey!" She exclaimed, slapping him in the chest.
Rubbing his sore front, Chat sat up, releasing Marinette. He hitched a knee to his chest and planted his elbow on top, "I'm serious! Your house is so filled with love, you feel comfortable here; there's people here that want to spend time with you, and you get to laugh with them at dinner. Whenever I come over, I get to spend time with your family and that makes me happy! If you ask me, this would be the most special place in the world!"
Hearing Chat's adoration for her family made Marinette wonder what was his home life like, what were his parents like? From what she's gathered from his context clues: His parents were CEOs constantly going on business trips by the number of times they left him alone.
Chat said at one point that he had gone to private school, to which she assumed that he was pretty well off; maybe not enough to have a nanny or a butler. Now that she thought about it, Chat didn't really talk about his parents, she remembered he mentioned his father once or twice, but nothing about his mother. Maybe that's why he gravitated to her house, his parents were absent and the only person he had around to hang out with is his kwami, Plagg.
Except for an akuma attacks, there was no way to get ahold of Ladybug; and since it pained him to be around Ladybug, when his feelings were so strong, it was only natural that he would end up here with Marinette night after night. She was the only other person he could turn to, the only person who would accept him, the only person that would love him…
Marinette rolled over to her side, propping herself up on her elbow, reaching over to caress the top of his head, "I'll never get tired of running my fingers through your hair…"
Chat reached up and placed his hand on top of hers, leaning into the sensation and sighing, "Yeah me too." He removed her hand and kissed the inside of her palm, before taking up past her head and pinning it above her head. With his left hand, he stretched out his arm to run his own digit through her hair, making her giggle.
After fingering through Marinette's tresses, Chat began to move over her, placing his leg on the other side of her hip, settling on top of her pelvis. He slowly leaned down to capture her lips.
He kissed her once, then twice before he made his way to her forehead. He planted butterfly kisses on her temple, then down to her cheek before taking on the lips again. "What are you doing?" Marinette asked between laughing. He continued to say nothing, only taking his left hand and moving Marinette's right above her head to join the other one.
"Stay still, Princess…"
Marinette did what she was told and left her arms abandoned as Chat went further down her body, cutely biting her neck before nuzzling his nose on her arm. Continuing rubbing against her arm, he made his way to her chest, snuggling the space between her breasts, minding his mask. "Ch-Chat…" He kept his arms on either side of her body as he made his way down her torso, landing on her tummy.
Biting the bottom of her tank, Chat lifted up, exposing her belly button, then he lowered himself down to feel the warmth of her body. and continued up her chest. Chat grasped the tiny waist of Marinette, holding her place as he continued cuddling. After listening to the gurgles of her digestive track, he hooked his thumbs around the elastic of her shorts and began to drag them down, "Wh-what are you doing now?"
Even without his faux ear, Marinette could still look at Chat and see his ear twitch at the confusion. He popped his head up from what he was doing and cocked his head to the side, "Well, we never did have dessert…"
Translations
Mon amour= my love
Princesse = Princess
Bonjour = Hello
Oui = Yes
Université = university
ma chérie = honey