Ladybug was pulling her last tray of macaroons out of the oven when she heard the front door open, and then slam shut.
Glancing at the clock, she noted that it was almost 4, and Chat had said he should be home by 3:30. With a small smile, Ladybug continued with her macaroons.
Picking up one cookie that was already chilled in one hand, she used a piping bag with her other hand to add the filling, and then sandwiched it with another cookie. After setting it on the tray, she picked up another and started again: cookie, filling, sandwich, tray. Cookie, filling, sandwich, tray. And waited for Chat to follow his nose.
Blasted macaron memory had made her wonder how reliable of a memory it was. It hadn't been perfect. She had forgotten to slap the cookie sheet onto The counter to release the air bubbles. But she had picked up on that as soon as she pulled them out of the oven. Now everything was going great! Almost like she had never stopped.
As she was adding the filling to the 8th macaroon...
"Adriekins, I thought you said you would be ready to go by 4!" came an almost shrill voice from in the hall.
Startled, Ladybug dropped the macaroon she was working on, filling side down, onto the floor.
"Crap," she mumbled to herself, and quickly grabbed a few sheets of paper towel and crouched down to wipe up the mess.
That was how the woman found her. Barefoot, in candy pink shorts today, with a cherry blossom printed tank top, hair pulled up into a messy bun with stray hair falling out, and a pink frilly apron around her waist that Chat had bought for her.
Ladybug glanced at the blonde standing in the kitchen doorway through her lashes. White sparkly sandals, white jean capris, a black and white striped tank under a sunflower yellow, cardigan style sweater. Perfectly pink lips were pulled into a smirk, eyebrows in a gentle arch, and her gorgeous golden mane pulled into a tail ponytail.
"I didnt realize Adriekins got a housekeeper." She drawled. "And apparently one with no sense of propriety, since your barefoot in his kitchen!"
Finishing wiping up, Ladybug stood and deposited the ruined cookie in the trash bin before replying, "he didn't get a housekeeper." And turned fully towards the doorway.
The womans mouth suddenly dropped open in shock, and she exclaimed in disbelief, "Marinette?!"
Surprised, ladybug glanced behind and around her, before looking back and pointing a finger at her chest.
"Me???!" This was crazy! Did this woman know her?! She certainly seemed to! A thousand thoughts were going through her head, and it was hard to focus on just one!
How did she know this woman? Were they friends? Family?
And that was how Adrien walked in. Chloe, mouth hanging open, and Ladybug, surprise and shock all over her, pointing at herself. Panicking a bit, he lunged toward ladybug, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and glanced at Chloe, demanding "what happened?!"
Shaking her head, Chloe demanded, "Why is Marinette in your house??"
What?! Chloe knew his ladybug?! He glanced from Chloe to Ladybug and back again.
"You know her?! Really?"
"Uh, ya! We went through high school together. She works for your father. And has been missing for almost 2 months!" She explained this as if it were common knowledge and they were dummies for even asking.
A huge grin started to light up his face as he turned to look at Ladybug- sorry, Marinette - and he couldnt help it. He was elated! Ecstatic! Hysterical! They now had a name to go by! He wanted to hug her. He wanted to lift her in the air and spin until the both got so dizzy they fell over! He wanted to kiss her.
Well, he could do some of that, at least! And he did!
He picked Marinette up by her waist and, lifting her a bit into the air, gave a quick spin, laughing hysterically.
He watched the smile bloom over her face, and he could tell she was realizing what this meant.
And then, "Oh my god! Oh my GOD! OH MY GOD!!" She brought her hands up to cover her mouth, and then threw her arms around his neck. She quickly glanced at Chloe in the doorway again, then back to Chat.
"I know!" He answered back.
There was finger snapping, and they both looked at Chloe in the doorway.
"Adrien. Explanation. Now!" She demanded.
Quickly setting Marinette down - gosh it was Wierd to have a real name to put to her-, before turning to Chloe, while still keeping a hand around Marinettes waist.
And he started. "I was volunteering at the hospital when a nurse mentioned a woman who came in with amnesia. I usually just volunteer in the children's wing, but it really seemed like this woman could use my company more, so I ventured over. And there was Ladybug.."
He glanced at Marinette affectionately for a moment, who still had the biggest smile on her face.
One perfectly shaped brow raised, "Ladybug?! "
Turning back to Chloe, Adrien continued.
" Ya. She had amnesia, and no I. D., and was in a room with ladybugs all over the walls, and I needed to call her something, and it was purrfect. And stuck!"
"And he in turn said if i had such a cool name, he needed one too, so he was Chat Noir." She seemed to think of something as an afterthought, and then added, " I never would have guessed your name was Adriekins. Did your parents not like you much!?" she questioned with a frown.
A choking noise came from the doorway, and Adrien couldnt help but laugh.
"No, that's just what Chloe likes to call me. It's just Adrien."
Chloe crossed her arms and gave a 'hmmp'.
"Anyway," Adrien continued, "I'd go in to See her everyday, and bring different things In for us to do. Then after a couple weeks, when there was nothing else the hospital could do, I convinced them that she should come home with me. She was perfectly healthy, just had no idea who she was. And nothing was going to get better just sitting in the hospital all the time. And nobody had answered the hospitals notice about a woman being found. So they agreed!"
"And I've been here ever since." Marinette concluded, still grinning at Adrien. "Slowly remembering little things."
Coughing to draw their attention back to her, Chloe gave a wave of her hand, "And...??"
"Um, nothing significant. I like designing clothes. I can bake. I dunno..." Marinette finished lamely.
Exasperated, Chloe scoffed, "Well, duh you can design. You work for the best fashion designer in France! And, double duh, of course you can bake. Your parents own a bakery."
"Tom and Sabines, " She blurted out, startling both blondes.
"Ya," Chloe confirmed, surprised.
"The baking the other day," Adrien finally clued in. "I got it from there."
Giving a blush, Marinette admitted, "As soon as you said my parents own a bakery, Thier product bags came to mind, and i suddenly remembered, I designed their logo."
"Thats not the only thing you've designed," Chloe smirked. "You deigned an album cover for Jagged Stone when we were in school."
Marinette remembered the day Chat-Adrien, had come home while she was watching horrificator. How she had felt compelled, that day, to pick the Jagged Stone shirt from his pile. She had just thought it was bc she had grown up in that same time period as when it came out. But now suddenly, she could remember making it. How his manager had wanted it to be like Mr XY. But Jagged had refused, and asked her to do it again. Jagged style.
"I designed him a special scent sticker to go with it."
"Sure did," Chloe confirmed. "Adrien sent me to school with his copy of the album and wanted me to get your autograph on it. At the time, I would have rather eaten my own hat, so Sabrina did it." she admitted with a grimace.
Adrien still had the hugest smile ever, permanently plastered on his face.
"This is pawsome Bugaboo!!" he cried excitedly! " I'm so happy for you!! "
And he picked her up again to give her another quick spin.