Chapter Text
Adrien sat on the couch, his posture relaxed, but his fingers tapped lightly against his knee, betraying the faintest flicker of unease. His gaze fixed on Marinette, studying her with an intensity that made her fingers tighten around the pillow in her lap.
Who was your first kiss?
The question lingered between them, and Adrien’s mind raced with curiosity. He already knew the answer, of course. Well, he wasn’t fully sure he didn’t know what her relationship with Luka was like, but he knew that one way or another Adrien was not the name that was going to come out of her mouth.
“Wasn’t it Adrien?” Mylene asked, and Juleka and Rose nodded in agreement. Adrien hides a knowing smile with his hand when he heard Marinette’s squeal, forcing his eyes into a look of inocent curiosity. They both knew it wasn't Adrien, well, it was, but she couldn’t know that.
“You can’t get out of this, Marinette,” Alya said, her eyes sparkling with mischief, her expression confirming Adrien's suspitions even further “I know the truth.” Alya wouldn't be acting like this if it had been Luka, Chat Noir was Marinette's first kiss, and Alya knew it.
Adrien looked at Marinette, at least he tried to, she still had her head down, and avoided his gaze. Would she admit it? That was the question in Adrien's mind, he didn't know why but he really wanted her to.
“It was Chat Noir.” she finally whispers.
Adrien had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing when the room erupted in gasps and exclamations. Someone muttered, “I guess she does have a type,” and Adrien barely managed to keep his composure. Fortunately for him, everyone was too stunned to notice his reaction. Her confession left him feeling oddly proud, he didn’t really know why, but seeing her bury her face in her hands, her ears flushed red, made the whole situation very amusing. No one in the room had a clue how hilarious this was. But they couldn’t know. So Adrien collected himself and played along, keeping his expression as neutral as possible.
“Wait, Chat Noir was your first kiss?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he saw the panic flash in Marinette’s eyes. She bit her lip, nodded, and Adrien had to fight to keep from bursting into laughter. The others were already bombarding her with questions, their voices excited, but Adrien barely heard them. His focus was entirely on Marinette, and on the effort it took to keep his face from betraying him.
He stayed silent after that, letting the others tease her, letting the moment stretch on just a little longer whike thinking to himself little do they know. But every so often, his gaze would flick back to her, just to see the way she flinched and avoided his eyes like she was afraid of what he might say next.
They were probably going to talk about it at some point and he was very excited for that.
He felt a little bit of guilt that she was so nervous and he felt even more guilty for finding the whole thing amusing, but this situation was way too entertaining for him to not take some advantage of it.
After a while, the topic faded, and the afternoon carried on as usual. The sun began to dip lower, casting the sky in soft oranges and bathing the buildings in golden light. The group started to part ways, heading off in different directions. Adrien waved goodbye to Alya and Nino, and Marinette hugged her best friend before falling into step beside him.
Adrien finally spoke, his hands in his pockets. “So... Chat Noir, huh?”
Marinette’s face flushes instantly and her grip around the straps of the backpack tightens. She let out a squeak that turned into a high-pitched "Yeah..."
“Sorry, I’m not upset,” Adrien reassured her, and that seemed to ease her nerves a little. “I’m just… surprised. And a bit curious. How did that happen?”
"U-um... I'm... not sure?" she glanced up for a moment trying to recall their encounters, looking less tense than before "It's still a bit confusing to be honest. We'd met a few times, and I had a sort of crush on him for a while, and I guess it was mutual. One thing led to another, and... well, it happened!"
Adrien’s curiosity sharpened. He’d never really thought about his relationship with Marinette as Chat Noir, not since they’d started dating. But now he was curious. How did she feel about the kiss? (Well, kisses, technically.) How did she feel about his alter ego?
"And... What happened?"
“He said it was wrong,” she admitted “Because I didn’t know who he was, and it felt like he was taking advantage of that.” She tightened her grip on her backpack again. “At the time, I was… really upset. I almost got akumatized… But he snapped me out of it”
She left the second kiss unmentioned, and Adrien decided that was probably for the best.
“I’m glad he did, though,” Marinette added, lifting her head again. “Now I understand what he meant. And he was right.”
Adrien hides a smile. He was glad that she wasn't mad at his alter-ego, glad she saw value in what he had done, even if it had been really hard and under such confusing circumstances.
“I’m sure he’s a great guy,” Adrien said, trying to keep his expression neutral. But when he heard himself, he realized the tone made him sound jealous.
"He is,” Marinette agreed, smiling as she slipped her hands around his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. “But there’s no need to be jealous. You’re still the one I love.”
“No, no, I wasn’t jealous! He is a great guy, and I’m glad he was so considerate. ” he clarified quickly, and then a grin slips onto his face. “Besides, not everyone can say their girlfriend has kissed the superhero of Paris!”
Marinette laughs as Adrien goes on about how much of a brag that statement was.
By the time they reached the bakery, the sun was already setting, and Marinette’s dad insisted he stay for dinner, though it didn’t take much convincing. Dinner at the Dupains’ was always appreciated.