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Adrien burrowed deep under the covers, groaning. His head was pounding and his whole body ached. As if that wasn't bad enough, his throat was raw and he couldn't stop sneezing. It was horrible.
On the plus side, he didn't have to do any public appearances or photoshoots for the next few days. His father had, at least, recognised that he was too sick for that and had instructed him to rest in bed. And to be honest, he was glad of the excuse to have a break from those parts of his busy life. On the downside, he'd had to cancel his date with his Princess. He'd sent Marinette a text explaining, and she'd replied with Okay, see you soon.
What he hadn't realised was just how soon she meant. Through the bedcovers, he heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like the whoosh of a magic yo-yo, followed by a soft thump. He poked his head out and realised, to his delight, that he had company.
'M'lady?' he croaked. 'What are you doing here?'
Ladybug attached her yo-yo to her waist and smiled warmly over at him.
'I'm here to rescue you, of course,' she replied. She walked over to his bed and frowned as she looked down at him. 'Oh dear, Kitty. You really are sick, aren't you?'
'Very,' he grumbled. 'And Plagg's been no help...ah-ah-achoo!'
'Oh?' Ladybug glanced over to Adrien's kwami, who was watching them from where he was perched on a shelf.
'I just suggested he enjoy some delicious Camembert,' said Plagg with a shrug. 'That always makes me feel better.'
A smile played around Ladybug's lips as she rolled her blue eyes.
'Thanks, Plagg, but I think I'll take it from here.' She crawled onto the bed and smoothed back Adrien's sweaty blond hair from his temple. 'Hmm, you're very warm. I think I got here just in time. Can I sit you up?'
Adrien hummed the affirmative. She tucked her hands under his arms and pulled him up into a sitting position, then plumped up his pillows so that he was comfortable. When she was satisfied, she crawled off the bed and stood up.
'Alright. Tikki, Spots off.'
Her red-and-black suit vanished, leaving Marinette behind. Tikki flew out of the earrings.
'Camembert, Plagg? Really?' the little red kwami asked.
'Well, what do you two suggest?' said Plagg grumpily. Marinette and Tikki smiled at each other.
'We've brought everything he needs. Plus a few things we think he'll enjoy.'
'Oh?' Adrien was intrigued.
'You have my parents to thank for some of it,' said Marinette. 'But first, I've got you some cold and flu tablets and some chicken soup. That ought to help.'
'You're a hero, m'lady,' Adrien sighed.
'Well, thanks, I am Ladybug,' she joked, grinning as she opened her backpack.
'I'm so glad you're here. I feel terrible.' He wrinkled his bright red nose, took a deep breath and sneezed again.
'You look it.' She paused, blushing. 'I mean, er, you look like you feel terrible.'
He gave a weak laugh, which turned into a spluttering cough.
'It's okay, Marinette. You don't have to tell me I look good if I don't.'
'Well, you always look very handsome to me, Adrien. Even when you're sick.' They gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. 'Anyway, how about that soup? I bet you're hungry.'
'Oh, you know me, Bugaboo. Of course I am.'
When Adrien had taken his tablets, Marinette took out a flask, a small bowl, and a spoon. She poured the steaming broth into the bowl, took a spoonful, and held it to his lips.
'Here you are, Kitty.'
Adrien opened up and she slipped the spoon inside. It was delicious. He wasn't so sick that he couldn't have done it himself, but he wasn't going to object to being spoon-fed by his lady. Mealtimes were always so lonely for him, so being looked after by the person he loved most in the world was a delightful change.
'As soon as I'm better, I'm going to kiss you senseless, Marinette,' he told her in between mouthfuls. She giggled.
'I look forward to that very much. Let's get you better as soon as possible, shall we? Is this helping?'
'Mmm, definitely,' he agreed, before accepting another spoonful. Each one warmed him up inside and soothed his sore throat. Soon all the soup was gone. Marinette might have thought Adrien would be satisfied – if she didn't know her partner better than that. Sure enough, as she was packing away the bowl and spoon, he asked:
'What else was it you said you'd brought?'
'I've got some chocolate chip cookies, courtesy of my parents. They packed them up for you when I told them you were sick. They thought you'd like them.' She laughed as his face lit up. 'And it looks like they were right.'
'Absolutely, m'lady. I love dating a baker's daughter.'
Marinette raised her eyebrows.
'That's not the only reason, I hope,' she teased.
'Of course not. I fell for Ladybug first, remember?'
'How could I forget? You never stopped telling me.'
'And I never will. I love you so much, Marinette.'
'I love you too, Adrien.'
Marinette took out a Tupperware box full of cookies and took the lid off. She broke a piece off one of them and popped it into his open mouth.
'Mmm,' he moaned.
'Good?'
'The best in the world,' he declared, eyeing up the rest of the box. With a knowing smile, she fed him the other half of the cookie, and then a few more. Marinette ended up eating a few cookies herself, too. She wasn't going to let Adrien eat all of them, even if he was sick. She also gave one to Tikki, who needed to get her energy back.
Adrien was feeling a little better after the medication, and being full of warm soup and cookies certainly didn't hurt either. Marinette gave him some throat sweets and some tissues for his runny nose, before transforming back into Ladybug.
'I have to go. I'm meeting with Kitty Section in an hour. Make sure you get lots of rest and plenty of food and drink. Doctor Ladybug's orders.'
Adrien managed a grin.
'You have my word. Will I be seeing Doctor Ladybug again? She's very good at her job.'
'We'll see, Kitty. Maybe if I can get away from the bakery again tomorrow.' She sighed sadly. 'I just wish I could cast my miraculous cure on you.'
'You've done more than enough. I'm sure I'll be better in no time.'
'I sure hope so.'
'Oh, and please pass on my thanks to your parents. It was so kind of them to send the cookies.'
'I will. I'll tell them you enjoyed them. A lot.' She tapped his nose. 'Bye, Adrien. Bye, Plagg.'
'Goodbye,' Adrien and Plagg called after her as she swung herself out through the open window.
A few days later, Marinette was in her room working on a new-and-improved recipe for Tikki's power-up macarons when she heard a rapping at her trapdoor. She immediately scrambled up onto her bed. There was only one person who would knock on her skylight like that, and that must mean he was back in action.
'Kitty!' she exclaimed as a pair of slitted green eyes came into view.
'Hey, Bugaboo.' Cat Noir lowered himself in with practised ease.
'Someone's feeling better,' Marinette observed.
'Much better. Thanks to you.'
'You're very welcome.'
Cat Noir's eyes fell on the ingredients laid out all over Marinette's desk. He shuffled over to the edge of the bed to take a look.
'Making kwami food?'
'Yes, new power-ups for Tikki. I can teach you the recipe so you can use it on Plagg's cheese if you want. I'm sure he'll like it.'
'That would be purr-fect. But it'll have to wait. We have unfinished business to attend to,' he said with curling lips.
'Oh?'
'As you've probably guessed, I've come to fulfil my promise to you.'
Marinette looked at him blankly.
'…Promise?'
He clapped a clawed hand to his chest.
'Don't tell me you've forgotten, my lady?'
Her expression confirmed that she had, indeed, forgotten. He shook his head, tutting disapprovingly.
'And you said you were looking forward to it. Very much.'
'To what…oh.' Warmth bloomed in Marinette's cheeks as she remembered. As soon as I'm better, I'm going to kiss you senseless, Marinette. 'That.'
'Yes, that. I owe you my thanks. You deserve a reward, little bug.' He crawled closer, backing her towards her pillows. She chewed her bottom lip, conscious of his eyes resting on that particular part of her face.
'You don't have to reward me, Adrien. I just did it because I love you. You would have done the same for me.'
His eyes narrowed playfully.
'Are you saying you don't want me to kiss you senseless?'
'Oh…no. Please do. I mean…a promise is a promise, after all.'
'That's what I thought.' He wetted his lips, and then pounced, pinning her down. Marinette's head sank into her big squashy cat plush. With a gasp and a giggle, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, earning a hum of approval.
'You have no idea how badly I wanted to do this the other day,' he whispered in her ear.
'Oh, I have a pretty good idea,' she murmured back, smirking.
'When you ate those delicious cookies, you had chocolate on your lips. I wanted to kiss it off for you. But I couldn't. That was the worst part about being sick.'
'Next time, Kitty. Next time. Maybe I'll take you out for ice cream after our next patrol. You'll get chance then.'
'Paw-lease do, Princess.'
He lowered some of his weight onto her, purring unashamedly. Marinette knew she would never grow tired of that. It had taken them a while to get this comfortable with each other, but it was worth the wait. She closed her eyes and puckered her own lips, which were tingling with anticipation for the familiar caress of his. What she hadn't been expecting was for him to slam his mouth onto hers, causing a tiny squeal to erupt from the back of her throat.
Cat Noir loved to make jokes, but it turned out he'd been deadly serious when he'd said he was going to kiss her senseless. It wasn't the first time, after all. All thoughts of her busy life and the world outside her bedroom melted away as he held her captive beneath him, greedily plucking kisses from her lips in the way he knew she loved.
'Thank you, thank you, thank you,' he repeated as they stopped to catch their breath.
'You're welcome,' she replied, knowing how much it meant to him. One day, Adrien wouldn't be so lonely. She wouldn't have to use her superpowers to sneak into his bedroom to take care of him because she'd be right there with him. And when she was sick, he'd look after her too. But for now, they had to make the most of the little time they managed to salvage alone together.
'Had enough yet, Bugaboo?'
'Not even close. You're not the only one who's had to go without kisses these last few days.'
'That's what I like to hear.' With the speed and agility that only a superhero could have, he flipped their positions faster than Marinette could blink. She found herself looking down into his hungry cat-like eyes, his clawed hands making their way to the small of her back. Now, it was his turn to envelop her little body in his leather-clad embrace. Experience was her friend, and she could tell from the look on his face that he was longing to slip his tongue inside. She had yet to refuse, and that wasn't about to change now.
Yes, she thought as she lowered her head, Tikki's macarons could wait just a little longer.