Work Text:
“Miraculous Ladybug!”
The spear turned into hundreds of ladybugs that, in a burst of energy, spread through the city of Paris, repairing all the jellified buildings and un-liquefying all the citizens.
Chat Noir smiled as the ten foot tall jelly monster named Pudding- Really?- turned back into a small elderly man. Ladybug knelt next to the old man and helped him to his feet.
“Are you okay, Sir?”
The man nodded and rubbed his bald head. “Yes. I just… don’t like them replacing my jelly with pudding.”
Chat grinned. “Jelly-lluah!”
The old man chuckled while Ladybug rolled her eyes before turning back to the man. “Would you like us to take you back to the home?”
He waved her off. “I know my way. Thank you for your help.” With that he lumbered off down the street in the wrong direction.
“Uh, Sir…”
“Have a wonderful day!” He called back before disappearing.
Ladybug shook her head. “I wish he would let us help him home.”
Leaning against his baton, Chat nodded and shrugged. “You can only help those who want to be helped. Speaking of which,” Chat spun on his baton so that he was completely facing his partner. “ I wouldn’t mind if you helped me home.”
“Chat, you know we can’t do that. I’d know where you live and who you are.”
Chat’s smile didn’t dim. “We don’t have to go there first. We could stop for some ice cream, maybe a walk along the Seine, or go see a movie. Bug’s choice.”
“Thanks but no thanks.”
A playful frown slid onto Chat’s face. “Aww. You offered to do it for the old guy but not for me? Now I’m jelly -ous of him and we can’t have that can we, Milady?”
She didn’t even crack a smile. Instead, she threw her yo-yo out into the distance and waved. "Later Chat."
Then Chat Noir found himself standing all by himself. He expected to feel hurt at her quick brushoff and departure, but he honestly felt... unbothered.
Weird.
Tapping his chin, Chat sighed. “Maybe pudding is more of her jam.”
Later that night, Adrien laid in his bed scrolling through his phone trying to find a way to liven up his puns so that he could get Ladybug to laugh at his jokes. He had heard once that laughter was a great stress reliever so he was determined to up his pun game so that his leading lady would loosen up a bit. Sadly, all the puns he'd found were horrible.
Adrien found this frustrating.
Plagg found it hilarious.
“Ohh! Listen to this one: Two termites walk into a bar. One asks, ‘Is the bar tender here? ’ That’s so terrible!” The little god guffawed as he rolled around on the pillow next to Adrien’s head.
“Shh.” Adrien shushed the cat, scrolling further down the suggestions. “They can’t all be winners but I know I’ll find at least a few that will make Ladybug laugh… or even giggle!”
“With ones like ‘ Why didn't the crab donate to charity? He's shellfish’ you’ll be lucky to even tickle her funny bone!” Plagg countered.
Adrien just shook his head and continued scrolling. There had to be something good somewhere. His lady had a sense of humor for sure...
Right?
Yeah! She had laughed with him over the years! All he had to do was find what it was exactly and he would, no matter how long it took or how many websites he had to visit…
But what if that wasn’t the case? What if it wasn't quality of the jokes or puns?
What if it was him? What if she was just… bored of him?
Bored of Chat?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. They’d been an amazing duo for the last two years and it had become very predictable and clinical:
- A person gets akumatized.
- Ladybug and Chat Noir would get together and plan an attack.
- Something would go wrong.
- One of them would come up with a fix and they would defeat Shadow Moth’s nefarious plans.
Rinse. Wash. Repeat.
Honestly, Adrien couldn’t be too upset about it if that were the case. It was getting very… tedious. While it was still fun to have the freedom to move around, it was all very… well, predictable.
If he were being truthful, Adrien could admit he was getting bored with it all too. He was honestly tired.
Tired of the fighting.
Tired of the threats.
Tired of being alert all the time.
Tired of monitoring his emotions all the time.
Tired of ditching his friends.
Tired of making excuses.
Tired of feeling like a sidekick.
Tired of making bad puns.
Tired of… his lady... or at least, tired of chasing her when she made it clear that she didn't want to be chased.
Adrien’s thumb paused above his screen and he stared off into space for a few moments, contemplating… thinking… considering… wondering why the red and black spots were flashing pink... before shaking his head and focusing back on his screen.
He wasn’t ready to think about what that last little thought meant.
Turns out, switching to reddit to look for good puns was a bad idea as Adrien found himself falling down a rabbit hole of relevant but not so relevant links that had somehow ended up with him on a thread about attracting your crush’s eye… and kissing.
So many threads on kissing.
Despite the numerous stories and links, one in particular caught Adrien’s eye.
If you can do this, it means you are an amazing kisser!.
Extremely curious - as he’s never kissed anyone before- Adrien couldn’t stop himself from clicking the link.
Five Ways to Know If Someone Is An Amazing Kisser!
- They can roll their r’s
Really? Adrien thought to himself as he purred to himself, finding the way his tongue vibrated against the roof of his mouth pleasant.
Seemed like a point for him.
- They’re good with their hands
Was he good with his hands?
Stretching his free hand out in front of him, Adrien flexed it. He was pretty good at twirling his saber and baton in his hand and between his fingers. He also thought he was pretty savvy at the piano.
Did those count?
If so, then point two!
- They can tie a cherry stem with just their tongue
This was one Adrien knew he could do! Hours and hours alone in his room had created hours and hours of boredom where he had to entertain himself. One of those ways was playing with the snacks he had received throughout the day.
Playing small basketball with oranges. Making rubber band bows and shooting apples. Catching grapes in his mouth. Playing fluffy bunny all by himself.
Tying cherry stems with his tongue to see how fast he could do it.
So that meant… point three!
- They have amazing dictation
Another point for him!
Gabriel had made sure that Adrien was enrolled in speech classes from the moment he realized Adrien could star in commercials. Therefore Adrien was very skilled in talking in, at least, four different languages.
Needless to say, Adrien's dictation was crisp and clear.
- They can lick a whisk clean
…
. . .
What?
A whisk?
Licking a whisk?
What did licking a cooking instrument have to do with kissing?
Adrien tried to picture it in his head but it was actually pretty difficult and now he was extremely curious.
Could he lick a whisk completely clean?
Was it even possible to do so?
He could try to go down to the kitchen and find one to test it out, but if he were to get caught he would have to explain to his father or Nathalie why he was licking the utensils.
That wouldn’t be a very fun discussion at all.
Well… he already knew he could do the other four and that most likely meant that he was a great kisser- or would be when he had the chance to kiss someone- so he didn’t need to give it a try.
But he wanted to. He really wanted to.
Curiosity and cats and all that.
Turning it over and over again in his head, Adrien finally realized there was someone he could ask! Someone who would know everything there was to know about whisks! His friend who happened to live in and work at her parents’ bakery!
Marinette!
She would know and she would more than likely help him since she was usually ready to help!
Tapping his chin, Adrien thought up a few ways to say what he needed to say over text. Bringing up the kissing aspect seemed to forward, especially with her being such a close friend of his. However, Adrien wasn’t too keen on lying.
He did enough of that as it was.
So maybe a half truth would work?
Hey Marinette! I really wanna learn how to bake a cake! Would you be okay with showing me how to one day?
Adrien read and reread the message a few times before deciding it was perfect. This way he would get to try licking the whisk and he would get to eat what promised to be a delicious baked good because Marinette made the best treats!
Pressing send, Adrien waited a couple of minutes… and then a couple more… and a couple more.
When Marinette didn’t respond after ten minutes, Adrien was sure he had said or typed something wrong. He was just about to send an apology text when his phone dinged.
Of course you can come over!
Awesome! This was great! Adrien was so happy that he would get the chance to-
His phone dinged again.
To bake!
A cake!
Friday! After school.
Smiling at the multiple texts, Adrien couldn’t wait.
Friday came around and Adrien found himself laughing as Marinette talked and rambled all the way to the bakery. He couldn’t tell if she was nervous or if she was just feeling extra chatty in that moment and he wondered why she would feel either, but then the sight of the small kitchen grabbed his attention and reminded him of his mission by reviewing the task list he had in his head.
Task List
- Stir cake batter with a whisk
- Get the whisk
- Lick the whisk clean
- Claim five out of five points from the Amazing Kisser List
- Celebrate random achievement!
- Possibly apologizing to Marinette for being weird
It all seemed incredibly doable and Adrien was so excited to see if he would be able to do it… even with the thought looking weird in front of Marinette which, for some reason, had his heart jumping.
After running their bags upstairs, Marinette returned and handed an apron to Adrien. “Put this on. We’ll be working with flour and other messy things and I would love to get you dirty… Your clothes! I would hate to get your clothes dirty!”
Nodding, Adrien wrapped the strings around him and tried to tie them but found that the little strings kept slipping between his fingers. “Ugh, um, Marinette? Can you help me tie this?”
Marinette’s face turned a disturbing shade of pink before she nodded.
Adrien was a little surprised when the feeling of her fingers brushing against his lower back sent tingles across his skin- just like the ones he used to feel when Ladybug touched him- but shook it off. It was just the anticipation of cake!
Yeah, that’s what this feeling was.
When that was done, Marinette went about her business: gathering ingredients, pulling out two bowls and two cake tins, and - most importantly- taking out two whisks.
The main attractions of today’s show.
“So we’ll be making two cakes,” Marinette started, handing him a bowl and a whisk. “You’ll follow me step by step, okay?”
Adrien quickly agreed.
“First we’re going to…”
Adrien followed along dutifully, step by step. Sure, this whole thing was a little bit of a ruse so that he could answer his curiosity, but he also wanted to learn! And learn he did! He learned how to crack an egg, how to measure out ingredients, the proper stirring technique for fluffy cakes, and the perfect way to pour and layer a cake.
Soon, the cakes were in the oven and Marinette and Adrien were left with cleaning up their mess.
That meant it was finally time!
Grabbing his whisk from the bowl, he noted how caked with batter it was and wondered if he would really be able to lick it completely clean.
There was only one way to find out.
Readying himself for her to question his weird behavior, Adrien brought the whisk to his mouth and-
“Oh! I love licking the whisk when I finish making something!” Marinette beamed once she noticed him going to lick his. “My maman and papa always let me do it when I was a kid and now it’s a habit, haha. I’m so glad you do it too because I really wanted to but I didn’t want you thinking I was weird.”
Adrien huffed a laugh at her small ramble. It was so reassuring knowing that someone felt and thought the same things he did.
“I could never think you are weird, Marinette.” He said honestly. Again, he was lifting the whisk to his lips when his eyes drifted over to Marinette and he froze on the spot, staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth.
Adrien couldn't help it, really. There was just something about the way her tongue darted out to lick up the few drops of batter that had dropped onto her hand that had something in Adrien’s gut twisting and a blush coloring his cheeks. Entranced, he watched as her tongue curved and wrapped around the cake-filled utensil, lapping up every single drop of batter that lingered there, as soft hums of delight filled the room. It was enough to make him forget his own whisk -as it was quickly deposited back into his bowl- and had Adrien’s feet moving without his permission.
When Marinette finally opened her eyes, he could tell she was surprised to see him all up in her personal space by the pink that raced across her cheeks. “Adrien? What-?”
Without a word or second thought, Adrien gently pushed the whisk away from her lips in favor of pressing his own mouth where the utensil had just been.
All Adrien could feel at first was her sharp intake of air before she was pressing back against him, kissing him back shyly. He lightly grabbed her waist to bring her closer to him- just like the random reddit threads had advised at one point- and it seemed to shift something in her as, in the next second, her fingers were carding through his hair and her tongue was tentatively sliding across his bottom lip.
Upon opening his mouth to her, Adrien’s taste buds came to life as Marinette’s tongue slipped into his mouth and an explosion of sweet chocolate with hints of mint filled his senses. Adrien’s heart jumped into his ears as it beat erratically while their tongues slid and twisted and, in Marinette’s case, teased until air became necessary.
Pulling away, Adrien felt elated as warmth filled him to his brim.
That kiss was amazing ! Sure, he had nothing to compare it to, but Adrien was positive it had to be categorized as breathtaking.
So the fifth bullet had been true! Marinette could clean a whisk and kiss!
With that thought, Adrien blushed immediately as he realized that he had just kissed - his first kiss! - his very close friend Marinette! Marinette who was staring at him with confusion and stars in her eyes as the realization dawned on her as well.
Eyes widening, Marinette’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “Ad-”
Words seemed to rush out of his mouth as he felt the need to explain himself. “I read an article about kissing!”
Marinette’s eyebrows knitted together and her hands dropped to his shoulders. “Article?”
“Yeah! It said that if someone could lick a whisk full of cake batter clean, they were an amazing kisser!” Adrien quickly clarified. “I wanted to see what it meant so I asked you to help me bake a cake so I could try to clean one! I didn’t intend to kiss you and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable!”
Several emotions ran across Marinette’s so fast that Adrien wasn’t able to decipher them all before a look of understanding settled. “Oh. So… you weren’t planning to try to kiss me?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he shook his head. “No.”
The pink in her cheeks spread down her neck. “But do you regret it?”
Adrien’s response was instant, surprising even himself. “Not at all. It was an amazing kiss.”
Marinette smiled softly to herself. “Amazing? Really?”
“Yes, Marinette. It was amazing.” Adrien assured, squeezing her hip.
Marinette looked so happy and Adrien felt his heart thump harshly against his ribcage at the look. He found that he would do anything to make her smile like that again and it was then that he stumbled upon another realization.
His lady, the girl who had held the key to his heart, was no longer the person he loved the most. She wasn’t the one making his heart stutter anymore and, honestly, it had been a long time since she had been able to.
Now that honor belonged to Marinette, his quiet and helpful and clumsy classmate who was always willing to help and who seemed to accept him for who he was. The girl who was smiling up at him with so much love and affection that Adrien wanted to kick himself for not realizing his or her feelings sooner.
In the time it took him to come to terms with all of this, the smile that he had just been admiring had turned sinister and Adrien felt his heart stop almost completely.
Smirking, Marinette bit her slightly reddened lip and Adrien couldn’t help but to follow the movement with his eyes. “It’s your turn then.”
Confused, Adrien’s head tilted. “My turn?”
Moving away from him, Adrien watched her walk back towards the counter. His question was answered when she turned back around and he saw his untouched whisk in her hand.
“You said you came to lick the whisk, so now it's your turn to see if you can lick it clean and prove that you’re an amazing kisser as well.”
“Can’t I just kiss you again to prove that?”
Marinette licked her lips and glanced away from him coyly. “You can always do both. Two tests are better than one, after all.”
So Adrien did.
It took him quite a bit longer to completely clean his whisk, but Marinette assured him that the lengthy kiss he gave her afterwards was enough to prove that he was highly skilled when it came to the art of locking lips.
However, to appease his curiosity, Adrien made sure to kiss Marinette many more times that afternoon as they waited for their cakes to finish baking just to make sure.
By the time Adrien left the bakery, filled to the brim of sweet cake and even sweeter kisses, he was so happy that he fell down the reddit rabbit hole and ended up here.
His new girlfriend was very happy about it too.