Work Text:
Marshmallow Night
Adrien sat at his computer desk most afternoons reading fanfics on a website he found doom scrolling one afternoon. As Chat Noir, he had talked to Ladybug about the site. Telling her how he had found stories about themselves set in medieval times, aged up, aged down and everything you could think of (and not think of) in between. Yes, she had warned him about reading them and how he might get addicted, but of course as the mischievous cat he was, he didn’t listen.
Christmas time was closing in and so the writers on the site started posting Christmas and winter specific stories. He had read so many by this time that most of the storyline’s kind of just jumbled together, so the different holiday themed ones were a great change. Until tonight, sitting at his desk reading a fic by a writer who went by, MDC. It was about two lovers who found each other through ballet and more specifically them putting on a huge performance of the Nutcracker. Of course, the storyline had some angst, but the newest chapter posted had ended with the worst of it (so far anyway). After so much fluff in the previous chapters the writer had dropped a huge bomb of angst on the readers. He as a reader was sad and hurting for the fictional characters he came to love.
“Darn you MDC! You hurt my soul!” he whisper yelled as to not catch Nathalies attention. “Why would you torment us with that!” he threw his hands in the air in frustration. Grabbing his phone, he checked the time and if he had any messages. “Already time for patrol. Great, maybe seeing m’lady will cheer me up.” He pushed himself up and walked into his bathroom, closing, and locking the door behind him. Turning the shower on then looking around for Plagg. “Where are you, you little cheese gremlin?” he whispered angrily.
“Right here.” Phasing through the mirror from his hiding spot. “What has your Gabriel undies in a twist?” Plagg chuckled as he floated around the room. “Ohhh, were you reading more of those stories on the magic box?”
“What does it matter, not like you actually care what I was doing while you drowned in stinky cheese.” Adrien snapped at the little cat kwami.
“Oh, feisty one tonight, are we? I like it, read more of whatever you last did!” Plagg started to actually laugh for the first time.
‘Oh, now he has a sense of humor!’ Adrien thought stubbornly. “Plagg, Claws out!” he said as the little kwami was sucked into his ring laughing even louder. A green flash of light and Chat noir was now standing in place of Adrien. Crouching down he then jumped to the window seal and out into the night.
“And posted.” Marinette said as she pressed the computer key. “Well, now I’ll wait and see if anyone comments on the new chapter. I can’t believe I added that much angst last minute! Hopefully my readers won’t hate me.” she said with a giggle.
Tikki floated by and sat close to the keyboard on the desk. “Oh, Mari! The readers are going to hate you for that!”
“But that’s part of the fun of writing Tikki! I didn’t know how much I would enjoy this back when Chat first told me about the site.”
“Thank you Chat noir…” Tikki said sarcastically.
“YES! Thank you Kitty!” Mari said laughing.
“Marinette! We could use some help. We have an unexpected rush in the bakery.” Sabine called through the trap door.
“Coming mama!” she yelled out then turned back to the little red kwami. “I’ll be back in a bit Tikki.”
Two hours later-
“Tikki, wake up! We might as well leave early to meet up with Chat noir.” Marinette gently rubbed the top of her kwamis head.
“Okay Mari, I’m fully rested and recharged anyway, so let’s go!” Tikki said sitting up and then floating up to her holders face.
“Tikki, Spots on!” With a flash of red, Ladybug was now standing there. “Oh, I forgot to check the comments. Well, I am leaving a bit early for once, maybe I will have time to look a few over while I wait for Kitty.” She said as she climbed the stairs to her bed and through the skylight above it. Grabbing her yo-yo and flinging it to the sky, it caught on something, and she jumped into a long swing.
Chat noir landed with a thump on the roof as he watched Ladybug sitting on the far ledge looking at something and giggling. He quietly walked up to her and looked over her shoulder as she was too engrossed in what she was reading to notice him. Bug phone in hand and a comment section on screen as she was reading another comment. ‘I thought see didn’t do fan story sites, but that’s definitely one and I know exactly which story too.’ He thought as he pulled out his baton and went to gently touch her on the shoulder with it.
“Good afternoon, M’lady! What has you laughing so much tonight?” Chat spoke as the Baton tapped her.
“Oh, Kitty!!” she screamed. “Don’t scare me like that!” she said as she lifted her hand to cover her beating heart.
Putting his baton back in its place while sitting down beside her he was going to speak but was stopped when he heard her.
“Buuut, to answer your question, I was laughing at these comments on this fan story. The writer laid the angst on hard in this chapter and every single comment talks about the reader being hurt, going to cry in a corner and more. It’s just funny the way the readers are reacting, I guess. Like this one from Kittyboy_01.” She turned the yo-yo to show him the comment. Unfortunately, he already knew exactly what that comment said because Kittyboy_01 was Adrien’s online alias. His mood instantly changed.
“I don’t see how that’s funny bug. You shouldn’t be laughing at others.” He turned his head with a huff.
She realized the hurt in his voice immediately and reached to hold his hand lying on his leg. Thankfully he did not pull away and held her back.
“What has you so upset suddenly, chaton? I know it is not right to laugh at others but with so many comments and the way the writer put the angst in, it is like she wanted the readers to feel the emotion of the story.”
“It’s because I am one of those reader’s little bug. That angst hurt me in a way I didn’t know was possible. There was so much sweet fluff just before and then, BAM ANGST just dumped out in a truck load! My alter self has a comment on there as well, so I just don’t find it very funny.” He grew forlorn all over again as he looked out over the city that sparkled so beautifully.
“I’m sorry kitty. I didn’t realize the angst hurt you so. I promise to make up for it with the last chapter.” She spoke softly.
Chat Noir slowly turned his head to glare at Ladybug. “YOU!” he shook his head to clear the fog. “You’re MDC, the fanfic writer that I have been following and reading your chapters religiously!” He took his hand from hers and crossed his arms, turning away from her once again. “I don’t like you anymore.” He said in a slightly teasing tone.
“Oh really. Not even if I give you a sneak peek of the next chapter?” she asked with a knowing smirk.
He thought for a minute with one claw tapping at his chin. “Hmmm, I guess if it is your idea…” he then turned to her seeing she already had a small part pulled up for him to read and a full smile on her face.
‘Boy, do I love this woman!’ he thought as he read over the words. “OK, I can’t wait to see how you use that in the full chapter. It does help me feel a bit better.” He said with a grin growing on his own lips.
“Well, how about I disappear for a few minutes to grab something and surprise you?” she questioned.
He looked at her with a pout and said, “That would help a smidge more.”
With that she threw her yo-yo out and slid off the roof into the night.
Thirty minutes later, Ladybug dropped back down to the roof with hands full of a large comforter, two throw blankets and a few pillows. Chat Noir automatically standing to help the damsel in distress. Grabbing the pillows to help, a bag of something dropped to the floor and Ladybug gasped slightly.
“Wait! Don’t move. I don’t want us to squash them.”
With full curiosity on what could be stepped on, he looked over the stack of pillows to find a huge bag of large marshmallows laying on the roof between them.
“M’lady, what are those for? We can’t make smores on a roof top, I believe that would be a fire hazard.”
A small giggle escaped her lips as he looked back up to her. “No silly, those are a little sweet treat to help your hurting soul from all that heavy angst you had to endure.”
“And all the blankets and pillows are….?”
“For us to curl up under and watch a funny movie while we eat said Marshmallows to wash away all the hurt.” A grin illuminated her lips as his heart swelled with even more love for his amazing lady.
“Well, I can’t say no to that. Did you grab a computer or tablet too though for the movie part?”
“I did, of course! My laptop is in the middle of this comforter, here.” She set it down and pulled the device free, handing it to him.
‘I feel like I have seen this laptop before.’ he thought, contemplating where he had seen it at. The puzzled look on his face caught Ladybugs attention quickly.
“Something wrong? It’s not broke, is it?” she asked trying to figure out what was wrong.
“Oh, um… nothing LB.” he said as he opened the device and froze, looking at the picture on the screen.
‘Oh! Oh no. This…. This is..’ he thought, but then the word escaped his mouth. “Marinettes.” He said breathlessly.
Ladybug froze at the name he spoke. Eyes widening and trying not to panic. “Ww-what did yy-you say-yyy?” she asked but could not bring herself to look at him.
“This laptop. It’s…. Marinettes, isn’t it.” This wasn’t a question; he knew it was hers with full certainty. “Why do you have it though bug?” that, that was the real question.
“She let me borrow it?” she answered sheepishly.
“Yeah….. No. She doesn’t let people just borrow her laptop. She doesn’t even let her close friends borrow it, and I guess I now know why. Marinette.” He looked straight at her.
“Wait just a second. How in the world do you know that!”
“Well, I should know that. I’m one of your closes friends and you have never let me, or anyone, take this laptop out of your view. I had always thought it was because of your designs but now I know it’s because it must have Miraculous information on it.” He spoke matter-of-factly.
“I…. um…. Uh…. You…. Me…..WHAT!!” her voice grew louder with each sound it produced.
“I’ll leave you here for a second while you process everything. I know this will take a few minutes.” he said as he walked away with the blankets and pillows in hand. Finding a good spot on the roof, he fluffed out the comforter and set up the pillows and throws. He propped up the laptop ready to play a movie, whichever one she decided to choose.
With everything set up he turned back to LB. “Hey, Mari! Will you bring the marshmallows over here?”
Bending down without thinking, she grabbed the bag and started on her way. “Yeah, Adrien! Here!!” she froze, realizing what she had just said.
“Welp, I thought we were past it. This will be another few minutes.” He said with a huff. “She’ll come back around.” He walked over to her, gently pulling the bag of marshmallows from her hands and walked back over, sitting down, and getting comfortable under a blanket.
With her head spinning from all the new information, after another few minutes she finally snapped back. “CHAT NOIR! How could you do that!?”
“The names Adrien. Adrien Agreste, Marinette.” He said with the biggest smirk ever. ‘If that doesn’t send her into another freak out then she’s okay now.” He thought and chuckled a bit while moving enough to see her full face. ‘Oh no. she mad.’
Eyes narrowed on him and her LB face on likes she’s up against an akuma. “Yes, I know this, Chat Noir. But when suited up you shall remain called Chat Noir and I am Ladybug. Do we understand that Chat Noir?” She spoke slow and pointedly with every, Chat Noir, being emphasized greatly. She could hear him swallow, she had him now.
“Of course LB, always.” He sat up straight with an understanding that their movie time might just be over. Waiting to see what she did next, he watched as her facial expression changed again to something softer.
With a smirk growing she then asked; “Room for one more down there?”
“Always M’lady!”
“Scootch over, make room!” she said while grabbing the bag of marshmallows from where they sat waiting to be opened. “I brought marshmallows!” she giggled as he moved over, and she got comfortable under her own blanket. “What movie did you pick?” she questioned while looking towards the screen to see nothing was pulled up, getting her answer immediately.
“I was going to let you choose, actually.”
“Oh Buttercup, your too sweet!” she said with a knowing look.
He froze. Thoughts and memories racing through his mind. ‘I always wanted to find out who this Buttercup was, and she just called me that. Is it just a sweet nickname she calls her friends? Or could I actually be THE Buttercup from the love note she read before. Wait, am I really Buttercup? Does she love me? Or does she love Chat noir….. WAIT!!! I am Chat noir!! So even if she loves him then that means she also loves me because I am him!?......” His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he felt the softest object hit his lips. Looking down he found Ladybugs hand holding a marshmallow against his lips and turned to look at her.
“Yes, chaton. It’s you.” She announced in the sweetest way and boy did he want to eat that mallow and squash their lips together then. But no, he would remain the best gentleman and wait for, maybe, the second date? Putting his arm around her shoulders, a movie on the laptop and snuggled together on a roof for the rest of the night. Life was starting to look much, much better.