Chapter Text
Marinette, mustering all her confidence, had made some very special pastries for her very special crush on February 13th. But that must have used all her confidence as, come the special day, she wasn’t able to actually go up to him to hand him the ladybug-patterned bag of pastries she had baked specifically for him. Even when Alya was behind her, whispering courage into her ear and giving her back a shove before disappearing to give Nino the chocolate she had made, she couldn’t do it. Maybe it was because she had seen the amount of Valentine’s presents he had in his locker, maybe it was the over-done pink and red and hearts all over her school, maybe it was how Chloe seemed even clingier than usual.
There had been a moment where she was almost able to, holding the bag in her arms as Alya was pushing her towards the blond. He had turned, she’s pretty sure he had seen the bag immediately, and smiled at her.
Marinette sprinted to the bathroom and later got chewed out by Alya when she was found.
She just couldn’t do it.
The ladybug-patterned bag stayed hidden away for the entirety of the day, only coming out after school was over and Ladybug was out to protect her city. Today was, thankfully, not like last year’s Valentine’s day. So far nobody has been akumatized. There doesn’t seem to be a threat of an akuma, either. Today may be a relaxing day for Ladybug - and Chat Noir, she muses, as she sees her black feline companion leaping along rooftops.
She yoyo’s her way over to him, and the way his grin grows wide and eyes light up as he sees her makes her lips grow into a wide grin as well. “Happy Valetine’s day, Chat. Here’s to you not trying to kill me this time around.” She hands the bag out to him, easily able to pass it to him. He’s dependable, he’s witty (even if most of his wit is shown in the form of horrific puns that she still enjoys anyways), and she feels comfortable around him. They’ve worked together for more than a year at this point, and she can’t think of a time that she’s given him a present.
“My Lady?” He sounds shocked, his eyes wide as he takes the gift, then turns mischievous. “Have you decided to show your undying love to me?”
She snorts and rolls her eyes at him. “Oh yes, totally. No, you silly cat, I was just thinking of how I didn’t get you anything last year. Besides, you know, your sanity back.”
His grin is wicked. “With a kiss, I believe.”
Her cheeks color a bit. “Hush! Or I’ll take the sweets right back.”
“No take-backsies!” He’s clutches the bag to his chest, then grins at her. “I suppose it would be rude of me to not give one of these a taste, huh? Purr-haps I’ll give you a treat of my own if they’re good.” He winks, and she snorts again.
The moment he takes one of the palmiers from the bag, she realizes something she totally glossed over: they’re shaped like hearts. Palmiers naturally look a little heart-shaped, but these were made specifically to look like hearts. The filling is pink, too.
Oh, God, it really does look like she’s confessing her undying love for him. And this is what it would have looked like if she actually gave these to Adrien.
Wow, I am so glad that didn’t happen. That would have been embarrassing.
Like having the mischievous feline raise his eyebrow and smirk at her wasn’t a little embarrassing. “Don’t make that face at me, I just happened to have some leftovers from…” From what? She can’t just tell him that these are what she was going to give her crush but chickened out and gave them to him instead! “From what I bought myself.”
That was a terrible lie and she’s pretty sure he knows that as well as she does.
But he doesn’t question her more than that, shrugging it off and popping one into his mouth. His face lights up, and he pops another three into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out almost cartoonishly.
She laughs, and the way he pouts at her only makes her laugh harder. “You look so ridiculous, Chat! Like a hamster.”
The pout grows.
She giggles and takes a step towards him, reaching into the bag so she can grab a palmier for herself. Of course she had tasted a few after she was done making them, but she’s very proud of these because they taste so good.
Chat swallows and hugs the bag tightly against himself, getting possessive in a very adorable way. “I thought these were the leftovers of what you bought yourself? How come you want more?”
“Oh, come on! I ba- bought these! Don’t limit how many I can have.”
He grins and dances backwards as she chases after him, shoving two more into his mouth. She chases him to a whole other rooftop, and right when she’s about to snatch his belt-tail he turns and catches her in an embrace, the bag of palmiers lightly thumping against her back.
It’s Ladybug’s turn to pout, finding his change in tactic to be kind of annoying but very him. “Happy Valentine’s Day, My Lady,” he hums, leaning in and pecking her cheek before she can come up with any kind of retort. “Thank you for the very delicious treats. Now, should we do our patrol of the city?”
“Y-yeah…” She stares up at him, cheeks not quite as scarlet as her outfit but definitely giving it competition.
When he grins his Cheshire grin she shakes herself out of her moment and grins back at him. Her cheeks may still be hot, but she isn’t going to let him win. So when he sprints off, the ladybug-patterned treat bag attached to his hip, she sprints off after him.