Miraculous Ladybug, "The Tell-Tale Kiss" ch. 12, rated M

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Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug & Chat Noir
Title: The Tell-Tale Kiss
Chapter Title: Twelve - The Cat's Out of the Bag
Pairing/Characters: Marinette (Ladybug), Adrien (Chat Noir), Tikki, Plagg, Marinette/Adrien
Word Count: 3,091
Genre: Humor/Romance
Rating: M
Spoilers: Up to Season 2 (for now)

Notes: This is a new multi-chapter fic though it won't be too long. I've written a few chapters and have the rest outlined. For now, this first chapter is written for my "major" prompt for the Summer Mini Challenge. Characters are aged up about a few years, around 16 years old. Canon divergent from Season 2/3.

Notes for this Chapter: Marinette wonders when Adrien started to really notice her as more than a friend.

Other Links: FFnet | AO3

Summary: Adrien has had enough. If Ladybug won't accept him as Chat Noir, well, then maybe she'll say yes to Paris's top male model? When she gives her answer, he doesn't expect what comes next.

Chapter Twelve: The Cat’s Out of the Bag

Marinette was nervous when her mother accompanied her to her doctor’s appointment. Usually, she’d never be so worked up about coming to a physical, but given the reason, it was unnerving with her mother right next to her, with a knowing smile that seemed to mock Marinette’s feelings every moment. 

They’d been ushered into an exam room and a nurse took her vitals, asked her typical questions, and then it came to the reason why she was there. 

“Um, I-I-I’m here to get on birth control…” Marinette stuttered out, and the nurse looked to her mother, who nodded, and then looked at Marinette with a comforting smile.

The nurse tapped at her computer, entering notes for the doctor, and then she left them to wait for the doctor to come in and continue the exam.

The silence in the exam room was deafening, and Marinette felt a cold sweat begin to sheen over her skin. She rubbed her arms and hugged herself. Her mother reached out and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“It’ll be okay, dear,” she said soothingly. “There are many benefits to this other than protection.”

Marinette knew this; she knew about the benefits of having more regular periods, and even helping with mood swings. That part was… okay, but her mother knowing (and her father, even though he wasn’t here) that she was becoming sexually active was mortifying. 

She only hoped that one day they wouldn’t interrupt them. Though, now that they knew that she and Adrien were intimate, maybe they’d give her more space and privacy.

Not a few minutes later, the doctor came in, did her own exam and seemed pleased with Marinette’s health.

“For a young girl your age, you are very toned and fit. Do you work out regularly?” she asked.

Marinette thought about her nightly escapades as Ladybug and grinned. “I guess you could say that.” She nervously giggled. “I run a lot to school...to make it on time before the morning bell.”

Sabine chuckled, and the doctor raised an eyebrow to the humor, but she continued to be pleased with the rest of the exam. 

“Well, you’re healthy and have no issues, no anxiety or mental health problems that you’ve noted, so whatever you’re doing continue with it. Now about birth control... we’ll want to do a gynecological exam. You aren’t sexually active yet, right?”

Marinette shook her head vigorously. “Not… not currently, but I do have a boyfriend.”

“Hrmm,” the doctor said. “It’s good to be prepared. Now…” She rose from her chair and handed Marinette a gown. “I’ll be back in a few minutes while you change and you can just lie down on the table. I’ll come back to do the exam, and then we’ll discuss options.”

“Oh...okay,” Marinette said, not prepared for a more extensive exam. She looked to her mother who nodded.

The doctor left again and Marinette quickly undressed, putting on the paper thin gown and bottom sheet, and she scooted herself up on the table.

When the doctor came back with a nurse to assist her, she continued the gyno exam and Marinette had to remind herself to breathe during the invasive prods and squeezes. The doctor reassured her whenever she felt Marinette flinch, and soon it was over. The doctor left again so Marinette could get dressed. When she returned, she had written a script for Marinette’s new contraceptive.

“Take it at the same time every day,” the doctor said. “It’s more effective that way. If you have to set an alarm on your phone, do that and it’ll be easier to get into the routine. If you miss one by accident, take two immediately.

“At least give about a couple weeks before being sexually active,” she continued. “Your body has to get used to it. Also, if you find yourself in a situation where you cannot wait… make sure your partner still uses a condom, preferably one with spermicide.”

Marinette’s face felt hot, and she was so embarrassed, but she nodded along with the doctor’s continued instructions. She probably would have never known all that without this information, so she was at least glad the doctor was so thorough. 

She was too afraid to see the expression on her mother’s face at this point, so she dared not to look over at her.

When the appointment was over, Marinette felt some sort of weird relief when she’d gone to her doctor at her mother’s request. She had some questions at the end, and her doctor really opened her eyes up about things and did not mince words. 

“And if you have more questions, you can ask the pharmacist when you pick up your prescription,” the doctor said. “Stay safe and if you have any side effects that are too bothersome for you to handle on a daily basis, call my office and we’ll try to get you on something else.”

“Okay, thanks,” Marinette said timidly.

Marinette finally looked over at her mother, who seemed to have a shit-eating grin on her face. Marinette inwardly groaned, feeling more awkward than ever. 

Okay, mom, you were right.  No need to gloat about it, Marinette thought, and she was sure her mother was already fantasizing about beautiful fair-haired grandchildren as they exited the doctor’s office.

---

Despite her mother’s joy in Marinette and Adrien being together, they still had to be cautious about their relationship around Adrien’s father and assistant. He still didn’t know about their relationship, and they wanted to keep it that way. Marinette was sure that somehow Gabriel Agreste wouldn’t find her good enough for his son, and that idea terrified her that he could break them apart.

Adrien wouldn’t say much about what he would do if his father found out about them, but he did look worried every time the subject came up. Instead, they would have to keep things secret for now, and that meant enlisting their friends to play it off too (mainly so Chloe and Lila didn’t find out). 

Their friends knew how strict Gabriel could be, so they all were willing to keep up with the ruse. Though, after Adrien’s confession in front of most of their classmates during that Kitty Section concert, they had to enlist a lot of people to keep their dating a secret. Thankfully, everyone was more than happy to keep it to themselves, as they respected Adrien and Marinette so much. 

“Nah, they are just very good friends,” Alix had said, waving her hand when Lila approached her and Kim in the hallway. “I mean, it’s obvious Marinette has a huge crush on him, but Adrien is so dense. He only sees them as best friends.”

“Damn, poor Marinette, in the friendzone,” Kim added. 

Alix nodded. “Yeah, that sucks, but I think Adrien is kind of clueless and sheltered. Either that or he knows being romantic with anyone will totally ruin his image as a model.”

“Ugh, yeah, sucks to be him,” Kim said with an eyeroll, and Alix giggled at him. 

When Lila was sure she couldn’t get any more juicy details from the duo, she approached other people, from Rose to Ivan to even their teachers.

“Adrien and Marinette?” said Ms. Mendeleiev, tapping her chin. “They’re friends, but I don’t think they are officially dating.” She slammed a ruler on her desk, which made Lila jump. “Kids shouldn’t be dating anyway at this age. It distracts them from their studies.” 

Lila thanked her and calmly excused herself as the teacher began muttering under her breath, going back to her notes for the day.

“Well?” Chloe met Lila in the hall. The two girls didn’t like each other, but they could agree on one thing. They were adamant about becoming a part of Adrien’s life no matter what the cost, which also meant preventing any undesirables from being anywhere near him.

“Nobody has seen any sign of them dating. The only time they seemed close was during that Startrain trip, and we were all there,” Lila said with a shrug. “I guess at this point, it doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t matter? We need to keep Dupain-Cheng away from him!” Chloe said, but Lila released a yawn of boredom.

“Do what you want,” she said, flipping her hair. “I’m not going to waste my time on it anymore. Adrien is clearly not interested in her in that way, so we have nothing to worry about.”

“Humph,” Chloe said, narrowing her eyes as Lila walked away. If the brown-haired girl had any other ulterior motives for giving up so easily, Chloe was not privy to them. Chloe was sure Lila was still up to something, but she was on her own (with Sabrina of course) to keep an eye on Adrien.

---

While at school, Adrien and Marinette agreed to keep their affection on friendly terms, without crossing any lines. Adrien found it extremely painful to keep his hands off her, or even staring at her with adoring love when he knew it would only raise suspicions. 

Instead, they focused on their studies and behaved as they usually would without ever having confessed to each other, or sharing a kiss.

Marinette found it extremely frustrating too, but she knew that if she had any hope of staying with Adrien, their relationship had to be a secret for now. The risk of Gabriel finding out wasn’t the only thing that worried her. Lila and Chloe could also do significant damage to them, but mostly they’d damage her reputation.

Lila already tried to frame her for cheating at school once, among other things, so who knew how far the girl would go to tarnish her reputation under Gabriel Agreste’s critical eye. 

For now, she enjoyed what little time she had with Adrien, even if they did have to meet in secret or use a school project as a reason to get together. Their project on Voltaire was due the next day, so Adrien had a good excuse for his father’s assistant Nathalie to visit her house again that evening. They had finished the project days ago, but they were still using it as leverage. They were more than ready to present it and hand in their project deliverables, but even they were sad that this partnership was coming to an end.

When school was dismissed for the day, Adrien’s bodyguard drove them to Marinette’s house, and with a quick hello to her grinning parents, she ushered him up the stairs to her room. When they were finally alone, they released relieved sighs and then shared a smile before they pounced on one another. Marinette walked them backward to her bed, and when her thighs met the edge, Adrien cradled her jaw in his hands, delighting in her lips as he led her down onto the bed. He covered his body over hers, and Marinette wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

He nuzzled against her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. 

“I missed you,” he said against her skin. She shivered when his lips began to suck at the pulse point of her neck.

She let out a soft moan. “I missed you too.”

Adrien continued to trail kisses on her neck and jaw, and Marinette let out soft moans to every touch, feeling her body go pliant in his touch. His breath warmed her skin, and he kissed his way back up to her lips, plunging his tongue deep into her mouth. She met his kiss with fervor, unable to stop her body from arching into him. He groaned as her thigh brushed against the heat between his legs, and he grinded into her, letting himself go to his instincts. 

Kissing him was divine, and Marinette wished she could taste him forever. Her bed squeaked slightly as he moved against her, and she could feel his hardness against her leg. She gasped as he pushed it against her, shifting his weight as his body moved without reason or direction. 

“Mmm,” she said, feeling him rub against the space between her legs. She arched into him again, and he groaned into his mouth. 

God, it felt good to be wanted by him. 

She released her hands from around his back and found his, directing him to the heat under her shirt. He stilled at her forwardness, and he pulled away to look into her eyes, to make sure she wanted this. She nodded.

He devoured her in another starved kiss, and his hands tentatively explored her skin, feather touches against her stomach, and he began painting his fingers across her ribs. His hands slowed, cupping her breast in her bra, and then dipping under the fabric to find the pebbled nipple. She moaned against his mouth as he squeezed, delighting in her breasts in his palms. 

“Adrien…” she moaned, and she wrapped her arms around him again, letting them fall to the small of his back. He pushed his hips into hers again, and she dropped her hands down to squeeze his butt -- that perfect ass that she couldn’t help but stare at in any of his modeling pictures, or even if he walked ahead of her. 

“Oh,” Adrien said against her lips, and he panted heavily as she continued to kiss the side of his mouth. 

Catching his breath, Adrien nuzzled against Marinette’s neck again, their bodies pulsating in sync against each other, creating warmth and fire between them.

“We should…” he kissed her neck again, and Marinette craned her neck to give him better access.

“Uh huh,” she said, slightly distracted but she knew what he meant.

“Mmm…” he said, and he’d lifted up her shirt, exposing her breast from her bra and then taking it into his mouth. He licked and sucked the hardened nipple, and Marinette squirmed beneath him in delight. She rubbed against his hardness, and he continued to tongue her nipple, teasing it and sucking hard, making noises she’d never forget. 

She was so hot, and she wanted him to fill this desperate need that was burgeoning inside her. It was too soon since she’d started the pill, so she wondered idly if they should wait, or if perhaps Adrien came equally prepared.

He started sucking on the other breast and she keened. She still had errant thoughts assault her fuzzy brain, lucky to be in Adrien’s arms, but still awed that she was here with him at all.

He must have sensed her hesitation, and Adrien immediately stopped to assess her mood. She looked at him, chest heaving from exertion and lips swollen from their frenzied kissing.

“Marinette…?”

“I was just thinking…” she began. “We’d been friends for such a long time, and you’ve never… I mean, you were always so dense about my feelings. I practically stalked you and you had no idea. You always insisted I was just your friend, but now…” She let out a heavy breath. “I just wondered when you noticed me as more than a friend...I was always right in front of you.”

“Uh… well,” he pulled back from her, alleviating her body of his weight. He straddled her thighs and took her face in his hands. He smiled lovingly at her. “If I tell you, promise you won’t be mad?”

Marinette looked at him with wide eyes, almost fearful at what he was going to say. 

He shot her a sheepish grin. “I was in love with you, but I didn’t know it was you.”

Marinette looked even more puzzled at what he could mean.

“Marinette… when you tripped on me that time and we accidentally kissed? Well, I noticed we had always kissed before,” he said, and realization hit her and she went pale.

“You don’t mean…” she said in a whisper, and Adrien nodded. 

“Yes, um… I know who you are, Marinette… or should I say… Ladybug?” he said, and Marinette gasped, her hands flying up over her mouth. She pulled away from him, shocked and frightened. 

Adrien waved his hands frantically. “Don’t worry, it’s not like I’ll tell your secret. I love you, Marinette. I would never…”

“Oh my god!” Marinette squeaked. She buried her head in her hands.

“Hey,” Adrien said softly, and he tried to pry her hands gently away from her face. She peeked at him, still looking worried. “I won’t tell. I can’t tell… that would be hypocritical.”

She still looked unsure, and confused again. “On my honor, Marinette, I won’t tell anyone your secret.”

Marinette stared at him in awe, her thoughts spinning on the ramifications of him knowing her superhero identity. She knew that Tiki was going to be upset. She could almost hear the lecture. Then something he said seemed off to her.

“Hey, what did you mean…”

Suddenly, a large explosive boom outside within the city interrupted her question. She snapped her attention to the window, jumping off the bed and looking to see what that was. Adrien rushed behind her as they looked out to the city. Smoke and debris ballooned out from a disturbance, and soon a strange woman was flying around, sending blasts from her large cannon and laughing maniacally at the destruction.

“Akuma…” Marinette said, and she turned to Adrien awkwardly. “I have to go…”

He nodded with a large grin. “Fair is fair, m’lady. I know your secret, Paris needs saving, so we might as well get going.”

Words were caught in her throat as he gaped at her. “This is why I won’t ever tell your secret. I can’t… Not just because I love you and care about you too much, but it really would be wrong of me. It’s also wrong to keep things from you any longer.”

He smiled affectionately as he held up his hand that wore a ring. She only watched, still too stunned to form a response or even a reaction.

“Plagg, claws out!”

She stared as he transformed in front of her, and it took Tiki to come out of hiding to remind her that she had to transform too.

.