Miraculous Ladybug, "The Tell-Tale Kiss" ch. 17, rated M

[paynesgrey]

 Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug & Chat Noir
Title: The Tell-Tale Kiss
Chapter Title: Seventeen - Our Little Secret
Pairing/Characters: Marinette (Ladybug), Adrien (Chat Noir), Tikki, Plagg, Marinette/Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie
Word Count: 4,488
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 gets stalked by Adrien's crazy fans and has a harsh way to deal with it.

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.

 

Marinette swore she was being followed. 

She had lost track of time at school while working on her designs and sketches in the art room. Nathaniel and Marc had drawn her into a conversation about the graphic novel they were working on, and she even posed a few times for action scenes for Nathaniel to draw. By the time they were all done, Marinette realized that she was almost late for her family dinner.

She grabbed her things, checked her phone for messages, and headed down the school’s steps toward home. Tikki peeked out from her purse to chat about her day and her situation with Adrien. 

Suddenly, Marinette hushed her when she heard close footsteps behind her. Her instincts kicked in, and something didn’t feel right. She heard whispering like a faint echo, and then someone’s voice became clear.

“That’s her! That’s Adrien’s girlfriend!” a loud whisper called out. 

“Is that really her? She’s rather plain, isn’t she?” The whispers turned to chatter, and Marinette spun around and spied a group of older girls following her. They met her gaze, and Marinette instantly felt the tension as the girls glared at her. 

Marinette turned and began walking faster, but she heard the footsteps behind her keep up with her pace.

“Tikki, we’re going to have to make a dash for it,” Marinette whispered to the kwami in her purse.

“Marinette, see if you can hide in a dark alley or hide somewhere. If you transform, you can yo-yo back home,” Tikki told her.

“Does it need to resort to that?” Marinette asked in exasperation.

“Hey!” a new voice called out to her from behind. Marinette glanced behind her and the group of glaring girls increased, transforming into an angry, unhinged mob. “That’s her! Adrien Agreste’s girlfriend!”

“Get her!” someone snarled, and Marinette’s pace turned into a sprint. She looked around quickly, trying to find the right strategy to get away, hide, and find a moment to turn into Ladybug. 

Her sharp gaze darted around, and when she found a way out, she smirked and darted into a shadowy crevice between two buildings. She squeezed through the alley toward the other side of the street. She ran across the road, faked her direction toward an open courtyard filled with a crowd of people, and then she hid behind moving food carts that went toward the crowd. She backtracked to another dark alley and let out a sigh of relief.  She slinked into the shadows and watched as the mob ran around searching for her, unsure of where she had gone. She could hear their cries of frustration, and she turned to Tikki who flew out of her purse with a grin. 

“That was close, Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed. “I think you should let Ladybug take it from here.”

“Tikki, spots on!” she yelled. In a flash, she was Ladybug and yo-yoing her way on top of buildings all the way home. She stopped just before reaching her house, hiding on top of the building next to hers. She looked down at the crowd hanging outside the bakery, clamoring for a glimpse of her.

“Ugh, this is worse than I thought. I hate to say that Adrien’s father was right,” Ladybug said to herself. 

She bounced to the top of her mother and father’s bakery and landed on her balcony. She de-transformed and immediately gave Tikki some sweets to boost her energy. Her kwami seemed appeased, but Marinette was pacing around her room with frantic energy.

She looked out her balcony and saw the crowd of people in front of the bakery, scaring away actual customers with their mania and obsession. She hated to think how her parents were dealing with this. 

Heading down the steps of her bedroom, she cautiously sought out her parents in the house. Her father was behind her mother at the counter of the bakery as they stared outside the window with worry.

“Psst!” Marinette tried to get ahold of them as she hid out of sight in the hallway. Her father turned around and her mother followed. They gaped at her and she motioned for them to join her into the house, away from the prying eyes of the crowd outside.

“Marinette! When did you get back home?” her mother asked, relieved she was inside away from the chaos. 

“I snuck in from the back. It wasn’t easy,” she said. “What the heck is going on?”

“Adrien’s fans mostly. They are waiting for you to show up to find out more about you. Some of them seem… enthusiastic,” her father answered.

“You can just say it, dear!” her mother said. “Some of them are a bit aggressive Marinette, and they’re keeping the customers away.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes. She balled her fists at her sides and prepared to go out and confront them, and moreover, to tell the lot of them to get lost. Her father held her arm back softly. She met his gaze and he shook his head. 

“Don’t be hasty,” he said. “We’ll figure this out.”

“Marinette, we’ve been getting phone calls and mail, too,” her mother told her and she looked even more anxious. “There have been death threats.”

“What?” Marinette exclaimed. How could people be so cruel? She had no idea Adrien was this popular. Well, she did, but this was crazy. Some of his fans were just scary and hardcore, and she had no idea she’d have to deal with any of this.

She groaned. It was almost like Adrien’s father knew that this would happen, and maybe he thought this was going to scare her off. But Marinette refused to let go of Adrien for anyone; she’d been waiting too long to be with him. She loved him, and she knew she had to do something to stave off his crazy fans and convince his father that she could stay Adrien’s girlfriend.

She wouldn’t give in to fear either. If only these fans knew they weren’t just dealing with Marinette Dupain-Cheng, they were dealing with Ladybug as well.

Marinette sighed. “Okay, dad, I’ll back off for now, but this is getting ridiculous! Are they going to stay here all day and risk our bakery’s business?”

“We’re hoping they will get bored and leave soon,” her mother said hopefully.

Marinette tapped her finger to her chin. “Hrmm, I have an idea.” She pulled out her phone and sent a video to her mother’s phone. “Maman, do you think you could confront that crowd and tell them that I’m not home, that I’m staying at Adrien’s?”

Her mother nodded. She looked down at her phone and played the video in the text message. It was an older video, but she had made it to tell all her friends that she was staying at Adrien’s for their project (which they had long finished) and they couldn’t go on a trip with them to Luka’s boat. It was vague, and it didn’t give any timestamps. It was also a quick video. 

“Hey, everyone, I’m out with Adrien tonight so I won’t be home or able to meet you. Catch you later!” Then the video ended, short and sweet.

“If they don’t believe you, show them this. Have it ready like you just got the message,” Marinette said.

Her mother smiled and nodded, and she headed out to the noisy crowd. 

“Listen up, everyone! You’re wasting your time. My daughter is not here, so please leave as you’re disrupting our business!” her little mom told everyone with a scary fierceness. “If you don’t leave I will call the police!”

“Is she really not here or are you hiding her?” One crazy fan yelled out. 

Sabine held up her phone and played the video. “She sent us this before dinner. She’s with Adrien, so you’re wasting your time.”

Many of the fans let out synchronous moans of disapproval. Some had already tapered off, finding the video and Sabine’s threat reason enough to leave. A couple of stragglers glared at Sabine, who seemed unmoved by their hostility. 

She turned off the video and dialed for the police. All she had to do was tap a button… “Well, do we want to have a chat with the police? Either come inside to buy something or go home.”

The rest of the crowd grumbled and reluctantly stalked off. They took their sweet time, wondering if Marinette would actually show up while they were leaving. Sabine continued to challenge them with her steadfast glare.

When they had all finally left, the three of them sighed in relief and enjoyed the rush of peace and quiet. 

Marinette headed back to her room, and she flopped down on her bed with a groan of exasperation. “We can’t keep doing this. I want to be with Adrien, but this is stressing my parents out.”

“What are you going to do, Marinette?” Tikki asked.

Marinette sighed again. Thoughts and ideas fluttered around in her head. She couldn’t give Adrien up, and she wouldn’t give his father the satisfaction of being right about the fans and celebrity status. 

“I could handle all of this attention, but my parents can’t. It might be too much for them,” she finally said.

“I think your parents are stronger than you think, Marinette,” Tikki encouraged her.

She shook her head. “Not only that, Tikki, what if one of these fans follows me around when I need to turn into Ladybug? I can’t risk anyone discovering my identity, especially not one of these crazy stalkers. Being Ladybug comes first, and as Marinette, I never got the attention and could easily sneak away and transform. But now, I’m not so sure people will leave me alone.”

“What do you plan to do?” Tikki asked though she could almost guess Marinette’s answer.

“We don’t have a choice, not when it comes to protecting Paris,” she said, and sadness filled her voice when she finally said. “To protect our civilian lives so we can be superheroes, Adrien and I have enough pressure on us already.”

A heavy pause settled between them and the kwami looked at her forlornly. With unshed tears in her eyes, Marinette let out another weighted sigh.

“We have to break up.”

---

“Absolutely not,” Adrien said with conviction, and he gave Marinette a firm stare. Despite his refusal of her idea, Marinette still thought breaking up was the best way to deal with their situation in the public eye.

Marinette had called Adrien to meet her and tell her his plan. He snuck out of his house as Chat Noir and met up at her balcony roof to tell him about his persistent stalking fans, and how they should mitigate any future problems. Of course, he was instantly against her suggestion.

It was taking some convincing, but Adrien was not happy to “break up” in the public view to sneak around in secret and still keep dating.

“Look, I know it sounds harsh, but we would be only be dating in secret, just like with our secret identities. No one would know, and you could keep telling people we were just good friends,” Marinette stressed. 

Adrien sighed and he looked at her pleadingly. “I know that this is rough, dealing with my father and fans, but I am certain we can stay together in public. I think after a while, the crazy fans will move on and calm down, and my father will ignore it and focus on other things.”

“Adrien,” Marinette said, and she reached out and cupped his cheek in her palm. She gave him a sweet smile. “We wouldn’t really be breaking up. You know that right? Now that I have you, I won’t let you go.”

“I know, but in a way, it feels like my father wins if we break up, even if it’s not for real,” Adrien said sadly. He really wanted to show his father he could have a girlfriend and still deal with his celebrity image, and dating in secret would feel like he was failing that.

“Well, your father will think he wins, but he really won’t be,” Marinette said with a smirk. “ Just like he doesn’t know that his precious son is actually a superhero.”

“I know, but…” Adrien began, but Marinette leaned in and kissed his lips. She rubbed her nose against his.

She spoke to him softly. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

Adrien huffed, and he pulled back to look into her eyes. “Marinette, I’m sorry… I understand what you’re suggesting, but I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep myself from touching you in public and showing you affection. If I see some other boys go after you, I’ll feel… insecure. I just don’t want to mess this up.”

“I get it. I’d rather not date in secret either, Adrien,” Marinette said. “However, there is too much attention on us. I’m just a normal girl when I’m not Ladybug. If a fan follows me while Paris is in danger, the chances of some random person seeing me transform are too high. It’s risky, and you know as well as I do, we have a responsibility to Paris first, and to defeat Hawkmoth. We can’t do that if we’re dating as civilians and the attention jeopardizes our superhero responsibilities.”

“I know but...this is just too much. What if it’s more of an effort to keep our relationship a secret rather than hiding our identities?” Adrien wondered aloud. “And what about our friends? They were so happy for us. I don’t know if they are even going to believe us.”

Marinette nodded. “Yes, but they can’t know our secret too. Nino and Alya… I know it hurts to lie and keep things from them, but they can’t know, just as they can’t know about our superhero identities.”

Adrien sighed. “That’s going to be tough. I tell Nino almost everything, and he can usually sense when I’m keeping something from him.”

“Alya is the same way, if not more suspicious than Nino is. Her instincts are razor-sharp,” Marinette said. “It’s been hard enough trying to keep my Ladybug identity from her all this time, but I manage, and I’ll manage this too.”

“I just hope she won’t think our breakup is an opportunity to set you up with someone else,” Adrien said mournfully. Marinette laughed.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Marinette said grinning. “Alya knows how obsessed I am with you. She’s going to give me time, and hopefully, someday, we can come out of secret to them. I just think with Hawkmoth still at large and your...ahem, dedicated fans after us, we need to be extra careful.”

“What about Luka?” Adrien braved to ask, and Marinette frowned.

“That’s over, Adrien, and you know it,” Marinette said, furrowing her brow. “We’re just friends.” Marinette let out a huff and asked the obvious question back. “What about Kagami?”

Adrien coughed uncomfortably. “There’s no way. Now that I have you…” He shook his head. “We’re just friends and only friends. She also knows… that I’m pretty hung up on you, even before I knew about Ladybug, she would always ask me about our friendship. It bothered her on how close we were, and how much I cared about you.”

“I see,” Marinette said looking relieved, and she took his hands and squeezed. “You have nothing to worry about with me. As I said, it may be our secret, but I will be devoted to you.”

“Same for me,” he said, and he drew one of her hands to his lips and kissed the top of it. “I’m yours, Marinette, and as far as I’m concerned, I always will be.”

A quiet moment wedged between them as they looked into each other’s eyes. They knew they had to do this, but the weight of the responsibility of keeping this secret was already starting to bear down on them. Out of this secrecy, they would feel tremendous stress, but they would have to be strong, just as their superhero counterparts, just to get through it.

“So does this also mean that Ladybug and Chat Noir can’t be a couple either,” Adrien said, and Marinette nodded sadly.

“I’m sorry, that’s an even bigger risk,” Marinette said. “Hawkmoth could really use that against us and find a way to learn our true identities. I don’t want to risk it. Chat Noir and Ladybug have to play up that they still don’t know each other’s identities, and that we’re partners just as before.”

Adrien sighed heavily again. “We are really going to excel at acting, aren’t we?”

“It’s for the good of Paris, for our families and friends, and our civilian selves. Not only that, but we cannot give Hawkmoth any advantage over us,” Marinette said. “It pains me to say it, but Marinette and Adrien have to remain as just good friends. For now.”

Adrien knew she was right, and Marinette could see the understanding in his deep green eyes. 

“I’m not happy about this,” he said grumpily. Marinette leaned in and kissed him, teasing the seam of his mouth so he would open up to her, letting her inside so she could taste him. 

She broke the kiss and drew in his scent with a lengthy inhale. “I’m not happy either, but I know I’m not really losing you. On the outside, we will still be friends, but behind closed doors, no one will know what we do together.”

Adrien drew her against his body and pulled her in for another long kiss. She rubbed her hips against his and he groaned. He pushed back against her, and she felt his excitement as they fell deeper into the kiss. They held each other, kissing and squirming against each other, desperate for more. 

When Adrien pulled out of the kiss, he whispered against her lips. “I want to hold you all the time and kiss you just to see this look on your face. I want to hear all your sounds, Marinette. I can’t stop thinking of you.”

“Oh, Adrien,” Marinette cooed against him, and she felt his hand rub the side of her hips and down her thighs. “I love you, so you never have to worry. We won’t break up, and someday we can come out for real…”

“Yes,” he said as he felt her lips on his neck, sucking and nibbling on his skin and leaving a mark. Adrien leaned his head back to give her more access, enjoying the feel of her mouth on him. He made a noise when she nibbled just a little harder than before, and he opened his eyes for a moment to look at the clear blue sky above them.

His eyes widened when he saw something familiar, but also out of the ordinary. He grunted unhappily. 

“Marinette… we have a problem,” he said, and he hated that she had to pull away from him. She followed his gaze to the sky and he saw her eyes widen. Then she groaned with exasperation. 

“Mr. Pigeon…” Adrien sighed unhappily. 

“Not again,” Marinette lamented, slapping her forehead.

“Plagg!” Adrien called to his hiding kwami, and Marinette called for Tikki. The two kwamis came to them immediately and saw what the problem was.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Time to transform.”

“Plagg, claws out…” Adrien said, and he didn’t even call for his transformation with the same enthusiasm that he usually did.

Marinette followed suit, annoyed that once again they had to fight and rescue the pigeon-obsessed Paris native who was akumatized on a regular basis.

--

As usual, Chat Noir and Ladybug had finished saving Mr. Ramier from being akumatized again, and they headed back to the bakery to Marinette’s room. They de-transformed, letting their kwamis renew their strength and eat something. Plagg noisily enjoyed some cheese, while Tikki happily ate some sugar cookies. 

Adrien flopped on Marinette’s bed and released a sigh of exasperation. “I wonder if we will ever get tired of saving Mr. Ramier from being akumatized.” 

“Ask me again after the 72nd time,” Marinette said with a huff. She laid down next to him, and they squeezed close in her bed. Marinette shifted on her side to look at Adrien. He turned toward her and met her gaze. She definitely caught on to how sad he looked.

Adrien said, “I understand that you want to break up in public for the sake of our identities. I know it’s the right decision, but I just feel horrible about it.” He reached out a hand and caressed her arm, and Marinette scooted closer to lean against his chest. Automatically, he wrapped her into an embrace and buried his face into her hair. He inhaled her scent, and he held her like he was losing her for real.

“I know,” Marinette whispered. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and he leaned in and met her lips with a soft kiss. “It’s always been a risk for us to know our true identities out of the costume, but this is even riskier. Adrien, I’m afraid what Hawkmoth would do if he found out who we were, what he’d do to our friends and family.”

“Yeah, those are the perks of being a superhero,” Adrien said sarcastically with a sigh. 

“Now that we know, and we understand the risks, we should enjoy our time together as much as we can,” Marinette said. They gave each other a knowing look and then grinned. Adrien shifted them on her bed so he was on top of her, and she moaned in his mouth as he kissed her again, delving into her taste and teasing her tongue. 

He pulled away for a quick moment so he could reply, “I’m going to enjoy you as much as I can. Trust me, Marinette.”

Marinette shivered when those words caressed the shell of her ear and she rubbed her hips against him. “You have me, so take as much as you want.”

He groaned, leaving a trail of kisses down her jaw. He pressed hard, nibbling and sucking on the sensitive stretch of her neck. Marinette could feel his hands roaming down her sides, pulling at the bottom of her shirt.

When his warm hands slid under the fabric, Marinette sighed as she delighted in his touch. His hands roamed against her soft skin, painting pathways across her abs and under the soft flesh of her breasts. She moaned in his mouth, taking their kiss deeper, and they gave way to the natural instincts of their bodies. 

With Adrien’s warm body against hers, Marinette felt wildfires ignite everywhere and anywhere he touched her skin. In that heated moment, she shifted them, flipping him onto his back. He grunted in surprise and looked up at her with wide eyes as she straddled him. She drew her shirt over her head, and he reached out to feel her skin, his hands finding purchase when she shucked off her bra. Her beautiful breasts bounced in front of him, and she delighted in the way his face flushed as he stared. Adrien cupped her breasts in his hands, and he sat up, nuzzling his face in between them and inhaling her sweet scent.

“Adrien…” Marinette moaned, and as his hands massaged her breasts, teasing at her nipples, she pulled him in for a desperate kiss, missing his mouth like a thirst for water.

Adrien sat up and made a motion to take off his own shirt, but then they heard a couple of tiny knocks at Marinette’s bedroom door. 

“Marinette, are you in there?” It was her mom, and both teens jumped apart as if someone had just doused them with ice water. Marinette quickly shifted off of him, grabbing her shirt.

“Yes, Maman, I’m here,” Marinette said, quickly dressing in case her mother decided to enter her room. Adrien sunk into Marinette’s bed in case he had to hide under her covers.

“Are you alright dear?” Sabine asked, still behind the door.

“Yeah, I’m just…” Marinette formulated a response as quickly as she could. She thought about Adrien’s rabid fans from before, and then having to hide from them by turning into Ladybug just to get into her own house. “Hiding from the outside world…”

“I understand, sweetie,” her mom answered. “If you’re feeling up to it, we have some snacks for you.”

“Th-thank you. I’ll be down in a bit,” Marinette said, and she turned to Adrien and gave him a disappointed look. 

“Well, I should probably go downstairs so they don’t worry,” she whispered as they waited until her mother had left. 

“Yeah, I should probably go home too,” Adrien said, coming to her and taking her hand into his. He kissed the top of it. “I have to deal with my father and this messy publicity.”

They pulled each other into a sweet, longing embrace, and Adrien kissed her softly on her lips, not wanting to let go. He knew what leaving her would entail. Tomorrow they would break up in front of everyone and let the public know that they hadn’t worked out. The idea was killing him, but he knew as long as they were Ladybug and Chat Noir they had to think of keeping their loved ones safe. 

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow before school,” Marinette said. “I’ll call you, and then, where you know your dad will hear us, I think you should … do it then.”

Adrien grimaced, but he gave her a slight nod. For a tense, melancholy moment they stood in silence, holding each other’s hands. 

Finally, Adrien pulled her close to him and drew her into another mind-blowing kiss that made Marinette almost forget her name. When he broke the kiss, it felt like a winter wind screamed between them. 

“Plagg, let’s go home…” Adrien said sadly, watching Marinette as he transformed. She saw sadness remain in his kitty green eyes. 

Marinette could feel unshed tears forming in her eyes as she watched him jump off her balcony and disappear into the shadows of Paris.

.