Characters/Pairings: Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: Luka should be sleeping. Itâs a big day tomorrow, after all. Except his sisterâs banging on his door after midnight with a special deliveryâŠ
Authorâs Notes/Warnings: I was watching a clip from Fjord & Jesterâs wedding, and it got me kicking something stupid around, and I was bored on hold entirely too long today. Oops? đ
âBig Day Tomorrowâ
Luka was not expecting the knock on his door atâŠnearly one oâclock in the morning.
He was supposed to be asleep, for one. Tomorrow was a big day, after all, and he had to be over at the boat early to help finish setting everything up. It was going to be an amazing day, but it was also going to be a long one, and he wasnât sure when heâd actually get another chance to sleep. He needed his rest. Anyone that would be knocking on his door would be in the same boat, actually, which brought him back to: who the hell was knocking at this time of night?
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Adrien and Marinette, very drunk, forgetting that they both already confessed to everything and just repeatedly confessing their identities and feelings to each other for, like, an hour
1. and 34. for the ask prompt!! With...Lukanette? Pretty please lovely fic queen? đ
I am so sorry it took so long... but, well, Here you go!Quest for a Kiss
Marinette may have been tiny, but she could definitely hold her liquor. While her friends were getting progressively drunker, she was only just the other side of tipsy. Theyâd taken the youngest of them out to the club to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. Having just graduated, Marinette was enjoying the lack of pressure, the lack of schoolwork, the sheer freedom of being able to do anything she wanted for the last few glorious weeks before University started.
And what she wanted was an adventure. Marinette smiled to herself. Sheâd been hung up on the same guy for too many years. At the beginning of their final year, sheâd decided she was done pining. Adrien was a friend, heâd never see her as anything more, and she had to accept that. She was finally free of any romantic thoughts of him and had set a personal goal of getting her first kiss before she started a new school.
However, school was starting up in three weeks, and she still hadnât managed to be kissed. However, they were in a club, sheâd had a drink or two, and there was a really hot guy over in the corner watching her, so her prospects were looking up. She excused herself from her friends and, liquid courage coursing through her veins, walked over to where the man was standing, leaning against the wall, a half-drunk beer in his hand, watching her approach.
His ocean blue eyes were the same color as the tips of his hair and the smile that played at the corners of his lips had her own lips twitching in response. She leaned against the wall next to him, unconsciously mimicking his position. His smile fully emerged as he looked down at her, and hers followed suit. He turned to face her, leaning down a little so he could speak in her ear, the only way that she was guaranteed to hear him over the din of the club. âWould you like to dance?â
She nodded, and he wrapped his hand around hers, guiding her out to a quieter part of the dance floor. Her hands slid up his arms to wrap comfortably around his neck, while his hands slid down to gently grip her hips. Marinette closed her eyes, trying to get a feel for the music before she started swaying to the beat.
Luka watched her, the gorgeous woman swaying in his arms, and his lips involuntarily curled up. He wasnât sure why sheâd chosen him when half the men in the club had been watching her, but he wasnât about to complain. She opened eyes as blue as the summer sky, and his heart just about stopped. âBy the way, Iâm Marinette!â she chirped, mouth close enough to his ear that her breath sent shivers down his spine.
Reflexively, his hands tightened on her hips as he felt her smile. With his lips close to her ear, he murmured, âLukaâ satisfied when he felt her shudder. He closed his eyes, and let the music wash over them, holding tight to the woman in his arms.
Marinette rested her head against Lukaâs chest, her eyes closed, wondering how she could feel so completely safe with a man she just met. Luka radiated calm, but she could feel the energy coiled inside of him, powerful and patient. She gave a little hum as she tightened her arms about his neck, one hand slipping into the soft strands of blue that brushed against his collar.
As the song changed, Marinette pulls back a little to study Lukaâs face. Sheâs met with calm blue eyes that shift their attention to something over her shoulder as he recoiled in disgust. âShit.â
The word was said on a breath, but Marinette hears it, her gaze becoming concerned. âWhatâs wrong?â
He stifled a groan. âMy ex. She was way too possessive. I donât want her coming after you.â
Marinetteâs smile turned wicked. âOh, donât worry, I can handle myself.â One of her hands slid further into his hair, the other came up to cup his cheek. âIs this OK?â
Nodding, Luka dipped his head down towards hers, and Marinette responded by pushing up on her toes and then his lips were touching hers and nothing else mattered. It was like sheâd been struck by lightning. Every nerve ending was alive and dancing. Her eyes, before they fluttered closed, drank in the sight of him, her fingers the feel of him. Dragging air in through her nose overwhelmed her with the scent of him, spicy and cool with a hint of the ocean; but it was when her lips parted, and his tongue darted in that the taste of him exploded through her, and she moaned in a way she knew she should be embarrassed about but was too wrapped up in Luka to care.
When he eventually pulled back to draw in a ragged breath of air, his ex, Marie, was right beside them, tapping her foot impatiently waiting for him to notice her. She wore a pink sundress, and her pixie length hair was dyed the same color blue as his. Luka closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Marinetteâs for a few moments before turning to Marie.
Before he could say a word, she was screeching at him. âWhat are you doing with this child? You are supposed to be dating me!â
Taking a deep breath, Luka tried his best to keep his composure, although his thoughts were scattered and his heart was racing after that kiss with Marinette. âMarie. We broke up six months ago. We only dated for one. You are not my girlfriend.â
âI told you several times, I did not accept you breaking up with me.â
Luka sighed, but before he could respond, Marinette spoke up. âThatâs not how a relationship works. You stay together by mutual agreement, but if one party wants to end it, then itâs over. Iâm sorry.â
In the blink of an eye, Marieâs open palm was swinging towards Marinetteâs face. He didnât even see her move, but somehow, Marinetteâs hand was there, gripping Marie by the wrist, stopping her cold. Face carefully blank, she turned back to Luka, and asked, ânow where were we?â Then she pushed up on her toes in order to brush her lips against his, once again.
This kiss was much more chaste, just a gentle meeting of lips, but as Marinette allowed Marie to yank her hand free, and the bitter woman stormed away, her lips started roaming hungrily over Lukaâs. Deciding it would be a smarter idea to retire to one of the tables along the edge of the room, Luka reluctantly pulled away, drawing her over towards a table in the corner, and tugging Marinette down into his lap before leaning forward to kiss her once again.
Marinette was really starting to understand what the big deal was about kissing. This was amazing. All she could think about was Luka. His hands on her hips, holding on as if his life depended on it; her hands in his hair, the soft strands slipping between her fingers. And, Oh! His mouth. Both when it was on hers and when it was roaming up and down her neck, setting off fireworks under her skin, anywhere his lips touched.
She took her turn kissing his neck and along his jawline, smiling to herself as he tipped his head back, his moan vibrating against her lips. Her mouth had just made its way back to his when a voice behind her wormed its way into her consciousness.
âMarinette! Why didnât you tell us you had a boyfriend?â
Alya. Of course. âI donât have a boyfriend.â
Alya looked disbelievingly between Marinette and Luka. âUh-huh. And you expect me to believe that?â
âItâs true!â Marinette blushed. âI didnât want to start University, never having kissed anyone, and Luka was willing to help me out with that.â
Luka choked a little at that statement, his eyes widening as he looked at Marinette. She grinned back at him, the combination of alcohol and kissing making her bolder than she would normally be. âI really enjoyed it, and would love to continue if youâre ok with that.â
Whining, Luka dropped his head to her shoulder, his ears turning red.
Sighing, Alya shook her head. âI canât believe you have a secret boyfriend!â
Marinette looked around at the group that was now encircling her and Luka.
âGuys. I swear weâre not dating. We just metâŠâ Marinette looked at her watch. âHalf an hour ago.â
âGirl, we all know youâd never start making out with some random guy you met in a club. So, how long have you guys been together?â
By this point, Luka was shaking with laughter. Marinette tried to look intimidatingly at Alya, but as she was currently sitting snuggled up to a near stranger looking up as Alya hovered over her, it wasnât really working.
âWe arenât dating.â
Luka raised his head and looked at Marinette. âAre you going to tell them, or should I?â Marinette gave him a questioning look, and he sighed heavily. âYouâre right. Youâve caught us. Sheâs embarrassed by me and didnât want to tell anyone weâre together.â
An open palm to the back of his head had Luka jerking forward in surprise. âIdiot. You came to spy on me, didnât you?â
Luka turned to his sister, rubbing the back of his head. âI prefer to think of it as making sure youâre safe. Besides, Iâm not even paying attention to you.â
That was the wrong thing to say because Juleka just glared at him. âYouâre corrupting one of my friends.â
Marinette grinned up at Juleka. âBut Iâm enjoying being corrupted. If I promise to tell you all the sordid details tomorrow, will you go away and let go back to kissing Luka?â
Luka turned pink, but Marinette didnât notice, looking around at her friends. âShoo! All of you!â
Her friends laughed and left the pair of them alone, although Juleka muttered âgrossâ as she walked past.
Marinette turned back to Luka. âJulekaâs brother?â He nodded. âSo, Luka Couffaine?â He nodded again. âStill want to kiss me?â He nodded a third time before closing the distance between them.
He paused, close enough that his lips brushed hers as he spoke. âWould you like to go out sometime, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?â
It was her turn to nod, and then he was kissing her again.
It wasnât until she was back home in bed, hours later, that she realized heâd known her full name without her ever telling him.
Characters/Pairings: Jagged Stone, Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Summary: Luka comes home from a run to find his father has commandeered the apartment, effectively ruining the nightâs plans with his wife.
Authorâs Notes/Warnings: Written for the 11/24-12/1/21 @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Challenge, using the prompt: âToo Much Family/Need a break/Hiding in the closet with the wineâ. See. What I SHOULD be doing here is finishing up one of the other oneshots (like the Sexiest Man Alive one), but I wanted a quick palate cleanser before I jump into editing Checkbox, and sprint fics are just so great for that, right? đ
Just a reminder: LBSC Sprint Challenge Guidelines: Three 15-minute sprints to write the fic. 24 hours to edit/post. (Come say hi! Join us in the challenge! Itâs a great group full of cheerleading and spitballing and zaniness!)
âRuinedâ
Luka stood frozen in the hallway outside his flat, his hand hovering with the key just outside the lock. He had just finished up his nightly run, and he had been looking forward to coming home to a nice, hot shower and a nice, hot dinner with his nice, hot wife. Just a peaceful meal in before they headed down to what was possibly the last record shop in Paris for the twentieth anniversary party of Jagged Stoneâs Familyâs Like a Stone album.
It was one of his best sellers, and one of Lukaâs favorites. Luka could still remember waiting outside that same record shop with his ma the night of the release, eager to get his young hands on the next big album from rockâs current biggest name. Even if hindsight had slightly tainted the album itself (it was a little hard to swallow a Fuck Family album once you knew you were part of the family getting flipped off), it was still an amazing collection of music that had been crucial to his formative years as an artist, and when the record shop he used to loiter at as a kid had announced the twentieth anniversary event heâd immediately cleared his schedule.
And he hadnât been expecting to see Jagged there, either. He hadnât wanted to â theyâd never actually discussed the album, even after years of working together. It had always seemed safer that way. He hadnât been expecting to see Jagged at all today, actually. They were in between tours, and there was some technical hold-up on the new record, so technically Luka was in the middle of a few days off. Even if it was his anniversary party, Jagged probably didnât know about the little hole-in-the-wall record shop Anarka used to work weekends at. He had his own anniversary shindig at Rolling Stone Records (because he had bought out the albumâs rights years ago, refusing to leave any of his catalogue in the hands of Bob Roth).
It was supposed to be a fun, peaceful night of Jagged Stoneâs music withoutâŠyâknowâŠhaving to put up with Jagged Stone himself.
So why could Luka hear his somewhat-estranged father screaming through his apartment door?
Marinette may have been tiny, but she could definitely hold her liquor. While her friends were getting progressively drunker, she was only just the other side of tipsy. Theyâd taken the youngest of them out to the club to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. Having just graduated, Marinette was enjoying the lack of pressure, the lack of schoolwork, the sheer freedom of being able to do anything she wanted for the last few glorious weeks before University started.
And what she wanted was an adventure. Marinette smiled to herself. Sheâd been hung up on the same guy for too many years. At the beginning of their final year, sheâd decided she was done pining. Adrien was a friend, heâd never see her as anything more, and she had to accept that. She was finally free of any romantic thoughts of him and had set a personal goal of getting her first kiss before she started a new school.
However, school was starting up in three weeks, and she still hadnât managed to be kissed. However, they were in a club, sheâd had a drink or two, and there was a really hot guy over in the corner watching her, so her prospects were looking up. She excused herself from her friends and, liquid courage coursing through her veins, walked over to where the man was standing, leaning against the wall, a half-drunk beer in his hand, watching her approach.
His ocean blue eyes were the same color as the tips of his hair and the smile that played at the corners of his lips had her own lips twitching in response. She leaned against the wall next to him, unconsciously mimicking his position. His smile fully emerged as he looked down at her, and hers followed suit. He turned to face her, leaning down a little so he could speak in her ear, the only way that she was guaranteed to hear him over the din of the club. âWould you like to dance?â
She nodded, and he wrapped his hand around hers, guiding her out to a quieter part of the dance floor. Her hands slid up his arms to wrap comfortably around his neck, while his hands slid down to gently grip her hips. Marinette closed her eyes, trying to get a feel for the music before she started swaying to the beat.
Luka watched her, the gorgeous woman swaying in his arms, and his lips involuntarily curled up. He wasnât sure why sheâd chosen him when half the men in the club had been watching her, but he wasnât about to complain. She opened eyes as blue as the summer sky, and his heart just about stopped. âBy the way, Iâm Marinette!â she chirped, mouth close enough to his ear that her breath sent shivers down his spine.
Reflexively, his hands tightened on her hips as he felt her smile. With his lips close to her ear, he murmured, âLukaâ satisfied when he felt her shudder. He closed his eyes, and let the music wash over them, holding tight to the woman in his arms.
Marinette rested her head against Lukaâs chest, her eyes closed, wondering how she could feel so completely safe with a man she just met. Luka radiated calm, but she could feel the energy coiled inside of him, powerful and patient. She gave a little hum as she tightened her arms about his neck, one hand slipping into the soft strands of blue that brushed against his collar.
As the song changed, Marinette pulls back a little to study Lukaâs face. Sheâs met with calm blue eyes that shift their attention to something over her shoulder as he recoiled in disgust. âShit.â
The word was said on a breath, but Marinette hears it, her gaze becoming concerned. âWhatâs wrong?â
He stifled a groan. âMy ex. She was way too possessive. I donât want her coming after you.â
Marinetteâs smile turned wicked. âOh, donât worry, I can handle myself.â One of her hands slid further into his hair, the other came up to cup his cheek. âIs this OK?â
Nodding, Luka dipped his head down towards hers, and Marinette responded by pushing up on her toes and then his lips were touching hers and nothing else mattered. It was like sheâd been struck by lightning. Every nerve ending was alive and dancing. Her eyes, before they fluttered closed, drank in the sight of him, her fingers the feel of him. Dragging air in through her nose overwhelmed her with the scent of him, spicy and cool with a hint of the ocean; but it was when her lips parted, and his tongue darted in that the taste of him exploded through her, and she moaned in a way she knew she should be embarrassed about but was too wrapped up in Luka to care.
When he eventually pulled back to draw in a ragged breath of air, his ex, Marie, was right beside them, tapping her foot impatiently waiting for him to notice her. She wore a pink sundress, and her pixie length hair was dyed the same color blue as his. Luka closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Marinetteâs for a few moments before turning to Marie.
Before he could say a word, she was screeching at him. âWhat are you doing with this child? You are supposed to be dating me!â
Taking a deep breath, Luka tried his best to keep his composure, although his thoughts were scattered and his heart was racing after that kiss with Marinette. âMarie. We broke up six months ago. We only dated for one. You are not my girlfriend.â
âI told you several times, I did not accept you breaking up with me.â
Luka sighed, but before he could respond, Marinette spoke up. âThatâs not how a relationship works. You stay together by mutual agreement, but if one party wants to end it, then itâs over. Iâm sorry.â
In the blink of an eye, Marieâs open palm was swinging towards Marinetteâs face. He didnât even see her move, but somehow, Marinetteâs hand was there, gripping Marie by the wrist, stopping her cold. Face carefully blank, she turned back to Luka, and asked, ânow where were we?â Then she pushed up on her toes in order to brush her lips against his, once again.
This kiss was much more chaste, just a gentle meeting of lips, but as Marinette allowed Marie to yank her hand free, and the bitter woman stormed away, her lips started roaming hungrily over Lukaâs. Deciding it would be a smarter idea to retire to one of the tables along the edge of the room, Luka reluctantly pulled away, drawing her over towards a table in the corner, and tugging Marinette down into his lap before leaning forward to kiss her once again.
Marinette was really starting to understand what the big deal was about kissing. This was amazing. All she could think about was Luka. His hands on her hips, holding on as if his life depended on it; her hands in his hair, the soft strands slipping between her fingers. And, Oh! His mouth. Both when it was on hers and when it was roaming up and down her neck, setting off fireworks under her skin, anywhere his lips touched.
She took her turn kissing his neck and along his jawline, smiling to herself as he tipped his head back, his moan vibrating against her lips. Her mouth had just made its way back to his when a voice behind her wormed its way into her consciousness.
âMarinette! Why didnât you tell us you had a boyfriend?â
Alya. Of course. âI donât have a boyfriend.â
Alya looked disbelievingly between Marinette and Luka. âUh-huh. And you expect me to believe that?â
âItâs true!â Marinette blushed. âI didnât want to start University, never having kissed anyone, and Luka was willing to help me out with that.â
Luka choked a little at that statement, his eyes widening as he looked at Marinette. She grinned back at him, the combination of alcohol and kissing making her bolder than she would normally be. âI really enjoyed it, and would love to continue if youâre ok with that.â
Whining, Luka dropped his head to her shoulder, his ears turning red.
Sighing, Alya shook her head. âI canât believe you have a secret boyfriend!â
Marinette looked around at the group that was now encircling her and Luka.
âGuys. I swear weâre not dating. We just metâŠâ Marinette looked at her watch. âHalf an hour ago.â
âGirl, we all know youâd never start making out with some random guy you met in a club. So, how long have you guys been together?â
By this point, Luka was shaking with laughter. Marinette tried to look intimidatingly at Alya, but as she was currently sitting snuggled up to a near stranger looking up as Alya hovered over her, it wasnât really working.
âWe arenât dating.â
Luka raised his head and looked at Marinette. âAre you going to tell them, or should I?â Marinette gave him a questioning look, and he sighed heavily. âYouâre right. Youâve caught us. Sheâs embarrassed by me and didnât want to tell anyone weâre together.â
An open palm to the back of his head had Luka jerking forward in surprise. âIdiot. You came to spy on me, didnât you?â
Luka turned to his sister, rubbing the back of his head. âI prefer to think of it as making sure youâre safe. Besides, Iâm not even paying attention to you.â
That was the wrong thing to say because Juleka just glared at him. âYouâre corrupting one of my friends.â
Marinette grinned up at Juleka. âBut Iâm enjoying being corrupted. If I promise to tell you all the sordid details tomorrow, will you go away and let go back to kissing Luka?â
Luka turned pink, but Marinette didnât notice, looking around at her friends. âShoo! All of you!â
Her friends laughed and left the pair of them alone, although Juleka muttered âgrossâ as she walked past.
Marinette turned back to Luka. âJulekaâs brother?â He nodded. âSo, Luka Couffaine?â He nodded again. âStill want to kiss me?â He nodded a third time before closing the distance between them.
He paused, close enough that his lips brushed hers as he spoke. âWould you like to go out sometime, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?â
It was her turn to nod, and then he was kissing her again.
It wasnât until she was back home in bed, hours later, that she realized heâd known her full name without her ever telling him.
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To start with, thereâd been the whole Marinette problem. Every single time she so much as breathed behind him his chest had gotten tight, the tips of his ears burning, as he was forcibly reminded of what heâd seen, as well as the content of some of his filthier dreams; it was a wonder heâd been able to concentrate at all, to write notes beyond Naked Mari Naked Mari Naked Mari.
And thenâand then heâd lost his shirt during the Akuma fight. Embarrassing enough on its own, but normally he couldâve expected Ladybugâs professionalism to keep the rest of the team in line. Instead, the attitude heâd respected since day one and come to expect as a given had utterly evaporated: Ladybug had been basically drooling over his abs. Sheâd been staring at him the way Plagg looked at Camembert right before he swallowed it whole, like she wanted to justâwell. And then... heâd basically had to get naked again for Ladybug to cast the cureâonly for her to get so distracted staring at him that sheâd dropped the pajamas about four stories, and Queen Bee had had to swing down and grab them because nobody else had been in any condition to concentrate (especially with Carapace absolutely boggled over his sneak peek of his girlfriendâs outfit for the evening).
Too little sleep and the constant bouncing of his thoughts between the two women was frying his poor kitty brain. Honestly, he was lucky heâd made it to patrol at all, much less without tripping over his own two feetâor over something else that was making it rather hard for him to run.
Though his partner for the evening certainly seemed to think otherwise.
"Ugh!â Queen Bee yelled from a rooftop across the street, throwing up her hands. âYou are utterly useless tonight, you know that?â
Chat shook his head, trying to dispel thoughts of Marinetteâs fingers on his skin or Ladybugâs lips on his face. âS-Sorry!â he yelped. âIâll... hang on. Be there in a sec.â
Queen Bee groaned. âWhatâs the point?â she said. She bent her legs, bounding across the street to land next to him with a scatter of shingles. âYouâre just going to keep mooning over her all evening anyway, might as well stop here.â
Chat grumbled. He wanted to say he wasnât mooning, but... he was. He totally was.
Queen Bee clapped his shoulder. âCome on, Hairball,â she said. âWhy the long face? I figured youâd be happy you finally got with Ladybug.â
Chat narrowed his eyebrows and shot her a sidelong glance. âGot with?â
Queen Bee frowned. âWait,â she said. âYouâre not...?â
Chat snorted, shaking his head, and decided that standing was for chumps. He collapsed onto his butt.
âOh, come on!â Queen Bee said, joining him on the ground/roof much more gracefully, crossing her legs as she sat. âWe all saw the way she was looking at you today, you had to have done something.â
Chat shook his head and shrugged. âIf something happened, I donât know about it.â
âWell, damn,â Queen Bee said. She put a finger to her chin. âSo... sheâs still available...?â she said, more to herself than Chat.
âBee,â Chat growled.
Beeâs eyes widened and she clenched her fists against the tiles of the roof. âI said that out loud?â she said, a horrified blush filling her cheeks.
Queen Bee blinked, then raised an eyebrow. âYou know her?â
âYeah, sheâs a...â Chat bit his lip. âSheâs a friend.â
Beeâs mouth dropped open. âOh my god,â she said, shoving his shoulder. âYou have a crush!â
Chat crossed his arms above his head and ducked, trying to ward off further snacks to the upper body. âI do not!â he yelped, but it sounded weak even to him. He could feel his human ears burning as his face turned red, and he sighed, lowering his arms and looking at Queen Bee with what he hoped was a plaintive expression. âPlease,â he said. âDonât tell Ladybug.â
Queen Bee placed her hand over her mouth, fingers touching her lips, trying to hold in her laughter but not really doing that at all.
âIâm serious!â Chat yelped. His face fell. âSheâll think Iâm... sheâll... sheâll think Iâm  a cad.â
âOh, Chat,â Bee said, placing her hand on his shoulder. âYou can do better than Dupain-Cheng.â She waved her other hand in a sort of half-shrug. âBesides, you wouldnât stand a chance.â
Chat turned to her, questioning.
Bee sighed. âYou know my friend Adrien Agreste? The model?â
Chatâs lips twisted upward in a wry grin.
Bee nodded. âSheâs completely head-over-heels for him,â she said, and Chat felt his heart leap. Marinette... she liked him? Like... more than like?
He almost didnât notice when Queen Bee looked away and her eyes grew somber. âNobody else has ever been able to catch her eye,â she murmured, her voice dripping with disappointment.
Chat blinked. âWait a second,â he said. âYouâdo you have a crush?â
âWhat!?â Bee shrieked, throwing her hands up, palms toward him. âNo, IâIâm notâI donâtâIâm straight...â She trailed off, horrified.
Chat smirked. âAre you telling me,â he said, âthat you wouldnât kiss Ladybug if you had the chance?â
Bee grimaced. âThat doesnât count,â she muttered. âEveryone would.â
Chat opened his mouth to reply, but then his cat ears twitched at the familiar wizz-crack of Ladybugâs yo-yo. He turned, confusedâit wasnât her turn to patrol, what was she...
Ladybug tripped halfway up the roof, rolling forward and smacking straight into Chat's chest. They both stumbled, but he wrapped his arms around her, trying his best to hold her up.
"Thissss... itâs your fault, you stupid..." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "Stupid... pretty... face!" She giggled, then went limp, collapsing into Chat's arms.
"Ladybug?" Chat gasped. "Are you okay?"
"Mmmmmmfine," she drawled. Then she giggled. "Don't tell Tikki," she whispered. "She thinks I'm home."
"Oh my god," Queen Bee said, covering her mouth. "She's drunk."
Want to read more? Browse the âmarinakedâ tag on my page!
Marinette woke up to a dry mouth, a swollen tongue, and a pounding headache.
"Blurgh," she mumbled, rolling over in her bed. Everything hurt, and everything felt weirdly sticky. "Tikki, can youâ"
She didn't manage to finish her sentence. Instead, her throat seized shut on her words, her stomach attempting to leap straight into her mouth. "Urp!" She collapsed in on herself, squeezing her lips shut, and pressed her hand over her mouth to hold in her vomit.
She felt hexagon-patterned spandex press against her lips instead of fingerprinted skin, and her stomach flipped all over again. Oh, Tikkiâhad she fallen asleep as Ladybug? If her parents walked in on her...
She tore open her eyelids, blinked as the light speared through her eyes. "Gah!" she shrieked, covering her eyes with her arm. She rolled in bed, twisting herself in the sheets, turned towards the doorâwait. This wasn't her room. Too large, too white, too bright.
"Agh!" a familiar voice yelped from next to the bed.
Ladybug's muscles all contracted at once, launching out of bed with a squeal and dragging all the sheets along for the ride. She squeezed her whole body, braced to hit the floorâbut instead she felt herself slam into somebody's knee, tumbling bodily into the chair where the other girl had been sleeping and knocking them both onto the floor, and suddenly the Hero of Paris found herself pinned beneath the frozenâand steadily reddeningâParis Princess, tangled together in a confusing mess of sheets.
"Take your time," Ladybug mumbled, turning her face away from the window and pressing it against the carpeting. Ah... sweet soft floor. Felt great against her crushing headache.
"Did you seriously... sleep in the chair?" Ladybug mumbled. "Thought you had too much..." She raised her hand, spun it, trying to force the word through the cotton stuffing that seemed to be filling her skull. "...'Dignity' for that."
Memories of last night suddenly flashed in Ladybug's headâshe'd finally reached a decision to talk to Chat, to tell him everything, except then she'd pretty much gone into meltdown, and Tikki hadn't been able to talk her down. Somehow, in her panic, she'd come to the conclusion (which, she now realized with a squeeze of her sinuses, was definitely the panic talking) that since Drunkinette had been brave enough to tell Chat pretty much whatever she wanted, a little wine to sooth her nerves would be just right. And then somewhere along the line "a little" had turned into "a lot."
She was never trusting Alya's recommendation for "liquid courage" again.
"How bad was I?" Ladybug said, folding the pillow over onto her face. The walls probably wouldn't be able to judge her, since they didn't have brains, but she couldn't be too careful.
Ladybug stiffened. Oh, Tikki. Poor Chat. She could only imagine how uncomfortable he'd beenâhe'd stated, repeatedly, that he didn't think he could do what she did during Dark Cupid, not if she wasn't in her right mind. Getting exactly what he wanted in exactly the wrong way? It must've been hell.
Ladybug closed her eyes, breathed in through her nose. "I... Um, over the weekend, I..." She pressed her palm agaist her forehead, sinking into the velvet of the chair. "I found out Chat's civilian identity is the boy I have a crush on."