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knifedancer · 6 months

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The Kissing Booth

Marinette's class opts to run a kissing booth for their school fair fundraiser. Unfortunately Chloe drops out at the last minute and Marinette is selected to replace her. She's really uncomfortable with being a 'kisser' at the booth but then something unexpected happens...

Also posted on AO3.

“I don’t know about this, Alya!” Marinette anxiously tugged on the fabric that would be her blindfold for the next hour. It was canary yellow with little bees and flowers embroidered on it. She had handmade one for each participant.

“Come on, girl! You agreed to the kissing booth idea when we were planning what our school fair project would be,” Alya replied.

“But I didn’t plan to participate! This is so humiliating,” the bluenette bit her lip as she mentally panicked. “Why did Chloe have to back out at the last possible minute?”

The other girl shook her head, “Doesn’t matter. Don’t you see? This is your chance! You’ve been in love with Adrien since collège and we’re in lycée now. You’re no longer that short, awkward classmate that tripped over herself in Sunshine’s presence. He’ll kiss you and it’ll be magical. You’ll get married and have three kids and a hamster named—”

“Marinette, it’s your turn at the booth!” Rose’s excited voice called out from the other side of the curtain. The girl in question felt the pit of her stomach drop at the pronouncement, being overtaken by nerves.

“Look, I pulled some strings so you won’t be scheduled for the same hour as Adrien. That way he can come and support you instead of being tied up at the other side of the booth from you. Now get out there!” Alya shoved her from the small prep area they had curtained off and towards the back entry.

Marinette knew the booth set up by heart as she had helped design and build it. It was a long chute with two aisles that led to a set of booths where a male and female student would stand. Both booths were separated by a barrier and an exit curtain would lead the attendees away. Six students in total had signed up to be participants, equally split between sexes, and all had to be eighteen to avoid extra approval paperwork with the school. A few student staff members would stand at the entryway, before the two aisles diverged, to collect the required entry fee. Next to the entry was a bulletin board where the current participants’ photos would be posted. Participants would sit or stand at the booth while blindfolded, kissing whoever approached. They had set the whole thing up to keep things as anonymous as possible so that other students wouldn’t feel pressured to go one way or another, avoiding embarrassment, and keep from any awkwardness happening after in school.

It had been a good plan but Chloe, who had initially volunteered, had decided to flake out at the last possible moment. It left them in a lurch as they needed another female student to take her place and there were very few girls in the class that were eighteen that were willing to fill in: Juleka and Marinette. The Adrienette club, consisting of their various friends from Bustier’s old class, had tapped the designer to do it. She was very uncomfortable with the idea and expressed her desire not to participate – she hadn’t even had her first real kiss yet! No, she didn’t count the ones as Ladybug! – but they were adamant. They had brushed off her concerns without a second thought. It didn’t help when they heaped on the guilt about not being able to reach their fundraising goal for their class trip without their sixth person. Railroaded into accepting, the bluenette had been barely holding back a panic attack ever since.

The Ladyblogger gestured for her to take a seat on the stool and helped her put on the blindfold. “Alright, there you are! Now…I know you’re nervous but don’t worry about it! You’re going to be fine! But, if it helps, I’m your first customer,” with that, Alya gave her a friendly peck on the cheek that caused them both to laugh. “Don’t worry, you got this.” With that, she turned Marinette towards the front of the booth and exited the area, leaving the girl alone.

The young designer sat and wondered who might come to her side of the booth. With her luck, Adrien wouldn’t come at all. Not that she was necessarily hoping for that outcome. She had been waiting for three years for him to notice her, three years to figure out a way to tell him how she felt, three years of helping him with dates or gifts for other girls… Was someone worth waiting for that never noticed you or thought of you as anything more than a friend? She wanted to matter to someone! Marinette had resolved herself to let the silly crush go. She had grown into herself since making that decision, becoming more confident and outgoing, losing her stutter, as well as finally gaining a little height (170cm). She was finally taller than her maman! Plus the physical exertion she experienced as Ladybug left her with athletic, lean muscles stretched over a pear-shaped frame. She wasn’t as curvy as Alya or Mylene, but she was happy with her more feminine curves. Even with all those changes, Adrien had still not noticed her, so she felt more assured than ever that she made the right choice.

An hour of time can pass in a blink of an eye or feel like a lifetime. For Marinette, it was the latter. After a little while, she found herself still sitting alone. She had propped her elbows up onto the small counter of the booth and rested her head on her hand. The walls themselves were not very thick so she knew Kim, who was sharing other side of the booth for the hour, had received several customers. Satisfied ones at that, if the moans and giggling were any indication.

‘Jeez, Kim… I’d tell you to get a room but you actually have one already…,’ she thought to herself as she blushed from a particularly raunchy noise. ‘Guess I didn’t have anything to worry about, no one really wants to kiss me.’ Tears pricked at her eyes behind the blindfold at that thought. Not that she wanted to be kissed by any random person, especially for her first kiss, but it still wounded her feelings a little. Almost every girl worries that she could be unattractive, Marinette was no exception.

And so, time passed awkwardly accentuated by muffled noises from next door. When it got closer to the end of the hour, Marinette could hear a commotion towards the entryway but could not make out what was being said. She could vaguely hear Alya questioning someone, but the response was lost on the bluenette. She wished she was up there instead, handling angry customers had become second nature to her from all her years working at her parents’ bakery. Anything was better than just sitting here!

Within a few minutes the commotion outside had stopped and she could hear footsteps approaching. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, your hour has finished. It is time for Miss Kubdel’s shift. I have come to retrieve you,” came the familiar voice of Felix. Adrien’s cousin was still the haughty boy he always had been but had mellowed out enough to participate in class fundraisers. Like Marinette, he had also gone through changes over the last three years. While Adrien had the height and strong shoulders, he had taken more after his mother – a lithe form with lean muscles. It turned out for the best, allowing the model to take on more androgynous looks that appealed to Gabriel’s larger audience. Felix had grown to over 180cm, developed broad shoulders and a bulkier muscular structure, and began styling his hair in a shorter version of the Harvard Cut. He still wore the same formal clothes but now had the stature to match his superior attitude. He certainly cut an intimidating figure.

Marinette untied her blindfold, sliding from the booth to join him by the exit curtain. She rubbed her eyes with a stretch, feeling stiff from sitting for so long. “Thanks, Felix. That was a long hour! How did we do on fundraising so far?”

“It appears we made our goal,” he replied blandly.

“Wow, really? Mon Dieu, I guess Kim was really popular!” Felix seemed to stiffen at her statement but did not say anything. “At least whatever we raise from the third shift can be used in our rainy-day fund.”

Felix, ever the gentleman, lifted the curtain aside for her and she nodded her thanks. They politely parted ways – he back to the front to monitor security and money handling practices; Marinette back towards their classroom to grab her wallet so she could enjoy the rest of the fair. Walking among the booths, she selected a one serving a delicious pasta before moving on to the crafts areas. Everyone was so creative and excited!

Her perusal of some bracelets was cut short when someone tugged hard on her elbow. Catching herself from falling over, she looked over to find a very frustrated red head. “Hey Alya, what’s up?”

“Girl, what is going on between you and Felix? Because he made a huge scene earlier at the booth!”

“What scene? There’s nothing going on between us, you know that…,” came Marinette’s puzzled reply.

Alya led her away from the busy booth areas and towards a quieter corner, pulling out her phone and presenting it to her friend. “Here. Watch the video I took during your shift.”

~~~ The Video ~~~

The camera shook as it came into focus on the entryway to the kissing booth. A small crowd of students had gathered near the bulletin to see who was participating and the schedule of kissers for the day. Ivan and Juleka were standing next to the collection box that they would add to as students approached. Suddenly a male student walked back through the entry and angrily huffed as he left, followed by another and another. Some asked for their money back but were otherwise either disappointed or angry looking as they left.

“What the heck is going on…,” came Alya’s disembodied voice as the video began progressing into the entryway. First down Kim’s area, where one could clearly see the jock lip-locked with a guy in a ponytail and red football jersey. Then the camera traveled back up the chute and into the other side.

There, Alya encountered a small crowd of agitated students that were stopped. Pushing through, Felix’s towering form was seen at the front. He had planted himself in the middle of the chute, arms crossed, glaring down anyone that dared to pass him. When one brave boy tried to step around him, Felix appeared to snarl something, too low to be heard by the camera, before the unknown boy paled and backed off. “Any other takers?” Felix asked the crowd calmly, staring them all down. “No? Then please leave.”

“Hey! You can’t stop paying customers… I want a kiss from the hottie in the photo!”

“Yeah, I want a kiss too!”

“I wouldn’t mind more than a kiss, if you know what I mean!”

“Ooooh!”

“Not before I get my turn with her!”

“It’s not like she belongs to you, man!”

Many in the crowd echoed similar sentiments, not noticing the darkening countenance of the tall young man in front of them. Felix uncrossed his arms and advanced, looming over the first student that insinuated getting more than a kiss from Marinette. The crowd’s mutterings had fallen silent, those in the front trembled or shivered from the look on Felix’s face. He seemed to exude a deadly aura, even the light in the room seemed to dim in his proximity.

“Excuse me? Who do you think you are, you sexist guttersnipe? It appears your parents raised you to think of women as merely playthings to be owned or used,” he slowly looked around, making sure to glare into the eyes of all those present. “You all disgust me. The person down this chute is a respectable, hard-working, intelligent young lady that does not deserve your slimy paws or ghastly thoughts directed toward herself. I will not let you proceed. Regardless of gender, none of you are worthy of her time. Leave immediately or…,” his voice seemed to growl with malice, “I’ll make you leave.”

The crowd dispersed back to the front with nothing more than upset mutterings. The recording drew closer to Felix, who had turned to look with mild interest. “What do you think you are doing? We’re trying to run a kissing booth here!”

“I know, Césaire, and I have a booth to protect,” he replied nonchalantly.

“By what, scaring off all our customers?!” Alya questioned angrily.

“Alya, I’m sure there’s a good reason Felix did that,” came Adrien’s soothing voice. He must have either joined in the investigation or split off from the crowd that had been excused.

“Quite right, cousin. Miss Dupain-Cheng was incredibly uncomfortable about the prospect of performing at the booth as a participant today. No one should be forced to do something that they do not want,” Felix remarked as if schooling a student that had asked a dumb question.

“Excuse you? Marinette didn’t have an issue! She would have told me!” came the blogger’s offended cry.

“Yeah, Felix. Besides, it’s not hurting anyone!” Adrien contributed.

The emerald eyes of the boy in front of them flashed and narrowed on them. “Did you even bother to ask Marinette how she felt? Or, knowing you two, bother to listen?” Felix crossed his arms and stood straight again, taking advantage of the additional 5cm he had over Adrien to now loom over the two friends. “Let me take your silence as a no. You didn’t ask, you didn’t listen. You pressured her until she agreed and then forced her to partake in an activity that she did not want to do in the first place.”

“But she…we didn’t think…,” began the other blond, cowering from his cousin. From his stance one could almost imagine a cat with its tail tucked between its legs while in the presence of a larger predator.

“That’s right, you didn’t think, cousin. You’re both no better than the ignoramuses I have been chasing off. You assigned me security for the day and that’s what I’m doing. Her welfare matters more than your ridiculous kissing booth,” he responded coldly.

“And how are we supposed to make up the money that we just lost to refunds? That had to be at least two dozen you chased off!” Alya questioned, clinging to her anger.

Felix clicked his tongue, looking less deadly than before but no less commanding. “Forty-two in total were sent away. If you’re concerned about the money, then I will pay triple for all the kisses Miss Dupain-Cheng was to give today.”

The camera had picked up Alya and Adrien’s choke at the statement but, before they could reply, Felix pointedly looked at his wristwatch. “Seems the hour is up. I will escort Miss Dupain-Cheng out to make sure she is not bothered by any lingering riffraff. I will join you at the front of the booth to settle the payment after.” With that he turned and walked down the chute towards the booth area.

“What the hell was that abou—,” Alya’s voice was cut off with the end of the recording.

~~~ Back to Present ~~

Marinette stood stunned as her friend took back her phone. She had never seen Felix be so protective before! Especially of her! She pressed a hand to her heart as it raced in her chest, hearing the blood pumping loudly in her ears.

“So? Did he say anything to you?” Alya demanded.

“No…he didn’t say anything about that…,” the girl replied slowly. “All he said was that we reached our goal…”

“Damn right we did, because he paid triple the rate for every person he turned away,” her friend exclaimed. Then her face changed to one of concern, “Was what he said true? Were you not comfortable participating as a kisser?”

Marinette winced and looked down, mumbling, “Yeah… I didn’t want to participate but none of you seemed to listen… I’ve been on the verge of a panic attack since yesterday and it was a relief when no one came to kiss me during my shift.”

Alya threw her arms around her and hugged tight, her tone contrite, “I’m so, so sorry! I should have listened to you. Can you forgive me?”

The designer returned the hug with a small smile, “Done. Just don’t push me into these things again, okay?”

They pulled apart with a giggle of agreement, the bespectacled girl grabbed her shoulders and looked curious. “So…Felix really didn’t say anything to you? Did you tell him how uncomfortable you were?”

“No, nothing…,” Marinette replied confusedly, replaying his words from the video in her mind. Her heart began to race again; she needed to talk to him! She glanced down at her phone to check the time, noting that he should be helping with the tear down right now. “Alya, I gotta go. Call me later, yeah?”

With that, she took off running. She summoned every Ladybug reflex she had and dashed through the throngs of people that still drifted between the food and craft stalls. She finally made it back to the booth location and looked around, not seeing the tall blond anywhere. Marinette approached Ivan, “Have you seen Felix?”

“Uh…yeah, I think he was taking the collection box back to the classroom,” he replied. “Good work today, by the way! I heard you were the big money maker!”

Marinette blushed and took off again, heading towards the main building. She slid to a stop at the classroom door and threw it open with a loud bang. Felix looked up from his task with a glare before realizing it was her. “Would you please close the door? I should have locked it while I was counting but didn’t think anyone else would come in here.”

She gingerly closed and locked the door, unsure how to proceed with this conversation. “Felix… Alya told me what happened at the booth earlier.”

The blond stiffened and sat back in his chair; he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “I see. I’m sorry if I overstepped—”

“No, no, you did the right thing! It’s just...,” Marinette pulled at her fingers as sought out what to say. “How did you know I was uncomfortable? I mean…the rest didn’t seem to notice and…”

As she rambled incoherently, Felix had gotten up and approached the table in front of her. He sat on the edge of the desk and sighed, “I notice everything about you, Marinette.”

Marinette met his eyes with a jolt, staring into them as if trying to figure out her lucky charm. “Why?” was all she could manage, her voice taking on a fragile tone.

“In these three or so years that we’ve attended school together, I’ve grown to respect and admire you.” The blond’s voice dropped to a quiet, humble murmur, “Because you matter to me more than you could ever know.”

Not breaking eye contact, she stepped forward into his personal space. She reached out her right hand and hesitated, watching to make sure he was comfortable with it, before settling it on his left pectoral. She could feel his heartbeat beneath her fingers, pounding the same tempo as her own. His eyes were wide with surprise and she could hear his fingers gripping the edge of the desk so tightly that it creaked in protest.

“…Part of the reason I was so uncomfortable today was because I’ve never been kissed before,” she stated hesitantly. She noted the way the muscles in his chest seemed to tense beneath her hand at the confession. “For a long time, I thought it was just because no one was interested in me...” She saw his brow furrow and lips open as if to refute her statement, but Felix stopped when she applied just a little pressure.

“I think I was actually just waiting for the right person,” her hopeful blue eyes met his stare. She was scared of being rejected but, as soon as she saw how he had reacted in the video, she knew she had to take the chance. Because he had somehow wheedled his way into her heart without her noticing. “Felix, I…”

The boy’s hands released the table and one reached up to gently cup her cheek, as if holding a precious jewel. The other came to rest over her hand on his chest. He gazed into her eyes; she watched as something seemed to melt in their depths. Her left hand came up to cover the one on her face, leaning into it with a small smile. Marinette had never felt so safe and treasured. She could feel his heartbeat pick up slightly. Felix looked down at her lips as he leaned in, stopping just as their noses touched. She knew he would not proceed without her consent. They made exhaled a shared shaky breath, as if under great strain, before she closed the distance for him.

His lips were warm and slightly chapped from being in the sun all day, but she had never felt anything so soft before. His lips moved against her own and she eagerly matched his rhythm. The hand on her cheek traveled down to her lower back and pulled her close, her body fitting perfectly between his thighs and against his broad frame. Her hand, now free, moved to the back of his neck and toyed with the soft short hairs there. They kept the kiss languid and gentle, neither wanting to push too far.

When they finally broke away, their faces had matching ruddy complexions. She gently bumped her nose against his, reveling in their new found intimacy. Felix chuckled and wrapped his arms loosely around her, keeping her against his chest but making sure she didn’t feel trapped. Marinette felt some of her old anxieties creeping in. “Was…was that okay?”

“More than okay, my dear. I admit, I am not versed in the art of kissing either. But, if you so desire, I would be willing to practice with you…,” Felix offered slyly, leaning in to nuzzle her neck. “Perhaps for the rest of our lives?”

Her breathing hitched at the implications of his words. Marinette imagined what a life shared with him would be like, the joy and warmth, the teasing and banter, protected and treasured… She felt an overwhelming sense of rightness at the prospect. She must have been lost in thought for too long because Felix leaned back with a look of concern.

“Marinette, I didn’t mean to make the assumption—” he was cut off by her finger to his lips. She smiled at his expectant but shocked face.

“Less talking, more practice, hot stuff.” Felix broke into a grin then happily pulled her into another kiss. The second of many in their future.

Afterall, he had paid for them…

~~~Author's Note:

"Best investment I ever made." - Felix, on his wedding day.

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