Heels Over Head

Chapter Ten - "Bragging Rights"

"Truth or dare, huh?" Adrien adjusts the hem of his shirt.

"It's actually more of a challenge. Let's say that if I pin you down, you have to do a dare and vice versa."

"Ah, so there's more motivation to win than just bragging rights. I see."

"Exactly!" Marinette stands up, "You up for it?"

He shrugs, "Sure. I don't see why not. Do we know what the dares are beforehand?"

"Mhm," She stretches out her shoulder, "If I win, you have to show me how bad the cut is on your cheek."

"That's some morbid curiosity there," Adrien laughs nervously, "Deal, I guess."

Silence.

"Oh, I have to come up with one for you," He strokes an invisible beard on his chin, "When I
win—"

"When?" Marinette laughs.

"Yes, when!" Adrien says pointedly, "When I win, you have to bake me cookies."

"These dares seem a little uneven," She squints at him.

"Hey," He raises his hands innocently, "We didn't establish any rules."

Marinette tightens her ponytail, "Fine. Let's do it. On the count of three: one, two, three."

  Before Marinette can even think, Adrien gets low, knocking her feet from under her and getting her onto her back. She tries to flip onto her hands and knees, but he grabs both of her wrists, pinning them to the ground and straddling her hips.

  Marinette breathes hard, "What the heck, man! Why haven't you been doing this the whole time?"

  "It's more than just bragging rights now," Adrien smirks, "And besides, it's more fun to take my time with you."

  This makes Marinette's cheeks feel warm. The cold and calculated side of her brain knows how to escape this pin: she's done it multiple times before. But the hot and reckless side of her brain says she'd like to keep the cute boy on top of her for a little longer.

  "I realize you can't physically tap out with your hands, but you can verbally," Adrien gives her a cheesy smile.

  "Oh, you're just so proud of yourself, aren't you?" Marinette rolls her eyes, "Fine. I tap."

  He lets go of her wrists and continues with his stupid smile, "I like chocolate chip cookies."

  Marinette breathes deep, trying to maintain her patience. She's never thought of herself as a sore loser, but boy, would she like to wipe that smug grin off his face.

  She pulls his head close to hers and whispers, "There are also no rules against me burning the cookies." And with that, she wraps her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck before flipping him over her head and getting him into the same straddled position she was just in.

  Adrien looks stunned, "Okay, but I still won, right?"

  Though internally, his brain just says, 'Shit, that was hot.'

~ ~ ~

  Paris has a very large population for the small amount of space the city takes up. But far be it from Gabriel to let that stop him from searching every database he has access to for a tall, blond, male with a large butterfly scar on his cheek. No luck so far, of course.

  He curses to himself about the missed opportunity of taking—at the very least—Ladybug's miraculous. Chat Noir's cataclysm was protecting his ring, but nothing would've stopped him from ripping Ladybugs earrings from her and reveling in her defeat. The only thing that prevented him was his own inability to stray from his plan.

  Gabriel pounds his fist on the top of his computer screen in frustration. He's about to call for Natalie when he remembers she's laying on the couch, still nursing her sickness from her last bout as Mayura.

She's been taking longer and longer to recover after each transformation, and Gabriel knows he doesn't have long until she won't be able to handle the position at all.

  He feels a twinge of guilt at this thought, but he pushes it away, reminding himself that Natalie wouldn't do this if she wasn't willing to.

  The faint sound of Adrien's piano playing comes from upstairs and Gabriel is reminded that it's been a few days since he's seen his son. That's not unusual, considering his busy schedule, but Gabriel gets the feeling Adrien might be avoiding him. For what reason? He's unsure. He doesn't bother musing on the idea, though: it's normal for teenage boys to distance themselves from their parents at times. He understands that Adrien is no longer the child that will blindly follow orders and whine for his fatherly attention like a puppy, and Gabriel can't say that he's had any desire to go out of his way to spend time with his son. There are more important things to do, unfortunately.

  Gabriel returns his attention to his computer screen and watches the CCTV footage from the city. Chat Noir has to be here somewhere.