start notes—
It's Marinette's birthday, and Chat Noir decides to stop by.
my tellonym: milkisande
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fireworks
look at the fireworks fly!
light up the night sky!
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"SORRY Marinette, I know how much you wanted him to go."
Alya looked sympathetic, offering a comforting pat on her friend's back in an attempt to make her feel better.
Unfortunately, it didn't do much.
Marinette sighed, giving a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "No, it's okay," she replied. "I'm sure he would've gone if he could."
"Yeah," Nino hummed in agreement. "It's because of his dad, I'm sure of it. Adrien wouldn't miss your birthday otherwise."
The rest of her friends nodded.
"Are you sure you still want to celebrate?"
The birthday girl jumped up. "Definitely!" She responded, noticing how she unwittingly brought down the whole atmosphere with her own emotions. "Even if Adrien isn't here, all of you are— and that's more than enough."
Marinette smiled, as she found herself wrapped up in a group hug.
As soon as they let go, Nino held up the sparklers in his hand, a bright grin on his face.
"Now then, let's get this party started!"
They all turned to each other, excited, before grabbing a sparkler as they ran around the park, laughing when the fireworks followed; making unique shapes and lines— blissfully unaware of a shadowed figure watching them, hidden by the trees.
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Their party ended late into the night, and Marinette was understandably exhausted— flopping head-first into the comfort of her bed. She readied herself to sleep:
Only for a sudden knock on her balcony door to effectively stop her from passing out.
Marinette already knew who it was before they introduced themselves.
Stifling a yawn, the girl pulled herself up, taking a jacket haphazardly thrown on the floor before getting out; face-to-face with her unknowing partner, Chat Noir.
Before she could glare at him; reprimand him for showing up to her house unannounced (especially given that she was only a civilian, and there was no imminent danger— so he shouldn't be there, in the first place), however, the hero revealed a neatly-wrapped box, tied up with a bow.
"Happy birthday, Marinette."
Chat Noir smiled, a soft look in his eyes, as he spoke.
Marinette only paused, looking at him in confusion, as the gift was thrust toward her direction. "Chat Noir…?" She asked, eyebrows knitting together. "How did you know it was my birthday? And…"
As if catching himself make some sort of mistake, the hero immediately backtracked. "I mean, that's what Adrien Agrestewanted me to tell you." He amended, then gestured at the box in her hands. "That gift, too. I mean— he wanted me to get it to you."
Marinette looked down at the gift, then back to him. "This is… from Adrien?" She asked, a blush blossoming on her cheeks, before she immediately shook her head. "How did you get it from him?"
"I— uh— we're good friends."
"Really?" Marinette asked, suspicious. "And how would you and Adrien Agreste be friends? What do you two even have in common?"
The hero scratched his head, almost nervous. "He's a fan!" He finally said, then continued. "And believe me, we're a lot more similar than you think."
Ignoring how strange that statement made her feel, Marinette simply sighed, deciding to believe him.
She suddenly looked up, a small frown on her face. "Then do you know why he couldn't make it?" She asked, twiddling her fingers together, almost nervous. "Did he not want to go, or…?"
Chat Noir looked at her, shaking his head vehemently. "No way—" he blurted out suddenly, before pausing. He took a deep breath, then continued, "he, uh, told me that he really wanted to show up. He just couldn't." Chat Noir sighed, almost upset. "It looked like you had fun, though?"
At Marinette's curious glance, the hero continued, stammering. "I may have seen you and your friends at the park earlier."
The girl laughed. "Ah, yeah, that was pretty fun." She smiled. "I haven't played with sparklers in a long time."
"Really?" Chat Noir hummed. "What made you want to do it today, then?"
Marinette suddenly looked away, almost embarrassed. "You'll laugh."
"… Why?"
"Because it's embarrassing."
Chat Noir only found himself growing more curious. "Okay, now you have to tell me, purrincess."
Huffing at the nickname, Marinette turned back to him, though she refused to look him in the face. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"
The hero nodded, jokingly crossing his heart and putting up his right hand. "I promise."
"It was for Adrien."
At that, Marinette looked at him directly, only to be surprised with his expression: mouth parted in surprise, eyes wide, and cheeks almost… red? What was that about?
Abruptly coughing, Chat Noir spoke. "I, uhm, what do you mean?"
She sighed. "I overheard him tell Nino— his best friend, that he'd never used sparklers before," Marinette finally confessed. "His dad never allowed him because it was a safety hazard or something like that." She looked down, embarrassed. "I thought it'd be nice if he got to experience it."
With her embarrassment, Marinette failed to notice the face of her partner, eyes brimming with a whirlpool of emotions: shock, surprise, and overflowing gratefulness.
Instead, when she finally faced him, he only looked at her with something she could only describe as… soft?
She wasn't that great with words.
But his expression made her heart skip a beat in a way that it only did whenever she was around Adrien.
That's a first.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke. "That's really sweet of you, Marinette."
She smiled. "Thanks, Chat."
After a moment of hesitation— what was he hesitating for?— the hero sighed. "I've never… used sparklers either."
"Really?"
He shrugged. "Like I told you, Adrien and I have a lot in common." Chat Noir looked down. "Not-so-great relationships with parents, included."
Marinette felt sympathetic, seeing his upset face, before suddenly brightening up.
"Well, I still have a sparkler left over. It was meant for Adrien, but…" she paused, "… I don't think he'd mind."
Chat Noir only looked at her in surprise. "No, Marinette, you don't have to—"
"I know." She smiled at him. "I want to."
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That night, in the sleeping darkness of Marinette's street, something was lit:
Whether it was the sparkler or their feelings for one another, however…
Was something they decided to keep to themselves.
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end notes—
was this a fire hazard? probably. did they mind? no, because flirting over possible danger, really. also yes this ending was super corny but marinette and adrien are both dorks so im convinced that this isn't completely off-brand for them. :
also i have no idea if they actually allow sparklers in france or if they're strict about permits,, but let's just pretend they had those fixed earlier on. i'm also not sure if these are a universal experience? for me, at least, i can't imagine having had my childhood without regularly being burned by them. (ah, fun times!)
thank you for reading! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～