A/N: Ok, so I wrote the last A/N when I saved that last part of the chapter to this site (which is when I finished it), which meant I did not know how much I would enjoy writing about an Adrienette who were so settled and happy in their relationship. It turns out that I've loved it so much that this 'last chapter' has been extended to 3 parts. Because of this, I decided to treat my readers (whom I can not thank enough for actually reading and posting lovely reviews, all of which have been so fun and satisfying to read! - but I'll come onto that once I actually finish this story) to a long weekend of new content. I could have just separated it into 3 chapters, but they all run along the same theme and have now added up to nearly 10000 words - and I'm not done yet. I have the ending planned out, I just can't write it yet! But it will be out tomorrow because I really can't write too much more of this from Tuesday so I won't be able to stick to posting chapters on Saturdays, something I have been so happy that I've done because it's given me a routine and hopefully you guys some form of knowing when there will be a new chapter!
Chapter 18: Part 2
The Next Morning…
*Adrien's POV*
It was now about 9 in the morning and my beautiful girlfriend was sleeping peacefully next to me, her now tousled hair falling over her eyes. I was sitting up against the headboard having woken up about half an hour ago, scrolling through my phone and ensuring that everything was in place for today.
Soon enough, I felt Marinette stir next to me and blink open her eyes. I reached my hand over to her face, gently brushing away the hair covering her eyes. She looked up at me and smiled a little, nuzzling into my side as I moved to lie down next to her again, stretching my arm across her shoulders and hugging her closer to me.
"Happy Birthday Marinette," I whispered into her hair, kissing the top of her head as she sighed.
"Thanks. And thank you so much for yesterday," she said, morning grogginess taking over a voice.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. But there's still more to come. After all, today is your real birthday!"
She laughed at that, now fully awake, a devious glint shing in her eyes.
"Oh really huh? Well there is something I can think of that I've been waiting a long time for," Marinette winked. My witty remark died in my throat as she rolled on top of me, straddling my hips and laying her hands on my bare chest. She leant down, trailing kisses up to my neck, her hair falling around her face, brushing against my skin between each new kiss. I placed my hands on either side of her face, pulling her lips towards mine in a deep kiss, gently entwining my legs with hers and using them to flip her over, inciting a surprise squeal from her. I laughed, breaking the kiss and quietly shushing her.
"Shhh, your parents are downstairs," I whispered. "We may be adults, but I still don't want them to walk in."
"That's a good point. But don't worry, 9am on a Sunday is really busy for the Bakery. They'll be tending to that," Mari whispered back to me, the devious glint returning to her eye, which I returned with my own grin.
"Well then, happy birthday Marinette." My lips crashed back down on hers in a kiss filled with all the built up tension from the last 8 months, her hands roaming my back as I reached for the hem of her shirt, gently reaching up her back as she started to roll us onto our sides…
*Marinette's POV*
Happy Birthday to me indeed!
After waking up from a quick nap, both Adrien and I got up and started to get ready for the day. While Adrien jumped in the shower, I ran downstairs to the kitchen to grab some coffee and a little breakfast. Just as I sat down at the kitchen table with my bowl of cereal, my mum came in the front door, spotting me as she walked in.
"Morning honey. Happy Birthday!" she said, coming over and kissing me on the forehead. "I was just coming up to check you were awake. You're going to have to get ready soon if you want to make Adriens plans."
"Thanks Mum. And yeah that's why Adrien woke me up. He's getting ready at the moment so I know what to wear because he's still not telling me anything," I sighed in both frustration and excitement.
"That's a good idea," she smiled at me and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Ah and speak of the devil." I spun in my seat, watching as Adrien came down the stairs, dressed in a light blue shirt and black jeans, holding his pair of converse in his hands, neatly dropping them by the front door before coming over to us.
"Morning Sabine," he greeted. I smiled at the use of my mum's first name, the comfort they'd gained around each other showing at that moment.
"Morning Adrien. Would you like some coffee?" my mum asked.
"Ooh yes please, that would be amazing," he replied. My mum turned around to grab him a mug, and taking the opportunity, Adrien leant down to me and met me in the middle for a quick light kiss. "Morning. Again" he winked, gently brushing a small piece of hair that had fallen out of my makeshift ponytail, behind my ear, causing a blush to extend across my face.
"Here you go," Mum said as she handed Adrien the mug, purposefully ignoring my newly flushed face. The two of them started up a conversation about school plans while I guzzled down my cereal and gulped down my coffee. I then stood up to put my bowl and mug away, walking back around the table to stand behind Adrien, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his cheek before letting him and my mum know that I was going to get ready. I let go of Adrien and made my way back up to my room to jump in the shower and get ready.
*Adrien's POV*
Marinette's mum and I watched as Mari walked up to her room, listening carefully for the shower to start. Once it did, I turned to Sabine, ready to ask her a question, but she premeted it and answered before I could ask.
"Tom and I are ready for this afternoon. We have a whole selection of pastries set to one side, including all of her favourites. And we spoke to your mum this morning and she's nearly ready on her side as well. We will all definitely be ready for 3:30 like you said."
"That's great. I'm so excited to see her reaction!" I replied, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Me too. You really have planned a perfect weekend for her. We're very lucky to have you as part of our family," Sabine smiled, putting her coffee mug away. "Ok, I should get back to the bakery now. We're nearly finished for the day and then we'll get ready to go."
"Perfect. We'll see you later," I returned her smile and watched her as she left the apartment, walking over to the sofa and turning on the TV as I sat down. It was refreshing to watch the news and not have to be on the lookout for Akuma alerts or the rare rumours about my family. Those had stopped once my mum made a proper reappearance to society, announcing the separation from my father and Shadowmoth along with the rebranding of his company.
I was watching a trivial story about the weather when I heard a voice behind me.
"Hey, how's this?" she asked as I turned on the sofa to face her. Standing by the stairs holding a pair of orange high top converse, was Marinette, wearing a beautiful white mid length sundress with lace cap sleeves and a square neckline. She'd paired it with a simple gold necklace with matching earrings. She'd also half tied up her hair in a small plait, letting a couple tendrils frame her face. She looked stunning and completely like the gorgeous young woman I'd watched her grow up to become.
"It's perfect," I smiled, standing up from the sofa, walking back round it towards her and placing my hands on her hips. 'You're perfect."
"Thanks," she laughed, standing on her tiptoes and pecking my lips. "Now, don't we need to make a move?"
"Yeah we do. I'm going to tell you this now because I know you'll be wondering, but the two of us are going to meet Nino and Alya at the fayre on the other side of town."
I watched her reaction as she studied my face to make sure I was serious. Her face broke out into a huge smile when she gathered that I was not joking, coming over and giving me a massive hug.
"Wow Adrien, that sounds like so much fun," she said, sitting on the steps to put on her shoes. I followed suit and then led her out the door when we were both ready, back down to the parked car.
The drive was amazing, the breeze feeling fresh in the early summer sun. Soon, we arrived at the Fayre, climbing out of the car and walking hand in hand to collect our wristbands. We beelined straight for the games, immediately letting our competitiveness get the better of us, leading to us both claiming a full collection of stuffed animal and, ironically, Ladybug and Cat Noir themed goodies, by the time Alya and Nino arrived.
"What's happened here dudes?" Nino said, staring at our very full arms in amusement.
"I think we're too competitive for our own good," Mari laughed, collapsing on a nearby bench. "I don't think we can carry this around anymore Adrien."
"I think you're right. Here pass the stuff to me and I'll go put them in the car," I replied, immediately getting crushed by more things. "Erm, Nino can you help me please?"
"Oh yes, sorry dude, here I'll take some of that."
*Marinette's POV*
Alya and I burst out laughing as we watched Nino and Adrien juggle the massive amount of prizes past many staring eyes back towards the car, their waddling figures disappearing amongst the large crowd. Once they were gone and Alya and I started to breathe again, she spun to face me on the bench, throwing her arms around my neck and giving me a huge hug.
"Happy Birthday girl!" she exclaimed, letting go of me. "That dress looks great by the way. Have you noticed that yours and Adrien's outfits always seem to complement each other? I mean today you are literally wearing the same shoes!"
"They're not the same shoes, they just happen to be very similar. But yes, I have noticed, but today, I complimented on purpose because I had no idea what to wear until he was ready."
"That's true. I keep forgetting that this is all a surprise for you. Speaking of that, how are you enjoying all this?"
"Oh Als, I absolutely love it! This has been so much fun and I'm so glad you and Nino are here as well. Maybe the four of us can finally go on that Ferris Wheel in person, unlike last time."
"I think that's the point Mari! Shame there won't be any fireworks this time."
"That's true. Maybe I can organise that as a surprise for Adrien at some point."
"That's a good idea." Alya then pointed in the near distance at 2 young men carrying four very large slushies. "Ah look, there they are. And they thought ahead and bought us slushies!" Alya said excitedly, her eyes brightening as she stood up to accept hers from Nino. I accepted the one Adrien was holding out for me, kissing his cheek in thanks.
"Ok, so I think we're ready for the Ferris Wheel," Adrien said. I looked at Alya and saw her wink at me, nearly causing me to burst out laughing, but I managed to stop myself before I spilled any of the food dye loaded drink on my white dress. I smiled at Adrien, latching my arm in his, signalling to him to lead the way. The queue was pretty long, filled with people wanting to catch the Parisian view in the midday sun, so we all managed to finish our slushies, and end up with purple tongues, before we stepped onto the ride. Alya and Nino went on first, leaving Adrien and I to wait for the next available bench, which was luckily the next one. We hopped on, strapping ourselves in, snuggled into each other's sides. The ride to the top was great, the slow movement relaxing us both until we got to the top, our breaths taken away by the view that rivaled anything we'd seen as superheroes. Adrien pulled out his phone, determined to take a picture to immortalise the moment. We both looked into the camera, our heads positioned right next to each other, facing both away and towards the view, trying to find the best light and the best background. At one point, we both turned our heads to kiss the other on the cheek for a photo, but ended up catching each other's lips instead, a moment forever captured by Adrien's very overzealous trigger finger. The journey back down was spent scrolling through all the pictures, deciding unanimously that our favourite was the accidental kiss, not just for the cute moment, but Adrien had managed to capture part of the stunning skyline set against the clear blue sky, the sun shining on us making our hair look like it was glowing through the screen.
The rest of the afternoon at the fayre was filled with even more fun and laughter between the four of us. We rode all the rides on offer, resulting in me having to redo my hair each time, but it was completely worth it to feel so carefree. The most carefree I had felt in a long time. Then at 3 o'clock, Adrien turned to me and said that we had to go back to his before he could drop me home to spend the evening with my parents. I nodded and waved goodbye to Alya and Nino, thanking them for a great afternoon and the little gift they had given me last night, before following Adrien to the car, not being able to shake the feeling that he was up to something else.
It was 3:30 when we arrived at Adrien's front gate, the previously menacing barrier opening at the press of a small button to allow us access to the house.
"Come inside with me," Adrien said as he parked the car. "I think mum wanted to wish you happy birthday anyways so she'd love to see you."
I nodded and climbed out of the car, following Adrien to the front door and watching as he unlocked it to let us both in. The foyer was quiet, but the decor made it so much more welcoming than it used to be, the new colourful artwork brightening up the area and making it feel so much more homie. Adrien quickly ran up the stairs to his room, so I walked towards the living room to look for Emilie, but she wasn't there. I then made my way to the dining room, seeing as she sometimes set herself up there to get some work done. My hand was on the door handle when Adrien came bounding down the stairs, holding something in his hand.
"Hey, have you found my mum yet?" he asked.
"Not yet, just checking in here."
"Ok." He was acting a little strange, almost as if he was trying to contain something. I studied his face for a minute, then decided I was seeing things, so I turned back to the door and opened it, only to jump straight out of my skin.
"SURPRISE!" my whole family called out. Everybody was there, my parents, my grandparents, even my great uncle from Shanghai! And of course there was the family I'd gained through Adrien, his mum and Chloe, who was now a lot like a sister to both me and Adrien. I was at a complete loss for words, this surprise party shocking me a lot more than last nights. I walked over to them hugging them all in turn until my words came back.
"I don't believe you're all here," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. "This is amazing, thank you so much!"
"This idea was all thanks to both of our mums," Adrien said. "All I had to do was coordinate the other plans."
"You really have gone above and beyond Adrien! Thank you!" I went over and hugged him as well, pecking his cheek and then going over to the seats that had been saved for us at the table. We tucked into the great feast laid out on the table then, a mixture of delicious chinese cuisine from my uncle, bread from my grandfather, sweet pastry delights from my parents and some yummy delicatessens from Emilie. The atmosphere was great and everyone was getting along marvelously, all of us even getting into massive conversations. By the time we had moved over to the living room, all of us were stuffed and enjoying the ultra comfortable sofas and armchairs in there. I was curled up on a large armchair with Adrien, when Emilie got everybody's attention.
"Hi. I'd just like to thank you all for coming from literally all over the world to celebrate Marinette today. And I really hope that she's enjoyed herself because I know I have loved getting to know all of you as hopefully future family," she started, winking at Adrien and I, matching blushes extending across our faces when we understood what she was saying. She then turned to face me, her eyes glazing over before she continued. "Marinette has been amazing these last few months, helping both me and Adrien settle into a new normal, her constantly positive outlook, brightening our world when it was threatening to be swallowed by darkness. She's been not only Adrien's rock, but mine as well and I will be forever grateful for that." Tears had started to fall from her eyes now, just as I could also feel my eyes welling up. I stood up and went over to Emilie, enveloping her in a huge hug.
"Thank you so much. Honestly, I'm so glad to have you in my life as well," I said into her shoulder before letting go.
"Ok then. Well that's enough tears, this is supposed to be a celebration. So I think now it's time for gifts!" Emilie said to the room. Immediately, the room was a buzz of movement as everyone got up to go back to the dining room to grab the gifts. I went back over to Adrien and flopped down next to him again to wait for everyone to come back. He slid down to be right next to me, stretching his arm over my shoulder and pulling me into his side, kissing the top of my head as he did so.
"This truly has been an amazing day," I said to him, turning my head to look up at his.
"I'm so glad! But there's still a little more to come!"
"I don't know if I can handle anything else! I think I'm all surprised out!"
Adrien laughed, tilting his head down to connect our lips, breaking apart fairly quickly when we heard everyone start to filter back into the living room.
"Well, you'll just have to see what happens now," he whispered, pulling himself up a bit to sit on the wide arm of the chair, giving me more room to open the gifts that were being handed to me.
I loved every single one that I was given. Each had so much love put behind it that I could feel the excitement of the giver while I was opening. Soon, I'd opened everyones, except for Adriens, which I was not expecting seeing as he'd put this whole weekend together. But he did get me one, which he handed to me as he slid back down next to me.
"I've been waiting all weekend to give this to you!" he said as he resettled himself on the chair with his arm around me once again.
"I can't believe you got me something on top of all the planning you did for this weekend!" I exclaimed, feeling the small box before turning it over and gently peeling off the cute flowery wrapping paper. Inside was a simple white box, around the size of a book, but thinner. I opened the box and took out the folded piece of paper inside, carefully unfolding it and reading what was written on it. Shock enveloped me as I dropped the paper, my face freezing with my jaw hanging down.
"You didn't!" I managed to say a couple minutes later, spinning around to face Adrien.
"I did! We're going to the South of France for a week to the beachhouse that a friend let us borrow," he said, virtually jumping in his seat as he winked at Chloe, thanking her I assume!
I threw my arms around Adrien's neck, barely able to contain my squeal. I then stood up and went over to hug Chloe as well, just about able to say thanks through my excitement. I sat back down, taking a deep breath before looking at my parents, to see them smiling at me.
"You're really ok with this?" I asked them, their smiles widening at my question.
"Honey, you're an adult now. And yes we're completely fine with it. The two of you deserve some time away together before going to university," My dad laughed, coming over to me and kissing the top of my head. "But I gather you leave tomorrow, so you have a lot of packing to do tonight!"
"Oh, I really do! But I'll be ok!" I replied, finally able to breathe properly again.
The rest of the evening was great. We all ended up playing a massive game of Trivial pursuit, all paired up into teams. Luckily, Adrien and I were together so our competitiveness didn't clash, but it did mean that we thrashed the rest of our family, winning the game extremely triumphantly, much to everybody else's dismay.
Soon, it was time to head home. I had a lot of packing to do for tomorrow and we were all very tired. Adrien was going to stay at home because he also had packing to do, but he said he'd come pick me up around 10 the next morning so we could drive down.
Everyone was leaving together, so the foyer of the house was a bustle of putting on shoes and hurried goodbyes. I took the opportunity to pull my amazing boyfriend to one side to thank him for such a wonderful day.
"I really don't believe you pulled all of this off! I mean you even got my uncle to come!" I said.
"It was nothing really. I love you so much that none of this felt like a chore. Plus I got to see you the happiest and most relaxed you've been in ages!" He smiled as I hugged him yet again, fitting so perfectly into his arms.
"I love you too. So so so much," I replied to him, leaning up and giving him a final kiss before I had to go. "Now, I have to go, my parents are calling me. But I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Yes, see you then. Oh and I'll drop all of your fayre goodies then so you don't have to carry them all on the metro as well as all the gifts."
"Thank you so much!" I stood on my top toes and kissed his cheek in goodbye before running over to my parents to pick up some bags and head out. I waved to Emilie as we left, thanking her for hosting such a wonderful afternoon and then raced to the metro to get the train back home.