Adrien

Due to excessive arguing between his parents, Adrien was on lockdown in his bedroom on his birthday. Neither parent seemed to truly care about him, agreeing to lock him up at home instead of letting him roam free for his birthday. From his window, Adrien could see Collège Françoise Dupont in the distance. He felt another pang of sadness, knowing he wouldn't be able to see any of his friends today.

His phone buzzed again, probably Alya or Nino again, they were the only people at school who he had given his private number to. Adrien been meaning to give it to Marinette but is physically incapable of talking to her normally. His phone buzzed again, prompting him to pull it out and turn it on. To his surprise, it was an unknown number.

Unknown: Happy birthday Adrien! :)

Unknown: It's Marinette BTW, Alya gave me your number, hope you don't mind. I am so sorry that you are stuck at home :(

Adrien smiled for the first time that morning, reading the messages again. Despite his current situation, his spirits were raised just by the fact that she was thinking of him. His phone buzzed again, this time a message from Alya.

Alya: FYI, I gave Marinette your number. No, I didn't put her up to it, she was wondering where you are and asked for your number ;)

Adrien found it very hard not to whoop with joy.

Alya

The blogger kept her grin hidden from the designer sitting next to her, who was waiting for a reply. Alya knew full well that Adrien was probably doing a victory dance after the text she sent him confirming that it was Marinette texting him. She couldn't wait to see Adrien's reaction to the present Marinette had brought for him. So far, the designer had refused to let Alya and Nino have look, stating firmly that Adrien had to be the first to see it.

Despite all her begging and attempts at bribery, Marinette still wouldn't show her even just a sketch of the gift. After seeing what she made for Nathaniel in a single lunch hour, Alya was naturally curious to see what she made this time with more work time. But Marinette kept insisting that she would get to see it after Adrien and now it was driving her nuts. "Pleeease? Come on just a peak?" she begged.

Marinette laughed as she placed the gift in her locker and locked the door. Since Sabrina broke into her locker, she upgraded to a heavier lock that simple bolt cutters won't breakthrough. "Alya, it's a present for Adrien. It's only right that he gets to see it first." Alya pouted, trying to guilt her into showing her. Marinette just laughed harder, "Seriously Alya, you can wait until after he opens it."

"Girl, he is locked up and his parents probably threw away the key. They probably won't even let him even have a present this year, so you won't even be able to give it to him today," Alya stated, her mood swung over to grumpy as she was completely done with Adrien's parents' issues. "I don't think there is a way you can get your present to him."

"What if I told you I have a pair of magical ladybug earrings that turn me into a superhero capable of getting past the mansion's security measures?" Marinette asked, a cheeky smile on her face.

"Haha, last time I show you my conspiracy theories," Alya huffed, not amused.

"A magical cat ring?"

Alya shoved her forward, "Whatever, let's get to class."

Marinette

Glancing at Adrien's empty seat, Marinette felt a sense of something missing. As Ms. Bustier was off to a surprise meeting, the class was left to read through the assigned chapters and do the questions on their own. This did not happen the way the teacher intended it to though.

The moment she had left, Chloe declared she was going shopping and left the school. Kim and Alix were caught up in some ridiculous competition. Max checked out, totally focused on his artificial intelligence project. Ivan and Mylene put in their earphones and read the assigned reading together as the loud music boomed out of the earphones. Rose drew unicorns with a happy smile on her face as Juleka smiled and watched. Alya was working on her blog theories while Nino put on his beats, eyes closed as his head nodded to the rhythm.

Marinette smiled to herself as she pulled out her sketchbook, having already done the assignment most of the class was neglecting. It was amazing the different ways her classmates accomplished the art of not getting work done. Her phone dinged, a new message sent to her. Since Ms. Bustier was gone, she figured it would be okay to have it out.

Adrien: So I just a birthday breakfast, alone. For two people who seem to be so passionate about my birthday, they seem to just want to use to give the other the cold shoulder.

Marinette frowned, very upset with the message she received. That was not at all the way his parents should be behaving, especially today of all days.

Marinette: That's not okay, you deserve better!

Marinette: We are left alone unsupervised, I'm done the assignment and am just doodling. Wanna connect and play through this RPG game I found yesterday together?

Adrien: Sure! That would be awesome!

Marinette giggled to herself, happy to have him excited for something at least. She sent him the link to the app' store page. She then sent him her username, waiting for him to request for a party. Marinette giggled again, thinking 'I guess Adrien still gets a party on his birthday, sort of.' In honor of Alya's conspiracy theories of special magic jewels, she decided to name her character Ladybug.

Adrien: What should I do for a character name?

Marinette: I named mine after one of those superhero myths Alya had been researching lately, Ladybug. The stories say that the Ladybug was always helped by the Black Cat.

Adrien: Cool, then I will name my character Chat Noir!

His enthusiasm made her happy, hoping this would raise his spirits a little. At least until she got her present to him.

Adrien

Despite his parents best efforts, his morning turned out not to be so bad after all. Adrien had spent the last hour lying on his couch, attention completely focused on his phone. Marinette was full of surprises, he knew, but today's surprise caught him off guard. She was a gamer, and really good too. Marinette managed to figure out every puzzle, problem or strategy as if the solution lit up before her eyes.

They leveled up fast, going through gear like Chloe goes through shoes. About ten minutes ago, they found a vendor selling color shaders for gear. The effects were only cosmetic but they both agreed it would be cool to have a consistent color scheme. Soon, their mismatched gear pieces were matching in color at least. Marinette's Ladybug was now red with black trim while his Chat Noir was black with a neon green trim.

They had just completed another side quest, stopping a group of barbarians from stealing a village's harvest. The elder NPC was still thanking them when Marinette logged off suddenly. Worried she might have gotten caught playing on her phone during class time, Adrien logged out of the game, hoping for some kind of message to let him know everything was alright. A few moments later, a text from her rolled down on his screen.

Marinette: Sorry! Bell rang :( But we can play again during lunch maybe?

Adrien: That's okay! We should definitely do this again, it was awesome!

Marinette: Agreed! :)

Adrien found himself grinning like a lovestruck idiot. Even if it was just an emoji, her smile made him feel happy. Setting his phone, he looked around his room for something else to occupy his attention. His eyes fell on his computer, a number of sticky notes on his computer. Resigning himself to boredom, Adrien set about working on his various homework assignments. But his thoughts remained on Marinette.

Natalie

Her job normally was assisting Gabriel in organizing events, meetings and managing Adrien's schedule for his activities and modeling around his school time. However, today was not a normal day. Her boss and his wife had been arguing for weeks over their son's birthday. Their disagreement over the type of party they wanted for their son caused Natalie to only be able to clear Adrien's schedule for the day so he would be available for whatever the parents agreed upon. This meant Adrien was not allowed to leave the mansion for any reason whatsoever.

She knew Adrien hated being locked up for the day in the mansion and felt bad for the boy, hating the whole situation. She knew Gabriel and Emilie since before they were married and witnessed the fallout as they both had different visions for Adrien's future. Her intercom beeped. "Natalie," her bosses neutral voice came through, "Have you obtained a present for Adrien's birthday?"

Natalie froze, knowing full well that Gabriel had never asked her to get a present for him to give to Adrien. "Sir, you didn't make that request," she stated in a calm tone, her mind racing as she panicked inside.

"I just did," Gabriel's voice came again, unapologetic. "Be sure to have one ready." Without another word, he turned off the intercom on his end, cutting of Natalie's reply. She groaned, resting her head in her hands. She already was loaded with duties today, no time to leave the mansion to retrieve a present.

Her desk phone rang. Groaning, Natalie picked it hoping it wouldn't be another emergency. Emilie's voice came across the line, "Natalie, I am currently unable to make time today to find the time to get a present for Adrien. I will need you to find one for me." Without waiting for a reply from Natalie, Emilie hung up. Natalie dropped her head onto the desk, overwhelmed with the weight placed on her shoulders.

Behind her, Adrien walked through the hallway headed towards the kitchen and noticed the stressed assistant. He came back a few moments later with a fresh cup of coffee made the way he knew Natalie preferred. She gave him a thankful smile, wondering how such a caring soul grew up and lived here. "Thank you, Adrien. Sorry, you are not able to go to school today, your parents can't agree on what to do today."

He shrugged, used to this kind of behavior by now. "It's okay Natalie, I know you always try your best, which is more than I can say for them." Giving her a kind smile, he headed off to his original task.

Natalie groaned, why couldn't Gabriel and Natalie have a bratty kid who doesn't deserve gifts. She had to find a way to get him some kind of gift that had meaning but looked like it was from his parents.

Marinette

As her second-period class ended, it hit her. The best possible way to get her present past Agreste Mansion's security to Adrien. The last couple of times Adrien stopped by her house to walk her to school, she noticed his bodyguard head inside the bakery. She called her mom to find out what he had bought those times.

"He got those little cheesecake treats we make. A dozen both times."

"Thanks, Mom, could you maybe box up a dozen for me?"

"Um, okay dear," her mother sounded confused, but Marinette knew she would have plenty of time to explain after school. Rushing home and retrieving the treats, she thanked her parents again before heading out again.

Thanks to some directions from Alya, she knew how to get to Adrien's home. Marinette just hoped her plan would work once she got there. Before long she stood before the tall black gates of Agreste Mansion, home of her fashion idol. She pressed the doorbell, willing herself to stay strong.

A deep voice answered, "Yes?"

Marinette cleared her throat, "Hi, I'm Marinette, Adrien's friend from school. I have a present for his birthday to give to him." The deep voice didn't reply, prompting Marinette to play her ace in the hole. "I also brought little cheesecake treats from my parents' bakery."

A box slid out of the wall next to her, "You can place the gift and treats in there." Marinette smiled, having guessed right that it was Adrien's bodyguard over the intercom. Placing the gift and treats in the box, Marinette stepped back as it closed shut again. "Have a good day," said the deep voice.

The intercom turned off before she could say another word, but Marinette was still in high spirits. She has managed to get her gift to Adrien, which will hopefully brighten his day. And once he read the card, he will know who sent… Marinette froze in her tracks, she had forgotten the card. At least he got the gift she decided.

Natalie

Adrien's bodyguard had dropped the wrapped gift off at her desk space, before heading off with a box of treats. After confirming what the contents were with a scanner that normal assistants wouldn't need, Natalie set it aside for later. But after hours have gone by, she was getting more overwhelmed by her workload.

Looking over at the unsigned gift, Natalie made a decision that she might regret someday, but not right now. Picking up the gift, she went to Adrien's room. Natalie knocked on the door, "Adrien?"

He opened the door, "Yes Natalie?"

She handed him the gift, "This is from your parents. I hope you enjoy it and happy birthday."

Adrien nodded his thanks at her as she left, carefully unwrapping the gift. Pulling it out of the box he couldn't believe his eyes. It was nothing he remembered modeling for his father's brand, not recognizing it from any other brands for that matter. He was shocked that his parents even remembered to get him a present as he inspected the gift.

That was when he noticed the all too familiar signature threaded in upside down.

Marinette

"Marinette! One of your friends is here."

"Okay, mom! I am coming!" Marinette set down her sketch pencil, checking her phone for any missed messages. Still nothing from Adrien to her disappointment, just Alya and Nino pestering for images of her gift for Adrien.

Rushing down the stairs to the living room, Marinette tripped and fell down the last couple steps. A pair of arms in a very familiar hoodie caught her. Looking up, she found herself staring into the flushed face of Adrien Agreste. "Um, h-hi?"

"Hey," she greeted. "So does this mean you like your present?"

He smiled, face growing a little redder. He wore the blue zip-up hoodie she had made for him, a little pattern in black trim running along it. "Yeah, though I didn't know it was from you until I saw your signature."

Marinette's face lit up as she regained her footing. Then she got curious, "I thought you were locked up. What changed?"

Adrien got a cheeky look on his face, "A certain bodyguard really likes these cheesecake treats from a certain bakery and was willing to sneak me out as long as I got him some."

She laughed, "I guess I'll have to make sure to get some for him. So what do you what to do?"

Adrien held up his phone, "I remember a certain warlord that needs to be defeated. Any chance you would be up for that?"

"One condition."

"Name it." Adrien was ready to do anything for this girl.

"Model in that sweater so I take a few pictures. Alya isn't exactly known for her patience.

Alya

She had been staring at her computer, debating on stealing a certain file when her phone dinged. Alya squealed as she looked at the photo of Adrien posing in a blue hoodie with black trim, the file forgotten for now.