Marinette was at the mall with Alya when she got the text. It was from Sabine. It read, "Hey darling, I have some news and it's too exciting to save. All your friends from America are coming to visit for your birthday!" Marinette started screaming right then and there. Her excitement was too big to hold in. Alya read over the message when Marinette stopped jumping and she got excited too.
"OMG MARI! I CANT WAIT TO MEET YOUR BOYFRIEND! COME ON WE GOTTA GO PREPARE!" She said tugging on her arm. People were staring but they didn't care. They were happy and they didn't care who knew it. They rushed to the party supplies store to grab some materials. They shoved decorations, treats, and anything else they could find in their shopping cart and ran to Alya's parent's car and drove to her house. Once they arrived they ran out the door with their multiple bags and raced all the way to Marinette's house. When they arrived they saw Sabine preparing a giant Eiffel Tower shaped cake.
"It's for your birthday. Your friends can have a little taste of Paris when they visit," she said smiling. Marinette gave her a kiss and helped Alya carry all the bags into her room. She unbagged and unpackaged everything. There were balloons, streamers, place settings, all sorts of junk food, and a bunch of random little games and toys that could be found useful in a time of boredom. Everything was set out and prepared for her friends arrival tomorrow. Blythe and Raissa would sleep in Marinette's room along with Alya, Mylene, Rose, Juleka, and Alix. The boys including Kim, Adrien, Jackson, Ivan, Max, Nino, and Nathan would sleep downstairs. It would be an epic party and when it was over they'd all go to their separate rooms and chill for the night even though Marinette was positive no one would sleep. It'd be way too exciting. She set out tons of sleeping bags and pillows and anxiously awaited their arrival. It was a long weekend so they'd be able to hang out for 4 straight days in a row. Eeeeeh! So exciting. Marinette began to doze after a long day of hurried preparation. Her American friends were arriving at 3pm the next day and her Parisian ones would arrive an hour later. Alya was sleeping over an extra day so once Mari fell asleep she tucked her in and said goodnight. She then went downstairs to help put the finishing touches on Marinette's presents and cake. She really cared about her friend and wanted everything to be perfect for the next day.
The Next Morning:
"Goodmorning," Marinette said while yawning. She then realized what day it was. "Omg! It's party day! Let's go! Let's go!" She yelled. It was barely 6 in the morning but Marinette was already prepared for the entire day and the entire week for that. For the rest of the day all Marinette could do was pace in anticipation. Why couldn't time go faster? All she wanted to do was see the smiling faces of her best friends. When the clock finally struck 2 Marinette was out the door. It was an hours drive to the airport and Marinette couldn't wait to arrive. When she finally did see the airport sign all she wanted was for her mom to speed up. "Ooh I see it! Hurry up! Let's go! They must be waiting for us already!" She urged. Sabine sped up slightly but made sure to stay within the legal speed limit. She didn't have time to get pulled over. Marinette was already on her back to hurry up even though their plane wouldn't arrive for another 10 minutes and the airport was in plain sight. Marinette had always been patient but today seemed like an exception. She was too overly excited to be patient. When the car stopped Marinette was practically inside the airport. she was as fast as flash. She was at the gate when Alya and Sabine were still in the car. Marinette was impatiently tapping her foot and checking her phone every two seconds when they caught up.
"It's going to take them a few minutes Mari. Be patient," Sabine was saying. Right when she was about to speak again a shrill scream so ear splitting it broke glass was heard throughout the airport. Marinette had spotted Blythe. Right behind her Raissa and Jackson followed close behind. They were running with open arms toward her. Her heart stopped when she saw them. They were finally reunited.
"Marinette!" They screamed. Blythe and Raissa were well behind Jackson by now. He was even more handsome than she remembered. Jackson embraced Mari the second he was in arm's reach. The hug lasted for seconds but it felt like a lifetime to Marinette. Her first love was finally in her arms again. When the rest of the gang caught up they were still hugging.
"Come on Prince Charming, give us a turn," it was Raissa. Marinette giggled and embraced her other two friends. They were full of laughter. For the next five minutes all they could do was laugh and interrupt eachother. "So how is sch... yeah and... no Alex... what of course!... wait... really I didn't think... what?" This is pretty much how most of the conversation went until Alya broke through it all. The climbed into the back seat and sat right in between Blythe and Marinette. Raissa was on Mari's other side.
"Hi my name is Alya. I've heard so much about you," she said offering her hand to Blythe. She smiled and shook her hand.
"Same. I'm Blythe," she said. "That's Raissa. She's really nice." Alya then grabbed Raissa's hand as well. Then Blythe pointed to the back seat and said, "That's Jackson. I'm sure you've heard all about him from little miss boy crazy. They're practically married. When Marinette lived in America they were inseparable. We never got any alone time with her. You're so lucky you get her all to yourself," Blythe teased. Marinette shoved her and it broke out in a full out war. Everyone was pushing and shouting and laughing their heads off. It was like Alya was always part of the group. They were joking like old friends. When Sabine pulled into the driveway they were too busy to notice.
"Hey girls and um... boy we're here," she yelled through the ruckus. Jackson, Raissa, and Blythe peered out the window. None of them had ever been to Paris. Their eyes glowed as they stared at the Eiffel Tower.
"It's beautiful," Raissa breathed. Jackson nodded in agreement. They stood outside the house for awhile and just took in the sights. "Tomorrow you'll have to show us around." Marinette smiled with pride. She loved that her friends were jealous of her new home. It meant she had thing cooler than them.
"We better head in," She said. "My Paris friends will be here any second. The trio reluctantly walked inside but not without glancing once more at the tower. It truly was a sight. Seconds after they arrived inside the doorbell rung. Marinette dashed through the room dodging all her friends and answered. "Oh hi Kim! Hey Max! Come on in. Meet my American friends," she said. They gave her hugs and entered the living room carrying two big colorful packages. Blythe, Raissa, Jackson, and Alya were sitting on the couch.
"Hey Kim!" Said Alya. "Max, come meet the group." They shook hands and then the other guests arrived. Everyone was there except Nino and Adrien. Marinette decided they would have to start without them. Adrien might not even show up. His father had said yes but Gabriel Agreste was a strange man and he could have changed his mind at any time of the day and since Nino would never abandon his friend he wouldn't show up either.
"Okay everyone. Let's start the activities!" Announced Marinette. They had all sorts of Paris themed games to introduce her friends to the wonderful world of France. For snacks they had croissants, macaroons, and a million different French candies. Halfway through the games the doorbell rang once again. Marinette skipped down the two flights of stairs and opened the door. Standing there was Adrien and Nino.
"Sorry we're late," said Nino quietly. He gave Adrien a look. "Mister perfectionist over here couldn't figure out which present to buy you." He was pointing at Adrien. Marinette stared at the little pink box he was holding. It was wrapped perfectly. She smiled thankfully.
"You didn't have to go through so much trouble," she said. "We're friends. I'd like anything you give me." He smiled quiltily.
"I wanted you to love it," he said slowly. "Not just like it..." Marinette hugged him.
"I'm sure I will. Happy birthday by the way.. twin!" Marinette and Adrien shared a birthday but Adrien hadnt celebrated since he lost his mother. It just wasn't Gabrielle's thing to host a party. She handed him a gift she had made. It was in green wrapping paper.
"Thanks Mari," he said quietly. The late arrivals headed upstairs to continue the party.
"We're back!" Marinette yelled. The whole room looked towards her. They were sitting in a circle with a bottle between them.
"We're playing spin the bottle," Jackson said shyly. "We're gonna have all the couples promise not to get mad if their partner has to kiss someone else because it won't really count since it's just a game. You're not mad are you?" He asked. Marinette kissed his forehead.
"Of course not. I'm just glad you asked first. This sounds super fun! Let's do it," she said happily. He grinned. She took her seat next to her boyfriend and held his hand.
"Birthday girl goes first," said Nino.
"No way! The Birthday girl chooses who goes first," yelled Marinette. "I choose you!" She said pointing to Ivan. He spun and landed on Max. He blushed nervously and kissed his cheek. Next Max spun to Juleka. He kissed her lips. A few more people spun and finally it was Marinette's turn. Jackson had landed on her and kissed her lips. She glanced around the circle nervously, closed her eyes, and spun the glass bottle quickly. It landed on none other than Adrien! She gasped and laughed it off. They were just friends so it meant nothing. It was just a stupid game. She tightened her grip on Jackson's hand and leaned in towards Adrien's face. She was super close and was hesitating. Just when she was going to back away Adrien kissed her. He lunged forward and his lip's pecked her's. She jumped back in surprise. "Hey I was supposed to kiss you!" She yelled nervosuly. She hoped Jackson wouldn't be jealous. His face was still content so she wasn't too worried. Adrien laughed.
"You hesitated. I help you get it over with," he said. "It's just a game." She started laughing too. Why was she so freaked out? He was right. It was just a game. She sofly punched his arm jokingly and the group exploded with laughter. Marinette realized that Adrien and her were finally best friends again. This was how she liked the world. She had her boyfriend, her best friends, and her close friends altogether. She was overjoyed. "Ah! I got Mari!" Adrien yelled. "Ready to kiss again?" He joked. Marinette noticed that Jackson looked less at ease. She nodded slowly and leaned in again. He pecked her lips again and winked. "Don't get me again," he teased. She spun and got Jackson. He looked calm again. She kissed him and the game continued. Marinette didn't have to kiss Adrien for the rest of the game but every time she spun she got nervous. Jackson looked kind of upset when Adrien kissed her. Maybe he was jealous. She didn't really mind the jealousy but she didn't want her boyfriend to be mad at her. She loved him too much. A few minutes after the game ended the group was called down for cake. Everyone was sitting around the living room table. They didn't really have a dining room. The Eiffel Tower was placed directly in front of Marinette and everyone began to sing.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to..." Marinette happily swayed while her friends and family sang. When the song was over Marinette leaned in and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered and clapped.
"Hey Mari, what'd you wish for," Raissa asked. Marinette giggled.
"it won't come true if it tell you," she answered. She was handed a piece of cake.
"Aww Marinette! Come on! That's just a rumor," she said. Marinette took a bite of her cake and shook her head.
"Nu uh. Not telling you," she teased.
"Oh fine but I'll get you later tonight when we play truth or dare," she said. Everyone quickly finished their cake and the games conitnued. After a few hours of nonstop fun everyone was tired. They ate a late dinner and went to bed. The boys went to the guest room and the ladies went to Marinette's room. "See you tomorrow," Raissa said yawning. All the girls herded into the room and assembled into a circle. "Let's play truth or dare," said Raissa eyeing Marinette. Everyone agreed. Once everyone was situated into their most comfortable position Raissa begun the game. "Hey birthday girl. Truth or dare?" She gave Marinette a devilish grin. Marinette burst out laughing.
"Dare," She said. Raissa acted as if she was dying. She grasped onto her throat and made dramatic choking sounds. When he little show was over she composed her self and glared at Marinette.
"Fine I dare you to tell me what you wished for," she said cleverly. Marinette sighed.
"If I must," she said. The group huddled around her. "I wished you guys could stay in Paris forever with me. Yeah I know it's stupid and it will never happen but it's nice to think about." Raissa and Blythe hugged her.
"We do too," they said in unison.
"Well let's not dwell on that," Marinette said perkily. "Alya truth or dare?" She asked.
"Truth," she said simply.
"Do you like Nino?" She asked. Alya blushed.
"Well maybe a little," She said shyly. "He's just too cute! How could you not?" Marinette jumped with joy and hugged her.
"You'd make the perfect couple!" She said full of excitement.
"Let's change the subject now. Mylene truth or dare?" she asked sheepishly.
"Dare I guess... well maybe truth. Er..dare or um idk! I choose dare! Final decision!" she stammered on.
"Ok chill girl. You chose dare so I hereby dare you to text Ivan 'I love you'," she yelled. Mylene's faced turned a bright red.
"But.. we... we're just friends. He doesn't feel that way towards me. Atleast I dont think he does," She said shyly. Her face was still a bright red.
"Do it! Do it! Do it!" they chanted. She finally gave into the pressure and punched in his number. When the contact showed up it was named 'Ivan ❤️'. Everyone giggled and Mylene laughed along. She wrote down the message and pressed send. The girls anxiously waited for a reply. After a few restless minutes Mylene's phone beeped. Everyone cheered and urged her to check it. It said 'I kind of like you too... Wanna go out next Sunday? 😬' Mylene jumped with excitement.
"OMG HE LIKES ME TOO! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!" She screamed. Everyone giggled again. She blushed after noticing everyone staring at her. "What should I say?" she asked nervosuly.
"Say Yes!" the girls shouted.
"Ok I'll do it!" She cheered. She sent the text and the girls continued with their game. "Juleka truth or dare?" She asked after the excitement had faded.
"Dare," She said confidently.
"I dare you to..." she thought it over for a second. "Wear a pink dress to the fair tomorrow!" She was pleased with herself.
"Aww Mylene. You know that isn't my style! But I guess I'll do it for the dare. Atleast it's not too bad," she said dramatically. Marinette searched through her closet and found the girliest thing she had. Juleka sighed and tried it on. Luckily it fit perfectly. "Ugh! I hate this!" The girls snapped a few pictures and she took it off. "Rose truth or dare?"
"Truth," She said simply.
"Have you ever done anything remotely mean?" She asked. Rose looked distressed. She was known as the class goody two shoes. Everyone thought she was perfect.
"Well.. one time I," She started nervously. "Ate all the chocolates from the mint chip ice cream and blamed my brother!" She yelled quickly. She looked heartbroken and scared like she had just confessed to murder. Everyone laughed.
"Don't worry. You're still our friend," Juleka said jokingly. Rose smiled slightly at her best friend's attempt to comfort her. "Atleast you got it off your chest,"She teased. She gave Rose a side hug and the game went on.
"Truth or dare Alix?" She asked.
"Dare and make it something extreme!" She said.
"I dare you to lick the wall!" She said excitedly.
"Awww why'd I have to get Rose? Her dares are soooooo boring!" She sighed making sure to really stretch out her words. "Dare me something else." Rose looked around helplessly.
"Ok um any suggestions guys?" She asked. The girls not including Alix huddled together and discussed. They decided after a quick minute and turned towards Alix. She smiled pridefully. "We dare you to sneak into the boy's room and put worms in all their sleeping bags," she said quietly. Alix beamed.
"Totally extreme! I'll do it!" She screamed. So the girls carefully climbed up onto Marinette's roof and searched every plant up there for worms. When they had found what seemed like a lot they headed back down and followed Alix downstairs to the middle floor. She clutched the small purse of tiny wiggling worms and opened the door a crack. Most of the guys were sitting around or atleast near a big table by the window so she took her chance and snuck in. The girls watched from the doorway as she slipped handfuls of bugs into each sleeping bag and carefully zipped them up again. When she got to the last bag she still had almost half a bag left so she dumped the whole thing in and tiptoed to the door sneakily. They embraced her when she got out and had to run upstairs as quick as possible because they couldn't hold in their giggles one more second. When they reached Marinette's room they all burst out laughing so hard that tears ran down their eyes. "Okay that was awesome!" Yelled Alix. "I wonder if they'll scream." The girls kept laughing at the prank and the game ended. They were too excited to think about anything but the prank. After about an hour of waiting they decided to go to bed. The boys had probably found the bugs and didn't have such an amazing response as they had wished for. They got into their own sleeping bags and dozed off to dreamland. None of them gave second thoughts about the boys until morning when they met their fates.
Meanwhile in the boy's room (Earlier that night):
The party had just ended and the boys were slinking into their own room and saying their good nights to the girls. Jackson kissed Marinette's cheek and watched the girls climb into their upstairs bedroom. He let everyone in the room but right when Adrien got to the door he stopped him short. He pulled him back into the hallway and closed the door.
"So Mr. Adrien Agreste. You think you're so perfect because you're a model and all huh?" He asked jealously. Adrien looked confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked nervously.
"I mean you were flirting with my girl!" He yelled just quiet enough for the girls not to hear him. "You kissed her twice!" He snarled.
"Dude chill it was just a game. You said so yourself," he replied calmly.
"But what was with you and all the winking and sweet talk and stuff?" He yelled angrily. "You looked interested in her!" Adrien backed down a bit. He could tell Jackson was angry. He honestly couldn't find what Marinette saw in him.
"It's ok," he assured him. "I actually like someone else. Marinette is great and all. Don't get me wrong but we're just friends. We don't see each other in a romantic way." Jackson looked skeptical so Adrien added, "I promise," to seal the deal. Adrien patted him on the back and motioned for him to go inside. "Don't worry. She's totally in love with you. She talks about you all the time. She'd never cheat. Marinette's too nice for that." Jackson thanked him for staying calm and asked for his forgiveness for being so rude. Adrien said it was fine and they headed in. Maybe Jackson wasn't that bad Adrien thought. When they settled in for the night they never expected what they got. Worms were wiggling in every one of their sleeping bags. Adrien was the first to step into his and he had the scare of his life. He jumped out in surprise and fell to the floor bruising his legs. "Ow! What was that?" He asked loudly. The guys crowded around his and searched his blankets. At the far end of his bag they found dozens of tiny worms crawling all over each other. Kim nearly fainted.
"Ugh I hate bugs! What if it's an infestation!" He yelled. Everyone laughed at him.
"I bet the girls are planking us," chirped Max. "The chance of this being a prank is 97.99999999999999999999999999999999994 percent and I say we get our revenge." Everyone agreed when they discovered worms in their own sleeping bags. Well everyone except Adrien.
"Guys I know what they did was kind of mean but let's not retaliate. We don't wanna stoop down to their level," he said anxiously. He had never done something wrong.
"Come on I know my girls. Raissa, Blythe, and Mari will think it's hilarious," Jackson urged.
"Yeah and everyone else has a sense of humor as well. None of them will get upset," said Kim persuasively. "On my honor." He spit on his hand and offered it to Adrien. Everyone else followed due. Adrien glanced around at the excited faces. He spit and put his hand in. They yelled hooray and went to plan their scheme. When they were sure the ladies were sleeping they snuck down to the kitchen to grab anything sticky they could find. Then they crept up the stairs and proceeded in spraying every last inch of the sleeping girls with messes of silly string, whipped cream, honey, and ketchup. The girls would wake up to quite the surprise.
The next Morning:
Marinette woke up with an itch on her nose. She tried to scratch it but something sticky was holding down her arms. She opened her eyes in terror.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" She screamed. Everyone in the whole house woke up. Some of the neighbors were even startled by her scream. Marinette's parents and the boys rushed up the stairs, opened the latch and filed into the room. Sabine and Tom surveyed the room with horror.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED UP HERE?!" They yelled. The boys began to feel guilty. They were sure they'd get in trouble. Adrien felt worse of all.
"It was my idea," he yelled startling everyone. "The girls pranked us with worms in our bags last night and I wanted revenge." He looked so pathetic and sorry Sabine couldn't help but feel bad.
"Well you shouldn't have done it. Clean it up and you won't be punished," she said. She brushed her fingers through his hair as a sign of forgiveness and left the boys to fend for themselves with the fuming room of girls. Every one of them was wiping all sorts of goop of their clothes.
"I can't believe you'd do this," screamed Alya. She was looking straight at Adrien. "My new pajamas are ruined!" Her pjs were spotted with an array of the ugliest, most grotesque polka dots anyone would ever see. "I would expect this behavior from Kim and a few of the others but you?!" She demanded. He hung his head with sorrow. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a glimpse of disappointment on Marinette's face. Was she mad at him?
"I'm sorry. Adrien is innocent. It wasn't his idea," Jackson stated defensively. "He was just covering up for us so we wouldn't get in trouble. He was actually the only one against pranking you guys so if you're going to be mad at least be mad at someone who deserves your anger." Jackson fell on his knees apologetically.
"We forgive you but you will definitely be the ones cleaning this up," Marinette said motioning towards the room. "We are going to go get ready for the fair. You stay here and clean," she said. The girls piled into her bathroom with their bags and began taking turns showering. After 4 hours the girls finally came out. The boys were done with the room 2 hours ago and were putting the finishing touches on their looks. Marinette's room smelled of ocean breeze and violets from all the perfume they had used. Now that everyone was washed, combed, clothed, and done up they were finally heading out for the fair. The town fair was a big event for the people of Paris. The whole city was there. The group of friends marched in like they owned the place. They rode every single ride together and celebrated the birthday girl as much as possible. The only bad thing was the seemingly endless lines that cursed their arrival at every ride at the park. When the day was over it was just another Saturday night in Paris. The air was crisp and people were smiling under the Eiffel Tower. The team was on the last ride of the night. The ride was called the whirlwind and the operator was a cranky old man who hated kids. He didn't even safety check the teens before he turned it on. His reasoning was that if they were tall enough to ride then they were smart enough to buckle their own seats. Marinette thought the guy was just a rude old man but that's because she didn't know the backstory. His daughter used to own the fair. She was tragically killed a year before when some rowdy teenagers had messed with the controls of one of the rides she was inspecting. He used to be kind to all but that event had messed him up. He was never his old self again and tonight would prove that. When the teens got off the ride Marinette felt sick. Her face was green and she was spinning all over the place. Jackson was trying to hold onto to her but when she bumped into the old man things went south.
"THIS IS EXACTLY HOW REBECCA WAS KILLED! KIDS THESE DAYS NEED TO LEARN RESPECT! IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT STAY OFF THE RIDE!" He screamed. Marinette's eyes rushed with tears. She ran off into the night with the group close behind her but Adrien and Jackson weren't ready to leave yet.
"She didn't mean to," Adrien said angrily. "She was just trying to have a good time and you ruined it." He bolted off after the rest of his friends. Jackson remained.
"Stupid kids," the man muttered to himself. Jackson stepped up.
"What did you say?" He asked strongly.
"I said back off kid. Go follow your cry baby friend," he huffed. Jackson turned a bright shade of red. His sensors were going off. All caution went aside. He was ready to fight.
"That 'cry baby' is my girlfriend and I won't let you treat her like that." And with that he lunged. The man was on the ground in seconds. They were wrestling in the dirt and Jackson wasn't about to give up. He took all the punches, the threats, and the kicks the man could dish out and he served some himself. The police were the only ones who could stop them. They quickly interfered after being alerted by a nearby onlooker. The pair were pulled apart and still jostled. Jackson wasn't stopping. He kept waving his legs and arms around furiously. The old man gave up though. He was tired and wasn't willing to give him the time of day. He tried breaking free from the policemen's grasp but was stopped.
"Do you realize the crimes you have committed here tonight?" He asked.
"I've done nothing!" He stated sharply. "He started it by jumping on me!" The police freed Jackson and he galloped away as fast as possible. He wasn't scared of the man but he certainly didn't want to get arrested for hanging around.
"A child harming an adult isn't unlawful sir but an adult retaliating is child abuse. You should have alerted us immediately instead of fueling the flame. The boy would of gotten a punishment if you hadn't taken action," the police declared bitterly. Handcuffs were placed on his wrists and he was escorted to the police car. Somewhere in Paris a certain villain was notified of his rage and found his way to his to his lair. A glowing mask appeared over the future villain's eyes. Hawkmoth communicated his claims.
"...join me and all teens will be punished. You will finally get your chance to avenge your dear Rebecca. Don't you want that?" He asked hopefully. He was faithful in his new apprentice. This was only Ladybug and Chat Noir's second battle and they were greatly inexperienced. Would they be able to defeat him? He personally thought very highly of his chances.