Chapter 13: Marinette's Special Day
Like every other day, the Sun rose in the East, and its light crept inside Marinette's bedroom through the windows. But not even that, combined with her cell phone's alarm was enough to get her out of bed. Even knowing that her parents and her friends had prepared something special for her, on that day of her 14th birthday, Marinette just felt like staying in bed a little bit longer. Silencing the alarm, she turned to the side, and quickly fell asleep again. In her mind, the warm feeling of the sheets and covers was too good to be ignored.
"Five more minutes." -Marinette thought to herself, as her lips formed a smile. –"I'm entitled to it. I save the city from a psychopath every single week, and it's my birthday, after all."
And she was not the only one. Tikki imitated her holder, and also decided to ignore the alarm. Turning her head to the side, she quickly fell asleep too. The scarlet kwami stayed up watching Tom and Rolland working on Marinette's birthday cake, and when she finally went to sleep, it was nearly 3 in the morning. So, to stay in bed for a little bit longer was both a pleasure and a need for Tikki.
"Five more minutes. Just five more minutes." -Tikki thought to herself, emulating Marinette in both action and thought.
But their time between the sheets quickly came to an end. A knock on the door was heard. It was Sabine with Marinette's breakfast, which she had promised to bring her the previous night.
"Marinette? Marinette, honey! Can I come in?" -Sabine asked, as she knocked at the door a second time.
When she did not answer, Sabine figured Marinette was still asleep, so she opened the door and entered. Looking up, she saw Marinette in bed, sleeping soundly. Smiling, Sabine felt bad for waking her up, when she looked so peaceful. Still, she had to wake her up, not only because of the delicious breakfast she had made for her, but also because of the special morning she had prepared for her. Going up the stairs, arriving at Marinette's bed, Sabine placed the tray down, and gently woke her up.
"Marinette? Wake up, honey." -Sabine said, as she gently shook her right arm, waking her up.
"M-Mom?" -Marinette asked, as she yawned.
"Yes, it's me, honey." -Sabine declared, as Marinette rubbed her eyes. –"Happy birthday. Like promised, I brought you your birthday breakfast." -she said, smiling at her daughter, as she placed the tray in front of her.
Just like she had told her, Sabine had brought her everything she had asked for the previous night, along with a few more things. Crepes with strawberry jam, pain au chocolat, a croissant with cheese and ham, chocolate milk and fluffy cat-shaped pancakes with a side of fresh strawberries and whipped cream. All of them delicious, and all of them appetizing.
"Mom. You didn't have to make me all of this." -Marinette said, smiling at her. –"But I'm glad you did." -she giggled.
"You deserve it, honey. It's not every day that you turn 14." -Sabine said. –"Besides, you know that I love making you breakfast."
"What did I do to deserve a mom as incredible as you?" -Marinette asked her.
"I don't know, honey. But I also ask myself what I did to deserve a daughter as amazing as you." -Sabine smiled tenderly at her.
"Mom, I'm not that amazing." -Marinette told her. –"I still give you a few headaches, from time to time." -she said, knowing she was not perfect.
"But for each headache you give me and your father, you give us dozens of joys and moments of extreme happiness, honey." -Sabine confessed, as she kissed her on the forehead.
The way Sabine spoke those words made Marinette once more feel like she was the luckiest girl in the world. In her mind and in her heart, it felt good to hear her mother say them, because it meant that despite the occasional bump in their relationship, theirs was a healthy one, where love was always present and would continue to be so.
"Thanks, mom." -Marinette said. –"By the way, where's dad?" -she asked.
"He went out to get some last-minute supplies for your party." -Sabine answered. –"He, along with your grandparents, told me to wish you a happy birthday, and that they'll meet us at the party, later." -she said.
"Later at the party?" –Marinette asked, not understanding what she had been told.
"We both decided that you deserved a special treat, before this afternoon's party. So, we're having a little girl time, which will include lunch, and then, we'll be going to the party, where everyone will be expecting us." -Sabine explained.
That came as a bit of a surprise to Marinette, who was not expecting it. Yet, the idea of spending some girl time with her mother was quite pleasant, even if it was her birthday. It had been a long time, since the two of them did something like that, and whenever they did it, they ended up having a blast.
"Now, you eat your breakfast, and get ready. I'll go do the same." -Sabine told her. –"We have places to be and things to do this morning." -she warned her.
"What kind of fun things?" -Marinette asked. –"Can you give me a clue of what's in store for us?"
"You'll see." -Sabine smiled. –"For now, enjoy your breakfast. Make sure you eat everything." -she said, as she got up from bed, and started to descend the stairs. –"And then, get ready. We need to leave in 60 minutes, honey."
Remaining in her hiding spot, Tikki waited for Sabine to exit the bedroom, before showing herself. Having woken up when Sabine woke Marinette, the little kwami was already wide awake, and knowing the plans for after breakfast, she joined the birthday girl, eager to taste all the good things that were on the tray.
"Pain au chocolat… croissant… fluffy pancakes… crepes with strawberry jam…" -Tikki said, enouncing everything that was on the tray. –"This is a breakfast fit for a princess, or even a queen, Marinette." -she said.
"It sure is. Mom went a little overboard with it, but I don't mind, Tikki." -Marinette declared. –"The smell alone is making me hungrier than I already am." -she admitted.
"I hope you're not so hungry, that you won't let me take a couple of bites." -Tikki told her.
"Of course, I'm not." -Marinette said, as she grabbed the pain au chocolate and broke it into two. –"Here. Let's split this one, Tikki." -she said, as she handed Tikki the second half.
"Thanks." –Tikki said, as she grabbed the sweet treat and nibbled it. –"Mmm… fluffy and chocolaty as always." -she commented.
"Did you expect anything less from my dad?" -Marinette joked, before taking another bite from the pain au chocolat.
"No." -Tikki answered her. –"Your dad is a master baker and pastry chef. Anything he does, is bound to come out delicious." -she declared. –"Which reminds me, you're going to love the birthday cake your dad and your grandfather did for you. Do you want me to tell you what it looks like?"
"No, thank you." -Marinette said, just before taking a sip of chocolate milk. –"You know that I want it to be surprise. So, no telling me anything, Tikki." -she said.
"Okay, I won't." -Tikki agreed, as she finished eating the pain au chocolat. –"How about we proceed to try those fluffy cat-shaped pancakes?" -she asked Marinette, as she rubbed her little hands in anticipation.
"The way you're talking and looking at the pancakes, let me ask you something." -Marinette said. –"Is this going to be a repetition of what happened the first time you tried my dad's Gallete des Rois?" -she asked the scarlet kwami.
"No, it won't." -Tikki said, remembering what had happened. –"I promise that I'll only eat one." -she promised, as she saw Marinette slicing the pancakes.
"Just make sure you don't eat all the strawberries." -Marinette warned, with a playful voice.
Breakfast proceeded without any kind of mishap, with Marinette and Tikki sharing all the delicious things Sabine had brought her. When suddenly, Marinette's cell phone started ringing. It was Adrien's designated ringtone.
"Your boyfriend is calling." -Tikki said, as she wiped a little bit of strawberry jam from her cheek. –"No doubt to wish you a happy birthday." -she added, as Marinette grabbed the cell phone.
"Good morning, Adrien." -Marinette said, as she answered the video call.
"Happy birthday, Marinette!" -Adrien exclaimed, smiling.
"Thank you, my silly kitty." -Marinette giggled.
"Did I wake you up?" -Adrien asked her.
"No. I've been up for a bit, thanks to my mom." -Marinette told him.
"Marinette earned the right of having breakfast in bed, this morning." -Tikki commented.
"Breakfast in bed? Lucky you. Even I'm not that pampered on my birthday." -Adrien joked.
"You mean, you don't get to have breakfast in your bed, on your birthday?" -Marinette asked, a bit surprised. –"And here I thought that Nathalie would do that for you." -she joked.
"Oh, she would like to. But my dad insists on us having breakfast together." -Adrien admitted. –"That, and he thinks that eating breakfast in bed should only happen, when a person's sick." -he said.
"Well, around here, we always come up with an excuse to have breakfast in bed." -Marinette chuckled. –"Really wish you were here, so you could try these crepes my mom made." -she said.
"I too wish I could be there with you, milady." -Adrien admitted. –"Alas, I must endure the ever so bleak deception of not being able to stand by your side, for a few more hours." -he declared, while talking in a Shakesperean accent.
"You're such a sweet talker, Adrien." -Marinette giggled.
"Well, I do have the most beautiful girl in Paris as my muse to inspire me." -Adrien declared.
"Stop it!" -Marinette chuckled. –"You keep saying those things and I…"
"And you'll blush like a tomato." -Adrien finished her sentence. –"I know, Marinette, I know." -he said, with a smirk on his lips. –"But by now you should know that I don't mind seeing you all blushed. Red is such a beautiful colour, and it looks really nice n you."
It was impossible for Marinette not to blush after hearing all that sweet talk, and that was what happened. She blushed like a ripe tomato, feeling her whole face hot. Adrien had that effect on her.
"Please… stop saying those things, Adrien. If you keep saying them, I'll end up as red as Tikki." -Marinette chuckled.
"That's a bit of a stretch." -Tikki commented, giggling. -"By the way, where's Plagg? I haven't heard him yet." -she asked.
"He's still asleep." -Adrien told her. –"I better go and wake him up, before he wakes up and asks me why I didn't wake him up, so he could eat his usual piece of Camembert in peace." -he said.
"He and that stinky cheese…I can't understand how he loves to eat something so smelly." -Tikki sighed.
"Maybe it's not for any of us to understand his taste, Tikki." -Marinette joked. –"Anyways, I can't wait to see you later." -she told Adrien.
"Ditto." -Adrien smiled. –"And I can't wait to give you your birthday present." -he told her.
"Oh, a birthday present for me?!" -Marinette exclaimed, faking the surprise. –"Can you give me a hint of what it is?" -she asked him, trying to have him spill the beans on what he had gotten her.
"Let's just say that it's something very simple, but very beautiful." -Adrien teased her.
"That could be anything." -Marinette told him.
"You're right. But believe me that you're going to love it." -Adrien declared. –"I promise you."
"Well, you better keep that promise. We wouldn't want you to ruin your perfect score." -Marinette teased him, when she saw she had another person calling her. It was Alya. –"Sorry, but Alya's calling."
"It's okay. Your bestie is also calling you to do what I just did." -Adrien smiled. –"I'll see you at the party then, milady." -he told her, while blowing her a kiss.
"See you later, my silly kitty." –Marinette said, as she ended the call, and answered Alya's. –"Good morning, Alya!" -she exclaimed.
"Good morning, girl! Happy birthday!" -Alya exclaimed.
"Thanks, Alya." -Marinette said.
"Am I the first one to wish you one, or did someone beat me to it, like always?" -Alya asked her, in an amused tone.
"Sorry, but my mom, Tikki and Adrien beat you to it." -Marinette answered her.
"Dang! I knew I should've called you a minute after midnight." -Alya exclaimed.
"Well, you could've, but I wouldn't have answered my phone. I was bushed, when I got home, that I fell asleep, as soon as my head touched the pillow." -Marinette admitted.
"Then, I hope you slept well, because just like yesterday, you're not getting a single quiet moment today" -Alya told her best friend.
Hearing her say that, it made Marinette ask herself if Alya was hiding something from her. It would not be the first time this happened, especially on one of her birthdays.
"Is that your way to tell me you know something I don't?" -Marinette asked her.
"Maybe…" -Alya answered, with a grin that would put the Chesire Cat's own grin to shame.
"You definitely know something I don't." -Marinette laughed. –"Are you going to tell me what it is?" -she asked Alya.
"Sorry, but no." -Alya said, continuing to grin.
"What about Trixx? She's always in a mood to talk." -Marinette pointed out. –"Can you tell me anything, Trixx?" -she asked, hoping to hear the fox kwami's voice.
"Not this time. I bribed her with enough snacks to ensure she will spill the beans." -Alya declared, as she looked to the side, and saw her kwami eating raisins from a bag she had given her.
"Always one step ahead, I see." -Marinette chuckled.
"All the time, girl." -Alya said, in an amused tone. –"And if you're going to ask me, what's my birthday present for you, forget it. You'll have to wait until later." -she declared.
"Fine." -Marinette sighed, knowing she was not going to get anything out of Alya. –"Guess, I'll see you after lunch, at the party, right?"
"Yup." -Alya said. –"Or maybe, sooner than you think, Marinette." -she thought to herself.
After finishing her breakfast, and answering the calls of everyone who had called to wish her a happy birthday, Marinette took a quick shower and got ready to go out with her mother. Being her special day, she wanted to look her prettiest, so it was not easy for her to decide on what to wear. And as always, she asked Tikki for her opinion on the matter. Because it looked like it was going to be a hot day, just like the day before, in the end, Marinette chose to wear a pink qipao dress that her grandmother Ju had given her last Christmas, along with black Mary Janes. As for her hair, she decided to wear it down.
"What do you think?"
"You look gorgeous." -Tikki said, as she looked at Marinette. –"But there's something missing." -she pointed out. –"You need something to wear that says "I'm special, and today is my special day."
"You think?" -Marinette asked, as she looked herself in the mirror.
"Absolutely. You deserve to shine today." -Tikki smiled, as she hovered over Marinette's left shoulder. –"I know! Why don't you wear the ladybug brooch that Adrien gave you for Valentine's Day?" -she suggested.
"You're right. I still haven't had the opportunity to wear it. So, today I'm going to wear it." -Marinette declared, as she went to her jewellery box to get it.
Putting it on, she felt it had been the right thing to do. Adrien had bought it for her a couple of months before, to tell her how much he loved her, and she knew he was going to love seeing her wearing it that day. On top of it, the brooch looked great on her, no matter what she wore.
"There." -Marinette said, as she looked herself in the mirror, once more. –"I'm ready."
"You sure are." -Tikki said, as she flew inside Marinette's pochette. –"Let's go and see if your mom's ready too." -she said, as Marinette grabbed the pochette.
Opening the trapdoor, Marinette went down the stairs, wondering if like her, Sabine was also ready to go, or not. When she arrived at the living room, she saw that Sabine was also ready. Just like her daughter, Sabine had chosen to wear something special. She too was wearing a beautiful qipao with matching high-heels. But while Marinette had chosen the colour pink, Sabine went with cerulean blue.
"Guess we had the same idea." -Marinette commented, while climbing down the stairs.
"I guess we did." -Sabine smiled. –"You look very pretty, honey." -she declared, as she looked at Marinette, admiring the outfit she had chosen to wear, and her hairstyle.
"Thanks, mom." -Marinette said. –"I felt it was a good idea to wear the qipao grandma Ju gave me."
"She's going to be very happy to see you wearing it." -Sabine said, pleased with her daughter's decision. –"Hold on, let me take a photo of you, so I can send it to your dad and your grandparents." -she said, as she grabbed her cell phone.
Smiling for the camera, Marinette made several poses, so Sabine could then choose which she liked the most to send to the rest of the family. And it was no easy task to choose, given that Marinette looked absolutely beautiful in all of the photos she had taken. So, in the end, she sent them all.
"Let's see which one they think looks best." -Sabine said, as she finished sending the last photo.
"Knowing grandma Ju, she's going to say they all look great. And the same thing goes for grandma Gina and dad." -Marinette giggled.
"It's hard for any of them to not think that, when you look so beautiful, honey." -Sabine smiled.
"So, are you telling me, where you're taking us?" -Marinette asked Sabine.
"In a minute. We're just waiting for someone." -Sabine told her, with a smirk on her face.
"Someone?" -Marinette asked, when her cell phone beeped, signalling she had received a text. –"Hmm? Who could it be?... It's from Alya." -she said, as she read the text. –"Open the door, girl… Open the door?!"
Before she had the time to understand the text Alya had sent her, the doorbell rang. Opening the door, she saw Alya and her mother standing outside. To say she was happy to see her, would be an understatement. Especially, since she did not expect to see her until after lunch.
"Bet you didn't expect to see me this soon, right, girl?" -Alya asked Marinette, as she hugged her.
"No, I didn't." -Marinette admitted, as they broke the embrace. –"But what are you doing here?" -she asked, curious.
"Your mother didn't tell you?" -Marlena asked Marinette.
"Tell me what?" -Marinette said.
"Guess she didn't, mom." -Alya smiled. –"I talked to your mom last week, and we felt that it would be cool for the four of us to spend a morning at a spa, you know?" -she explained to Marinette.
"A morning at the spa?" -Marinette asked, surprised. –"Getting all pampered before lunch, seems like a great way to start my special day." -she admitted.
"I'm glad you like the idea, honey." -Sabine smiled.
"Especially, since we're going to get the deluxe package, girl!" -Alya declared. –"Mud masks, massages with hot stones, facials, mani and pedi, and we're even going to try those smoothies that we're always hearing from Chloe, when she goes to the spa." -she said.
"Sounds great. But the deluxe package for all of us, mom? Won't that be a little too expensive?" -Marinette asked Sabine.
That was the first thought that came to Marinette's head. Financially speaking, the last couple of months had been good for the bakery, but she knew that even with that, their parents still had numerous bills to pay. So, to spend money on spa deluxe packages, felt a little too much, especially since she knew she was going to get a big party, like always. But that thought quickly disappeared, after what Alya told her.
"Don't worry about it, girl. The spa where we're going belongs to a friend of my mom's, and she told your mom that she would get the friend's special discount." -Alya assured her. –"Besides, my mom's paying mine and hers."
"Alya's right. I'm just paying for ours." -Sabine said. –"Even so, thanks for talking with your friend into giving us the discount, Marlena. As my mother would say, "You never say no to any kind of discount." -she told Marlena.
"It's my pleasure, Sabine. Still, you should've let me pay for yours and Marinette as well. It would've been my birthday present for her." -Marlena
"Maybe next time." -Sabine said. –"Do you have everything you need, Marinette?" -she asked her daughter.
"I think so." -Marinette said, as she checked her pochette, where Tikki winked at her. –"Yup, I've got everything I need."
"Then, come on, girl, let's go. And just so you know, we're eating lunch at a place where my mom says that they cook even better than she does." -Alya said, with a jesting voice.
"I never said that, Alya. I merely said that they use different cooking techniques than I do at the hotel." -Marlena corrected her daughter.
"That's chef's talk for "They cook the same thing I cook, but they do it in a way that makes their food taste a lot better than mine, and I want to find out how.", mom." -Alya joked, teasing her.
"You keep at it, little lady, and you'll be eating nothing but vegetables for the rest of the year. And don't think your dad will save you from that punishment." -Marlena teased her back.
It was easy to see they were all in good spirits. And given the kind of day it was, those good spirits were a good indicator that the rest of the day was going to be as good as that particular moment.
"Let's go, everyone. Time for us to get all pampered." -Sabine said, as she grabbed her keys.
Located in the Marais district, straddling the dividing-line between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris, the Place des Vosges was the oldest square in Paris, just before the Place Dauphine. It was a rather fashionable and expensive square to live in during the 17th and 18th centuries, and one of the main reasons for the chic nature of Le Marais among the Parisian nobility at the time. Along with Place des Victoires, Place Dauphine, Place Vendôme and Place de la Concorde, it is one of the five royal squares in Paris.
Due to the square being planted with a bosquet of mature lindens set in grass and gravel, surrounded by clipped lindens, the place was seen by many, both locals and tourists, as the perfect place to spend some time admiring its beauty, or to have a picnic. And on that day, it was going to be the place where Marinette's birthday party would take place.
At that moment, Tom and his father were both unloading everything they had brought for Marinette's birthday party. But Tom was the one doing all the hard work, because Rolland was complaining about pain on his lower back. Right then, he was carrying Marinette's birthday cake, which ended up a lot bigger than he thought was going to be. Not that there was a problem with it. If just meant, it was a little harder to carry due to its weight.
"Easy… easy… we're in the home stretch now." -Tom said, as he did his best to balance the birthday cake.
"Try not to drop it." -Rolland told Tom.
"This would…. be a lot easier… if I had a little help." –Tom warned him.
"You know I can't, because of my lower back." -Rolland declared, as Tom placed the birthday cake on the table. –"I really wish your mother and your wife's parents were here to help us." -he complained.
"They'll be here soon." -Tom assured him. –"Sabine's parents went to get the drinks, and mom's just making sure that everything's okay with her gift for Marinette." -he said.
"Your mother spent the last three days around that moped. It's like she wants to find something in it that needs to be solved, just so she can solve it." -Rolland commented.
"You know how she is and how much this gift means to her. She wants it to be perfect for Marinette."
"Besides, if we need a little help, I'm sure the kids there will be more than happy to help us." -Tom declared in a loud voice, so the ones he was talking about could hear him.
Just like Tom pointed out, he and Rolland were not the only ones who were busy setting things for Marinette's party. Luka and Juleka arrived practically as the same time as they did, and were both busy taking care of the entertainment. For it, they had brought most of their gear that was in Anarka's boathouse studio. While their mother went back to get a couple of things they still needed, brother and sister worked together to get things ready.
"Thanks again for doing this, Luka." -Juleka told her brother, as she plugged the bass to the speakers.
"My pleasure, little sis." -Luka smiled at Juleka. –"Besides, you know that I love to play for an audience." -he told her.
"I know you do." -Juleka said. –"Which is why, one of these days you'll be playing in some of the biggest music venues and stadiums." -she told him.
"You're talking as if you didn't have the talent to keep up with me." -Luka said.
"I'm not as talented as you are." -Juleka told him.
"Yes, you are. You just need to conquer that shyness of yours." -Luka pointed out. –"If you could do that, you'd become the most badass rock star there is, Jules." -he said. –"And I know you will, eventually."
The idea of becoming a rock star and making a living out of music was amazing. The whole idea was a dream for both of them, and Juleka wanted it to happen. Her love of music made her dream of wanting it to happen. But she shyness was a problem, she needed to work it out. Still, if she could battle Akumas, and save the town whenever there was trouble, she knew she would find the strength in herself to overcome that shyness of hers.
"Maybe one day." -Juleka smiled at her brother.
"Well, you better make that one day happen soon, because not only I know you've got it you to do it, but also because I want to rock alongside you." -Luka warned her, with a grin on his face. –"Hey, could you pass me the mic? I want to do the sound check, before the others arrive."
"Sure." –Juleka said, as she handed him the mic. –"I know I already asked you this like a million times, but are you sure the others know the songs?" -she asked Luka. –"I know you do, but the others…"
"And I already told you a million times that you don't need to worry about it. They know the songs by heart, just like I do." -Luka reassured her. –"The entertainment is ensured to be amazing." -he said.
This chapter was finished a couple of days ago, but because of Taylor Swift's concerts in Lisbon, I've been busy with work, which prevented me from uploading this. Anyways, we've got everything set for the second arc. I'm really anxious to write it, especially because I've got a couple of surprises for you. Oh, and yes, before anyone asks, the Place des Vosges is the square that shows up constantly in the series and where Marinette's birthday takes place in the show (I thought it would be nice to finally use this location in my AU).
The outfit that Marinette is wearing in this chapter is based on the iconic fanart of Marinette wearing a pink quipao done by dani_smilek, which has since become one of the most famous fanarts in the MLB fandom.
As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this fic, or future fics of this saga, okay?
P.S. For those who continue to send me PMs asking me how I'm doing, regarding my depression, I'm doing better. Work has been keeping me busy from having the kind fo thoughts I don't want to have, and that helps a lot.