Chapter 12: Last Details
The grandfather clock on the corridor chimed half past ten when Chloe and Sabrina walked past it, heading towards Chloe's room. Both were exhausted after what was the best birthday party the heiress ever had. It was difficult for them to decide what had been the best, among the various things they did with the rest of the gang. The girls just knew that this would be a day they would remember for the rest of their lives. Opening the door, Chloe let Sabrina in first, entering then and closing the door behind her. Kicking their shoes, the girls felt relieved.
"Mmm… best… party… ever…" -Chloe declared.
"I support that." -Sabrina agreed. –"This was definitely, your best birthday party ever, Chloe." -she smiled.
"My best birthday party ever, until the next one." -Chloe smiled back at her. –"Next year, I'm going to throw an even bigger party!" -she exclaimed. –"And I'm going to make sure that everyone has great time, just like today."
"That's the most important part, if you ask me." -Sabrina said, as she and Chloe walked in the direction of the sofa, and sat on it. –"Making sure that everyone has fun." -she said.
"You're right. That'll be the most important part." -Chloe agreed.
"That's always the most important part." -Pollen said, as her head peeked out of the front pocket of Chloe's jacket. –"Friends will always be important in a person's life." -she said.
"And as long as you have friends with you, it doesn't matter if you throw a very small party. Because their presence will make even the smallest party feel like a rock concert." -Mika said, as he flew out of Sabrina's jeans pocket.
"You guys always know what to say." –Sabrina said, as she petted Mika on the head.
"Wisdom and what to say, is one of the perks of being a few thousand years old." -Mika declared. –"But you don't have to be thousands of years old to know what to say at the right moment. And you proved it, with that toast you did this afternoon." -he told Sabrina.
(Flashback)
"Birthday cake! Birthday cake! Birthday cake!" -Kim yelled, repeating it, as if he was part of a football cheering squad.
"Stop that, Kim!" -Alix warned him.
"She's right, you know? It's like you never ate a slice of birthday cake before in your life." -Imp agreed. –"Could you try and act a bit more like your usual self?" -the antelope kwami asked him.
"What is it with you all? This is me, being my usual self. I'm just hungry!" –Kim told his kwami.
"I'm beginning to think that you're always hungry." -Daria told him.
"Join the club. I've been wondering that for years now, Daria." -Alix said, with a sarcastic voice.
This went on for a bit longer than it should have, and the others had to stop it, knowing that if it went on, Alix and Kim would eventually get on each other's throats. Once things calmed down, the party's hostess had something to say.
"Before we cut the cake, and you guys sing "Happy Birthday" to me again, there's something I need." -Chloe declared, as she went to the bar. –"I asked Jean to stash it inside the freezer, but I'm only seeing sodas and… Ha! Here it is!" -she exclaimed, as she grabbed the object in question. It was a champagne bottle.
"Champagne?" -Rose asked.
"We're entitled to champagne? Fancy." -Nino said.
"Of course. What kind of party would it be, without us sharing a glass of champagne?" -Chloe asked them.
"I don't know. Champagne is alcoholic. And I don't want to end up drunk." -Rose stated.
"Oh, come on, nobody gets drunk from drinking champagne." -Chloe declared.
"Yeah. You get a little ditzy from it, but not drunk." –Adrien said.
"That's what you think. You've never seen my mother. All she needs to get drunk is a sip of alcohol." -Nathaniel declared. –"And that includes champagne."
"Maybe. But that's not happening with us, Nate." -Kim said. –"Remember; thanks to these babies, we can't get drunk." -he told Nathaniel, as he pointed to the antelope miraculous on his wrist.
"Actually, it's because of us that you can't get drunk, not the miraculouses." -Mulan said, as he sat on Nathaniel's right shoulder.
And it was true. One of the many abilities the kwamis granted the holders of their miraculouses was the ability to consume as much alcohol as they wanted, and not become even a bit tipsy from it. In ancient times, when heroes had the habit of consuming all types of spirits, not to mention beer and wine, often at parties dedicated to their victories, or due to the lack of drinking water, an immunity to alcohol was something quite handy.
"Oh, yeah." -Nathaniel said, as he remembered that little detail.
"So, come on, let's all toast to my good health with some champagne." -Chloe said, as she removed the foil, and then the muselet covering the cork. –"I chose this one, because it's of the year we were all born." -she stated.
"Hope it was a good year." -Marinette said.
"It had to be. We were born in it, right?" -Nino joked.
"I'm not a very big fan of champagne." -Alya said. –"If you don't mind, I'll skip it."
"Me too." -Rose declared.
"Oh, come on, girls. Just a little bit." -Nino told them.
"I don't think so." -Rose said.
"Yeah. Like I said, I'll skip it." -Alya declared.
"What if we put just a sip on some sodas?" -Nino suggested them. –"Just a little sip. That way, you girls can also toast with us. But, hey, if you don't want, we're not going to force you to drink it, okay?"
Everyone in that gang was not into alcoholic beverages. The strongest thing most of them drank had been apple cider. But most of them saw champagne as an exception to the rule. And to celebrate a happy occasion, champagne was the drink of choice. Still, Alya and Rose were among those who did not feel champagne was what they would drink to celebrate. But they were not going to say no to just a little sip, mixed with their drinks.
"Okay. But just a little sip." -Alya agreed.
"Yes, a really tiny sip." -Rose pointed out.
"Can we have some too?" -Trixx asked, referring to herself and the rest of the kwamis.
"If you guys want, sure." -Chloe said, as she shook the bottle, getting ready to pop the cork. –"Get your glasses ready, because here it comes!" -she exclaimed, as the cork popped, and a little bit of foam came out of the bottle. –"Okay, who wants the first glass?"
Pouring the champagne into the glasses, the blonde made sure that everyone had a little in their glasses.
"There. That's the last of it." -Chloe said, as she finished pouring a glass to Max, and placed the now empty bottle on the floor. –"And now that we have the proper drink for the occasion, let's make a toast." -she stated.
"Do you mind if I make the toast?" -Sabrina asked Chloe.
"Okay." -Chloe said, smiling.
"Alright." -Sabrina said, as she took a deep breath, waiting for everyone to become silent. –"To our birthday girl, who happens to be my best-friend and my girlfriend, and who invited us to this awesome party. May you celebrate even more birthdays, with all of us around, and may that smile of yours continue to grow and become even more beautiful than it already is." -she declared.
"Couldn't have said it better myself. To Chloe, our queen!" –Adrien exclaimed, as he raised his glass.
"To Chloe, our queen!"
(End of Flashback)
"It was a beautiful toast the one you made." -Pollen said.
"Yeah, it was. You're not making things easier for me, because now I'll have to come up with an even toast for you, when it's your birthday." -Chloe stated.
"I'm sure you'll find the right words to do it." -Sabrina declared, as she got closer to Chloe and placed her head over the blonde's chest. –"After all, with a heart of gold like yours, it'll be easy." -she giggled, as she felt Chloe's heart beating.
"Hope so. Because if I don't, everyone will say I'm a poor excuse for a best-friend, not to mention girlfriend." -Chloe said, as her fingers caressed Sabrina's chin.
"As if that was possible, my queen." -Sabrina giggled. –"So, do you want to change into your pyjamas now, or maybe a little bit later?" -she asked her.
"Let's do it now, and get ourselves comfortable." -Chloe said.
Doing it so, the girls quickly changed into their pyjamas and made their way to Chloe's bedroom, where they both got under the covers. Like it happened when they had a slumber party, their stuffed animal companions, Mr. Cuddly and Buzz came out of hiding, and joined their owners. The tiredness of the party was weighing on their shoulders. But not enough to make them feel like they had to go to bed immediately. They still had a bit of energy on them, and wanted to make use of it, by watching something on the television.
"Feels great to be under the covers like this." -Chloe said. –"It reminds me of the slumber parties we had here, when we were little." -she stated.
"It does." -Sabrina chuckled. –"It was fun to make sheet forts and pretend there was a dragon outside of it, trying to kidnap us." -she said, as she remembered. –"Those were the days."
"Do you want to make one, for old times' sake?" -Chloe asked her.
"No. I'd rather just watch something on TV, next to you." -Sabrina said, as she placed her hand over Chloe's right knee.
"Then, you girls have fun." -Pollen told them.
"What do you mean? Where are you going?" -Sabrina asked the bee kwami.
"We're going out for a bit, so you can be alone for a bit." -Mika declared.
"You don't have to do that" –Chloe said.
"But we want to. We'll find a place to spend a couple of hours, and then come back, when you're already asleep." -Mika stated.
"Consider this a last birthday present from us." -Pollen told the blonde. –"You girls have fun and enjoy yourselves." -she smiled.
One of the things the kwamis respected was their holders' privacy. When they saw they wanted, or needed to be alone, they would just go for a walk, and would come back later. And in this case, both Mika and Pollen figured the girls would want to be alone for a bit. So, they simply passed through the ceiling, and disappeared, leaving Chloe and Sabrina alone.
"Did they just told us that they're giving us space for us to get frisky?" –Sabrina asked Chloe.
"I think they did." -Chloe said, as a smug appeared on her face. –"And if so, do you want to do something frisky?" -she asked Sabrina, chuckling.
"Sure. I want to hug you and cover you in kisses." -Sabrina said, as she let go of Buzz and hugged Chloe, making her giggle.
Kissing Chloe's right shoulder, the redhead proceeded to kiss her on the neck, making her way up, where their lips met, and shared a few passionate kisses. Sabrina was the one in control, but it did not take long for this to change, as Chloe took over the reins. This lasted for about a minute or two, after which, the girls hugged each other, and remained like that, enjoying each other's warmth embrace,
"You are becoming too clingy, you know that?" -Sabrina told her, as the blonde tightened her arms around her waist. –"Not that I mind, of course. But you weren't much of a hugger. You liked to give them, but not receive them."
"I like to think that I've slowly become one, because you were always a hugger and you infected me with that habit." -Chloe declared.
"The best kind of habit." -Sabrina giggled, as she felt Chloe resting her nose on her neck. –"Mmm… that tickles." -she said. –"I guess we're not watching any television, after all."
"Why? Do you want to?" -Chloe asked her, with a sassy voice.
"No. I'd rather cuddle and kiss you, until we both fall asleep." -Sabrina answered, also in a sassy voice, before kissing her.
At the same time, Sabine parked the car and she and Marinette exited it. The girl had had a great time, but she was now happy to be home. While driving, Sabine asked her how the party had gone, and what she had done, and Marinette was more than happy to tell her all about it. As a mother, Sabine was happy her daughter had a great time. As they made their way up to the apartment, Marinette asked Sabine why Tom had not come with her to get her, and she told her that he was working the finishing touches on her birthday cake, with the help of Rolland. Once in the apartment, Marinette kissed Sabine goodnight and got ready to go her bedroom to sleep, knowing the following day was going to be as exhilarating as that one.
"Before you go, Marinette; what do you want for breakfast tomorrow? You can have whatever you want." -Sabine asked her.
"Mmm… pancakes. No, wait! Crepes with strawberry jelly!" -Marinette answered, only to go back on her decision, once more. –"No, wait! Pain au chocolat and café au lait!" -she exclaimed. –"No, wait… maybe…"
"Maybe I'll make all of those delicious things, and a few more, since you can't decide on what you want for breakfast, honey." -Sabine told her daughter, smiling at her.
"There's no need for you to make all of those things, mom." -Marinette declared, as she let out a great yawn. –"I'll eat whatever you make me." -she stated, as she tried not to yawn again. –"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, honey." -Sabine kept smiling, as Marinette went up the stairs.
Every single muscle in her body ached, along with every joint and every tendon. Marinette had had a great time, and this was the first time in weeks that she was that exhausted, after doing something she enjoyed, instead of ending up exhausted after battling an Akuma. And it was that thought that gave her the strength to climb the stairs to her bedroom. Opening the door, she did not even bother to turn on the lights, as she closed the door and made her way up to her bed. Throwing herself onto the bed, she felt pure bliss inhaling the sweet fragrance of her covers, upon arriving at her destination.
"I'm exhausted, Tikki." -Marinette said, as she laid down on her bed. –"No, make that super exhausted. But also, happy." -she chuckled, while stretching her arms. –"Never thought the day would come in which I would be sad a party thrown by Chloe would be over."
"Just comes to prove that life is anything but predictable." -Tikki smiled, as she landed on Marinette's head. –"And it was a great party. It reminded me of the feasts they held in honour of some of my previous holders." -she said.
"You still got to tell me about a few of those feasts." -Marinette said, before letting a great yawn. –"But maybe some other time. I'm bushed. And I got to sleep, or tomorrow, I'll fall asleep during my own birthday party." -she sighed, feeling herself getting drowsier and drowsier by the minute. –"Darn… I shouldn't have climbed to bed, before changing into my pyjamas."
"Don't worry. I'll go get them for you." -Tikki declared, as she flew down. –"You just stay there, and try not to fall asleep, before you have the chance to get changed." -she warned Marinette, as she reached the wardrobe, where she knew the pyjamas were.
Grabbing the pyjamas, Tikki quickly took them to Marinette, who quickly changed into them, which was no easy task, given every second that went by, she felt even sleepier than before. She had to force herself to put it on, and Tikki helped a little. With her pyjamas on, she pulled the covers and got under them, feeling like she had tucked inside the fluffiest cloud there is.
"Mmm… there's nothing like our bed." -Marinette sighed, as she stretched her legs, feeling that she had swum the distance between the shores of the English Channel. –"O-Ouch… I shouldn't have swum and played so much in that pool." -she said, before yawning.
"Maybe. But if you hadn't, you wouldn't have had the kind of fun you did. And we both know you wouldn't have it any other way." -Tikki smiled at her. –"Now, get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow." -she kept smiling at Marinette.
"Okay, I will. Goodnight, Tikki." -Marinette said, as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be taken to slumberland.
Tikki stood there, watching Marinette falling asleep. She too felt tired and wanted to go to sleep. But before she could do it, she needed something. She needed a cookie. Tikki had eaten more than a fair share at Chloe's party, like everyone else. But she still felt the need to have one last cookie, before going to sleep. It was part of her night routine. Diving under Marinette's bed, Tikki went to grab a cookie from the jar Marinette always kept there, only to find out it was empty.
"Marinette forgot to restock it." -Tikki sighed. –"Guess, I'll have to go the kitchen and grab one." -she thought to herself.
Crossing the floor, the little kwami found herself on the floor below, and being careful not to be seen, she went to the place where she knew the cookies were kept. Seeing the lights out, she figured Sabine had gone to bed, while Tom was still down at the bakery with Rolland, finishing Marinette's birthday cake. There was little risk of her getting caught. Still, Tikki did not want to risk. Passing through the cupboard's doors, she examined the jars looking for the chocolate chip cookies.
"Where are the chocolate chip cookies?" –Tikki asked herself, as she checked the cupboard, looking for those specific cookies. –"Where are they? Marinette's mom always keeps them here. So, where are they?" -she asked.
Inspecting all the jars, it did not take long for the scarlet kwami to find out that there were no chocolate chip cookies in that cupboard. There were oatmeal raisin cookies, gingerbread cookies, butter cookies, peanut butter cookies, among others. But not even a single chocolate chip one.
"I suppose I could eat one of the others." -Tikki thought to herself. –"They're all good, but they're not as good as the chocolate-chip ones…" -she sighed. –"My kingdom for a chocolate chip cookie… wait! There's still a place I haven't checked for yet."
It hit her that there was one more place where there could be chocolate-chip cookies; the bakery. Tom and Sabine baked new batches every day for customers, so there was bound to have a few there. Crossing the floor, an instant later, Tikki found herself in the bakery. And just like she had thought, there were chocolate-chip cookies in one of the jars on the counter.
"Jackpot!" -Tikki thought to herself.
Smacking her lips, Tikki passed through the glass, entering the cookie jar. Grabbing one of the cookies, she ate in three bites, only to grab a second one, believing she had earned one more. Feeling satisfied with her snack, the scarlet kwami was about to go back up to Marinette's bedroom, when she heard voices, coming from the back. She quickly recognized them. It was Tom and Roland. And they were talking about Marinette's birthday cake.
"Guess they're still working on it." -Tikki thought. –"I wonder what it looks like?" -she thought.
Just like Marinette, she had resisted the urge to find out how the birthday cake was going to look like, ever since Tom had begun to work on it, three days before. She wanted to be surprised, just like her holder. But if there was one thing that Tikki was, was being curious, and in this case, curiosity killed the cat. Making her way to the back of the bakery, she continued to hear Marinette's father and grandfather talking. Always sticking to the shadows, so she would not be seen, Tikki quickly got a good look at the cake, which was not yet finished, on top of the table where Tom usually kneaded the bread.
"That shape… it looks like a sewing machine." -Tikki thought to herself. –"If it's a sewing machine, it's going to be a really colourful one." -she thought, as she looked at the numerous balls of fondant, each one a different colour, that were on the table.
"I told you, that's not how it's done!" -Roland exclaimed.
"Dad, please, we've been through this a dozen times already." -Tom sighed. –"The fondant needs to be thinner, so it covers the whole cake." -he explained, as he continued to stretch the fondant with the rolling pin.
"But if you make it too thin, you risk not making it fully even!" -Rolland declared. –"That's one of the first things I taught you, Tom."
"Yes, it was, dad. But believe me, when I say that the fondant will have the right thickness. This isn't my first rodeo." -Tom declared. –"Marinette's going to have the best, most beautiful birthday cake ever." -he said.
"She sure will." -Tikki thought to herself, as she looked at the birthday cake, and imagined how it was going to look, when finished.
As Paris descended on to the arms of Morpheus, deep below the streets, in Hawk Moth's lair, the villain's lieutenants were beginning to feel restless. They had been waiting for the Urn of Ahmet to charge itself with the power of moonbeams for seven straight nights, and that night was the seventh. That meant that the following day, their master was going to unleash its power, and they would finally see some action. Because he wanted them in their full strength, Hawk Moth forbid any of them to leave the lair, so to harness their power. But this was making Rapier feel like a caged animal.
"I want to go out! I need to go out! I can't stand staying here, doing nothing!" -Rapier yelled.
"Calm yourself down." -Madame Romani told him. –"Why don't you do as the lizard there, and practice your aim?" -she suggested, while pointing at Reptile, who had been throwing his switchblade at a target on the wall.
"I don't need to practice my aim! My aim is perfect!" -Rapier snapped at her.
"Even perfection can be improved, Rapier." -Brutus said. He had been silently sharpening a sword, in a corner. –"A good soldier knows that."
"Don't give me that army mumbo jumbo! It only reminds me that I'm stuck down here, with you all!" -Rapier yelled at Brutus, infuriated.
"Quit your yelling! Do you want the master to come out of his quarters and punish us for all that racket you're making?" -Madame Romani snapped at him, warning him.
Still remembering what had happened, the last time he angered Hawk Moth, Rapier decided to shut up. The last thing he wanted was to end up feeling like an extra crispy piece of fried chicken. Neither he, nor the others had seen Hawk Moth for the past 4 hours, as he had locked himself in his quarters meditating, leaving them by themselves.
"The master still hasn't told us how things will happen tomorrow." -Reptile commented, as he removed his switchblade from the target.
"He will tell us, when he feels the time is right. Not before, nor after." -Brutus declared, as he continued to sharpen his longsword. –"And until that time comes, we must wait and prepare ourselves for what will be the final battle against the Miraculous heroes." -he said.
"You don't have to tell me that twice. I'll enjoy dancing on their corpses. Especially Rena Rouge's." -Madame Romani declared. –"That girl has a way to get under my skin. And I can't stand it!" -she said. –"Mark my words… tomorrow, she dies by my hands."
And while the gypsy witch dreamed of what she was going to do to the fox heroine, inside his quarters, Hawk Moth was also fantasizing of what was going to happen the following day. He had ordered Rapier to place the urn of Ahmet in a place where it could absorb the power of the moonlight, and Rapier had chosen the top of the Eiffel Tower to do it. Using his magic, he created a window that allowed him to see the urn. This one was now glowing red, every few seconds. One could tell that what was inside it, wanted to get out.
"One more night of moonlight, and I'll be able to unleash your full power." -Hawk Moth stated, as he looked at the image of the urn. –"I can hear your cries, wanting to get out. I only ask of you a little bit more patience."
Patience, as many would say, is a virtue. And Hawk Moth was a patient man. Still, even he had his limits. For months now, the Miraculous Team had been a thorn in his side, and neither his Akumas, nor his lieutenants had been able to deal with them. He wanted them dead. In fact, the only thing he wanted more than them dead, was their miraculouses, so he could destroy them. But with the army of the dead inside the urn of Ahmet on his side, he was sure of winning. And the army was not his only trick up his sleeve. It had taken him a while, but he had figure out how he was going to use that other magical item Brutus had acquired.
"And you… I finally decided what I'm going to do with you." -Hawk Moth said, as he looked at the glass bead containing the Breath of Arawn. –"You're going to help me ensure those meddling kids won't live to see tomorrow's sunset." -he stated, as he gaze turned to the right, to where the glass dome with his Akuma Butterflies were.
It's been a month since the last update... it's been hard for me to write (there are days where I ask myself, if I'll ever be able to write the way I used to again).
And with this, we come to a close on Chloe's birthday. Next, it's Marinette's birthday, and it's going to be one of those birthdays that she'll never forget, I can guarantee you that.
Oh, and regarding the idea that miraculous users can't get drunk, I had this idea a while ago, while watching a TV show, where they were talking about how back in the Middle Ages, Vikings were always competing to see who could drink the most, without getting drunk. The more I thought about it, the more I figured that in the past, miraculous holders would have feasts in their honour, and it would be interesting to see them immune to alcohol and winning those competitions, with one arm behind their backs.
As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave your suggestions to improve this and/or future fics in this AU of mine.
P.S. The little project I have to celebrate the Paris Olympics is coming along nicely. You'll see what it is in a couple of weeks, and I believe you're going to love it.