Dance with Me, Chaton

Inspiration

Marinette's birthday marked exactly ten months, two weeks, and three days since Adrien had learned about the mysterious Ladybug and embarked on a journey to find her in exchange for a feeble promise of freedom from his father. What should've been an interesting, few-weeks-long experience at its most turned out to be a wild, life-changing ride by no means easy for everyone involved. Still, as Adrien escorted Marinette out to dinner on her birthday, he found himself unable to regret a single thing, no matter how much it cost him. His gains outweighed it all.

The restaurant Adrien had chosen was unusually private for Paris' dining scene and one of the most serene spaces he'd ever visited. Soft music floating through the candlelit space weaved itself in between the quiet chatter of other couples in the room. The food was delicious and the staff, friendly. The whole atmosphere was enthralling, making this evening an unforgettable one as the pair chatted, laughed, and indulged in a wide variety of delicatessen, enjoying each other's company more than anything else. For Adrien, however, the best part of the evening was the birthday girl. With her hair down, an elegant red dress, and stylish accessories, including the ruby earrings he gifted her with this morning, Marinette was the epitome of beauty, her smiles alone outshining everything else in his universe, her constant teases ensuring he remained acutely aware of his feelings for her the whole evening.

"Don't tell Papa, but this chocolate mousse is the best thing I've ever tried in my life," Marinette said, finishing her dessert. "We must come back. I need to try everything else they have on their menu. Maybe pick up a few things for us to savour at home."

"As you wish, my Lady," Adrien said, watching Marinette lick her spoon clean. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he'd be madly in love with a woman who could out-eat him any time of the day and still remain in perfect physical shape. Then again, that could be easily explained by all that training she'd been doing with Tikki. And as far as Adrien was concerned, Tikki could easily give Plagg a run for his money in the intensity of her workouts. He shivered even at the memory. Her training wasn't exactly more physically demanding than Plagg's. Not at all. However, it relied on exceptional speed and agility, something that Adrien had suspected his male body wasn't built for. The few times he'd trained with Tikki, he'd thanked every deity alive he'd been assigned to Plagg because unaccustomed to such extremely quick movement transitions, he huffed and puffed and miserably fell behind all session long, leaving Marinette a giggling mess as she watched him suffer. His forgiveness, though, was easily earned by a few kisses right after the session.

"By the way, Alya demanded to make sure you knew this place was her suggestion," Adrien added once the waiter left with their empty plates.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "I should've guessed. She did write that article on Paris' hidden gems a few weeks back. Though, I don't remember this one on the list."

"Somebody suggested it in the comments section under her article," Adrien explained. "She checked it out last week and said it was better than any of the places that made it on her list. So much better, in fact, that she'll be writing a new article in a few days... after we had a chance to enjoy the calmer version of what soon to be a highly sought-after place. Her words. Not mine."

Marinette chuckled. "I love Alya. I'd have to thank her somehow because—" She reached for his hand to hold in hers, "—a quiet evening alone with you was just what I wanted for my birthday. Thank you, Chaton. This was the perfect present."

"No need to thank me yet," Adrien replied, his lips already bestowing a lingering kiss onto her hand. "The evening is just starting."

"Seeing as you've asked me to bring my Kwami Kave outfit, I'm guessing we're heading there next?"

"You're right as always, my Lady. Kwami Kave is next."

Marinette lightly nibbled at her lip. "Was it bad of me to hope that on my birthday we could spend some time alone? Just the two of us, without constant interruptions of everyone else."