Adrinette April 2020

Day 11 - Video Games

"Marinette, you sound obsessed. Are you obsessed?" Alya asked from behind him. He chuckled to himself, absentmindedly scanning over his notes and not retaining a word of them.

"Maybe! But what's so bad about that?" Marinette pouted, and Alya just laughed.

"Have you asked if you could get it for your birthday?" she wondered, and Marinette sighed.

"It's a little over my 'birthday budget,' they said," she told her best friend, and Adrien's ears perked up. He hadn't been trying to eavesdrop, but they were sitting right behind him.

"I'll have to save up for it on my own," Marinette said determinedly, but Alya snorted.

"You mean like, a job?" she asked, and Marinette sighed.

"Yeah, that'll be a few years. I'm too busy for a job," she said, playing with her tablet's stylus.

"Not to mention you'd be late everyday," Alya teased, and Marinette chuckled.

"You're right," she admitted, and the bell rang to end their conversation.

Throughout the rest of the day, Adrien couldn't stop thinking about what Marinette had said. The birthday present he'd gotten, rather made, for her last year had seemed to make her really happy. He hoped he could be lucky enough to make her just as happy this year.

But it was only May, and Marinette's birthday wasn't for another few months. Adrien couldn't wait that long.

~~~~~

The bakery's bell chimed as he pulled open the door the next day, trying to hold the present behind his back. He took note of Mrs. Cheng behind the counter, seeing her warm smile directed at him.

"Hello, Adrien! It's good to see you," she said sweetly. He couldn't help smile back at how kind she was.

"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Cheng," he said politely, pausing after his greeting. "Is Marinette home?" Her smile shifted, seeming to be a little too knowing.

"Of course, I'll go grab her," she offered, and seeing as there were no customers in the shop, Sabine popped up to the apartment herself. Adrien admired the baked goods, not being kept waiting for very long at all.

Marinette came down the stairs, and Adrien was caught by surprise. She was wearing a strappy, light blue sundress, and by the looks of it, she'd made it herself. He'd never seen another like it, and he'd definitely never seen anything that flattered her so perfectly. The open neckline accentuated her collarbones, and the dress cinched around her waist in all the right ways. She was an excellent designer, but Adrien didn't know why that fact was making him blush.

"H-hi Marinette," he stammered, and she looked surprised.

"What's going? I mean, how are you up? Oh gosh," she sighed, holding her head in her hands. Adrien giggled to himself, not wanting to laugh at her but finding her cute to watch.

"I'm good, Marinette, and I came by to give you something," he answered, seeing her eyes focus on him again. She'd seemed to match the blue of her eyes with the fabric of the dress masterfully, and it mesmerized him for a moment.

"Me? Why?" she wondered, pointing to herself, as if he wasn't already unable to take his eyes off her.

"You'll see," he grinned, motioning for her to follow. He walked back out the door, and he led her across the street to the park.

"It's so nice outside," she seemed to say to herself. He smiled, glancing at her. He couldn't deny that the way the sunlight made her skin glow wasn't captivating, and that thought made him wonder if he could play off his blush as the heat if she ever noticed.

He led them to a bench that was partially shaded by a looming tree, the sunlight dancing through the leaves and leaving happy spots of sunlight everywhere. They both sat down, and he placed the pink gift bag he'd been carrying in between them.

"Happy early birthday, Marinette!" he exclaimed happily, and she blinked at him, confused.

"Wh-what? For me?" she asked, looking down at the present. He nodded excitedly.

"I couldn't wait to give this to you. I really wanted you to have it," he smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't wait for her to open it.

She brought the bag closer to herself gently, peering inside. She reached in, pulling the box out and freezing when she could read the packaging.

"But this is..." she trailed off, staring at her present with wide eyes. "Adrien!" she shouted abruptly, making him jump a little. She looked up at him, and he took note of her blush before she pulled him into a tight hug. He chuckled in surprise, unable to hug her back before she pulled away to look at him again.

"Why did you get this for me?" she asked, staring at him and then the box. Marinette had been talking about the new Animal Crossing game since it came out in March, but she didn't have the game or the console to play it on, so Adrien got her both.

"You were so excited about it, but you couldn't play it," he said, rubbing his arm. She looked up at him, her eyes full of excitement. "Hearing you talk about it so happily made me want to keep making you that happy, you know?" he admitted shyly.

"Thank you, Adrien," she got out, staring at him like he was the most incredible thing she'd ever seen. "Really."

"You're very welcome, Marinette," he smiled, feeling his heart stretch. He couldn't describe how it made him feel to see her so happy.

She squealed, holding the box to her chest.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" she said, looking at him happily. He never wanted that look to disappear from her face. He wanted to be the one who kept it there.

"I have the game too, so we can play it together if you want," he told her, not knowing it was possible for her eyes to light up even more. She looked like she could burst, overflowing with happiness and elation.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, then noticed how loud she was. "I mean, I'd love that," she spoke a little quieter, and Adrien laughed gently.

"Me too," he grinned, wondering if he'd ever felt so good. "Happy early birthday, Marinette." She grinned at him, making his heart soar again.

Adrien discovered in that moment that Marinette Dupain-Cheng's happiness was something deeply important to him, and he wouldn't have had it any other way.

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thank you all for reading! i hope you have a wonderful easter! 

mel x