#torn between wanting to give him enthusiastic credit and also not getting any more heat on him for releasing it

[smovs]

had a ball today learning how to wield 3D models in CSP [Riku’s turn]

[myheadinthecloudsnotcomingdown]

A Miraculous Birthday Present

Ao3

Adrien and Marinette walked through the door of the restaurant holding hands, looking around the restaurant until they spotted Alya and Nino. The couple had already found a table and waved their friends over enthusiastically.

“you two are seriously so cute together, it’s sickening” Alya deadpanned, “Nino, what did we do? Why did we ever ship these two?”

Nino just smiled as his girlfriend’s antics and shook his head, earning a smile from Alya and two blushes from Adrien and Marinette. They had been together officially for almost a month already, ever since they had accidentally discovered each other’s identities and finally broken out of their stupid love square, but the relationship was still rather new and awkward for the both of them, especially when their best friends called them out on it.

“Now if only the LadyNoir ship would sail, both of my OTP’s would be reality!” Alya sighed, “Marinette, do you think Ladybug and Chat Noir will ever get their act together long enough to admit they love each other?”

Marinette and Adrien shared a look. They had decided early on to wait a while between dating as civilians and dating as their superhero alter egos, but even they knew that the superheroes wouldn’t be able to hide their new relationship forever. Marinette turned her gaze to Alya.

“Well…” she said hesitantly, risking another glance at her boyfriend, “I think there’s a good chance…” She didn’t miss the smirk that Adrien was trying, and failing, to hide. She let herself smile as well; it was kind of fun talking about their alter egos like this.

“Woah girl, hold up.” Alya glared suspiciously at Marinette, “You have never shipped LadyNoir before, in fact you’ve been adamantly against them dating. Why the change of heart?”

Adrien noticed that his girlfriend had the good grace to look abashed, but only for a second before meeting Alya’s glare with a challenging look of her own, “Maybe you’ve corrupted me. Seriously, you think I’d be able to be around your gushing for all these years and not eventually reluctantly acknowledge that those two might be cute together? You underestimate your power.”

“As much as my girlfriend would love to take credit for converting you to LadyNoir,” Nino joined in, “I think the blame goes to a certain blond model.” Nino stared pointedly at his best friend. “Come on dude, everyone knows you are a hardcore LadyNoir shipper, and everyone also knows that Marinette would agree with almost anything to make you happy. Sorry Alya, but even you aren’t powerful enough to pull this one off.”

“Hey!” Both Marinette and Alya protested, but one look at the guilty look on Adrien’s face was enough to send them all into hysterics.

The group continued laughing and joking with one another until the waiter came to take their order. Marinette and Adrien couldn’t resist making at least a few CaraRouge ship references and watching their friends’ faces. After all, if they had to act cool while taking about their alter egos, the least they could do was force Alya and Nino suffer the same fate.

Alya excused herself to the restroom while they were waiting for their food to come and Nino watched her leave the table, making sure she was out of sight in the busy restaurant before leaning forward conspiratorially.

“Ok guys, we have to make this quick before she comes back.” Nino glanced toward the bathroom as if he was expecting Alya to reappear at any moment, “Alya’s birthday is this Saturday and I’m throwing her a surprise party.”

“Are you sure, Nino?” Adrien asked skeptically, “You’re dating a reporter, I don’t know if she’d be surprised if a black hole swallowed the Eiffel tower.”

“She wouldn’t be,” Marinette replied, “Excited? Yes. Running straight toward it regardless of her own safety? Definitely. But surprised? Not a chance.”

Nino threw his hands in exasperation, “Whatever, it’s the though that counts.” One more glance toward the bathroom, “So are you two in or not?”

Adrien and Marinette smiled at each other, “100%”

Nino’s face cracked in a smile, “Perfect, I’ll text you the details and we’ll work out assignments…She’s coming!”

Alya’s look of suspicion was back in full force by the time she got to the table. “You all look too innocent…”

“Us? Innocent? Never.” Adrien replied cheekily.

“Don’t I know it, sunshine boy.” Alya laughed, which set the whole group laughing again just in time for their food to arrive.

“What should we get Alya for her birthday Marinette?” Adrien asked from his place on Marinette’s floor.

“I don’t know Adrien; I want it to be special. I mean, she’s one of our best friends and is always there for us both in and out of the masks. I just want a gift that will reflect that.”

“But what does she even want?” Adrien puzzled.

“LadyNoir” Marinette joked. The two froze, each thinking the same thing.

“Well,” Adrien smirked, “It is about time…”

Saturday found the heroes reviewing their plan on the way to the movie theater. They had volunteered to take Alya to a new superhero movie that afternoon to distract her while Nino and the rest of their class set up the party. All they had to do was keep her occupied until it was time to deliver her to Nino’s house for the party at five.

“Hey girl,” Alya waved to them as they both walked into the lobby.

“Hey! So, I already got the tickets, but do you two want to buy the popcorn? I want to use the restroom before the movie.” Marinette was already walking away.

“Alright” Adrien called after her as he and Alya got in line. Phase one, complete.

It wasn’t long before there were shocked gasps and cries of, “Ladybug!” Adrien smiled as Alya whipped out her phone and looked up at the window where, sure enough, Ladybug was crawing into the building. The superheroine flipped down from the window sill and walked straight toward them, “Alya Césaire, I’ve been looking for you.”

Alya’s eyes widened, obviously wondering if there was an Akuma, and if so, did Ladybug need Rena Rouge, and if so why would Ladybug be approaching her in public like this and should she stop recording?

“Happy Birthday Alya!” Ladybug said causing Alya’s worries to dissipate and her eyes to brighten with joy. “Chat Noir and I wanted to do something for our favorite ladyblogger’s birthday, how does an exclusive interview sound? Chat Noir is already waiting for us, that is,” Ladybug paused, “if your friends are alright with us stealing you away?”

Alya looked between Adrien and Ladybug, torn, when Adrien interrupted, “Alya, it’s your birthday, you should do what you want to do. Don’t worry about us, I’ll tell Marinette where you’ve gone and you can meet us back here after the movie. It should end around,” Adrien looked at his phone, “4:45, just try to be back by then, or call us.”

Alya instantly became a bouncing ball of energy. “You really mean it? You’re not mad? Oh my goodness! Enjoy the movie!” Then she was off as Ladybug pulled her close and yoyoed out the window.

“Have fun!” Adrien called after the two, then walked toward the bathroom himself, so any bystanders would think he was ‘letting Marinette know where Alya went’, then called for his own transformation to race his girlfriend to the park.

Ladybug took the scenic route to the park, not that there were any non-scenic routes when flying over Paris, but she needed to give Adrien time to beat her to the park. Alya was live streaming their commute, with Ladybug’s permission of course, to give her followers a view of what it was like to swing through the streets like their favorite superheroine.

The two girls touched down to find Chat Noir waiting of them, apparently relaxed, if a little out of breath. Ladybug turned to Alya, “So we were thinking you might like to record us sparring for a little bit and then you can ask us some questions. How does that sound?”

“Amazing!” Alya could barely contain her excitement, “So it is alright if I record,”

“You can even live stream it,” Chat Noir said, “We’ll be careful not to do anything too revealing,” He added with an eyebrow wiggle. Ladybug rolled her eyes, “So shall we get started.”

The two heroes kept their eyes on the clock as fought, they didn’t want to get carried away with their normal banter and forget the whole reason they had made this ridiculous plan.

Alya seemed to be enjoying just watching them fight close up and being able to actually hear the banter and trash talk they exchanged, since it was so hard to get a quality recording of their dynamic during the heat of normal akuma battles. When the had been sparing for just over half an hour, their sparing had gotten more intense. Chat Noir tried to sneak up on Ladybug from behind, only for her to toss him effortlessly over her shoulder and pin him to the ground. He smirked and ladybug knew what was coming even before he grabbed her face to pull her lips down to meet his.

They pulled out of the kiss a few seconds later to appreciate the sight of Alya’s chin on the ground.

“So,” Chat Noir smirked, using his thumb to wipe smugly at the corner of his mouth, “I’m guessing you have those questions now.”

“LadyNoir is canon!!!” Marinette laughed as Alya screamed that sentiment for the third time since they had reunited at the movie theater 10 minutes earlier. Ladybug and Chat Noir had left Alya at the park, leaving her just enough time to run back to theater and arrive just after the movie ended. She had found Adrien and Marinette sitting outside awaiting a play by play of her exclusive birthday interview with Paris’s heroes and she hadn’t stopped gushing since. Adrien almost regretting actually going to the movie the day before with Marinette, since it seemed like Alya wasn’t going to question the plot or their alibi. It didn’t take long to arrive at Nino’s and Alya was so distracted by the LadyNoir kiss that she had caught on camera that she completely forgot to be suspicious, so she actually was surprised when Nino and the rest of the class jumped out from their hiding spaces when she walked through the door. Marinette and Adrien shared a smile as Alya made everyone watch the LadyNoir kiss again. Mission accomplished.