And with one quick motion similar to a composer setting aside his pen after finishing his masterpiece, Marinette put down her tools and relaxed into her chair with pride.
It's done.
Well, the design at least. The actual outfit would take her a bit longer. Still, she smiled as if she climbed Mount Everest. It took her hours and hours of deep focus to come to this point and frankly she was hungry for a break. It's surprisingly hard creating an outfit for someone who is basically perfect since the outfit has to match his perfection and that stuff just isn't a walk in the park... But now it's done. Somehow.
Someone placed his hands on her tight neck and shoulders and massaged her lightly. "What do we have there?" Adrien asked over her shoulder playfully.
Marinette turned in her chair to face him and stood up, placing a finger on his lips. "I said no looking and no asking."
"It's my outfit, shouldn't I be the first one to see it?"
"Continue like that and you will be the last one to see it. You asked me to design it, so my work, my rules. Oh stop with the Puppy eyes! It's too cute." she said and smacked him with a pencil.
Adrien rubbed his head, laughing. "Looks like someone is ready to get a bit of fresh air."
Marinette sighed and relaxed. "Like never before."
"Let's go, I can't wait either." Adrien hopped from leg to leg, pulling her to the wardrobes.
Surprisingly, Marinette didn't forget to put on her winter clothes this time - a green coat with cute pink-red gloves and a matching scarf.
She turned to Adrien. With his elegant black coat, blond hair and green eyes deeper than La Manche he looked like a cover of a fashion Magazine. Come to think of it, that's not so far fetched...
Then he wrapped a scarf around his neck with a rapid motion.
Her scarf.
The one she made him for his birth day all those years ago. It looked almost ilegally good on him.
He looked at her with a smile. "What are you looking at?"
"What? Nothing. Why?"
He shrugged. "You just looked funny."
She giggled, ready to open the door to avoid talking about her - his scarf.
"Wait, Marinette. You almost forgot about this..."
"About what?" she turned at him.
His eyes shone with green flames. "Adrien? What is it ? You have your silly eyes!"
He smiled devilishly as he pulled out a pair of winter earmuffs, one red and the other blue.
Marinette shook her head resolutely. "No. No way."
It was Adrien's turn to put a finger on her lips. "Na-ah, Marinette. Remember, I invited you here and you accepted." he smirked. "My trip, my rules. So please, put on these ultra cute earmuffs so you don't catch the cold again, princess."
"It's princess now?" she smiled. "Well I can't say no to that. When those are the rules... "
He nodded, still smirking playfully. "Those are the rules."
They both put them on. Marinette shook her head at his antics. "You are a dork. No arguing, you just are."
"I never argue with Truth."
"My name is Marinette."
He put a hand over his shocked mouth. "Oh no, I must be in the wrong room then?"
They both laughed on their way out of the room.
And that, leaving the room, was... strange. It didn't quite feel right for Marinette, almost as if she was supposed to stay back there, locked up, forever. Silly...
The staff gave them anxious and distrusting glances at first, but Adrien's smile was the key to more things than just Marinette's heart and soon enough they stepped out of the hotel.
It was a late winter afternoon. There was still sunlight, but it was obvious it would soon be dark. Adrien said that was precisely the point.
The wind touching Marinette's face was chilling, but oddly enough not uncomfortably so. It just felt right.
The teens took a deep breath. They were free, no Miraculous shenanigans required.
"Ready?" Adrien looked at her and grabbed her hand with a smile. He took her shy blinking as a yes.
"So... Where are you taking me?" she asked at last.
"To the Oldtown. The Heart of Prague. The crown jewel of central Europe."
"Intriguing" she admited.
Soon enough they quit the French street and found themselves in real Prague. You know, architecture of the highest artistic ability, hundreds of years of history, cobbled streets, nearly every building being seemingly stuck in time, that kind of thing.
Marinette noted the ornamentation on a facade of a Baroque House straigth from a history and art textbook standing across from an old Gothic jewish synagogue sitting right next to a Renaissance corner-street mansion with her mouth open. So much culture, yet mixing so smoothly and elegantly into a real beauty of a town.
The two paused for a moment. The setting sun transformed the skyline of monuments into a true fairy-tale scene... "Welcome to Prague, the city of everyday wonders!" Adrien said, excited.
The city was packed. Not suffocatingly so, since the Streets were wider than most houses. On the contrary... It felt nice seeing people out. Not panicking. Together. Celebrating.
Marinette wondered why they were all out.
Then they saw a strange trio face them at the end of the street - three people dressed as an Angel, a Devil and a Priest with a long wise beard, tall red hat and a staff. They stopped families with kids. The Devil tried to scare the children, the Angel told them something nice and then the Priest gave them some sweets and then they were on their way. Bizzare...
Walking by the thinking Marinette, the Devil jumped up suddenly with his tongue sticking out, making Marinette scream and fall into Adrien's embrace. The Devil then sent Adrien a little innocent wink.
That was not a single occasion, no. They met similar trios everywhere they went.
"I wonder what it means..." said Marinette.
"I thought you'd never ask!" said Adrien. "Today is the day of Saint Nicholas. Basically the Czech version of Santa. Adults get together and then they walk around, doing something for the kids. It's pretty sweet."
"If by sweet you mean traumatizing."
"Yeah, you could say that." he cuddled with her. "But you have nothing to fear with me." He leaned in for a kiss, but then Marinette let out a shriek and pulled him off the road. A second later a real horse-pulled carriage flew by.
"You sure?"
Adrien shot her an innocent smile, shrugging. "City of everyday wonders."
They were on probably the cutest square she has ever seen. Her inner artist fainted, woke up in shock and fell into coma again. Too. Beautiful.
"The Oldtown square. Look, even the Starbucks looks like an old tavern!" Adrien leaned closer to the glass and wondered outloud. "That bartender looks like he would tell me to go kill some goblins for 10 silver pieces."
"Goblins?" Marinette said.
"Yeah, like from Dungeons and Dragons." He looked at her. "What?"
"I never realized you were into that sort of thing..." she frowned.
"Oh..." Adrien scratched the back of his neck. "I.. Uh... It's rare that I... Well, not really it's just... uh... Nino and... I play with... just sometimes..."
Marinette burst out laughing and flicked his nose. "Let's say you missed the charisma roll right now, Paladin."
"You- wait, no way!"
"Yes way. Alya made me. I know what's up."
"I know what's down. My jaw. This takes princess to a whole new level, Mari."
"A New level?" she said with a wink.
They laughed like the kids they were at heart.
Adrien wiped his tears. "This is just the beginning. We haven't even reached the bridge yet."
"The bridge?"
"No, no, no, the bridge."
Even before stepping into the busy Street leading to "the" bridge, the smells nearly knocked them unconscious in the most pleasant way imaginable.
The left side was filled to the brim with Czech restaurants, food boutiques and all kinds of street food vendors. Bizarly cooked steakes, juicy chicken, hams of all types and sizes, and sausages, so many types of sausages... And they had bread that made even Marinette's baker-head spin! Even simply looking at the saliva-inducing restaurants made Marinette feel guilty - given the option, she would have drained it all in like a possesed vacuum cleaner. And those were only the reasonably healthy options! On the other side of the street the temptations kicked into full gear.
Sweets. Sugar. Chocolate.
Oh my God...
Hard-boiled sweets, fruit covered in caramel, Czech apple-walnut struddel up on display, bakers preparing ginger bread right from the oven, kids running around with fluffy cotton candy looking like the Czech flag...
A sugar addicts dream. In other words, Marinette's dream.
Adrien probably saw her hungry eyes because he led her to the most medieval looking Inn around and ordered the Czech speciality at the take out window. Trdelnik - hollow rolled dough with almonds, walnuts, a little cinnamon and small touch of honey.
"It's surprisingly healthier than most French pastries." Adrien said after observing Marinette's eyes overflowing with guilt.
She opened and closed her mouth. "That's easy for you to say when you are so hot you burn thousands of extra calories by just existing."
Adrien raised his eyebrows. "Oh. Well then I better eat this before I starve..."
"Forget about it." she took the packet with the trdelnik out of his hand. "Mine."
Adrien wrapped his arm around Marinette. "You are cute when you are hungry, you know that?"
She blushed.
"What? It's true." he said.
"It's just... That's the one sentence every girl wants to hear."
Adrien frowned. "You sure? Others wanted to beat me up or something for food. I will rather stick with you."
And there it was. The majestic bridge. The Charles' Bridge.
Marinette stopped Adrien and took a deep breath. "Okay, okay why do I hear Harry Potter music in my head all of a sudden. I am not crazy right?"
"Yep, it does have those Hogwarts vibes, doesn't it? That's why we are here. I knew you'd like it, my little blue haired Gryffindor."
She looked at him. "You knew?"
"I know you have all seven books signed, and that you have Hermione's wand at home and I saw your Hogwarts lunch box a million times. And... Alya told me you even have a little crush on Malfoy's actor... And you call me a dork." He laughed heartily.
She punched him in the shoulder. "You are such a Hufflepuff."
He sent a kiss towards the sky. "Hufflepuff and proud."
There were steps leading down to a separate smaller celebration taking place below the bridge on their side of the river there that took their attention.
There were singers on a podium, street performers throwing torches and eating flames, more of those Saint Nicolas trios and even more food.
There was also this group of firemen gathered around an old school water tank brewing and selling tea and booze.
One of the firemen suddenly waved at them invitingly, making the young couple - Marinette still couldn't believe that they were a couple - jump up. The teens walked up to the smiling man hesitantly.
"Bonjour." said Adrien, waving slightly.
"Francouzi?" The fireman raised his eyebrows after hearing that. Then he laughed and shrugged, offering them steaming cups of tea.
Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, used to mean Parisians either wanting to scam them or make fun of them.
"Is that safe?" Marinette whispered in French.
"I am not sure." Adrien shook his head.
In the meantime, many others approached the firemen booth to buy their offered tea and booze. After pouring the next serving, the fireman winked at the frozen pair with a kind wave of his hand.
"Forh youh lavh births, free."
Adrien blinked, stepped forward and grabbed the two cups with a quick nod, smiling yet confused. "Merci, merci."
Walking back on the bridge, Marinette looked at Adrien. "Strange. You sure it's not poisoned or something?"
"Poisoned?" Adrien chuckled. "No. That was no assassin. It was just a man. A kind man, trying to make other's day, love bird."
After hearing that, Marinette couldn't stop herself from smiling.
They got back up and walked for a bit silently. Then Adrien stopped in the middle of the bridge and spun around.
He pointed at one of the statues to the side. "It's said that if you brush the golden part of the statue while thinking of something, it will come true. Come on," he nudged her. "Wish for something."
She thought of something and then touched the cold gold. Adrien did the same.
"What did you... Wish for?" Marinette said, brushing a streak of her hear behind her ear.
Adrien shook his head. "It won't happen if you say it out loud."
"Oh."
The wind was gentle this time, only blowing by. The river Vltava was calm below them. Despite the darkness of the coming night, it was wonderful. Peaceful. And beautiful.
Marinette opened the sack with the trdelnik, ravenous. Adrien stared at the river flowing by while holding the steaming tea.
"I am scared of the future, Marinette."
Marinette choked on her food. "W-what do you mean?"
He was still staring into the dark blankly. "It's... Look. Everyone - Nino, Alya, Max and you all have something. I mean, Nino has music, Alya wishes to be a journalist, Max will go to MIT. You will be a world class designer one day."
Marinette thought she could taste the trdelnik finally, but no, she choked on another bite after his last remark. Anyways, Adrien continued.
"You all have this passion. This clear destination. I... I just don't have that."
"But you do so many things! And you are good at all of them I am sure that..."
"Yes, I do a lot of things but I don't see me being... Happy...with them. Or it's not really about the things I'd do for a living..."
Marinette took a third bite. Finally. Yes, the almond-honey-sugar-walnut taste was epic. Back to Adrien.
"This might sound weird, but the only thing I ever really wanted in life was to have a family. I always wanted to... be a father. A good father. To be there for my kids whenever and wherever... If I'd have a family like that - I could do anything, even modeling and love it. But after time, with no hope in sight..." Marinette almost saw Chat Noir's heartbroken eyes in Adrien's. "I ended up just being lost. Lost and confused."
Marinette was listening intently. Her heart was on the edge of her chest beating for him. But her stomach demanded another bite of that delicousness and it damn got one.
"But with you..." Adrien surprised her by his glance. But she was wise - she only bit off pigeon bites now so she didn't choke to death. "I felt like that weight... That suffocating confusion... Disappeared."
He probably hoped that she'd say something but she stayed silent. What he didn't know that her heart was exploding, her brain melting and her feet turning into butter because jelly was way too cliché and she wasn't like the other girls.
"With you, I no longer feel lost." He couldn't hold the eye contact any longer. He looked back down on the river silently bubbling in the shadows. "I am sorry, I know it sounds stupid."
Marinette swallowed down her, well, Dreams-coming-true shock. Or she tried.
Because there was a friend to hel-
No.
Because there was the best boy she had ever known to help. She stepped to him, placing the tea cups on the edge of the bridge, and took him by the shoulders, her heart beating.
"Adrien, I had no idea what you were going through... But I know one thing. You are the best boy I have ever seen or - let's be real - who ever walked on this damned planet." Slow down girl, your real Marinette is leaking. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I also know that you will be the best dad imaginable. I know it from the depth of my heart."
His whole face blushed.
Marinette put hands on her sides." So I finally made you blush speechless?! That's payback for the years of you doing that to me!"
He blinked. "Y-years?"
"Yeah, years, blond guy. Ever since you gave me that umbrela during the rain!"
"Was...was I really that blind?"
"Yep."
Adrien blushed even harder.
"There you go again, love bird." she smirked. Then she shivered a bit from a sudden gust of wind.
Adrien jumped to action immediately.
He took off his dark coat and wrapped it around her, ignoring his own discomfort. "Are you okay? Warm?" He said with sudden care.
Marinette sighed. "Okay, that's it." she wrapped her arms around his neck and kisses him slowly. He melted in her arms, kissing back. Like that, all cold disappeared.
Leaning back from the kiss, she whispered into his ear. "Wǒ ài nǐ, Adrien"
He looked at her, still blushing, eyes widening. Then the happy Adrien returned with his famous spark behind the eyes and that cheeky smile...
He whispered back gently:
"Je t'aime, Marinette."
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Update after quite some time again. My fingers are still bad but I will walk through flames to update for you, you little angels.
The longest chapter yet, I hope you don't mind :(
I loved loved loved writing this, but you know what I love more?
You guys. You are just the best. Whenever some of you give me a star or a comment... it just makes me so happy and it motivates me to write even more!
Stay healthy, stay safe, stay happy, stay awesome.
:3