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Adrien closed his eyes as the bite of cake melted on his tongue in an explosion of flavours. There was chocolate, a hint of raspberries and sour cream that combined in the most delectable way. There was no doubt about it - Marinette’d dad knew how to make the best birthday cake in addition to the rest of his divine creations.
“Wow,” he sighed after he swallowed, looking into Marinette’s smiling eyes.
“Good, right?” She asked, already halfway through her own piece of cake.
“It’s absolutely fantastic.” He was about to take another bite when she stopped him.
“Wait.” He paused and looked at her. “You have something.”
He’d expected her to wipe the chocolate or cream from his mouth with a finger, although there was no point since the next bite of cake would have the same result anyway. He was surprised when she leaned in and her tongue darted out to lick the supposed smudge.
“Mmm, tastes even better,” she whispered, but instead of pulling back, she actually moved in for a full-on kiss.
It was good that her parents were already in the bakery after they’d taken their pieces of cake with them, because once he tasted her, he had to agree. He could feel the cake flavours on her tongue as well but combined with the very unique taste she had and the result made him dizzy. They kissed until they ran out of air and then pulled apart panting.
“16,” she declared after a gulp of air. The number registered easily in his mind, he was turning 16 after all as the half-burned candles on the counter proved. But this wasn’t all.
He thought back through the morning they’d spent together. He hadn’t thought much when she’d greeted him with a kiss, he would have been surprised if she hadn’t. But as they set off on their walk, he’d noticed a strange determination on her face and a pattern with every kiss that followed.
He’d decided that he wanted to spend the morning of his birthday with her. After lunch with her parents, they’d meet the rest of their friends, although if he had to be honest, he would have been happy spending the whole day just with her. It was rare that they had so much free time to themselves, but she’d put her foot down as only she could and told his father that she wasn’t having it - he had to be free of any obligations on his birthday. His father had realised early on that he shouldn’t argue with her so it was done. Adrien hoped that one day, preferably soon, he’d be able to hold his ground in front of his father in the same way.
And so they walked hand in hand through Paris and this was the best present for him, although she insisted she had another one she’d give to him later. The weather was surprisingly mild for the end of October, the sun warm on them even as red, yellow and orange leaves danced in the soft breeze. Not that he noticed much of it, he had eyes only for her. She looked absolutely adorable in her little pink coat, insisting that she wasn’t cold in the knee-length full skirt of her dress underneath it. Her hair was down and her cheeks rosy from the fresh air. She was so beautiful that he couldn’t believe that she was finally his and he’d been reminding himself for months that it was real.
The air was warm, but it was still too cold for Andre’s ice-cream so they had to make do without it. They still walked by his usual spot on Pont des Arts, where Marinette again paused to kiss him as they looked over the Seine. It wouldn’t have been suspicious that she kept kissing him if it wasn’t for the soft murmurs of 5 or 8 or 10 he could swear he heard after each kiss throughout the morning. Sometimes it was just a peck as they kept walking, other times she literally took his breath away as they kissed, like when they were sitting on a bench under the warm autumn sun. They obviously measured the same in her mind, although he had to admire the way she actually kept the count accurate.
He tried not to pay attention but it was rather distracting to hear the number each time. He knew she had her reason, he was more than familiar with the fascinating way her mind worked, so he tried to stifle his curiosity. And he hadn’t minded the kisses that went a little above her usual display of affection, exactly the opposite.
But as he stood there, while she was still trying to catch her breath, the taste of chocolate still fresh in his mind, he saw the triumphant look in her eyes and understood.
“A kiss for each year?” he asked as his heart melted at the absolutely sweetness of the gesture.
“Yep,” she declared with a wide smile. “It’s the least you deserve. I had to make sure to make this birthday extra special and sweet, after the previous two you had.”
He had to agree that this one marked a very significant improvement from his last two birthdays, the first one ending up with his best friend akumatised and throwing him a party that was far from fun and the last one he’d spent alone at home after his father’s insistence that it was for his own protection.
“It was already the best birthday since I got to spend it with you,” he said softly and the spark in her eyes returned after the not so happy memories.
“Still, it needed a little something extra,” she replied as she leaned in. “I don’t intend to stop at 16, though,” she whispered against his lips.
“I counted on that,” he managed to say and tried not to laugh at the whine from her.
“You’re lucky it’s your birthday,” she grumbled, pulling back a little.
“That I am, since I have you, m'lady,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close again.
“Happy birthday, kitty” she said and then finally kissed him again. After all, 16 kisses were nowhere near enough.