25 Days of Adrien (+ 6 of Marinette)
Marinette and Adrien go out and build a.... fireplace?
Part of the MLHolidays2k19 Prompts
The weather was cold and the snow was falling outside. School was let out early due to the impending storm, which allowed Adrien and Marinette to hang out a little longer than usual. Lunch with the Dupain-Chengs was as great as always - full of love and sweet laughter - something Adrien enjoyed more than he believed he should. Conversations filled the air with Christmas topics.
“Adrien, what is one thing you want for Christmas?” Sabine questioned.
Adrien looked down at his hands. No one really asked him that question before, at least not since... he didn’t want to think of that right now. He bit his lip a bit, his mind reeling at the thousands of possibilities he could want. His family was rich. He could afford whatever he wanted. His father bought him everything that he thought Adrien could want. All to fill the unpleasant void and uncomfortable silence between the two remaining family members.
His mouth twisted into a contorted frown. “Would it be sad to say all I really want is a loving family to just love me back?”
Sabine and Tom looked at each other with sheer sadness. “Oh honey, I know it may not be the same, but you are family to us.” Sabine reached over to him and embraced him in a warm hug. “We love you, dear. Always remember that.”
Marinette walked over to him; her heart aching with sadness. A man as loving as him deserved so much more than what he currently had. She knew damn well that he was so loved, even if it wasn’t from that man he called “father”.
As soon as Sabine let him go from her embrace, Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hand and placed her free hand to his cheek. “Seriously, I love you.” She kissed his cheek. “We all do.”
All he could do was look up at her through his tousled bangs, a slight painful, but yet warm smirk ran upon his lips. “I know.” He whispered. “I love you all too.”
Once the kitchen was cleaned, her maman shooed them up to Marinette’s room to enjoy their remaining time together before he was forced to leave. Because really, if he could, he would stay here until he married her.
Marinette and Adrien were wrapped in a warm blanket, enjoying the sweet cuddles as they watched some silly cat videos on her bed. If it made Adrien happy, she would watch these silly videos forever just to see his smile and carefree laughter.
After a few too many videos, an ad for some card company plays. It was a family in the middle of decorating the mantel with the fireplace lit up with a warm ember. He looks at the ad with a somber expression. “I’ve never decorated a fireplace before.”
“I haven’t either. We don’t have one here for us to decorate.” Marinette said while staring at the ad.
“We have one, but it’s in Father’s office, so we just never decorated it.” Adrien shrugged.
Marinette chewed her lip a bit before her eyes flicked wide with a sly thought. She got up and ran down her ladder, looking for the necessary supplies she needed to start her plan.
Adrien, confused as ever, propped up on his elbow, questioning the quick movements his girlfriend was doing. He knew she had a plan, but this time he could not figure out what it was.
He heads down the ladder to watch her. “What are you doing, Marinette?”
Without turning around she states nonchalantly, “I’m getting supplies.” She opens up her sketch book, quickly designing the 3D version of specifications for the build. As she finished the sketch, she turns to show him the design. “We are building ourselves a fireplace!”
Adrien cocked his head to the side. “We are what?” he deadpanned.
“Listen silly.” She giggled. “Neither of us have ever decorated a fireplace before. I’m gathering boxes and paper and paint and we are making a pretend fireplace!” She moved her chaise out of the way to make room for the boxes.
Adrien’s mind was moving quickly between emotions. From shocked that she was doing this, to expected that she would attempt to do this, to adoring his girlfriend for doing this for him, for them – he didn’t know which way to go. But his smile reached his ears in a wide grin before he could figure those sweet emotions. He quickly dove to the floor beside her, waiting for her commands.
Before they knew it, the cardboard boxes were quickly forming into the fireplace design. She handed him paints to start painting the makeshift brick façade, not caring how messed up the lines would be. All she cared about was that they were having fun and doing it together. She moved over to her desk to design and cut out a pretend fire, soon painting it and allowing it to dry.
When Adrien was done, she asked him to start making pretend stockings with construction paper. He finished the designs with both their names written on the collar of the stocking.
They must have been at it for hours when Marinette’s papa knocked on the hatch bringing in pastries to hold them over. “Wow, look at this Sabine!” Tom called out.
Sabine walked up the stairs to see the almost completed project. “Oh, isn’t that lovely!”
Adrien looked over to them and smiled at the praises of their hard work. Marinette agreed that Adrien did a great job working on the painting of the brick and showed them the stockings he had put together.
“You have an eye for design, Adrien.” Tom praised with a wink.
“Thank you” he said coyly as he rubbed his neck.
When the paint was dry, Tom and Adrien brought the makeshift fireplace down to the living area to the wall beside the television. Marinette stayed in her room just a little bit longer creating stockings for her parents to place on the mantel.
Sabine was working in the kitchen, making some homemade hot chocolate for them all to enjoy together. They all sat on the couch, marveling at the design, pretending they were enjoying the warmth from the pretend flames.
Conversations continued, laughter ensued, all to be interrupted by a ringing in Adrien’s pocket. All too soon, he had to leave.
As Marinette walked him out the door, he hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek, then to her other cheek, her forward, down to her nose, and ending it with a lingering kiss to her lips. “You are seriously the best girlfriend I could ever ask for, Marinette. I love you.”
She wrapped her fingers in his hair, looking ever so sweetly into his eyes. “And you deserve the world, Adrien.” She tiptoed up to reach his lips, kissing him once, twice, three times before saying back: “I love you too.”