Adrien was planning to surprise his Lady a sixteen-tower Strawberry Sponge Cake with sixteen candles on her sixteenth birthday.

He was glad that Tom and Sabine were more than willing to teach him secretly on how to bake, even enlisted themselves to help him decorate but he politely refused because the cake was his personal gift to his Princess and them helping him would defeat its purpose. They would still make a birthday cake for their daughter; after all, Marinette deserves all the sweets in the world; but they might mellow it a bit so that it will not clash on his creation.

He tried to imagine his Princess' reaction to the surprise party that will be arranged by their classmates in the park, just like what they did on her fourteenth birthday, and the watery smiles once he brought her the first birthday cake he ever made specifically for her.

Unfortunately, his bad luck struck him to the rear.

"You have an afternoon photo shoot with Vincent today," Nathalie told him as she read his updated schedule. "And a dinner with our new investors in Le Grand Paris."

"You know that I can't go, Nathalie. I informed Père a month ago that I'll be attending Marinette's birthday - "

"It's your father who instructed me personally to alter your schedule."

Adrien closed his eyes and mustered all of his strength not to punch the walls. "I already promised everyone that I'll be there on - "

"You can attend Mlle. Dupain-Cheng's birthday party after the dinner."

"That can't be!" the blond revolted. "I'm the one who's going to bring the cake!"

"We can have someone deliver the cake in her home - "

"You don't get it, Nathalie. You really don't get it," he shook his head tediously then sighed "I'm supposed to bake her a cake today as a gift and deliver it to her party personally."

"Oh." was her reply.

Adrien gave her a pleading look "I don't want to miss Marinette's birthday for the world. Please, Nathalie, help me."

The secretary took a deep breath "Very well then. I will reschedule your photo shoot with Vincent at a later date." the boy was about to scream for joy until she added, "But the dinner will stay."

Well, he can still manage that.

Adrien spent his entire afternoon in the mansion's kitchen mixing several batters of strawberry and loading them in round cake pans. He also sent Nino a text message that the cake will be 'late' without disclosing the changes that happened in his schedule. And as he waited for the sponges to cool down, he began to make his vanilla buttercream based on Marinette's preferred taste and the strawberry ganache he knew she loved the most.

Before he left for Gabriel's investors dinner, he made sure that his cake layers were chilled in the fridge so that he could easily assemble the tower once he arrived.

He didn't understand why his cake tower collapsed.

"What did I do?" the blond panicked as he tried to salvage the remains. He was hundred-percent sure that the recipe was correct and he followed the instructions to the tee. So why did his cake fail?

Nathalie's head popped out from the doorway. "Adrien, are you ready to leave for Mlle. Dupain-Cheng's birthday party?"

"N - not yet!" he answered with a squeak. "I'm still not done with the cake!"

Plagg flew out from his hiding place few moments after the bespectacled secretary left "You know, kid. You should have accepted that woman's offer to buy Princess a cake instead."

Adrien lashed his head towards his kwami with an angry look "I can't do that, Plagg! You know that I can't...I can't...I...I..."

I will never make it to the party.

He wasn't sure if he still has leftover ingredients enough to recreate the cake, and if he does, he might finish decorating it the next day.

No way he would give his Lady a post-birthday cake.

"Kid.."

Plagg stared at his Chosen helplessly as he slammed his fists on the counter and slid his body wearily to the floor.

"Princess will still like your cake no matter what." the kwami murmured then nuzzled his blond head to ease his frustrations.

"I know. Marinette is too sweet for her own good," he chuckled darkly. "But I'm afraid what she might do if someone insults her birthday cake."

"You should have baked her a smaller version instead."

He shook his head "I want nothing but perfect for her birthday."

"You're such a sap, you know that right?"

Adrien fished his phone and shoot Nino an apology text, then turned the device off immediately knowing that it will be bombarded with calls and messages from Marinette and their friends.

.

.

.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you." Adrien sang despondently as he stared at the collapsed birthday cake that he carted in his room. "Happy birthday, sweet Marinette. Happy birthday to you."

"That's the saddest Happy Birthday Song that I've ever heard."

The blond turned his head towards his visitor "Marinette?! What are you doing here?"

Dropping her transformation, Marinette approached him with a smile "I'm here to fetch my best friend."

"Best friend is not available. Try again the next day."

"Don't be silly, Kitty," she snorted then noticed the dessert pile. "Merde, is that..."

"My surprise gift for you," he muttered, trying not to look at her bluebell eyes. "Which unsurprisingly failed. It was supposed to be an Eiffel tower; now it looks like a Leaning Tower of Pisa."

She didn't say anything, and the silence irked him tremendously.

The pig-tailed girl was just walking around his pitiful sixteen-layered dessert he barely considered as a Strawberry Cake with hands on her mouth. Only when he raised his head he finally noticed the tears that welled in her eyes.

"Are you crying because it's ugly?" he asked.

"No," she answered, wiping the happy tears with her long sleeves. "I'm crying because it's lovely."

Adrien hastily wrapped his arms around her body and whispered "Happy Sweet Sixteen, my Lady."

She returned the gesture. "Merci beaucoup, mon Minou."

.

.

.

Bonus:

"Oh my gosh, this is the best raspberry shortcake that I've ever tasted!"

"Erm, this is a sponge cake, my Lady. In strawberry flavor."