If you had asked fifteen-year-old Marinette for her eighteenth birthday plans, she would have said that she'd spend the day with Alya, perhaps a few other friends. If you'd told fifteen-year-old Marinette that Chloé Bourgeois would be there to help, she would have laughed in your face before issuing a death threat.

But there she was, rubbing sleep from her eyes at six in the morning as her two best friends rifled through her closet. "Ooh, Marinette, what's this?" Chloé joked, holding a set of lingerie.

All fatigue left and Marinette lunged for the ensemble, clutching it to her chest. "Don't touch this." Marinette hissed harmlessly, scuttling over to her desk before tucking the garments away.

"Whoa, girl, I've never seen you move so fast. Especially in the morning." Alya smiled.

Chloé giggled and came over to wrap Marinette in a hug. "You know what day it is?" She asked.

"Make fun of Marinette day?" Marinette grumbled.

"Nope." Chloé smiled, pulling her friend to her feet. "It's one of my two best friends' birthday, and I, Chloé Bourgeouis, intend on making it great." Chloé promised.

Marinette let a smile crack across her face, to excited cheers from the other girls in the room. "Now we want her to look hot." Alya started.

Chloé dragged Marinette to her chaise, planting the girl on it. "But we don't want her to be trashy." Chloé helped.

"This!" Alya said, holding up a top.

"No." Marinette grumbled.

"With these!" Chloé said, grabbing a pair of bottoms.

"Nope." Marinette interjected.

"It's perfect!" Alya announced.

"Well done, Alya." Chloé said.

"Well done, Chloé!" Alya beamed.

"I don't wanna wear that. It's, like, six in the morning." Marinette injected.

"Shut up and get your cute little ass in this." Alya said, tossing the clothing at Marinette.

"But I don't wanna." Marinette whined.

"You wanna look good for Nathanaël, right?" Chloé teased.

Marinette smiled sheepishly, a blush breaking out on her face. "...Fine." She said, quickly crossing her room to her partition.

"Hey, Chloé, is Adrien coming here or are we picking him up?" Alya asked.

"I dunno." Chloé said, shrugging.

"How do you not know where your boyfriend is twenty-four seven?" Alya asked.

"Because I don't keep tabs on him like-"

"Hey! Just 'cause I know where Nino is at every second doesn't mean I- Oh...." Alya said, catching sight of Marinette.

"So?" Marinette asked, watching her friends exchange looks.

"I love it!" Chloé squealed, throwing her arms around Marinette.

"Damn, girl." Alya said, scrutinizing Marinette.

"Thanks, guys." Marinette said, hugging Chloé back lightly.

"Marinette!" Tom boomed from below.

Marinette pulled Chloé and Alya to her trap door, flipping it open before making her way cautiously down the steps. "Happy Birthday!" Tom said, not bothering to lower his voice.

"Thanks, Papa." Marinette said, embracing her father.

After another wish from her mother, Alya whisked Marinette and Chloé onto the street outside. "Guys!" Marinette began. "How much did this cost?"

"Let's just say we split it as best we could, what with Adrien needing to be the primary donor." Chloé explained, rolling her eyes.

"How primary?" Marinette asked.

"Let's just say, like, ten times as much as the rest of us." Alya said, shaking her head.

"What?" Marinette exploded.

"Never mind that, get in the bus!" Chloé said, shoving Marinette towards the bus.

"Happy Birthday!" An explosion from within the bus, all of Marinette's close friends and others whom she would consider good friends.

Nino was first to give a hug, slinging an arm around Marinette's neck. Next was Nathanaël, shyly kissing Marinette's cheek. Lastly was Adrien; "Happy Birthday, bug." He said, winking at the nickname.

"Thanks." Marinette said, punching Adrien in the stomach.

He threw his shoulders forwards, curling his back to take less of the hit. As a counter, he lifted Marinette, flipping her onto the couch that sat across one wall. "Oof." She said, limbs all over the place.

"Adrien, be nice." Alya scolded, helping Marinette up.

"She started it." Adrien pointed out.

"She's allowed to start it, it's her birthday." Chloé pointed out, fixing Marinette's shirt.

Adrien shrugged, coming over to throw an arm around Marinette's shoulders. "Happy Birthday." He said, lightly knocking his head against hers.

"Thanks." Marinette said, satisfied that she'd won. Any other day, she'd have to wrestle the larger boy for the victory.

"So. Where are we going?" Marinette asked, turning to Chloé.

"You'll find out." Alya cut in, spotting the excited look on the blonde's face.

"But Alya...." Marinette whined, dragging out each sound in the name.

"But Marinette." Alya mimicked.

Marinette sighed. "Fine."

---{-}---

Alya's grand birthday party for Marinette consisted of breakfast, cake, lunch, cake, cake for dinner, and a dark drive around Paris in the party bus that had been rented for the day. Lights flashed as music thumped, loud cheering erupted as a tipsy game of never-have-I-ever broke out, and Marinette had her first alcoholic drink.

She'd forget the name of the expensive liquor moments later.

"Spin the bottle- Mari, chug it and let's play!" Alya commanded, hanging on tightly to one of the stripper poles protruding from the floor.

"No- Alya- I am not getting drunk!" Marinette called.

Marinette took one more sip and let the bottle get passed around, watching as the contents emptied. Nino dragged an unsecured table into the middle of the floor, grinning as the bottle was set atop it. "Spin it, 'Nette!" Nino cheered, excitement gnawing at him.

"Nath-" Marinette said, only to be stopped by the red head.

"Go ahead. You're still my girl." Nathanaël said, squeezing Marinette's hand.

Marinette smiled at the title, approaching the table with determination. She spun in forcefully, watching at the neck pointed at someone. It landed on Nathanaël, who may or may no have been attempting to position himself so that the bottle landed on him. Marinette grinned, the small amount of alcohol going to her head. Nathanaël, who had been positioned beside her, wrapped an around Marinette's waist, pulling her in for a kiss. Everyone else on the bus was either too drunk or too sweet to care that the kiss wasn't just a peck, instead cheering the couple on.

Marinette pulled back the slightest bit, whispering a lingering later to Nathanaël. "My turn!" Alya announced, turning the bottle.

Before it had finished spinning, she jumped onto Nino, wrapping her legs around his torso. The small crowd closed the gap the two had made, and others took turns spinning the bottle. When It was Marinette's turn again, Nino and Alya had not returned, and she spun the glass piece enthusiastically, hoping for it to land on Nathanaël so that she, too, could perhaps sneak away with the boy. But instead of anyone being picked, the bus hit a bump, startling all of its occupants, along with the bottle. Alya jumped up. "Next stop!" She yelled, ramming past people to the door.

"There's more?" Marinette asked, glancing at her phone, the day having already passed into the next.

"Yep!" Alya cried.

"Nah, we're just dropping people off now." Nino said, gesturing to the house that the bus had stopped at.

"That's my stop!" Rose called, dragging Juleka behind her.

"Wait, Juleka, are you going with Rose?" Nino asked, poised to check off a stop on the driver's list.

"Uh-" Juleka began.

"Yep." Rose said, shooting a sly glance at her girlfriend.

Juleka's face burst into a blush and she waved at the bus's occupants, hugging Marinette before turning to stand awkwardly at Rose's picket fence. "Bye, Marinette, Happy Birthday!" Rose said, throwing her arms around Marinette's neck.

She pressed a kiss to the girl's cheek, bounding off to hug her girlfriend. Everyone loaded back into the bus, and a few more stops were made, people being dropped off. In the end, it was just the six of them; Marinette, Alya, Nino, Adrien, Nathanaël and Chloé.

"So, good birthday?" Chloé asked, slinging an arm around Marinette's shoulders.

Marinette nodded enthusiastically, hugging her friend tightly. "Gimme some!" Alya commanded, joining the hug.

The trio broke apart, sitting down on the couch, and drunken conversation ensued. "The driver is done. We can go back to my place?" Nino suggested, referencing his tiny apartment he'd moved into the day he turned eighteen.

"Sure." Marinette agreed, and Nino moved to the front of the bus, opening the partition, to speak to the driver.

It wasn't long before the group managed to make it inside, Marinette paying a slight tip to the driver. "So." Chloé began, sitting down, placing herself between the armrest and Adrien.

Marinette sat next to Nathanaël, in between him and Adrien. Nino and Alya took the love-seat, Nino sitting comfortably with Alya's legs in his lap. "Let's keep playin' spin the bottle!" Alya crooned, exhaustion dampening her drunk.

"Sure." Nino shrugged, playfully shoving Alya's legs off of him to grab a bottle.

In the time that he was gone, Marinette had managed to snuggle against Nathanaël's side, holding his arm around her shoulders, while Chloé clutched Adrien's hand. Nobody noticed that Marinette and Adrien had linked pinkies, something that had become a bit of a habit from the brief time they'd tried to rekindle an dregs of their relationship.

Neither had tried very hard, and a week later they tried to hold hands, missing completely to link pinkies instead. After a fit of laughter, the two decided there was no point in trying to date. Marinette had been immensely grateful that nobody but the pair knew about the situation. A month after the incident, Nathanaël asked Marinette out again, in an extremely gentle tone, and they had hit it off, becoming a couple to be reckoned with. A little while later, Chloé changed, becoming Adrien's girlfriend.

Nino returned then, holding an empty bottle as well as a six pack. He distributed the drinks accordingly, skipping the tipsy Alya. "Birthday girl, you first." Chloé insisted, pointing lazily at the table.

Marinette scooted forwards, abandoning both boys, and spun the bottle. She watched as it turned, landing to face extremely close to her. "Who'sat?" Marinette slurred tiredly, turning to see Adrien.

"I'm not gonna kiss him in front of y'all 'cause I'll never live it down." Marinette said, playing off drunken girl.

In actuality, she'd only had a few sips of wine from earlier, followed by a few sips of beer now. "Okay." Adrien said, glancing quickly at Chloé. She nodded, enthusiastically pushing Adrien up.

"Ooh, do they want privacy, Nino?" Alya giggled, a hiccup piercing the laugh.

"Yep." Nino said, smiling at his stupid-drunk girlfriend. He issued a pat to her leg, watching as more giggles bubbled out.

Marinette pulled Adrien into Nino's bathroom, clutching both of his hands in her own. "We don't have to." Marinette said slyly.

"No." Adrien agreed slowly.

Although neither would ever admit it, they wanted to, but only because they were curious. They just wanted to know what it was like after so long, that was all. "You're not drunk, are you?" Marinette asked.

"Neither are you." Adrien responded.

That was all it took. Marinette's hands fluttered, moving up to trace lightly on Adrien's neck. Adrien's had set on Marinette's hips, sliding to pull her in much closer. "It's not cheating, right?" Marinette whispered, nose brushing Adrien's.

"The bottle didn't say it was." Adrien concurred.

Marinette, standing on her tip-toes, moved her eyes to Adrien's. His were slightly lidded. As if a magnet, her eyes then snapped to his lips, wondering if they'd feel the same as they had a few years ago. A second later, she got her answer. And she was wrong. Chat's- Adrien's lips were more sure, pressing tighter. But they were still soft, and just as warm. She abandoned his neck in favor of his hair, tugging at the roots pushily. A second too soon for Marinette's liking, the two pulled apart, breathing heavily. "Oops." Marinette said, not at all embarrassed for getting so carried away.

Adrien just stared at Marinette, breaths steadying. Coyly, Marinette moved half an inch closer, brushing her somewhat swollen lips against Adrien's. "Sorry." She whispered, slowly untangling her fingers from Adrien's blonde locks.

"Oh- yeah." Adrien agreed, jolting back.

His hands hit Nino's grayed counter-top, jostling the soap bottle near the sink. At Adrien's outburst, Marinette herself moved back, spine pressing into the cool tiles behind her. The room seemed to become unbearably hot, making breathing impossible. Checking her reflection quickly, Marinette awkwardly patted Adrien's shoulder and stepped out of the door, taking a deep breath. She resumed her drunken act, giggling as she collapsed back on the couch, snuggling against Nathanaël. "Marinette, we know you're not drunk." Alya slurred out, pointing lazily.

"How. Can you be sure?" Marinette shot back, grabbing Nathanaël's hand.

"M'kay." Alya responded.

Adrien finally forced himself to move, sitting himself down next Chloé and Marinette, breathing shallowly. "Whoa, Adrien, youR face is really red." Alya remarked.

"N-no it's not." Adrien said. Nonetheless, he buried his face in his hands.

The rest of the night descended into chatter, meaningless banter among the group of friends. "I love you guys." Nino announced later, kissing Alya's cheek.

"Love you, too." Marinette responded first.

A few more agreements broke from the other teens, but nothing else after that. Sleep was calling, and the group was ready to give in. Bunched up in Nino's small living room, everyone shut their eyes and slept, not thinking about the hangover the next morning, or that fact the Marinette and Adrien had kissed, or the fact that the future was going to be an absolute storm.

===

AN

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Welcome to Time, the sequel to 31 Days. Read that first. Also, lots of profanity. eff you I'm not gonna censor squat.

Love, Dolly <3