Mari's birthday was just two days away. Adrien's birthday had gone off without a hitch, Alya and Nino had had their parties and learned that they were in fact soulmates and Grad was just a month away. Luka and Mari had started improving Luka's agreement for the two them to live in. And Adrian had been working with a contractor to make the house his father had given him move-in ready. The house already had to rooms so it was simple to paint job and updating the house to code. Even though he could force Mari to do whatever he wanted, he wanted to make sure she still felt like she had her own space to work in. After all, he wasn't a complete monster however, he also had them build a secret room, below the garden shed for Chat of course.

Mari, unlike her friends, wasn't having a party. Her parents couldn't afford much and really Marinette just wanted a simple get together. So with her birthday just two days away she sat with her usual crew talking about her plans.

"So the five of you will come to my house around six and will make pizza and watch a movie, and oh! There will, of course, be cake and ice cream." She looked at her friends happily.

"Actually, Mare?" Luka said removing his arm from around her. "I won't be there. I accidentally booked something that night. It slipped my mind that it was your birthday. The guy just said Saturday and I realized too late that Saturday was your birthday."

Everyone looked at Luka dumbfounded, he had been dating Mari for two years now, how could he forget her birthday? She had been counting down the days, he knew. Adrien looked at him in disbelief. Luka was afraid of how Mari would react to finding out they weren't soulmates so he was running away.

"It's okay Luka. I'm sure you and I can do something after my birthday. Just the two of us." Marinette smiled up at him.

"So," Alya said holding the o for a second too long. "What will you two do if Mari gift makes it clear your not soulmates?"

Nino all of a sudden, "Hold up dude, you're a year older than us. You have none for a year if she is your soulmate!"

Adrien smirked he'd been waiting for someone else to clue in. "Well you see Nino, some gifts don't show up till your 18th birthday, so if my soulmate was a year younger then me and had one of those gifts, we wouldn't know till then." Luka fidgeted clearly uncomfortable.

"That doesn't answer my question." Alya tapped her fingers on the table. "Well, out with it one of you."

"If Lukas not my soulmate, I'll talk to mine and see if he is okay with us just being teammates in life, and then I'll stay with Luka," Mari said quietly.

"Hold up!" Nino looked slightly annoyed. "Mari, if he's not your soulmate, then he's likely met his already and never told you." Nino looked Luka square in the face, "Not cool dude."

Adrien even though he knew that exactly what Luka had done, he knew both Mari and Luka wanted this to end. And he still needed Luka somewhat on his good side. "Nino relax. We don't know if that's what Lukas has done. And besides, he's with Mari maybe he met his soulmate and they agreed to not pressure a relationship. He probably didn't want to rob Mari of the same experience he had."

The couple relaxed, both sending Adrien a thank you from across the table. Luka knew Adrien could have ratted him out, but didn't he was thankful. Alya and Nino, on the other hand, didn't like the idea of Luka hurting Mari. "Well dude, I like you but Mari is my best friend so if we find out you hurt her we will get you." Nino played it off like he was joking but he and Alya would destroy him if he hurt her.

"Well, Nino and I are waiting for our acceptance letter to college so we are going to go to the post office. See ya'll tomorrow." They stood up to leave.

"Wait!" Mari looked up at Luka, "Mind if I go with them? All four of us applied for the same school and Adrien got his letter yesterday and we've been waiting for weeks."

"Of course Mari, call me if you hear anything." Luka kissed her head.

Mari cringed Luka hardly told her what to but lately, he'd been doing it more often lately.

Adrien and Luka sat and watched there friends leave. "So where are you really on Saturday, cuz I know your lying, I just didn't want to make you look bad in front of everyone."

Luka sighed, "I'm meeting up with my soulmate. Her boyfriend broke up with her and she needed me, so I told her I'd meet her on Saturday."

"It's your girlfriend's birthday and your meeting up with your soulmate? Dude, what's wrong with you?" Adrien was shocked, sure he had planned on breaking them up, but he didn't think it would be something he'd be happy to do.

"Well, whoever her soulmate is, he is going to get her. She always does what she told and I'll lose her. So I might as well be there for my soulmate." Luka looked down at the table.

"So you're just going to skip your last birthday with her? Wow, Luka, I expected more from you." Just then Adrien's phone rang. "Hey it's Nino and the girls!" the crew had video called them.

"Guys we all made it!" the three shouted into the phone.

The boys shared in the excitement and Luka agreed to go meet up with Mari and get a milkshake to celebrate. Adrien walked away smiling at least it wasn't going to kill Luka to lose Mari, he was expecting it.

He had a lot to do to get Mari's birthday gift ready into days.

-----------------------------------------------------Marinette's Birthday------------------------------------------------

Similar to Adrien's father, Marinette's parents told her at lunch what her gift was. Her parents had been teasing her all lunchtime.

"Awe come on guys I've been waiting for 18 years to find out what my gift is. I want to know if has something do with the fact I always do what I'm told."

Her parents stopped teasing. So she had noticed. They sighed and Sabine started, "Well Honey your gift is the gift of Obedience. It is why you always listen to us, your teachers and anyone else who has authority over you. It's why you always do what your friends say. But your character could never be challenged. You can't do something outside of your character."

"So I was right. What about my soulmate? Will he be the one person I don't have to listen to." Mari had her hopes up.

Tom sighed, "Well not exactly. You see we were told that your soulmate will giver you freedom within control." Mari crooked her head to the side. "His gift is the gift of Observance. When they meet, he will know how you feel about everything you are told to do." then Tom sighed, "However when you turn 18, his commands will override even ours. If he has been raised well your love will be strong because you will want to follow him and he will give you freedom because he will know who you feel about everything."

"This is a lot to take in, so whether I want to or not, I'm going to be with him. Cuz he will tell me to. So goodbye Luka." She sighed. This had been her theory along.

"Do you have any idea who it might be dear?" Her mother asked, "Maybe he will let you be with Luka."

Mari thought about it for a bit, did she know a boy who always knew how she felt? Or saw everything. Then it hit her. "Mom and Dad, how often are soulmates given their gifts on the same day?"

"Well Honey, I don't think I've heard of it." her mom said thoughtfully.

"Why do you ask?" her dad asked carefully.

"No reason, I don't think I know who my soulmate. I'm gonna go get ready for tonight and do some thinking. "

*That evening*

Adrien, Nino and Alya all arrived, "It time to party!" Alya shouted.

The group spent there night having pizza and the watch Tangled as it was Maris's favourite and Adrien had not seen it yet. With cake and ice cream had the party was drawing to a close. Ayla and Nino left knowing that Mari and Adrien had a birthday tradition they never miss.

Adrien and Mari climbed up to her room and went up to her balcony to watch stars. "Okay Mari I can read you like a book, can you tell me what's wrong?"

"What not gonna make me?" She snapped.

"Well sure I can, but I'd rather not." He placed his hand on top of hers, "Please?"

Mari rolled her eyes. "I just learned what my gift is." She looked down at the ground. He looked at her, did she know?

"Mari, I know we never do gifts but I got you something, I figured it's only fair since you made my outfit for my party." He handed her a box.

"Oh, Adrien you didn't need to..." she started to open it.

"Oh but Mari, I wanted to." if Marinette had been paying attention she would have noticed the slightly dark tone in his voice.

Mari found a binder and an Agrest brand pen in the box. "Adrien I don't understand, this is a job contract?" she flipped through the binder.

"Yes Marinette, a job contract. You see my father and I got yo talking and we agree that it's time for me to move out, and Nathalie can't be both my assistant and my father's assistance. So father and I agreed that I could hire my own live-in assistant."

"Live-in assistant? Bu-but Adrien you know I want a fashion designer, not an assistant!" she all but shouted at him.

He chuckled, "Well Mari that's the beauty of this, You and I will take classes in the evening, I already got it approved by the school because we are working in the day for my father, it actually counts towards our class credit. And when I don't need your help father has agreed to let you work on your fashion brand if your willing to let it be a partner project of the Agreste Foundation. He won't own it, he just wants the world to know this up and coming designer is working with him. And your brand will actually be one of the ones that I get to handle the business for."

"You have this all planned out don't you." She said softly.

"Oh, that's not all! You see I figure if we prove to my father that we can work well together when the time comes he'll hand the company over to us. I'll be the CEO and still a model and you will be the chair designer of the company."

"And what if I say no Adrien? You know Luka and I planned on living together. I'm not just going to give that up." she handed the papers back to him.

"Mari I wasn't asking," he said matter of factly placing the papers on the table in the balcony.

"My parents would never let me. And I always listen to them." she smiled back confidently.

"And now that your 18 you have to listen to me no matter what." She smirked back at her, watching her smile fade.

"What... that's not possible, we got our gifts on the same day. The gods don't play matchmaker." she stammered.

"Mari down on your knees." He smiled darkly as she complied, "Now, beg me to change my mind, beg me to let you go."

"Please Adrien, I love Luka and want to be with him. Don't force me into a life that I don't have a say in. Please don't do this." She pleaded.

Adrien looked at his best friend, he could crush her tell her what Luka was doing tonight, tell her that he had given up hope of having her, but he wanted her to be the one to leave Luka and to not wreck their friendship. So he took his hand and placed it on Mari's cheek, "No Mari, I won't your my soulmate, and I have wanted you for a long time. So you will sign that paper, and after grad, you will move in with me and you will break up with Luka tomorrow."

Still, on her knees, Marinette took the pen and signed the paper. "And what after I break up with Luka you make me be your girlfriend?" she snapped. She didn't care if he was her best friend she was angry with him.

"Marinette, no. Maybe someday I'll stoop that low, but right now, I just want you in my life forever. I promised I would save myself for my soulmate and that's you. I will make you fall for me. You'll see. You make my world so much better, and I want you in it."

She looked up at him she was still mad but she had to admit he was Paris golden buy, maybe being his soulmate wasn't the worst idea. "Can we keep it a secret, please? That we are soulmates? For a while anyway?"

He helped her up, "Of course, but I want you to tell Luka when you leave him, I want him to know who you're leaving him for. You'll understand why when you tell him."

"Um okay. Shall we go tell my parents I'm working for you?" she pointed to the door.

"In a second. I want you to reveal you brads new partnership on Instagram. Miss. My Lady Fashion."

"How did you."

He placed a finger to her lips. "Mari I can read you like a book, I've known for months now. I also know that Luka knows. So make the post and after we tell your parents you will make the post live."

"Luka made me promise that I would do a reveal after I got into college since I used my website as my portfolio to get into the fashion depart at the school. So I have a photo with my acceptance letter that I was gonna do today anyway, so let's take a photo together and I'll use post photos for the post."

"That's my good girl" he patted her head.

"Eash I'm not a dog. Though you'd better watch you back Agreste, that model chat is pretty found of My Lady Fashion, he might just come after me." she poked his nose.

Adrien caught her hand and twirled her around so her back was now against his chest, he whispered in her ear, "I'd be more concerned about you Mari, who knows maybe I could be bribed to share you with him." He chuckled. as she stiffened him his arm.

"You wouldn't. Would you?" she gasped.

"Of course not Mari. Your mine now. And I'm not sharing you even if you never love me. Now come on, let's go tell your parents about the amazing opportunity you have just been given." He let her go and raced her downstairs.

Mari couldn't helpbut be a bit worried, this boy that had just made her sign this paper was not aboy she recognized as her best friend. She hoped that if he got what he wantedhe would go back to being her best friend and that working together would befun.