"On the first day of Christmas, your true love gave to you," Chat Noir sang, "a kiss from a superhero."
This year marked their first Christmas together, and Adrien wanted it to be something special. Seeing as he didn't have much in the way of celebrations at home, he thought he would put all of his efforts into making his Christmas with Ladybug the best one.
"Chat, what are you doing?" Ladybug giggled, glancing up at the mistletoe that hung from a string on a stick. He brought it closer, leaning into his girlfriend and puckering his lips comically.
"I'm giving you the gift of a kiss of course. It's Christmas!" She raised an eyebrow skeptically, though there was still playfulness in her expression.
"It's December 14th. Christmas is still two weeks away!"
"Actually, My Lady, it's twelve days away." A laugh came out of the back of her throat that sounded something like a cough. The smile never left her face.
"Chat. You aren't."
"Now, allow me to give me your first purresent." Without acknowledging her incredulity, Chat Noir leaned in, closing the gap between the two and pressed his lips to hers.
"On the second day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero.
"These are horrendous," Ladybug mused, a smirk plastered on her face. Held in her hands was a large, warm, and ugly Christmas sweater. Chat Noir donned the second, which was decorated with pictures of cats wearing Santa hats that were topped with real sleigh bells. He jingled with ever little movement he made. Hers looked like a wrapped gift, a thick golden ribbon running down the middle and topped with a large golden bow that protruded from the chest.
"Aren't they pawful?" Chat Noir grinned, helping the sweater over his partner's head.
"Absolutely," she agreed. "Does that mean you're getting half of my gift?"
"Do you want this sweater?" he asked, surprised as he looked down at the wonderful creation he modeled. Ladybug hummed histrionically, striding toward him and wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands found their way around her waist, and she stole a swift kiss.
"On second thought, I think it suits you."
"On the third day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
"Does this mean I'm going to get an ugly sweater everyday until the Christmas?" Ladybug asked, opening up a candy cane to eat. She handed one of the three to her boyfriend.
"No, I'm only going to bring the latest verse's gift," he explained. Gently, he provided to her a mint flavoured kiss, making the candy somehow taste sweeter. She smiled.
"So, how come I keep getting 'a kiss from a superhero' then?" Chat Noir raised an eyebrow.
"Would you like to not get a kiss from a superhero?"
"No, it's not that," Ladybug amended quickly, returning a minty kiss. "I just wanted to be sure."
"On the fourth day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
"I think this is cheating," she said, sipping at the warm drink. She loved the sweet flavor and he had thought to add cinnamon to it all. If she wasn't already in love with him, this would have taken it over the top.
"But eggnog is so good." The two superheroes sat peacefully atop a roof that faced the bright lights of the Eiffel tower in the night. Her head leaned familiarly on his shoulder, and he rested his head atop hers.
"And four cartons of eggnog would have been better," she observed absently.
"That's true. But it would've been hard to carry."
"Also true."
"On the fifth day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, five golden bells! Four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
With him today was a string of sleigh bells, strung on a ribbon and ornamenting his baton. As he approached, she could hear the distinct and cliched rhythm of Jingle Bells being performed.
"Did you lose a bell on the way here chaton?" Ladybug mused when she saw that only four hung from the band.
"As a matter of fact, I didn't. All here and accounted for." Her eyes glinted, and when he smirked at her, Ladybug reached out to take hold of the fifth bell and pull it down, bring Chat Noir with it. He was only shocked when she planted a brief, but satisfying kiss on his unsuspecting lips.
"Found it."
"On the sixth day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, six Christmas crackers, five golden bells! Four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
The crackers were gold and silver, and difficult to pull apart, which in turn made them all the more amusing.
"One, two, THREE!" The first set popped ceremoniously, laughter joining the bang the rung in the air. They had held one end each of two crackers, one in each right hand, and another in each left. She had gotten both ends, but handed one off to him regardless.
Ladybug could tell he wanted to mention something about his bad luck, but she had scolded him enough times for doing so that he seemed to be restraining from comment. Each cracker contained a paper crown, that were promptly donned.
"Finally, my princess has her crown," Chat Noir remarked. Ladybug curtsied, and she was met with a bow. Without a word, her right hand found his, and her free hand landed on his shoulder, while his was on her waist. As they twirled about a roof of Paris, he gave her her daily gift.
"These must be the most romantic Christmas crackers I've ever opened."
"Well, you are with me My Lady. I am a very romantic cat."
"On the seventh day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, seven sparkly ornaments, six Christmas crackers, five golden bells! Four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
"The ornaments that we have around the house were kind of plain, so I made you some!"
Ladybug looked down at the plastic, paper, and wooden ornaments in her hands. All were rather poorly made, but all were very cute and endearing. A couple of plastic baubles filled with glitter, appropriately themed to suit the two of them. Two building block dolls with the blocks as the body, again, each themed appropriately. Sheets of cardstock cut into the shape of long ornaments were decorated, and finally, a little 3D star made from mostly pipe cleaners.
She could only imagine how long these took him to make. Images of the boy sitting at a desk, painstakingly crafting these ornaments specifically for her, and with her in mind. It was all enough to make her heart warm. She made a mental note to make some more of these with him later. Ladybug smiled sweetly at her boyfriend.
"No angel for the top of my tree chaton?" she goaded playfully. "Or did you plan on perching yourself up there personally." A blush could be seen blazing beneath the black mask, and Chat Noir closed drew her to him, setting aside the ornaments to make room.
"Hmm… I'm not sure the tree will hold, but I'm more than willing to try," he grinned.
"How about instead, you just perch yourself on the highest point of my house. Or in the highest room." A wink from her sent shivers up and down his spine.
"I think that could be arranged."
"On the eighth day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, eight fuzzy socks, seven sparkly ornaments, six Christmas crackers, five golden bells! Four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
"There are fur pairs, which means there are eight socks total," Chat Noir explained pointedly when Ladybug first tore apart the wrapping.
"I love them," she promised, and she meant it too. The older she got, the more she came to appreciate a warm pair of socks. His arm found its way around her shoulders and she leaned into him.
"I know you get cold in the winters, My Lady." A kiss fell to the top of her head. She looked up at him and returned the favor.
"Now I'll have these socks, an ugly sweater, and a kitten to keep me warm."
"On the ninth day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, nine flying reindeer, eight fuzzy socks, seven sparkly ornaments, six Christmas crackers, five golden bells! Four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
"It was my favorite book during the Christmas seasons when my mom was still around. I wanted to share it with you." In her hands was the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. She turned to face him, her heart touched by his sentiment.
"Adrien…" she said, using his real name for the first time since they had transformed with the knowledge of each other's identities. He blushed fiercely at the sound of it, and she reached out a hand to take hold of his. "Thank you." Her smile was so kind and genuine that all the tension and anxiety he felt over her reaction melted into her touch. Foregoing his daily gift for the time being, Chat opted for a much needed embrace.
"No, thank you."
"On the tenth day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, ten Christmas cookies, nine flying reindeer, eight fuzzy socks, seven sparkly ornaments, six Christmas crackers, five golden bells! Four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
"I… tried." The cookies were slightly burnt, rather misshapen, and decorated in questionable designs. One of them was definitely supposed to be Pere Noel's face, though the rest could have arguable been Christmas ornaments, bells, or presents. Ladybug brought one to her lips, taking a bite.
"And that's all that matters," she replied, leaning over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "Next time I'll help you okay?"
"It's a date."
"You know, these really aren't that bad at all," she commented, taking a bite out of her second cookie. "Have a taste." Before he could say a word, Ladybug turned to pass a bit of the pastry into his mouth. Pulling back, she took the time to enjoy the redness in his cheeks, and his absentminded chewing. His eyes didn't seem to be focused on much of anything, and his shock made her feel rather triumphant.
"I don't know if I can tell from just that small bit. You're going to have to feed me a few more bites."
"On the eleventh day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, eleven lovely photos, ten Christmas cookies, nine flying reindeer, eight fuzzy socks, seven sparkly ornaments, six Christmas crackers, five golden bells! Four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
"I made it so you could still show it off if you wanted to," Chat Noir said, tremendously pleased with himself. In her hands, Ladybug was flipping through a partially finished scrapbook, decked out with fancy stickers, cut-outs, and exactly eleven photographs. He sat next to her so he could both look at his handiwork, and watch her reaction to each page.
Ladybug felt like a mother who had just received a piece of art from her child. But it was a good feeling. She bit her lip to avoid the spout of giggles that threatened to burst forth over how adorable he was acting.
The photos were all of Marinette and Adrien at various points of their relationship. She hadn't realized he had even taken some of the candid ones, and if were something for himself, she did not doubt for one second that he would make an entire page dedicated to candid pictures he had taken of her person.
"How on earth are you finding more ways to make me fall in love with you chaton?" she said when she had skimmed through a couple of pages. His face glowed and she reached around the large photobook to give him a hug.
They spent the following moments commenting on photos, reminiscing about the places they've been, things they've done, adventures they've had. And with every passing minute, her adoration for him only grew. She sighed deeply and cuddled up against his chest, listening carefully to the purring that vibrated through him.
There was nothing in the world she was willing to trade for this. And although she knew it was a selfish thought to have, her happiness wouldn't allow her to take it back.
"On the twelfth day of Christmas, your true love gave to you, twelve romantic hours, eleven lovely photos, ten Christmas cookies, nine flying reindeer, eight fuzzy socks, seven sparkly ornaments, six Christmas crackers, five golden bells! Four cups of eggnog, three candy canes, two ugly sweaters, and a kiss from a superhero."
"Or many kisses, if you'd prefer," Chat enticed, raising and lowering his eyebrows seductively. A grin crossed her face.
"We could probably manage both," she pointed out. "We do have twelve hours."
"That's not long enough," he muttered, planting the first of many kisses on her forehead. "I am at your disposal My Lady."
"I'd never dispose of you chaton," she remarked. Another kiss found its say to her cheeks. A third to her nose. "You're right. Twelve hours is definitely not long enough."
"Let's say twelve is the minimum," he mumbled as his lips pressed against hers.
"But you have to come to the Christmas party," she whined, pressing his forehead against hers. "And I guess I have to go too. It won't really be twelve hours."
"We can mix and match the hours into twelve," he suggested absently, not finding himself very attentive as his mind wandered to the way her hands scoured over his chest.
"Twelve uninterrupted hours sounds much more pleasant," she argued, both hands now wandering to bury themselves in his hair.
"Rain check?" he asked. Now his own hands were at the small of her back. Ladybug sealed the deal with a kiss.
"Perfect."
"On the last day of Christmas, your true love gave to you… something in return."
"I'm not sure if it's any consolation, but I got you a gift as well. Made it, actually." His ears seemed to perk up at the thought that he would be receiving anything. Although the day was his gift to her, she couldn't help but surprise him with her own.
"You didn't have you!"
"Seeing as you set up such a wonderful string of gifts, I thought it only right I give you at least one." Her tone was only slightly teasing. "Not to mention that fact that you're my boyfriend, and I love you, and I wanted to get you a gift," she admitted, producing the poorly hidden parcel about the size of a pillow. "Here." Chat Noir tore at the brightly coloured wrapping paper in vigour.
He wasn't sure what he was looking at at first. Squares of designs were littered before him, the one that caught his eye was of him kissing ladybug's hand. Another was a simple design of her yoyo. Another of his ring. There were little things here and there. Images of their first date. Silhouettes of the two of them galivanting through the sky. It was meticulously detailed, as even in the boarder of a square, he could just make out a patter of Tikki and Plagg.
Words failed to form in his mouth.
"I… I don't know what to say," he said unnecessarily. A smile twitched at the corner of her lips, and she took the quilt from his hands and wrapped it around his shoulders. Even with his brain failure, she could tell he was over the moon. Ladybug kissed his cheek.
"A simple 'thank you' would suffice." Chat Noir woke from his shock, and she could barely make out the tear that threatened to fall from his eyes accompanying his smile.
"Thank you, Marinette," he finally managed, using her real name to declare his sincerity. He took hold of the edge of the quilt and brought it around Ladybug's shoulders, holding her to his chest. "Thank you so much for your gift. For being with me. For loving me."
"Being with you is thanks enough."
"Could you also be a part of my gift?" he mumbled softly, his voice a deep whisper. She met her blue eyes with his green with a half-lidded gaze.
"Only if you could be mine."