Snow was falling, carols were sung on the streets. It was Christmas Eve, and Nathalie was helping Adrian who was decorating the Christmas tree in the foyer. Somehow, Adrian convinced Nathalie to wear a Christmas jumper and Santa hat, instead of her usual turtle-neck top and blazer. She wasn't too keen on it at first, but Adrian seemed intent on it that she couldn't say no.
Nathalie just finished decorating a section when she glanced over at the young blonde, he looked so happy and cheerful for once. She was pleased, and let a small smile lay on her lips, for just a moment. She moved up the stairs, to get to another section of the monster of a tree while Gorilla took Adrian onto his shoulders so he could reach further up.
Nathalie, sighed, the atmosphere was pleasant, sure, but there was one person missing. The king of fashion, the man of the house, the Gabriel Agreste, the father of the blonde boy who always seemed to be locked in a golden cage. Putting the thought aside, she leaned over the barrier to get a red, glass, heart-shaped ornament onto the tree.
As she did so, she leaned a little too far, almost falling over the barrier but 2 hands seemed to be wrapped protectively around her. "Nathalie!" A low, worried and shocked, male voice said and she knew all too well who it was. "I'm fine sir, thank you," she replied to a question she knew he would ask. She stood beside him, holding the ornament in one hand while the other smoothed out her jumper. "Please be more careful next time, Nathalie," he said, in his usual cold, monotone, voice. She nodded as a reply and leaned forward again, but not s far, to hand the glass heart.
She was so close, yet not close enough. She knew if she leaned out any further there would be a repeat of earlier, although she was annoyed she never let it show. She then noticed that Gabriel held out his hand, he wanted the ornament. She handed it to him in defeat, her Nathalie Sancoeur beaten by a Christmas tree. Terrific! She thought.
Just as he took the ornament from her, she noticed it. Instead of his usual blazer and vest jumper, Adrian got him to wear a Christmas jumper, and not just any Christmas jumper, it was one that she helped him make. She allowed herself another little smile smile, hidden behind her palm, behind his back.
Gabriel leaned forward to hang the ornament on the tree, It wasn't hard for him to hang it, he was taller so his arms was longer. He got it on there with ease, which kind of bothered her. Her boss then turned to her as if seeking approval to which she nodded and he seemed content with that.
They both walked down the stairs to Adrian and Gorilla, who just put the boy down as they finished decorating. Gorilla and Adrian both wore reindeer headbands but Gorilla was wearing a red nose as well. Although he didn't show it, he was certainly happy. Gabriel dismissed him from work, that lucky guy got a vacation for the week while Nathalie was drowning in work even today.
This whole day Adrian tried to stop her from doing work, or make things Christmassy in her day. She didn't really mind, she really liked Adrian and wanted to make him happy, but her work was being delayed and began piling up more and more, over the course of the day.
The boy walked up to his father and Nathalie smiling. "Hello father, do you..." he stumbled unsure if he should ask, "Do you, like your jumper?" Nathalie glanced over at her boss without moving her head, also wondering the same thing. "Yes, Adrian. It's quite comfortable, thank you," he replied with a hint of a smile, which took both of them off guard. Gabriel Agreste, one of the most heartless people in Paris, maybe the world, was actually smiling. Nathalie and Adrian looked at him, then at each other, then back at him again. This was real.
There was still a while before the chef finished the dinner so Nathalie decided to work on her tablet for a bit, unsurprisingly. She sat in an armchair in the mansions living room, with Gabriel reading a book on an armchair in front of her. From what Nathalie knew, Adrian said he had to finish off some of his presents before dinner so she thought he was in his room (when he was actually going to Ladybug to give her, her Christmas present as Chat Noir.)
Nathalie was trying to wiz through her work, she wasn't keen on leaving it until the last minute. Gabriel suddenly walked out, as if he forgot something, leaving Nathalie alone. She was already getting tired and decided to get a cup of coffee.
Nathalie wasn't really looking where she was going, she just needed a coffee to get her mind back on track. As she walked through the many halls of the mansion she bumped into something, or rather someone.
Obviously, it was her boss, there was no one else in the mansion but him, her and Adrian. Gabriel held her still by her arms, she was still processing what happened, her mind wasn't really functioning without coffee.
"Nathalie?" He half questioned, half stated, he wasn't used to seeing her so disorientated.. Nathalie looked up, "Sorry, s..." she paused and turned bright red as she looked up, "sir..." she finished off so she didn't seen off. She wasn't blushing because of how close they were. She was blushing because of the little branch above her boss' head. A mistletoe.
Gabriel looked at her, kind of confused by her behaviour. He knew Nathalie never showed much emotion yet now she was bright red staring up at him. He lifted his head up, he thought perhaps there was something above him making her so tense and disoriented.
His eyes widened in shock as he saw the little branch hanging above their heads. "Sir did you hang it?" She asked, regaining her composure, though she was still staring at the mistletoe. "No, I thought you might've," he replied.
None of them particularly bothered by the rule of the mistletoe, but at the same time they did yet they had no idea why. Gabriel, of course thought nothing of it, he leaned down giving her a chaste kiss on the lips before walking away, leaving a stunned Nathalie in the doorway to the kitchen.
A while later Nathalie was going back to the living room with her coffee, she felt more awake just by smelling it. With a content sigh, she began working again. But, she didn't have a file that she needed, it was in the office so again she had to go for a little walk across the mansion. That's what I get for being distracted she mentally scolded herself with a sigh, before getting up again.
She strode across the mansion quickly and unwillingly. It would've been easier to get the file when she was coming out of the kitchen but she was too distracted by the "situation" with her boss.
As if one awkward situation wasn't enough for them, as if one cue, her boss bumped into her this time, carrying a sketchbook and had a pencil balancing behind his ear. "Sorry sir," she said without looking up at him, but he stopped her and pointed above their heads again. Another mistletoe. Both looked around the foyer, there was one above every door and they never noticed.
They didn't think too much of it until now, and now that they were thinking about it, they both turned a pretty shade of crimson. They looked at each other, Nathalie loved him, and hid it well usually, but she had no idea how he felt. Gabriel did have some feelings for Nathalie but he never wanted to make a move just so things didn't become awkward.
They stared at each other for, what felt like, an eternity until Gabriel decided that he'll just do what he did last time. He gave her another soft kiss on the lips, subconsciously wrapping his arms at the small of her back, no longer able to hold back. He'd been wanting to do this for a while, but never really had an excuse to do so.
What she did next was a surprise, but a welcome one at that. She gently wrapped her delicate hands around his neck, kissing him back happily. Their kiss was sweet, tender and full of emotion that was repressed for too long. They thought they were alone with their bliss.
Little did they know that Adrian was ducking at the top of the stairs watching them from gaps in the stairs' barrier. He planned this all along, when he got back from delivering gifts, Plagg helped him hang a mistletoe under every doorway in the mansion.
Satisfied with the result, he fist-pumped his kwamii. "Pound it" they both whispered in unison.