Marinette rubbed her hands together in the freezing winter twilight. She regretted leaving the house at the time she did, sitting on a stone bench about twenty minutes before they'd agreed to meet. She picked at the hem of her newly finished sweater, pulling it over her thighs a little more. She wished she had worn something other than a pair of black leggings. Marinette lifted a gloved hand to the thin cloth that covered her eyes, hoping that it would be enough to keep her identity hidden.

It was the first time she would be meeting with Chat Noir in something other than her Ladybug outfit. She even made an effort to leave her hair down for once, taking time to wash it and blow dry it. She hadn't a clue why she'd gone through so much effort, especially when she'd only stuffed it into a hat on her way out. Her heart fluttered lightly in her chest and caused her to shiver slightly. Instinctively, the girl tucked her hands under her armpits and nuzzled deeper into her tightly wrapped black scarf. Marinette wished Chat Noir would hurry up.

To her left, the slapping of sneakers on pavement caused her to perk up. A teenage boy approached her, his cheeks red due to what she assumed was the cold. A strip of black cloth had been carelessly cut to allow only his eyes to show through. His dark green parka looked to be the only warm part of him. His hands, neck, and head were exposed to the frigid air, his legs covered only in a pair of form-fitting skinny jeans. Marinette looked away, suddenly feeling a little warmer.

"Sorry," He panted as he arrived at her side, "Am I late?"

Marinette allowed her mouth to peek over her scarf, smiling and shaking her head. Chat Noir straightened up, allowing her a full view of his outfit. She gasped a little, reaching up to his face and moving a strand of hair to reveal an ear. Her fingertip grazed it, and she watched as it grew a slightly darker shade of pink. Marinette turned her gaze back to the boy's face, which matched the hue. She laughed.

"So you do have ears!" She giggled.

Chat Noir's expression cracked into a cattish grin. The blonde took a step back, finally noticing the outfit his Lady was wearing. An adorable one, he might add. A pair of black leggings, hidden slightly underneath a red wool sweater that brought out the color of her lips and the apples of her cheeks. Her neck was covered with a cotton black scarf, and her hair was tucked underneath a knitted wool tuque, similar to the one she'd given him a couple days ago. His eyes were drawn to her hers then, a blush spilling over himself when he noticed the hand-crafted mask replica that attempted to hide her identity. It probably would have proven to be much more useful had he not already known who she was. Ladybug's eyebrows furrowed.

"Aren't you cold?" She teased quietly.

Adrien grinned, "I'm much warmer now that I'm here with you, my lady."

In truth, he probably would have dressed much more appropriately had all his winter attire not been made by his partner. Unfortunately, he had to forsake his comfort in order to preserve the secret.

She rolled her eyes and giggled at his pass, taking her seat once more on the stone bench. Marinette patted the seat next to her, and Chat Noir took in his surroundings next to her. He laughed a little bit, finally realizing that his fantasies of flowers being present in the garden were blatantly shot down. The Parisian winter had crushed his hope for a colorful scenery, instead shading the garden in a grey scale. Adrien turned to his Lady, who seemed to have the same thought on her mind.

Marinette blinked, remembering the small box in her pocket.

"Right!" She pulled out the box, extending it towards her partner, "Merry Christmas, Chat!"

Chat Noir blushed, remembering how she'd said those exact words to him only three nights ago. Except at that time, he was Adrien. And her tone was much more... Enticing. He threw the memory from his mind, taking the box from her hand, and thrusting his own gift bag towards her. He smiled as her eyes widened.

"For me?" She murmured, matching her gaze to his and causing Adrien's stomach to tremble.

Never had he felt so much like Adrien when he sat with Ladybug. Tonight, in the isolation of the garden, Ladybug made him shy. The twinkle in her eyes made him warm inside, made him want to protect her. It was so different than Saturday, when they'd been entangled in a knot of heat and kisses. He watched her remove her matching red gloves and place them on the bench, and pull the tissue paper from the bag. Her mouth hung open slightly as she pulled out a small cloth bag. Her eyes flicked to the corner of her vision in a question, to which Chat bit his lip slightly in response. Her slender fingers tugged at the bag, removing a delicate silver chain from the velvet. A small, red ladybug pendant hung from the chain. Marinette drew in a slight breath.

"Chat," She spread the chain out in her fingers, and turned to face him, "This is beautiful."

"It's an anklet," He smiled at her genuine surprise. He knew how important it was for her to keep her identity a secret, and this way, it would be easier to hide. He'd spent an hour with Nino in a jewelry store trying to decide, much to his friend's disdain.

Marinette brought her foot up to rest on the edge of the bench, locking the chain around her ankle and letting it fall into her boot. Chat grinned, proud of it's concealing capabilities. Marinette felt the flutter in her heart become slightly more erratic, the butterflies in her stomach tickling the base of her belly.

"Thank you," She smiled to him.

Adrien was sure he'd melt on the bench. He shook his head, pointing back to the bag.

"There's one more thing."

Marinette reached in and pulled out a CD cover, with small script written over the clear case that spelt "Ladybug". A shining silver CD laid inside.

"What's this?" She asked.

"Play it when you get home."

Marinette grinned at his mischief, deciding she'd let him off the hook just this once. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck for a moment. Adrien could smell her rose-scented shampoo. Her light embrace made him yearn once more for the events of Saturday evening. He shivered slightly when she breathed a 'thank you' into his ear before they broke apart. She placed her hand on his thigh, sending every nerve in the area into chaos. She motioned to the small gift in his hand.

"Now yours!" She leaned back, clapping in excitement.

The boy chuckled as his classmate's personality showed through her mask. Adrien pulled at the small ribbon yet again, realizing this would be the second gift he received from his crush. He pulled open the top, revealing a thin band of polished silver, and when he turned it over, he saw the small head of a cat engraved on the front. His eyes lit up as she giggled.

"Kind of similar gifts, aren't they?" She pointed to the ring, "I thought since you already wore a ring anyways, nobody would notice if you wore a second over top."

He smiled. It seemed that she'd put as much thought into the preservation of his identity as he had hers. Adrien reached for the hand she'd placed on the bench, still without a glove. He wrapped her fingers in his own and looked into those cerulean pools once more.

"Thank you." His voice was low, and it satisfied him when he observed her cheeks growing a slightly darker shade of red. Or maybe that was just the shadows? He wasn't sure.

Adrien slipped the gift over his finger, the fit perfect next to his miraculous. The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, hand in hand. It was Ladybug who broke the tranquility.

"Chat, you know..." She began, turning slightly to face him, "I have someone I like."

The statement startled the cat, the bluntness causing his breath to catch in his throat a little bit.

"Oh?" He tried to make his voice sound even. Ladybug nodded.

"Yeah," She loosened her grip on his hand slightly, "So, I'm sorry."

Adrien felt his heart skip a beat.

"Who is it?" He asked quietly, gaining a confused look from his partner, "The guy, I mean."

Now he was sure that she was blushing. Her gaze shifted away from his.

"Um, well..." She peered at the cat from under her eyelashes, "You can't tell."

Adrien nodded quickly, his heart jumping at an irregular pace in his chest. His skin was beginning to tingle, and he was unsure if it was from the cold, or something else.

"His name is Adrien." She murmured in the silence.

Chat Noir forgot how to breathe.

"Adrien Agrest?" He lurched, his voice spilling out. She whipped to face him.

"You know him?" She accused. Chat couldn't decide whether to nod or shake his head. She took that as a yes.

"Just don't tell him, okay?" She pouted slightly.

Adrien's mouth hung open, a weight dropped on his lower lip. Had she just confessed to him? Did this even qualify as a confession? She liked him. The feeling that erupted within the boy spread like wildfire throughout every limb and nerve. The person he liked, liked him back. It almost seemed impossible. He felt like he was floating. Adrien clearly wasn't hiding his euphoria well, though, because she commented on his goofy happiness.

"You're not upset?" She asked cautiously.

Apparently, Adrien forgot how to speak coherently.

"No! I mean, yes. Maybe? W-what I mean is, um-" Ladybug's eyebrow was cocked in surprise and confusion at his jumbled sentence. He wondered if that was how he responded to her conversations with him at school. He choked at the thought of it.

"What I meant to ask, was," He cleared his throat a little, "Why? What's so good about him?"

Marinette fell into a blissful haze. What was so good about Adrien? Everything. She fumbled for a response, how could she put her feelings into words?

"He's smart, and talented," She began, resting her chin in her palms, elbows propped on her knees, "And funny, and kind, and amazing..." She almost lost herself, but straightened up at Chat's amused expression.

"He's wonderful!" She leaned forward, as if trying to convince him, "He's so diligent, and hardworking. He takes care of everyone, he makes time even to talk to me, the utterly shy girl who sits-" She slaps a hand over her mouth. Crap, that had been so close.

"What I mean," She continued, more carefully, "Is that I like everything. Even though I don't know much about him at all."

Adrien watched the saddened expression tug on the corners of her lips, and clutched her hand with both of his own. He twisted on the bench so he was fully facing her.

"You definitely know him!" He cried. It was only after the words spilled out of his mouth that he realized how dangerous they were. Her gaze turned toward him, confused.

"What?"

"I mean- Well, obviously you know him," He laughed slightly and resisted the urge to smack himself, "But I mean, it sounds like you know a lot about him."

Marinette laughed a little and rolled her eyes.

"Well I guess that's what crushing on a person for nearly six years does to you, huh kitty?" She nuzzled deeper into the warmth of her scarf. Why was she telling him all this? More to the point, why was her heart beating so quickly? Because she was discussing Adrien?

Chat Noir, himself, was dumbfounded. And here he thought, the few years he'd spent chasing after Ladybug had been an eternity. Six years. Marinette had liked him for six whole years. He could almost imagine the steam that puffed from his head when his face grew hot.

"Anyways!" She jerked to face him again, "It's getting late."

Adrien nodded in a daze, not entirely present in the moment. The drove of compliments she'd laid on him moments ago continuously swam through his thoughts.

"You sure you're okay?" She asked, leaning forward slightly in concern. Adrien blinked and his vision focused.

His breath caught. She was so close! Marinette watched as the blonde nearly lost his balance, tottering precariously on the edge of the bench. Suddenly, he stood from his seated position, flustered.

"Totally f-fine!" He assured, waving his hand a little as if to shoo away her worry.

Marinette laughed at Chat's antics, standing up to meet him.

"Okay." She smiled up at the boy, who stood a few inches taller than her.

Adrien melted once more into her gaze, losing himself in her blue depths. Marinette's eyes widened, seemingly as entranced as he was. She leaned upward slightly, their puffs of breath mingling in the winter air.

"Huh," She breathed, "So that's the color of your eyes." Chat blinked, "Green."

Her mouth closed in a satisfied smirk before backing away, turning to leave. She paused, glancing over her shoulder.

"Merry Christmas, kitty."

Adrien was left behind once more, barely noticing the snowflakes that fell onto his cheeks and melted instantaneously into small droplets of water.

..
..

When Marinette slid the CD into her computer, a small icon appeared in the upper right-hand corner of her screen. The label underneath read "My Lady". She smirked to herself. How like Chat. She thought.

She tapped on the icon, and the screen went black. Chat's voice played through her plug-in speaker.

"I wrote this for you." The voice rang through the silence, startling Marinette a little. She waited for him to say something more, but that was all.

After a few moments, a piano note rang. Then another. A song began to play quietly, lilting. A lullaby? No, it was more. It was passionate. She pressed herself to the back of her chair, tucking her knees under her arms and closing her eyes. The song soothed her aching muscles, like a hearth or fireplace making her insides feel warm and gushy. She could hear the beats of her heart, almost as if they were playing along to the rhythm of the song. Loud, pulsating. Thump. Thump. Thump. Slowly, so slowly, the song moved her through different feelings. She thought of Adrien, and his kind and accepting gaze. But as the music progressed, the vision of Adrien was slowly overcome by the strong, sturdy, forest green eyes she'd seen for the first time that evening. She wondered if Chat had written the song with this intention. Her heart thumped in response.

The music slowed, a single note playing last. More silence, before the voice murmured through the speaker once more.

"Merry Christmas, my lady." Chat's voice was so... Not Chat.

She sat up, playing his last words once more. The sincerity of it, the feelings. It made her mind swim. He likedher, dare she say, maybe he even loved her. At least, that's what she took from the music. She looked to her left, at the small vanity mirror that hung on her sewing desk. Her face was the most brilliant shade of scarlet, she thought it might've matched her Ladybug outfit perfectly. Chat loved her, but she... She loved Adrien. Not Chat. Right? Right.

But something, some niggling, small, little tingle at the very base of her stomach, told her otherwise.