"Chat Noir!", Marinette greeted him with a big smile. "I was hoping you would come by, I have a surprise for you!"
She watched a number of emotions quickly hush over his face under the mask. Starting with surprise, delight and – sadness?
"Of course I came", he said, "I want to hear all about your big show. When was it, yesterday?"
"Tuesday", Marinette felt her cheeks grow warm. "It went well! I can tell you later! Now I need you to sit down!"
Chat Noir let her direct him to the chaise and she swept around the room to turn off the main lights and turn on more fairy lights, before picking up his gifts from the pile in the corner. She was trying to create an especially cozy atmosphere for the occasion.
"There you are", she handed him the first gift. "Open it!"
She was so curious what he would think of it, she found herself bouncing in her seat.
Chat Noir used a claw to open the gift and curiously inspected the thick notebook that she had given him. It was a standard notebook with a cover of neutral black fake leather, and Marinette complimented herself on how unremarkable it was on the outside. Just like she had planned.
"Open it!", she squealed, clapping her hands excitedly, bouncing on her seat.
Chat opened the book and made a little "oh" as he saw the inside of the cover, which Marinette had elaborately decorated with colorful drawings of him and Ladybug.
"Beautiful", he muttered, while turning the pages filled with drawings, quotes, and empty rectangles, which Marinette had put in as placeholders for photos. The quotes were cat puns ("pawsome day", "meauw best friends", "a purr-fect night" – she had decided to get over herself and play along with his liking for cheesy lines), and the drawings were cartoon-like sketches of Paris, of groups of friends, and of Chat Noir and Ladybug. Chat moved his fingers over the sketches and looked at her as if he couldn't believe the book was for him.
Adrien was amazed by how much time and thinking Marinette had put into this gift.
"I didn't want to make it too obviously about you and Ladybug", Marinette explained, "So I put in drawings of civilians, too. I, well, I may have been inspired a little bit by my friends but I figured that you might recognize traits of your own friends in them perhaps."
She had drawn the civilians mostly as shades, so their faces were not visible. But she had clearly taken inspiration from their own group of friends. Adrien smiled at the tall, lanky figure with headphones – Nino?, next to a girl with wild curly hair making a victory sign with her hand – Alya? There was also a girl with pigtails – cartoon Marinette? - who was leaning against a guy who had his arm around her waist. Then there was a girl with lots of long hair, and a taller guy with guitar...
Wait – was that Luka with his guitar? Then who was the guy with his arm around Marinette?
He marveled at the drawing, but Marinette was clearly waiting for him to turn the page.
He made a mental note to get back to this.
The next page had a lovely drawing of Chat Noir and Ladybug on a rooftop, overlooking a sky that was shaded in pink and orange. "Purrr-etty views" it read. He chuckled.
"Your puns are getting better!"
"That is the first thing you say?", Marinette said in mocked offense.
He took a deep breath and looked at her, ready to pay her the compliment she deserved.
But she was grinning at him.
"Gotcha", she smiled. "You don't have to say anything."
She handed him another gift. "This one.. well, it is not really a gift, it is more .. er.. borrowed", she said apologetically. "But it goes with the book."
When he opened it, he found her little polaroid camera.
"I couldn't get you a new camera, but you can borrow mine for the next weeks", she explained quickly. "I thought that you might want to take some photos with your friends that you can then put into the book. You know, to collect memories of the nice people in your life. And.. if you feel alone later or .. well, then you can look at the book."
She smiled at him insecurely.
What an incredibly sweet gift!
"Awesome!", he smiled. "I mean, pawsome. Thank you, Marinette. This is the most wonderful and thoughtful Christmas gift that I have ever received."
He looked at the camera. "But I actually have a camera like that already – in the same color even, ladybug-red. So you don't have to give me yours!" Mental note to buy a polaroid camera in any color but red, so he could start taking photos as Adrien to fill the book..
He switched on the camera and moved closer to her.
"Let's take a photo now!"
"No, wait!", she said. "It would be weird to have a photo of us in there together when the other photos show you as your civilian self! In case you ever want to show the book to your friends."
"You thought about this a lot, didn't you?"
"Of course. I also tried to make the book look unsuspicious from the outside, so in the very unlikely case that I am ever in your room and see it, it will hopefully not catch my attention. I did that to protect your identity! Otherwise I would have really liked to give it a special bookmark and more color on the outside but I avoided all that."
"So thoughtful", he said, "Alright, some other time then."
"Hm?"
"Never mind!", he said. "Marinette, thank you so much!"
He gave her a careful hug. It started shy, but she hugged him back fearlessly and it turned into a full-on melt-into-each-other hug. Adrien hadn't had a hug like this in a long while, and with all the twinkling lights surrounding them, he felt like she had transported them straight into the happy ending of a Disney movie.
Well, the ending, minus the kiss. But he could work on that.
Wait, what?
Chat Noir smiled at her, handing her an off-white, elegant envelope that had the name "Marinette" handwritten on it.
She looked at it curiously.
"You also prepared a gift for me?"
"Of course. I wanted to do something special for the Christmas fairy."
Oh! How nice of him.
Maybe she had underestimated her partner. Amongst all the superficial flirting, she hadn't learned very much about the boy under the mask.
"Shall I open it right away?", Marinette asked.
"Well, you don't have to", he said. "You could also fold it into a little boat or put it under your plants but…"
At her rolling eyes he finished: "I would recommend you open it."
She carefully opened the exquisite envelope and took out the card inside. Like the envelope, the card was made of the kind of fine paper that was sold only in exclusive papeteries. The card read "A private tour has been arranged for you through a place of (your) dreams. Be ready for pickup on Saturday, at 9:30."
Mysterious much?, she thought. Her heart made an excited jump, however.
"This Saturday?", she asked.
"Yes", he said. "I hope you can make it? I am sorry but the timing was a little tricky to arrange!"
"That is fine", she would just have to sleep a little less to finish the rest of her presents in the evening. But she did not want to turn him down. "Do I need to bring anything?"
"Not really", Chat Noir said, "Be prepared to walk a bit, though."
Oh no, he wasn't planning to do something sporty with her? Like a hike in the mountains? Marinette got all the exercise she needed when rushing through town as Ladybug.
Chat Noir read her reaction.
"No worries. No sports clothes needed", he laughed.
She smiled at him. So he had figured out that she wasn't the athletic type.
"But… it might be nice if you wear one of your original designs, if you feel like it. You don't have to dress up but maybe.. err.. I think you would enjoy it more if you dress in something that makes you feel confident."
"You are being very cryptic about this!", Marinette said.
"Part of the fun", he said and winked at her.
"And now", he got up and looked at her with a serious expression, "I have to go."
"Oh, already?", Marinette didn't bother to hide her disappointment.
"Ah", he said, gently tipping a finger on her nose, "Hero duties. Don't miss me too much!"
He winked, and then he was gone.