Chapter Twenty-Two: Christmas Jumpers.

It isn't Christmas until someone puts on a festive yet silly jumper.

Sunday 22nd December 2019. 8.50 p.m. Marinette's balcony.

It was the Sunday before Christmas and that meant that it was time for Ladybug and Chat Noir to meet on top of the Eiffel Tower and exchange presents on their patrol. They had chosen the date at random for their first Christmas as partners and exchanged boxes of chocolates. They didn't know each other well enough then go give anything more personal, and food was the best choice of gift to keep their identities safe. Their second Christmas they met up on the Sunday again and Ladybug gave Chat a book he wanted while he gave her three balls of the expensive wool she had mentioned she liked.

They were due to meet in ten minutes but Marinette wasn't hurrying. She knew her boyfriend very well - and boy did she wants to squeal in sheer delight every time she thought of him as her boyfriend - and she knew he wouldn't let her go to the Tower alone.

So there she was, curled up under the window hatch with a good book and a blanket around her shoulders, Tikki snoozing in the crook of her shoulders, waiting for him to arrive. Sure enough…

Thud.

… five minutes before they were due to meet he landed on her balcony.

She chuckled and set her book to one side, nudging Tikki awake, and opened up her hatch. Chat Noir stood there, green patrol scarf secure around his neck, and was beaming down at her in such sheer glee that she couldn't help but return his smile.

"I should be surprised to see you here, but I'm not." She teased.

Chat smirked and shot her a cheeky wink. "How else am I supposed to sweep you of your feet tonight, my Princess? I am a gentle-cat after all," he swept his arm around and bowed elegantly from the waist. He extended a hand to her to help her climb out of the hatch. "It's only right that I collect you for our date."

Marinette couldn't help the blush that crossed her cheeks. This wasn't even there real first date but she still got such a thrill when she heard him say that. "Patrol date, kitten. Work before play," she reached out and flicked his bell. "And that also includes our presents." Marinette looked very deliberately at the hand he was keeping behind his back, holding a present that was too large to fully hide.

"You got me." Chat brought the present out for her to see and she giggled at the homemade Ladybug print paper. It was so sweet of him to do that. "I was actually hoping to leave this here until later, if my Princess agrees. Since we don't need to exchange presents on top of the Eiffel Tower any more, I thought we could do it here. Where you could stay warm."

Tikki answered for her. "She accepts!" She zipped up through the closed window and went straight to Chat, nuzzling his face in greeting. Even though she was wearing her winter clothes she still looked cold. "When you two get back can I have Plagg please? I need purrs and cuddles!"

"Cat's honour, Little Lady." Chat gave Tikki his trademark two finger salute before holding the present out to Marinette. "Ready?"

Marinette nodded, quickly stashing the present just inside her window hatch. She had left hers down in her room but it would be easy enough to collect his from her bed later so she left it there and closed the hatch securely. He was watching her when she turned around again and flushed when she caught him. She and Tikki both giggled as her kwami came over to rest in her hands.

"Tikki, Spots On."

The pink light of her transformation swept over her, leaving Ladybug stood where Marinette had been, and she was thankful that her mask hid the blush on her face when she saw the gentle look Chat was giving her. She might never get used to him looking at her with so much love in his eyes.

He gave a soft sigh before reaching out and brushing aside the lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail when she had transformed. He tucked it behind her ear but let his hand linger on her cheek like he had yesterday when he finally, finally, asked her out.

"Beautiful…"

The breathy sigh made her blush again (and damn her pale cheeks for highlighting even the tiniest blush and damn him for making her blush so much) so she reached out and booped him on the nose to get their equilibrium back. "Flattery won't stop me from beating you in a race to the tower, my silly kitty."

"I speak only the truth, my Lady-love." His hand fell from her cheek to catch hers and he brought it to his lips to brush a kiss against it. "I would never stoop so low to use your unparalleled beauty as a tactic to win a race."

Damn that smooth talking cat. Ladybug could feel her knees go weak and right there and then she promised herself she must never let him know how he affected her. She would never hear the end of it otherwise.

"But I would do this!" Chat smirked, winked, and leapt off the balcony, vaulting away on the baton he had extended while she had been somewhat distracted, whooping in victory as he did. "See you at the Tower Bugaboo!"

"You mangy cat!" Ladybug took a second to process what had just happened before shooting her yoyo out and darting after him. Oh she was going to kill him when she caught him. "Get back here!

Their laughter echoed around them in the night, causing the Parisians on the street below to smile up at their antics. It was always good to hear their heroes having fun while they protected the city.

It only took four streets for Ladybug to realise that Chat Noir wasn't interested in winning this race at all. He wasn't heading straight for the tower, not even close, and seemed content to simply play a game of rooftop tag with her. She was more than happy to go along with that.

The trip from her home to the Eiffel Tower usually took no more than five minutes, three if she sprinted, but it was almost half an hour later that she set eyes on it. They had raced up and down la Seine, played hide and seek at the Louvre, and raced down the Champs-Élysées before settling on a rooftop only a few streets away from the beautiful tower.

Naturally, that was when Chat became competitive again.

She was ready for him this time, sprinting after him only a heartbeat after he raced towards the Tower. He might have caught her in the snow with ease yesterday, not that she had been trying too hard to get away from him, come on, she wasn't stupid, but while he was faster on the ground she ruled the skies. He put up a valiant effort but he just wasn't fast enough to catch her - until he started cheating again. Knocking her yoyo, grabbing her ankle, he tried every trick in the book but she was still ahead of him.

Right until he tackled her again.

They landed on the tower in a tangle of limbs and laughter, with Chat sprawled all over her and his tail and her yoyo tying them together.

"I win!"

"You most certainly do not!"

"... call it a draw?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Sure kitty. Why not?"

Once they had managed to untable themselves, Chat swung his legs over the edge of one of the beams and quickly pulled her down into his lap. She squeaked, more from surprise that out of any embarrassment, and he chuckled at her. Ladybug stuck her tongue out at him and he just wrapped his arms around her, pressing her back to his chest, settling his chin on her shoulder and staring out at the city. Neither made any move to break the silence, enjoying the moment where, for once, it was just them and the twinkling lights of the city.

Chat could never stay quiet for long though. "So what do I get for winning our race?"

Ladybug snorted. "Nothing! If anyone won it was me, you cheater!" she twisted around so she could reach back and poke him on the nose, then laughed when he pouted.

"So cruel, my Lady," he sighed, hamming it up, before pressing their cheeks together and giving a soft purr. She immediately relaxed into his arms. "Well if that's what the Lady wants, name your prize Bugaboo."

There were lots of things she could have asked for but there was only one thing that she really wanted right now. "Let's head back home for presents, purrs, and cuddles with hot chocolate."

"I can do that." Chat immediately jumper up, keeping her in his arms and making her squeal, and dove off the side of the tower.

When they were about halfway down she launched her yoyo and swung them towards her home and the second his feet touched the floor she wiggled from his grasp and the race started again. They were both laughing aloud as he gave chase. There was no weaving about this time as they aimed right for the bakery but Chat grabbed her right before they landed so his feet touched her balcony first.

"You can't say I didn't beat you here this time," he winked. "Now, what do I win?"

"You can choose which present to open first." Ladybug promised and jumped out of his hold, immediately opening the window hatch and slipping through. "Now come on, my kitten. I was promised purrs!"

Since she didn't release her transformation Chat followed suit and quickly slipped into her room. He made sure the hatch was securely closed behind him and grabbed his present off her bed on the way down. Ladybug was folding up a scarf on her desk near the tiny fan heater he knew was for Tikki and making a little kwami nest. Only when it was done did she murmur her release phrase and Tikki reappeared. She looked at him expectantly and he immediately dropped his transformation so she could have Plagg.

Adrien and Marinette shared a fond look as their kwamis embraced and settled into their warm nest. Marinette gestured to the hatch and Adrien nodded, settling on the chaise as she slipped downstairs to make their hot chocolate and leaving him with the presents. He had won the race home which gave him the right to choose which present was opened first, but he was having a hard time choosing.

Marinette's present looked beautiful.

Adrien gathered it up from the chaise, marvelling at her handmade Chat Noir themed paper. The tiny green paw prints stood out beautifully against the black paper and they looked so much better than the spots he had drawn on his red paper. He had tried so hard to get them all even but they all ended up being slightly different sized. There was a length of satin ribbon wound around it, in a darker green that complimented the design beautifully, and Adrien had to fight the urge to bat at it. Instead he gave the present a quick squeeze, unable to resist trying to figure it out, and realised that it was as soft as his.

For a moment he feared that they had chosen the same present for each other. It wasn't completely impossible, there had been several times when they were so completely in tune with each other in the past. Hers felt smaller and lighter than his though so the odds were that they weren't the same gift. He really wanted to open hers, to see what she had got him. But he also really wanted to see the look on her face when she saw his gift to her.

Adrien sighed and looked at the two gifts. It was such a hard decision to make!

"Is everything ok?"

Adrien startled. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't even heard Marinette returns to her room. She was gently shutting the trap door with one hand while balancing a heavily laden tray with the other. There were two large mugs filled with hot chocolate, three slices of a divind looking chocolate cake, and a large wedge of camembert. She set the tray down on the floor by the chaise and set the cheese and one of the cake slices to one side for their kwami, who immediately emerged from their cocoon to eat.

He gave her the most reassuring smile he could. "I can't decide which one of us goes first. Plus it feels a little like cheating, opening our presents now," he shrugged. "I know that Ladybug and Chat Noir have always exchanged gifts before Christmas, though, so…"

Marinette smiled and reached out to take his hand. "We didn't know we'd find our identities out this Christmas, so why don't we stick with our tradition this year?"

"This year?" Adrien pouted at that. "Does that mean we're going to change things next year? I like our Ladybug and Chat Noir traditions though."

He could tell he hadn't fooled her. "You just want an excuse to buy me more presents." Marinette accused.

She was right and Adrien knew there was no argument he could come up with on the spur of the moment to convince her otherwise. That left pleading. He leant back on the chaise and pulled her to him, starting up his purr and cuddling her close, delighting in how easily she relaxed against him. "You can't blame me for wanting to spoil my girlfriend a little."

He adored being able to call her his girlfriend.

She still wasn't fooled but he could see a hint of pink on her cheeks. "Are you purring because you're happy, because its my prize, or to butter me up to get me to agree to more presents?"

"All of the above? Anyway, I have decided that you should open your present first. Ladies first, my Princess."

Reluctant as he was to let her go, he was excited to see her reaction to his gift.

Adrien handed Marinette the red and black present and was quite pleased to see her carefully open the present to keep his wrapping paper intact. When she finally unfolded it to see the gift he was treated to a gasp of pure delight.

"Oh!"

Adrien hadn't been afraid to use his name to find the softest and warmest wool on the market and have it dyed Ladybug red. There was a pattern of white snowflakes of different sizes scattered all over the blanket like polka dots and Marinette eagerly wrapped it around herself, humming happily at the feel of it.

She beamed at him. "I love it! It's perfect!"

He sagged in relief next to her. He had been in turmoil ever since the reveal for fear that Marinette, up-and-coming fashion star Marinette Dupain-Cheng, might have found some flaw with the wool or the dye or the pattern that he wouldn't have noticed. Adrien had wanted this present to be perfect for her. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You're welcome."

She pulled the blanket a bit tighter before grabbing his gift and handing it to him. "I hope this is ok. I actually only finished it the day before we found out, so…"

"All of your presents are phenomenal, my Princess."

Adrien unwrapped her gift with the same care she had shown his - there was no way he was letting this amazing Chat Noir paper go to waste - and his jaw dropped when he saw the jumper inside.

It was bright green, with wintery designs in black and white around the hem, cuffs, and collar, and right in the centre was a grumpy looking green-eyed black cat with a Santa hat perched jauntily on its head. Above it was the caption Meow-y Christmas. It was a typical terrible Christmas jumper with too-bright colours and patterns bordering on garish.

It was the best thing he had ever seen in his life!

"Oh my god!" he scrambled to pull it over his head, not surprised that it was a perfect fit, and stared down at it in delight. "I love it! Oh my god, I've never had a Christmas jumper before and this- ohmygod I love it so much!"

Marinette giggled at him. "Meow-y Christmas, my kitten."

Adrien turned, intending to thank her again for one of if not the best gifts he had ever received, but froze when her lips caressed his cheek and just caught the corner of his mouth. She had obviously been leaning in to kiss him when he had turned around.

There was a small part of him that was mad he didn't turn around further and complete the kiss, but there was one thought that stood out far more clearly than the small hint of annoyance.

This was it.

No one was here to interrupt them, there were no jobs to complete, biscuits to bake, or akumas to fight. There was nothing to stop them. Marinette was blushing but she was still so close to him. She hadn't moved away. She even dropped her gaze to his lips. She wanted this as much as he did.

"You know," he breathed, unable to raise his voice above a whisper. "I had a whole plan for this."

Adrien deliberate chose the same words he used to ask her out. A small smile crossed her face when she realised what he meant. "Oh?" she murmured, shifting closer to him on the seat. "And what would that be?"

"It was simple, really." His arms moved of their own accord and wrapped around her waist. "I was going to ask if you would go out with me, and I still can't believe you actually said yes to me, like holy cats, you said yes." Adrien sometimes couldn't believe his luck that he had Marinette as his girlfriend. "And then I was going to take you on a date."

Her hands were wrapping around him now too, one settling over his heart while the other moved towards his shoulder. "Really? Would it have been as good as the dates we've already had?"

"Even better, " he grinned. "But I can't tell you just how amazing it would be - that will spoil the surprise for Christmas Even when we go out. But once we'd had this miraculous date, I was going to walk you home and ask for a kiss from my Princess."

Marinette was barely a breath away from his lips. "So what's stopping you now?"

He spared a quick glance at Plagg and Tikki just to make sure they weren't going to stop him (and he would kill them if they did). They were sat there, paws intertwined and food forgotten, watching their Chosens with an eager and excited intensity. No way were they going to interfere.

Adrien turned back to Marinette and smiled. "Nothing at all," her murmured against her lips before finally pressing them together.

Author's notes. Reminder, I have still not seen all of season 2 and none of season 3. Please check my author's profile for a list of the episodes I have seen.

I had hoped to get another two chapters out today as well as reply to all of my reviews but the sproglet was super hyperactive. Someone knows he's getting a lot of gifts tomorrow. So I will leave you with this chapter and my very best wishes to you and yours for Christmas Day. Have a wonderful time.