Hey. Sorry for not posting for a bit; I caught a mild case of death, though the doctor said it was "just bronchitis that had escalated due to stress from midterms" or whatever. I'll relax when I'm dead. Enjoy and happy holidays!

School let out for break just as the storms became more frequent, often caking the roads with snow. This gave ample time for Marinette to work on her present for Adrien, well, when he wasn't glued to her hip. He hadn't left her alone often, not after Lila was exposed. Marinette had admitted that, while she obviously forgave the class for not believing her, she didn't really want to think about it over the holidays. That's why he acted like a bodyguard whenever the two went out; he would even drop in as Chat Noir to make sure she wasn't unhappy.

She loved him dearly, she truly did, and she appreciated his efforts to keep her happy, but the amount of times that she's had to kick a certain umbrella under her desk made her afraid that she would actually break it.

When she was able to work on it, pride soared through her as her stomach turned with excitement at the thought of giving it to Adrien. With Tikki's praise keeping her motivated, Marinette was able to finish the tapestry on the umbrella that had been given to her by the boy at the moment she had fallen in love with him. She really was proud of her work, having discussed with her girlfriends what to depict. The "story" started with Adrien giving Marinette the umbrella, then the next one is of her giving him the pink-and-green charm. This was followed by their first dance, and then Adrien giving Marinette the orange-and-blue charm at her birthday party. The next one was of their private dance in front of her front door, then of the candlelight dinner on the Eiffel Tower where Adrien had confessed his feelings for her. The final depiction hadn't happened yet, but it was of the two kissing with Adrien holding the tapestry umbrella again while they stood under a mistletoe.

While the different scenes lined the bottom fourth of the umbrella, lining the rim, polka-dots of ladybugs and green cat paws sprinkled the rest, each cross-stitched into the fabric. Admiring the finished look, Marinette twirled it for her kwami before encasing it in a waterproof lining. It still needed to perform the function of an umbrella, after all.

Meanwhile, Adrien crumbled up another piece of sheet music, tossing it behind him as he scowled and grumbled in frustration. Plagg dodged it, watching it fall to the ground before fluttering over to hover by the teen's head. With a new sheet, Adrien began playing the piano again, marking down the notes.

"You should take a break, kid. You've been at this for over an hour!"

"I can't, Plagg! I have to perfect this song before Christmas! It has to be perfect for Marinette!" Adrien exclaimed, marking another note.

It took almost a full night, and Nathalie found the boy asleep at the piano in the morning, the finished song in his hand. Slowly, she took it and slipped out of the room, knowing what she needed to do.

It didn't come in until the day before Christmas Eve, and Adrien visibly sighed when he opened the box. He carefully wrapped the present, addressing it to Marinette. The next night, he went to the bakery. Tom had been waiting for him and placed his hand on the boy's back, leading him up the stairs to the apartment. Opening the door, Adrien saw that Alya and Nino were already there, chatting as they sat on stools and sipped on hot chocolate. Marinette was helping Sabine lay cookies on a tray before placing it in the oven, and Adrien smiled at the warm, cozy atmosphere. Mr. Dupain took Adrien's coat, hanging it up on a rack. The boy then took off his own light blue scarf, hanging it up as well.

"Adrien!" Marinette greeted, noticing her boyfriend.

She wiped her hands on a dish towel before walking past her father to hug Adrien tightly but quickly. She then grabs his hand and leads him over to sit on a third stool next to Nino, who waved along with Alya.

"Hey, dude! Glad to see that you didn't turn into a snowman on your way here!" The DJ exclaimed before being elbowed by his girlfriend, "Sorry, I had a gig last night, and I was by these awesome speakers for three hours!"

"You're good," Adrien assured before returning his attention to Marinette.

He watched as she giggled about something Sabine had said before Tom put a dollop of icing on his daughter's nose, giving her pause before all three erupted in laughter. Adrien couldn't help but smile and the homely scene, cherishing being able to be a part of it. He had tried to convince his father to come along, but he declined, mumbling something about the spring line demanding his time and attention.

Dinner was soon served, followed by desserts in the form of cinnamon cookies with buttercream icing. Alya and Nino left soon after that, saying that they wanted to get back home to Alya's family's apartment. Adrien had stayed, bouncing his leg as he waited for the right time to give his present to Marinette. That moment came quick as Tom and Sabine stepped out of the room for a reason that neither teens quite caught.

Adrien grabbed the wrapped gift he had hidden by the entrance as Marinette ran up to her room to grab her present. On her way back down, she tripped, falling into Adrien's open arms. He smiled down at her, pure love in his eyes. Blushing, she straightened up, gripping the gift. She then held it out for him, her face and body relaxing.

"Merry Christmas, Adrien."

He placed his gift on a nearby shelf, opening the present addressed to him. His eyes lit up as he recognized the umbrella, and then his heart melted with bliss as he took in the additions. His gaze watering up, he held it in one hand and used his other to cup Marinette's cheek, pulling her closer as they kissed, perfectly fulfilling the last scene on the umbrella.

"Thank you, Marinette. I love it, and I love you," he said between kisses.

"I love you, too," she breathed.

Remembering his gift, Adrien pulled back, grabbing it and handing the present to Marinette. She smiled as she opened it, gasping as she saw a sketchbook with sheet music printed on the cover. She was about to ask Adrien what song it was, when he pressed a button on his phone, playing a recording of him playing it.

"I hope you like the song. Plagg can attest to the atrocities I had made trying to write this," Adrien joked calmly, placing their things down and grabbing Marinette's hand.

He placed his hand on her hip, and hers on his shoulder. The song was both fitting for the holiday and for a magical setting, making Marinette feel like a princess dancing at a royal ball. It was perfect. The song was perfect. The sketchbook was perfect. The night was perfect.

Marinette rested her head on Adrien's free shoulder, and the two swayed calmly to the classical music, finding themselves lost in the trance of the notes until the recording stopped and they kissed softly once more.