Twenty-Six: Ice Skating

Author's Note: This was the second story I wrote for these characters during #MariChatMay2019. Having been a bit surprised at how popular the first story was – the one where they actually move in together – I decided to jump ahead a few months and find out how their first major holiday went, assuming they were still happily ensconced together. Who knew I'd still be writing about them six months later as part of a two-year project.

I've made a few changes to the original so it will fit within the larger Roommates story, so if you've read the original, bonus points for noting the differences. Please also remember that the characters have been aged up a bit, making them recent University graduates embarking on their new careers in Paris. -ep

A few days prior to Christmas found me bustling through the shops trying to find the perfect gift for Marinette. I didn't normally wait until the last minute, but it had been an amazing season for me as a model, and with my nightly obligations as Chat, there hadn't been a ton of excess time left over that I hadn't spent with Marinette herself. We'd been together in the apartment now for close to six months – well, technically, Chat and Marinette had been together – and it felt like the right time for a gift that would tell her how much it had meant to me that she'd taken the leap of faith.

So far, though, nothing had stood out. But truly I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for, either. And, to be honest, the lingering aftereffects from the pheromones in Marinette's gag Christmas gift had left me unable to think clearly when it came to my girlfriend, though I'd be hard pressed to explain how that was different than on any other day.

It was getting late, and snow had started to gently fall. I wrapped the scarf Marinette had knitted for me years earlier a little tighter around my overcoat and sloshed down the sidewalk, ignoring the furtive glances as people recognized me. I smiled – I couldn't blame them. I seemed to be pasted everywhere, from billboards to placards. For me it was second nature now – and further proof that our holiday campaign had gained traction. I'd yet to hear how Father had taken the news that House of Gabriel had issued bonuses to everyone for the first time in a decade.

I rounded a corner and nearly took out Marinette. She'd been coming out of the corner store with multiple bags hanging from her hands. "Mari?" I said. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Adrien!" she greeted me warmly with a friendly hug and a quick peck to the cheek. "How are you? You never call!" she accused.

I smiled. I see you every day, Princess, I thought. "Work's been a killer," I said, inclining my head toward a billboard with my smiling visage on it. "And I'm terrible at staying in touch. How are you doing? I heard your designs were accepted into the Spring Fashion Show! Congrats!"

Her eyes widened. "How did you hear about that?" she asked. "I only just got the letter yesterday."

Oops!

She'd been whooping around the apartment when I'd returned from patrol with Ladybug last night. "I have sources," I said quickly, then added: "Who have you contracted with for the runway?"

"No one yet," she laughed. "Why? Interested?"

I thought about that. As Chat, I knew Chateau Le Blanc was still small enough that they wouldn't be able to afford someone like me. On the other hand, it would give her a sizable boost in the market if I showed up on the runway for them – and, given the nascent partnership I'd forged, might benefit both of our firms. I fished out my wallet and pulled out the card for my agency. "Call Montserrat," I said. "Tell her I've already accepted – for scale."

Marinette's eyes bugged out. She knew exactly what I meant. "Are you sure?" she said, her eyes unintentionally travelling to the billboard again.

"Think of it as the Friends and Family Discount," I laughed. "Throw in some of your Belgian Chocolate-filled croissants and I'll day two for free."

Her jaw dropped. "Surely you're not serious," she said.

I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, pausing at her ear. "I am serious," I said. "And don't call me Shirley."

Mari smacked me in the arm. "Still a geek," she laughed.

"Guilty as charged." I peered at her bags. "Ah," I said knowingly. "Shopping for your special someone now."

She blushed slightly. "Yeah," she said. "Special feline, I suppose. We've been together for… well, quite a while."

I hugged her, trying not to look into the bags too hard. "Good for you. Like I told you earlier, Chat's a good fit for you."

Marinette blushed. "That's kind of you to say," she smiled. "Do you still see him? From time to time?"

More than you know. "Every now and then," I replied instead.

"I should go," she said, glancing at her phone.

"Yeah, I'm late too," I lied. "Great to see you again, Mari."

"Same, Adrien." She looked at me for a moment longer. "Do call, won't you?"

"I will." I smiled my world-famous smile. "And I'll see you in April – if not sooner."

"Deal."

We parted company and I headed down the street; when I found the first alleyway that was empty, I ducked in. Plagg floated out of my jacket pocket where he'd been keeping warm in what was left of a mitten Marinette had given Chat some time ago. "I am impressed at how long you've managed to keep this charade going, Adrien."

"It's not easy, but I love her, which makes it worth it."

"Love," he said, "is an aged piece of Camembert."

"Love can be many things," I laughed, "and I'm sure cheese is one of them. But I need help! What should I get her? I didn't get much of a peek into those bags of hers, either."

"Cheese?" he offered. "That usually works for me."

"Not helpful."

"Don't over think, Adrien. Do what your heart tells you."

"That is helpful," I said. "Let's get home and see if we can sneak a peek."

I transformed and climbed into the sky, sailing over the rooftops of Paris to our apartment, feeling somewhat serene as the snowflakes quietly but swiftly passed me as I moved. If I squinted just right, I could almost make believe I was travelling at warp speed. My balcony faced away from the Tower, and I gently dropped to the tile. Sliding the door open to my room, I could hear Marinette was already in the main space.

"Princess?" I called out. "Is it safe to come out? I hear tissue paper!"

"Chat!" she cried. "Stay put for a moment."

My feline ears heard her hurriedly replacing items in bags and hustling them to her room. Her door clicked shut, followed by: "Okay, it's safe."

I opened my door and peered around the corner, masked green eyes narrowing. "You know cats are curious, right?"

"Yes," she said.

"And that it's like catnip hearing tissue paper, right?"

"Yep."

"You have been warned," I said as I leapt from the door to her side in a swift move, planting a kiss on her lips.

"No peeking," she said, laughing. "And no unauthorized expeditions."

"I would nev—"

"You totally would." She poked me in the chest. "Remember when I caught you trying to listen on my conversation with Maman?"

"Occupational hazard," I said, using a claw to point to my feline ears. "Besides, once I heard the magic word—"

"Since when is 'croissant' a magic word?"

"When it's used in the same sentence as 'Chat really likes…'"

She smacked me again. "Promise me! No snooping."

I held up my paw. "On my honor as a Miraculous Holder, no snooping."

"Good." She looked behind me. "Did you have your tail crossed?"

"No, Princess," I laughed. "That would have been a bit painful, to say the least."

A takeout bag was still on the counter, and my feline nose couldn't help but detect chicken curry from our favorite restaurant. "I thought it was my turn tonight," I said.

"My treat," she replied as she pulled containers out. "I ran into an old friend tonight, and he really made my day." She handed me a tin. "My year, actually."

"That's fantastic!" I said. I held up the glass of wine I'd poured. "To your friend."

She raised her glass. "To Adrien."

The following morning, I was a day closer to Christmas and no further ahead with my gift search. I wound up back on the streets late that evening after a full day of work and several hours on patrol with Ladybug. I'd debated asking Ladybug her thoughts but decided I didn't really want to bring up Marinette with her. I hadn't exactly asked her permission with respect to my living arrangements, although she'd taken it better than I expected when I finally fessed up.

I rounded a corner, but this time, instead of colliding with Marinette, I saw her in the distance looking through the window of a sporting goods shop. Somewhat cat-like, I pressed myself into a darker corner of the walkway and disappeared into the crowd. "Plagg," I whispered, "can you do reconnaissance?"

"No," came a small voice.

"Fine," I said. Looking around, I slid sideways into an alleyway and transformed.

I climbed up the side of the building and once on the roof, I leapt across the avenue and landed on a building that had a good view of the store Marinette was still in front of. With my better feline-enhanced vision, I could clearly see she was looking at the display of cold weather sporting goods, including a classic set of while figure skates.

That brought me back. It had been years since we'd been to the ice rink that had spawned an akuma; as far as I knew, it was still thriving, thanks to my testimonial ads for the rink owner. We'd both been there with different partners at the time, though – I'd taken Kagami, and she'd been there with Luka. I'd gotten a Christmas Card from the two of them this year, showing their new baby. Some parings were just meant to be.

But I wondered. Maybe this was what I'd been searching for.

Christmas day found me sitting on the coffee table, tail twitching, watching the lights on the Tower and idly wondering if Marinette would let me climb into the tree we'd put up. I was finding that more and more cat idiosyncrasies were appearing in my thoughts the longer I stayed in character as Chat. Climbing trees apparently was one of them.

I tilted my head in the direction of the Agreste mansion. Father would be there, alone, just as he preferred it. He only knew that I lived somewhere in the city and dropped by from time to time as needed; we had long since ceased to celebrate any holidays together. Or any other special dates. In my six months with Marinette, I had felt more love and appreciation than the years I'd spent with him.

A feline ear picked up Marinette moving in her bedroom. A moment later, her door opened and she appeared, padding out into the living space in a pair of cat-themed slippers. I raised a masked eyebrow. "Seriously?"

She yawned, her hair up in an informal bun, a few stray strands framing her beautiful face. "They were on sale. And I'm still in the 'struggling' part of my career."

She eschewed the couch and sidled up next to me on the coffee table. I wrapped an arm around her and leaned my head into her shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Princess," I said quietly.

"Merry, merry Christmas," she said, equally softly.

"Okay," I said brightly. "Time for presents!"

She looked at me. "What are you, like, thirteen?"

"Not anymore," I said proudly. "Although I feel closer to thirteen when in costume than any other time."

Something flickered across her face, but she continued to smile. "Doofus," she said fondly.

I rolled off the coffee table and grabbed two items from beneath the tree. I handed her the smaller one first. "Open," I commanded.

Carefully, Marinette pulled the paper away from the small box, and then gently flipped it open. Her eyes widened as she pulled out the small silver ring. She turned it in the light, and her eyes widened larger as the green garnet gemstones caught and reflected. "Chat…" she breathed.

"Put it on, Princess."

She slid the ring on, and held it so I could see the entire miniature paw print, comprised entirely of green garnet stones. It had been a challenge explaining the design to the jeweler as Adrien; I'd been tempted several times to transform and show her the original it was based on. Fortunately it hadn't come to that.

"This is stunning," she said. "Thank you."

"I wanted you to have a little piece of me with you all the time," I said. "I figured big, black and day-glow green might not work best for you, so I came up with this instead."

She leaned forward and kissed me. "It's adorable and I'll wear it always."

"Clawsome." I pushed the bigger box toward her. "Open."

She laughed. "What's the rush?"

"You'll see in a moment," I said. "Open!" I said again, and I leaned down into an expectant position, tail twitching.

"Incorrigible," she said. Slowly she peeled away the paper and revealed the pair of figure skates she'd been looking at. She looked back at me. "Chat…?"

"Look inside the boot."

She opened the box and pulled out one of the boots, reached in and pulled out a card. Looking at me quizzically, she slit the card open and read it aloud. "Roses are pink, violets are blue," she started, raising an eyebrow, "I've rented the rink just for you."

I smiled. "But we have to go, like, now."

"I don't understand-"

"Go change," I encouraged. "I'll wait."

Less than fifteen minutes later, I gently lowered us helicopter style outside the ice rink. I'd arranged with the owner to have it open at this ungodly hour, and he was waiting for us at the door.

"Chat Noir," he smiled. "It's ready as you requested. The door will be locked behind you."

"Thank you," I said. "Enjoy Christmas with your family, Monsieur."

He held the door open and we entered. Most of the lights were off, save for the ones that illuminated the rink; holding Marinette's hand, I walked down the main aisle and led her to the bench just to the side of the rink.

A massive Christmas tree was in the exact center, perfectly decorated for the season and fully lit. That was part of the normal holiday atmosphere of the rink; what wasn't was the multiple pounds of rose petals I'd ordered and had scattered around the ice. Softly playing over the speakers was the immortal jazz soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas, setting a wonderfully romantic mood.

"This is gorgeous," Marinette said. "But I still don't understand why we are here."

"Hold that thought," I said, "and put on your skates. I need to change into something more appropriate."

"All right," she said, skeptical expression on her face.

I leapt over the railing and trotted down the darkened hallway toward the changing rooms. Once I was far enough away from Marinette, I stopped and dropped my transformation. Plagg floated close to me as I fished out my tin of transformation cheeses. "I remind you again how much I detest these transformations," he said, frowning as I pulled out the blue wedge.

"I know, my little friend, but it's the holiday." I held it out to him. "Besides, there is a massive wheel of Camembert in our bedroom for you."

"You… you got me a gift, too?" His little green eyes went wide.

"Yes," I said. "Merry Christmas, buddy."

He looked like he was on the verge of hugging me, but thought better of it, and instead downed the cheese.

I retransformed; with the help of the special cheese, my costume adjusted into Ice Mode, sporting snowflake accents and a pair of ice skates instead of my usual boots. I quickly trotted back to the ice and found Marinette waiting for me at the entrance.

"Nice," she said. "I like your hair, too."

"My hair?"

"It's a bit whiter," she said. "It matches your costume."

"Thanks, I think." I held out a paw and helped her onto the ice. We started a gentle circle around the tree.

"I've not been here in years," Marinette said as we moved.

"Oh?" I said, knowing full well the last time she had been here. "Well I'm glad I got you to come with me." I swiveled around and skated backwards in front of her, still holding her as if we were ballroom dancing. "I needed a special place to explain to you how much knowing you – how much loving you – has meant to me over the years."

"Why an ice rink?" she said.

I pivoted her around me in a slow move. "It's a metaphor," I said simply. "On the face of it, skating looks easy, when it's anything but. The surface is tantalizingly smooth, but it covers tiny cracks that can become wide gaps with little effort."

I lifted her up and twirled her over me, putting her down at my side. "And like most things, it is best tackled with a partner who will be there to support you when you crash and need to haul yourself back up, all black and blue, and try once more to be perfect."

I pulled her around and into a hug. "Skating also represents fear; you can easily speed up and rush away from danger, leaving it all behind. But again, with a true partner, you have no need to run; instead, you can turn and face fear, together."

I pivoted her again, noting it was our third loop of the rink. "You are that partner for me, Princess. You pull me back up when I fall, you help me face my fears and keep moving forward. You support me in everything. I have no idea how I can ever, ever return the favor." I leaned down and kissed her as we slowly rotated together. "But I am going to try my best, every day, to do it."

I spun her out and she stopped a few meters ahead of me. "Your love means everything to me. I just needed a cool way to show you why."

Marinette was holding her hands to her face, her eyes glistening. "Chat…" she said. "You were doing so well until the pun…"

I laughed. "Sorry. But it was genuine."

"I know," she laughed as she skated to me and hugged me again. "And, I won't be as eloquent as you, but suffice it to say I feel the same way."

"So now you know why the rink."

"Yes," she said. "And I will never forget it, either." She paused. "Merry Christmas, Chat."

I buried my head in her hair, feeling as though the world was finally purrfect. "Merry Christmas, Princess."