Marinette

Today was the day! She could feel it tingling on her skin, roaring through her veins, threatening to break out at the tips of her fingers: her magic. Tikki's powers. Creation itself. They'd come back from Paris a few days ago, and since then, Marinette had done almost nothing but learn to distinguish that intricate energy inside her. Today, she was going to use her magic properly for the first time. She was prepared. And she would succeed.

…or so Adrien had told her.

The first thing of order: she had to wake up a little before the sunrise and get ready. Adrien had mentioned that, unlike his powers which were at their best after sundown, creation magic was the strongest at the start of the new day. Trying to coax it out of herself at that specific time of the day made sense.

Speaking of Adrien… he was supposed to be here by now.

Marinette opened her window and looked around. The horizon was starting to glow already. The town was slowly waking up, lazily coming back to life after its slumber. Something banged on a roof to her side, most likely some stray cat rummaging around. A few cars drove by, spooking the birds up in the sky, singing their morning serenade to the rising sun. Marinette leaned out of the window, trying to decipher the shapes in the distance. "Come on, Adrien. Where are you?"

"Right here." An invisible someone pressed a light kiss to her lips.

She yelped and jumped away, back into her room, to her boyfriend's amused chuckle.

"Sorry," Chat Noir whispered, slowly appearing in the room. That lopsided smile on his lips was anything but apologetic, though. "Couldn't help myself."

Marinette pursued her lips and turned to the side, hoping to hide her flaming cheeks. "I should've expected you'd use the cloaking device."

"I didn't think it'd be wise to let people see me like this."

Marinette couldn't agree more. If they wanted to keep his presence in the town a secret, a grown man running across the rooftops in a black skin-tight suit, with a tail for a belt and ears attached to his blond mane—which was, by the way, tied in the cutest of a tiny ponytail ever—would better be hidden from the eyes of Dupont habitants. Chat Noir was a sight no one would be able to forget soon. Not the striking contrast of the neon green embellishments against the black of his suit, and certainly not those glowing green eyes of his. Marinette was still struggling to get used to that side of him, and she was in love with the man.

"Will I have a suit just like that, once Tikki awakens?"

Chat nodded. "You will, but something out of your own imagination." He winked, adding, "Better start thinking up designs, My Lady."

"Are you trying to tell me—" Marinette slowly came to stand before him, ringing the bell under his chin, "—that this accessory is something you wanted?"

Chat grinned, leaning so close to her face that Marinette was sure he could feel the heat radiating from her skin on his. "Keep denying it all you want, but I know you love it, Princess."

Her eyes flickered from his cocky grin to those lips that ravished her just an hour ago in their dreams and back up to his slitted green eyes. "Maybe just a little."

"Liar." He cupped her cheek and leaned down, greeting her with a proper kiss. "Shall we begin? I have a little less than an hour left."

Breathless, Marinette nodded. Chat de-transformed as Marinette walked to stand in front of the window, facing the sky. Closing her eyes, she soaked up the warmth of the sun's first rays peeking from behind the horizon.

Adrien came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection and pressing his chest to her back. "Try to concentrate. Do everything as we practiced and it'll work. Plagg will be helping you like before."

Marinette breathed in, relaxing against Adrien, his lessons still fresh in her mind.

"We take our powers from everything around us," he had told her. "Everything, every being, every sound has its own energy, a unique vibration, filled with either life force or destruction. I draw my magic from the negative, dark energy that manifests whenever something gets destroyed. Be it a material thing or a spiritual one."

"What do you mean by a spiritual one?"

"Broken hearts. Destroyed bonds. Vanquished trust and loyalty." Adrien had explained, his eyes downcast. A moment later, a smile had made it back to his face. "You're different, however. Your magic is life. It's born out of everything living and breathing around us. When a new creature comes into this world, it's you. The breath of the wind and the spark of fire is your energy. The sunrise is your magic. Kind words, love and hope in human hearts, even a positive thought is what gives your magic its strength."

"Close your eyes and feel it all around you," Adrien had instructed her a few days ago at the beach. "Feel the warmth in the wind, the melody in the sunlight, the silence of the bird's song and symphony of waves. Connect with it. Let it consume you, let it fill you, and then guide it to your palms."

Plagg had helped her with that, slowly flying along the skin of her arms, from her shoulders down to the tips of her fingers. His proximity had evoked a reaction in Tikki, and soon Marinette had started to recognize the warm, fizzing sensation flowing across her body, following Plagg's trajectory—something she had always taken for a normal human sensation, something she now was trying to control for the first time in her life.

Just like then, Marinette kept her eyes closed now as well, holding her hands at her chest, her palms slightly apart. Plagg floated near, pressing his tiny paws to her fingers. The sun glided over her skin, Marinette took a deep breath in. There it was. That gentle warmth flowing through her. Soothing and inspiring tingling, just under her skin.

"You are creation itself, Marinette," Adrien whispered into her ear, holding her close against him. "It doesn't simply inhabit you. It is you. You don't need spells or chants. Just find that power inside you and guide it to your hands. Push it out, let it flow."

Marinette tried. Hesitantly at first, a bit braver soon after, she willed that warmth inside her to flow towards her hands. Plagg's paws pressed harder onto her skin. The inside of her palms burned painlessly. Her heart's pounding echoed in her ears as Marinette took another deep breath in and tried to push the tingling sensation out. Something popped, silently. A beautiful symphony of tiny bells filled her room and even with her eyes closed, Marinette could see another light source appearing before her.

"Open your eyes." Adrien kissed the crown of her head. "Look."

There it was: a tiny flicker of light burning, sparkling between her palms. "I did it?"

"You did."

Plagg floated towards the light, diving right in to bathe in its glow, whispering something only he could hear. Marinette opened her palms and marvelled at the light. "I actually did it."

"You actually did." Adrien pressed another kiss to the flustered skin on her cheek, his eyes focused on the flame as well. "It's beautiful. Your magic is gorgeous, my Lady."

Marinette brought it closer to take a better look. The glowing sphere was white inside, sparkling with all of the colours of a rainbow closer to its edges. Warm and fuzzy, yet it didn't burn or prickle. It felt more soft than anything, like holding a cotton ball or a fistful of rose petals. "What do I do with it now?"

"You can release it," Adrien said. "Or you can make something out of it."

"Making something sounds more appealing. How do I do that?"

"Close your eyes," Adrien said, his hold tightening on her, his arms holding her closer than ever before. "Do you remember how Master Fu told you to imagine my face perfectly intact and healthy to heal me?"

"Yes."

"That's the basic premise of how to use your magic specifically. All you have to do is imagine what you want to happen and pull the energy from inside you to bring that image to life. Master Fu was drawing the magic from you last time, but you did all the imagining. You were the one healing me, he was just a medium to deliver your magic to me."

Marinette nodded. "Okay. And now I have to do both, imagining and drawing the magic from inside me?"

"Exactly. We've done the first part. Now, is there anything you'd like to make in particular?"

For all of her creativity, at that precise moment, Marinette blanked on a concrete idea. "Not sure. Something simple to start, perhaps?"

"Okay." Adrien fell silent for a few moments, glancing around. His gaze locked on something, and letting her go, he walked to her desk and picked up a pebble they had found on one of their beach walks last month. "How about this?"

"You want me to create a pebble?" Granted, it was not a simple pebble, but a gorgeously smooth and flawless, almost perfectly teardrop-shaped wonder of nature. Marinette wasn't a rock collector, but that pebble even she hadn't been able to resist taking home. Especially because it was Adrien who'd found it.

"Yes, but in your favourite colour."

Pink. Maybe with some sparkles thrown in there as well. She could do that. She just had to imagine that. Bringing her palms back together, Marinette closed her eyes and focused.

"Imagine everything from how it looks on the outside to the inner, hard parts," Adrien instructed. "You don't have to know the structure of the pebble, but you do need to imprint the image of the texture and hardness."

Marinette nodded, the object he'd described already in the front of her mind.

"Now, imagine it in your hands while holding onto the light you have there now. Don't stop until I tell you." Adrien paused, groaning. "Plagg, unless you want to become a rock, I strongly suggest you move aside."

Plagg, lingering in the light until now, grumbled, but obeyed, flying away.

Marinette kept hold of the magic gleaming in her palms, creating an image of a pink, tear-shaped stone in its place.

"Keep going," Adrien whispered. "It's working."

She didn't dare to open her eyes.

"Almost there."

She couldn't help herself but look when something fell in the crack between her hands and tumbled to the floor at her feet.

Adrien crouched down to pick it up before she could. His lips stretched in a smile as he handed her a pink stone, larger than the one they'd found and not as perfectly tear-shaped as well. But it was real and she had just created it.

"I made this?" Marinette whispered, turning the stone in her hand.

"You did, and it looks amazing for your first creation." Adrien seemed to ponder on something for a moment before stretching his hand and asking, "May I?"

"Sure." Marinette handed him the stone, only to see Adrien's palm glow, the stone she had placed there consumed by the neon green flickers, dancing around it. She almost snatched it back, if not for Adrien closing his palm. "What are you doing? I just made this. Don't destroy it!"

"I would never." He smiled, opening his palm. "I just thought we could create something together out of it."

Marinette gasped the second her eyes landed on her stone in Adrien's palm. It wasn't an awkward copy of the real deal anymore. Nor was it an exact replica of it either. Instead, it was a cut-to-perfection, elongated teardrop gemstone, its sides polished and split in equally symmetrical planes. Marinette hesitantly reached for it, bringing it closer to her eyes. The stone caught a sunray and Marinette's breath came to a halt. The light was going right through the stone, making it look almost transparent.

"I'm sorry. I should've asked first—"

"It's amazing," Marinette breathed out.

Adrien perked up. "You like it?"

"I love it. How did you do that?"

"I just got rid of everything that was keeping this beauty from shining."

"You'll have to know how to cut gems for it." Marinette glanced his way. "Don't tell me you know that too?"

Adrien chuckled and shook his head. "No, I don't. But I do know how a beautiful gem is supposed to look. So, I just worked from my imagination."

Something rang in his pocket. Adrien quickly reached for his cell phone and turned off the sound. "That's my cue to leave. Your father expects me at the bakery in about ten minutes."

Marinette rolled her eyes. Adrien was cute, trying to play along with her Papa's whims. She didn't mind it, but— "You know you didn't have to agree to that?"

Adrien shrugged. "A promise is a promise. I did offer my help at the bakery until Christmas if I were to take you to Paris for a week. Just keeping my word."

More like her father trying to see if Adrien had the potential to take over the bakery. Marinette really should tell them everything soon. But for now, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Adrien's cheek. "France is lucky to have you as its future sovereign."

"Not as lucky as to have you as its future queen." He used the moment to catch her lips in a kiss before she could pull back. Chaste and sweet. Long enough to leave her wanting more, yet cutting it short with a teasing smile on his lips. "Can I borrow your stone for a few days?"

She was still too dazzled to think straight. "Yes. Why?"

"I have an idea I think you'll like, but I want it to be a surprise."

It was her first creation. Their first creation. Marinette tightened her grip on the stone, looking into Adrien's eyes. Then, she placed it in his hand. "Alright. I trust you."

"Thank you." He dropped the stone in his pocket and cradled her cheek in his palm, placing another lingering kiss on her lips. "I'll see you downstairs."

She could hardly speak, her chest heaving. Stupid Adrien with his stupid kisses! Would she ever be able to kiss him and not turn to jelly? She wasn't sure. "Yeah… See you soon… downstairs."

Adrien chuckled, quickly stealing yet another kiss before calling for his transformation and vanishing through the window.

Marinette couldn't stop smiling. She'd won a lottery with Adrien, men like him were rare these days. Her eyes shifted to her hands. She got lucky in that department as well. The magic of creation, of all things. Once, she could only dream about it. Now, she'd better make good use of it and prove to be worthy of her kwami's choice.

"Marinette, sweetheart?" Her mother knocked on her door. "Adrien's here. Are you joining us for breakfast or sleeping in?"

"Good morning, Maman," Marinette said, opening the door.

"You're up early," Sabine commented, an amused smile on her lips.

"Like I'm going to miss Papa torturing Adrien in the kitchen." Marinette chuckled, following her mother down the stairs.

"What are you talking about, pumpkin?" Tom laughed from the kitchen. "I'm not going to torture anyone. Adrien has been an exceptional student so far. He can handle a little work at the bakery."

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "During the pre-Christmas rush? The busiest time of the year?"

"I can take it," Adrien responded, glancing at Tom. "Right?"

The man laughed, echoing his wife and daughter's giggles. "That we will soon see, young man. Eat up now." He pushed a plate of pastries his way. "You're going to need all the strength you have if you're to survive today."

Which wasn't an exaggeration. Their bakery was one of the busiest in town before any holiday, with countless orders flowing in almost non-stop. And while usually, Marinette's parents would hire help for the season, this year they decided that whatever Tom had taught Adrien in the last few weeks would be enough. To give credit where it was due, Adrien handled the job pretty well, his warrior training and Tom's lessons proving to be enough preparation for the baker's work. He even managed to get into a pun showdown with Tom while working, their laughter roaring through the kitchen all day long. By the end of their third day working side by side, Tom proudly pronounced that unless Adrien wanted to marry Marinette, he'd better be prepared to find himself with an additional set of parents before the end of the year.

To which Adrien smiled, glancing Marinette's way. "I'd like to try the 'Marry Marinette' route first if I may."

"Hear that, pumpkin?" Tom grinned, watching his daughter. "What do you say?"

"I say you two need to work more and talk less," Marinette grumbled, swiftly exiting the room, the tips of her ears burning hot.

"She'll say yes," her father yelled behind her. "Won't you, sweetheart?"

"I sure hope so," Adrien responded just as the door behind her closed.

A few days before Christmas, the four of them were finally able to get together for a movie night, opting for Adrien and Nino's place instead of going out to a theatre. The boys went all out preparing for the evening, filling their living room with a mountain of pillows and blankets and splurging on a wide variety of nuts, crackers, cheese, fruit and popcorn for snacks and soda, water and a bottle of wine for drinks.

"Where are the chips?" Alya raised an eyebrow, glancing Nino's way as soon as everything was set up and the four of them settled down on a couch.

Nino looked at Adrien.

Adrien grinned nervously. "The chips?"

"Yes, the chips," Alya said, looking over the abundance of snacks on the coffee table again. "I specifically asked Nino for chips. We never watch a movie without chips."

Marinette nodded, petting Plagg in her lap. "I can attest to that."

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. Nino asked me to buy snacks, but I completely forgot about the chips. I can go get some now if you want?"

Alya's eyes darted to Nino, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "So, the prince is running errands for his bodyguard?"

"The prince had a chance to just pop into a store after finishing up at the bakery, while the bodyguard was this close to finalizing his gravity-defying baby that might one day save the prince's life." Nino shrugged. "It's all about priorities."

"And friendship," Adrien added. "I'll happily pick up some snacks for friends. So, if you still want those chips, give me ten minutes, and you shall have them."

Marinette nibbled on her lip, a crazy thought running wild in her mind. Her magic skills were getting better and better with each passing day. Adrien and Plagg had been helping her out so much she was already able to create much more complex things than rocks. Only yesterday, she had created a beautiful tea set, a desk, and a chair—all of which Adrien, unfortunately, had to destroy to not raise Marinette's parents' suspicions for the time being. Today, she poofed out of the thin air a blanket, a few spools of thread, and a bouquet of roses… though fake ones, but did it really matter? Surely, she'd be able to make Alya some chips? It sounded easy enough.

"Let's all go together," Alya said, standing up. "I can use a walk."

"Or maybe I'll try to make them?" Marinette braved.

All eyes turned to Marinette. Alya's sparkled, her whole face brightening. "So, you'll finally show me what Adrien's been teaching you?"

"Are you sure?" Adrien asked. "We haven't tried anything edible yet."

Hesitantly, Marinette nodded.

"Let her try." Alya inserted before Adrien could say another word. She'd been begging Marinette to show her some magic ever since she found out Marinette could use it. So far, Marinette had refused, not wanting to disappoint her best friend with her clumsy attempts. Now, however, Marinette was finally ready. Chips should be easy enough.

"If it doesn't work, we can always go to the store and buy some," Alya continued. Turning to Marinette, she added, "Do you need anything? Like any ingredients? Special chants? Poses? Sacrifices? Just, please, don't ask me for my firstborn. My mother will kill me if I trade her grandchild for food. Even if it's chips."

The room filled with laughter as Alya shrugged, barely holding back a snicker. "Shush! Unlike all of you, I'm not very magic-knowledgeable, so forgive me if I don't know a thing or two."

"You'll learn, babe." Nino wrapped his arm around Alya's shoulder, giving her a quick cheek kiss. "But just so you're not worried, our firstborn is safe. No one needs to be sacrificed to anyone."

"Our?" Alya glanced at Nino with a mischievous smirk. "Don't tell me you're thinking of kids already."

Nino's face flushed, but he held his ground, grinning. "Only because you brought it up. Shall we go back to the chips' dilemma now? Because I feel like there will be no firstborns if someone dumps me over missing chips."

"Smooth." Adrien chuckled.

"I have a good teacher." Nino shrugged.

"Fine," Alya looked back at Marinette. "May I have a bag of chips, your future highness?"

Marinette let out a giggle, her cheeks covering a thick blush. "Keep quiet and you shall receive."

"She needs silence only because she's still learning," Adrien added. "Later on, it won't be an issue."

"Gotcha." Alya made a "zipping her mouth" motion. "Shutting up for the promise of magic and chips."

Marinette breathed in and closed her eyes. Just like in the days prior, she concentrated on the flow of magic inside her and guided it to her hands. She had needed Plagg's help at the start, but yesterday evening those roses were created while Plagg was devouring his seventh wheel of Camembert for the day. She could do it herself. She knew she could. The space between her palms started to glow and Marinette quickly shifted her thoughts to imagining Alya's favourite brand of chips. The biggest bag of her favourite flavour. A moment later, her fingers brushed against a bag, appearing in between her hands.

"Can I freak out now?" Alya whispered, her eyes wide and glued to the bag of chips between Marinette's hands.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Adrien whispered, watching Marinette with a soft expression on his face. "I'm used to magic, but I've never seen anything so beautiful."

Marinette smiled his way, curling her fingers around the bag she'd just created and froze.

"Girl, can I see?" Alya didn't wait for a response, grabbing the bag out of Marinette's grasp. The moment she did, though, she halted and frowned; then shook the bag and ripped it open. "M? What's this?"

"A bag of chips?" Marinette grinned nervously.

"More like a bag for chips. It's empty!"

Adrien and Nino snorted, both trying to regain their composure as Marinette glared their way.

"I want to see you do at least that," she murmured, pursuing her lips and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry," Adrien said, shifting closer and wrapping her in his arms. He placed a gentle kiss on her temple, leaning his forehead against her head. "You did great. Next time, just don't forget to think about the chips as well."

"That's an awesome bag, though," Nino added, inspecting the offending item. "Top quality."

"Yeah, sorry, girl." Alya smiled. "I shouldn't be the one to complain when the only things I can create are diversions and illusions. But those are my natural talents, no magic involved." She proudly grinned.

Adrien chuckled. "You never know. You've been best friends with Marinette for half of your life."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Alya raised an eyebrow his way.

Adrien shrugged. "Nothing much in most cases, but it's more likely to find magic users in circles of people who already have it. Kwamis like to stay together. It's easier for everyone. There is no need to keep them a secret inside the family or a close circle of friends. A child who sees magic regularly at home or a close friend of a magic user is more likely to awaken their kwami. Me, for example. Being a child of two magic wielders, I was kind of up for grabs. It was only the matter of which kwami would lay their claim first. That is unless my innate essence had been really awful. That's one thing kwamis don't compromise on.

"Or," Adrien continued, nodding Nino's way. "Take Nino, for example. The dude has been stuck by my side ever since his father started bringing him to work. What was it? Ten, fifteen years ago now?"

Nino nodded. "Something like that."

"So, if he were to manifest something, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest," Adrien said. "Same goes for you. Since you've been Marinette's friend for half of her life, you have a chance as well."

"Dude, that's impossible." Nino laughed. "I think I'd know by now if I had something in me."

"Said Marinette a few weeks ago," Alya deadpanned.

Everyone laughed, except Marinette. "Am I a glitch then? I'm pretty sure neither of my parents or close friends can use magic."

Adrien shook his head. "No, of course, you aren't a glitch. First of all, we don't know for certain if any of your family or close friends have magic in them. The powers of Illusion and Protection, for example, haven't manifested yet, and that's only from the top-five tier. There is a bunch from the lower ones as well that lie dormant in people somewhere in France, so you never know who is magical and who isn't. Second, sometimes kwamis do choose a completely new person if their potential is greater than every other 'priority' candidate, and in our case, we have this soulmate thing in the mix. You aren't a glitch. I'd say you were the only one worthy of Creation."

"A question for you, Sunshine," Alya inserted. "Say a kwami wants to be close to a certain other kwami who already chose their wielder. How do they know who of the newborns in that city to fuse with? Hate to break it to you, but people move all the time. There is no way to predict who will end up where and who will be friends with whom."

"That's why kwamis who can see the future exist," Adrien explained. "They rarely choose a person, preferring to stay in the void and help others to choose their wielders. Of course, it's not always accurate, since the future isn't set in stone, but in most cases, it works."

"Cool." Alya mused, thinking. Then, she looked at Marinette with a mischievous grin on her lips and singsong, "Though, you all are missing the main point here."

"Which is?" Marinette cocked her head to the side.

Alya grinned wider. "Any babies you two are going to make are very likely to have magic in them. Isn't that right, Adrien?"

"Alya!" Marinette yelped, her cheeks flaming.

Adrien only chuckled, tightening his hold on Marinette. "Yup. Most likely."

Marinette pursed her lips, turning to Adrien. If there was anything that could help her change the topic before it got elaborated on any further, it was food. "Give me a bowl. I'll try those chips again, only without the bag this time."

His smile was nothing but reassuring. He placed one more kiss on her hair and went to the kitchen. "As you wish."

Ten minutes later, the four of them settled on a couch, each holding the snacks of their choice, a big bowl of chips in Alya's lap.

"These are better than in-store," Alya said, chewing on a few.

"Thanks." Marinette smiled, turning to Adrien. "What are we watching?"

"Only the best Christmas movie ever." Adrien grinned.

"Which is?"

"Elf." Nino rolled his eyes, chuckling. "We watch it every year. Along with Home Alone and the Grinch."

"Only we usually watch it on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day," Adrien said, wrapping a blanket around Marinette and picking up the remote.

"Speaking of which," Alya smirked in Adrien's way. "I've heard you're spending Christmas at Marinette's?"

"And I heard Nino will be at your house."

"What matters the most, though, is that Tom and Sabine are about to adopt you. Any comments on the idea?"

Adrien stalled for a moment, then cuddled closer to Marinette. "We mutually agreed to wait until there are zero chances of me marrying their daughter before proceeding with the adoption process."

Alya chuckled. "They seem to like you a lot."

"They love him an abnormal amount," Marinette added, catching his hand in hers. "Guess it'll make it easier when we're ready to tell them everything."

"And when are you planning to do that?"

Adrien glanced at Marinette. "We were thinking about Christmas Eve."

"Yeah. Christmas Eve," Marinette added, her stomach slightly churning. She knew it had to be done and the sooner the better, but it didn't mean the idea didn't make her want to run away and hide. "Let's watch the movie now. I'll tell you everything later."

"Sure." Alya nodded and pressed Play.

Everyone's eyes focused on the screen. Marinette's mind wandered back to the bakery, to the best parents she could ever wish for. Would she be a disappointment to them once they know? She didn't think so, but her stomach disagreed.

Under the blanket, Adrien slightly squeezed her hand, his eyes on her, filled with worry and softness. He mouthed "I Love You", soothing her heart just a tiny bit. Marinette closed her eyes for a moment, squeezing his hand back. Adrien had promised to be by her side during the talk. He would help her if needed. He would support her in whatever direction it went. They would do this together. As a team. And they would meet whatever the consequences would come together as well. As a team.

Opening her eyes, she whispered "I Love You Too" back to him and shifted her gaze back to the movie.

Together they could do anything. Even something as terrifying as telling the parents she adored that she wasn't exactly the normal human they thought her to be—and neither was the boyfriend they came to love so much.