*Author's Note*
Sorry, peeps. I really dropped the ball there. I did have every intention to post as I had noted in previous chapters. Then- well... Then there was the terrorist attack on the US Capital building. I'm safe, and it didn't directly affect anyone I know personally, but it still took a lot of my mental energy; as to be expected, I'm sure.
Then minor health problems popped up. I'm still battling an ear infection as I type. So I'm going to try to be a bit less ambitious and post only 2 new chapters tonight to try to give myself time to write those final 3 chapters. My new goal is to get this story done before the end of January. Silly to have a Christmas story last this long, but... well... welcome to Pandemic Life, I guess.
Thank you to everyone who has already started following this story. You're all so awesome.
**DISCLAIMER: This is an uncollaborated, unofficial, POV-swap, companion story to Twelve Days of Chatmas by Taurus Pixie. This story contains major spoilers for Pixie's story. If you have not read her story yet, stop what you're doing, and go read that first (it's published on this very site). I promise you, it will be worth it for the hurt/comfort, and this story will still be here when you come back.**
Chapter 4
Marinette paced through the swamp of crumpled paper carpeting her bedroom. A notebook was in her hand as she furiously wrote down more gift ideas for Chat Noir. None of those worked either. Another loud rip echoed through her room. Another paper frustratingly balled up. Another scratched out list joined the floor.
"What could I get him, Tikki? What could I make in time?"
"I liked the blanket idea," Tikki chirped back. "You should have time to make it if you buy fabric instead of trying to dye some yourself or knitting it."
"No. No that won't work." Marinette tapped her bottom lip with the eraser of her pencil. "After what happened with Chat Noir yesterday – not using his Cataclysm in the battle, and then being chased by those chickens – he needs a better pick-me-up than a blanket. He needs to know how important he is to me as my partner, and how much I appreciate him."
"So what are you thinking now?"
Marinette plopped onto her computer chair and rolled over to the corner of her desk. Nestled under her pictures of Adrien across her back wall was the repaired pear tree Chat Noir had given her. She brushed a finger against the plump little partridge, and then one of the heart ornaments.
"I don't know, Tikki, but it has to be perfect." She scanned the carpet of paper strewn across her floor. "I'm not going to figure it out here."
"Back to the Trocadéro?"
"No, it would still be swarmed with tourists. I just- All of Paris is done up for Christmas. Maybe I can think of something if I just take in the whole city. Tikki, spots on!"
Transformed, Ladybug climbed out onto her rooftop balcony and started an impromptu patrol. She hoped something would jump out at her.
Instead, something called out to her. Literally.
Her yo-yo beeped that she had a call. That could only be Chat Noir. Her heart raced. They didn't have a scheduled patrol that night, so why was he powered up? Did she miss an akuma attacking?
Skidding to a halt, she flipped her yo-yo to video-call mode. "Chat Noir?" she asked with a hint of panic, "What are you doing out and about?"
"Good evening, my lady." He gave a little bow to the camera on his stick. He was safe, and seemed in good spirits as well. Ladybug's breathing evened out with relief. "I have a surprise for you. I'll send you my location."
Ladybug blinked at her phone a couple of times. "A surprise? What do you mean?" He did say that he had intended on gifting her a replacement present after his pear tree sculpture got destroyed in the wind. Was it too late for her to tell him it wasn't needed?
"You'll see." Chat Noir nearly purred his words as he wiggled his eyebrows and hung up. A couple seconds later Ladybug's yo-yo again beeped. Bringing up her GPS, she spotted a small green paw print blinking in a park about a half-mile away.
Sighing, Ladybug began her trek to meet up with her partner. This wasn't what she wanted to do with her time. She didn't want to get another gift from him. She needed to figure out a gift for him. She couldn't disappoint her kitty, though, so the rushed towards him.
Around her the sky dimmed and the city illuminated. Streetlamps and people's homes were lit up in a warm glow that helped Ladybug feel that holiday cheer in the air. The overcast sky was again painted with gorgeous purples with the dying sunlight. The city felt abuzz with citizens rushing to finish getting ready for Christmas, but also seemed quiet and calm with the winter chill settling in with the setting sun.
The park Chat Noir picked was practically deserted. There was a mother rushing her two small children home for a warm dinner. A couple cuddled close as they walked the serene tree-lined paths. A vendor was packing up his wares for the day. A musician packed up her instrument and gathered up the money she earned. Ladybug was impressed that even with the cold weather the musician's guitar case seemed well lined with euros.
Scanning the area, she found her partner in a remote corner of the park. With a soft padding of her feet, she landed behind him, startling him slightly. He whipped around to greet her, his goofy wide grin plastered to his face. It instantly put her at ease, and made her smile back as she gave a little wave.
She paid careful attention to Chat Noir this time, and his hands were empty. There were no packages on the ground beside him either. As far as she could tell, they were alone. She thought this was his attempt to give her a new Christmas gift, but she couldn't find anything on him. Her face scrunched in confusion as she tried to figure out any other reasons he'd call her to the park like this.
"Can you tell me what's going on now?" Ladybug inched forward, still baffled by his call to her.
"Shhh." He tapped a finger to his lips, then closed the gap between them. As she followed his instruction, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, confusing her further. This wasn't like Chat Noir.
Instead, Ladybug had a quick flash of Adrien wrapping his arm around a nervous Marinette as he playfully teased her for the photos of him in her room. Why did Chat Noir's gesture make her feel like that again?
Arm draped around Ladybug's shoulders, Chat Noir lead her a little further into the park, to a large cage with four blackbirds preening inside.
"We'll just let the birds do the talking," he whispered by her ear.
"Wh-what?" She glanced up at Chat Noir, and he was excitedly biting his lower lip.
Holding up his free hand, Chat Noir snapped his fingers.
Alarmed, all four birds screeched out a piercing high pitched note in chorus. Then they took turns arrhythmically calling out, creating an uneven but continuous note that scratched at her ears. Yelping at the sound, both Ladybug and Chat Noir covered their ears, but to no avail. The sound sliced through the muffling their hands made.
"Make it stop!" Ladybug retreated slightly, wincing at the nails-on-chalkboard-like screech of the blackbirds.
Chat Noir frantically snapped. Nothing. He got closer and snapped again. It just riled up the birds further, and their pitch seemed to go up a note.
Above them, windows of the neighboring homes lit up as more and more people rushed to see what the ruckus was about. A few yelled for the birds to shut up. Each call made Chat Noir snap his fingers faster. Each snap made the birds get louder as they started also jumping around in their cage.
"Is this your surprise?" Ladybug yelled over the noise.
"Ummm..." Chat Noir blushed and winced at her words, then sheepishly looked back at the cage as he snapped some more.
Ladybug grabbed his hand to make him stop, shook her head no, then ran back towards the bird cage. It took some pained fiddling without her hands protecting her ears, but the clasp of the cage door soon unhooked.
"There. No more evil doing for you, little birds." She flung the cage door open and took a step back.
No longer sensing danger, the birds instantly flew from their cage. The screeching also stopped as they instead chirped an energetic song to each other in a much more pleasing octave.
Smiling at the happy birds, Ladybug waved goodbye and watched them soar past the nearby buildings. A few of the formerly agitated neighbors now oohed and aahed and applauded the small flock as they flew past singing sweetly.
"There. Much be-" Ladybug turned to see Chat Noir staring at his feet, his costume's cat ears drooping slightly against his dipped head. "Chat Noir?" She reached out to touch his shoulder, but before she could he shifted to take his stick off the lower part of his back.
"I- I've gotta go," he mumbled, then extended his stick to vault himself onto the nearby rooftops.
"Chat Noir, wait!" Once more he was gone like a ninja in the growing night. All she had left was a large empty cage and a hundred questions.
~ Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. ~
*Closing Notes*
I spent way too much time trying to research "distressed blackbird sounds" for this...
