*Author's Note*

Whoops. Went a bit longer than intended between updates again. Here's hoping a double-helping of chapters will again appease. :D

**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 6


Marinette woke up drained from her long night envisioning who Adrien could have bought the rings for. She couldn't even look at her board of Adrien pictures when she woke up. She also took down the ones that lined the walls above her desk. She just couldn't stand seeing his smile at that moment; wondering who was making him smile like that.

"Marinette, are you sure you're not over-reacting?" Tikki awkwardly glanced at the stack of Adrien photos in Marinette's hand. "How do you know Adrien didn't buy those rings for each of his friends or for Nathalie? Do they have to have been bought for someone he was in love with?" Her voice suggested she already knew the answer.

"You don't buy your friends expensive jewelry like that." Marinette opened one of her drawers and threw the pictures inside before slamming the drawer back closed.

"Marinette-"

"Never mind, Tikki, I-" Marinette's eyes landed on the pear tree Chat Noir had made for her. She again ran her fingers over the little bird in the branches. "I need to figure out a gift for Chat Noir. I can't be thinking about Adrien right now."

She stormed to the presents she had delicately pulled from her trunk the day before, scooped them up, and dropped them back into their hiding place.

"So you're not going with the blanket idea after all?"

"Maybe some other time, but I think, after everything he's been through this week, he needs something better than just a blanket."

"I think he'd really appreciate the blanket, Marinette. It's the thought that counts, and I think the thought would really mean a lot to him."

Marinette shook her head and plopped onto her chaise lounge. "No. As far as he'll know, I just bought him a blanket. That won't be enough."

"You can't tell him that you made it?"

"I can't chance that. He knows Marinette, at least a little bit, and he knows that Marinette is a seamstress. What if he somehow pieces together that I'm Ladybug after Ladybug tells him she made a blanket for him?"

Marinette grabbed her throw pillow and pulled it over her face so she could scream in it. She was back at zero. She had already exhausted so many gift ideas, she wasn't sure she could think of an appropriate one for her partner in time. This Christmas was turning into a disaster.

"I know you'll think of something amazing, Marinette. Besides, I'm positive anything from you will make him happy."

"Thanks, Tikki."

Bundling up, Marinette climbed onto her balcony and just took in Paris as it spread out around her. The sky was again dark and heavy with clouds. The thin light of the rising sun barely cut through the fog that was rolling in off the Seine. The City of Lights was an oddly calming gray all around her.

The school made her think of Adrien, so she quickly turned her back to it, seeing instead the Place de Vosges. Frost had painted the grass an unblemished white, and accented the bare tree branches. The fountains were turned off so they wouldn't freeze. The carousel was the only bit of color in the entire park.

Marinette took in the peaceful quiet of the square and the sleepy Paris around it.

"That's it!" As Marinette's eyes drifted towards the southern entrance of the park they widened and she quickly turned towards Tikki. "I think I've figured out my gift! The artist that made the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue, Théo! Chat Noir made me his statue, so what if I try to commission Théo to make a small Chat Noir figurine? Chat Noir will know how much he means to me when I give it to him, he can pass it off as a fan just wanting a statuette of a superhero if he displays it, and I'll never see it on display, so it won't reveal who he is to me! This is perfect!"

"I knew you'd figure it out, Marinette!"

Marinette checked her phone. "I have about twenty minutes before Chat Noir and I do our Saturday morning patrol. It'll be close, but I should have enough time. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette gleefully became Ladybug and leapt onto the next roof as she began her sprint towards Théo's studio, hoping he'd be there.

"Hey, Bugaboo!"

Ladybug stumbled as she skidded to a halt on one of the rooftops. What is he doing here? How am I going to get to Théo now?

Chat Noir skidded to a stop beside her, clearly in full-sprint himself before he caught her attention.

"C-Chat Noir? What are you doing out and about?"

He gave a pleasant chuckle, clearly in much better spirits than he had been since the disaster with his pear tree statue. "I might ask you the same question."

They weren't supposed to meet up for another fifteen minutes, easily, and she normally could cross the whole of Paris in less time. There really wasn't any reason for her to already be powered up for their patrol meet-up.

She glanced towards Théo's studio, hoping to come up with an excuse to get away from Chat Noir and meet up with him at nine, as they planned.

"I-I had some stuff to do." It was a terrible answer, but she hoped he'd shoo her on her way.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me." Chat Noir gave her a knowing smile. Did he figure out that she was trying to get a present from him? "But what you do have to do is put this on and come with me." His smile grew into a playful smirk as he pulled out a blindfold he had tucked under his belt.

"A blindfold?" Ladybug wasn't sure where he was going with this, or if she wanted to know. Plus, she still had to get to Théo to try to commission him.

Noticing her unease, Chat Noir softened and gave her a warmer, more welcoming smile. That "you trust me, right?" look.

"Don't worry, it'll all make sense soon." There was a slight plea to his voice. Ladybug knew she couldn't turn him down. He needed this. He needed her to trust him and literally follow him blindly.

"What are you up to?" She pursed her lips in an attempt to not smile herself. Chat Noir seemed so vulnerable at that moment, even when he was the one holding out the blindfold. He was actually kind of cute, and she knew she would follow him regardless.

Chat Noir gave the most campy, villainous laugh Ladybug had ever heard, and he mimed twirling a mustache. "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise." He then took hold of Ladybug's wrist, and gently tugged her closer to him. When she relented, he twirled her around so he could tie the blindfold over her eyes.

"There isn't going to be any shrieking birds this time, is there?" Ladybug said it jokingly, but she also winced slightly at the memory of those piercing notes, and then winced again upon realizing how cruel that must have sounded to Chat Noir.

"No," Chat Noir gave a nervous laugh, "cat's honor."

Ladybug turned to face him, hoping he was still where his voice came from, and gave a soft nod. "How am I going to get wherever it is you want to take me-?" She squealed out the last word as she suddenly got scooped up into a bridal carry. Flailing around for some sort of purchase, she landed on Chat Noir's shoulders. She then moved to take off the blindfold in order to give him a proper scolding for not warning her. She got as far as tucking her thumb under the blindfold before she felt her legs rest on Chat Noir's knee, and his hand on top of hers.

"Trust me." There was that plead in his voice again. She did trust him. With her life. She knew full well that he'd never let her fall, and even if she did, he'd be there to catch her before she got hurt.

Even if she fell, he'd catch her before she got hurt. The thought echoed in her mind, and she wasn't sure why it struck such a chord with her all of a sudden.

Shifting her focus back to the present, she slowly lowered her hand from the blindfold, completely relenting to her partner. He had done this before, quite a few times, actually, back when she had no powers to save her. If she could trust him as Marinette, how could she possibly not trust him as Ladybug?

He even held her the same way he did that night he showed her the rooftop picnic he had set up for Ladybug. She felt his warmth through the suit the same way; smelt his scent coming off his collar. He was gentle with her, just as he was with Marinette, his arms wrapping protectively around her. As she nestled onto his chest, she almost forgot she wasn't Marinette in his eyes.

He ran for quite some time. The sounds of Paris waking up and enjoying the chilled morning fell away behind them. Instead, she heard the bird chirps, dog barks, and cheerful children's laughter that made her suspect they were in the suburbs of Paris. Chat Noir ran less, and jumped a lot more. They were certainly not in the tightly packed city, and Ladybug's stomach hopped whenever Chat Noir did. She gripped him tighter, her head finding that nook where his shoulder and neck meet.

Another few minutes, and the sounds of a morning suburb also washed away. Ducks loudly honked at each other. There was loud rustling of Chat Noir landing in treetops. Birds loudly chirped out warnings about the cat-themed superhero leaping through their homes. Then there were cars buzzing below them before the sounds of nature returned. Ladybug was completely lost as to where they were going.

Finally, they reached their destination. Everything was soft and still. Birds sang in the distance, but almost too soft to hear. There was water nearby that gently splashed from something disturbing the surface. Ladybug could not place at all where Chat Noir had taken her.

It had been a few minutes since Chat Noir had scooped her up, so when he placed Ladybug back on her legs she was a touch wobbly for a couple seconds. He caught hold of her arms and helped steady her, but she still faceplanted straight into his chest. Bolting upright, she blushed at how clumsy she just was. She also couldn't help but picture Chat Noir as Adrien, catching her as Marinette, like he has done so many times before. Her blush deepened as she felt the heat leak to her ears.

She was Ladybug though. Right then she was a superhero. She got her bearing, rolled her shoulders, and regained her balance. A couple seconds later – probably after Chat Noir was convinced she was steady – she heard him walk around her, and then the blindfold slowly dropped so she could take in her surprise slowly.

Despite herself, she gasped. They were in a completely secluded park, or it may have been an actual forest clearing. She couldn't be entirely sure. Aside from the green surrounding the small lake to her right, the rest of the horizon was lined by trees. Wherever she looked, there was just a wall of trees hiding them from the rest of the world. Creeping up to the lake was a line of frosted weeping willows with limbs draping to the ground in thick crystallized curtains. Long reeds reached out from the lake, creating a fence as if fending the water from the encroaching trees. A fog was still surrounding the lake, leaving everything in a slight haze.

It was like a dream or a painting. It was one of the most beautiful things Ladybug had ever seen.

Smiling back at her, Chat Noir moved to one of the larger weeping willows, and shifted the boughs with little icicle chimes. Hidden against the tree's trunk was a large picnic blanket lined by candles, and a basket with a large flask in the center of the blanket. Ladybug wasn't sure how she felt about Chat Noir leaving lit candles alone on a blanket and hidden near a tree, but the gesture was sweet and the picnic was inviting and cozy.

"Chat-" Ladybug sighed. There was no other response. Everything was just so gorgeous she thought she could cry.

Chat Noir jogged back to her to take her hands. They each took one step towards the tree when they were startled by a loud hiss.

They turned towards the lake, and a very angry looking white goose briefly stood up in its nest, making it look as big as it could, before resettling onto her clutch of eggs.

"Oh!" Ladybug stared at the goose, who was staring her down as well. "Um, maybe we should-"

Ladybug and Chat Noir took a step back, but clearly not fast enough or far enough for the goose. She hissed again at them, and it almost made Ladybug chuckle at how much it sounded like an angry cat hissing. She nearly told Chat Noir to just start hissing back to show dominance.

Taking another small sidestep, Ladybug turned back towards Chat Noir. She smiled at him, trying to ignore the goose and instead focus on this beautiful picnic he had set out for them. He was fixated on the goose, however, and his eyes kept darting cautiously back to it.

Ladybug cupped Chat Noir's cheek and silently directed him to look only at her. Maybe ignoring the goose would let it know they weren't intending to disturb it.

"Aww, Chat Noir, you really didn't have to-"

The goose hissed again. Louder. We moved away from you! What more do you want? Ladybug wanted to demand of the bird.

Chat Noir's attention was fully on the water fowl, and Ladybug turned to glare at it. However, her eyes instead drifted to the tall reeds shaking on either side of the nesting goose. Like a police squad, five more geese emerged from the lake and instantly joined in with hissing at the two superheroes.

The second the new geese joined in the chorus of hissing, Chat Noir darted behind Ladybug, using her as a shield as he peeked past her shoulder. Ladybug couldn't help but giggle at this superhero being so terrified by six harmless geese after they've combated far more dangerous akumatized villains time and time again. She couldn't even justify it as him trying to get away from his feather allergy since he certainly didn't hide behind her when they were fighting Mr. Pigeon, or the Liberator with the chickens earlier that week.

"It's okay, Kitty, they're just geese."

"More like devils with wings!" Chat Noir actually did hiss back at the birds as he began backing away and tugging Ladybug along with him.

"Devils with wings?" Ladybug laughed. "Seriously, Chat-"

One of the geese loudly honked a charge cry, and all five of the protecting geese lurched forward. They noisily honked and hissed, their wings flapping angrily in a shooing motion, as they chased after the teens.

Ladybug and Chat Noir leapt back to give the geese more berth. "Okay," Ladybug admitted with a shaky voice, "yeah, they are kinda scary."

One of the geese lunged for her ankle, causing Ladybug to scream as she pushed back against Chat Noir to avoid the bite. She didn't realize geese had teeth on their tongues! Birds weren't supposed to have teeth at all, but on their tongue of all places?

Chat Noir screamed as well and pulled Ladybug tight as she moved away from the goose. They rushed further from the lake, never taking their eyes off the geese; hoping the fowl will believe they drove the superheroes far enough from the nesting mom and will give up their pursuit.

Instead, their retreat must have seemed even more threatening somehow, and the geese quickened their charge.

The loud scream from both Ladybug and Chat Noir echoed throughout the otherwise abandoned park, and the two sprinted as far away from the lake as they could, the geese relentlessly hunting them down. There was nothing for Ladybug to swing from. All of the weeping willow limbs were too weak to hold them.

"This way!" Chat Noir wrapped his arm around Ladybug's waist and extended his stick to vault them into the air and away from the secluded lake.

Ladybug's heart broke a little for Chat Noir. First he felt his sculpture for her wasn't good enough, and then the fiasco with the squawking birds, and now his picnic being ruined? Not to mention the hens. He truly did have poor luck with birds, didn't he?

He deserves the best gift ever. Ladybug thought as she wrapped her arms around Chat Noir's neck, letting him lead them back to the city proper. Something way better than a statuette.

Ladybug spent the rest of the morning pondering two things: what she could get Chat Noir that would at least be on par with all the effort he had been putting into his gift to her, and how anyone was going to get past the deranged geese to blow out the candles and pick up the picnic. She hoped both would be settled easily enough.


~ Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. ~


*Closing Notes*

Sorry for the delay on this, folks. Yesterday was my first day all week that I was supposed to have some free time, and I had every intension of publishing then. Ironically, instead of editing and publishing this chapter, I got engrossed in my game of Untitled Goose Game. Guess I just needed to get into the head of these geese...

Also, I know that Pixie's story had this chapter set at night. However, birds lay in the morning, and both frost and fog are more likely to happen hours after sunset and end just as the sun is coming up. Sooooo, I ended up tweaking the canon time of this scene. Other than that, I think it's still mostly in-tact from how she wrote this scene.