Chapter Seven: Gift Exchange

Christmas at the Dupain-Cheng household was taken very seriously. Decorations were put up early in December, and there was always a new Christmas treat created every year. One year it was peppermint-flavored cookies, another it was Christmas-themed cupcakes, and this year it was Santa Claus macarons.

The apartment didn't have space for a normal tree, but almost every room had a smaller Christmas tree. The one in the living room was big enough to put a few gifts under but small enough that there was plenty of room to move around.

Two days before Christmas, Alya showed up at their house. Marinette barely had time to greet her when she plowed into the house, speaking rapidly.

"SoIfoundoutwhyAdriengaveyouyourpresentearly. Ninotextedand-" Marinette blinked in confusion as she spoke, unable to decipher many of the words.

"Can you… slow down a bit? All I got was Adrien, early, and Nino," she said.

Alya took a deep breath, showing Marinette texts between her and her boyfriend. "I found out why Adrien gave out gifts early. Nino said that he tried to go to his house to hang out and he was told that Adrien isn't allowed to leave the house, and unless it was about schoolwork he wasn't allowed to have friends over."

"What? He's not allowed to leave?" Marinette asked in shock, handing back the phone.

"Nino texted him, and apparently it's something about his father being gone. But that's not what's important here. What's important is that we've been given a chance to find out if he meant to ask you out on a date!" Alya said, speaking as if this was the most important part of what she'd just said.

"W-what? How can we find out from him being trapped in his house? There's no way for us to go talk to him!" As she said these words, Marinette felt a pit form in her stomach. She'd been planning to deliver her gift to him - another scarf she'd designed - on Christmas Eve. She had even planned to rope her friends into going with her so she wouldn't be alone. But if they weren't allowed to go see him, that plan was a bust.

Alya sighed. "Well, there's an obvious way around that. Nino said that the person who sent him away was very specific that unless it was for school, no one could come. We still have a while until we perform the play, but I know that both you and Adrien need some more practice time, right?"

"M-me? And Adrien? You want me to go to Adrien's house and practice? Just us two? In his house?" Marinette said, her voice getting higher at just the thought.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I've convinced Nino to join us, so we'll be with you guys. But practice is not going to be the main part of our visit. Is your gift for Adrien wrapped already?"

Marinette looked up the ladder that led to her bedroom. "Yeah. I was planning to give it to him tomorrow, but I - wait. You want me to give it to him today? I'm not ready to give him a gift today! What am I going to say? What do you say when you give somebody a Christmas gift?"

"Let's get the gift and your script," Alya said. She followed Marinette up to her room where she put on a coat and grabbed the necessary materials. "When you give him the gift, you need to mention the fashion show somehow."

Marinette slipped on her coat, clutching the small gift in her arms. "Mention the fashion show. Got it. What else should I say?" she asked.

They went down the stairs, leaving the house with a quick goodbye to her parents.

"Just tell him that you got him a Christmas gift and that you hope he likes it. Something like you would say to me if you got me something," Alya said. She led the way to a corner where they met up with Nino. The DJ looked relieved that they had arrived. He wore a coat, but he still looked as if he had a cold from the color in his cheeks and nose.

"It's about time. I've been waiting forever," Nino said. They started walking as a group in the direction of the Agreste's house.

"Sorry, Nino. It took longer for me to get to Marinette's than I thought it would," Alya apologized. "On the bright side, her gift was already wrapped."

Marinette nodded. "How exactly do you want me to mention the fashion show? You know I'm bad at making things up on the spot."

Her friends shared a knowing look. "She's got a point, Alya," Nino said.

"Alright, uh, just say 'This isn't quite a ticket to a fashion show, but I hope you like the gift' or something. You have a tendency to over-complicate things. Go as simple as you can," Alya suggested. "All you have to do is say the words, I'll watch his reaction."

"Got it. This isn't quite a ticket to a fashion show, but I hope you like the gift," Marinette repeated. A few minutes later, they arrived at Adrien's house. It stood tall and imposing in the dim light caused by a cloudy sky.

They approached the gate and pressed the button to request to enter. A panel slid open, and a black camera came out. It scrutinized them for a second before a female voice said, "Adrien is not permitted to have any friends over right now unless it is for school."

"M-ma'am? We actually wanted to come practice for our class play. Adrien is one of the leads, so we wanted to have some extra practice with him," Alya explained. The three of them smiled innocently until the camera retracted. For a moment, it seemed like she wouldn't let them in, but then the large gates slowly opened to allow them inside.

The door to the actual house was opened by the large form of Adrien's bodyguard. A slim woman with dark hair stood at the base of the stairs. From the few times Marinette had been to Adrien's house, she recognized her as Gabriel Agreste's assistant, Nathalie. She looked nicer than Mr. Agreste, but it was clear she was just as stern and organized. Before any of them could greet her, the room to Adrien's door opened.

"Hey, Nathalie, who was at the-" Adrien froze, his eyes wide. His gaze flicked from his gathered friends to the woman standing before them. Marinette's cheeks heated up when he looked at her, even though she knew he wasn't focusing on her.

"Your classmates are here to work on your project, Adrien," Nathalie said. Marinette could have sworn that she was smiling, if only slightly.

"Project? What project?" Adrien asked, confused. He walked down the stairs to stand next to Nathalie.

"The play. We figured we could get some extra practice in," Nino said.

Adrien grinned. It was a beautiful, genuine smile. "Let's go to my room to work. Thank you, Nathalie."

The assistant nodded, then moved aside to allow the group to follow Adrien up the stairs and into his room. Despite having been there before, Marinette gawked. She was always here as Ladybug, when there was too much happening for her to take in the full majesty of it. The room was huge and filled with everything anybody could ask for. A television, arcade games, a foosball table, a literal climbing wall, and shelves filled with CDs and books.

Next to her, Alya was staring as well. "This is your room?" she asked in awe.

"Yep. The best room money can afford," Adrien said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "What's the gift for, Marinette?"

She snapped back to reality and looked at him, suddenly twice as nervous. "Uh, it's you for! I mean, it's for you! I-It's not quite a ticket to a fashion show, but I hope you like it!" she squeaked. Marinette shoved the gift towards him, glad she was able to get the words out like Alya had told her. It might have sounded a bit rehearsed, but the point was that she'd gotten them out properly.

Adrien took the gift with a smile. "I'm glad you like the ticket. I had to go around my father to get one." He opened the present, and his smile widened. He pulled the scarf out of the small box. "This is amazing, Marinette! Did you make it yourself?"

"Y-yeah. It's one of my new d-designs," Marinette stammered out. She looked over at Alya, who shrugged, frowning. Apparently, his response told her nothing.

"Why don't we work on the scene after Ladybug and Chat Noir beat the akuma?" Nino suggested, pulling out a copy of the script.

Marinette took out her own script while Adrien set the scarf on his bed and went to take the script off of his desk. She saw light reflect off of something metal before he quickly covered it in the guise of moving things to get to the script. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a good view of it, but before she could he had turned around and returned to the group.

"Thanks for coming over, you guys. I didn't really expect to see anybody but Nathalie and my bodyguard until the break ended," Adrien said.

"When's your father coming back?" Alya asked.

Adrien shrugged. "His trips always take longer than expected. He says in a few days, but it probably won't be for at least a week."

"W-well, I'm sure he'll come back as soon as he can," Marinette said after a moment of silence. "We should play on the work. Er. Work on the play."

They pushed Adrien's couch closer to the TV and found their places in the script. Nino and Alya stood to the side to watch them. After a few moments of reading, Adrien started pacing in the room. A look of worry was plastered on his face very similar to something Chat Noir would actually look like.

"Did Storyteller really tell us where Hawk Moth's lair is?" he said.

Marinette nodded, beginning to walk with him. She tried to put a serious look on her face, but without the mask, she found it difficult. Her walk was uneven, and her words came out choppier than she would have liked. "I think he did. That means that we, uh, we have the upper hand for once."

"We've got to go after him. We can't let him make any more akumas if there is something we can do about it," Adrien said. Both of them stopped pacing and faced each other. Marinette felt the eyes of Alya, Nino, and Adrien on her. She was nervous enough being in Adrien's house and trying to be Ladybug without her mask, the thought of them all looking at her so intently made it five times worse.

"W-w-we need a p-plan. If we just walk in there, w-we might as well hand him our Miraculouses," Marinette said. She winced at the awkward way she said it.

Suddenly, Adrien's hands were on both of her shoulders. She looked up, her wide blue eyes meeting his kind green ones. This was not in the script.

"Don't worry, Marinette. Just take deep breaths and try not to focus too much," he said, not moving his hands. Her shoulders were warming up at his touch. Him being so close made it hard for her to register his words. It took her a few seconds more than she would have liked for her to pull herself out of the dreamy vortex of his mint green eyes.

"D-don't focus? H-how am I s-suppos-sed to n-not f-focus? W-won't I m-mess up?" she said, her stammer worse than ever since she could only look up at him.

Adrien gave her a comforting smile, making her that much more nervous. "I know it can be uncomfortable being the center of everyone's attention, so I find it best to try and pretend you're not there. Pretend that you're alone except for the other people you're acting with. Right now it's just you and me. You are Ladybug, and I am Chat Noir." If Adrien had been anybody else, she would have noticed how his voice went up an octave at the end.

Marinette took several deep breaths, closing her eyes so she wouldn't get distracted by looking at him. His hands were ever present on her shoulders, and since ignoring it proved impossible, she focused her attention on it. The warmth that bled through her shirt and onto her shoulders, the gentleness with which he held her, and the feeling of added pressure from his ring were the things that let her clear her mind. Once her heart had calmed down, she opened her eyes and looked up at him again.

"You good?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I think so. Thank you," Marinette said.

They stood there for a second longer than was necessary looking at each other, though it felt like a thousand years. Then, Adrien removed his hands from her shoulders and took a step backward. He glanced over at their friends, and his cheeks when slightly red. Marinette felt sure hers would have matched the shade of a tomato perfectly.

Alya's mouth held a wicked grin, and Nino looked stunned next to her. Marinette avoided her best friend's gaze, sure that she was going to die from embarrassment then and there.

"Why don't we start from the beginning of the scene, Marinette?" Adrien suggested.

"Good idea," she said. He once more started pacing, and she joined him. Her nerves threatened to take over once more, but she focused on the memory of Adrien standing so close and holding her arms. Everything seemed to melt away. It was just her and Adrien in the room. But it wasn't her and Adrien. It was Ladybug and Chat Noir.

No, you're Marinette. You are not Ladybug right now, she thought.

"Did Storyteller really tell us where Hawk Moth's lair is?" Adrien asked.

Ladyb- Marinette nodded, a look of serious contemplation firmly on her face. "I think he did. That means that we have the upper hand for once."

The rest of the practice involved careful thought for Marinette. Adrien had apparently given her the key to slipping into Ladybug, but the slope was too steep. She had to watch everything she said and did to make sure she didn't emulate her other self too much. It was made even more difficult by the fact that Alya and Nino kept stopping them to make corrections so they would be more like Ladybug and Chat Noir.

When they finally left Adrien's, Marinette found that she almost didn't want to leave. Not only was Adrien here, but as soon as they were out of the house she knew that Alya would bring up what had happened earlier. She was right.

"What was that moment between you two? You just stood there, staring at each other!" Alya said the moment the doors closed behind them.

Every ounce of calm that Marinette had achieved inside evaporated in an instant. She felt like she was floating on a cloud. "I-I don't know. Do you think he thought it was something? Maybe he just got lost in thought?" she fretted. Her cloud seemed to float a little bit closer to the earth at the thought.

"No, way," Nino said. "The dude does not look like that when he's lost in thought. Lost in your eyes, maybe."

Color rushed back into her cheeks. "M-my eyes? So, w-we really had a moment?" Marinette squeaked.

"If you didn't, I don't know what two people having a moment looks like," Alya said earnestly. She grinned at her. "The gift thing failed, but if that fashion show wasn't a date before, it sure seems like it might be now."

Marinette worked dutifully with her parents for most of Christmas Eve. It was one of the busiest days for the small bakery, and Marinette knew that her parents enjoyed having her help. She primarily worked in the front with the cash register, but when there were no customers she would help with cleaning or with the actual baking. At one point, she and her father were joking around with the ingredients and she ended up with a face covered in flour. The giggles that followed summoned the attention of her mother, who made the young blunette leave to clean off her face.

When Marinette had gotten all but a few small spots of it off, she left the bathroom to look outside at the snow. It wasn't currently falling, but every surface had a layer of snow on it. Paris was stunning on a normal day, but the glistening snow made it shine in a way that mesmerized her. It was such a beautiful thing to just look at and thin-

A shadow moved between buildings. At first, Marinette assumed that she was seeing things, but a minute later she saw a figure dressed in black land on the roof she was looking at.

"Uh, Tikki? Is that Chat Noir?" Marinette asked, her eyes widening.

The red kwami flew over to the window and peered outside. "It looks like him," she said.

Marinette shared a confused look with her friend. "What do you think he's doing outside on Christmas Eve? Shouldn't he be with his family?" Tikki shrugged in response. They watched him wandering around for a few more minutes before turning away.

Going back down to the bakery, Marinette poked her head in to talk to her parents. "Mom, Dad?" she called.

Her mother looked up from the dough she was working. "Hi, honey. Your father is taking an order, but you can get started on a batch of macarons if you want."

"Uh, I was actually hoping I could take a break? I wanted to talk to Alya about some stuff for the play," Marinette said. "Would that be okay? I don't want to leave you and Dad if you still need help."

"Don't worry about it. You go practice, your father and I will do fine without you." Her mother smiled at her. "Just make sure you're done for dinner tonight, okay?"

"Thank you! I'll be done in time, I swear." Marinette gave her mom a big smile then retreated up to her room. She looked through her window and located Chat Noir in the distance. He was a small shadow walking along a rooftop several blocks away.

"What are you planning, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"I'm going to go talk to Chat Noir," Marinette said matter-of-factly. "I don't think there's an akuma, but something is clearly happening. I just want to make sure that he's okay."

She transformed and slipped out through her skylight. It was cold out, but with her suit, she would survive much longer than she would otherwise. The cold bit at her cheeks and her breath fogged in the air, but the wind didn't cut through her clothes like it should. Whereas Marinette she would have been shivering and frozen, she felt fine. This effect wouldn't last forever, of course, but the magic behind the suit would sustain her for a while.

Ladybug hurried to go through the streets to where Chat was jumping to another roof. She landed next to him, a smile on her lips.

"How long have you been wandering around?" she asked.

He jumped, turning to face her and hiding his hands behind his back. "Nice to see you, too, Bugaboo." The way he said her nickname was not in his normal carefree way, but more as if by reflex. Something was clearly on his mind.

"Is everything okay, Chat Noir? You don't seem like yourself," she said.

His eyes opened a fraction of a centimeter more, telling Ladybug that she was right, he just hadn't expected her to notice the change. With one hand he scratched the back of his neck, though his other stayed hidden behind his back.

"Everything's fine. I just got a little bored with the lack of akuma attacks and decided to do a solo patrol," Chat said nervously.

She looked at him critically for a moment, trying to judge if he was telling the truth. He seemed more fidgety than normal, and his eyes kept flicking away from her. Then there was the hand he kept behind his back, a secret he didn't want her to know. Ladybug walked in an arc around him, trying to see what he was hiding in his hand. However, he turned with her, keeping himself between her and whatever he had hidden.

"What are you hiding, Chat?" she demanded. She stopped moving and crossed her arms defiantly. Finally, he looked into her eyes. They were cat-like, but they were like an open book to her after so many life-or-death situations together. He was nervous about something. No. He was terrified about something. Her anger melted into worry in an instant.

"Chat? What's wrong? What happened?"

He looked away, taking a shaky breath. "I've loved my time as your partner, Milady," he began. Ladybug got flashbacks to her dream weeks earlier where he had said almost the exact same phrase. The blood in her veins suddenly became icy with fear.

"Are you okay? Is something happening?" she asked, taking a step towards him.

Chat Noir looked up, scrunching his brow. He had picked up on her worry. "I'm fine. Paris is fine. There's just… something important I need to tell you."

A weight lifted off of her. Whatever was bothering him, it wasn't as big as she had thought. For someone with a secret identity, she had learned to tell when he was lying. The casualness with which he dismissed her worries told Ladybug that everything was legitimately fine, despite the negativity normally associated with the phrase 'I'm fine'.

"So you were wandering around hoping I'd come out?" Ladybug asked.

He chuckled. "I guess so. Seems like I got the right section of Paris at last, doesn't it?" he said. It was lighthearted, but still more forced than normal.

She shook her head. "Not telling you, Kitty. You know the rules about protecting our identities. Now, what was it you needed to tell me?"

Chat took a deep breath as if he was preparing to do something big. "I- I…" He took his hand out from behind his back to reveal a small jewelry box. It looked like he was conflicted about what he was going to say. "I wanted to say Merry Christmas."

Something told Ladybug that he had wanted to say something else. Before she could question, however, the thought was driven from her mind. Opening the small box revealed a gorgeous silver necklace. The dim light reflected off of the polished surface of a silver ladybug pendant inlaid with four flawless red jewels.

Ladybug felt the air rush out of her lungs in a gasp. Her hand went to her mouth as she looked down at it in shock. Chat Noir watched her with worry, the box contained in his hands.

"Chat… It's beautiful," she breathed. His shoulders visibly relaxed at her words. "W-where did you get this? Why did you get this?"

He took the necklace out of the box, motioning with one hand for her to turn around. She obeyed, and he draped the necklace around her neck. As he did up the clasp, he leaned forward so his lips were a mere inch from her ear.

"Because you deserve only the best, Milady." His breath on her ear sent a chill from her neck down her spine. She felt her chest tighten, and her thoughts become flustered in a way they only ever did around Adrien. Chat Noir pulled away, and Ladybug turned to face him.

Ladybug's eyes were wide, and for once Chat seemed to be lacking a sarcastic response to the situation. The tension could almost be scooped out of the air with a spoon like a bowl of ice cream. She looked down at the pendant that rested comfortably on her chest. "Th-thank you Chat. I-I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I'm just glad that you like it," he said, smiling. His eyes twinkled, a little bit of his usual cockiness returning. "I'll be off now. I've been out for a while, and I need a cat nap."

He gave her a long, meaningful look, then he was off.

She watched him for a moment before her mouth said words her brain had yet to approve. "I don't like it. I love it," Ladybug whispered. She looked down at her gift once more, so she missed the twitch of Chat's ears a few houses down.

Adrien collapsed onto his bed, covering his face with his hands. "Why didn't I say it? Why didn't I just say it?" he groaned.

"Because you're a scaredy cat," Plagg said. He floated over to sit next to Adrien, a piece of camembert in his small paws.

"Did you hear what she said when I left?" Adrien ignored his kwami's pun, unable to focus on anything but his own predicament. "She said she loved it. Why couldn't I say that to her? 'I love you, Ladybug.' It's so easy now that she's not here."

Plagg snorted. "More like 'I'm so ridiculously in love with you that I feel guilty for looking into another girl's eyes for a second.'"

The blonde glared, throwing a pillow at the small black figure. He dodged deftly and continued to eat his cheese. "Shut up. Nothing could even happen with Marinette. The most she's ever been able to speak to me was today with the play when she was pretending to be someone else."

"Strange, who mentioned Marinette? You make eye contact with half the girls in your class every day," Plagg said. He dodged another pillow thrown in his direction. "I'm just saying that maybe you didn't say it because someone else has caught your eye."

"There's no one else. I am in love with Ladybug, and that's it," Adrien said adamantly. "I was just helping Marinette calm down today is all. Ladybug is the love of my life."

Plagg shook his head. "Whatever you say, kid. I'm going to enjoy my Christmas Eve with an extra helping of camembert." He ate the remainder of his piece whole and went to the stash he kept in a cupboard for more.