After Marinette explained her plan to Adrien, they called another community meeting. This time Nathaniel and Marc agreed to have everyone gather at their bookstore. Mrs Mandeleive was her usual cheerful (read: scowling) self, pulling her chair up front and center.
Marinette could feel her resolve start to dissolve at that menacing stare. "Adrien…" she whispered. "What if she doesn't agree to our proposal?"
"Then we'll just have to keep trying, but I don't think we will have to. Your idea is brilliant."
Marinette wasn't so sure, but Adrien was right, they had to try. Dipping her hand into her pocket she wrapped her fingers around her lucky charm. She went over in her head what Chloè and Luka had both said. One of the judges loves things that are old world, and Mrs Mandeleive fears being left behind. If she can somehow bring both those things together, they may actually stand a chance.
Adrien gave her another reassuring smile before addressing the room. "Good afternoon everyone, and thank you so much for coming to another meeting. I know things went a little pear shaped last time…" Mrs Mandeleive scoffed out loud but he ignored her. "But Marinette and I are hoping this time will be different."
"I just want to make sure I get my turn." Came the inevitable commentary. "That's all I care about."
There was a chorus of groans from the other merchants before Ms Bustier spoke up. "Olga…" she warned. "Now you promised me you would hear these nice young people out this time."
Mrs Mandeleive squirmed somewhat in her seat, but she kept her mouth shut. Ms Bustier looked over to Marientte and gave her an encouraging nod and she took a deep breath.
"Thank you." She said, now that she had everyone's undivided attention. "Now I've been doing some research on the town and delving into some of its history. Mrs Mandeleive, I remember you saying your ancestors helped found this town, is that correct."
"That's right."
"And that's what we want to celebrate. The shared histories of everyone in the town."
The merchants all looked at each other and murmured amongst themselves. Well at least they weren't fighting.
"So what exactly does that mean?" Mrs Mandeleive asked skeptically. "I still want…"
"Your turn. Yes we know." Adrien jumped in. "And while we were researching I discovered that your great grandfather not only helped build this town, but also the first movie theatre where your shop currently stands."
Mrs Mandeleive suddenly looked more demeuritive. "Yes… yes that's right. The old theatre burnt down in the late 80's and the council at the time elected not to rebuild it on Main Street, but rather incorporate new cinemas into the shopping centre that was being built on the other side of town. I opened the shop so that I could hang on to some of that… of that…" She repeated, snapping her fingers as she searched for the right word.
"Nostalgia?" Marinette offered and Mrs Mandeleive nodded.
"My family didn't just love the old movies, they had been pioneers in film making. They were inventors and trailblazers. I felt that in the rush to be modern, my family had been all but forgotten. All the years they had collected a history of cinema, all gone in a blaze caused by faulty old wiring. I spent most of my life trying to replace what was lost, fixing up old broken projectors and cameras. That's why my turn in this stupid Christmas thing was so important to me. I just wanted people to remember."
Everyone in the room went quiet. After a few moments of silence, Marc spoke up. "So what's the plan, Marinette, and how can we help?"
Marinette could feel the tide beginning to turn. "We don't want to put extra burden onto you all with only a few days to go, so we are going to take the Winter Wonderland theme and turn it silver."
"Silver?" Nathaniel questioned. "As in the second place we've been stuck in?"
"No." Adrien chuckled. "As in Silver Bells to celebrate the Silver Screen and the history of this town and its first moving picture theatre."
Marinette wasn't sure, but it almost looked as though Mrs Mandeleive had tears in her eyes.
"What about the rest of us?" A voice called from the back, and others agreed.
"You will all be part of this." Adrien continued. "Everyone in this town has a shared history, and each of your shops represents a chapter in that story. Now we want Mrs Mandeleive's store to be the centerpiece still so the story will begin with the founding of the town and then she will escort the judges to each of your stores before finishing back at the Movie Memorabilia. The story will end where it began, bringing the journey full circle."
Mrs Mandeleive perked up. "So the cameras will start at my store and finish there too?" She double checked and her smile broadened when Marinette nodded.
Everyone was in agreement and an excitement began to fill the room. "I think that's a great idea." Nathaniel chimed in. "And I have plenty of art supplies we can use to spruce up some of the old decorations."
"That would be great." Marinette replied. "Think white and silver everyone. Keep your decorations as real and old world as you can. Family ornaments and photos of Christmases past. I want the judges to feel like they are taking a step back in time."
Adrien could hardly take his eyes off Marinette as she practically vibrated excitement and joy. If Christmas was a person, it would be her at this moment, bouncing ideas around the room and encouraging everyone to pitch in. Even little Harmony, who had been listening to everyone from her mother's lap, volunteered to make paper decorations for the tree in the cafe. And when she would turn his way and smile, her eyes dazzling with that infectious optimism, she took his breath away.
Once the meeting had concluded, and everyone knew what they needed to do, the Main Street vendors left with renewed excitement and optimism. Even grumpy old Mandeleive had a smile on her face. Before they themselves left, Adrien had a surprise for Marinette.
"Do I need to close my eyes and hold out my hand?" She chuckled.
"Of course you do." Adrien replied, picking up his backpack. "Go on."
Marinette narrowed her eyes at him playfully before closing them and holding her hands out. A moment later something soft was placed into them.
"You can open your eyes." Adrien whispered and watched on as Marinette gaped in amazement at the Christmas Ladybug plushie he had placed into her hands.
"Oh my goodness." She gasped, hardly able to believe it was the same plushie she had seen the other day in the window. "Tikki. She's just like Tikki. Adrien you didn't have…"
Adrien placed a hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know I didn't have to. But I wanted to. We only have a few days until the competition and I wanted to make sure we had all the luck we could get."
Marinette was surprised at how emotional she was feeling. Maybe it was the Christmas season, or maybe it was the way he was looking at her just now, that soft gaze like she was the most precious thing in the world. It made her heart arche, it made her heart soar and it somehow mended all her broken pieces.
"Thank you." She said tenderly. "You don't know how much this means to me."
"You're welcome." Adrien replied, stepping closer to her.
Marinette almost held her breath as Adrien pressed his lips to her forehead. It felt so different to when Luka had done the same the night before. That felt like a goodbye, where this felt more like a promise.
"Marinette?" Nathaniel called from the door. "Would you and Adrien mind locking this door when you go. Marc and I are going to check out some old decorations over at Ms Bustier's place."
"No worries." She called back breathlessly, the moment all but gone.
"Shall we head back to Master Fu's?" Adrien asked, clearly a little pink cheeked and flustered himself.
"Maybe that's a good idea." She replied, trying to slow her heart rate down. "I'm sure Master Fu would want to know how things are going."
Once they had locked the doors, Adrien didn't think twice about taking her hand in his as they walked down the street, and she had no intention of letting go until she absolutely had to.
~~~~~
The next two days were spent in an absolute flurry of activity. Members of the local community had heard about the now revamped Silver Bells theme and had come out of the woodwork with decorations and stories to add to the atmosphere.
Marinette had spent most of the afternoon helping Ms Bustier and Harmony spruce up the cafe, hanging the most gorgeous set of Silver Bells above the doorway, complete with mistletoe.
"That's for kissing." Harmony announced, pointing up as Marinette hung the little plant from the bells.
"And who will you be kissing?" Marinette asked the little girl.
"Nobody because Mamma said I'm too young." Harmony pouted. "But you can kiss Mr Adrien next time he's here."
Marinette could feel her face flush, but Harmony didn't see it because she had already run off to find more silver tinsel. More than once Marinette had thought about the near kiss they almost had in Master Fu's kitchen and then again the kiss on her forehead and it was getting harder to ignore the flurry of butterflies in her stomach every time she did.
For so long she had avoided getting into a relationship because of her trust issues. With Adrien though, she felt different. He made her feel special and would make her laugh in ways Luka never had. Last night she had come out to the kitchen to get a drink and saw Adrien sound asleep on the couch in front of the dwindling fire, with Plagg purring contently on his chest. Marinette had thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. She had pulled the blanket up over them, patting Plagg so he wouldn't get up and found herself staring at Adrien's wild hair and peaceful features as he slept.
It wasn't that Adrien was just a pretty face, although that definitely was a bonus, it was the man she was discovering under that facard he had created. Far from the playboy he had often been reported as, he had in fact been keeping the world at arms length. Yet, he had let her in. He had told her about his family and his mother. He had taken off the mask and she saw the real Adrien - a pun dork, a pop culture nerd, an extraordinary chocolatier and a truly decent human being.
Marinette pressed her cool palms to her warm cheeks. She wasn't just falling for Adrien, she realised she already had.
Marinette was deep in thought when Adrien came looking for her.
"Hey." He said, almost making her jump out of her skin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, no. It's fine, I mean I'm fine, it's, it's… fine." She said in a fluster. "I was um… just thinking."
Adrien just grinned in amusement. "Well, if you're not busy, there's something I'd like to show you."
"Wait." Harmony called out. "Kissy!"
"Kissy?" Adrien asked. Harmony nodded and pointed to the mistletoe above their heads.
"You have to kissy Miss Marinette. It's tra…trad…"
"Tradition." Marinette helped.
"Yeah, that." Harmony nodded. "So kissy."
Marinette looked up at Adrien with her cheeks bright red and her eyes as wide as saucers. The blond just gave her a cheeky grin.
"Well, we can't skip on tradition can we." He said with a wink. Placing a hand on Marinette's waist, he dipped his head to leave a soft kiss right near the corner of her mouth. He then looked over at Harmony. "Was that good for you?"
The little girl folded her arms with a pout. "It will do for now." She replied, clearly not impressed. Adrien laughed and took Marinette by the hand, leading her down the road. It was approaching twilight, and the town folks had turned on all their Christmas lights, setting the street twinkling in a wonderful fairyland.
"He it is." Adrien said as they approached a small barn that was behind the Main Street stores. He opened the door and turned on the light. As Marinette stepped inside, her eyes lit up and her mouth fell open. Taking pride of place was a beautifully preserved red sleigh, complete with velvet emerald upholstery and polished silver bells.
"It's beautiful." She gasped, taking off her gloves so she could feel the fabric. "Where did it come from?"
"I was talking to Mr Ramier down at the post office. This originally belonged to his grandfather. He used it to deliver the mail during the winter months." He took off his own gloves, offering Marinette his hand so she could get up into the sleigh.
"This is amazing." She declared as she sat down. "What did you want to do with it?"
"Mr Ramier and I thought it might be nice to take the judges around in." Adrien explained enthusiastically. "An added touch for show."
"And a bit of old world charm. Great idea."
Marinette patted the seat beside her, inviting Adrien up. There wasn't a lot of room for his tall frame in there, but it was quite cosy. Adrien pretended to pick up a set of invisible reigns. "On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen." He called out and she began to giggle. "If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go? New York? Sydney? Amsterdam? Oh, I know the North Pole?"
Marinette thought for a moment, a soft smile on her lips. "I don't think I'd want to be anywhere else then where I am." She replied, looking up at him. "Or with anyone else."
He then turned more towards her, resting his elbow on the back of the seat. For a moment he just looked at her, like he wanted to say something, but didn't know how to.
"What is it?" She asked softly, her eyes never leaving his.
"You." He replied. "You're amazing, Marinette. You are the most extraordinary woman I have ever met. I have had more fun this Christmas than I have had in years." He said earnestly, gently caressing her cheek. "And it's all because of you."
"I feel the same way." Marinette admitted. Adrien's hand moved from her cheek, his fingers threading into her hair and his forehead rested against hers.
"There's so much I want to tell you, Marinette. But I don't know the right words."
"Then… maybe you don't need words."
She shouldn't want him to kiss her, but she did want it and it scared her and she thought her heart was about to pound out of her chest. Grabbing onto the lapel of his coat, her heart began to race as her lips tentatively pressed into his and an explosion erupted in her chest as Adrien moved to deepen the kiss, pulling her body closer to his.
"There you two are!" Nathaniel called out as he walked into the barn. "I've been looking for you two everywhere."
Marinette quickly let go of Adrien's coat and shifted back into her seat, her cheeks flaming, like she had just snapped out of a trance and was back in reality. Adrien wasn't sure if that reaction had been one of regret or just because she had been startled by Nathaniel walking in.
"What's up Nate?" He asked, seeing that Nathaniel was clearly oblivious to what he had interrupted.
"Marc wanted the two of you to come check off the final preparations on Main Street in case we've missed something."
"All right. Tell Marc we're coming." Adrien replied. Nathaniel took off and he shared a shy smile with Marinette. Her face was practically glowing. "Shall we m'lady." He said, offering her his hand.
Marinette didn't say anything, holding his hand and letting him hold her waist as he helped her down. Taking her hand, he laid it in the crook of his arm and the two of them walked together back down towards Main Street, neither of them bringing up what happened.
~~~~~
"What do you mean you kissed him!" Marinette cringed, holding her phone away from her ear. "What were you thinking?" Alya screeched.
"What?" Marinette said, feeling slightly annoyed. "I thought you would have been happy about it. Look I know I called him a jerk weed before, but he really isn't. He's funny and sweet and you should see the way he dotes over Plagg…"
"What's a Plagg?" Alya asked.
"Oh, he's a little black kitten we found."
Marinette was sure she heard Alya facepalm. "You adopted a cat together?"
"Well I wouldn't say that exactly…"
"Marinette, you haven't forgotten that this guy is your competition for the building you want."
"Of course I haven't." Marinette replied a little confused. "What is up with you? One minute you're telling me I need a boyfriend and now you're freaking out over this more than I did."
"I know I know. It's just… What if he's manipulating you? You said he was competitive. He could be playing with your feelings to catch you off guard, especially after the whole Luka thing."
"He's not like that." She heard Alya scoff. "You don't trust my judgment?"
"After what happened with Luka, no I don't. I just worry about you, that's all. I don't want to see you give your heart to somebody and then get hurt again. What if Fu chooses you? Will he just take off?"
Matinette found it hard to believe in her heart that Adrien would be manipulating her, but she had to admit she hadn't thought ahead to what might happen once Master Fu made his decision. After everything she had told him about Luka though he couldn't possibly be that heartless. Could he? Could that kiss last night really have just been all an act? Was he planning something behind her back?
After hanging up from Alya, Marinette checked her phone for messages before she made her way down to the kitchen. Her stomach flipped in somersaults when she saw Adrien there cleaning up from breakfast. Maybe she had let her guard down and she really should be more careful. After all, where would they stand once Master Fu made his decision? Only one person could win this race, and there was no consolation prize for coming second.
"There's the sleepy Princess." He smiled. "Merry Christmas Eve. I made some more pancakes so help yourself."
Marinette went straight for the coffee pot. "It's alright, I'm not hungry." She said with a strained smile, pouring herself a cup. Adrien threw his tea towel over his shoulder and came closer to her.
"Not feeling hungry and going straight for the coffee. That's not like you. Something wrong?"
Marinette took a sip of her coffee with a small shrug. "I'm just feeling nervous about tonight I guess. I don't want something to suddenly go wrong. Everyone has worked so hard."
She looked into her coffee cup like it would offer her an answer, then she put the coffee mug down and Adrien placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm positive everything is going to turn out fine. And you know why? Because we have you." He emphasised, booping her on the nose.
At least this time her smile didn't look so strained.
"We're still good aren't we?" He suddenly asked, concerned. "I mean, I know I maybe got a bit carried away last night but I wouldn't want anything to become awkward or weird between us."
Marinette shook her head. "No, nothing's weird. I mean, nothing happened right? We just got caught up in the moment."
Nothing happened. Something about that statement stung more than Adrien could explain. "Right." Adrien said, taking a step back. He removed the tea towel from his shoulder and put it on the counter. Something did happen though, and he was sure she had felt that too, but now she was putting up a barrier. He couldn't quite read what it was, like she was keeping something from him. "I've got to head off. I promised Mrs Mandeleive I would help her move her display cabinet. I'll catch you later then."
Walking back over to her, he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before leaving the kitchen. Marinette subconsciously reached up, touching the place where his warm lips had been. "Eat a pancake." He added over his shoulder as he left. Shaking her head and smiling to herself, she took her coffee into the lounge room and found Master Fu in there.
"Good morning Master." She said happily.
"Good morning Marinette." He replied, sitting down the picture frame he had been holding. It was a photo of him with Marianne and Fei on what seemed to be a holiday.
"You know, without Marianne I thought I was going to be so lonely this Christmas. Then you and Adrien showed up and it changed everything for me." Fu smiled. There was a genuineness to his words that was truly touching. "I'm sorry I haven't made a decision on the building yet." He continued. "It's really for selfish reasons. I've enjoyed having the two of you here so much that I'm reluctant to let you go. You are my captive audience so to speak." He grinned, stroking his beard like he was a master villain hatching a plan.
Marinette chuckled at his antics. "Well I for one have no intention of leaving you to be all alone on Christmas. And take your time regarding the building. I'll respect whatever decision you make."
"Thank you Marinette. I appreciate that. In fact Adrien said the same thing."
Marinette wasn't sure why that surprised her so much. "He did?"
Master Fu nodded. "I apologised to him this morning too. He's a very nice young man. Isn't he?"
Marinette looked away shyly from him and he began to chuckle to himself. "Don't let me keep you. I'm sure both you and Adrien have much to do before tonight. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the end result."
Master Fu left the lounge room and Marinette looked over the pictures once again. Plagg came and meowed at her feet, rubbing his head against her legs. She picked him up, scratching behind his ears until he began to purr loudly.
"I don't know if I've done the right thing Plagg." She said to the black cat. "I might have just ruined everything."