Even if it was the day after Christmas, the spirit was alive. Luka smiled as he watched the children have fun on the outside skating rink while he waited for Mari to show up, and he also brought his violin just in case.

That was his best Christmas in years, but he almost wanted to hit himself for being so fickle. He could've sworn his journey wasn't just a dream. Still, after all that, Luka was back in the boring real world and had feelings for a girl who reminded him so much of Princess Marinette.

"Luka!"

Luka turned at Mari's voice, which sounded like a melody. She smiled and waved as she ran up to him, wearing a fluffy pink outfit and carrying some bags. Luka smiled warmly and offered to carry those bags for her, but Mari kept them close to her.

"Sorry I'm late," Mari said.

Luka shook his head. "No need to apologize."

Mari grinned and looked at the kids having fun on the ice rink. "No, really! I can hardly wait to go skating."

After they strapped their cute skates on, Mari was first on the ice. She was super excited and held her arms out like she was flying–only for her to slip and fall down, sliding on the ice.

"Mari!" Luka wasn't that skilled on the ice either, skating a bit roughly. Still, he managed to be by Mari's side just in time, although she was laughing and having fun as if she hadn't nearly bruised herself.

"It's ok," she said as she took Luka's hand.

But Mari felt a rush as Luka protectively wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn't fall down again. The two of them were silent momentarily while everyone else had fun skating around in circles. Mari's eyes lit up at the thought, and she laced her hand with Luka's as she took him to skate around with him. Luka happily allowed her to take him anywhere.

Mari and Luka couldn't stop smiling as they held hands and circled the ice rink. They just wanted to skate together until some kids got reckless and knocked them over, causing them to slip around together. There were no injuries.

The children apologized to Mari and Luka before picking themselves up, but Mari and Luka didn't take any offense. Luka did check to see if Mari was alright, but she just gave him a smile and said, "Falling and sliding is part of the fun."

Luka helped her up, but he was a bit too passionate by grabbing her by the waist. Mari felt starstruck by how he held her so high; she felt like she was flying. However, Luka realized he had gone too far, safely set her on the ice, and tried to hide his blush. Mari blushed as well. Both of them noted that they could at least be comfortably quiet together.

It felt so familiar to Luka, and Mari needed to ask Luka something incredibly bold.

"Luka, will you please dance with me?"

Luka blinked at the thought of dancing on the ice. They could make absolute fools of themselves, but he guessed it wouldn't matter as long as he was with Mari.

"Of course I will."

Mari smiled as she took his hand and led him to the center of the rink.

The two faced each other and smiled as they laced their hands together. At that point, it was like dancing, just like they did the night before Christmas. The two of them were in each other's arms as they danced around the ice rink in perfect sync, causing all the other skaters to stop and stare.

Luka also felt over the moon and lifted Mari up multiple times. She felt so happy that she had to prevent herself from crying. They ended their dance by spinning around together until they stopped in the middle of the rink. They were utterly shocked by how all the other skaters clapped and cheered for them. Mari felt embarrassed as she and Luka panted from how sweaty their dance was. She nearly fell over, but Luka caught her and held her close.

"Thank you, Luka," Mari whispered.

Luka smiled warmly at her. He looked handsome in the moonlight, with snowflakes in his blue hair. He led them out of the rink to rest and avoid being objectified by strangers. They were sweet strangers, but Luka and Mari weren't meant to be some hot couple.

When Mari and Luka sat on the bench, Mari held her bags close. She couldn't help but feel nervous but felt she had to tell Luka the truth that night.

Of course, Mari was so happy to be walking around with Luka, looking at the Christmas lights while noticing twice as many stars above them. It was one of the most ethereal moments in Luka's world.

Luka was perfectly content going forward to the future, and maybe what happened truly was a dream.

Mari wondered if she should just let it go, but when the two of them hit a stop. Luka breathed cold air on his glove and adjusted his scarf; Mari found her courage and bowed her head before presenting the bags to Luka.

Luka was taken aback, and Mari raised her head.

"I know it's the day after Christmas…" Mari paused as she breathed out cold air.

"But, I wanted to give you these Luka…"

Luka smiled warmly and took the bags. "You didn't have to Mari…"

Mari smiled back and hugged herself. Luka reached into the first bag and paused slightly, feeling something familiar. When he pulled the item out, he gasped as if he had seen a ghost.

Luka was speechless as he held the knitting fairy doll in his hand—the exact same one he had lost. His entire world blurred until he saw Mari giving him a knowing smile.

He looked into the other bag and pulled out a wooden Nutcracker doll that looked just like him. Luka was so taken aback that he could only look at Mari, who kept her smile while twirling her hair around her finger.

"I know I should've told you earlier, Luka. I'm sorry, but…"

Mari looked down, starting to feel ashamed of herself.

"I just didn't know how to tell you!"

Luka smiled warmly at the two dolls, and when he looked at Mari, who seemed like she was going to cry, everything started to add up. He recognized the model fairy tale world in Master Fu's shop. Dancing and talking with Mari felt so familiar, and he was so shocked to see Mari in his world.

"Marinette?" He said breathlessly.

Marinette's eyes widened as Luka's smile grew wider. She didn't have time to respond. Luka wasted no time putting the dolls back in their bags, rushing over, setting them aside, and cupping Marinette's face to kiss her deeply.

Marinette's eyes were so wide from her prince kissing so quickly after the truth was revealed, but then she smiled and closed her eyes as she kissed him in return. They stayed there, the entire world still, until they broke off for air and looked deeply into each other's eyes.

The two of them were hungry for more, but both felt the need to resist temptation. Luka had so many questions, and Marinette had to tell him everything that happened.

"I made sure Lord Hawkmoth paid for what he did to you," Marinette said as she clenched her fist, her blue eyes burning like fire. "We defeated him, together!"

Luka smirked as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "But how did you get here?"

Marinette looked down and stroked his hand. "After my curse was broken, I chose to return to this world to be with Uncle Fu. And I couldn't live without you, Luka."

Luka still felt he was dreaming as he moved his hands to run his fingers through her hair and cup her face with his hands.

"But what about Adrien and Kagami? And Alya and Nino?"

Marinette smirked.

"Adrien and Kagami decided to give up their nobility to live in a nice house in the gingerbread village; they feel far more content about that."

"And Nino and Alya…" Marinette took a moment to giggle.

"Those two became the rulers of the kingdom. They have certainly proven themselves worthy, and I feel confident in choosing them."

"No way…" Luka said with the dorkiest smile on his face.

Marinette's eyes glittered, showing him that it wasn't a farce.

"They wanted me to go back to you and for both of us to be happy," Marinette said. She looked up at the shiny stars in the distance, where the far-off world was, and Luka looked at them as well, tenderly lacing his hand with Marinette's.

"I won't ever let you go, Luka," Marinette said as she looked up at his aqua-blue eyes.

Luka took both of her hands, safe and warm with the gloves she had given him, and made a declaration.

"Well, you'll always be my knitting fairy," he said.

Happy tears finally ran down Marinette's eyes.

"And you'll always be my nutcracker prince!"

The two walked hand in hand back to Master Fu's antique shop, carrying their beloved dolls. The shop's candlelights still burned as Master Fu happily welcomed Marinette and Luka in, overjoyed that his niece Marinette was here to stay and that Luka had found his confidence.

And even if the magic was gone, the legacy of the two of them was eternal.