#cyanidelemonade

Twinkle Bells and Trimmings - A Miraculous Ladybug Oneshot

Word Count: 3′433

Rating: General / K

“What do you mean I have to be the one to deliver this to him?!”

As she and Alya walked out of the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery, Marinette stared down at the slightly heavy cane basket that had just been shoved into her hands. When Rose had come up with the idea of their class putting together Christmas gift hampers for Ladybug and Chat Noir, like all of her classmates, Marinette had been incredibly inspired by the project. As class president, she’d spent the last five weeks leading up to Christmas helping to coordinate everything in an effort to make it as festive as possible. They had even gotten some donations from other students at the school, as well as community members who had been impacted by the heroics of Paris’ protectors. Marinette had taken every job she’d been given in her stride, even the budgeting, which with her busy schedule both as Marinette and as Ladybug proving somewhat of a challenge to keep track of. However, it was the simple prospect of her having to give Chat Noir his personalised gift basket - as Marinette - and engaging in conversation with the slightly cocky and constantly flirting superhero, that made her the most worried.

“Come on, girl,” Alya told her, as she walked beside her best friend, her head snuggled in amongst her fur rimmed hooded coat. “If you really didn’t want this job, maybe you should have paid more attention during the last meet-up.”

Marinette sighed, as her mind floated back to the day of the mentioned occasion. She had been late to that particular meeting- it was the same time as the conclusion of a gruelling Akuma attack on the outskirts of the city - and when she had arrived, she couldn’t help but fall to a few moments of rough sleep. When she had been awoken by her classmates, asking her what she had thought of a decision, she quickly agreed with them, despite having no clue what they had even agreed on. Only now had she realised the true extent of her personal error.

“Remember, we thought since you were the class president, we thought it only fair that you have the honour of giving it to Chat Noir,” Alya continued. “If you weren’t busy yesterday, you could have done yours when me and Nino gave Ladybug hers. Shame you couldn’t make it…I’m sure you wouldn’t have been THAT awkward in front of Ladybug.”

“More like having to try and pull off being both Marinette and Ladybug at the same time…that would be beyond awkward!” Tikki whispered, the kwami snuggled in a hidden pocket inside Marinette’s christmas scarf, her words soft enough for only her chosen to hear.

Marinette laughed, both at the truth of Tikki’s words and the energy that was overflowing from Alya, her friend unable to keep still from joy. Giving Alya the duty of delivering Ladybug’s hamper to the super-heroine was an easy decision for the group, however it did cause a slight argument between her and Chloe early on in the project. The issue was quickly resolved by Alya’s quick thinking, the girl suggesting that Chloe hold all responsibility over Ladybug’s Christmas card, which she told Chloe was ‘the most vital part of the project’. Upon hearing this, Chloe soon forgot about not being the one to give the gift to Ladybug, already planning what she was going to write to her greatest idol.

“I wish you could have been there to see me give it to her. Luckily Nino filmed the whole thing.” Alya could highly contain her excitement, the memory of the moment still fresh in her mind. “She looked so surprised when I gave it to her! Nothing could happen that could ever ruin the best Christmas ever!”

Marinette had made sure to keep as much distance as possible from knowing the entire contents of the Ladybug side of the present, wanting the moment where she received the gifts as Ladybug to be as genuine as possible. But nothing could have prepared Marinette for how much each of the gifts and notes meant to her. From the home-made chocolate chip cookies, decorated with miniature ladybugs and white butterflies (made by her own parents), to the mix tape filled with original songs to Ladybug (coordinated by Nino), each gift was so well thought out and personal. Even Chloe’s card, which the normally snobbish girl had put some many hours of her own time into, had so much though, love and appreciation into it, the card including masses of messages from people who she had rescued from Akuma's or people whose lives she had changed just by existing. The moment Alya had given it to her, she had struggled to keep it together, the experience bringing tears to her eyes.

“Anyway, enough about my fangirl moment,” Alya laughed, breaking Marinette out of her daze. “Now we need to focus on finding where Chat Noir could be right at this moment.”

Before Alya could even get out her phone, Marinette spoke up. “He’ll be on patrol around the Norte Dame. He’ll be there until lunch, to when he either be heading to the outskirts near Versailles or the Champs de Mars.”

Alya glanced at her quizzically, her eyes wide with confusion and surprise. “And how would you know that? Don’t tell me you’re studying Chat Noir and Ladybug’s patrol schedule like you do Adrien’s, are you?” She raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on Alya’s face when she saw Marinette start to squirm.

“W-What? No, of course I don’t know! It was just a guess, that’s all! An simple, normal observation!” she stuttered, growing flustered. “I just thought they could be there because…I saw them there…y-yesterday! That’s it! When I was….was going to find some extra…tinsel… for the bag trimmings, remember?” It was a in an feeble attempt to back pedal, not wanting her secret identity to be revealed, but luckily it seemed it to the trick, Alya soon laughing.

“I was just teasing you, girl! In fact, I think I’m more the one who verging on the side of stalking if anything to do with Ladybug is concerned….” Alya put an arm around Marinette’s shoulder’s, relieving the tension from Marinette’s face. She then pulled out her phone, opening an app which Marinette hadn’t seen before. “Max helped me designed it while he was working on the electronic message chips for Chloe’s card. Now I can have updates on Ladybug and Chat Noir’s location, and any social media information on recent Akuma attacks at the touch of a button! It’s just a prototype, but hopefully it could soon take the Ladyblog to the next level.”

Within a few short seconds, Alya’s phone buzzed again, a green dot appearing on the on-screen map. “What do you know…turns out your hunch was right.” As she put her phone away, she pointed across the road. “Looks like he’s around the Square René Viviani right now. Lucky for us we were headed that way anyway.”

As Alya rushed across the park, Marinette had a mental note to herself. I will have to keep that app in mind the next time I transform….as if keeping my secret wasn’t already hard enough…!

Despite the sharp winter winds that filled the air, and the recent bout of heavy snowfall, the Notre Dame still had a reasonable amount of people nearby, the wooden chalets of the Cathedral Christmas markets nearby creating almost a picture-perfect festive atmosphere.

When she had caught up with Alya, she discovered she had already locked her sights on Chat Noir. Not like it was every really hard to spot him amongst the crowds during his regular patrol times, even more so during winter, his black leather suit easily distinguishable against the city’s white snowy backdrop. For this particular instant, the superhero in question, who was just finishing up having a photo taken with a small girl and boy in matching reindeer costumes, managed to spot Alya and Marinette out almost instantly, soon walking over to them.

“Joyeux Noël Chat Noir!” Alya called to him, her phone tightly gripped in her left hand, ready to start filming at the perfect moment. “Quite a….festive hat you’ve got there!”

At the bringing up of the green, red and white swirly Santa hat he was sporting, Chat Noir grinned, adjusting it with pride. “Purr-fect, isn’t it?” He did a small spin, eager to show his festive present off.

“Why the hat Chatton…?!” Marinette muttered under her breath, her partner still wearing the same silly Christmas hat she had seen him keep on his head for the last eight patrols. Despite her constant pleas as Ladybug for him to wear something else, he continued to wear it. The feline hero had proclaimed that he had grown quite attached to the handmade gift, given to them by one of the pair’s smaller fans. The festive puns adoring its brim may have also had something to do with his attachment, which caused a frustrated groan to escape Marinette’s throat at the very thought.

Alya whipped her head in Marinette’s direction, changing the subject. “Mari had a hunch that you guys would be here. Having a break from your daily patrol?”

Chat nodded. “We decided to change up our usual patrol schedule for the holidays. We’ve been handing out gifts for the past few days, and were supposed to be going around the city markets today, but unfortunately Ladybug hasn’t shown up.”

Dammit. Marinette mused, trying to hide her ashamed expression from Chat Noir. I completely forgot that we were supposed to be doing that today…

The idea that Chat had just brought up was of his own creation - a street based campaign of delivering small tokens of Christmas cheer and positivity, by none other that Paris’ most beloved and trusted superhero duo, all in the effort to bring up the holiday spirit in a city that was growing more paranoid with passing Akuma attack. He had pestered Ladybug about it for months, his partner always going back to the same argument that they should focus first on protecting the city against Hawk Moth. But after a little while, and a few annoying Christmas carols, she eventually gave into the idea, seeing its simple merit as well as the passion Chat Noir had put in to the organising of it all. It was simple in nature, but maybe small, constructive actions were the best way to get through this daily battle, and eventually defeat Hawkmoth himself.

“I know that she would have wanted to be here, but sometimes life gets in the way. Paris knows she cares, and so do I,” Chat nodded, smiling softly. “Ladybug, out of all people, needs to make sure she looks after herself. She’ll be back bringing joy to Paris when she’s ready.”

Alya nodded in agreement. “Well, if you two need any help with your campaign, just know that there are plenty of people that would be more than happy to help. You both deserve a break this time of year.” Hawkmoth had grown more ruthless than ever, Akuma attacks increasing to several per week, with the week before Christmas hosting one every day. While greatly rushing the superheroes off their feet, Alya had also become more exhausted with each passing day, her duty as soul reporter of the Ladyblog reaching maximum capacity.

Suddenly, Alya’s phone started blaring out a familiar ringtone, Jagged Stone’s latest tribute to the superhero pair Alya’s latest choice of phone alert. She glanced at her phone, her expression becoming conflicted. “Geez, its Nadja Chamack calling about my internship application at the TV station. Do you mind if I quickly take this?”

“Not at all.” Chat Noir said politely, secretly knowing how much Alya had fought to even be considered for this internship through his interactions with her as Adrien. “Marinette and I can get to know each other better. Can’t we, princess?”

Marinette nodded as well, trying not to let the annoying nickname bother her. “Go on, Alya. I’ll manage with this until you get back.”

After exchanging with her friend a quick thumbs up, Alya moved away, deep into conversation. Marinette turned back to Chat Noir, not quite sure how to continue their conversation. Small talk was more Alya’s domain, and although she had spoken to the superhero many a times - more as Ladybug as opposed to her civilian identity - she had always found it awkward to talk to him. Marinette had expected a witty remark or a show-offish moment from him, but instead was slightly shocked upon seeing Chat Noir standing in complete silence, appearing almost nervous. The pair stood in a silence for a minute or so, Chat Noir giving an occasional fist pump to passing children, or engaging in short conversation with families as he passed them a few Christmas treats from his matching gift sack.

When a lull appeared in the small talk, Marinette looked back to Chat Noir. Fighting against her sometimes hesitant nature, she lifted the cane basket up so she it was cradled in her hands. “The reason we came to see you was….” She slightly spat out, the teenager still trying to come up with her small speech in her head as she spoke. “I…I actually came to give this bag to you. It’s a gift, a sort of thank you present. It’s not mine….I mean, it’s not just from me. My classmates and I from Françoise-Dupont, and some families from across Paris made it.”

“That’s very lovely of you,” he replied, walking with her towards one of the small park benches a few metres away. “I will make Ladybug receives it as soon as—“

“Actually, this one is just for you,” Marinette interrupted, gesturing to the tag tied around the cellophane covered basket, the green writing and paw print stamps distinctively more suiting to Chat Noir’s aesthetic.

Chat Noir’s bountiful steps came to a halt, a shocked form of a smile sliding onto his usual over-the-top act. “I-I-It’s for me? Really?” he whispered, appearing genuinely moved and honoured. When they arrived at the seats, the two softly sitting down, Marinette handed the basket to him. Chat’s eyes widened, his now wonder filled green eyes switching between the collection of gifts and Marinette herself.

Carefully, Chat Noir started undoing the wrapping covering the hamper, the delicate nature of his unwrapping also surprising Marinette. He kept glancing at Marinette, as if to question if these presents were especially for him. He was sometimes left out by the media, all the fame and attention mostly directed to Ladybug, so maybe he had just thought that that would be the same case in this particular situation, Marinette thought. Or possibly, the thought causing Marinette to feel slightly sorry for the superhero, that he believed that he didn’t deserve this sudden spree of appreciation.

Finally, he reached for the first present in the hamper, Chat Noir now proceeding to fidget in anticipation. While she had avoided impacting too much on the contents of Ladybug’s hamper, Marinette had had more of an input into the details of Chat Noir’s, having helped all her classmates in the early phases of the project in the planning of their specific gifts for the feline superhero. However, with the recent collection of Akuma attacks, she hadn’t had much of a chance to see what the final products would be, or know much of the extra gifts added in-between.

Each gift had given a slightly different reaction, all of them linked by the joy he physically exerted upon opening them. The first was a framed portrait drawing of the feline superhero, an original digital art piece created by Nathaniel. While exactly capturing Chat Noir’s humorous and carefree nature, he had styled the superhero in somewhat of a majestic, almost prince-like manner, creating an image of a kind, brave, spirited and selfless protector. Shades of gold, yellow, green and silver, as well as some contrasting touches of purple in between, all displayed a side of Chat which, amongst all the bad puns and crazy antics, sometimes slipped her mind as Ladybug, as well as Marinette.

There was also a custom coffee mug- which apart from the colour scheme exactly matched Ladybug’s- given by Kim, a dictionary of the best puns of all time - a gift from Alix, which Marinette already knew she would come to regret suggesting -, tiny boxes of tissues with cartoon pigeons on them - given as a joke by Alya, which Chat seemed to find especially funny -, as well as lots and lots of Camembert themed treats - which were at first provided by Adrien, and then proceeding to her own parents, who along with providing some Chat Noir and Ladybug themed gingerbread, also donated a entire platter of different variations of local Camembert. She would have to keep that in mind for any future gifts as Ladybug to give to him.

Upon Chat getting to the bottom of the basket, Marinette pulled out a large envelope, which was also addressed to Chat Noir. He carefully opened it, revealing a detailed card, the front filled with photos of people with Chat Noir, as well as some of his well known Cat puns. Inside, he found a song, as well as countless messages and notes, all towards Chat Noir. Chat’s smile wavered, his glance unable to look away from the card.

“I was in charge of designing the card…” Marinette said, not yet noticing Chat’s expression. “Ivan and Myléne wrote the song inside. They’re really talented, aren’t they—“

She turned back to Chat, a soft sniffling reaching her ears. Without warning, Chat Noir wrapped his arms around her in a hug, squeezing her tightly. “Thank you Mari,” he told her, his voice filled to the brim with joy. “The gift and the cards…they’re beautiful…I never had expected to receive anything like this. I am beyond grateful for all the love and time you all put into these gifts. Thank you.”

Not knowing how to respond, Marinette simply smiled, returning the hug. Their tender moment didn’t last long, Alya’s loud voice causing the pair to flinch.

“Marinette! I thought I told you to wait for me before you let him open all the gifts so I could get it on film!”

Quickly, the two split apart, Marinette fighting uncomfortably, trying to explain. Alya smiled, shaking it off. “Ah well… the least you both can do is stay still long enough for a photo. So no running away, got it pussy cat?”

“Chat’s honour! Anything for this hero’s favourite reporter!” Chat Noir smirked, swiftly returning to his typical, cheeky facade. Marinette groaned, which caused Chat Noir to laugh again, before they both turned to face Alya for a few photos.

After engaging in some short conversation, Chat thanking Alya vigorously for the gifts, Marinette and Alya wished him farewell, Alya needing to rush back home to update the Ladyblog before the day’s end. Just as Chat was about to turn and leave, however, Marinette’s mind clicked into gear.

“Chat Noir, wait!”

Chat Noir quickly tuned back to face Marinette, who was rushing back up to him. “I forgot to give you this. It’s my gift to you. I hope you like it!” She carefully handed him a small handmade drawstring bag, which had a similar design to the card.

Chat nodded graciously, returning to the girl a sincere smile. Chat turned away slightly, quietly opening Marinette’s present. His smile widened, lightly chuckling as he pulled out a silver, white and red bell, covered lightly with small black and white paw centred snowflakes. Also in the bag was a soft gold ribbon, which had two small slips on it to allow the bell to be attached onto the spot where his typical gold bell resided. Chat Noir rushed to switch the bells over, carefully putting his old bell in the small bag, and then in his suit pocket for safe keeping.

He gasped lightly upon hearing its ring, the sound lighter and more delicate than his usual bell. He turned back to where the girl’s had been, the pair having left around a minute or so ago. Sighing, he notice a small slip of paper peaking out of the bell’s gaps. Curious, he pulled it out, unfolded it and started to read it.