Work Text:
Slamming his bedroom door, Adrien yelled into the darkness of the expansive and lonely space. The entire day had been a disaster. It wasn’t just that the only gifts he got from his father were literally the top three off of a published list of “What to Buy Your Teenager This Christmas”, or the fact that his father spent the entire day in his office working on designs. It wasn’t that Nathalie ignored him or that he was called a nuisance when he tried to ask his father to just sit down to dinner together. No, ultimately it was that despite the fact that his father had no desire to prioritize him, he still wouldn’t allow Adrien to go spend time with the people who actually cared.
Nino had invited him to Christmas dinner weeks prior. As the holiday got closer and closer, the plans with Nino, Alya, and even Marinette had turned into hopes that he’d get to spend his second Christmas without his mother enjoying himself. They had planned to ice skate, drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies, and even do a small gift exchange. He’d gotten gifts for his three closest friends, and had been so excited for the day only to have his father and Nathalie treat him like an unwanted obligation, checking in on him just often enough to make him nervous about leaving the house as Chat Noir.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t experienced something similar the previous year, but he hoped it was just a fluke. An unfortunate byproduct of it being the same year as the most difficult loss of his life. In fact, the previous year, despite how much had gone wrong, had at least ended on a happy note. This year, he had truly been alone.
“I can’t do this anymore, Plagg!” Adrien paced back and forth across the floor, wrapping his arms tight around his chest and doing his best to hold back tears. “I hate him. He doesn’t care about me at all. I just wanted to spend the day with people who give a damn about me.”
Plagg hovered in the air and watched Adrien pace. His tiny ears drooping and his tail hanging limp, he considered what the best advice he could give would be. “Kid, you’re the loneliest kitten I’ve had. Even the couple I’ve had who had things hard at least had one person they could count on to always be there. I think you need to find someone you can trust to talk to about this stuff. Other than me.”
Adrien looked hurt. He stopped pacing to look Plagg dead in the eye. “Is this just your roundabout way of saying you don’t want to hear it?”
Plagg flew closer, not quite close enough to touch Adrien. “No, kid. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying you need someone who can be there for you in a way I can’t. If you don’t open up, you’re going to keep closing yourself off, and that’s not good for you or anyone else.”
Adrien walked to his bed and sat on the foot of it. “Who would I even talk to? Nino is always busy with Alya and being a DJ… He doesn’t have time to talk for more than a few minutes here and there, and I don’t think he would want to listen to me complain about my father ignoring me and not allowing me to have a life.”
Plagg’s ears perked up as he had an idea. “Why don’t you talk to your little pigtailed friend? She doesn’t have a boyfriend or a job keeping her from talking to you.”
Adrien considered for a moment. “I mean, she may not have a job but she’s constantly working on projects. She’s a great seamstress and designer. She probably doesn’t have time to talk.”
Flopping down onto the bed next to Adrien, Plagg sighed. “Does sewing require the use of her mouth?”
Sighing, Adrien shook his head a little. “I guess not. Maybe I could call her?” Honestly, he was dying to get out of his prison of a house and wanted to just go see her. Nathalie had been watching him like a hawk all day though, and he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t be stopped the moment his bedroom door opened. “Or maybe Chat could go see her.”
Plagg immediately flew in front of Adrien’s face. “No kid, you can’t open up to her if you can’t even tell her who you are.”
Adrien shrugged. “I can tell her enough. Enough to get it off of my chest. And I just… really need to see a friendly face right now. I can’t think of a friendlier one than Marinette’s. Plus, she likes Chat.”
Plagg started protesting as he watched Adrien stand and thrust his right hand forward in a fist.
“Plagg, claws out!”
——————————-
Marinette had had an awful Christmas. She had by some not-so-small miracle convinced her parents to let her spend a relaxed and fun day with her three closest friends instead of in the bakery, preparing Yule logs for friends and acquaintances. She had been looking forward to it so much, and as she ran out of the house after spending a nice morning with her parents opening presents, she truly believed that that would be the day. A small present had been clutched in her hands throughout the day, as it slowly became apparent that she was not going to be able to tell Adrien how she felt that day after all.
Alya and Nino had done their best to include her and not make her feel like a third wheel, but they still wanted to focus on one another, and Marinette had inevitably felt more and more awkward as the day went on. Ultimately, she didn’t feel much like ice skating, the hot chocolate didn’t appeal to her, and she was barely able to focus on the movie. She liked the small gifts she’d gotten from Alya and Nino, and enjoyed watching them open the gifts she had made for them, but with Adrien’s gift still clutched in her hand, she couldn’t help but be further reminded of what seemed like the hundredth instance of the universe seemingly conspiring to keep her from confessing her love to Adrien Agreste.
As she lay in her lounge chair on her balcony, she looked out over the city she loved so much and tried not to cry. She felt so stupid for getting so emotional over something that she knew was tiny in the grand scheme of things. Snuggling further down into her hoodie and blankets, she held up the small wrapped gift and inspected it. She was already formulating a back up plan for the gift being given under less romantic circumstances. She could say she saw he had a nice scarf and made him mittens and a hat to match. That wasn’t necessarily only something you do for someone you wanted to marry and have three kids and a hamster with, was it?
The main problem was the letter she had written. She figured if she was so terrible at getting out what she wanted to say verbally, maybe writing it down was the way to go. That was, he could read it when she wasn’t standing there stuttering and hyperventilating like an insane stalker. She could still change her mind and give him just the hat and mittens in totally non-romantic terms and work on working up the courage another time.
The only problem was that she had wrapped the letter along with the winter gear and if she was changing her mind, she’d have to unwrap it. Considering the possible outcomes of both scenarios, she gently tugged at the end of the ribbon, slowly undoing the intricate bow she worked so hard on. She wasn’t sure why she always stood in her own way when it came to Adrien, but her self-doubt and second-guessing always seemed to override her confidence.
“One last present to open, Princess?”
Marinette squeaked and dropped the small box she had just finished untying, the lid falling off and the contents spilling out. She held a hand to her chest, breathing heavily. “Chat! Oh my gosh, don’t sneak up on me like that.”
Chat Noir hopped down off the railing and bent to pick up the items that had fallen from the box. He admired the intricate knit of the gloves and hat, and placed them delicately back in the box. He turned over the one-page letter that was folded in half so he couldn’t read it. “Sorry Marinette, who’s the gift from?”
Marinette blushed and sat up in her lounge chair, holding out her hand, expecting him to hand it over. “It’s not from anyone, I… I didn’t get to give it to the boy I like.”
Chat didn’t hand over the box, instead taking a step further away from her. “Oooh, I see. So you decided to keep it for yourself? I see why, Princess. These are amazing. I assume you made them?”
Marinette huffed, still holding out her hand expectantly, but made no move to stand. “I did, and I will probably still give them to him but lost my nerve to tell him how I feel.”
Chat grinned knowingly rubbing the soft yarn of the hat against his face. “Ah, I see. So now he just gets the best hat and gloves he’ll ever own from a girl that loves him, and… what? He just blindly assumes that you’d do this sort of thing for anyone?”
Marinette lowered her hand and instead pulled the blankets tighter around her, sighing deeply. “I guess. I mean… I love all of my friends, and make most of their gifts, but even though I’ve gotten a lot better at knitting and it takes me less time than it used to, those gloves and hat represent hours and hours of my life. I don’t do that for just anyone. And… I wanted him to have these to match the scarf I made for him.”
Placing the hat back in the box along with the letter and gloves, Chat walked over to Marinette and sat next to her legs. He tried to think of who in their class had a scarf that Marinette had made. Or maybe it was Luka. He was pretty sure he had seen Luka wearing a scarf that was a similar color. He sighed, imagining what it must be like to have someone care enough to spend so much of their time on a gift like that.
“You’re amazing, Marinette. You care so much and you go out of your way to make people happy. This boy is more lucky than he could possibly know. I wish I had someone like that.”
Guilt clutched at Marinette’s stomach. It was hard knowing that the girl he wanted to love him like that was just another version of herself. She reached out and scratched his head just behind one of his kitty ears. “You’ll find someone, Chat. I know you will. You’re pretty amazing yourself.”
The look in Chat’s eyes made Marinette’s heart break. She almost wished she could forget how much she loved Adrien and finally return Chat’s affections when she saw how broken he was as a result of being constantly turned down.
“Thanks, Marinette. This boy will stop being an idiot one day and realize how wonderful you are, I’m sure of it.” Just as he said that, he wondered how she could possibly be talking about Luka. Every time he saw them together, Luka seemed to be showering her with affection. He was obviously into Marinette and the guy would date her in a heartbeat. She didn’t need big romantic gestures to convince him to be hers.
He fiddled with the box in his hands, looking down at the letter she had written. He didn’t want to snoop, but he was curious. “So uh… what is it about this guy that you like so much, anyway? If he’s really so blind to how you feel, is he worth it?”
Marinette sighed and laid back down on the lounge chair, wrapping her arms around her torso. “Oh Chat. He’s perfect. He’s so kind and generous. He always knows the right thing to say to help people stay calm, and he’s so talented and… and gorgeous, Chat.” She blushed fiercely as she thought of Adrien’s beautiful green eyes. “Sometimes I find myself staring at his perfect golden hair and all I want to do is run my fingers through it.”
She snapped out of her daydreaming and made eye contact with Chat, who was staring at her with a look of amusement.
“My goodness, Marinette. I thought I was the only smitten kitten around here. You’ve got it bad.”
Swatting playfully at his arm, Marinette snuggled deeper into the blankets, pulling on the hood of her hoodie to cover her cold ears. “Oh hush, Chat.”
As he mentally went through the list of any golden-haired boys they knew, Chat wondered if maybe the boy she liked was someone he hadn’t met. Maybe she knew the boy through something Adrien wasn’t involved in.
After a minute or two of silence, Chat realized that he had been staring at Marinette. Shaking himself out of it and rising to his feet, he held up the folded letter, shaking it in Marinette’s direction. “I could read this, give you some advice on how to win the heart of the boy you love? If you haven’t noticed,” he struck a ridiculous pose, “I’m quite the romantic.”
Marinette laughed and snatched the letter from his hand. “No thanks.” She swiftly tore the letter straight down the middle and dropped the two halves onto the floor of her balcony. “I don’t want to talk about it right now, if you don’t mind. Tell me about your day. Did you have a good Christmas?”
Chat sighed, walking back over to her and gesturing for her to scoot over. When she complied, he set the gift box and his baton on the floor and squeezed himself into the lounge chair next to her, pulling some of her blanket over his lap.
“Chat… we barely fit on this together.” She wiggled her hips a little, proving how tightly they were crammed into the reclined chair.
Wrapping one arm around the back of her head, Chat squished himself even closer to her. “Here. Now just turn towards me and it’ll be fine.”
Marinette raised an eyebrow, but complied, turning to face him and adjusting the blankets to cover both of them better. She had to press her body against his side to get more comfortable, but she felt safe laying there in his arms, and draped an arm over his chest, snuggling up against his chest.
“Okay… now are you going to tell me about your day?” She closed her eyes and got comfy against her partner.
It wasn’t easy, and he felt like the necessary vagueness of his explanation lessened the seriousness of how much it hurt, but he took his time and explained how wrong the day had gone. As he finished, he felt Marinette clinging tightly to him, and her leg wrap gently around his own, making him blush.
“Oh Chat… I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to spend Christmas alone. I’m so glad you came.”
Trying to ignore the quickening of his heart rate, Chat pulled Marinette closer and kissed the top of her head. He was incredibly grateful for his sweet friend who made him feel a little more loved and wanted. “So am I. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here. I was feeling pretty meow-t of sorts.”
Marinette chuckled and raised her head to kiss him on the cheek. “Silly kitty. I’m always here for you.”
Glad she put her head down so she couldn’t see his blush, Chat was instead hoping she wasn’t listening to the way his heart was suddenly pounding. This incredible and… admittedly ridiculously adorable girl was pressing her body against his and showering him with affection. It was everything he wanted and needed and if he wasn’t careful, he would lose himself and take things too far.
He held her close once more and pressed his lips to her forehead, just to feel the warmth of her skin against his own. “Thank you so much, Marinette. Careful what you wish for though, you may just end up with a stray cat that won’t leave you alone.”
With the cutest giggle he had ever heard and her face nuzzled closer and closer to his neck, Chat froze. He was terrified that if he moved an inch, he would end up kissing her. The relocation of her leg from it’s spot wrapped around his leg, to instead being wrapped tightly around his hips was the last straw. His brain had short-circuited and he missed whatever she had said in response.
They laid there for another ten minutes, Marinette getting sleepy as she tantalizingly wrapped her body around his, and him panicking as silently as possible.
“I should…” he somehow squeaked out, “I should really get going.”
Marinette had nearly fallen asleep but opened her eyes when he spoke. “Oh? Okay, yeah… I should get to bed anyway.” Instead of moving off of him and allowing him to get up first, Marinette moved the rest of the way on top of him, laying down on his chest and snuggling her face into his neck. She stayed like that for a minute or two or eighty, Chat wasn’t sure. When she pulled away, she did so with a gentle kiss to his neck and she smiled down at him before hoisting herself off of him, pulling the blankets away as well. “Thanks for cuddling with me Chat. You’re so warm, and you smell great.”
She didn’t hesitate before grabbing the gift and making her way into her bedroom to go to sleep, leaving Chat alone, still on his back on her lounge chair. He stayed that way until his heartbeat had regulated itself, which took longer than he thought as he kept thinking about her kissing his neck, however sweet and innocent it was.
When he finally sat up, he spotted one of the halves of her letter and picked it up. It wasn’t the half with this lucky boy’s name, but he read what he could see, hoping that the odd snippets of sentences would make the snooping he had originally intended to avoid… slightly less obtrusive.
There was something about standing in the rain, his smile, and loving his gentle nature. It wasn’t very revealing, but he could tell that Marinette was wholly devoted to this boy. His heart ached a little at the confirmation. He looked around the balcony and spotted the other half of the letter. The temptation to find out who he was nearly overwhelmed him. He wanted to smack the boy across the face and tell him to stop torturing the both of them and finally let himself be happy with the sweetest, cutest, kindest girl he would ever meet.
Chat blushed again, thinking about Marinette’s infectious smile and adorable laugh. She wouldn’t approve of him reading the entirety of her letter, nor would she approve of him bullying the boy into a relationship with her. He walked over and stared down at the other half of the letter, the desire to know who could possibly be good enough to win Marinette’s affections gripping his heart. Instead, he grabbed his baton from the floor and launched himself out into the night.
———————————
Three days later, Adrien finally had an afternoon free and had convinced Nathalie to let him see his friends. They had agreed to meet at a local cafe for some hot chocolate to go so they could stay warm as they walked around Paris in winter.
Shutting the car door and waving to his bodyguard in thanks, Adrien turned and saw Alya, Nino, and Marinette already waiting for him just outside the door. He made his way over and embraced them all in a big group hug.
“Come on, let’s get inside and get some warm drinks. It’s freezing outside.” Alya grabbed Nino’s hand and pulled him with her, leaving Marinette alone with Adrien for a moment.
“Did you uh… bring your gifts for us?” Marinette brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at him nervously.
Adrien had hated to miss their gift exchange on Christmas, but they had agreed that they could make up for it today. “Of course.“ He patted the messenger bag on his side. “One for each of you.” He smiled at Marinette. She looked wonderfully inviting all bundled up for winter. He had the strange urge to hug her tight and kiss her face, but the knowledge that they were both in love with other people would always hold him back.
Marinette nodded and pulled a box with an elaborate bow out of her bag. “This one’s for you. Maybe you can use them today, since it’s so cold.” She handed the box to him, smiling sweetly. Once he took it, she turned and made her way into the cafe after Nino and Alya.
Adrien stepped into the cafe as he gently tugged at the ribbon, removing it from the familiar box. He looked up at his friends who were ordering four hot chocolates before looking back down and removing the lid. Beautifully crafted gloves and a warm winter hat in the same soft blue as a scarf his father had given him. His hands shook as he reached down to pick up the hat out of the box and lifted it to his cheek. The yarn was soft and cozy, and too familiar. It was maybe the single greatest gift he’d ever received. These seemingly simple gifts represented hours and hours of care and love from one of the most amazing people he knew.
And as he looked up and saw her cradling her hot chocolate with a smile that reached every part of her beautiful face, several pieces of welcome truth settled into his heart. He hoped Ladybug would understand.