Chapter Text
“Merry Christmas, Marinette.”
Adrien bought the brooches on a whim.
An odd thing, because he’s not really an impulse buyer, but he could picture them in Marinette’s hair the second he saw them on the display of the jewelry store, and he had to buy them. Now, seeing Marinette’s face light up as she opens the gift box, he’s never been so glad to be able to afford things.
“Chat Noir…” she trails off, rubbing her gloved hands against them, her lips parted in amazement. “…a-are these Gigi Genevieve?”
“Does it matter, my princess?” he replies. It’s adorable the way she stumbles over her words when she’s flustered, and the quality time he’s spent with her these past months has given a new meaning to everything he’s ever associated with Marinette. Now he can’t help but compare and overanalyze everything she ever says to him in and out of costume, to match up the faint pink that dusts her cheeks as she talks to Adrien against the dark red that takes over her cheeks after he kisses her with enough intensity to make her forget how to breathe. The thought brings a smirk to his face.
Marinette must catch his train of thought, because she pushes his face away with a mock-frown.
“Silly kitty. These must have cost you a fortune, I… I can’t take them.” She whispers. The light snow falling around them accentuates her dark blue coat and Chat Noir’s green eyes fixate on her own blue ones as he pushes the box back with both his claws.
“The only thing I thought when I bought them was how beautiful they would look in your hair, princess. But if they make you uncomfortable, I will take them back.” He assures, pressing his fingers against her in what he hopes is a comforting gesture (he’s always so uncertain when it comes to the people he cares about, so desperate to make them feel at ease).
Marinette seems to ponder his words for a moment. He can never get enough of the way she never dismisses his words, even his silliest ones, always thinking what she’s going to say to him before speaking up. He used to think it was over-cautiousness but… what could Marinette possibly have to hide?
“Shouldn’t you be giving these to Ladybug?” Chat Noir tenses. Marinette’s words are spoken with a teasing tone but there is an uncertainty in her eyes that makes him feel guilty. Ever since that night when he playfully asked her for a token of her affection and she uncertainly slanted her lips upon his, they haven’t talked about them, even though Chat Noir, no, Adrien, feels like nothing has ever seemed so real as the intense way in which he cares for Marinette.
“I wasn’t thinking about her when I bought them.” He says slowly, prying her hands off the gift box to properly hold them in his gloved hands. He wonders how it would feel to touch her skin without the spandex. “I was thinking about you, my princess. And..” he adds hesitantly. After all, he still deeply admires Ladybug, even if he has resigned himself and moved on. Sort of. “.. I don’t think she would have taken them even if I’d wanted to give them to her –which I didn’t. I don’t.” he quickly adds.
In front of him, the black haired girl keeps quiet for a moment, then hums and smiles at him. “Okay then.” She says, squeezing his hands back before dropping them, an expression of surprise taking over her face. “I forgot!” she exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. “I have a gift for you too!”
Before he can react, Marinette is halfway into her bedroom, the small trapdoor on her roof allowing the snow to fall on her bedroom. A moment later, she’s hoisting herself out of the trapdoor, a green package with a black ribbon held in one of her hands.
“Aww, princess, you got me a gift?” he teases, playing down the blush that rises from his neck to his cheeks, thankfully mostly hidden by the mask.
“I uh..” Marinette starts, her shyness suddenly going up to facing-Adrien levels. “I actually m-made this for you so… it isn’t as good… it’s okay if you don’t…”
He takes the gift away from her hands before she can go any further. “May I open it?”
She nods silently, and Chat Noir notices her smiling at his anticipation from the corner of his eye, her hands twisting and untwisting themselves as he takes his time opening the box, knowing he’ll love it even if it’s just socks.
It’s not just socks though. Inside the box is a bright red beanie with the face of a green eyed black cat embroidered on the lapel. He takes it out carefully, wishing his hands were ungloved so he could feel the softness of the fabric between his fingers.
“Marinette…” he says, an amazed lilt to his voice. “This is absolutely purrfect” Marinette snorts, but the atmosphere seems lighter and he offers her a cattish green. “This has no cat ears though, does my princess want to find out the boy behind the cat?”
Adrien doesn’t think she’d like that, though knowing now that her stuttering usually means she’s embarrassed, he wonders just how true that is. Marinette brings a finger to her chin in a thoughtful gesture.
“I considered it.” She says, the determined tone that takes over her voice when she speaks of her designs making an appearance as she speaks. “But I figured that’d be more of a giveaway, since you can just hide the cat by lowering the lapel. I wanted to give you something that you could wear anytime, so you’d be protected from the cold.” She explains, taking the hat in her hands so she can lower the lapel to hide the embroidered cat. “There. I don’t think that suit of yours is very warm.”
“What do I want a warm suit for,” he retorts, snaking an arm around her waist to push her flush against his body. She’s impossibly warm, and he lowers his head to purr in her ear: “when I have my princess to warm me up?”
Marinette huffs as she feebly hits him on the chest, but makes no move to stop him when he lowers his face to hers, close enough for him to feel her breath ghosting over his face, and she eagerly closes her eyes at the same time his lips find hers in the warmest of kisses.
There, kissing Marinette in her balcony on a Christmas night, Chat Noir, no, Adrien has never had a better holiday.