It all started a few weeks ago when Mme Bustier announced that this year their class would be participating in a "Secret Santa" game with a little twist, more specifically - it would be a competition of who could think of the best gift for their assigned person. The main idea was to get to know their classmates a little better before their graduation this spring since to win they had to make an effort and really think, maybe, even do some research for their presents to reflect the personality and preferences of the recipient. Imaginations could run wild, but the presents had to be given anonymously on Christmas Day. They could be sent by mail, dropped off at the door, asked to be delivered by a friend, etc. However, the recipient couldn't know who their present was from under any circumstances - that would automatically disqualify the sender from the competition. After obtaining their gifts, the recipients had to write a mini-essay on how they felt their gift was appropriate and how it made them feel. The giver of the best "made me feel special" present would receive a valuable award. Some rumours said it to be an impressive amount gift card to the nearest mall, others - tickets to an event of your choice, VIP lounge, backstage access. At any rate, everyone was very excited, motivated and eagerly preparing for the Secret Santa of their lives.

That same afternoon the names were put into individual envelopes and given out. Adrien received Nathaniel. He didn't know much about the boy, but everyone knew he loved art so without any delays Adrien walked into a high-end art store and bought art supplies any artist could use, trying not to go overboard to not give himself away as the only one in class, apart from Chloe, who could splurge a small fortune on a present. Next, he packed everything up in nice packaging and gave it to a courier with instructions to be delivered on Christmas Day. Having done that, Adrien decided to forget about the present he was supposed to receive for now. It was still a week before the big day so why worry and stress about it beforehand?

Imagine his surprise when two days before Christmas he received a letter from his "Secret Santa" telling him to pack his things for the weekend, expect the weather to be snowy and be ready by 12 pm to be picked up at his front door. Amazed, he couldn't believe it at first but, remembering that his father was away for a week and wouldn't be even in town on Christmas Day, Adrien decided to risk it. Hesitantly, he found Natalie and inquired if she wouldn't mind letting him go away for a few days without telling his father. To his surprise, Natalie answered that he was already booked for the next four days starting today at 12 pm by someone called "Secret Santa" and that his father had been aware and approved of this event. Of course, she would accompany him along with his personal driver. Adrien gulped, grinned and excited beyond his wildest beliefs rushed upstairs to pack his bag.

At 12 pm sharp one of his father's cars pulled at the front door. Natalie slipped into the front seat as Adrien opened the back door only to find Nino already sitting there. The four of them travelled for most of the day with just a few stops, yet the only information Adrien was able to get out of his friend was that this trip was indeed Adrien's present from his Secret Santa and that this person would be there but he couldn't tell him who it was for self-evident reasons. By the evening they arrived, much to Adrien's surprise, to his father's cottage in the French Alps. It was a huge house, rivalled only by his mansion in Paris and they rarely used it. However, today it was buzzing with life as numerous adults and kids roamed around. Upon their arrival, Adrien found out at last that it was Nino, Alya and Marinette's families that would be sharing the next few days with him, including Christmas and meaning that this year Adrien wouldn't be spending the holidays alone in his mansion. Adrien gulped. Being surrounded by his friends and their families on holidays at this now warm and welcoming mountain cottage was the best present he could've ever received, and the only thing that could've made it better would be his father's presence, but that was, unfortunately, impossible.

The next day, as soon as Adrien woke up, his friends informed him that they were going to the nearest ski resort and that he was going along, no objections accepted. That brought him here – staring in shock at his careless, ignorant friends who seemed to be eager to send Marinette on her last journey.

Adrien couldn't shake the shock off. They were definitely either suddenly exceptionally ignorant, or they simply didn't care for their friend anymore, which wasn't like them at all. Then maybe he was missing something? Because this was Marinettethey were talking about. Marinette,who during their last year in school was still tripping on nothing from time to time. City-widefamouslyclumsyMarinette. Marinette who finally stopped stuttering and freezing around him only around a year ago at the age of seventeen, but still couldn't sometimes keep her balance. That was adorable in a way but snowboarding? Really? Why in the world were both Nino and Alya so calm and fine with that idea? Adrien didn't know, but unlike them, he was too young to see one of his closest friends die just because the other two hadn't cared enough for her.

"Well, then I guess I'm going with Mari," Adrien declared, murmuring under his breath as he walked away, "Someone has to keep an eye on her to make sure she is still alive for Christmas."

"You are so welcome, girl," Alya winked at Marinette as soon as Adrien disappeared inside the rental facility to exchange his skis for the right equipment. "Please, don't waste this chance again. I can't wingman for you forever. He'll start to suspect things soon, and then you are on your own."

"Alya," Marinette scolded her slyly smiling friend. "I told you already multiple times - this weekend is for Adrien to enjoy himself, not for you to scheme around. It's hopeless anyway," she breathed out sadly. "Adrien sees me only as a friend, and you know it. I am not so stupid anymore to understand that. Sometimes I even feel that I should just give up and maybe give someone else a chance."

"Oh, and is there someone else?" Alya teased.

A light blush that suddenly appeared on Marinette's face threatened to tell a lot more than the girl was comfortable to share for now, but fortunately for her, Alya suddenly turned around, threw a quick "Good luck!" and tugged Nino away without any explanation. As soon as the pair disappeared into the crowd, Marinette understood the reason for the rush.

"Did the guys leave already?" Fully equipped for snowboarding Adrien appeared behind her.

"Yup, you just missed them," she smiled at him. "We should head out too."

"Mari, hey wait," Adrien caught her sleeve. "Are you- are you absolutely sure- about this whole thing- I mean snowboarding thing?"

"What? Are you scared?"

"No," he yelped. "I am just- well, I'm concerned?"

"About what?" Marinette cocked her head to the side. She suspected what Adrien was concerned about, but she wanted to hear him say it. She chuckled to herself - Adrien is in for quite a surprise, and after this trip, she was sure he would never look at her the same way.

"Well, you know- you- I mean- Honestly, I don't want to sound mean or anything—" Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "—it doesn't mean that I don't think that- that you are capable, or anything-"

"Is this about me being clumsy and tripping a lot?" Marinette finally took pity on him.

"Mayyyyyybe?" Adrien bit his lower lip under Marinette's stern look. "Mari, look. I just don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I won't," she replied calmly and picked up her equipment. "Let's go and don't worry, Adrien. I can snowboard."

"But don't you think skiing would've been a safer choice?" he asked, following her to the lift station.

"Nope," Marinette smiled. "Skiing requires me to use my two feet separately with two long sticks tied to them and, as you know, I will trip over nothing. Do I need to explain what will happen as soon as I try to ski?"

Adrien sighed and shook his head.

"Good," Marinette continued. "Snowboarding, on the other hand, ties both of my feet to a single board, so I have fewer chances of that. Hence for me, snowboarding is safer."

"But it also requires a lot of balance and- you know, other similar skills," Adrien added nervously, not knowing what other skills exactly apart from balance it would require since, to be honest, he'd never snowboarded before. For Adrien, though, it wouldn't be a problem. Being a superhero had its perks and kept Adrien in top-notch physical shape. He also, grew up skateboarding in his room all the time which looked quite similar to snowboarding in techniques. However, Adrien doubted Marinette had practiced either of those sports or had his stamina. At least, not that he knew of her and Adrien liked to think that he'd known a lot about his friends.

"And you think I don't have what it takes?" Marinette stopped and stared at him.

His smile tensed. "I didn't say that."

For a moment Marinette narrowed his eyes; then breathed out a heavy sigh. It was the weekend for him after all, she reminded herself. Putting her board down, she smiled at him, her face filling with tenderness.

"Alright," she said. "If you don't want to go snowboarding, that's fine. We can do something else instead as long as we both enjoy it, deal?"

Her eyes full of softness and love, she asked, "What do you, Adrien, want to do?"

Adrien didn't answer. Not right away, at least. Stunned, he just stood there and stared back speechless. There were only a few times he had heard this phrase in his life and all of them were too far back in his memory to even remember right away. He thought it was his mom who used to say that, but not anymore. Now it was always, "Adrien do this!", "Adrien wouldn't you do that?", "I expect you to fulfill this, Adrien!", "It's your duty, Adrien!".

It was never "Adrien, what do you want to do?" anymore.

Accustomed to such ways, Adrien hadn't even considered what he wanted to do up to this point - skiing or snowboarding? He was just going with the flow. But now, still taken aback a bit, Adrien looked around for some other options of activities and not finding anything that would truly catch his attention, turned back to the girl in front of him.

"Are you sure you'll be fine snowboarding?"

"I was completely honest when I said that it was the safest option for me here."

"Then I would like to snowboard too," he smiled back, starting to walk ahead. "Just promise not to die on me, Mari. Or break something. Ok?"

Marinette giggled and followed Adrien, her thoughts running ahead of her. Graduation was less than six months away and their ways would part, probably, forever. Marinette sighed as her heart tightened. She had to give up on Adrien. She absolutely had to. Not on their friendship but on her futile crush. They'd been friends for three years, close friends for two and even after all this time, the best Marinette could muster was to not stutter around him as even the thought of confessing her true feelings to Adrien paralyzed her tongue every time. At this point in her life, Marinette didn't even really try anymore. There were things she just couldn't do, and maybe, just maybe, it was for the best to remain just friends until the end, especially because that silly Chat Noir was slowly but surely clawing his way right into her heart.

Marinette smiled to herself. At least, one thing with her partner was sure - Chat Noir loved Ladybug. He was loyal, honest, kind and funny. She trusted him with her life. She also loved him back and, to be frank, being at that age when she wanted to love, to date and to share experiences with that special someone, Marinette was seriously considering revealing herself to Chat. She didn't care who he was under that mask; her devotion to him grew every day, but for them to have a real chance, they needed to take down their masks. Getting nowhere with Adrien, Marinette was finally ready for that. In fact, it was as good as decided that after she goes back to Paris Ladybug would ask Chat Noir for a meeting and then- then everything would change.

"Hey, Mari, are you ready?" A familiar voice brought her out of her thoughts. "We have to get off soon."

The girl looked around, stunned. How did she miss getting her gear on, getting on a ski lift and riding almost up to the top?

"Nervous?"

"No," she smiled at Adrien and got ready. "Just was lost a bit in my thoughts. Thanks for alerting me."

"Snow problem," he grinned in return. Startled, Marinette blinked, looking at Adrien's exceedingly satisfied face. There was a rumour floating around, started by Nino as far as the girl knew that Adrien loved puns, but no one was able to confirm it. Nino claimed that the blond opened up his true nature only to a few select people and he was very proud to be one of them. Actually, he seemed to be the only one so far, but who could validate it?

"Seriously?"

"It's such an ice day, Mari." Adrien continued to grin. "Don't give me the cold shoulder. I won't be able to handle that and will have a meltdown. Purrr-etty please."

"Oh, geez," Marinette huffed and got off her seat.

Adrien followed closely behind. He slid a few meters before sitting down to adjust his bindings and straps. It took him only a few minutes, but when he lifted his head, Marinette was already heading down the hill. The start didn't look that bad - she was going slowly but confidently. No trembling, shaking or falling so far. Soon she stopped and turned around waving him to follow. Adrien smiled and tried to start. It shouldn't be hard. It should be just like skateboarding.

A few moments later they were on a roll. It was similar to skateboarding after all and Adrien got the hang of the moves pretty fast. His Chat Noir shenanigans also helped him to grasp the concept efficiently and quickly. But when proud of his achievements, he looked a little distance ahead of him, he almost lost his balance and flipped over. That couldn't be his clumsy friend Marinette so confidently and effortlessly snowboarding down the hill at full speed and not even breaking a sweat, smiling, enjoying herself and pulling all kinds of turns and stunts. The confidence he'd never suspected Marinette could possess was suddenly on a full display. Her obviously very fit, clad in a red snowsuit figure was gracefully gliding across the snow, and just for a moment, Adrien thought that she looked exactly like his Lady swinging between the roofs of Paris. The same confidence, same posture and moves, same drive- Adrien had to blink a few times to get back to reality.

"Must be missing Ladybug a lot," he reasoned. "I haven't seen her for a few days now so that must be it."

A soft smile crept on his face as he started to imagine what the love of his life was probably doing now. Was she busy with the holidays? Was she with her family, her friends? Did she remember him for at least a moment? He hoped that Hawkmoth was also in the holiday spirit and took a break from his evil doings. He really should've had told her that he was leaving for the weekend, but it all happened so fast and spontaneous, he hadn't had a chance.

Bam!

Adrien didn't finish his thought as he flew straight into something – someone it seemed – at full speed and took that person down with him. They tumbled, limbs tangled together, boards painfully hitting their legs. He heard a yelp, and his head hit something hard when the rolling had finally stopped. His nostrils, however, hit the jackpot. Ever since he became Chat Noir, Adrien had heightened senses, but even without them, he would've been able to recognize this smell anywhere – a bouquet of warmth and sweetness, a mind-bewildering mix of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Only one person he knew so far smelled like this. Not that he was going around smelling people all the time, but Ladybug, the girl he was hopelessly in love with for the past three years, and he were caught in a few rather compromising and intimate positions more than a couple of times due to the nature of their extracurricular activity of saving Paris. Each time he had a speck of a minute to enjoy that heavenly scent and right now his nose was buried into the crook of someone's neck, and it smelled exactly like Ladybug.

Adrien's eyes flew open as he raised himself above that person. He gulped as he realized just who was underneath him this time. To make sure that he didn't imagine things, Adrien removed her eye gear to see her full face, because her lips- he swallowed- her lips were dangerously similar to those he spent too much time dreaming of kissing - pink, full, luscious lips of his Lady. But then again - that was probably as well his wishful imagination. He must be missing her too much because there was absolutely no way. He shook his head and whispered,

"Marinette? Are you alright? I am so sorry. Please, say something."

A few muscles on her face twitched as the girl let out a weak groan and opened her eyes looking right at him. His breath hitched. It must have been the striking contrast of the white snow or maybe the closest yet proximity to Marinette he'd ever had, but Marinette's eyes were sky blue just like- He swallowed uneasily.

"You have her eyes," Adrien murmured before he could stop himself.

"Hmmm?" Marinette shifted, and Adrien drew back, sitting up and pulling her after himself. "Whose eyes?"

Adrien nervously chuckled, removing his goggles, but even that small delay wasn't enough to come up with ideas to explain his words. So he mumbled again, "Did you know you have bluebell eyes?"

"Yes?" Marinette frowned. "I've had them my whole life. So, whose eyes do I have?"

"Um," Adrien blushed, taking a better look at Marinette. It wasn't just the colour anymore. The shape, the curve, the swing of her eyelashes and the way she narrowed them at him at the moment. It all looked so similar.

"There is a girl I like," he finally whispered, unable to come up with a better excuse on a fly. "She also has bluebell eyes- just like yours."

Marinette blinked. Adrien liked someone? An unexpected revelation stung a little less than she thought it would. She probably had her growing feelings for Chat Noir to thank for that, but, in any case, this discovery only made her decision so much easier. Now Marinette knew for certain that she would give Chat Noir a chance once she was back in Paris.

"You like a girl?" she smiled back.

"Yes," Adrien replied trying his best to avoid her gaze - it was unfair to compare his best friend and Ladybug. He didn't want to complicate anything on either field. He didn't want to look at either girl and think how similar, if not the same, their eyes were.

"And you never told us?" Despite the heartbreak, Marinette found herself a little curious. What kind of a girl could capture Adrien's attention?

"Ummm," Adrien stood up, nervously chuckling. "You guys don't personally know her, so I didn't want to bring it up. Plus, she is not interested in me, so there was nothing to brng up in the first place."

"How could any girl not be interested in you, Adrien?" Marinette rose up too. "You've made me curious. Now you have to tell me more."

"It's a long story, Mari. Long and boring," he nervously chuckled. "And there is no happy ending."

"Well, is she taken yet?" asked Marinette while taking a closer look at her bindings.

"I don't think so? At least she hasn't told me that she is."

"Then there is still a chance for you, right?" she smiled. "And, fortunately for me, it looks like we have plenty of time for your story."

Marinette detached her board and showed him one of the straps. It was snapped in two, due to their collision.

"I can't use it safely anymore so we'll have to walk down the hill from here. A long and boring story will be quite appreciated."

For a few minutes, Marinette waited for Adrien to remove his board before starting going down.

"So? The girl? Tell me more about her."

"What do you want to know?" Adrien yielded. Marinette was one of his closest friends, his first and best friend, after Nino of course. Actually, that was probably debatable at the moment as well since the DJ started to spend so much time with Alya that Marinette could easily rival him for the title. If he'd be honest, she'd possibly win with no effort whatsoever because of how incredibly kind, talented, trustworthy, fun to be with and beautiful Marinette was. Adrien didn't think there was anything they didn't share as of now, apart from his superhero secret and everything that goes along with it, including, Ladybug and his love for her. But still, Marinette was so incredible that just for a moment, he found himself thinking that if it wasn't for Ladybug-

"I suspect you won't mention any names?" Marinette asked, breaking his train of thought. They slowly walked down the hill, their boards on their shoulders side by side but Adrien couldn't look at her anymore, as a thick blush rapidly filled his face, his last thought pounding on. Was there a chance he liked Marinette more than just a friend?

"I'm sorry but I can't," he answered her question to distract himself from his sudden realization. "She is kind of-"

"Don't worry. That's fine," Marinette interrupted. "I understand. Tell me about her personality? How does she look? What does she like? You know, who is she as a person?"

"Well," Adrien started, unable to withhold a lovesick grin that always seemed to creep on his face at the slightest mentioning of his Lady.

"She is the bravest girl I've ever met—" an image of Marinette standing up to Chloe and not faltering in the slightest suddenly popped into his mind. She was their class president for the last few years, beating Chloe out of the running a while ago. One must be quite brave to go against the force of nature that was Chloe Bourgeois.

"She's really smart-" Adrien continued, feeling a bit uneasy. Marinette was also smart. She helped him to escape that Evillustrator glass cage. Her marks were impeccable, despite her frequently being late or absent from the class. She always seemed to have a solution for everything at a moment's notice. That diary box of hers that Sabrina tried to steal? It was worthy of separate praise. Marinette was brilliant. She was incredibly clever.

"She- she is ki- kind- very kind-" Adrien's stomach tightened uncomfortably, his eyes widening as the memories of all little acts of kindness suddenly descended on him all at once. Marinette was exceptionally kind and considerate of others. The way she stood up for Mylène, for Juleka or even Ivan- How she never laughed at Nathaniel's crush on her but was quite understanding about it- how she worried about her uncle- She was especially kind to him too, giving him presents on every holiday. Except for that first year when his father gave him that blue scarf, Marinette had never forgotten his birthday and her handmade gifts were always the ones Adrien looked forward to the most.

"She- um- she hates l- lies-" Adrien felt like he really must have hit his head hard because how could you explain why he needed to remember at that very moment that Marinette absolutely despised lies as well. Chloe and that election, her uncle's soup sabotage, the hat competition! She always called out the liars. Marinette hated lies as much as Ladybug did.

"She is incredibly fit and coordinated," he breathed out rapidly, almost proudly remembering his friend's famous clumsiness. You could say that Adrien brought this aspect up almost in self-defence because there was absolutely no possible way- His mind wandered back to just ten minutes ago, and he gulped. There has to be something different about the two girls! They couldn't be-

"She is- she is stunning. She has this gorgeous- black hair with a slightly- um- blue- bluish hue," he glanced over. "Just… just like- just- like- yours. Freckles!" he almost cried out. "She has those tiny adorable freck-"

Marinette turned around, probably, to check if he was all right because Adrien Agreste sounded very strange right now - nervous, almost frantic and stuttered and he had never stuttered before. As their eyes met, Adrien almost jumped. More precisely Adrien froze as soon as he spotted adorable tiny freckles dusted on the plain of her nose.

"Ummm-" his voice trembled. He already compared their lips and their eyes, and somehow, he thought that checking the curl of Marinette's nose would be foolish but- too late.

"So, I think that's it. Enough about me," Adrien squeaked. He needed time to process this all- whatever it was. "Tell me about yourself? Do you like someone?"

Marinette sadly smiled, continuing to walk on. This girl must be rather incredible to render Adrien Agreste such a mess by merely speaking of her. There was absolutely no way Marinette could ever compete with someone like that - he obviously felt very strongly about this mystery person. In any case, Marinette was almost glad it came to this rather than her confessing to him and getting rejected, making their close friendship quite uncomfortable for both of them. Besides, it would be so much easier to move on and give Chat Noir a chance now that she knew that Adrien was out of the question. From now on, Adrien would be her friend only, no romantic feelings involved. Period. So Marinette might as well tell him that she likes someone else too and by doing so burn that bridge completely.

"I do actually," she responded after a little while.

"Ohhhh! That's interesting," Adrien seized the moment for changing the topic. "Tell me more."

"Well," she smiled. "I won't mention any names also, but he is my best friend."

Adrien stopped. "I thought I was your best friend? Mari, don't tell me-"

"No," Marinette giggled. "I do have a life outside of our time together, you know."

Good, Adrien thought to himself but not without the slightest bit of a disappointment hidden deep inside. He wouldn't want it to become any weirder than he already managed to make it. Plus, it gave him a reason to ignore whatever feelings were just happening because falling in love with someone who didn't love him back was the last thing he wanted right now. Adrien already had one of those experiences and that was enough.

"But is he more handsome than this your best friend?" he found himself tease despite his better judgment.

"More handsome?" Marinette stopped and looked into the distance in concentration. She'd never contemplated the issue, to be honest. "Well, he also has blond hair and green eyes—" she glanced over at Adrien, "—and I think he is about your build and height."

"Oh, so you have a type when it comes to best friends?"

"Pfft," Marinette pouted. "Of course not. He might look similar to you, but he is completely different!"

Pausing for a moment, Marinette considered what she knew about both of the boys. Chat was kind, so was Adrien. Chat was brave, so was Adrien. Chat could fight very well. Adrien fenced, knew karate and was fit, so given a chance he would, probably, fare just as well. Chat- She glanced nervously at Adrien and met his curious stare as he waited for her response. Chat- Chat Noir was gentle and seemed to be lonely sometimes? Chat loved sweets? He was reliable? Trustworthy? Something tightened in her stomach. Chat was- What was Chat that Adrien wasn't?

"He loves puns!" she exclaimed.

Adrien felt his heart drop as he raised his eyebrow.

"I love puns too," he pouted. "Espawcially cat ones. They are paw-sitively the best! Clawsomely and purrfectly apawling! Absolutely meowrvelous! Wouldn't you say so, purrincess?"

Silently, Marinette stared back at him in horror for some while. He probably overdid it, Adrien thought. That's why he never punned with his civilian friends, apart from Nino and even that was on the very rare occasions. By now he almost accepted that people would never understand his genius.

"Mari, I am sorry-"

"I think we've had enough confessions for today," she said, turning forward. "Let's go back before Alya sends a rescue party over here."

Adrien sighed and silently followed his Lady's- no, wait, Marinette's lead. Yes, Marinette, his best friend Marinette, not his Lady Marinette. If only he could stop comparing them in his head over and over again- Then was it really so big of a stretch? No, of course not, because Marinette could definitely be Ladybug. She was that amazing. However, it was just too unbelievable that Adrien would be so lucky as to have her by his side all this time. Or maybe it was just too hard to admit that she was by his side all this time and he was so blind not to see her. So much for his undying love.

The trip back took them only about twenty minutes. Painfully silent twenty minutes that Marinette stomped down the hill while Adrien tried to keep up. Once they reached the bottom and returned their equipment, the girl quickly said that she was too tired for any more activities and needed to go back to the cottage. She told him to stay and wait for Alya and Nino so he could have more fun, but Adrien was in no state for fun himself. They awkwardly walked to the car together and asked Gorilla to drive them back. Twenty more excruciatingly uncomfortable minutes of silence in the car later, Marinette jumped out of the vehicle and zoomed to her room at the first opportunity with just a quick "Thanks. See you later. Bye!" Adrien sighed and headed to his room as well. He had a lot to think about because this- this seemed to be impossible but if it were real- it would change everything.

Marinette ran upstairs to her room as fast as she could and plopped on her bed as soon as the door was shut. She let Tikki out of her hiding place and handed her a cookie. Back to her kwami's concerned question, she murmured that she wanted to be alone. She needed to think because it couldn't be true! Adrien couldn't be Chat Noir! He just couldn't be him because if he were that would mean that- that both Adrien and Chat Noir loved somebody else; somebody so amazing that when he talked of her, he blushed and stuttered and couldn't hold himself together. If Adrien were Chat Noir, Marinette would be all alone and heartbroken.

Marinette didn't count the minutes –or was it hours – she fought her fears under the blankets, but when her cell displayed a message from Alya that they would be back in an hour, the girl noticed that the sun had already started to go down. Tikki peacefully snoozed close by so Marinette looked around the room in a desperate attempt to distract herself. She had to up her mood because her suspicions shouldn't spoil anyone else's evening. Especially Adrien's. This trip was supposed to be his gift for Christmas. She wanted him to be happy, yet he probably thought her to be some crazy, irrational freak by now.

Her sight stopped on a brand-new sketchbook Chat Noir gave her the last time they saw each other. It wasn't the first time they'd exchanged Christmas presents, but it was the first one they decided that it would be acceptable to give each other something other than food, their usual presents. Food was safe - it could be eaten right away and prevent any possible accidental identity reveals, and they'd done food for years. This time, however, Marinette was already thinking of giving him a chance and so she decided that regular presents would be fine. Their identities' reveal would happen soon after anyway. She knitted him a scarf. He gave her this amazing, leather-bound sketchbook, which must have cost him a fortune. It had a thick cover and an intricate, stylish design on the front. The pages inside were top quality, the ones where you could draw and erase over and over again and it would still look good and clean. And it was thick. It would last her a good few months. Marinette smiled, picking up the book. She resolved right away to put only her best designs in there, and today she would create something amazing for sure. The girl quickly dressed up, took a few pencils and headed downstairs. There was an open deck behind the cottage. The mountain view from there was amazing and it was private enough for her to hide away and put herself back together before the others arrived. Sketching something would only help her.

Adrien was ninety-nine percent sure that Marinette was Ladybug. He had spent the last few hours comparing, analyzing and remembering everything there was to know about the two girls. Their appearances were identical. Their characters were the same. He never saw them standing together side by side or even in the same vicinity, apart from that Timebreaker akuma case but then there were also two Ladybugs in the end as well. Marinette also often ended up being in the same place Ladybug was supposed to be. He stopped short of putting it all in writing and drawing a few charts only because Plagg couldn't stop hysterically laughing at the idea. Well, too bad, because Adrien thought it was an excellent one. He walked up to the window and, looking at the mountains, sighed. If there only was a way to confirm that last percent-

At the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a petite figure slipping from the house and quickly walking up to the terrace. The girl settled onto the stairs that led into a garden. She opened some book and started drawing. Adrien narrowed his eyes, then walked to the other window, trying to see the book from a different angle. Still, he couldn't distinguish it clearly, but it looked like- There was only one way to confirm. Rushing to his luggage, Adrien pulled something out and breathed in.

"Wish me luck, Plagg," he whispered. "I'll need it."

Fresh air and her favourite pastime did wonder for Marinette. She had only been outside for about ten minutes but she already felt much calmer and more at peace. The mountains seemed to do that to her. The huge peaks covered in snow, so majestic and unwavering, perfectly content and satisfied all year round, be it covered in white powder or overgrown with greenery. They inspired and comforted, anchored to the solid ground. They calmed. Marinette picked a pencil up and started sketching. She looked at the remarkable view in front of her, her mind already creating a gorgeous mountain-inspired dress.

"Hey, Marinette."

The girl almost jumped out of her skin when Adrien's voice suddenly sounded loud and clear right next to her ear. She closed her eyes, trying to compose herself for a few seconds but sprung around to give him an earful for scaring the living daylights out of her a moment later.

"Adri-" her tongue froze mid-word as soon as her eyes fell on the scarf in his hands. Adrien grinned and immediately sat beside her.

"You looked a little cold," he started nervously to rumble. "So I thought you'd like my scarflet. Or my blarf. I haven't decided yet, but it's big and it's warm and the girl I like- Do you remember I told you I like a girl? Yes, you do? Good, cause it was her- she made this for me and I am still not sure what to call it. What do you think – a scarflet or a blarf?"

With trembling hands Adrien wrapped around her petite frame the huge scarf/blanket hybrid that Marinette spent two weeks knitting after Chat Noir told her a story about his mama and how she used to have a huge scarf and how she always wrapped him in it and it was the warmest and the most comfortable thing ever and he loved it just as much as his mom. Well not as much, but it was a close second. That thing was so big that a small Chat Noir could swaddle himself up a few times in it and it was amazing. Unfortunately, it got lost a few months before his mother disappeared. He missed it less than his mama, but he still remembered it almost every time it snowed in Paris. When Ladybug handed him a package a few days ago, he didn't wait to get home to open it. The next half an hour they spent arguing about what to call it – a scarflet –Marinette's favourite– or a blarf –Chat thought it sounded much more hilarious.

"See?" Adrien continued nervously, quickly slipping under the "thing" as well. "Isn't it amazing? We can both fit in here and be warm. Oh," he made a too fake to be true surprise sound. "That's a cool sketchpad you have there. Can I take a look?"

Shocked, Marinette stared back unable to utter a single word, so when Adrien casually tugged her book away, she let it go easily.

"That's a cool sketchbook, Mari," Adrien repeated himself. "I saw something like this at my father's office. Did you know that these covers have a secret compartment? Look. You just open here and you have to press there and then you pull this and voila!"

In astonishment, Marinette watched as somehow Adrien opened the back of the cover and pulled out a small card.

"Oh, hey," he whispered. "Look, here is a note for you. Have you seen it?"

Adrien stashed the card into her hands. Marinette looked down and gulped. "Meowry Christmas and a Happy Meow Year, my Lady," it said in neon green letters on a black background. She raised her eyes back at Adrien who at this point looked like he was on the verge of a meltdown himself. He looked at the card one more time before whispering with a shaky voice:

"I went for simple and almost discreet in case someone else would see it and I didn't use too many puns because I know you don't like them, but you'll have to agree that those I did use are pretty good. Classic." Adrien tried to grin, but it was a shaky and miserable attempt. When Marinette failed to produce any other reaction apart from continuing to stare at him back in shock, Adrien's nervous smile disappeared. He sighed heavily and turned to look at the mountains instead.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," he whispered a few moments later. "I probably should've said nothing. I know you didn't want to know who we are under those masks but, I guess, I was just a bit too excited that it was you, so I just couldn't keep it in."

"When?" he suddenly heard a high-pitched squeal.

"When did I find out?" Adrien glanced at the girl who nodded slightly in response. "Just now, when we were going down that hill."

"How?" Marinette asked again with a more stable but still a bit unusually high for her voice.

"Oh, that just came out of nowhere," Adrien smiled to himself. "I noticed how you were snowboarding, and that reminded me of how you always fly across the Paris. And then," he turned back to her. "Then I finally paid more attention to Marinette's eyes when I accidentally ran into you. Everything else just snowballed from there, you can say."

"Marinette," Adrien moved closer if that was even possible because at the moment they were sitting side by side covered by the huge knitted scarf. He took Marinette's hand in his. The girl yelped and looked straight into his eyes. "I am sorry. I didn't think properly, and I should've. I should've respected your desire for privacy. It's just when I realized that you might be my Lady- and when you talked about the boy you like- you know- with blond hair and green eyes-" a small hopeful smile made it back on his face, "-and puns, the one who loves puns- I was kind of thinking- no, hoping that- that it was- me?"

Marinette blushed, blinking a few more times. Her lips parted but no words came out, so Adrien continued.

"Well, even if it wasn't me, I've always wanted to tell you how I feel about you, Mari," he slowly brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

"I love you, Marinette."

Marinette went crimson. Her lips parted once more but nothing came out again. Then suddenly her eyes saddened and she looked to the ground.

"You mean Ladybug," she whispered. "You love Ladybug, Adrien."

"Yes and No," the boy replied softly. His eyes never left hers while his hand gently took the girl's chin and he lifted her face to him. "I will confess, I still love Ladybug, but to be honest, when I thought about it today, I realized that you are so much cooler, Mari. Not only you possess all of the amazing traits I love Ladybug for, but you also have some extra."

"You are my best friend, and I can see you whenever I want," he smiled, gently taking her hand in his. "I can text you in the middle of the night because I have your number and I can take you on a date during the week with ease. Ladybug, on the other hand, appears only every so often and there is no set way for me to contact her anytime I want. I am not even contemplating the idea of us going out in public," he chuckled to himself. "That would send media into a frenzy, and we'd both lose what little privacy we still have."

"Ladybug tends to keep her life private," Adrien continued. "But about you, I know so much. Ladybug had never introduced me to her friends and would probably never do so. Your friends happened to be mine as well, and they are wonderful and I already like them."

"You live in a bakery," he grinned. Marinette giggled. "And as you know, I love sweets, so you are automatically a better choice. There is so much I don't know about Ladybug, Mari." His face became instantly more serious. "A lot of things she would never tell either Chat Noir or Adrien. A lot of things she can't tell me for valid reasons. A lot of things I wouldn't be able to tell her also and- I don't think a relationship with lots of secrets between us would work in the long run." Softly, Adrien brushed Marinette's bangs and tackled some loose hair behind her ear as the girl's blush deepened. "You are also much more beautiful without the mask covering half of your face."

Unbeknownst to both of them, by this moment Adrien ended up a lot closer to Marinette than before. She could feel the warmth of his body, his soft touch on her hands, his fresh breath on her lips as he leaned even closer.

"Please, tell me you were talking about me, Princess," Adrien almost purred into her lips, his eyes half-lidded, wandering back and forth from her eyes to her lips. He cupped her cheek and whispered once more: "Please, Mari, tell me, it's me."

"It has always been you," Marinette finally whispered back. The next moment she felt something warm and sweet and soft and mint-scented pressing against her lips just as Adrien's strong arms wrapped her in a tight hug. Her head spun, but only a moment later the girl relaxed into his touch and closed her eyes. He angled his head at once and deepened the kiss. Marinette melted, finally responding, and it felt amazing! At this very moment, she didn't care about anything. All that mattered was that Adrien tightly snuggled her to his own warm, muscular frame as he was gently kissing her. Her head kept on spinning, to the point of even her name becoming an abstract concept. Who was she and why do people need to breath when they can be perfectly happy being kissed by Adrien Agreste?

"Hmmm," someone suddenly cleared his throat just behind them. Adrien pulled back immediately and tensed. His face paled the moment he laid his eyes on the intruder.

"Father?" he asked, his eyes widening and voice cracking in a surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"No 'welcome home, Father' or at least a 'good evening'?" Gabriel's eyebrow rose up. "Where are your manners, Adrien?"

"I'm sorry," Adrien replied, standing up. "Welcome home, Father. Forgive me my rudeness. I was just surprised to see since you are supposed to be in Milan."

"I decided to take a little break after all," Gabriel glanced over at dangerously crimson Marinette paralyzed in her place. "Someone was very convincing that you would appreciate seeing me on Christmas."

"Really?" Adrien's lips momentarily split into a genuine smile. "You staying for Christmas? That's amazing!"

"Yes," Gabriel stated calmly and turned around ready to leave. "I just thought you would like to know that, but since I can see that you are busy, I'll take my leave."

"Father," Adrien called before the older man could leave. Gabriel turned around and looked questioningly at his son. "Thank you," the boy smiled. "For coming."

"I'm glad to see you too, Adrien," Gabriel shoved his hands into his pockets and turned away again. After a moment, however, he paused and turned around. "Adrien, could you to invite your girlfriend for dinner home next week? I think it's time for us to finally be introduced officially."

Marinette squeaked for, probably, tenth time that day as Adrien grinned and looked at her.

"Will next week work for you, Mari?"

"Ye-yes-" she quietly whispered back.

"Very well," concluded Gabriel. "We'll work out the details later. As for now, keep warm, and I'll see you shortly."

The second the door was closed behind the fashion mogul, Adrien turned to the stunned Marinette and grinned.

"Looks like you've got yourself a boyfriend, Puuurincess!"

"I hate you," the girl pouted and turned away. "You never even asked me."

Adrien chuckled and swaddled Marinette back into his scarf before kneeling in front of her on a lower step.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," he took her hand in his. "Will you come into my lonely life and make it much brighter and happier by your presence? I promise always to love you and not to demand sweets too often. I can't promise to pun less, and I am sure that you will soon love my sense of humour just as much-"

"It's not about the puns," she said. "Work on a better timing."

"Right," he cleared his throat and continued, "Our differences in opinions aside, will you be my girlfriend, Marinette?"

"I don't know-" Marinette teased, stretching out every word. "I'll need to think about it. Consider all the cons and pros. Evaluate-"

"My Lady," Adrien playfully threatened. "I will kiss you again even more passionately if you refuse my humble request and this time—" he briefly glanced over her shoulder, "—your parents are peeking from a window on the second floor while my father, Alya and Nino's parents are all looking through the living room windows. Ummmm," he narrowed his eyes. "I think that's Natalie and Gorilla recording us on a cell phone from the kitchen-"

Marinette yelped and quickly turned around. A few curtains wavered back in their place while Sabine and Tom shamelessly waved at her, grinning from ear to ear. Marinette blushed and abruptly stood up.

"We are leaving," she insisted. "Now."

"As you wish, my Princess," Adrien rose up. He quickly picked Marinette up and threw her over his shoulder. The girl yelped with surprise and clutched onto his back tightly while Adrien turned around to face the house. He grinned and waved goodbye to everyone who was hiding behind the curtains before escaping into the garden.

"What are you doing? Put me down, Adrien!" Marinette yelled.

"Don't mind me, my Lady. I'm just collecting my reward for years of patience," he chuckled and ran faster. Adrien let her down as soon as they were far enough for anyone to see or hear them, and the next hour or so were spent on talking, confessing, making decisions, joking around, rolling eyes at each other, laughing, walking around and simply having the best time of their life. There might have been a few kisses as well but no one dared to pressure the pair for the details when they finally returned to the house.

Alya, as expected, took all the credit for herself. There was no doubt in her mind that years' worth of scheming had finally paid off and now, thanks to her, Marinette was, at last, the official girlfriend of one and only Adrien Agreste who, to everyone's surprise, had suddenly transformed into a love-sick puppy and couldn't keep his eyes of Marinette for the rest of the weekend. If it weren't for both of their parents being present, his hands would've been on her too. And maybe his lips as well.

Sitting by the fireplace on the last day of their trip, Adrien dared to cuddle Marinette on a couch after everyone had gone to their rooms. When the time had just slipped past midnight, he buried his nose into the crook of her neck and whispered.

"You were my Secret Santa, Marinette."

"You can't ask me that question, Adrien, and I can't tell you," Marinette protested. "That's unfair! The person who did this for you would lose their chance in the competition if you were to find out who he or she is."

"I'll take you wherever you want, my Lady," he murmured against her skin. "It will be only tickets and VIP backstage access to Jagged Stone's concert after all. Chloe told me. But I didn't ask you a question, Mari. I know it was you."

"How?" Marinette asked after a momentary hesitation.

"Because only you are so kind, thoughtful, observant and so loving as to give me the only thing I didn't have."

"What do you mean?"

Tightening his embrace, Adrien said, "I am spending Christmas with my friends and their amazing families. My fatheris spending Christmas with us. And knowing him, I can say that only Ladybug's determination could've gotten through his thick stubbornness. Then, this is the first year since my mom's disappearance that I received so much attention and more than two presents. I've forgotten the time when I felt so loved. I won't even mention all of the delicious food. But most importantly, I am spending this Christmas with my amazing girlfriend. How did you think about all of this, Mari?"

"Well—" She snuggled in, answering. "I did struggle with the ideas on what to give to a handsome, rich boy who already has everything, but then I overheard Nino complaining to Alya that your father would be out of the town for Christmas. Later they told me that since they were dating now, their families decided to join their Christmas trips together. The rest kind of happened from there."

Gently, Adrien placed a butterfly kiss on Marinette's neck before stirring up. "Oh! One thing I can't understand, though - how did you manage to convince my father not only open up his cottage but also attend himself?"

Marinette giggled, patting his arm. "Let's just say it wasn't easy and I am sure you'll hear about it sooner or later, but it was worth it." Turning around, Marinette settled so that she could face Adrien. She brushed a few stray hairs from his face and added, "I wanted to give you something special for Christmas because you are very special to me, Adrien."

Adrien leaned forward whispering against her lips, "You gave me more than something special, Mari. You gave me the best present anyone could ever receive. You gave me home fur Christmas. Thank you, my Lady. Thank you."

Marinette's eyes fluttered closed as Adrien closed the distance between them, thanking her in a way that she could never have dreamed possible. At least, not so soon but then, who knew what wonderful surprises the future held for them now that the secrets between the two were gone? Marinette smiled against his kiss. She had never looked forward to discovering the future so much as she did now. She hoped that Adrien felt the same way and, by the way he kissed her, there was no doubt in her mind that he was just as eager as her.