Sorry! I've been neglecting my FF crowd. Here's something I wrote for a Secret Santa exchange on tumblr. My gift for katswatermelon.

*wham*

"I just don't know what to get her, bro."

"What about an interview with Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

*wham*

"Got her that last year."

"Has she interviewed them since Ladynoir became canon?"

*wham*

"Seriously, Nino. Stop beating your head against the table."

"I'll stop when I figure this out."

*wham*

Adrien sipped at his coffee and leaned across the table. "How about you bashing brain cells out of your head and think: what does she love more than anything else in this world?"

Nino tilted his head up and rested his chin on the table, his hat pushed back and a red mark forming on his forehead. "Ladybug."

The model cringed. "Ouch. Doesn't that hurt your feelings?"

A shrug. "Naw. I've accepted that Alya's a raging Ladysexual–" Adrien choked on his coffee "–like the rest of Paris." He turned his head down and banged it once against the table. "I'm just her side ho."

"L-Ladysexual?" Adrien chuckled "As in a sexual attraction specifically to Ladybug?"

"Yeah. Whole city crushes on that girl." Nino fixed Adrien with an accusatory glare. "You should know, dude. You had it bad until that cat beat you to it."

Adrien smirked in a way Nino found familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. "To be honest, he was trying harder than me. He deserves her. Besides, I have Mari, now."

"Bro, I have it on good authority that Chat and your girl used to be a thing."

"My princess assures me she's left her knight for–" Adrien flicked his fingers through his hair, striking a pose as though his photographer was right behind Nino "–a true prince."

"You dork," Nino muttered. He shook his head and sank bank in his chair. "What is it with our girls and superheroes? I swear, Ladynoir is, like, one hundred percent legit, but Alya still goes on and on about how she'd love to get into Ladybug's..." Nino's eyes widened. His jaw dropped and his lips pulled upwards into an ecstatic grin.

"Someone had an epiphany," Adrien sang, swirling his coffee cup in his hand.

"It's perfect dude. I know exactly what to get Alya for Christmas!" His smile faltered. "Trouble is actually convincing Ladybug to do it."

"Another interview?"

Nino stood, reached across the table, and grabbed Adrien by the shoulders. "Better. I need to convince Ladybug to loan Alya her earrings."

Adrien's face fell, his brow furrowed. "Wanna...run that by me again, bro?"

"Get Ladybug to let Alya be a hero for a day!"

Adrien's mouth dropped open, snapped shut, then opened again, as though he wanted to speak, but his words wouldn't obey him. Finally, "Uh, d-don't you think it's a little dangerous for Ladybug to be loaning out her superpowers? What if an Akuma attacks?"

"Then we set up, like, a rendezvous point and she gives the earrings back!" Nino fell back into his chair and shrugged. "Besides, she'll have Chat Noir watching her back. What could go wroooooo..." Nino stopped himself. "I'm not saying that. I've seen enough movies to know what happens when people say that, and I'm not saying that."

Adrien sighed. "So, now all you have to do is find Ladybug, convince her to let Alya borrow the one thing keeping Paris safe, set up a way to get the earrings back to her in the event of an emergency or when Alyabug's done having her fun–" As Adrien listed the details, Nino's face fell lower and lower "–all while making sure Ladybug's identity remains a secret. Then you have to keep everything off of the Ladyblog, including subscriber submissions, because once Paris figures out that anyone can be Ladybug, she'll start getting, like, Make-a-Wish requests from children who want to be superheroes for a day."

Nino scrunched his nose. "Why you gotta be like that, dude?"

"Just making sure you know what you're getting into."

They spent the rest of their afternoon together in silence, only broken up by the rhythmic pounding of a skull against wood.

(#)

chataclysm13: My Lady :3

chataclysm13: Bugaboo :3

chataclysm13: Princess :3

chataclysm13: …

chataclysm13: Mari, you there?

LadyLuck777: stop blowing up my phone you ridiculous cat!

LadyLuck777: alyas asking why my phone is meowing

LadyLuck777: why did i let you set that as my text alert tone?

chataclysm13: So you'd know it was me!

LadyLuck777: yea like id get you confused with chataclysm1-12 i also have in my contacts

chataclysm13: My Lady! You're cheating on me with other cats?

LadyLuck777: all kitties deserve my love, chaton

chataclysm13: :(

LadyLuck777: but you're the only cat who gets my speciallove ;)

chataclysm13: :)

LadyLuck777: so what did you want kitty?

chataclysm13: I figured out what Nino wants to get Alya for Christmas.

chataclysm13: …

chataclysm13: But I don't think you'll like it

LadyLuck777: what is it?

chataclysm13: ...

chataclysm13: hewantsyoutoletalyaborrowyourearrings

LadyLuck777: ...

LadyLuck777: adrien did i read that right?

chataclysm13: Yeah, Nino wants you to let Alya be Ladybug for a day.

LadyLuck777: ...

chataclysm13: You're not seriously considering this, are you?

LadyLuck777: i might

chataclysm13: MARINETTE

LadyLuck777: alyas trying to look over my shoulder

LadyLuck777: we'll talk about this later minou

LadyLuck777: love you!

chataclysm13: Marinette this is important!

chataclysm13: We need to talk about this now!

chataclysm13: ...

chataclysm13: Mari?

chataclysm13: Princess

chataclysm13: My Lady

chataclysm13: Bugaboo

chataclysm13: Buginette

LadyLuck777 has blocked chataclysm13

chataclysm13: Rude :(

(#)

The last glimmers of sunlight sparkled through the gentle snowfall settling across the city. The clattering of open signs and the hard thunk of deadbolts signaled every shopfront and business in Paris closing early for Christmas Eve. Alya kicked her boots through the snow and wandered the city, though more aimlessly than usual. Mostly to catch a holiday glimpse of Ladybug and Chat Noir on patrol, but also to escape her own thoughts. To turn her mind away from how distant Nino had been lately.

An hour after sundown, she pulled her coat tighter around her and cast her eyes to the skyline one last time before relenting against the cold and making her way home. No Akuma attacks in days, minimal bug and cat sightings, but this had been the norm around the holidays. Maybe even Hawkmoth has a family. She wound her way through side streets she had since memorized, her mind contemplating hypothetical supervillain families, until she finally came upon her warm, cozy home.

She flung the front door to her home open to the twins, Cecilia and Amelia, bouncing from the recliners to the couch and back with the next eldest, Francesca, attempting to wrangle them onto said couch for a holiday movie marathon. Alya smiled at her younger sisters and helped settle everyone on the couch. They eventually decided on some version of A Christmas Carol Alya had never heard of before, but she declined to watch with them. Said she felt tired from walking the city all day and she'd lay down for a nap. With their mother working double shifts at Le Grand Paris over the holiday season, that left Francesca in charge of getting the twins in bed before nine.

Alya kicked off her boots and shrugged off her jacket before falling on her bed and staring absently out the window to her right. As much as she tried to ignore what was going on between her and Nino (an overwhelming amount of nothing, that's what), now, idle and comfortable in her own home, she couldn't contain her rampant thoughts. Whenever she thought she could spend time with him in the past few days, he always made some excuse about meeting someone else. He never mentioned who, and Alya never once considered he was cheating on her, but it still hurt to think he was blowing her off for someone else. She was his girlfriend. Didn't she at least deserve an explanation?

These thoughts plagued her as she drifted off to sleep, her eyes closing on an alarm clock that read 7:33 and opening on a clock that read 9:42. She blinked herself awake, scolding herself for losing almost two and a half hours of her day, but shook the thoughts away when she heard what had awakened her. Tapping. More specifically, tapping on her window. She squinted at the glass, blurry because she had knocked the glasses from her head in her sleep. When she retrieved her glasses, she saw no one outside, and would have rolled over to finish her nap had she not remembered: she lived on the second floor.

And she didn't have a balcony.

Alya pushed herself out of her bed and trudged to her window, her joints protesting every step. She lifted the window, shivered against the blast of cold wind, and peered down at a hexagonal black box holding down an envelope on her window sill. She looked left and right, seeing nothing up or down the street, then caught a glimpse of something moving on the roof across from her and found her answer: a figure in black with glowing green eyes. She could barely make out his face through the dark and the snow, but she swore he smiled before dashing across the rooftops and disappearing down the street.

She collected the odd gifts from her sill and slid the window shut. What were these things and why did Chat Noir feel the need to deliver them personally? The box was made of wood with a red inlay on the lid. Some oriental design she couldn't place. The letter was in a plain white envelope with the words 'Read me first' scrawled across it followed by a circle with five black dots inside. Ladybug's signature. Alya's eyes nearly jumped from her head. A letter from Ladybug. She tossed the box onto her bed, tore open the envelope, and dumped out the folded paper inside.

Alya,

First, I want to apologize. I'm the one who's been monopolizing Nino's time. I'm the reason he hasn't been able to see you much in the past weeks. It's because he came to me with an interesting idea for a Christmas present for you, and we've been working together to make it happen.

We've known each other for some time, and even though we don't interact as much as I would like, I consider you a friend. Whenever I begin to doubt myself, your blog, your adoration and devotion, never cease to motivate me. To inspire me. I know you have a good heart, but even more important than that, I know I can trust you, which is why I feel comfortable allowing you to borrow my Miraculous.

Wait, what? Alya looked from the letter to the black box. Was that...in the box...? She shook her head and dove back into the letter.

It was all Nino's idea. He thought the best present he could ever get you was letting you be a superhero for a day. Well, more like a night. You, Alya, are going to be Ladybug for tonight's patrol.

The letter almost slipped through Alya's fingers. There was no way. No effing way Ladybug would just loan out her superpowers. This had to be some kind of prank. But the letter wasn't finished.

My earrings are in the black box Chat left for you. Now, before you put them on and transform, there are just a few rules you need to adhere to tonight.

1) You can't ask Tikki any questions, especially in regards to my identity. You'll learn who Tikki is soon enough.

2) You can't post any of this to your blog. I have no doubts that Hawkmoth follows it, and if he realizes my Miraculous is in the hands of a newbie, you'll become a target.

3) This also means you can't let people see you. Even blurry photos posted to your blog may tip off Hawkmoth.

4) NO FIGHTING AKUMAS. I can't stress this enough. I understand you might want to help the city if danger arises, but I beg you: if an Akuma attacks, please return the earrings to me and let me do my job.

5) I'll be waiting at the Pont des Arts whenever you want to return my earrings, but try not to stay out any later than 1AM. The password is "Macaroon."

Other than that, have fun tonight! And don't worry. You'll have someone watching your back.

Alya read the letter again. Then again. Was this for real? Were Ladybug's earrings really in that little black box? Alya finally dropped the letter onto her bed and snatched up the box. She turned it over in her hands and furrowed her brow at it. Was this just a prank? But then, if it was, how did the prankster know Nino was avoiding her? Why did they go through the trouble of making a list of rules? How were they able to replicate Ladybug's signature so perfectly? Alya resolved to follow through with this and open the box. Best case scenario, she gets to be a superhero for a night. Worst case, spring loaded snakes shoot out of the box and give her a short fright.

Then, she kicks Nino's ass.

She gently eased the lid back, but the box was nearly torn from her hands when a ball of red light erupted from within. Alya's numerous experiences with strange magic told her to run, to duck for cover, but something about this felt...peaceful, almost. Somehow, she knew she shouldn't fear the light. Even when the light formed into a tiny red faerie with black spots on its head, she didn't feel a bit of unease.

"Hello, Alya! I'm Tikki!" it squeaked.

"Tikki?" Alya murmured. "Like, Tikki from the letter? That Tikki?" The sprite nodded. "Uh, what are you? How did you..."

"Ah ah ah, Alya," Tikki shook a paw at her. "You read the letter. You know you can't ask me any questions. But..." Alya recoiled slightly when Tikki zipped a little closer to her face. "There are some things I need to tell you if you're gonna be Ladybug for the night. Just remember: none of this can go on the Ladyblog."

Alya nodded, and Tikki proceeded to fill her in on everything she needed to know: how the yoyo would help her traverse the city, how to call some of her powers in an emergency, and, strangely, what cookies to stash in her purse before she left. It was fortunate that Alya had pierced her ears a little over a year ago because...Alya was in her kitchen, wrapping a napkin around a few chocolate chip cookies, when the thought struck her. Why had she gotten her ears pierced? Was it because she had secretly dreamed of being a superhero since she first saw Ladybug battle Stoneheart? Was it because some mystical forces beyond her comprehension knew this day would come and covertly slipped the idea of getting her ears pierced into her mind in preparation for taking Ladybug's place one cold Christmas Eve?

Nah. It was because she had paid out the nose for a perfect replica Ladybug Halloween costume, with earrings, and she would be damned if she didn't wear all of it.

"Got the cookies?" Tikki asked. Alya answered with a nod and finally clipped the jewels into her ears. They felt...warm. Almost alive. "Ready?" Alya answered with another nod and bit her lip, almost unable to contain her excitement.

"Tikki," Alya murmured, almost too quiet to hear. She cleared her throat and said again, "Tikki, Spots On!"

Tikki morphed back into the crimson orb and shot at Alya's left ear. The earrings grew warmer, almost hot, and a stream of pink lights swirled out of them. They descended upon Alya, quickly replacing her warm, comfortable winter clothes with something snug, skintight, and most likely red. When the lights vanished, Alya felt...different. Stronger, yes, more relaxed, definitely, but the strangest part wasn't what she felt, but what she didn't feel. The pain she felt in her feet from walking in shoes she should have replaced months ago had vanished. The crick in her neck from keeping her head turned to the rooftops, gone.

The sight Alya saw when she stepped before her closet mirror stole her breath away. And she could see it clearly, though her glasses had vanished with the rest of her clothes. It was her, no mistake, but she was wearing Ladybug's supersuit and her spotted mask as though they were made for her and not the real Ladybug's far skinnier build. It didn't even feel like a suit, like her Halloween costume. It felt like...like her skin. Like it was part of her.

"I'm Ladybug." She flexed her hands, ran her fingertips over the mask, and smiled. "I'm...I'm Ladybug!" She repeated this over and over, each time her voice grew louder, but when she reminded herself that her sisters were asleep, she clamped her hands over her mouth and giggled into her palms.

'This is easily the best day of my life!'

A quick glance to the clock beside her bed told her it was...10:19!? She had less than three hours! She needed to get going! Alya slid her window open once more and hopped up onto the sill. She was only so surprised that her suit mitigated the effects the cold had on her. She gently eased the window closed behind her and unwrapped the yoyo from her hip. Tikki said her powers were about trust and instinct. She glanced around and spotted a smoking chimney on the roof Chat had sat on, so with yoyo in hand, Alya cast it out and smiled when the wire wrapped around the chimney. A quick tug on the wire and the weapon yanked her across the rooftops, launching her over the streets.

Now, she had been in this exact situation before. Her arms around Ladybug's neck, the heroine swinging her across the city, usually away from the danger, and every time she felt safe and secure knowing Ladybug wouldn't let anything go wrong. But in each of those circumstances, she'd always had the experienced Ladybug as a safety net. Now, Alya almost felt naked, with only her own wits, a magical yoyo, and a near-indestructible supersuit to prevent her from splattering against a wall. Now, she didn't have that safety net. She didn't have that security.

So the panicked scream that echoed throughout the city was completely understandable.

She was airborne for eleven seconds. For the first six of those seconds, she shrieked. At the seventh second, she remembered Tikki's word: trust and instinct. Think it, do it. With seconds eight and nine, she focused entirely on her landing: feet touch down on the rooftop coming up beneath her at an alarming rate, she rolls, she skids to a stop, she survives to blog another day. With the remaining two seconds, she prayed. At the twelfth second, her feet touched down on the roof, her body pitched forward, and she tucked her chin and arms in. She rolled, slid to a stop on the snow-covered roof tiles, and glanced back at the distance she'd covered. She was almost two streets over from where she lived, easily a hundred meters away.

"That," Alya mumbled as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "That, was...so freaking amazing!" She giggled and hopped around the roof, overwhelmed with the fact that she was a freaking superhero! Her dream had finally come true! After a few seconds of unrestrained excitement, she reined herself in, trying to remember that people were trying to sleep. She squealed and dashed to the edge of the roof, easily leaping across the street and landing on the next roof over. Her face ached from the grin that bunched up her cheeks. She was totally going to thank Nino the next time she saw him! Which would, hopefully, be tomorrow.

Wait...why did she need to wait until tomorrow? She could easily visit him now. The idea of hanging upside down outside his bedroom window and scoring a Spiderman kiss excited her. She glanced around again to get her bearings, then set off to the southwest, towards Nino's house.

What would have taken her about fifteen minutes by bike took her scarcely five minutes by yoyo. Why Ladybug would travel any other way was a great mystery, but regardless, it was a question for another day. Alya found herself grateful that Nino's window didn't face the street, else late-night shoppers or diners would catch a red-headed Ladybug hanging outside some random civilian's bedroom. She tied off the yoyo on a chimney on top of the apartment building, and after spending too much time figuring out how to hang upside down, settled on descending upright to the second story window. His room was dark, much like the rest of the house, which was unusual for the night owl DJ.

Alya tapped on the glass and softly called his name. No answer. She cupped her hand around her eyes and peered inside, but caught no sign of Nino asleep in his bed. "Nino, where the hell are you?"

"Ah, didn't know my Lady was a peeping tom," came a voice from behind her. She knew it was Chat Noir, since only he would refer to Ladybug as 'my Lady', but his voice...

She turned away from the window to see a young man standing on the ground. He was clad in Chat's leather suit, the black mask on his face, the golden bell on his collar, and the cat ears on his head. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his lips, but there the similarities ended. Rather than unruly blond, he sported short, spiky brown hair and glowing amber eyes instead of green. His skin tone was all wrong too, more tanned than it should be. Alya yanked on the cord to unravel it from the chimney and dropped to the ground, though she didn't return the yoyo to her hip.

"Who are you?" she growled, her weapon whirling to life at her side.

"Isn't it obvious?" he smirked wider, yet to draw his staff.

"You are not Chat Noir."

He shrugged. "And you're not Ladybug, but you've got the spots and I've got the ears, so..."

Alya scrunched her brow. What were the odds Chat had loaned his Miraculous to someone for Christmas? She glanced up and down the fake cat, his stance calm and neutral, and she felt herself blush. Whoever this was, Chat's leather sat well on him. The tightness left little to the imagination, from his toned calves and gently rolling biceps, to his broad shoulders and his bulging pe...pecs. Yes, pecs. That was the body part starting with a 'p' she was thinking of and nothing else. She was almost close enough to hear the leather creak as he took a deep breath. Alya wondered what it would feel like under her hands. Not just the texture of the material itself, but she wanted to know if it was like her own suit, clinging to him, snug, seamless like a second skin...

She felt her body heat up and clenched her thighs tighter together. 'Dammit, Alya, you are not getting the hots for someone you just met! Especially since you. Have. A. BOYFRIEND! Get your teenage libido in check, girl!'

"Like what you see?" He dropped his hands to his hips and took two steps forward. Alya backpedaled, her blush deepening. She shook her head and refocused her efforts on getting answers.

"So, the real Chat Noir is...?"

"Probably out enjoying the evening with his Lady, leaving me with..." he ran his eyes up and down Alya's body and she felt only slightly self-conscious at his ogling, "a beautiful Lady of my own."

"I-I have a boyfriend, you know," Alya grumbled. Was incorrigible flirting just part of being the cat?

He tilted his chin to the window above them. "The DJ who lives here? That why you're lurking out here in the middle of the night?"

Alya gnashed her teeth to hold back her rage. "I wasn't 'lurking', cat, and if you must know, yes, I am dating the DJ. And I don't know what he'd say if he found the likes of you flirting with me."

"I think I know what he'd say," the Faux Chat Noir purred. Alya spun the yoyo faster, prepared to fight back if this creeper cat tried anything, but dropped her guard when his smirk softened into a sincere smile. He took another step closer, gazed into her eyes, and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Alya."

Alya barely noticed when the hum of the yoyo disappeared and the weapon reeled itself back into her palm. She barely noticed when her jaw dropped open or when the Faux Chat Noir moved closer to her, brushing his knuckles against her cheek. What she did notice was her brain struggling to sort through the massive amount of information running through it at the moment. And it all started with those three small words.

1) This flirtatious cat knew she was Alya even though she was wearing a magic mask that would conceal her identity even from her own mother.

2) Only two (maybe three) people knew Alya was wearing Coccinelle Couture tonight: Ladybug and Nino (maybe Chat).

3) This wasn't the real Chat Noir.

4) This wasn't Ladybug, since Alya had a vivid picture in her mind of what the raven-haired wonder would look like in Chat's skintight black leather su–dammit teenage libido stop that!

5) Bottom line: not Ladybug.

6) Ladybug's letter confirmed that Nino was getting Alya a pair of super-powered earrings for Christmas.

7) This fake cat had said "Merry Christmas, Alya."

8) So that could only mean...

"...Nino?"

He grinned wider and moved his hand to cup her cheek. "Took you long enough, babe."

"You, buh, wha, hah, mah, h-how?" Alya stammered with a light shake of her head.

Nino shrugged again. "Got a letter and a box of my own. Chat thought it'd be a great Christmas present for both of us if we got to patrol together, and Ladybug's letter did say you'd have someone watching your back, right?" He dropped his eyes to the steadily narrowing gap between their bodies. "And as good as you look in that suit, I'll have no problems watching your bammmmm!"

Alya grabbed the bell on Nino's collar and yanked him forward into her lips. Their eyes eased shut and Nino's arms wove their way around Alya's waist as her chapped lips gently worked against his. They stood, enveloped in each other's arms, the silence surrounding them only broken by the gentle whisper of snowfall and their soft, desperate moans. Alya stumbled backward, contact not breaking, and when her back met the brick below Nino's window, she dropped her yoyo into the snow beneath them and snaked her arms around her kitten's neck. She lifted her right leg, the inside of her thigh brushing the outside of his, and pulled him closer, his pelvis now resting in her lap. He groaned into her mouth, his left hand traveling down her hips and across her raised thigh. His other hand migrated to the small of her back, and he smiled at the small yelp that escaped her when he gently, yet suddenly, dug his claws into her suit.

Alya broke the kiss first with a sudden gasp. Nino blinked his eyes open and looked down at her, grinning when she ran her gloved hands over his leather-coated chest. "So, I take it you do like what you see."

"Shut up. It's not my fault you look this fine in leather." She bit her lip and looked up unto his eyes. "May need to get you an outfit like this to go with my Ladybug costume."

"You sure it's not because you want Chat Noir to 'punish' Lady Wifi on our next roleplay night?"

Alya's blush deepened, but she didn't break eye contact. An idea passed through her mind and she pushed Nino away, her finger pressed against the tip of his nose as she had seen Ladybug do hundreds of times. "Playtime can wait, chaton. We've got a city to patrol, and–" she retrieved her yoyo from the snow and flicked out the screen "–it's already past 10:30. Think we can cover the whole city and still have time for–"

"For a few pawrivate meowments afterward?"

Alya crossed her arms and quirked her brow, a small smirk playing on her lips."Seriously?"

Nino matched her smirk, looking almost as feline as the real Chat. "Just trying to stay in character." He put one clawed hand to his chest, swept the other behind him in an exaggerated bow, and purred, "After you, my Lady."

They vaulted and swung down rooftops and across alleyways, their laughter resonated over the city streets, the wind and snow billowing about them. Due to Alya's extensive research, and several charts and maps on the Ladyblog, she knew which patrol routes would be covered with Bug- and Cat-Watchers tonight, and so they were able to travel around the largest crowds. So, side by side, they raced across the city, occasionally casting loving glances and playful banter at each other. Yes, patrol would finish sooner if they split up. They were filling in for Ladybug and Chat's duties after all, but that wasn't the point. The point was enjoying themselves, savoring something they would never again experience. Seeing the city from a new perspective without an Akuma purification to erase their memories of the event.

The pair paused atop several key sites throughout Paris; the Sacre-Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe, the Palais du Luxembourg; to take in the view and to sneak a kiss, as though they were fulfilling some hidden bucket list that included making out on as many buildings and monuments as possible. They landed on the railing at the peak of the Colonne de Juillet with less than a half hour left until 1AM. They snuck a quick kiss, then Alya put on a wicked grin.

"Race you to the Eiffel Tower, chaton." Before Nino could respond, her yoyo was out of her hand and pulling her west. She could hear the metallic clink of staff on roof tiles and knew he was on her heels. Watching her back, just as he'd promised. She ran down the length of Notre Dame, dove off the end, then saved herself at the last second with a quick cast of the yoyo. The music and chanting of the midnight mass within the cathedral faded behind her as she shot over the Seine. The next swing flung her high enough to see the Louvre off to her right and the Tour Montparnasse far to her left. When she landed and rolled, she turned back to see just how far behind her partner was.

Just in time to catch a snowball to the face.

Rather than get angry at him, Alya laughed as she wiped the slush off her mask. She scanned the area for her partner and found his staff braced on the roof between her and the tower. Her eyes trailed up as he slid down the staff, much like Chat would (Note to self: look into Chat's pole-dancing tendencies) and she grinned at his smug smirk. "That's cheating, you cheeky cat!"

"So was your head start, Bugaboo!" Nino whirled around, somehow flinging a shower of snow at her with his tail (Why didn't I notice he has a tail? ...that's kinda hot), and vaulted on towards the tower. Alya shook the remaining snow from her hair and threw out her yoyo, though she wasn't too concerned if she didn't catch up. She rather liked seeing Nino from this angle.

Despite their efforts to sabotage one another which included more snowballs, tugged tails, catcalls (both flirting and literal cat noises from Nino), both their boots touched down on the tower's observation deck in the same second. They argued for just half a minute over who reached the tower first before they fell silent then burst into uncontrollable laughter. Belly deep, soul deep laughter. They sauntered over to the railing, braced their hands against it, and gazed out at the city, still coughing, gasping, and smiling.

"Why," Nino wheezed. "W-why would those two travel any other way?"

"I kn–I know, right?" Alya giggled.

"Th–the lights around you, the wind in your face, seeing the city from a different angle, it's almost..."

"Addicting?" Alya offered.

Nino chuckled. "I guess. Don't know if I'd want to do this full time," he turned his head toward her, "but if I had you there with me..."

"I wouldn't be there with you," she stated with a grin, refusing to look at him, "because I'd be at the Akuma attack before you, just like I got to the tower first."

"In your dreams, bug."

Silence. The snow came down heavier, distorting the lights of the city and bringing a hush down on the tower. Then Alya spoke. "It's a beautiful view, isn't it?"

"Yeah, beautiful."

"I mean, I've probably been up here a hundred times, but I don't think I've been up here at night and definitely not when it's sno..." She trailed off when she noticed Nino grinning at her instead of out at the city. "Snowing. Yooou...you're not talking about the city, are you?" Nino only grinned wider. "Is flirting with bugs just a cat thing or..."

"Maybe it is, but flirting with Alya is a Nino thing." Nino slid his hand across the railing and laced his fingers between Alya's. "I'm...glad I was able to do this for you, Al." He pulled his hand to his lips and grazed a kiss across her knuckles. "Merry Christmas."

Alya blushed hard enough to blur the line between her cheeks and her mask, but she still managed to respond, "Merry Christmas, Nino," before yanking her hand away from his face. However, she didn't release his fingers, so she ended up tugging him closer. Not that either of them would have complained.

"So," Nino whispered, his breath escaping him as a cloud of steam, "how about a kiss now that you're not enchanted by how good I look in skintight leather?"

She leaned in and smiled, her lips millimeters from his. "Who says I'm not?"

The space between them closed. Their lips slid across each other and their arms wound around their bodies. Cold wind tossed Alya's hair about and the loose strands tickled her face, likely Nino's too, but she wouldn't end this for anything. All she wanted was his warmth, his taste, his scent. His hands slipped up her back and his claws ran through her hair, across her scalp. A groan rumbled in her throat and her lips worked against his, intent on savoring more of him. Alya tightened her hold around him, pulling him closer, and the two stood, oblivious to all around them.

They reluctantly pulled apart, but no words passed between them at first. The kiss had said everything they needed to hear. Amber met hazel and smiles pulled at their lips. Neither wanted this moment to end, just the two of them high above the city, but a single resounding call rang from Notre Dame and brought them back to Earth. They turned towards the peal of the bell and Nino put on a sad smile.

"One AM already?" He kicked his boots in the snow that had settled around them. "Guess we, uh, need to get going."

"Before we turn back into pumpkins, right?" They both giggled, but before Nino could grab his staff, Alya rested her hand on his shoulder. "Seriously, Nino. This is...the best Christmas I ever had. Not just because I got to be a superhero, but because I got to spend the night with you."

"Yeah," he held up the fist that bore the ring. "I guess Chat's a real bro for letting me borrow this."

Alya nodded and shrugged, her hands gesturing between the two of them. "All this makes what I got you pale in comparison, but...I hope you still like it."

"Just feed me and we'll call it even," he chuckled. "Your mom still making those rosemary potatoes for dinner?"

She nodded again, and as Nino excitedly mouthed the word 'yes', she sang, "And she's also making your favorite dessert."

His face fell and his eyes glittered. "You mean..."

"Yep." She extended a finger and tapped first his chest, then his bell, chin and nose with each syllable. "Ti-ra-mi-su."

"Oh god I love your mom."

"Yeah, well you can tell her that in the morning." Alya pulled the yoyo from her hip and hopped up in the railing. "Now, come on. We have some jewelry to return."

A few minutes of swinging and vaulting brought them to the north end of the Pont des Arts, where the found a small copse of trees to hide in while they release their transformations. Alya pulled her phone from her pocket and brought up the Ladyblog, but a few minutes of browsing turned up only a handful of blurry photos that could easily be passed off as the real Ladybug and Chat Noir. Thankfully, around the time she and Nino had been out, most of the city was either in bed or in midnight mass.

They wandered out onto the bridge, Alya with her arms crossed over her chest and Nino with his hands shoved in the pockets of his blue parka. Quick glances up and down the bridge revealed no one else out at this hour.

"Soooo," Nino dragged out, "any idea who we're looking for?"

Alya blinked. "I...didn't think about it until now. Maybe someone in a trench coat? Hat low over their eyes, scarf covering most of their face?"

"Sounds less like a superhero and more like a mugger."

"Well, Ladybug's superhero-ness is currently stuck in my ears–" she flicked her fingers towards the earrings "–and munching on cookies in my purse. She still wants to keep her identity a secret, so I guess we just...wait for someone to come up to us and say, uh, 'macaroon'?"

"Yooooeeeaaaaaaa," Nino yawned. "Whoa, didn't realize how tired I was until I ditched the leather." He shook his head and refocused on Alya. "You really lucked out on the cookies. Plagg wanted the smelliest cheese I could find. But is that how the password thing is gonna work? Is someone really gonna just walk up to us and say–"

"Alya?"

They turned to see Marinette bundled up in a matching set of (likely handmade) pink gloves, scarf, and cap. She put an excited grin on her face and ran up to capture Alya in a tight hug.

"H-hey, girl! What are you doing out this late?"

Marinette pulled away and fixed Alya with a knowing smirk. "I could ask you the same thing."

Alya couldn't look Mari in the eye, but scratched at the back of her head and mumbled, "Just...out here with my boyfriend, enjoying the night air."

"Is that all you were doing?"

"Plenty of making out," Nino added. When Alya slapped him on the arm, he rubbed at the spot and mumbled, "What? We were." She smacked him again. "Quit it! But speaking of boyfriend," Nino ignored Alya's continued assault, "where's–"

"Nino!" A blur of blond and black slammed into Nino's side and dropped him to the wooden planks of the bridge, capturing him in a crushing embrace. Adrien eventually propped himself up on his hands, looming over Nino, and shouted, "Hey guess what! It's after midnight you know what that means? Merry Christmas buddy!"

"Merry, uggh," Nino groaned, but still with a smile on his face. "Merry Christmas to you too, you nerdlord get off me!" He lightly shoved Adrien back, but they both chuckled as Adrien pushed himself to his feet and offered Nino a hand. The model helped to brush the snow off his friend, their girlfriends standing off to the side, snickering.

"Is he always this violently affectionate?"

Marinette's smirk still had not faded when she glanced to Alya. "Only around his closest friends."

"So, Mari, nerdlord," Nino grumbled. "What are you two doing out so late?"

Adrien stuck his hands in the pocket of a Chat Noir hoodie Nino had not previously seen. "Enjoying the night air, same as you two. Exchanging presents." He did a little dance, his hands flapping about in his hoodie pockets. Through the movements, Alya could make out Marinette's name stitched onto the collar in neon green. "It's so comfy and warm!"

"You're welcome, you big kitty," Marinette sighed. She reached under her scarf and produced a pendant hanging from her neck on a gold chain. It was an emerald paw surrounded with gold with a ruby set in the center, a (rather expensive) Ladynoir pendant designed to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Ladybug and Chat Noir protecting Paris. Of course, "Rich Boy" Agreste would get his girl the expensive gift.

"That is so pretty, girl." Alya's shoulders slumped. "I feel bad not getting you something like this."

"It's okay, Alya," Marinette soothed before she turned to Nino and Adrien. "Because unlike my unnecessarily doting boyfriend!" she shouted. Adrien froze in the middle of Nino describing Christmas dinner. He smiled and wiped a thin line of drool from his lips. "You aren't made of money."

"Hey, purrincess," Adrien hummed, slinking over to Marinette. "Think it's about time we give Alya and Nino their Christmas presents?"

"Wait," Nino's brow furrowed. "You brought our presents with you? Just on the off chance you run into us while you're out?"

Marinette blushed and stammered, "Well...th-this is...kinda weird to explain...and we've been planning this fo–for a while...and we've been waiting for the right moment..."

Alya and Nino looked to each other, more confused than ever. What the hell was Marinette talking about?

"Hey," Adrien hushed her with a one-armed hug across her shoulders, "One thing at a time. Let's just say it like we practiced, okay, bugaboo?"

Marinette nodded, and before Alya could inquire about the odd pet name, the pet name Chat Noir reserved for Ladybug, the pair looked to Nino and Alya. "Macaroon," they both said.

Glass shattered in Nino's and Alya's minds. It was as though they had hundreds of puzzle pieces laid out before them, but were unsure of how they went together because they didn't have a reference picture. But that picture now stood before them: a tall young man with bright green eyes and shaggy blond hair, desperately in love with a smaller girl, with dark hair worn in pigtails and shining bluebell eyes. And at that, every piece fell into place.

Every absence. Every disappearance. Every backwards excuse that didn't add up but was easily dismissed. The awkwardness. The fatigue from 'late nigh study sessions'. The almost all-consuming cravings for cookies and Camembert, the snacks Alya and Nino now knew the small spirits in their pockets enjoyed. Alya's OTPs, Adrienette and Ladynoir, becoming canon within a week of each other.

Nino could only stare wide-eyed while Alya's mouth dropped open and an inhuman squawk escaped her. She pointed at Marinette, then to Adrien, then back to Marinette. Words tried to form in her mouth, but only came out as incoherent stuttering. She pointed at her ears, said something that may have resembled the word 'you', then pointed back to Marinette, grunting in such a way that implied a question. Marinette nodded.

A shriek pierced the night. Nino, Adrien, and Marinette recoiled, but none more than Marinette who took a step back as Alya lunged at her and squeezed her around the middle, pining her arms to her sides. They spun around, Marinette screaming and Alya cackling. Nino and Adrien simply stood off to the side, perplexed and slightly amused at the sight. Plagg drifted upwards out of Nino's pocket and floated over to Adrien.

"Jeez, about time you two idiots revealed yourselves," the kwami grumbled. He nudged Adrien's cheek and glared at him, fatigue in his tiny eyes. "You squished me when you tackled Nino, you jerk. And the only apology I will accept is Camembert."

"Nino didn't feed you?"

"He gave me brie. Brie! Why are you friends with this guy?"

Adrien rolled his eyes and dug a slice of Camembert out of his pocket. "Because I trust him and I know he wouldn't mistreat you." Plagg snatched it away and greedily munched on it.

"You're Chat Noir," Nino said. It wasn't a question.

Adrien nodded. "And you're surprisingly chill about this."

Nino shrugged and slipped the silver ring off of his finger. "Now that I know, I can totally see it. I always said the only guy in Paris who's a bigger nerdlord than you was Chat."

Adrien nodded again and accepted the ring. He slipped it back onto his own finger and glanced over to Alya, her arms still locked around Marinette. "And Alya's...taking it well."

"I..guess."

"RRRRAAAAAHHH!" Alya screamed. "I–I can't be-freaking-lieve this! My best...my best friend is Lady–"

"Alya!" Marinette interrupted. "Maybe, keep it quiet? I wanted you to know, not the whole city."

Alya blinked up at the girl in her arms and gave a goofy grin. "Oh, yeah, right, sure." She set Marinette down, but still had her hands clamped on her shoulders. "This is just so...you're Ladybug!" she hissed.

"Yes, I'm..." Marinette blushed again. "I'm Ladybug."

Alya laughed again, but stopped and shot her hands to her ears. "Oh! I'm sure you want these back!" When the second stud popped out, Alya's shoulders slumped. "Oh, crap. I left the box back in my room."

"It's okay," Marinette smiled, accepting the earrings back and clipping them back into her ears. "We can take care of that in the morning."

"Ohmigod this is officially the best Christmas ever!"Alya squealed. "Oh, and I am the worst reporter ever! My hero and idol sitting literally right next to me for years and I didn't notice? But then again, Tikki said your Miraculous protects your identity, so..." When she saw Nino with only a contented smile on his face, she smacked him in the chest. "How are you so calm about this? Our best friends are superheroes!"

"If you heard the amount of puns that fall out of Adrien's mouth, you wouldn't be so shocked, either. Also," He threw an arm around Alya's shoulders and faced their friends. "Thanks for the awesome Christmas gifts, you guys."

Alya cringed and looked to Marinette. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." She smiled and took Marinette's hands into her own. "Thank you so much for letting me be a superhero for the night, girl! You have no idea what this means to me! And I swear, you don't owe me another present for the rest of our lives!"

"Same here, bro," Nino smiled at Adrien. "Tonight was just so...so freaking epic!"

Marinette's smirk returned. "Is that so?" She pulled away and crossed her arms. "Because we were just about to give you two your real Christmas presents, but if you insist..."

"Wait, what?" Alya asked. She looked to Nino, who appeared just as confused as she, then turned back to Marinette. "You mean...borrowing your Miraculous...revealing your identities...they weren't..."

"Letting you two borrow our Miraculous was just part of it," Adrien explained. "It started with your idea, Nino, yeah, but then, my Lady and I talked it over and we decided..." He looked lovingly down at Marinette and she nodded.

"This was actually a test to see if we could trust you, see how you could handle having superpowers, deal with keeping secrets." She glanced to Tikki, who had just emerged from Alya's purse. "How did they do?"

"They followed all the rules to the letter!" Tikki proclaimed.

"They did a bunch of gross stuff in the suits, too," Plagg complained around a mouthful of cheese. "Not near as bad as you two, but–"

"Plagg!" Adrien growled with his face flushed. Marinette likewise tried to bury her face deeper into her scarf.

Alya chose to ignore the embarrassing revelation. "What do you mean by 'test'?"

Marinette managed to extract herself from her scarf, still blushing but with a look of determination on her face, and continued. "Hawkmoth is getting stronger. With every villain he creates, it takes us longer and longer to defeat them. We spoke with Master Fu, our mentor and protector of the other Miraculous and..." She glanced up and Adrien and they both nodded. From their pockets, they each produced a hexagonal black box, identical to the ones Nino and Alya had found earlier that evening.

Marinette held hers out to Alya, and Adrien to Nino. They both smiled, and Marinette said, "We want you to join us."

Alya's jaw dropped for the third time that night and Nino's eyes flared open. They stood in stunned silence for nearly a minute before Nino reached a tentative hand out to the box in Adrien's palm. He retracted his hand, glanced over to Alya, who still hadn't recovered from the shock, and lightly elbowed her. She shook her head and glanced from her box, to Marinette, Adrien, Nino, then back to the box. The corners of her mouth pricked upwards and she stretched out her hand. She plucked up the box and cupped it in her hands, Nino turning his over and giving it a light shake.

"You know, I take it back," Alya smiled. She looked to Nino, who had his fingers on the lid of his box. He grinned back and nodded. She turned her eyes back down to her own box, wiped away a few stray tears, and braced her fingers on top. "Now it's the best Christmas ever."

Thanks for reading! If you want more on my fics, look me up on tumblr krzed!