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It was the day before Christmas Eve, “So, my lady, what are you planning to get me for Christmas?” Chat asked, wiggling his eyebrows. They’d just finished patrolling, and were now lying lazily in snow on a rooftop. The snow felt pleasantly soft, and cool to the touch. Ladybug rolled her eyes, but with a smile on her face. She looked up at the Eiffel Tower and thought for a moment.
Then she joked, “I was thinking maybe a toy mouse. One that squeaks when you squeeze it.”
They laughed together, mimicking squeaky noises for fun, but then they were interrupted by Ladybug’s miraculous going off. She smiled apologetically, stood up, and picked up her yoyo so she could swing away. Chat playfully pelted a snowball at her back as she was leaving. “Don’t forget my present!” he said with a grin, not thinking she was taking it seriously. He’d only been kidding.
But if he had seen the mischievous glint in her eyes as she was swinging away to detransform, he would have realised that she was in fact taking it very seriously…
***
The next day, the 24th of December, would be their last patrol before they took a one-night Christmas break. Lady and Chat had agreed that they would stay home on Christmas Day to spend the time with their families. Chat Noir, of course, been only pretending when he said he was looking forward to spending Christmas at home… he knew it would just be the same as always-- a party with boring rich people he didn’t know, and Adrien being forced to stand awkwardly by the food platters and feebly return conversation when someone attempted to talk to him. In fact, Ladybug was one of the closest things he had to family, and he would have been glad to spend Christmas with her. But explaining that would probably eventually involve revealing his identity, and he didn't want to risk that.
And Chat had been only kidding when he asked Ladybug for a Christmas present, so he was somewhat surprised when he saw her turn up to patrol with a present wrapped in green and black paper and labeled ‘For Chat’. He blinked, not knowing exactly how to react or what to expect.
“You really didn’t have to, my lady,” he muttered when she pushed the gift into his hands. “Now I feel guilty about not getting you anything.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” said Ladybug, trying to suppress giggles as Chat started to unwrap his present.
When Chat had successfully taken off all the wrapping, he stared with confusion at what was left in his hands. “A squeaky mouse toy? I thought you were kidding…” At that point, Ladybug found herself no longer able to hold herself back and dissolved into a fit of laughter.
Chat’s hand twitched where he was holding it above the toy, and he found himself tentatively stroking the little mouse. He hesitated a moment before letting his inner kitten take over, squeezing the toy over and over again excitedly just for the joy of hearing those squeaks. All this was much to Ladybug’s amusement, but actually, Chat was just getting started.
He accidentally dropped the toy into the snow and immediately pounced on it, catching the mouse in between his teeth and shaking it vigorously. The toy made funny rasping noises as he did so. Chat ended up dropping it again, and he resigned himself to swatting furiously at the little thing and sending snow flying everywhere. Still on all fours, he looked so cute and cat-like that Ladybug couldn’t resist reaching down and scratching behind his ears. She stroked his hair softly, seeming to forget that he was a superhero and not actually a cat. Chat Noir nuzzled into her touch, making a noise that sounded suspiciously like purring. Ladybug sat down and he crawled into her lap, still clutching the toy. She petted him some more, her expression softening as she watched him close his eyes and curl up. He looked like he was about to go to sleep.
She kept petting him for a while, and then she realised that his breathing had evened out, and he was now still except for the regular rise and fall of his chest. "Chat?" she whispered. There was no response. He was asleep. She smiled fondly down at his mop of blond hair, absentmindedly running her fingers through the silky strands. Ladybug was beginning to feel drowsy just looking at him, and before she knew it she was sound asleep. Her head fell with a soft 'thud' onto Chat's body as she dropped off.
***
Marinette woke up some hours later, confused as to where she was and what this strange thing her face was buried in could be. Then she remembered... last night... the toy mouse.... Chat... She started, pulling her head up and stretching. She looked down to her lap, where Chat was starting to stir. Except it wasn't Chat-- the kwamis had run out of energy some time ago, as she could gather from Tikki and another black kwami standing there that must have been Chat Noir's No, it was... Adrien?
She gasped, and Adrien sat up with a start. "Ladybug... what... Marinette?" he exclaimed, astonished. He awkwardly crawled out of her lap, blushing. "You're Ladybug?"
"You're Chat Noir?"