Adrien nodded and smiled sheepishly, "I don't usually knit.  I had to use a loom and my father had to help me sketching a design and learning the stitches.  He made sure I was able to fix any mistakes before I went too far.  I don't really have the family gift for making clothes.  My mom started to teach me sewing when I was younger, but it was a disaster."

He had to laugh at that last part.  His mom had tried so hard in that short amount of time, and she probably would have kept trying if she hadn't disappeared.  

Adrien pushed any sadness from that train of thought into the back of his mind.  He couldn't help but continue smiling.  He was so happy Marinette liked the scarf.

Marinette laughed with him. "Well it turned out great." She then looked down at the scarf. He put so much effort into it. He even got his dad to help him which shocked her. She wondered if he liked her. If he didn't he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of making it, right? Marinette's heart skipped a beat. This would be the prefect moment to find out. Nino and Alya aren't back yet. "Adrien.." She looked up at him. "I.." Her heart was now pounding. "I..I..I'm glad we're friends." She chickened out. Marinette then mentally kicked herself. She couldn't believe she just said that!

Meanwhile Tikki could see Marinette and Adrien from where they were hiding. She watched them and saw Marinette's failure. She frowned and felt bad for Marinette, but proud. Tikki couldn't believe how much she has grown over the year. She needed to do something for her. An idea then hit her. She looked back at Plagg. "Looks like Marinette tried to confess to Adrien and failed. Would you like to go on a quest for some mistletoe? A kiss from Adrien might cheer her up and also might push Adrien a bit."

"Thank you.  I'm glad you like it," Adrien said as she complimented the scarf. He was sure it looked a little rough compared to her works, but he couldn't wait to see her wear it. He also couldn't wait to wear the hat she made him on the way out of the bowling alley.

He smiled when she stuttered out how she was glad they were friends. He had always viewed her as a friend, but he realized early on that something about him must intimidate her with all the nervous stuttering she did. It was weird after she spent that first day they met boldly challenging him for the gum he didn't put on her seat. Still, it made him happy to hear her confirm their friendship on her side.

"I'm glad we're friends too," he said.


Plagg smirked at Tikki's suggestion.  "Shouldn't be too hard to find since Christmas is coming up. How are we going to hang it where they can see it and no one sees us?"

'Of course you do..' Marinette thought to herself sadly. She wanted to bury herself in a hole. Alya and Nino finally returned and they continued their bowling night. Marinette brushed her feelings aside so she could enjoy the rest of the night.

Tikki thought for a moment. She then remembered Marinette's dad placed a mistletoe inside of the apartment. All she would have to do is take it outside and hang it from the arch way above the entry to the apartment. An idea hit her. "I've got it! Plagg, convince Adrien to take Marinette home."

Plagg nodded. "That should be super easy. He's always happy to spend time with her, especially if it gives him more time away from home."

The rest of the evening was really fun. Adrien could tell he was improving and was even able to break the 100's multiple games in a row.  The four of them would have to go bowling more often.  Except... something seemed slightly off about Marinette the rest of the night. He wasn't sure what, though.  She was still cheerfully enjoying herself.  He just had a strange feeling something was slightly different.

"Hey, Adrien," Plagg whispered from his pocket while Marinette was taking one of her last turns of the night. 

Adrien looked to Nino and Alya (who didn't seem to be paying attention) before looking at Plagg and whispering, "What?"

"You should walk her home.  It's getting dark after all," the kwami said.

Adrien took a moment to think about it before nodding. Plagg was right despite never really having an interest in Adrien's social life. "That sounds like a good idea."

After bowling, Adrien asked Marinette if she wanted to walk with him and was happy when she said yes. The walked in companionable silence most of the way with chit chat here and there. He enjoyed every minute of it since it was unlikely he'd be able to see her again until after break.

They made it to her apartment too quickly for him, and they stopped under the arch way above her apartment. "Bowling was really fun.  We should do it again sometime," he said with a smile. He wanted to extend the conversation as much as he could.

Marinette was happy that Adrien wanted to walk her home. Maybe this could be another opportunity to confess. Unfortunately Marinette lost all courage throughout their walk. Every time she was about to she ended saying something else or he started to talk. Why must this be so hard?

As the grew closer to her apartment both Tikki and Plagg quietly left their owners. They flew into Marinette's apartment and spotted the mistletoe. It took them a moment to take it off from the door frame it was hanging from. Luckily Marinette's parents were watching TV in their room. When they got it off, they flew outside and saw their owners standing under the arch way. Perfect timing.

"I would love to..," Marinette cut herself off when she noticed a mistletoe now hanging above them. Was that always there? Unless..her dad put it there after she left! He bought the stupid thing to tease both her and her mom. She couldn't help, but laugh. Adrien looked confused. She pointed to the mistletoe. Her cheeks were now a bright pink. "So are you going to kiss me? It is the law of Christmas after all." she just gave him a teasing grin. Might as well have fun with this.

It took Adrien a second to process the mistletoe above their heads as a blush made its way across his cheeks.  He had not been expecting this turn of events.  

He smiled playfully and pulled her closer to him and staring into her eyes.  Had her eyes always been this blue?  Like the heavens?  Like... He pulled himself out of his thoughts.  

"As you wish," he said as he leaned in and kissed her.  He meant for it to be a quick peck on the lips.  Something playful.  Nothing major.  But something caused him to linger and even consider deepening the kiss.  It was a familiarity he couldn't quite place but definitely wanted to continue.

[size=31]Marinette's heart was pounding in her chest. She wasn't expecting Adrien pull her close to him. She caught him staring into her eyes. She couldn't help, but get lost in his gaze. His eyes seem brighter tonight. A bright emerald green. Were his eyes always that shade of green? Then came the kiss. Marinette gently placed her arms around him. She deepened the kiss as well. It seem familiar to her. When kiss naturally ended, Marinette stood there in a daze. [/size]

Adrien stared at Marinette as the kiss ended.  He was sure his face was beet red.  What was he thinking?  That was far beyond a simple mistletoe kiss.  What if he made her uncomfortable or pushed their friendship into very awkward territory?  What if she was so speechless that she couldn't even get the words out to yell at him for his actions?

"I.. Uh.. I'm sorry!  I don't know why I did that.  I didn't mean to invade your space," he said as he took a step back.  Gosh, he was an idiot.  What if she never wanted to hang out with him again?  "I should probably go..."

Meanwhile, Plagg sat by Tikki as the whole thing unfolded.  "Man, that worked better than expected.  Look at how embarrassed he is," Plagg said with a laugh.  The two miraculous holders were definitely subconsciously dating.  Unfortunately, it looked like they were still too dumb to realize it.

It took Marinette a second to come back into reality. She then burst out laughing at his reaction. He didn't realize that she liked him? The kiss definitely gave away her feelings. Was he that oblivious? Oh well. Seeing him flustered was adorable. "Please stay. It's fine. No harm done." she smiled at him.

Tikki just grinned. " You better tease him about this, Plagg. We're so close now!"

Adrien stared at Marinette in confusion. Why was she laughing?  It was not the reaction he expected. He relaxed a little as she told him it was fine. Their friendship was safe despite his mistake.  Really, what had gotten into him?

He gave her a small smile. "I'm glad you're not angry. I really do have to go, though. Father will wonder where I am.. I'll see you later."

Plagg nodded to Tikki. "I would tease him even if you didn't mention it. This is gold."

"Alright bye," Marinette said with a smile. She then went inside and headed to her apartment. She quietly entered her apartment and was slowly going up the stairs to her room. She didn't want to disturb her parents. On the way home she texted them about leaving the bowling alley. When she got inside her room, she was greeted by Tikki.

Marinette was surprised to see her in her room already, but brushed it off. She was in such a good mood she didn't care. Tikki just kept her plan to herself no reason to tell her. Marinette got ready for bed then called Alya to tell her the whole thing. The girls gush for about an hour before going to bed.

Adrien returned home and sat at his desk, his mind stuck on the kiss he'd shared with Marinette.  Even with the walk home (he only transformed and ran the rest of the way when it was getting too late) he just couldn't put his finger on what was going on with him

"Why are you so down?  It looks like you got yourself a girlfriend.  You should be happy.  You sure are clueless, though.  She deepened that kiss just as much as you did, and you panicked that she was mad at you.  You're so bad at this," Plagg said as he flew out of Adrien's pocket and laughed.

Adrien rolled his eyes.  "She's not my girlfriend.  I could have seriously hurt our friendship.  I wouldn't even do that with Ladybug... Except for the ball when she made the first move..."

"But Marinette told you to kiss her.  There's the first move, genius." 

Adrien paused while considering.  It was always strange to hear Plagg say something logical about human relationships. "I guess you're right..."

"So she's your unofficial girlfriend.  This proves it." Plagg said, crossing his arms and nodding more to himself than to Adrien.

Adrien shook his head but said nothing to deny it.  He was more interested in why he kissed her so passionately and where that feeling of familiarity came from.  Ladybug was the only girl he kissed before Marinette not including the Romeo and Juliet fiasco (which was all acting anyway).

He ignored Plagg's continued teasing as he thought about it, but he just couldn't arrive at a conclusion.


Christmas Day came quickly enough.  Adrien woke without any alarm or call from Nathalie.  All forms of hired help were off today to accommodate holiday requirements.  Instead, the cook had left food in the fridge the night before and Adrien was expected to not need to go anywhere.

He sighed and laid in his bed a while longer.  No doubt most kids and teenagers were waking up to open presents and spend time with their families.  The Agreste family tradition ever since his mother disappeared was for him and his father to spend the time alone and away from each other.  There was likely a present outside his door to open at his leisure, but that was the extent of their holiday.

Adrien finally decided to get up and headed to his door to get the present. He brought it to his bed and opened it to reveal a new sword for fencing and some new clothes (designed by his father, of course). He hadn't really needed either, but it was nice to have something new to wear, and the fencing sword had a nice weight and feel to it. All in all, it was just nice to have something other than a fountain pen.

"So, are we doing anything interesting today?" Plagg asked from his spot next to Adrien's pillow.  He hadn't made a move to get up, probably enjoying the warmth of the blankets. 

"I don't know. Usually I site in my room or go out in the yard. Father's going to be on his own the whole day." Adrien paused to think.  What could he do?  His eyes traveled to the window to see a light snow falling.  The ground was already covered. How did he not notice before?  He smiled, knowing exactly what he wanted to do.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Plagg asked, sounding worried.  The kwami knew exactly what his partner was thinking, and he quickly reached under the pillow to pull out the scarf Tikki had given him.

Adrien waited a moment so his kwami could pulled the scarf on (even though it would probably do nothing while transformed) and then called, "Plagg, claws out!"

It felt good to transform and even better to escape the house through his window and use his staff to carry him over the wall to the nearest building.  He smiled as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop, enjoying the wind in his face and being careful not to loose his footing on the slippery surfaces.  

His mind wandered to Marinette, wondering how her Christmas morning was going. The thought made him subconsciously change his course, and he landed on a building near the bakery in an instant. He didn't take a peak since that would be a little too stalkerish, but he did linger a moment before heading away from the bakery and back into the city.

Marinette was sitting in her room watching a Christmas movie with Tikki. Her parents were in a middle of preparing dinner so she thought she spend some time with her kwami. As they were watching the movie something flew past the window and caught her attention. She stood up and walked over to the window. Tikki followed right behind her.

"Something wrong?" asked the kwami.

"I thought I saw something.." Marinette opened her window and peaked her head out. She saw Chat jumping over rooftops. She panicked. "Tikki! It was Chat!" She looked back at her kwami.

"You would think Hawkmoth would take Christmas off." It was a prefect day for an akuma if you thought about it.

Marinette sighed. Hopefully the fight wouldn't take too long. "Tikki, spots on!" Marinette then became Ladybug and left her room through her roof access. She quickly jumped across buildings and jumped in front of Chat causing him to stop in his tracks. "Where's the akuma?"

Chat stopped in surprise as Ladybug landed in front of him. He didn't think he'd see her until the next akuma attack, especially since today was Christmas.  He assumed her family would be the type to spend time together with the way she spoke about parents when fighting the Bubbler.

He raised an eyebrow at her question.  "Akuma?  What akuma?"  He asked even as he realized what she meant.  Of course!  She thought he had noticed an akuma.

He laughed.  "There's snow akuma, my lady.  Just a cat messing around.  Hopefully, Hawkmoth isn't such a Scrooge that he'd attack on Christmas Day."