Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug.

Christmas Gift - One-shot

"Oh my god, Adrien."

Marinette was a blushing mess, so much so that her face could be confused with the Christmas socks hanging in the electric fireplace. Nino hadn't moved from his place, but his mouth was open as if he expected some bug to fly in. Alya was equally surprised, but unlike her boyfriend, she managed to take out her phone to record the scene in front of her.

Adrien didn't understand why his friends saw him that way or why Marinette had turned redder than normal. He analyzed the situation and reached the point where he looked down at Marinette when he realized what he had done.

Oh shit.

It all started a week before Christmas. The last Christmas that would happen during their school days. He, like the rest of his classmates, had grown and matured (well, some more than others), and the long-awaited graduation was approaching. His closest group of friends had decided to go on a small two-day trip to Nino's family country house.

The group consisting of the brunette, Alya, Marinette and him, would leave with Nino's uncles on the 23rd in the morning and return on the 24th in the afternoon. How had he convinced his father to leave during those dates of higher sales? He had just been lucky that his father had a job in China that week and that Natalie had pity on him, although he knew she would give him all the work the day after he returned. But he would do anything to leave with his friends for at least one day.

Among the small activities they had planned, they agreed that the girls would take care of the food while the boys unpacked and organized the place. They would make a little decoration together and stay talking until the next day.

"Are you sure you don't want to make a secret gift exchange?" Alya had proposed the idea, but none of them was convinced. Since there were only four, there were no problems with buying gifts for everyone.

But as they decided that, Adrien had had some problems before the trip.

With the years they knew each other, Adrien could say that his friends' tastes were very predictable. Alya liked magazines and other merchandise related to superheroes and Nino always said the CDs and musical albums he wanted but hadn't gotten to buy. The blond had no trouble getting his gifts since he was also a fan of heroes (especially the lady in red) and shared musical tastes with his friend. Marinette, on the other hand, was a little harder to know what to give. Compared to the other two, he had become close to the blue-haired just in recent years.

At first, everyone knew that there was a misunderstanding on his first day of school. In the gum incident, it was resolved at the end of the day, but conversations with Marinette were short and quick, not to mention that the girl was nervous every time she saw him.

Then he learned that she was a fan and assumed that her behavior was due to that.

A few months later, during a group project at her house, she told him that she was a fan of his father's designs and that that was the reason why many photos of him were stuck on his wall. Every time Adrien passed more time with her, he felt he knew her again as if she were a different person. He didn't know if she considered him a friend, a classmate or a celebrity that was in his class.

In the next year of the meeting, the group of friends was separated into different classrooms and both stayed together. At first, he was happy to have a friend in class since he didn't want to sit with Chloè (Marinette already thought that being in the same class every year was a curse) but didn't think about how close they could be by just sharing a desk during the classes.

The first day was uncomfortable for both of them, who usually had their friends to carry on the conversation. Now that they were in different rooms and that the other two were now a couple, they were forced to interact for themselves.

That same week, for some reason they were both late for classes and collided with each other when they turned the same corner. In short, they fell to the ground, Marinette on him and his black jacket with a small scratch in the area of the left forearm. Despite insisting that nothing happened, Marinette ended up taking his jacket to her home to fix it.

"If your father finds out that I ruined one of your jackets, it will be the end of my career. And it has not even begun."

"You're exaggerating, he won't even notice and most likely he will give me more clothes later."

"Even so, your clothes were damaged and mines were not. Besides, this is going to be part of my job and I enjoy it. Don't worry."

And so, Marinette arrived the next day with the jacket with embroidery of different patterns in the area of the forearms and a dessert box from her family's store. The jacket looked new and he even liked it better than the way it looked before the arrangement. He felt guilty with all the work that had to cost her and had even brought him food. Desserts! Calories! Without the supervision of Natalie or his father! The next day he brought as a thank you some threads and materials from his father's company plus a coffee from one of his favorite stores. There they entered into a small and friendly discussion between who is the one to apologize and who to thank, but in the end, Marinette accepted the gifts and Adrien accepted the sweets with the condition they would share.

That became a routine. Marinette brought different products from her parents' store while Adrien arrived with two drinks.

"Stop abstaining from eating. There is no problem if you eat them in the morning, the calories now are going to burn throughout the day. If you eat little now you won't have enough energy until the end of the day."

Adrien smiles despite being scolded. "Ok, ok. How do you know so many nutritional facts? Every day you tell me at least one."

She rolls her eyes as she passes him another cookie. "I live in a bakery. If I don't know how to take care of myself and I only eat everything at all times I would constantly collapse or suffer from indigestion."

"But... in spite of all your data..." Marinette stares at him waiting for what he will say. "...you're still small."

Well, to be small, the strength of her fingers was reflected in the red mark on his forehead.

That happened a long time ago and now, years later, Adrien was in a mall with a black wig, blue contact lenses, and a cap to avoid being recognized.

"Why did we have to go out with this cold? My cheese has stayed by the heating thing in your room, where we should be now." Plagg tells him from one of his pockets.

"If you leave the cheese there then the whole room will stink, Plagg." Adrien made a mental note to buy an air freshener before returning. "And it's been several days but I still do n't know what to give her."

"Why do you think so much? Give her fabric from your father's company or invite her to a fashion show I don't know. Or cheese. Cheese is the best gift you can give. My recommendation today is Manchego cheese, but if you want a classic, then Camembert. Oohhh, or maybe a cheese board..."

"Plagg, if you're not going to help forget about your Christmas present."

"But it was my opinion! The children of these days don't know of good tastes."

Adrien sighed. "Her room is full of cloth and I don't know what new materials she needs. I am not going to go to any other show until next year and I am not going to give food to the daughter of a bakery owner." The blond keeps thinking out loud. "Marinette works hard on all her gifts. My birthday, Christmas and other occasions... All her gifts were handmade and it probably took a lot of time and effort. I want to give her something other than my father's or that have easy access. I'm not good at manual activities like her, but I want to at least look for a gift and buy it with my own money."

"Then don't think too much and buy something quick. Your princess will like anything you give her. She always does."

Adrien already got used to the nickname by the kwami, but he keeps asking the same thing. "Why do you keep calling her that?"

"Because you treat her like that. As a princess. Just look at how long you're taking to choose a gift, it's been an hour."

Without giving up, the now dark-haired man kept walking looking at the different stores in the mall without any clear idea of what he was looking for. The kwami had been silent, so Adrien thought he had fallen asleep, but a shout made him think otherwise.

"There!"

Adrien had stopped dead and instinctively he had put his hand in the pocket in which the cat was.

"Plagg! Why are you screaming? We're in public!" he whispers.

"Then why didn't you come as Chat?"

"How is Chat going to pay with Adrien's card?"

"Ok, ok... But look! That store." Plagg points a store to his right that at first glance one can realize the products they offer.

"A jewelry store? I don't know if Marinette has many, I haven't seen her wearing many accessories."

"But does it not fall into the fashion category?"

Adrien thought about it a bit. It is true that accessories had an important role in the world of fashion, a set of simple clothes could be seen as a designer with a good accessory such as brooches, bracelets, necklaces, or bags. He had seen thousands of designs drawn by the blue-haired, which included clothes, bags and small cloth accessories, but Marinette did not make accessories with metal and precious stones. That was due to two reasons: first, working on the cloth was a very different job than working with metals and Marinette was not used to it; and second, the cost of materials was higher and she was a girl who was just finishing school that year. He could buy her a small accessory to match her designs but also use it daily.

With a clearer idea of what to buy, he accepted Plagg's advice and entered the store.

The place was full of showcases overlooking the shelves inside, showing the number of accessories available. With the lights of the place, the stones embedded in the accessories shone in a way that pretended to be small stars.

One of the employees of the place approached him as soon as he entered the store and offered her help. She showed him different types of accessories after explaining that it was a gift for a friend.

"We have discounts on the sets of pendant earrings and necklaces, although for this holiday season we also recommend hairpins. If you want something more casual, we have bracelets with interchangeable charms or a watch with design."

The earrings were out of the question because the ones she used were a gift from a relative who said they brought her luck, so she didn't take them off. The watches were nice, but none of them were used to using one, it was easier to see it on cell phones. Discarding those two options, he began to see the charms for necklace and bracelets, but neither seemed to convince him. He wanted to find something that yelled "Marinette" just by looking at it.

Almost losing hope of finding something that day, he turned to see another showcase of accessories. And there it was.

It was a little heart-shaped pink jewel, but an almost fuchsia or magenta rose. He watched the jewel for a long time until the employee spoke to him again.

"The stone is a red spinel, it is similar to rubies, but the translucent color gives it a less dark tone and you can see a more pink color." The more he listened, the more convinced he was to buy it. "In the past, these stones used them as protection amulets, since they are said to scare away diseases and bad thoughts."

And that's how Adrien left the store with a small bag in his hand.

The day they left to the house of Nino's uncles, the four had gathered early to arrive at midday. Between talk and talk, the youngsters enjoyed Christmas Eve decorating the living room of the house and preparing the food. The uncles of the brunette had left the house that day while they went to a Christmas meeting with the neighbors of the area.

After several games, some movies and several snack dishes, the four sat in a small circle around the electric fire for gift giving. It was past twelve and Adrien got a little sleepy and distracted him a little. Before he knew it, Nino and Alya had already delivered their gifts to each one and Marinette gave him the last gift in her bag. As always, her gifts were special. She gave each one a different type of garment and this year he had hand-woven blue gloves. After thanking her and giving each other a hug, Adrien finally delivered his gifts. First Nino, then Alya and last Marinette. When he saw that the blue-haired was excited to receive his gift, he could think of how adorable she looked and his nervousness increased. Would she like the gift?

In the girl's gift bag stood out the head of a small teddy bear that the blond had added to his purchase so that it didn't seem very empty, then she slipped the doll out of the bag. That movement caused the jewelry box to fall to the floor and open upside down. Helping her a little, the blond took the box and extended his arm to return the gift.

And here we return to the present.

Marinette with a red face, Nino with an open mouth and Alya recording with laughter. What was so funny?

When Adrien returned his gaze to Marinette, he analyzed the situation until he realized.

He had given his friend a jewel. To be more specific, a ring with a heart gemstone in the middle.

Oh shit.

He felt his face get hot and the words didn't come out of his mouth. He was so excited to think that the stone would look so good on her that he completely forgot that it was a ring and that is probably a popular gift among couples. To top it all, he had the box in his hand in front of her and anyone would think this was a marriage proposal.

What the hell had he been thinking?!

"Uhm..." Marinette realizes his nervousness and seems to understand what had happened. "... it's very pretty. Did you buy it because it's the same color as the last dress I made?"

"Yes!" Liar, you bought it thinking how beautiful she would look with the ring on, with the ring you bought. Adrien exclaimed feeling guilty. "But if it's too awkward, I can get you something else."

"No, no. I love the design and why would it seem awkward? We're friends after all."

"Oh yeah..."

He didn't know why he was somewhat disappointed with that answer; on the contrary, he should be happy that they have formed a beautiful friendship.

The atmosphere tensed a little at the end of the gift-giving. Alya and Nino tried to joke a little to distract them a little and managed to keep talking in a group for a few minutes, but Adrien and Marinette avoided looking into each other's eyes and talking with short sentences. Already at one in the morning, the four decided to go to sleep. The girls in one room and the boys in another.

Adrien noticed that Marinette didn't wear the ring at any time.

It was two in the morning and Adrien couldn't sleep. He should be already sleeping, but no, he was listening to Nino's snoring while his head only thought of a certain girl with blue hair and blue eyes. Marinette, Marinette, Marinette. ¿ Why could not get her out of his head?

He stopped trying and decided to sneak out of the room so as not to wake anyone and went down to the first-floor living room, opened the glass door and went out for some fresh air. Although he was not yet sleepy, the cold didn't make him feel the tips of his fingers, so ten minutes later he decided to enter the house.

He did not expect to meet the girl who occupied his thoughts, sitting on the long sofa in the living room with two cups of hot chocolate.

"I heard someone going down the stairs and I saw that the door to your room was open with Nino's snoring. I assumed you went out for a while and decided to do something warm." Marinette told him as she handed him one of the cups.

She is too kind. Adrien thought as he took the cup and thanked her.

He sat beside her but with a considerable distance between them. At first, neither of them said anything and just took sips from their cups. It was Marinette who started the conversation.

"Today... I didn't keep quiet because you bothered me. It just made me remember some past feelings."

Adrien looked up to see her better. It was almost three in the morning and it was still dark, but he could see the girl illuminated by the moonlight. "Past feelings?"

She responds by nodding. "My first love."

"... oh."

Adrien did not expect that. In all these years, a subject of which they had never spoken very thoroughly was the theme of love. With a couple in the group, the amount of sugar was enough. Everyone knew that Adrien is usually very busy and the free time he has usually is used to spend more time with his friends or to take a break.

He didn't have much time to think about topics like dating or girlfriends. Marinette wasn't as busy as he was, he even knew she was one of the most popular girls. She had received several confessions, although for some reason she always rejected them. He assumed that she had no interest in dating someone at that time, something understandable since they were still in school. Hearing that at some point Marinette was in love with someone, was new to him. Maybe it was someone who wasn't in the same school? Or someone older?

"Do you mean... maybe Luka?"

Marinette looks surprised, so he thinks she's right, but she starts laughing.

"Luka? Oh no, he's more like an older brother who takes care of me. Didn't you know that I was the one who recommended him to go on a blind date? If I liked him that way I don't think I would have done it."

"So..."

Marinette stared at him with a soft, almost melancholic expression on her face.

"He was a boy from my class. At first, I didn't like him very much because I thought he was another person who wanted to annoy me, but it was a misunderstanding and then I fell completely at his feet. I couldn't speak to him without stuttering, every time I saw him I kept blushing and preferred to see him from afar. He never showed any sign of being interested in me, but I can't blame him since he valued his friendships a lot. The first year was more an obsession and I thought he was someone perfect and that he was above of all, surely I got carried away by how handsome he was. But you know? I said it was my first love not for that year in which I dedicated myself to simply looking at it from afar. I say it because the next year in which we started talking more, I really fell in love with him. I realized that he was not the perfect boy he seemed to be, that he had many more personal and family problems than I thought, and most importantly, that he was another normal person just like me. He had weaknesses and strengths, dreams and fears. It was as if I knew him again as if the person I thought I knew was another. But the worst part was that I liked him even more.

The first year I was obsessed, but the second in love, and that is why the following year I decided to quit. The friendship we had seemed much better than the possible case that we would have started dating if I had invited him out during my obsession or even while in love because I knew very well that he didn't think of me in the same way.

So, although it took time, I tried to think about that and repeated my words like a mantra."

Adrien said nothing. He wasn't quiet because he was shocked by the story, but because he knew exactly who the person she was referring to was. That all this time she felt that and that he could not notice. Someone close to him who knew him, valued him and that despite her feelings she had chosen to stay by his side as friends. He always told her that she was a very good friend, so why? ¿Why was not that enough to him now?

Marinette approached a little and kept talking when she didn't hear anything from the blond and his conflicted face. "I... I didn't say it with the intention of that person responding to me or something similar. That happened a few years ago and I'm sure I can...I can remain just like that. Like a friend. One who is always going to be there for you."

Adrien noticed that although her voice was calm, she was no longer seeing him in the eyes and the fingers of her hands were restless. He also noticed that what she's playing with was the little spinel ring that passed from hand to hand.

"Well... I think it's too late, or rather early." Marinette said with a nervous laugh. "I think I'm going back to my room, tomorrow I have to take care of breakfast."

When he finished speaking, Adrien had not yet processed all the information well, but when she began to get up to return, he quickly took her nearest hand to prevent her from leaving. Apparently, he pulled her a little hard, probably because of the adrenaline, and Marinette's body was now in his lap with her in front of him. A compromising position, but he wouldn't miss that opportunity.

"That guy ... don't you feel nothing for that guy now?"

Surprised by the sudden gesture, Marinette's breathing became heavier, but she tried to remain calm.

"Sure, I will always like him."

Adrien noticed the small change in her words and tried again

"I mean if you still love him."

No longer so calm, Marinette's eyes were still wide open and he watched as her eyes began to crystallize. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel bad because of him, and raised one of his hands to gently stroke her cheek.

He asked again. "I know that guy has been an idiot, who has not been able to see what is in front of him and that perhaps he doesn't deserve your affection. But if he asks you for an opportunity to return that love which was not reciprocated, for the rest of his life, what would you say?"

From the eyes of Marinette, the tears had begun to fall which Adrien dried them as gently as possible. His eyes were also red from enduring the crying, but he would make sure he just focused on her. Only her.

"I-I..." her voice was completely broken but said nothing to let her talk.

"Yes." Told him. "I do want to. That despite all my attempts, to try blind dates, to look at other people and to forget him completely, it's impossible. Because I still love him."

When she finished that sentence, Adrien couldn't take it anymore and closed the short distance between their lips. The urgency was noticed by the force in which he kissed her. Kiss after kiss, they only gave small breaths when they ran out of air, and Adrien circled her waist with his arms as if he was afraid she would disappear.

When they had to separate to rest, only the crickets and the heavy breathing of the young were heard. Adrien looked down at the girl's hands and took them with his own. He took the little jewel from her hand and looked up at her again.

"Can I?"

She nodded.

"It's not a marriage proposal, but a promise, so I won't put it on the ring finger. Adrien told her as he sleds the ring on the middle finger of the girl. "I promise you to be more attentive, to be faithful and value you even more. I promise to be always there for you and I promise to give back everything you have done for me. But most importantly, I promise to love you even though I was so slow to realize that and to love you for the rest of my life. So, if you let me, could you stay with me and, in the future, maybe, will you let me change the ring to the other finger?"

Marinette has not stopped crying and strongly shakes her head several times saying yes. The two calm their tears and end up lying on the couch snuggling tightly.

"This has been my best gift so far," Adrien whispers already when they are about to fall asleep.

Marinette smiles and also whispers "mine too."

"Merry Christmas, Marinette."

"Merry Christmas, Adrien."

"They are idiots."

"Plagg!"

"It is that they are, Tikki. If my kid weren't so clueless they would have saved all this."

"Yes, but it's your kid, right?"

"..."

"I am happy with this result despite all the difficulties."

"Who would say that in the end everything was resolved thanks to a gift."

.

.

.

FIN

Author Notes:

Happy Holidays! I hope you had a beautiful Christmas with your loved ones. This is my gift to you! The truth is that this started as a drabble, but oops ... when I realized it already had more than 500 words. At first, I didn't think I would write the end like that, I didn't even think about making poor Marinette cry. I also wanted to involve Alya and Nino more but I didn't have time anymore. I hope you liked it, thanks for reading!

Twitter: Little_Rain0048

-LR