Finding Christmas

Chapter 7

"Okay, enough about Chloé and the Russian ballerina, let's get to the real juicy stuff. Seriously girl, it's just you and me here, you can spill." Alya ran the comb through Marinette's hair as she sat on the ground in front of her, some light Christmas music playing from Marinette's computer.

"Edmond is here too." Marinette reminded her as the baby played with Santa Plagg in his bassinet.

"Yeah, but he can't talk so he doesn't count. Come on Marinette, what was it like to finally kiss Adrien? We've waited years for this, I want details!"

Marinette groaned and wanted to bury her face. "Come on Alya, we're not teenagers anymore. I don't remember ever asking you about how Nino was."

"That's because I volunteered." She replied with a laugh. Yeah, Marientte remembered that conversation well. Alya always did have a tendency to overshare. It was all Marinette could do to stop her when things got more intimate between her and Nino later on spilling all the gory details. After all, Marinette wanted to still be able to look Nino in the face.

"I don't know what to tell you Alya." Marinette finally conceded, a smile playing on her lips. "It was everything I hoped for, and so much more. You know Adrien is literally the sweetest guy on the planet. " Alya hummed in understanding. "I guess I was scared that maybe I wouldn't be enough, but with Adrien, he makes me feel safe, and like I'm the most beautiful girl in the world, even when I know I look and act like a mess. You know what he said to me?"

"What?" Alya encouraged her.

"When I was up last night after feeding Edmond he told me I was beautiful and I brushed it off because, well you should have seen what a wreck I looked, and he said that he wished I could see myself through his eyes."

"Well, he's seen what you look like in the morning. If that boy says he's still in love with you after that then he's definitely a keeper."

"Hey, I'm not that bad." Marinette laughed, poking Alya in the leg, then her face softened. "But then he kissed me, and in that moment I believed it." Alya turned Marinette around to face her, picking up the hair curler and making soft spirals around her face.

"So you should Mari, and I saw the way he looks at you with Edmond. He's seeing you as more than a big sister to his little brother if you know what I'm saying. We're all turning 21 soon, I think he's finally seeing a future with you."

Marinette didn't say anything, looking over to Edmond as he started to doze off in his bassinet. It was like all her dreams were coming true at once and she was almost too scared to believe it. Deep down in her mind she still held that fear that Adrien only really loved the Ladybug side of her and that somehow Marinette would ruin everything, that it was just emotions that were caught up in the Christmas spirit and would be gone by the New Year.

Alya fussed around with Marinette's hair, weaving small silver and pearl flowers in it that Sabine had given her to wear. "I'm keeping your hair down because I think it will suit the dress. I can't believe Adrien's dad is letting you wear a Gabriel original. The man has a stick up his arse with almost everyone else. He must really like you, and not just for the work you do."

Marinette looked at Alya with wide eyes and a panic suddenly swept over her. "Oh god there's going to be press there and if I stuff up it will be all over the internet. Gabriel's going to hate me, he'll throw me out of my internship in disgrace and I'll never be a designer and he'll forbid me from ever seeing Adrien ever again and we'll never get married and have three kids and..."

"Whoa girl, slow down." Alya placed her hands on Marinette's shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "Nothing like that is going to happen. Come on, deep breaths for me." Marinette followed Alya breathing in and out until she calmed down. "Listen to me Marinette, you're Gabriel's number one intern and there is a bright future for you there. I'm sure you are exactly what he would want for Adrien, and that boy loves you. There is zero way you could embarrass him tonight."