A Pinch of Potpourri ~ Oneshot collection

Miraculous Christmas

"You look happy. Did you get something nice?"

At the sound of his lady's voice, Chat Noir perked up and turned his head to see Ladybug by his right shoulder, a large grin on her face. His tail swished happily at the sight of her and a grin split across his own face.

"Merry Christmas, My Lady." He smiled smittenly at her, eliciting a chuckle from the spotted heroine. She crouched down beside him, balancing herself on the beam of the Eiffel tower. Even though they hadn't made any agreement to meet, she somehow knew that he'd be there.

"Merry Christmas, Chaton."

The two teenagers turned their gaze out towards the city, drinking in the breathtaking sight of the all the lights and the rare chance of snow that covered the streets and rooftops. It was past midnight but the city was as lively as ever. Chat exhaled deliberately, taking interest in the fog that his breath formed in the cold air. The contented smile on his face had Ladybug raising an eyebrow in amusement at how he seemed to take pleasure in the smallest of things.

"So I take it that Santa got you exactly what you wanted." Ladybug mused. Chat chuckled in response and shook his head.

"Not really." He replied, his smile faltering for a second but long enough for her to notice. Silence stretched in the air and she shifted awkwardly, waiting for him to continue. But he looked lost in his thoughts.

"Chat Noir?" She prodded gently, worried that she had put him in a dour mood.

"To be honest, the day went pretty terribly for me. At first anyway." He chuckled, as if the sound could somehow banish the negative thoughts in his mind. It gnawed at him, the guilt of accusing his father of not wanting to spend Christmas together. He should have tried to talk to him. Instead, he threw a fit and left home, making everyone worry. He even felt partly responsible for getting Santa Claus, of all people, akumatized. "I thought that I was going to end up spending Christmas alone. I didn't think anyone cared."

"Chaton..." Ladybug frowned at the foreign expression on her partner's face. But like before, the sullen mien was replaced with yet another smile.

"But I was wrong." And just like that, his mood lightened again and he looked as happy as ever. Ladybug blinked. The number of times Chat's expression changed within the span of a couple of minute had her feeling a sense of vertigo. "Not only did I end up spending time with my family, all of my friends came to visit me too. I never realized what a lucky cat I am."

Ladybug honestly thought that he was going to cry from sheer happiness as he spoke. His bright green eyes glistened in the night, but no tears came. She was glad that everything worked out for him. They may not have known anything about each other's personal lives, but he was an important person in her life and she wanted him to be happy.

"What about you, Buginette?" He glanced at her. She playfully bumped her shoulder against his in protest of the nickname and he laughed in response.

"Aside from causing Santa's akumatization, my Christmas went fairly well. I got to spend time with my family and then my friends. I managed to get my gift delivered to the boy I like and I didn't forget to sign it this time." She laughed, remembering all of her previous screw ups.

"The boy you... Wait, what?" Chat blinked at her, letting her words sink in. She stared at his surprised face for a bit, realizing what she just said. She hadn't meant to say it and the last thing she wanted to do was upset him again. She raised a hand and poked his nose.

"Don't worry. I don't think he has a single clue about my crush. Looks like you'll have to try harder to sweep me off my feet before I manage to snag him." She giggled and withdrew her hand, eyes crinkling in humor at the pout on his face. He turned forward again and sulked, ears flattening against his head.

"Who else got a present from you?" He asked. He knew he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't help himself.

"My parents."

"That's it?"

"That's it." She chuckled. "What about you? I'm sure with your amazingly good looks that I just wouldn't be able to resist, you must have gotten a lot of gifts right?" She smiled smugly when she saw his ears shoot up from the compliment.

"Well, of course!" He puffed out his chest and said haughtily before Ladybug said his name in exasperation, catching onto his lie. He laughed. "I exchanged gifts with my father."

"That's it?" Ladybug blinked, making a mental note about the omission of his mother. Chat lowered his head slightly, and she could see the slightest blush peeking out from under his mask.

"A friend from class, she also gave me a gift." He said, a serene smile splayed across his lips. "She's sweet."

Ladybug hummed in interest, grabbing his attention once again.

"Aw, are you jealous My Lady? Don't worry, I only have eyes for you." He grinned. She rolled her eyes and brought a finger up to his cheek to turn his head forward again.

"Please turn your eyes elsewhere." She said dryly.

"Two gifts. It was more than I ever hoped for though."

Ladybug gazed at his profile. A slight smile was on his face but he had a far off look in his eyes. She wondered if he truly was happy with just that. Something in his eyes told her that there was something else that he wished for, a wish that she couldn't fulfill. But she hoped that at least she could offer him some sort of comfort. She stood from her spot, going unnoticed by him.

"Chaton," She placed a hand on his shoulder, requesting his attention. When he turned to face her, he found a black box pushed into his line of vision. He blinked before tilting his head up to meet Ladybug's gaze. "Merry Christmas."

His eyes were wide in surprise and his heart fluttered at the sight of the neatly wrapped gift in her hand. Ladybug was half expecting him to make a silly pun of some sort but no words came from him. Instead, he scrambled to his feet and turned away from her for a second before facing her again with a box of his own in his hands. Of course, he had gotten her something.

"Merry Christmas." He said, voice trembling with what she hoped was happiness. They exchanged gifts and the look of unadulterated joy on his face made her heart swell with warmth. "Thank you, Ladybug."