Miraculous Christmas in July 2020

Day 6 - Ugly Sweaters

Marinette pulled her sweater over her head, taking a quick look in the mirror to make sure she hadn't put it on backwards. She finished brushing out the tangles in her hair, throwing her brush into the sink and grabbing her school bag. She only had 5 minutes until class started.

Grabbing half of a bagel from the kitchen, she shoved it in her mouth and essentially fell down the stairs, taking them flights at a time.

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" she called as she rushed out the door, not even hearing their reply. She pulled her hair into pigtails as she ran across the street, nearly tripping over the curb. Just as she started up the steps to the school, sleet began coming down, making her shriek and bolt up the stairs.

Marinette took a short breather before running up to class and collapsing in her seat. Alya chuckled at her, clapping a hand on her shoulder to make sure she was still alive. Marinette opened her eyes to smile at her friend breathlessly, looking down at her sweater and thanking God that she hadn't forgotten about her class' Ugly Holiday Sweater day.

Alya's sweater was two cartoonish foxes chasing each other with a snowflake pattern bordering the scene. It was pretty cute in all honesty, and if she was guessing correctly, she'd taken her inspiration from Rena Rouge. The thought made Marinette smile, and she was finally able to catch her breath.

She lifted her eyes to look around the room and see everyone else's sweaters. At that moment, Adrien walked into the room with a bright grin, saying something to Ms. Bustier about the errand she'd apparently sent him on. Marinette was more focused on Adrien's sweater.

The pine green material had the words "We're orna-meant to be!" stitched in, and a sparkly red, sequined depiction of an ornament decorated the empty space. Marinette couldn't help but snicker, bringing her hand up to her mouth to cover her wide smile. It was so dumb, but somehow it seemed to fit Adrien pretty well. Though she couldn't figure out why.

"Dude, that sweater is so cheesy," Nino commented, scoffing with a gentle laugh. Adrien pressed a hand to his chest like he was offended, and the joking gesture made Marinette feel like she was experiencing déjà vu.

"Is it not punny enough for you?" Adrien teased, making Marinette eyebrows raise. He seemed to be in a great mood, and considering Marinette had woken up less than ten minutes before that moment, he had a lot of energy. Maybe that was why her brain was feeling so fuzzy.

"You should have gone with something more classy, like mine or Alya's," Nino told him, gesturing to his own sweater. It was the famous dancing scene from "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and the cute details made Marinette smile.

"It's supposed to be ugly sweater day, Nino," Adrien teased as he sat back down, throwing his arm over the back of the bench with a grin. Nino snickered, shaking his head.

"You're a real comedian," Nino retorted with a smile, making Adrien raise his eyebrows.

"It takes one to snow one," he shot back, making Nino roll his eyes and dramatically put his head down on his desk.

"Dude," he muttered from behind his arms, and Alya's laugh rang out loudly. Marinette wanted to laugh, but something was itching at her from the back of her mind. Why did it all feel so familiar?

"This is snow laughing matter, Ms. Cesaire!" Adrien said enthusiastically, pointing at Alya, who promptly rolled her eyes.

"You just used the same word for a pun," she criticized, raising an eyebrow back at the blonde. "Are you sure you're not going insane? I've never seen you so hyped," she chuckled, making Marinette watch closely for Adrien's reaction. He shook his head, grinning.