Marinette walked into class, a joyful smile on her face. It was finally Christmas time and that meant Marinette could make a bunch of fun crafts.

"Hey," Marinette said to Alya, sliding into her usual seat.

"Hey girl," Alya replied. She raised an eyebrow in amusement. "For once you're not late."

Marinette nodded, thanking the fact that Ladybug hadn't had to save anyone this morning. She shouldn't jinx it, though.

"Yeah..." Marinette said. "I guess my alarm finally worked! Ha."

In the front of the class, Ms. Bustier was busy preparing assignments on the next story the class would be reading. Alya sighed. "Can't it just be winter break already? I'll never understand these weird novels that we keep reading."

"Me neither," Marinette agreed solemnly. Alya had a point; it was so difficult to keep up. Especially with Chloe complaining about the vocabulary every 2 seconds. Talk about annoying.

Marinette then smiled widely, as she remember her plans after school. She leaned in close to her friend. "On the bright side, I'm making my famous Christmas cards today."

"Really?" Alya said in awe. "Can I come?"

"Of course!" Marinette laughed.

Marinette made special Christmas cards every year. She would decorate them with beautiful ribbons and candy canes and then send them off to her friends and family. It was a tradition for her, and Alya admired the idea so much that she wanted to partake in it this year.

Up ahead, Adrien listened intently. He didn't like to eavesdrop, but when he heard the word "Christmas cards," he was immediately interested.

Adrien swiveled around in his chair, smiling embarrassingly. Marinette immediately froze as his gaze landed upon her.

"Uh, I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but..." Adrien started. "I heard something about Christmas cards?"

Marinette couldn't even manage a squeak. Luckily, Alya took it upon herself to communicate with the boy.

"Oh yeah, it's a fun tradition for Marinette!" Alya exclaimed. "You should join us!"

Marinette snapped her head towards the brunette, the look of terror slapped onto her face. "I-I... Y-You-"

"Don't worry, I can handle everything," Alya assured her friend. She faced Adrien again and tilted her head. "So, are you interested?"

"Totally!" Adrien said with a grin. For some reason, he never recalled getting a Christmas card from Marinette in the past. Maybe she forgot? Or perhaps it was lost in the mail somewhere. Oh well, Adrien didn't mind. He was just excited to do something other than pose for a camera all day.

Plus, the whole idea reminded him of his mother. His heart sank as the memory of her flooded his mind. Tears welt up in his eyes but he pushed them away. Now isn't the time, Adrien.

*

Marinette stacked the various colors of construction paper on her desk. Beside it were Christmas stickers and red, green, and white glitter bottles. A cup of candy canes stood nearby as well. She smiled as Alya sat beside her.

"Does this look good?" Marinette asked her friend.

Alya was busy surveying the room, her eyes darting to each Adrien poster hung on her wall. "Yes... but don't you want to take these down?"

Marinette widened her eyes. "Oh! That's right." She practically fell out of her chair as she darted around the room, ripping the posters off her wall. Adrien would be here any minute and she had to make sure all posters were gone!

"Ya know, we could've just made the Christmas cards downstairs," Alya said, noticing her friends' inconvenience. She stood up, moved across the room, and helped Marinette take the posters down.

"Not gonna happen," Marinette laughed, placing the stack of posters under her bed. "If I'm downstairs, my parents will tell embarrassing stories about me to Adrien. That can't happen."

"And who's to say they won't if you're up here?" Alya pressed, raising her eyebrow playfully.

Marinette sighed. "I guess I have no choice either way. But at least up here I'll be able to kick them out since it's my room."

"Sure," Alya shrugged.

"Marinette!" Sabine yelled from downstairs. "Your friend Adrien is here!"

"Ah! He's here!" Marinette squealed. Her heart raced frantically. She turned around and faced Alya. "Do I look okay?" She over exaggerated a grin, "anything in my teeth?"

"No," Alya said, raising her eyebrow. She then placed her hands on Marinette's shoulders and laughed. "Go get him, girl, before he gets bored, okay?"

"Okay! You're right!" Marinette agreed. She twisted around and raced down the steps.

Marinette stopped at the top of the steps as she observed. Adrien was laughing and talking with Sabine and Tom downstairs. She was terrified of what the topic was so she frantically raced down the rest of the steps.

"H-Hey," Marinette greeted, standing behind Sabine.

Adrien's eyes met Marinette's, the vibrant green warming her soul. He smiled that familiar, friendly smile. "Hey Marinette," he said. "Your parents were just telling me-"

"I know!" Marinette sighed in dismay. "She told you about the time in second grade when I fell face first into that mud puddle and had to show up to school with a big stain on my shirt. Or when I almost sent you that embarrassing voicemail of me, right?"

Adrien blinked, visibly stunned. "Uh, no?" Marinette's heart cracked when he said those words. He continued, "She was just telling me about a time when she accidentally mistaken your father for a Santa Claus at the mall."

"It's true," Sabine chuckled. "He was wearing a long red overcoat! Remember Marinette?"

"Oh, I remember," Marinette said helplessly, her voice bleak. She couldn't believe she just revealed those embarrassing stories to Adrien.

"It's okay," Adrien said lightheartedly, placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder. He leaned in closer, so close that his warm breath was felt on her neck. It made her shiver. "A few years ago, I had the biggest zit on my face. So big that Nathalie thought I had strawberry jam on my chin."

Marinette widened her eyes. Adrien backed away and winked. She laughed slowly, unsure if she should or not. It did make her feel a bit better, though. Knowing that not even Adrien Agreste was perfect.

"Let's go make those cards," Marinette then said, smiling.

"Sounds like a plan," Adrien agreed.

*

Adrien held up his finished card, raising an eyebrow. He directed his attention towards Marinette. "This isn't too much, is it?"

Marinette lifted her head. "Oh! No, I think it's beautiful."

Adrien smiled, lowering the paper. Just like someone I know, he thought. Wait, what? He quickly cleared his throat. "Thanks. I just wanted to make sure."

"No problem," Marinette smiled. Her card was almost done; she just needed to put down a few more candy canes. Alya was nearly done as well, she was currently adding a little amount of red and green glitter on the inside of hers.

"That looks nice," Marinette complimented her friend.

"Thanks girl," Alya smiled.

The door to Marinette's room slowly opened and her mom's head peeked out. She smiled, holding a platter of cookies in one hand and a platter of mugs in the other. "Would anyone like some hot chocolate and cookies?"

Adrien smiled, glancing at Marinette to see what she'd say. She glared at her mother, but then the look softened. She knew her mom just wanted to help. "Sure, mom," Marinette said.

Sabine sat the platters down before winking. The three all said "thank you" in unison and Sabine smiled before disappearing downstairs.

Adrien politely waited for the girls' to grab their cookies and hot cocoa before he reached in. Marinette smiled, taking a bite of the cookie. The warm chocolate chips melted in her mouth.

"Thank you for letting me join you two," Adrien said. "Really."

"No problem!" Marinette smiled, flashing a toothy grin.

Adrien chuckled before taking a drink of hot cocoa. "My ride is here, I'd better get going." He gathered up his card and belongings before facing Marinette. He waved and headed downstairs.

Marinette twisted around to face Alya, slighting nervous. "Why do you think Adrien chuckled before he left?"

Alya smiled and then pointed at her teeth, signifying the worst scenario. Marinette quickly grabbed her phone and used the screen as a mirror. She smiled into the phone and saw a big chocolate stain on her front teeth.

She sighed and caved into herself. "Of course."

Alya laughed and wrapped an arm around her friends' shoulder. "I love you, girl."