Before reading this book, you MIGHT want to read the Thanksgiving story I have created. It's a prequel to this Christmas special.

  Disclaimer: I wrote the Thanksgiving special BEFORE I knew France doesnt celebrate it. So just consider that an AU, thank you. Lol 😁

  And btw, BOTH of these fanfics were written b4 the airing of season 3.

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  Adrien, seeing Marinette hurrying towards the stairs, said, "Hold up, Marinette! I have something to say."

  The anxious girl felt her heart skip a beat. She hastily waved her hands in defence, her eyes bulging with panic. "I'm sadness! I-I mean I'm SORRY! You're an idiot- NO! I MEAN I'M AN IDIOT!" She collapsed on the bottom step and facepalmed herself. "ARRGHH!!!"

  Adrien watched her in awkward bewilderment, as did everyone else. But when it finally dawned on him what she was talking about, he said, "No no! That's not what I meant."

  Marinette looked back up in surprise.

  Adrien was rubbing his neck, and turned to their friends. "Everyone, I um... I'm- I'm sorry for lying to you..."

  "Lying to us? What lie?", Max inquired.

  "Yeah, dude. What are you talking about?", Nino added.

  He tensed up a little, his eyes flickering across the confused faces.
  "Everything about Thanksgiving... It was a lie... I was suppose to be at home the entire time... I'm really sorry."

  "We- kinda figured that.", Nino said uncomfortably. "I mean, that you were suppose to be at home. Cause of Nathalie coming for you."

  "Everyone lies sometimes. So none of us can hold it against you. But why DID you lie?", Rose replied gently.

  Adrien was beginning to feel like his hand was glued to his neck. Trying to stop the uneasy rubbing, he stressfully shoved both hands into his coat pockets. Plagg gave him a small kick in protest.

  "I didn't want anyone worrying about me... I didn't want to ruin anyones Thanksgiving by causing them to worry..."

  Nino gave him a gentle punch on the arm. "Bro, that's what friends are for. To help. Even if that means worrying."

  Adrien shrugged uncomfortably. That would be a hard thing to accept, but he didn't say so.

  "Either way, that costume you had was pretty snazzy.", Alya stated while wiggling her eyebrows. "Wasn't it, Marinette?"

  A glance at the dark-haired girl, left everyone puzzled. Her face had drained of color and her eyes were unnaturally wide. Her gaze transfixed on some unseeable object.

  "Marinette?", Alya repeated.
  Getting no response, she stepped closer to her friend and snapped her fingers. "Earth to Marinette!!"

  A sudden gasp came from the disturbed girl. She had apparently been holding her breath.

  "Gotta go I!!!", she exclaimed. Then she jumped up and dashed out the school door.

  "What in the worrrld...?", Alya muttered.

  Suddenly realising that she couldn't just barge into her own home, Marinette skirted around the school corner and ran for an alley.

  Dropping behind a dumpster, she allowed Tikki out of her purse. She looked imploringly at the kwami, as she trembled in shock.

  Tikki smiled uneasily. "Well... Now you know."

  "Tikki-!", she managed to squeak.

  "BREATHE Marinette."

  The fourteen year old took a shaky breath, but it was interrupted by an hysterical cackle. "Uh heh heh heh!!! I kissed-!" A gasp.
"Oooh my gosh!!!"

  Tikki smiled with a touch of joy. Whatever Marinette was feeling, she evidently wasn't losing too much of her sanity. "I know. You've actually kissed Adrien."

  If it was at all possible for a person's eyes to get any wider, then they would at this moment.
  "Chat Noir is ADRIEN!!!"

  Another gasp. "OH MY GOSH!!! ADRIEN HAS BEEN FLIRTING WITH ME!!!"

  Her grin ever larger, her fists trembled with excitement against one another. Jumping up, she spinned and hopped while exclaiming, "ADRIEN IS IN LOVE WITH ME!!!"

  She shrieked, then hastily covered her mouth. She didn't need, or want, anyone to hear her.

  Quickly observing her current situation, she said, "Tikki, spots on!"

   Within seconds, she was up and away, jumping across buildings and dashing along the roof tops. She hadn't ever realized what a relief it could be to just run.

  She was Ladybug, visibly, at this moment. No one would think much about it. Surely.

  Grinning from ear to ear, she spun in a circle, then did multiple back flips. All the while shrieking, "WAAAAHOOO!!!"

  Having landed on the edge of the building, she glanced down at the street below and saw a crowd of people. They were anxiously viewing her. One even shouted, "IS EVERYTHING OKAY???"

  Cupping her mouth, she shouted back, "THINGS COULDN'T BE BETTER!!! ITS A WONDERFUL DAY!!!" Then with an energetic wave and grin, she dashed away.

  She spent around thirty minutes or so, just burning off her excessive energy. And when it finally lightened up, she settled down against a chimney wall. That same smile plastered to her face. Her bangs mussed by the extreme speed she had been at.

  "Tikki, spots off."

  "Feel better?"

  Marinette giggled. "Well, I feel like I can breathe easier, now. I just- I feel so at peace, Tikki."

  Looking dreamily up at the bright blue winter sky, she said, "The world is so beautiful, Tikki!"

  The kwami giggled this time. "The world has always been this beautiful."

  "Oh, Tikki! You know what I mean!"

  "You're happy, I know. And so am I.", she replied, and smiled sweetly at her owner.

  Marinette returned it, and fondly rubbed the kwami's cheek.

  As her mind flashed back to her charge out of the school, she felt reality check in. Her parents had surely been contacted. Or would be, real soon. But she shook this off, unwilling to worry about that. She wanted to adsorb this serenity.

  Her mind flickered back to Adrien and Chat Noir. Both wonderful charming boys, being the same person. It was more then she had ever dreamed could be possible. She no longer had to reject Chat. Or feel the guilt in turning him down. Nor would she ever have to lie about how she felt about him.

  For ever since she had learned that he wasn't just being a firtatious jokester, and that he was truly sensitive about things (no matter how much he joked), she had felt differently about him. She had found him more attractive then just as a friend.

  Marinette rolled her eyes at this.
   The irony of it all!

  And boy, how she had hated friend-zoning him, when she knew he had a crush on her. She knew that feeling. It was awful!

  But she had worried about rejecting him entirely. That would've been SOO much worse! And the more he had flirted, the more concerned she had became.

  Because Adrien had been her first crush, she had decided to stick with HIM. But Chat Noir had became inquisitive about things.

  What if the other boy didn't exist?
  Would he have a chance THEN?
  Couldn't she just think about these things?

  He had her worrying at times. Worrying about herself, though, not HIM. Because how long could she avoid these questions? Would she be able to handle them properly, without crushing him? Would she eventually snap at him one day and cause him to be akumatized?

  Those thoughts had troubled her, but Tikki had advised her to handle it one akkuma, and one patrol, at a time.

  But now, she no longer had those troubling thoughts. He was so in love with her. With HER!

  On her way home, she had landed on top of the school, for it was gym time. And knowing her class would be below, she wanted to watch Adrien. They were all playing dodge ball. That's when it dawned on her.
  We're not suppose to know each others identities! But-! But-!

  She sank to her knees and rubbed her neck slowly. Her mouth was moving, but no words came out.

  Her gaze attached to Adrien, she felt ice spread through her chest and penetrate her heart. Her lips had began to tremble at the turmoil she felt, and her blue eyes were puddling with hot tears.

  Barely audible as a whisper, Marinette said, "It's not fair... It's not fair... Noooo..."

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