Until I Make You Mine

Chapter 11

Over Christmas and New Year, wedding plans took a back seat to the fun of the festive season. The winter was particularly cold this year and although their super costumes had excellent insulation and defence against the cold, Ladybug and Chat Noir decided to split patrols up with Rena Rouge and Carapace. With the threat of Hawk Moth now permanently gone, patrols were more about interactions with the public and keeping petty crimes under control. Nevertheless, crowds would still gather around the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero to get a glimpse of their heroes and the Miraculous team would oblige with photos. Of course, Chat Noir was always extremely popular with the ladies, despite the fact that his relationship with Ladybug was common knowledge. It never ceased to amaze Ladybug how open these girls were with trying to steal kisses from their favourite cat hero, but Chat always took it in his stride, quick to make his way back to his lady and delighting the crowd with a kiss before heading back to the warmth of the bakery.

Adrien felt bad leaving Nathalie alone in the mansion, but he couldn't stand being there longer than necessary of a day. It was only 6 weeks now until the wedding and he wanted the house sold before hand. He was thankful to have Nathalie there to handle everything. He wondered what he would have done without her and was so grateful she agreed to stay.  There wasn't a lot he was keeping from the house and he let Nathalie have her pick of anything she wanted to keep. Adrien had made arrangements for Nathalie and his bodyguard to have their own apartments in a place close by to the new home he had bought. He couldn't wait to show it to Marinette, but he was keeping it was a surprise for now. Adrien had taken Sabine to check it over and get her approval for the sewing room he had outfitted as a special gift wedding gift for his bride to be. Now she would have everything she needed right at home. Home. Their home, and he couldn't wait.

Adrien and Marinette sat curled up on her chaise wrapped up in a pile of blankets as they watched cheesy Christmas movies. Tom and Sabine had long gone to sleep with the lead up to Christmas being one of the busiest times of the year for them they were exhausted. Marinette and Adrien had been trying to help out where they could as the Gabriel production team had gone on hiatus for the holidays. Tikki curled up on Marinette's shoulder like she usually would, but the last few days, Plagg had started acting like a huge sook. Almost as soon as Adrien would come over, Plagg would abandon him instantly to cling around Marinette. Adrien knew Plagg wasn't much of a fan of the cold and would like to snuggle where it was warm, and Marinette was always very warm. Heck, there was no where else Adrien would rather snuggle. This was more possessive though to the point where Plagg almost hissed if anyone tried to move him. Even Tikki was paying him more attention, eventually moving to curl up next to him on Marinette's lap. Marinette gently petted Plagg between the ears with the cat kwami letting out a soft purr as he slept. "I think you might have a magic touch m'lady." Adrien laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen Plagg act so possessive, or purr as much."

"Just because I'm purring, doesn't mean I can't hear you." Plagg interjected, popping one eye open to look at his chosen. "It's not my problem that your jealous."

"I'm not jealous." Adrien shot back a little too defensively. Marinette raise an eyebrow at him, a playful smile on her face. "Well, maybe a little bit." Marinette laughed, cupping his face in her hand and planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"Don't worry Chaton, your still my favourite kitten to snuggle up too." Plagg started grumbling about getting squashed before Tikki dragged him off to another part of the room, distracting him with cheese.

"Can I ask your expert opinion on something Bugaboo?" There was a playfulness in Adrien's tone, but there was also a seriousness there too.

"Of course Kitty, what's up?"

"Well, I was thinking about the fashion company and what we want for it in the future." Marinette nodded thoughtfully before he continued. "I talked to Aunty Audrey about it and I want to change the name. Rebrand it and make it our own." Marinette knew Adrien had been getting advice from Audrey Bourgeois as well as Nathalie in regards to the company. Initially, Marinette wondered if he would just sell it off. It was no secret that Adrien wasn't a huge fan of modeling and he was more than grateful when his father finally relented and allowed him to step off the catwalk so to speak. What she hadn't expected was how much he actually enjoyed the business side. Finding his element, he was happy to keep the company, handing the creative reigns over to Marinette. Initially, Marinette had a complete freak out feeling that Adrien's blind trust in her was totally misplaced and could only lead to disaster. To her surprise, not only did Audrey Bourgeois take Marinette under her wing, but encouraged her to step up and take charge, injecting her own ideas. Tikki was a huge help in getting her courage up, reminding her that being Ladybug was more than just superhero duties when suited up, but that Marinette was Ladybug everyday as herself.