I'm not associated with Miraculous. If I was, I would've warned you guys months ago that the new season was pushed back again instead of letting you be disappointed around Christmastime.

Umm, warning for minor spoilers for season two?


December 9th - "Marshmallows"

Nooroo zipped quietly down the stairs and into the dark kitchen. Master had finally gone to bed, for once too tired to remember to forbid his kwami from leaving the room. He couldn't get too far away from his Miraculous stone, but Master insisted on only feeding him enough to power a transformation, and Nooroo was starving.

'Just a snack,' he told himself as he phased into the pantry. 'Just a quick snack and I'll go right back.'

The aroma of the food around him filled his senses and he allowed himself a deep, relaxing breath. So many good things in the world… he'd almost forgotten how to appreciate the little pleasures in life. He fluttered from shelf to shelf, looking for a snack. Finally, on the highest shelf, he spotted a bag of marshmallows. Giggling in delight, he settled himself beside it and opened it up. He savored his first bite with a sigh of bliss.

Usually, fresh fruit was his preferred meal, but after months of being forced to eat so he could use his powers to hurt people… he just wanted something pure and simple. And the sugar in these reminded him of Tikki and her endless, cheerful optimism. Oh, how he missed his friends….

He froze as the pantry door opened and quickly hid behind the bag he was eating from.

"Plagg?" a young voice whispered. Adrien. Nooroo winced. Part of him (a very large, insistent part) wanted to zoom out to the boy and beg the young Chat Noir to hide him and keep him safe, but… the boy wasn't ready. Not ready to face Hawkmoth, and certainly not ready to face who Hawkmoth really was. Maybe soon, he and Ladybug would be strong enough to take on his master and win, but Nooroo wasn't willing to place them in harm's way by trying to speed things up. For now, he had to remain hidden.

But Adrien was now searching the shelves for his own wayward kwami and getting far too close to Nooroo's hiding spot.

"Plagg, is that you?"

"Negative, I am a marshmallow."

Nooroo covered his mouth in horror as soon as the words slipped out. He shouldn't have said anything! Why had he said something?

"Very funny, Plagg," Adrien said. "Now come out. You've already eaten your cheese ration for the night. We need to get back to my room before—"

"Adrien, what are you doing up?" Gabriel's voice echoed through the kitchen. Nooroo felt his stomach plummet. There was no chance his disappearance had gone unnoticed.

"Uh, I… was just, um… getting a midnight snack!" Adrien said.

"Go back to your room, such a thing is bad for your skin," Gabriel ordered. Nooroo heard Adrien reluctantly trudge out of the kitchen. Peeking out, he made sure they were alone before he slowly floated down to face his master. Gabriel studied him for a few moments.

"You didn't reveal yourself to him," he said, sounding surprised.

"No, Master," Nooroo said quietly.

"Why not?"

'Because I don't want him to face you until I'm sure he can win,' the kwami thought silently.

"Do you really want to fight your own son?" he asked instead. "Especially during the holiday season?"

Gabriel hummed in consideration, and looked around the kitchen. "Am I not feeding you enough?"

"No, no! I mean, yes!" Nooroo said quickly. "It's enough. You don't need to worry about your transformation wearing off prematurely. I just, sometimes… crave a treat," he admitted shamefacedly. "I'll control myself better from now on, Master."

"I know I am not your ideal master, Nooroo," Gabriel said, narrowing his eyes, "but I gain nothing by being unnecessarily cruel to you. What were you eating?"

"Just a few marshmallows."

"Fine," Gabriel reached up and grabbed the bag from the shelf. "Come, you can snack on these while I work on my new line a bit longer."

Scarcely able to believe his good fortune, Nooroo zipped after him eagerly.


End.

(I want it known: I do not endorse this relationship. Nooroo is, in essence, a prisoner of war being exploited by his captor, and I eagerly await Gabe's downfall with the rest of you. I'll probably even throw a party.

Until then, I wanted to give Nooroo a little bit of Christmas cheer, and he's unfortunately attached to the Father of the Year, so…. I had to work with what I've got.)

#25daysofml2k17