Chapter Seven: Driving Home For Christmas.

Top to toe in tailbacks. Red lights on the run. Plagg really isn't seeing the good in Christmas just yet.

Plagg could privately, quietly, in the depths of his mind, maybe admit that there was actually something to this Christmas thing that Adrien wanted him to experience.

The clothes thing was so-so - the jumper had been absolutely hysterical, but the only good things about the fancier than normal suits Adrien wore was the fancier than normal parties he wore them to. They had served five different varieties of cheese at the last one, so the party couldn't have been all that bad. Plagg was a cat, and in spite of his lazy demeanour he understood about grooming and appearances and looking good, so he could understand the humans wanting to dress up to have a good time. Just not in the way Gabriel Agreste demanded.

Music was something that Plagg understood too. Again, as a cat, he had a marvellous singing voice. He knew there were just sometimes you had to sing to convey your emotions. The carol choir from the other day had been sort of alright, but the rest of the music he had listened to had been wonderful. Plagg was now impatiently awaiting the new Christmas playlist he has asked - nagged - Adrien to get from Nino.

So he could understand those two things, and maybe admit that this Christmas thing wasn't so bad, if it wasn't for what they were currently enduring.

Stuck alone in the back of a limo, Gorilla ensconced in the driver's seat behind the closed divider, barely moving in the Parisian traffic, for twenty whole minutes. He'd left a chunk of camembert to come to room temperature before they'd left to go to the lesson Adrien had just finished, if they were stuck in the traffic any longer it would be warm, practically melted, and utterly ruined! He would still eat it, of course, but it was the principal of the thing!

Plagg stuck his head out of Adrien's bag and sighed. "I still don't see why this Christmas is such a big thing, kid. Bad fashion, screeching dressed up as singing, and now this!"

"Traffic jams are not part of Christmas! They happen all year round."

"Oh, really?"

With the perfect timing of the universe trying to prove a point, the radio station they had been half-listening to as they waited to get home switched to the traffic report.

… Traffic is heavier than usual throughout the city with people flocking to the big Christmas sales, travelling to see friends and family, and of course the extra tourism that comes in at this time of year, so if you're on the roads…

Adrien turned it off with a huff and slouched down in his seat. "Okay, okay, so there might be slightly more cars on the road than normal. Traffic jams aren't part of Christmas though, only the reason behind them."

"Christmas is part of Christmas? Yeah. I got that."

"No!"

Adrien huffed again and stared out of the window. He didn't appear to be looking at the lights and crowds so much as staring off into space and Plagg knew he needed to tread carefully in this conversation. It was rare for him to be this morose without his parents being involved somehow. Plagg jumped from the bag to curl up in Adrien's gloved hands, oh so much warmer than his bag, and settled into a light doze until Adrien was ready to speak again.

It didn't take long. "People are visiting friends and family because that's what Christmas means! Being happy together with those you love. They're shopping to buy gifts to make those people happy, to see the joy on their faces when they open their present, to know that they've made them happy."

And there was that wistful tone that Plagg knew meant Adrien was thinking of the past and happier times. When he still had his mother, and his father was present in his life. When he would have had the Christmasses of happiness and joy and togetherness that he was teaching Plagg about. Now, he only really had his friends, and without them Adrien was in for a pretty poor Christmas spent locked in his mansion if Gabriel had his way.

It was just a good thing that Plagg never followed the rules then, wasn't it?

"So you humans really go through all this inconvenience for happiness?"

Adrien rolled his eyes at Plagg's dramatics, as predicted. "Just look at their faces. Do any of them look inconvenienced or unhappy?"

Plagg slowly uncurled and stretched out, shaking the sleep off, before darting up Adrien's jacket sleeve and running up his arm to his collar just to make him squirm and giggle. He made sure to accidentally catch Adrien's neck with his tail as he adjusted the collar and Adrien's blue scarf so he could peek out while still remaining hidden. It was funny to watch Adrien try and stifle his wriggling and giggling so as not to draw attention to Plagg - it also meant the kid wasn't so melancholy anymore.

He peeked out of the tinted windows at the people in the street. They were dashing about with purpose, rushing to and fro, arms laden with bags and rolls of paper, in ones and twos and threes and more. Not a single one of them had a frown on their faces. Not even when people bumped into them or their bags split or any other minor inconvenience happened to them. They just shrugged it off and carried on smiling.

Even the people in the cars next to them. They were just the same as Adrien and Plagg, stuck in traffic that was barely moving, unable to continue on to their destination like the pedestrian shoppers were. But even they didn't look sad. They were focussed intently on the road ahead, but they weren't down or sad.

Maybe there really was something to this Christmas thing after all? If it could make people smile through inconveniences and annoyances, simply because they were looking forward to being with friends and family on the day itself, then it was probably a pretty good thing indeed.

Not that he would admit that to Adrien just yet of course.

Plagg sniffed and wriggled further into the scarf. "You humans get joy from companionship and giving? How very un-cat like." He yawned and snuggled deeper into the exceedingly comfortable scarf, already feeling drowsy again. "I don't think I'll ever understand this wacky festival of yours kid."

"If you say so." Adrien smirked where Plagg couldn't see him, just listening to his kwami purr himself to sleep. Plagg hid his heart of gold under a sassy and self-centred attitude, but Adrien knew his kwami.

Author's note: so the sproglet has come down with a cold. Yay! He's still going into school tomorrow, and for the rest of the week with a bit of luck, but I'm here praying that he doesn't develop a cough because the absolute last thing we need is to have another isolation. I hope you all had good weekends. Finally, my usual reminder that I have not seen all of season 2 or season 3 of Miraculous Ladybug, so please do not spoil it for me.

Replies to reviews:

Sorry if I miss anyone off the list, I've got a few days of replies to get through.

guest (on ch1) - thank you for not spoiling seasons 2 and 3 for me. We're getting virgin tv for Christmas so I'll be able to record them and watch them soon ish. And I'm glad you like Plagg and Adrien.

KayKay0606 - glad you like Tikki, she was indeed super excited.

yellow 14 - not much impresses Plagg really. Except himself and cheese of course. And you may very well be right about the sproglet and kitchen debacles.

owlthewriter - glad you liked it. I hope you like the rest of the scenes of kwami cuteness.

Lady Noir FourEver - I'm really glad you like my Christmas stories and thanks for reviewing.

Crystal Kaouri - sorry to disappoint but there won't be a reveal in this one as it is a (srt of) prequel to All I Want For Christmas which start with a reveal. I'm glad my fluffy Christmas stories can cheer you up, and consider this your warning for all future chapters that this fic will cause cavities. Take care!