Chapter 16: Thinking (Adrien's POV)

Author's Note: This is directly after Chapter 13.

Adrien plays Mario asbently. School ended the day Oblivio attacked, which meant he was free from seeing Liela. Which means it is Christmas Break, officially. Though Christmas is only a few days away if you don't count today, December 21th 2052(The time is 2052 because as humans our technology does get better and better each decade since each piece of tech get's better and better upgrades. Also having it this far in the future also explains Felix's high tech that he gets his hands on to discover Gabriel's secret vault. Since I do not think we have such tech at this current time).

He should be excited, as its first Chirstams having actual friends. But he knows that somehow his father will not be able to attend, so he'll be alone again. He could go to Master Fu's place, but he doubts the old man will want a teenager with him at Christmas.

Then he smacks his head, he'll have Keith of course. Duh! Adrien can't believe he forgot about him.

Setting down his controller, he walks to Keith's room. It's on the second floor of his spacious bedroom, since his father wouldn't allow Keith his own room. So Adrien made the library room a place where Keith could stay.

It didn't take too much effort, just getting a bed from one of the guest rooms and having Gorilla(his nickname for his bodyguard) help him move it into the library. Since the library already had a desk and some bean bag chairs.

Walking in, he admires his handiwork.

Bookshelves line the spacious room, at the end of the room a bed can be seen. Next to the bed is the desk, close to one of the bookshelves. Beanbags are still close to some of the bookshelves. Other than that the room looks tidy. On the bed sits Keith, he's looking at his knife again.

Adrien knocks on the open door to his right, before entering.

He notices Keith quickly puts the dagger away under his pillow. He raises an eyebrow but doesn't question it.

"Come in Adrien." Keith says, looking at him with those violet eyes of his. Making Adrien again wonder if they are contacts or his actual eye-colour.

Walking in he asks, "So, anything special you want to on Christmas Eve or Christmas day."

Keith leans back on his bed, he is wearing a black t-shirt with a green paw print on it and black jogging pants. "Christmas," he mutters loud enough for Adrien to hear, "I hadn't even thought about it."

"What?!" Adiren exclaims, how could Keith not think about Christmas? Christmas decorations were everywhere. Houses with lights on them, Christmas decorations on their lawns, Pine trees and other leaf bare trees wrapped with lights, Christmas Carols being sung on the radio, no matter what station, and everyone acting nicer and more caring towards each other.

Keith's POV

Adrien's outburst of what, made Keith look at him confused. Sure Christmas was a big holiday, but normally he just didn't pay that much attention to it. As at the orphanage and the Galaxy Garrison, while it was celebrated, he just had anyone to celebrate with. He did have Shiro, but Shiro had a family so normally he could go and visit them for a couple of days while Keith stayed at the Garrison.

Though this year is different. Since he has actual friends in Kagami and Adrien and his girlfriend Chole to celebrate it with this year.

But it still snuck up on him. They were busy, since the 16th held Heroes Day and then there was the movie premiere on the 18th and the Oblivo akuma on the 20th.

So yeah. It kinda left his mind that Christmas Break had started after Friday the 20th was over and by extension that Christmas Day was only a few days away.

So a fierce pang of heartbreak entered through his heart, since he wouldn't be able to celebrate Christmas with the Paladins or Shiro. Though they probably didn't even know that Christmas was on its way.

Adrien sat down next to him, startling him for a split second.

"Are you sad because you can't celebrate with your dad?"

Keith looks at Adrien, that was partially the truth. Though he had long accepted his dad was gone and wouldn't be coming back at eight years old, just a year after his dad died. Though more to do with not being to be with the Paladins(who feels like a family to him, even if he was a loner most of the time around them).

"Yea, that's kinda why it slipped my mind," And not the other billion reasons, like figuring out a way to defeat Hawkmoth, still having some self worth issues(and trying to not go into that or try not to have another identity crisis like when he left Voltron with Allura for stupidly beliving that Zarkon could track Voltron through his knife his mother had once in her posseion!).

"It will be my first Christmas without my mother," Adrien says in a sad tone. "And my father will not be able to make it since he is always busy these days."

Keith inwardly fumes, he hates Gabriel. Freaking hates him! How could a dad treat their child this way! Especially since the mother died! If it weren't for his oath not to complain, he would be confronting Gabriel about this. He was also mad because he has wanted a father figure in his life to ease the pain of not having his father around! But because of his hurt he just pushed people away who could be that.

Except for Shiro, and the other Paladins and all the people he has made friends with in Paris(except for the people who supported Lila in saying Chloe couldn't change, because he was still mad about that, especially since if he could change from being a loner, so could Chloe).

So Keith drapes his arm around Adrien and makes him lean on his shoulder. "At least you have me. And we could always go to Tom and Sabine's place, so they're not lonely at Christmas."

Since Adrien brought up Christmas he was half thinking of the idea, since it was kinda his fault that Marinette wasn't around, even if he did not know how the switch happened in the first place. That and he just felt more comfortable hanging out with them and Chloe then being in this Mansion with Gabriel.

Because he can not stand that poor excuse of father.

Adrien says, "You sure?"

Keith nods trying to sound calm and not at all angry, since he isn't angry at Adrien, but is angry at Gabriel, "Of course I'm sure. I bet having some teenagers in their house will bring some sense of normalcy, even if we aren't Marinette. And it would be more fun than just the two of us hanging out by our lonesomes at Christmas"

Nino's POV

Nino stares at his phone. He's been trying to work up the courage to call Adrien or text him all morning. But he's just so nervous, because what if Adrien rejects him? He was a jerk to both him and Keith for thinking that Chloe could change, making fun of the idea along with his ex-girlfriend.

That and he's pretty sure Keith might not be too happy at him trying to rekindle his friendship with Adrien.

Since again, he was a jerk to both of them.

He is also nervous by the fact that now he's isolated himself. He wasn't really friends with the other boys in the class, since hanging out with Adrien was once his main priority and he is sure that once school starts again he might be subject to Lila scolding him for breaking up with Alya when Alya was the one who broke up with him.

Because Alya, thinking Lila is her friend, might have called her and told her everything. That and since Lila is supposedly friends with Ladybug, Alya will take anything she says with the utmost reverence.

Nino knows because he has seen that happen. Posting Lila's comments on the Noirblog without fact-checking as if Lila could not fabricate the truth. And just posting Lila's comments in general as if she was the superhero and not Chat Noir or any of the other members of Team Miraculous.

And trusting her to babysit when they weren't sure if she had any experience at it. But then again that was Alya's idea and he went along with it because he wanted to go on a date without his and Alya's little siblings tagging along. That was before the whole Oblivo incident happened.

He takes his glasses off and rubs his temples. Then he looks at his bedroom ceiling and sighs. Going over what he already knows and thinks isn't helping him with texting or calling Adrien to apologise.

Taking a deep breath Nino finally texts Adrien, better to get it done and over with than agonising about it for hours on end.

He types, Hey Adrien. I just wanted to let you know that I am sorry for how I have treated you in the past. It was wrong of me and it was wrong of me to assume Chloe couldn't change just because she has been a certain way for a long time. I am deeply sorry and have realised that I wasn't being fair to assume that, since all of us have been granted second chances, maybe even third chances. Again I am sorry and I probably don't deserve your forgiveness, but if you want to hang out sometime let me know.

Nino hits send, hoping to God that Adrien might forgive him and that they can rekindle their friendship.

Though not waiting to see if he'll reply, Nino slips his phone into one of his green sweaters front pockets and heads out of his room. He yells, trying not to sound nervous, "I'm going out for a quick out!"

His mother yells, "Okay!"

He grabs his blue coat and puts on a red tuque that is on the coat rack. He then puts on black boots, heavy thick ones(ones that are supposed to keep toes warm) and then opens the front door of his house.

When Nino steps outside the brightness of the snow hurts his eyes, but eventually the brightness fades. Hoping the cool air will help calm his nerves, Nino begins to walk down his stairs and onto the pathway, which has been shovelled clear of snow.

The cool air refreshens him and the snow glitters in the sunlight. Making the winter weather serene.