Chapter 3. Trixx of Christmas Present

Hawkmoth emerged from the void with a loud gasp. He landed on his knees in the middle of his study. There were no kwami in sight. He rubbed his temples feeling the approaching migraine.

Faces he thought he'd never see again rose from the depths of his memory. His father. His younger selves. Young Emilie. Was it all just a headache-induced dream?

Gabriel was no stranger to nightmares, finding it harder to sleep with each day, but it didn't seem like a dream. He pulled himself up and went to Emilie's portrait, intent on returning to his hideout and making sure there were no kwami of creation and destruction waiting for him there.

He aimed to launch the hidden trapdoor mechanism, but his fingers passed right through the painting.

'Gabey! Hi! Sorry I'm late!' a voice from behind him cried and an orange blur circled him excitedly.

He caught a glimpse of a fuzzy tail and pointy ears before he got dizzy.

'I'm Trixx,' the creature chirped, finally landing on his shoulder. 'Kwami of Christmas Present, at your service!'

Hawkmoth squinted at the orange blob. A miniature fox was grinning at him, showing two rows of perfect tiny needles. She batted her tail left and right and fluttered her lashes.

'What are you waiting for?' Trixx chirruped. 'We need to get going or we'll miss him!'

She bounced off his shoulder and darted for the door. 'Come on, come on! There's no time like present!' She paused at that and scratched her chin. 'Although actually there is, and it's running away, so get that purple booty moving! Out! Out! Out!'

Gabriel was too shocked to disobey. His legs were carrying him out through the door and onto the street before he noticed. The little sprite flew ahead of him, reminding him of an enthusiastic dog and forcing him to speed walk to the point of panting. He wasn't used to walking, and he was pretty sure his dramatic strolls through the lair didn't count. Trixx stopped a few times to check if he followed.

'Wait!' he demanded trying to catch his breath at the same time. 'Can't you just transport us to wherever you think we need to be? Pollen seemed to have no problem with that.'

'Ah,' Trixx tapped her nose. 'But Pollen is a kwami of Christmas Past. It's much easier to navigate in an established timeline.'

'What?'

'Look, Gabey,' the little fox scrunched her nose. 'I'm not exactly the kwami to talk about miraculous time travel. That's more of Wayzz's thing. But the way I see it, you're in a personal bubble of your "now" that we take into different moments in time.' She drew a spherical shape with her paws and moved them around as if it was the bubble she mentioned. 'But at the same - um for the lack of better word - time, the time in your global "now" hasn't ceased flowing, so um, in the past or future this doesn't really cause trouble, but in present…,' she seemed to consider her next line. 'Well you're here with me now and not where you would otherwise be now, and that kinda constitutes a new now for you, so... ' she trailed off.

'So?' he prompted the kwami to continue. He was already lost and looking for even a little bit of logic or sense in her mad babbling.

'So in the Present, your personal bubble can't move from A to B without physically taking that path. Look, the Present is so thin, that if I tried that trick with transporting us, there's no telling when we'd end up, okay? I am not taking that risk, mister. I've had Wayzz nagging me about perfectly negligible navigation mistakes before and I'm so done with that turtle.' She narrowed her eyes. 'Got it?'

She didn't wait for his answer, which would be a big fat "no" anyway, just flew behind him and pushed him to move forward. Transporting or not, it seemed to speed things up a bit and soon Gabriel found himself in front of a door. He recognized the neighborhood as close to Adrien's school. A little boulangerie patisserie nested on the ground level of the old tenement house, still open despite the approaching holiday.

'Why are we here exactly?' he asked, but the fox kwami only shushed at him.

'I'll explain in a second,' she whispered. Her ears twitched as she listened to the sounds of a distant chatter. 'Now up we go,' she ordered and without further ado pushed him into the wood and to the other side.

Two flights of stairs later the fox kwami unceremoniously shoved him inside someone's apartment, as if he was nothing more than a naughty cub.

'Phew, we're right on time!' Trixx flopped onto his shoulder and released a tired sigh.

'On time for what?' Gabriel apparently spoke only in questions now.

His guide only nodded in the direction of the room and sprawled herself on a shelf nearby.

He looked around. The place was small but quaint, with a warm feel to it. It was also crowded. A group of teenagers surrounded a Christmas tree and argued about who would get to give his presents first. There was too much cheerful pushing, tickling and laughing for this to be a real fight, but it was still too loud for his tastes. He was beginning to wonder why the kwami had dragged him here, when he spotted Adrien among the teens.

The boy's hair was ruffled and his cheeks were pink from excitement. His eyes shone as he prodded a brunette, making her jump and squeal. He used her stupefaction to grab a gift from her hands and lifted it high above the girl's head.

'You can't give presents, if you can't reach them, Mari,' he singsang triumphantly.

The girl huffed and narrowed her eyes at him. A redhead who stood next to her took a step back with a sharp 'Uh-oh.'

Adrien frowned at the reaction, but soon he found himself pinned to the couch as the petite brunette tackled him with surprising speed and force.

'Nino, help!' his son squirmed in the girl's grip, though a few giggles that escaped him belied the need for rescue.

'Bro, you know I love you,' the other boy replied, backing away. 'But I'm scared of Marinette much more,' he said apologetically.

Gabriel now recognized him as Adrien's DJ friend. Upon closer inspection the brunette indeed turned out to be Marinette, the talented hat designer. He hadn't identified her before because she had altered her hairdo, exchanging the pigtails for a braid. The redhead next to them was probably their classmate, so this must have been the occasion his son mentioned when he had left in the afternoon.

'Fair enough,' Adrien wheezed. 'I surrender,' he offered the package back to Marinette. 'You can go first, Mari.' He ducked his head and sent his friend a tender gaze.

She smirked at him and crossed her arms over her chest. 'This one's actually for you, so you might as well open it now.'

'Ah, if he got yours, I want to give mine too!' Nino rummaged through the stack of packages to retrieve a small flat box wrapped in green paper. 'Here you go, my dude! Merry Christmas!'

'Me too, me too!' the redhead piped in passing Adrien the third present.

The teens waited patiently as the boy carefully unwrapped his gifts. He went with Marinette's first, squealing like a fangirl when he pulled out the large red hoodie with Ladybug spots scattered over the material. It even had black antennas sewn to the top of the hood, making the owner look more like a real insect than a Ladybug wannabe. Adrien put it on and wrapped himself with the soft fabric sighting in delight.

'Thank you!' he exclaimed and pulled the girl into a tight hug. 'I love it! I am never taking this off!'

Marinette flushed at his reaction, but it was clear she was beyond happy. Gabriel made a mental note to get a closer look at the garment as it looked quite promising, maybe except for the fact that it was an obvious tribute to Ladybug.

Adrien finally released his friend and move to Nino's gift. It was a CD and a memory stick.

'I didn't know which one you'd prefer, so I prepared both,' the bespectacled boy explained. 'The contents are the same.'

'Marinette, can I…' Adrien pointed to the stereo system and before he even had time to finish the sentence, the girl was already putting the album on.

It was something Gabriel didn't recognize, and definitely a so called mix, but then he heard the teens gasp as a new line joined the song. Soft piano, definitely not a part of the original composition.

'That's me!' Adrien gaped at the speakers. 'That's my performance!'

Nino scratched his head and shuffled his feet. 'Yeah, I recorded your last concert and used it for a few sets. You like it?'

In a flash Adrien was at his friend's side and hugging him fiercely. 'It's amazing!' he cried. 'Thank you, Nino!'

'You're welcome,' the other boy grinned.

'Easy there, Agreste,' the redhead caught Adrien's collar and pulled him away. 'That's my boyfriend, you know.'

'Ah, sorry, Alya,' the boy winked at her. 'But he's such a great cuddler I couldn't resist.'

'Damn right,' she nodded. 'Then you are forgiven. Now open the one from me!'

Adrien didn't need more encouragement. He unwrapped the rectangular shape and blinked. Then blinked again raising it to his eyes. 'H-how… how did you…?'

'I have my ways,' Alya said with a smile worthy of a fox.

'What is it?' Marinette and Nino tried to peek at the item.

Adrien turned it so that they all could see the framed photo of him in a charcoal suit and the feather hat being carried by Ladybug. His friends awed in unison.

'That's not all!' Adrien exclaimed and tapped at the picture. 'There's an autograph too!'

Hawkmoth, who until now observed the scene from a safe distance, moved closer to see for himself. Sure enough, next to the photo of his son carried bridal style by his archenemy, there was a signature, a little doodle of a yoyo and even a stray heart. Gabriel despised people who put hearts into their autographs. He flinched and retreated to his position at the door.

'Can we go now?' he turned to Trixx, who was polishing her claws and hovering at his sight level.

'Not yet.'

'I think I've seen enough,' he snapped.

'Not yet,' the kwami repeated, unperturbed by his tone. 'There's more you need to see, so do us a favor, Gabey, and watch, okay?'

Hawkmoth sent her his best scowl, but she just grinned at him and flicked her tail. She pointed to the teens and returned to her claws like they were the most interesting thing on earth.

Without any choice in the matter Gabriel shifted his attention back to the group. Now it was his son's turn to hand the gifts. He expected they would be quite impressive. After all he provided his son with resources that allowed the boy to pick top shelf merchandise, including their family brand.

So it came as a huge surprise when it turned out that Adrien's gifts were all handmade, in a manner similar to what his friends prepared for him. Alya got a new logo design for the Ladyblog together with an adjusted color scheme. Nino's gift constituted of a pair of personalised headphones that got equipped with earmuffs and of a crafted felt case with little music notes sewn onto it. Marinette was already hanging her set of Christmas ornaments on the tree, murmuring praises at Adrien's creation. Gabriel had to admit that the Ladybug and Chat Noir themed felt baubles were quite nice on the eyes, even if he could see some minor mistakes from afar. The giftee didn't comment on that in any way, she seemed to be elated and promised to save a few ornaments for her room.

'Whose gift is this?' Nino asked when he found a last flat package on the kitchen counter. 'There's no card.'

'That's for my father,' Adrien made a dash for the present. 'Marinette showed me a few tricks and I needed a last minute advice.' He scratched his neck anxiously. 'I wanted to make sure it would fit to father's standards.'

Nino and Alya cast him a compassionate look.

'You know you don't have to be perfect,' his friend said. 'And neither does your gift.'

'I know, I just- nevermind,' Adrien put the package in his bag.

'It's getting late,' Alya said moving to the hangers. 'My parents are probably waiting with all the food.'

'Thanks for having us, Mari!' Nino followed her.

Adrien whipped his head at his friends. He didn't look like he was in a hurry, nor like he wanted to return home. 'How about one last round of Ultra Mecha Strike, hmmm? I'll be playing with one eye closed this time to even the chances.' He clearly aimed at a friendly tease, but it still came out a little desperate.

Nino stared at him for one long moment before shifting his gaze to Marinette. 'Okay,' he finally said, when she gave him a short nod. 'One last round and then we really must be going.'

'Right on time,' a new voice boomed from the door making Hawkmoth in surprise. 'I was counting on a little match all day.'

A huge man entered the apartment. He was carrying a tray the size of a sewer cover filled with treats. The teens perked up at the sight.

'Ultra Mecha Strike and fresh Dupain-Cheng pastries,' Nino sighed. 'Can you adopt me, Monsieur Dupain?'

'I'm not sure your parents would be happy with that,' the man, apparently Marinette's father, replied. 'But you can always marry my daughter and this all will be yours,' he curled up his mustache.

For some reason two of the four teens flushed at his suggestion, and neither of them was Nino.

Alya, who as far as Gabriel recalled from the earlier conversation claimed to be his girlfriend, put an arm around the bespectacled boy and winked. 'Sorry, Monsieur, I called dibs on this hunk already. But you're welcome to choose literally any other boy in here for your son-in-law,' she added with a cheeky grin.

Gabriel frowned, as Marinette made a little whining sound and retreated to the living room with an impressive speed, trying to hide her steaming face. 'Maybe I'll put the game on, so that it's ready for you, Papa,' she sputtered.

Adrien stood in place for a moment, his face carefully blank, watching Monsieur Dupain's lips stretch into a beaming smile.

'Come on, son,' the man patted the blond on the back. 'How about a duel, hmmm? I bet I can get you this time, Tom style. Booyah!'

Now Adrien finally smiled back. 'You can certainly try, Monsieur Dupain,' he said innocently allowing the man to lead him back to the couches.

Hawkmoth felt his stomach twisting into a tight knot at the spike of jealousy. He was about to follow the teens but Trixx suddenly appeared in his way.

'Well?' she drawled. 'We can go now.'

'Now?' Gabriel tried to look past her at the match, but she only hovered closer to his nose.

'You wanted to go, Gabey, so now we can go.'

'Where to?' he pursed his lips.

'Back to your house,' Trixx caught his sleeve and started dragging him outside. 'We need to hurry if we want to get there before your son. He's going to leave soon and he has a driver.'

'Oh,' Gabriel sighed at the thought of the stroll back. Trixx ushered him down the steps and into the evening air.

They walked in silence, the kwami dashing to the sides to play in the decorations from time to time, but he took no notice of her, his thoughts fully occupied with the gift exchange and the impromptu gaming session afterwards. When was the last time he played with Adrien? He didn't know squat about the games the boy played, but even a board game. Chess. Piano. When was the last time they did anything as carefree as Adrien's activities today ?

He didn't even notice when they passed the mansion threshold, seconds before Adrien arrived. Hawkmoth gasped when he saw his son. At Marinette's house, the boy had been positively beaming. His eyes had shone with excitement, his lips had been stretched in an almost constant smile. He stood tall.

The happy and relaxed Adrien he had seen minutes earlier looked nothing like the anxious shadow that entered the house. Stiff shoulders, shrunken posture, pursed lips. Sad eyes searched the vast space of the foyer and found no living soul in sight. The difference in demeanor was astounding and Gabriel found it difficult to believe it.

Guilt set low in the pit of his stomach as he watched his son slowly approach the Christmas tree. Nathalie had put the gifts under the low branches before she left. The packages must have piqued Adrien's curiosity, especially after what he already had received at Marinette's house. He peeked into a few bags not really bothering with the labels. There were only two people in this household after all, so he could easily guess which presents were for him.

Gabriel's insides twisted even more violently when he realized he didn't know the contents of a single bag under that tree. Sure, he had asked Nathalie to buy the gifts from a list he provided, but he had no idea what she had decided to go with, nor if anything from that list would actually make it to Adrien's wishlist.

The boy pulled the package he had prepared for his father from his messenger bag and started looking for a good location for his gift. The present wasn't as elegant and fancy wrapped as any of the packages waiting under the tree. It was quite evident when Adrien put it next to others. He seemed to mull over that fact before removing the gift from its place.

Hawkmoth sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It struck him now, and struck him hard, how he would give every gift he ever got for a chance to receive something Adrien had personally crafted with him in mind. He just knew he would cherish it no matter what that would be. At that moment he vowed it would be the first thing he'd do once this nightmare is over.

'Anything interesting?' a nasal voice broke the grave silence of the foyer.

It sounded familiar, although Gabriel couldn't recall where or when he had heard it before. He looked around but there was no one else in sight, only his son. Still, it wasn't his imagination, because Adrien spoke in return.

'Nah, just the usual junk, a new game, some electronics, books and designer clothes,' the boy said, but he didn't turn. Maybe he was on the phone?

'Any cheese?' the first voice asked hopefully.

Adrien barked out a laugh. 'I wouldn't count on it, but I'll see later, when Father comes.'

'Huh,' the voice sighed. 'Where is he by the way? It's almost Réveillon time.'

The boy cast a forlorn look at the door to Gabriel's study. His fingers clenched over the package he held. 'I don't know,' he admitted.

'Aren't you going to put that under the tree?' the voice inquired.

Adrien hesitated, his gaze skipping between the closed door and the expensive yet awfully generic gifts. Finally he squared his shoulders and turned away from the study and from the tree. 'Nah, he probably won't like it anyway.'

Mist rose from the floor as Hawkmoth took a step in his son's direction. But the boy was unaware of his father's presence. Even worse, he got used to be aware of Gabriel's presence anywhere but at his side. Gabriel felt another pang of regret as the scene once again started to fade before his eyes. He couldn't do a single thing now, only watch the lonely boy making his way to his room.

'Come on, Plagg,' Adrien said climbing up the stairs. 'Let's see if Santa left you something in my room.'

A black blob peeked from Adrien's collar casting an anxious look at the surroundings. When the foyer proved to be empty, an oddly familiar catlike sprite flew out and eyed the boy worryingly. 'Are you okay, kid?' the creature asked.

Hawkmoth's throat suddenly went dry. 'But that's… that is…' he choked out. Was that a trick of fading light? Of the shadows swallowing the Present?

Trixx stretched her lips in a wide smile. 'I believe you met earlier this evening?' She asked.

'I'm fine, Plagg,' Adrien shrugged to prove his point, but his eyes told a different story.

The black cat sent him a disbelieving look.

'Okay, I'm not fine,' the boy slumped. 'But I will be! Once I put this set on and try out my hoodie.'

'That's my kitten,' the sprite smirked barring its pointy teeth. 'Any of the gougeres left? Or cheese danishes? I'm starving!' He patted his tummy.

'I'll see what can be done,' Adrien returned the cheeky toothy grin.

It was the last thing Gabriel saw before darkness swallowed him again.

Author's Note: Thank you for coming back to this story, for your reviews, favs and follows! It shows me this was worth the effort. Please keep letting me know what you think! I appreciate your feedback greatly!

Once again a big thank you to Freedom-Shamrock for beta reading and catching up a few plot holes.

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