Hey there, everyone! This particular story has been sitting on my desk for quite a while now. Those of you who have been enthusiastically reading my Miraculous Ladybug AU, know that there's a part of its story that has yet to be told. Okay, there are a lot of parts that have yet to be told, but this one is special. And that part is what happened during the first Christmas of the Miraculous Team. This is that story, and how the Miraculous heroes managed to save both Paris and Christmas from Hawk Moth. And without further ado, it's time to go on with the show…
Chapter 1: It's That Wonderful Time of the Year
Snow kept falling from the sky, turning the streets and buildings white. It was the end of November. Only a few more days to go, until December arrived. And even though December was still two days away, the French capital was already in full Christmas spirit. Like every year, it felt that Christmas just kept arriving earlier and earlier. And on that particular year, with all the snow falling, one would swear it was already Christmas Eve. And at the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie, business was booming; all thanks for the Christmas cakes and pastries that Tom and Sabine had begun to sell that week. The interior of the bakery smelled like fresh baked bread, and it was also perfumed with the sweet scent of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. In the showcases and on the counter, there were Christmas gingerbread cakes, Madeleines, and the ever-traditional Buche de Noel, which was a cake that could not be missing from the table of every table in France. There was something special about Tom's Buche de Noel, that made people come and buy it every year. Some would say it was the combination of spices he used. Others would say it was the sweetness of milk chocolate, which contrasted the bitterness of the dark chocolate. And others would say it was the softness of the cake, combined with creaminess and richness of the chocolate.
Whatever was the reason for their success, each year, Tom made thousands of those cakes and sold them. And at moment, one of them was being carefully placed into a box by Marinette, to be delivered to the gentleman that had bought it. Smiling, she handed the package to the man.
"Thank you! Happy Holidays!" -Marinette told the old man, as he left with the package. –"Another Buche de Noel sold. At this rate, we'll sell all of them, until the end of the day." -she thought to herself, as she looked at the five remaining cakes inside the showcases, as well as the clock above the bakery's door, which marked five minutes to 5 o'clock.
Coming from the back, with a basket filled with freshly baked baguettes and a tray of gingerbread cookies, Sabine was trying her best to not drop anything. Seeing this, Marinette quickly helped her mother, by grabbing the gingerbread cookies.
"Thanks for the help, honey." -Sabine said.
"It was nothing, mom." -Marinette said, as she placed the tray of gingerbread cookies inside the counter. –"Oh, by the way, while you were inside, monsieur Bonneville came here to get the Buche de Noel that he had reserved." -she told her.
"Thank you, honey." -Sabine smiled at her daughter. –"Thanks for keeping an eye on the shop, while I was helping your dad on the back." -she said. –"If you want to, you can go up. I'll take it from here."
"You're sure, mom?" -Marinette asked Sabine. –"I don't mind staying here a little bit longer, if you need to go and help dad again." -she said.
"No, there's no need for that, honey." -Sabine assured her. –"Your dad can finish what he's doing on his own. The worst is over." -she smiled. –"Besides, I remember you telling me you still had to finish your homework. So, go upstairs and finish it, before dinner. I'll be coming up to do it, in about an hour too."
"Okay, mom." -Marinette said. –"See you in a bit."
"Oh, and if you're going to eat another slice of that Galette des Rois that's on the kitchen, make sure to put it on a plate. I don't want to be stepping on crumbs of it, okay?" -Sabine warned her, in a playful tone.
"Alright, mom." -Marinette chuckled. –"I promise I'll use a plate." -she said.
After her dad's Buche de Noel, the Galette des Rois was Marinette's favourite Christmas dessert. As she climbed the stairs, she thought it was sometimes hard for her to pick which one she liked the most. Still on that afternoon, she was not going to have to pick which one she was going to eat, because there was no Buche de Noel in the refrigerator. But unlike what her mother thought, she was not going to cut just one slice. She was going to cut two slices. The second one was for Tikki, who had fallen in love with that dessert, the moment Tom began to bake them, and she felt its delicious scent.
Going up the stairs, Marinette imagined in her mind Tikki's face, when she saw the sweet treat, she was bringing her, and chuckled. Knowing that the scarlet kwami had the biggest sweet tooth one could imagine, it was easy to imagine the wide smile that was on Tikki's face.
"Here you go, Tikki. One slice of Galette des Rois, with extra powdered-sugar on top of it." -Marinette smiled, as she placed the sweet treat in front of the scarlet kwami.
Not even giving Marinette the chance to put down the plate, Tikki took a bite as big as her mouth allowed her, of the slice of cake. Savouring it, Tikki made noises that could be perceived as a mix of delight, happiness and pleasure, combined. Smiling, Marinette believed, from what she was seeing, that Tikki was enjoying that slice of Galette des Rois, even more, than the other ones she had eaten before.
"Mmm… it's so good!" -Tikki exclaimed with her mouth full. –"I don't know how I lived so long, without having something as good as this to eat." -she said, as she took another bite.
"I don't know either, but I'm happy that my dad's Galette des Rois is to your liking." -Marinette said, as she sat at her desk and pulled her Chemistry book from her backpack. –"By the way, you don't happen to know anything about chemistry, do you?" -she asked Tikki.
"No, sorry." -Tikki said. –"The only chemistry I know, is the one that takes place in the kitchen, when we bake cookies and cakes." -she joked.
"Well, I wish the rest of chemistry was as fun as that one." -Marinette commented, as she opened her notebook. –"Because it would make doing homework a lot easier, and fun." -she said. –"Miss Bustier gave us a ton of homework today… it's a good thing I ended up not having to babysit Manon today."
"Indeed. She would've made it impossible for you to finish your homework, without any interruption." -Tikki commented. –"But if you had to, I would've gladly babysat her."
"I know you would." -Marinette said. –"Now, let's see if I can solve this Chemistry problem, before I deal with my Algebra and English homework." -she sighed, as she grabbed the pencil. –"Uh… this one's really hard. I don't even know how to solve it."
"You'll find a way. You always do."
"I wish I was Max, right about now." -Marinette sighed. –"I bet it took him five seconds to solve this one." -she said, when it hit her. –"Hey! I know! I'll call him and ask him how he solved it!"
"Isn't that cheating, Marinette?" -Tikk asked her, while raising an eyebrow.
"No, it's not cheating. It's asking someone else, who knows a lot more about the subject, for a little help." -Marinette declared. –"Besides, there's nothing wrong with asking someone else for a little help." -she said, as she grabbed her cell phone. –"Plus, if I manage to get this done before dinner, I'll get the time to work a little bit more on that special assignment Miss Bustier gave me… on that, and on Adrien's Christmas present. I know he's going to love it."
"Okay, if you say so." -Tikki said, before taking another bite of her snack. –"But then, don't come and say that you failed Chemistry, because you didn't know how to solve any of the exam's exercises." -she said. –"Also, you still have a lot of time to finish that assignment Miss Bustier gave you., and on Adrien's present. Christmas is still nearly a month away."
"But you know what they say, Tikki., Time flies by, when you're busy." -Marinette chuckled. –"And on top of all that, I still need to get started on the present for you and the other kwamis. I know you'll love it, when I'm finished with it… then again, there might be something Tikki would like to get. It won't asking her." -she thought to herself. –"By the way, what would you like to get for Christmas, Tikki?"
"I don't know. But I wouldn't mind getting some cookies." -Tikki answered her.
"But I'm always giving you cookies." -Marinette said, as she looked for Max's number on her cell. –"This is Christmas we're talking about. There has to be a present you would like to get. Around here, my parents and I make sure to always get the best presents ever for the whole family. And even if they don't know about it, you're also a part of this family. So, I need to get you the best present can find." -she said. –"By the way, I'm curious. What did your other holders give you for Christmas? At least, the ones who celebrated it."
When Marinette asked her that, Tikki's mind flew back in time, as she remembered some of the holders who did celebrate Christmas, and what they had given her. Because times were different, and there were almost none of the comforts that now existed, the gifts were simple; some were even symbolic, but all of them were offered with the utmost affection and appreciation. But when remembering those same gifts and those who had given them, Tikki remembered that they had all left that world, while she, being immortal, was still alive, being forced to carry the burden of seeing all those she had ever loved, moving on into the afterlife. Without realizing it, her eyes filled with tears of sadness, which did not take long to slide down her cheeks. Sniffing, she silently wished that all of her past holders were still around, so she could just tell them how much she loved them, and how much she had appreciated their time together. Realizing she had upset Tikki with that topic, Marinette quickly apologized to her.
"Oh, Tikki, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." -Marinette apologized, as she quickly let go of her cell phone, and grabbed a tissue from the box she had on her desk, giving it to the weeping kwami.
"I-It's okay, Marinette." -Tikki sniffed, as she grabbed the tissue. –"I… I just got a little emotional." -she said, as she wiped her tears. –"Thinking about my previous holders, always makes sad."
"I know it can't be easy for you to remember them, when they're not here any longer. And I'm sorry I did make you cry." -Marinette said.
"No, there's nothing wrong with crying a little bit, Marinette." -Tikki declared, as she wiped the last of her tears. –"Crying is good for the soul." -she said.
"I know, but I shouldn't have touched the subject of your previous holders… I'm so stupid. I know just how much it hurts you to remember them." -Marinette sighed,
"Yes, it hurts a lot… but not talking about it, won't make it hurt less, Marinette." -Tikki told her. –"Besides, you didn't do it on purpose. You were just trying to know what I would want for Christmas, based on what my other holders gave me." -she said. –"You weren't trying to hurt me. It's not in your nature do that."
Smiling tearfully, Marinette caressed Tikki's left cheek with her index finger, making her smile as well. She had found out that when the scarlet kwami became sad or blue about something, that little gesture was all it was needed, for her to get her spirits back up again.
"Thanks, Tikki." –Marinette said. –"And once more, sorry for making you cry." -she apologized once again.
"It's okay. Like I said, you didn't mean it." -Tikki said. –"And regarding what they offered me, most of them offered me food." -she said. –"So, if you want to give me food, like cookies or maybe one Galette de Rois just for, I'll consider it the perfect Christmas present."
"One whole Galette des Rois, just for you, huh? I guess I can get you that." -Marinette said. –"But that's not the only thing you're getting for Christmas. You'll love it, believe me." -she thought to herself, as she grabbed her cell phone. –"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to call Max."
"I still say that's cheating on your homework." -Tikki told her.
"And I say that it's asking for help, from someone who knows more than I do, so I don't have to spend a full hour, trying to make heads of tails of it, Tikki." -Marinette said, as she initiated a video call. –"Let's hope he can help me. Oh, what am I saying?! Of course, he can. He's Max, after all. His brain is like a supercomputer." -she thought to herself, when Max answered her call. –"Oh, hey, Max! Hope I didn't catch you at a bad moment."
"No, it's okay. I was just here talking to Ari, while finishing homework." -Max told her, as he waved at the camera. –"Why, is something wrong?" -he asked her.
"Oh, no, no… I just called, to ask you if you could lend me a little help with our Chemistry homework?" -Marinette asked.
"You got stuck, didn't you?" -Max asked her, to which Marinette smiled sheepishly. –"Don't worry, I'll help you." -he told her. –"Just let me know what is it, and I'll help you solve it."
At the same time, in Centre de Danse du Marais, Rose had finished her ballet class, and had stepped into the showers. As the water flowed down her head, the petite blonde felt her whole-body relaxing. She loved her ballet classes, but they always ended with her slightly exhausted.
"Not that I mind feeling like that. I always have a blast. No matter how hard the classes are, I always feel great. Tired, but great." -Rose thought, as she washed her hair. –"It's just too bad that I don't get to be the Sugarplum Fairy for this recital." -she thought."
For that year, her ballet school decided that for the Christmas recital, they would do Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Rose wanted to be the Sugarplum Fairy, as it was her favourite character. But because only those who were older, would be able to audition for the role, she was relegated to the corps, like most of her classmates. She knew that she would never get the part, because she had only enrolled into the school two months before, but that did not prevent her from thinking about it.
"Maybe next year, if they decide to do it again, I might try for it." -Rose thought. –"By then, I'll be a better dancer than I am now. And that will make it easier to be chosen for the part."
But not everyone was happy with not getting the main part, or one of the supporting parts in the recital. As she finished showering, she heard something that caught her attention. One of her fellow classmates, Julia Neveu was complaining to some of the other girls, as they finished getting dressed, on the fact that she had not been chosen for a certain part she wanted. And the way she talked about it, made it clear that she was not just upset about it. She was bloody furious, and did not have a single problem in saying what she thought was an injustice.
"How can she not see that I'm more talented than that Angeline Looysen?! She's older, but she doesn't have even a quarter of my talent!" -Julia yelled, frustrated.
"Well, there's nothing you can do about that."
"That's what you think!" -Julia yelled again. –"The part is going to be mine, one way or another!"
"And how are you going to do that?"
"It's quite simple. I'm going to talk to my aunt, and she's going to have a serious talk with the headmistress, regarding what happened with the casting choices." -she said. –"By next Monday, I'll be the star of the show!"
"Do you really think she can make that happen?"
"I know she will make it happen! The headmistress and my aunt went to school together!" -Julia exclaimed. –"And from what my aunt has told me, she would never refuse her a favour, if asked." -she said. –"You'll see. By tomorrow, my name will be on the production's poster, alongside the rest of the main cast."
"Well, if you end up getting the part, Angeline is seriously going to be pissed."
"And you think I care? I couldn't care less how she'll be, when she knows that the part of Sugarplum Fairy isn't hers, anymore." -Julia said, with a snobbish voice.
Listening to that kind of talk, Rose could not help but to feel repulsed by the nerve Julia had, claiming that she would get the part of the Sugarplum Fairy, by asking her aunt to ask the headmistress for it. She did not know if her aunt would truly be able to pull the strings for her to get the part, but the idea itself, was awful. Waiting for them to leave, she only left the shower when she saw she was alone. That way, it gave her the chance to talk to Flint, who always asked her how her class had been. But on that day, instead of asking her that, he decided to comment on what they had heard Julia talk about with some of the other girls.
"That girl must think that the Sun, the Earth and the rest of the Solar System revolve around her." -Flint said. –"To think that she believes that she's better than someone else, and that she should've been given the part, regardless of the casting rules, makes me wonder what her parents teach her at home." -he said.
"She doesn't have parents. They both died when she was very little. She lives with that aunt she was talking about. At least, that's what she's always saying." -Rose told him. –"I think that the worst part is that she really believes she'll get the part, if her aunt talks to the headmistress." -she said, as she put on her underwear.
"And I bet that when she doesn't get it, she's going to freak out, and start complaining that life's not fair, and that she has been unfairly robbed of what it should've been hers from the very beginning… I can imagine the whole thing in my head." -Flint laughed. –"People like that always do that." -he continued to laugh.
"I admit that she's a little bit full of herself." -Rose said, as she put on her shirt. –"Kinda reminds me a bit of how Chloe used to be.. well, she still is a little bit like that, but now, she only thinks that the Moon revolves around her." -she amusingly thought to herself, while grabbing her jeans.
"A little bit?" -Flint asked her, in a sarcastic tone.
"Okay, I was just trying not to be mean, but yeah, she's full of herself." -Rose admitted. –"But that doesn't mean she doesn't have any talent. As bad as her attitude and her manners are, she's quite talented. My teacher says she's quite graceful." -she said.
"Talented? Graceful?! Sorry to tell you this, but she's not either one of those things. I've seen her dancing… she's average, at best. If there's anyone who's talented and graceful here, that's you Rose. You're ten times the ballerina she is, or will ever be. You can do pirouettes around her head, with your eyes blindfolded." -Flint told her.
Rose loved whenever anyone complimented her dancing skills. And when it was her kwami, his words made her feel like she was on cloud nine; a sensation that only Juleka was able to replicate, when the two of them were alone. So, hearing Flint praise her, felt really good, and put a smile on her face.
"You're exaggerating." -Rose said, with her kwami raising an eyebrow at her. –"Okay, you're not exaggerating. I know I'm better than she is. But that doesn't mean I get to brag about it." -she said. –"Besides, I'm only better than her, because I'm wearing your miraculous."
"My miraculous didn't give you the ability to be able to dance ballet out of thin air. It merely amplified that talent you already had." -Flint said. –"And even if you didn't have it, you would still be an amazing ballerina." -he told her.
"Like always, you're a sweet talker, Flint." -Rose smiled, as she looked outside one of the windows near the ceiling, and saw that it was still snowing. –"It's a good thing I brought my wool beanie with me, or otherwise I would catch my death, with just how cold it must be outside." -she said, as she put on the beanie.
"It's times like these, that I miss the warm weather. In Egypt we never had this kind of problem. Even in the winter, it was warm." -Flint commented, as he looked at the window and saw the snow falling.
"In Egypt?" -Rose asked him, curious.
"Yeah… the weather there was perfect. It was hot, even in the winter. On top of it, there was something special about the desert air. There's a unique aroma to the Sahara." -Flint said. –"And that Djau… that was my holder, by the way, he was a kidder. We had competitions to see who told the best jokes, after he was finished with his studies. He was studying to be a scribe, you know?" -he said, as he remembered about him. –"I remember a lot of things that happened, during the years I spent with him. But from all of them, my favourite has got to be this custom he and his mother had. Around this time of year, just before the festival of Ptah, which was on what it is today the 24th of December, they would bake these tiger nut cones. They were super delicious."
Rose detected a trace of sadness in Flint's voice, as he talked about Djau. It was unusual for him to show any kind of sadness, especially when he considered himself to be the funniest of all kwamis, as well as a major jokester and prankster. So, to hear him speak in that melancholic tone of voice, felt strange to Rose. But at the same time, it reminded her that nobody is constantly happy, or sad.
"You miss him, don't you? You miss Djau?" -Rose asked him.
"I miss him, like I miss all of my other holders." -Flint sighed, with a sad look in his eyes. –"They were all special, and this time of the year, always gets me in this kind of mood. And it's not because of the snow or the cold… I mean, sure, that contributes to it, but it's mostly because the year is coming to an end, and I'm one year older and all that." -he said. –"I try to ignore it, but it's not easy. Being immortal sucks, when you are forced to see those, you love the most, depart, and you can't do anything but mourn them and remember them."
"I'm sorry to hear that." -Rose told him, as she pulled him out of her bag and allowed him to sit on the palm of her hand. –"I know it's not the same, but I also know what it is to lose people we love." -she said. –"My grandpa Thèo died last year, and I miss him a lot. He used to call me his little ballerina, you know?"
"I can imagine why." -Flint said, trying to smile.
"Sometimes, when I think of him, I get sad, because he's not here anymore. But then, I think about all the fun stuff we did and I thank Heaven for it. Because he may not be around anymore, but my memories of him, will always be a part of me, and as long as I remember those memories, he'll never truly die." -Rose declared, as a tear rolled down her face.
Feeling like all that conversation was making them both sad and melancholic, Flint decided to change the subject. He did not want Rose to get upset or sad, because he himself was feeling a little down. Not when she had started her day with a smile. To him, it was more important her well-being than his own.
"You know what? Let's change the script!" -Flint told her. –"This isn't the time to think about those things, and you've got to finish getting dressed. The last thing we want is for you to end up locked up inside this place, and then have to wait until tomorrow." -he said, using his regular funny voice.
"I don't think that would happen, Flint. This isn't like in the Home Alone movies, where the family forgets one of the kids at home, or has him boarding another plane." -Rose joked. –"He's avoiding talking about his feelings, again… he knows he doesn't have to do that. He's just like Juleka. Never wants to see me gloomy. I'll have to talk to him about it and tell him that it's okay to talk about them with me, again, tonight." -she thought to herself.
"You're so right." -Flint laughed. –"I mean, who in their right mind would let something like that happen? Most Christmas movies are funny and from those I already watched, they're really good. But the things that happen in them, would never happen in real life." -he continued to laugh. –"At least that play you and the rest of your class are going to do isn't like that. I mean, there's stuff in it that clearly would not happen, but there are others that totally happen."
"You're right. Which reminds me, I need to start practicing my lines. They're only a couple of them, but I need to memorize them." -Rose told him, as she finished getting dressed. –"Will you help me do that, tonight?" -she asked him. –"That way, it'll give me a chance to also talk to him about not bottling up his feelings like that. When he gets that way, he tends to go to sleep really early."
"You bet." -Flint told her. –"Still, they could've given you a different part." -he said. –"The one they gave you, has nothing to do with you or your personality."
"I don't mind it. Besides, there aren't any princesses in it, so, any chance I would have to portray one." -Rose said, as she grabbed her backpack and her gym bag, with Flint flying inside it. –"Besides, if there was a princess part, I know Chloe would want to portray her, and wouldn't shut up until it was given to her." -she chuckled.
Hey, everyone!I know most of you are waiting for the next chapter of "Feathers of a Peacock", but these last two weeks have been really hard on my mental health. I don't want to go into details, but for a couple of days, I was in a really, really dark place. Fortunately, I'm already feeling a little bit better. I tried to write the next chapter of "Feathers of a Peacock" but every sentence I wrote of it , I ended up throwing it into the thrash, because I didn't like it... depression does this to a person's brain, and I hate it. So, because I didn't want you guys to go without reading something new before the end of the year, I decided to post this here.
I was going to wait until having a few more chapters done, but here it is, the first chapter. As for when I'll be updating it, I don't know yet. But I hope I can update it soon (I'll be writing it, whenever I can, but "Feathers of a Peacock" is my priority, because we're closing in on the first season ending, and I really want to finish the first season, so I can start the second one). Anyways, this is the very first Christmas special in my AU, and you might see a couple of callbacks to the original series in this first chapter. I challenge you all to look for them.
Anyways, I hope you all liked this new one-shot, and as always, feel free to comment, fav and leave your suggestions to improve this fic, or future ones.