(Haha hope none of you thought I'd actually abandon Santa Claws. My favourite episode tbh 🤷‍♀️)

"Do you think he'll like the decorations, Nathalie?"

Adrien looks up hopefully at his father's assistant. Nathalie is standing on the stairs, putting more silver baubles on the large Christmas tree.

Before Nathalie replies, a door opens and Adrien forgets his question as he swivels. To his disappointment, it's just his bodyguard coming back in.

For a moment there, he'd hoped...

"He should be down here already. Did you call him?"

"Perhaps we should give him... a few more minutes."

That answers Adrien's question. Yes, Nathalie called him. No, a few more minutes won't make a difference.

"What's the point?" Adrien asks, dropping a bauble. "He's not coming."

His bodyguard stops him, but just hands him something soft wrapped in gift wrap. He thanks him, and continues up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Merry Christmas, both of you."

Up in his bedroom, Adrien sits on his bed. It's just gone nine, but it's already dark outside. He can see the snow, slowly drifting down outside his window.

"He's still only thinking of himself," Adrien murmurs to the empty room. "Nearly two years later, and he's still grieving."

He knows it's difficult to get over the death of a loved one. Heck, he still misses his mother. But clearly Gabriel isolating himself isn't helping anything.

Adrien picks up his phone, and stares at the home screen. He badly wants to message LadyBug. His comfort in the darkness.

He doesn't want to ruin her Christmas.

Adrien turns his phone off, and his laptop on. He pulls his drawing tablet from his drawer, a gift from his mother before she died. He connects it to the laptop, and types in his password. He logs into Miraculous, and sees that LadyBug hasn't been active for days. And yet he's opened Miraculous every day.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Adrien makes sure he's logged into ChatNoir, not AAgreste, before he clicks Works and opens The Adventures of Tikki and Plagg. Nearly five thousand views and four thousand likes.

How did he end up a part of this, the best thing in his life?

He scrolls through the episodes. Right at the bottom, he sees Episodes 1, 2 and 3. Stormy Weather, The Bubbler and Mr. Pigeon. But it's Timebreaker that makes him smile. Before then, it was Ladybug, and ChatNoir. After Timebreaker, it's LadyBug and ChatNoir.

To Adrien, the comma makes all the difference.

For the first time in a while, he clicks Create New Episode. Usually, it's LadyBug who comes up with akuma ideas. She clearly gets home from school before Adrien, because by the time he's turned on his laptop, she's already started.

Such a talented artist.

Without LadyBug, Adrien's a bit lost, before he remembers Mr. Pigeon. LadyBug chose him on Mr. Pigeon, and he didn't have her help with that one. He can make episodes by himself.

Still, it's not the same without LadyBug.

"Let's be honest, LadyBug needs to lighten up with her villains. Make a ridiculous one for once."

Adrien remembers Nino's words from half a year ago, before Adrien had even considered writing Mr. Pigeon. They need ridiculous villains.

Well, maybe that's exactly what Adrien will do.

"I am Santa Claws," he murmurs, grinning, as he types the words into a Sticky Note so he doesn't forget. "I'm a rebel with a cause. I'll punish and I'll give you a fright, have a horrible Christmas night."

He can't help murmuring the song as he works, a man dressed as Santa who was helping a boy who was missing his mum. He gives the boy dark hair, but he can't seem to get rid of the way the boy reminds him of himself.

After Tikki accidentally accuses the man of being akumatised, he really does get akumatised. Into Santa Claws, the singing Christmas-ruiner.

"Well," he grins, "Nino said LadyBug needs ridiculous villains."

He can't stop himself writing more short songs for various characters to sing, including the lonely kid, various additions to Santa Claws for different parts of the episode, and one where the girl who loves the lonely boy sings him a song about how she hopes he's safe. He draws the dark pigtails from LadyBug's profile picture onto her.

What can he say? He's crushing hard.

By the time he's finished the episode, it's 11:49 and Adrien decides that he might as well wait the eleven minutes and post it on Christmas. He can't help wondering if this is technically the first episode of Season 2.

No, he decides. An in-between episode. Season 1.5.

He writes a little note at the bottom, like LadyBug's been doing.

Merry Christmas, fans!! ChatNoir here, I know LadyBug said no more episodes until New Year, blah blah blah, but sorry not sorry. Have a Christmas special! Season 2 will start next year, folks. Have an awesome day! ChatNoir out

And then he adds,

P.S. Don't tell LadyBug about this episode, she doesn't know yet

11:54. Adrien looks out the window, and watches the snowflakes fall. One by one, forming a blanket over the house.

Something catches the corner of his eye, and he turns. It's the gift that his bodyguard had given him, that he'd dumped carelessly on his bed before he'd started drawing Santa Claws. He stands up, and walks over to pick it up.

It's almost expertly wrapped, and Adrien feels like a criminal when he accidentally tears it. Inside is a Santa hat, but it's no store-bought cheapo one. It's clearly been made by hand, incredibly soft and with snowflakes all over it. It's got three bobbles on the end.

A card slips out.

"Merry Christmas," Adrien reads aloud, "signed Marinette."

He looks again at the stitching. Did she make this herself?

Adrien checks his watch. 11:57. He's got some time to make a last-minute change.

He doesn't do much. He adds two extra bobbles and snowflakes to the Santa hat that Santa is wearing before he gets akumatised.

A tribute to Marinette, if you will. The first person to give him a Christmas present.

11:59

57

58

59

12:00

Adrien clicks Publish, and the notification pops up immediately.

Congratulations! You just posted Episode 24 - Santa Claws!

Episode 24. A funny coincidence, considering he made it on the 24th of December.

ChatNoir: Merry Christmas, m'lady

And, to his surprise, LadyBug becomes active as he sends it.

Was she waiting for midnight too? Was she waiting wish him a Merry Christmas too?

LadyBug: And to you too, kitty

[A/N: Honestly Santa Claws is one of my all-time favourite Miraculous episodes]