Work Text:
The scene around him was like something out of a magazine, but it only made Adrien uncomfortable. Surrounding him were stark white walls, beneath him the floor was covered black and white tiles. Every piece of decor was another variant of lifeless grey. Even the portraits on the walls were devoid of color.
Adrien supposed the look was meant to be sleek and modern.
But nothing about it felt like a home. Yet, he recognized the place as somewhere he once lived.
Why exactly was he back at his father’s old mansion?
Had it always been this bleak? Things seemed even worse than he remembered, but his mind felt too hazy for him to know for sure.
Adrien realized he was holding something. He glanced down to find a box full of holiday decor. The vibrant colors and sparkles a stark contrast to the rest of his environment. A sigh of relief escaped him upon realizing his hands were also their usual color. Whatever had zapped the colors from the rest of this world, didn’t apply to him.
It was Christmastime wasn’t it? But he couldn’t put up the decor he had. It was forbidden. Decorating this place, especially with such bright colors? His father would never allow it. He’d only gotten worse over the years. Isolating both himself and his son more and more. What were these decorations even for with no one to share them with? His father would only scold him for putting them up. Or even worse, maybe he wouldn’t notice at all. It’s not like his father made it a point to even interact with his son much. Adrien was merely the face of Gabriel’s brand.
Sadness sought to overwhelm him. The holidays were a lonely time.
Wait.
That wasn’t right. The whole situation felt out of place. His life was on track to be this way at one point. A path that would have him still trying to please his father, only for the bitter man to grow even more distant.
But Adrien was certain he would have changed his path. He had decided long ago to stand up for himself. Hadn’t he?
Gently, he began to examine the contents more closely. The sadness the mansion had sparked eased a bit with every little trinket, ornament and bow. As he pulled out a blue ornament adorned with snowflakes, he could have sworn he heard distant music.
That melody was coming from outside of the mansion. Of course it was. The joyous sounds didn’t belong here anymore than he himself did.
He wanted to be where that joy was. Before he even realized it, he was sprinting towards the large doors.
“You don’t belong out there.” A chilling voice stopped him just as his hand reached the handle.
Adrien turned to face his father’s somber face. Like the rest of the mansion, the man was colorless. Like someone had put a black and white filter over him.
“Life took away your mother. The holidays will never be the same without her. We shouldn’t celebrate without her here. It’s just another time of the year. Don’t you think we should spend our time in more productive ways?”
His hazy mind nearly responded with an automatic “yes, father.” But something else inside of him resisted. Why would he say that? He hasn’t been the type of person to live to please this horrible excuse for a man in a long time.
At least, he hoped that was true. His memories weren’t quite coming together. Adrien wasn’t sure of anything. How old was he now? When did he even bring this box here?
“Adrien.” Another voice called out from the other side of the door. The sound was muffled, but still it carried through. It was a calming, warm and familiar voice. A voice that was the opposite of his father. It sounded concerned for him.
“No. We’ll always be alone during the holidays." Gabriel spoke again. "Your mother is gone. What does it matter anymore?”
This caused Adrien to waver, but only for a moment.
On the other side of the door, the music increased in volume. A guitar picked out a familiar melody. His mind filled in the lyrics.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…
It was The Christmas Song.
“Mom would want me to be happy and find joy with others. She’d want me to move on and live my life.” Adrien glared at Gabriel. “She’d want that for you too, but I know I can’t make you do anything. I know how far you’ll go to avoid mourning Mom properly. You don’t care who you hurt in that process. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve already been through this sort of discussion with you. Haven’t I? You’re just some memory of a bleak past.”
Gabriel froze.
“Yeah, this isn’t real.” Adrien turned the handle and pushed the door open. “Enjoy the holidays in prison, Gabriel. I have other plans.”
////////////////////////////////
As soon as Adrien stepped through the doorway, his eyes opened in reality. He blinked them a few times and took in the scene. In front of him was a tree decorated with multicolor lights, garland, and a ton of ornaments. The mantel was decorated with a Christmas Village filled with miniature houses giving off a warm glow from their windows. The fireplace flickered as it warmed the room.
The Christmas Song was indeed playing over a record player in the corner. Nearby, sat a guitar amp, which also found itself with holiday lights draped over the top. Adrien heard the guitar playing along with the melody of the song. His eyes followed the chord from the amp to the instrument. It was held by someone relaxing in a nearby chair.
Adrien watched as the fingers expertly danced along the neck of the instrument. He found himself smiling softly as he looked up into the guitarist’s eyes.
“Hey there, beautiful.” Luka said softly. “You fell asleep on the couch. I wanted to let you rest, but when I looked over, you had this strange expression on your face…”
“I looked upset?” Adrien asked.
“Yeah, exactly.” It didn’t surprise Adrien that Luka kept playing. He appreciated it, the effect was calming.
“I had a dream I was back at the mansion at Christmastime. It was so, bleak, empty, and sad. Gabriel was trying to make me feel bad for moving on and enjoying the time of year…”
“Are you okay?”
Adrien’s eyes drifted to the fireplace. “Yeah, actually. I’m more than okay. It wasn’t the best dream at first. Everything was in black and white. Except for me. It’s like I was out of place in that world.”
“Of course you were. You are nothing like Gabriel. You are so full of life. So full of colors and melodies.” Luka’s words rang true.
Adrien turned to him. “I know that. Even in the dream I knew.”
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that even the dream version of you was aware of that.”
“In the end, I heard music. I heard you call out to me. So, I told that monster I wouldn’t stay. You were on the other side of the door. My life, my freedom, every good thing was outside of that door. So I left.”
Luka’s smile widened. “I’ll never get tired of you standing up for yourself. Even in your sleep.”
“I was hoping you’d tell us you kicked his butt in your dream world.” Plagg interjected.
Adrien laughed. “Ah, but Plagg it’s much more satisfying to know that particular part happened in reality isn’t it?”
“Oh it absolutely is!” Plagg agreed.
The song had ended and another holiday classic began to fill the cozy living room. Luka got up and sat his guitar down on the chair.
Sass floated to be near Plagg and they had some sort of silent agreement to leave the couple alone. They floated off into the pantry nearby.
Luka walked towards the couch and Adrien sat up with a struggle. His blanket was wrapped around him tightly.
“You’re like a burrito.” Luka laughed.
Adrien managed to get himself untangled. “More like a purr-ito.”
The blue haired man rolled his eyes in amusement. “You’re such a dork.”
“I’m your dork.” Adrien opened up the blanket for Luka to join him.
The man did so without hesitation. “Yeah, you are.”
Adrien wrapped the blanket around them as they adjusted to a comfortable and familiar position.
“That dream was just a reminder of what my life could be like. I used to be so afraid that I’d always feel isolated, especially during the holidays.” Adrien snuggled closer into Luka’s chest. “But instead I have this. I have you.”
Luka’s arm wrapped around him. The guitarist’s fingers began running through long blonde tresses. “I’m here. Our friends are here for you too. We all love you so much and we know how much this time of year means to you.”
Adrien felt the warmth around him from the fire, the blanket, Luka himself and also from his own heart.
If they were in public he’d have to be more discrete about what he knew was about to happen. But this was their home so he didn’t bother trying to stop it.
The low rumble started off barely noticeable above the sound of the Christmas music.
Luka hummed in amusement and continued to play with Adrien’s hair. His hands well practiced in navigating the waves exactly the way his partner liked. “I take it you are happy, Love?”
In response, the low rumble became a loud, prominent purr.
“A definite yes.” Luka laughed softly.
A side effect of being Chat Noir for so many years, even without being transformed Adrien would purr at times. Usually, when they were cuddling. When it first started happening, he’d been embarrassed by the sound. But Luka had told him he thought it was endearing and comforting.
It was a bit of a game between them at this point, with Luka sometimes trying to coax the rumble out of him in public. Of course, never where anyone would actually hear it without them being able to cover for it. Never in a way that would endanger Adrien’s secret. But it did amuse him that Adrien couldn’t help the way it slipped out when he was feeling his happiest.
Which was certainly how he was feeling at the moment. They sat there cuddled together, enjoying the Christmas songs and each other’s embrace for a while.
“I used to wonder if I’d ever have something like this and now I do.” Adrien broke the comfortable silence and shifted around so that he and Luka were looking into each other’s eyes. His fingers reached up to gently trace Luka’s jaw line. “I love you. I love you so much.”
“You’ve had this for years now.” Luka reminded him as his own hand reached up. His thumb brushed over Adrien’s finger, the one where his wedding band sat. “I love you too, and I don’t have any intention of ever leaving.”
“And I will never take this for granted.” Adrien’s gentle touch transformed into something more enthusiastic. He crashed his lips into his husband’s with passion. Luka’s fingers flew back into Adrien’s hair as he kissed him back with fervor. Both of them poured their devotion into the contact as the kiss deepened. The kwamis had been right to give them their privacy for the night.
Adrien’s past self may have feared a future of lonely holidays, but he had forged a different path with Luka— one bursting with colors, warmth and love.