Christmas Kisses and Paris Kisses

Wednesday 11th December

Adrien

Adrien's mansion stood against the pale morning, its imposing structure softened by the delicate glow of Christmas lights. Garlands traced the balcony rails, and a wreath as grand as the house itself hung on the front door, trimmed with ribbons and glittering ornaments. Twinkling lights cast warm, golden shadows across the frost-tipped stone, catching in every corner, yet beneath it all, the house held a quiet history—a memory of years when the holiday decor only seemed to deepen its coldness.

He remembered those winters in sharp detail. Since his mother's death, the mansion had become a vast, silent space that no amount of decorations or lights could fill. Each Christmas had felt meaningless, the rooms echoing with a stillness that seemed to press in on him, their quiet mirroring the emptiness he carried within. He'd come to associate the holidays with that aching stillness—the way the grand decorations and glistening tree, though beautiful, had only made the house feel more like a museum than a home.

But now, as he stepped out of Nino's car, something shifted. Sitting on the stone steps, bundled up against the early morning chill, was a small figure snuggling her soft ladybug comforter. She was half-asleep, her head leaning against the bannister, but her little face, framed by wisps of hair and rosy from the cold, glowed with quiet anticipation. There was a gentleness in her presence, a warmth that melted away the frostiness of his memories.

For the first time, Adrien noticed how the lights caught on the garlands and cast a warm glow into the foyer, how the Christmas tree seemed to reach towards the ceiling with its delicate ornaments sparkling like stars. The grand hall, seen through the open door, once dark and untouched by the holiday spirit, now felt... alive. The decorations that had once felt empty now seemed to radiate warmth, a welcoming softness that seeped into the walls, the floors, filling every corner in the house.

He sighed, letting the change settle into him. The mansion no longer felt like the cold, distant place it had become in those years after his mother was gone. It had been transformed, if only by the presence of this small child curled up on the steps, waiting with a kind of faith and innocence he hadn't felt in years. The darkness had finally lifted enough for him to truly see the magic.

He couldn't help the smile as the car slowed to a stop as the small child startled, stumbling to her feet and jumping up and down on the steps. He really hated leaving her. It had been the first time, and he'd regretted every single second he was away.

'Princess!' he shouted as he jumped out of the car, barely waiting for it to stop before he made his grand exit.

'Adrien!' The toddler moved down the staircase in a way that terrified him that she was going to fall, her unsteady legs carrying her at a zooming, uncontrollable speed.

'Emily! Slow down!' A voice followed the toddler's movements.

Emily met Adrien with a dramatic launch forward, her little legs flying from the ground and wrapping around his. She looked up slowly with that heart-warming smile on her face which got her anything she wanted. 'I love you.'

'I love you too, little one.' Scooping her up into his arms, he peppered kisses all over her face, causing her to scream in delight. 'How's my favourite baby been?'

'I'm not a baby!' she screeched through the burst of giggles. 'I'm a...big girl!' She tried to push him off. He gave her one last sloppy kiss on her cheek before placing her down on the ground and ruffling her hair.

'And how's the big girl been?' Adrien bopped Emily on the nose with a finger, before turning his attention to the woman who'd chased her down the steps, aiming the question directly at her for the truth.