Finding Christmas

Chapter 2

Adrien sat on the floor in his bedroom while Edmond laid on a bunny rug and kicked his legs chewing on the ears of Santa Plagg. Getting up Adrien sat down at his piano and started playing "O Holy Night." It had been one of his mother's favourite carols and one of the few he knew by heart. When he was ten he had practiced the song for weeks as a gift for her. He remembered the happy tears that rolled down her cheeks when he played it and he was so proud of himself. One of the greatest joys in his young life was making his mother smile like that. It seemed like a lifetime ago now.

He didn't even realise he had tears in his own eyes until there was a knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in." He called out, his eyes still on the keys.

"That's a rather melancholy tune isn't it?" Adrien smiled and didn't need to look up to recognise the voice of the Japanese girl who had walked into the room.

"Good morning to you too. And it's not melancholy, it's a Christmas carol." He said. Kagami shrugged.

"I know, and yes, good morning." She said, sitting beside him on the piano stool. "I don't believe much in Christmas though. It's all rather contrite really and overrated."

"I don't think so." Adrien disagreed wholeheartedly with what she had said, but he'd had this argument before with Kagami. Adrien continued to play as the two sat in a comfortable silence until Edmond started to grizzle. Adrien stopped his playing to pick him up, passing him to Kagami.

"Here, hold him for a minute while I find where his dummy went." Kagami took the baby but held him a little away from himself. Edmond squirmed, scrunching his little nose up and started to cry.

"Adrien, your brother stinks." She said screwing up her face and turning away from the baby.

"Check his nappy for me." Adrien had to chuckle at the offended gasp Kagami let out.

"You can't be serious?" She complained, then narrowed her eyes at him as he continued to chuckle.

"It's okay, I'll do it." He said, taking Edmond back. "Nope, nothing there. He just smells milky." Adrien popped the dummy in Edmond's mouth and put him on his shoulder. Edmond promptly drooled down his shirt. "Ahhh, I forgot the cloth nappy. Marinette said I should use it so I don't get drooled on. Can you grab it for me? It's just over there."

Kagami got up and picked up the white cloth on the desk, carrying it over to Adrien with only two fingers held away from her. Adrien rolled his eyes at her as he took it.

"Gees Kagami, you're just as bad as Chloé. It's a baby, not an infectious disease." He said. Kagami just gave him a raised eyebrow.

"And you fuss over him like a mother hen." She quipped. Adrien gave her a shy smile as he patted Edmond on the bottom.

"I don't mind. I never thought I'd get to have a sibling. I thought I would have to wait until I married to enjoy this."

"You're not even 21 yet Adrien." Kagami said as she sat back down on the piano stool. "You haven't finished university. You should be out living living life instead of babysitting."

"I don't really think of it as babysitting." He smiled, Edmond snuggling his head into the crook of Adrien's neck. "But it's made me realise how much I kind of want this for myself."

Kagami rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "That is precisely why you and I never worked out." There was no malice or hurt in her statement. Adrien and Kagami went on a few dates back at the end of Lycée, but soon she had realised they were a lot more different than Kagami thought they were. As soon as Adrien had started talking about wanting kids and hamsters and all those other very domestic things she knew this wasn't going to work. Kids were well off Kagami's radar anytime soon, if ever, and she knew it was something very important to Adrien. As much as she liked him, she knew it was kinder to let him go.