Adrien
His fingers danced over the piano keys, playing a tune he knew by heart. He had practiced it so often, it had engrained itself to his memory. He didn't even have to look at the keys. Natalie stood over his shoulder, watching carefully for any mistakes. That used to bother him, a long time ago. But he had gotten past it. Now he just thought of her as a shadow, just something in the background. When he finished, she nodded, poking around on her tablet again.
"Dinner will be at six-thirty sharp."
He didn't respond, getting up from the piano bench. He loved playing, when it was not required of him.
"Your father will be taking dinner in his office again."
He rolled his eyes, turning to the window that encompassed one of his bedroom walls.
"I figured as much."
He mumbled, listening to her walk out of his bedroom. He moved over to his bed, completely exhausted. After what had happened with Marinette, his body was running on fumes. He buried his face in one of the pillows, thinking about giving in to sleep completely. He could just imagine his father's response to that.
'Sleeping during the day? Do you not have enough to do?'
He sighed, digging his phone out of his pocket. He could call princess, and see if she would talk to him to keep him awake.
"Whatcha doing?"
"I'm calling her."
He replied, as Plagg crash landed onto the pillow next to him.
"You like her."
His tone was teasing, and Adrien sighed.
"I do not. We're just friends."
He snapped, already annoyed. Plagg snickered, and Adrien turned to look at him.
"With benefits?"
He sat up completely, pointing a finger at Plagg.
"One more word, and I toss all your cheese into the garbage."
His kwami gasped dramatically, clutching at his chest.
"Adrien, you wouldn't."
"Try me."
Plagg looked horrified, and flew to the other side of the room, presumably to protect his precious camembert. He rolled his eyes and hit the call button on Marinette's contact. After a few rings she picked up, and he closed his eyes, his body immediately relaxing.
"Hello?"
"Hey Mari. I was thinking about you, and just wanted to call and see what you were up to."
He heard Sabine ask her something in the background, though he couldn't tell what was said.
"It's just Adrien Maman."
His body jerked, sitting up in a panic. How in the hell did she know that he was Chat? Had he done something earlier that gave it away?
"How... how did you know it was me?"
She paused, and his heart stilled. What if she had known the entire time, and just hadn't said anything? No that was ridiculous. Right?
"I've had your number in my phone for years. We talked on the phone just the other night."
What did that have to do with anything? Chat's number wasn't the same as Adrien's. Did she recognize his voice? Or... He slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at it. Both relief and embarrassment flooded through him. He had grabbed Adrien's phone. Not Chat's.
"What were you thinking about me?"
He quickly pulled the phone back to his ear, his heartbeat finally going back to normal. He hadn't said anything obvious. He just had to come up with something. But what?
"Hello?"
"Yeah, sorry. I'm still here. Uh... you just seemed so busy today, I was... wondering how your half of the project was coming along."
He heard Plagg snicker again, and he shot him a glare.
"Uh... it's coming. I haven't had alot of time to work on it, but don't worry, I'll finish it in time."
"I could come over and help if you want. I'm pretty sure you got the short end of the stick, because alot more happened in the last half of his life."
He heard a stifled giggle on the other end of the line, and he pictured the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed.
"If you want to you can. I'm sure mom would love to have you over again. You sure the warden will let you out?"
"We'll see. I'll call back with an answer."
They hung up, and he went off to find Natalie. He knocked on the door of his father's office first, normally that's where she'd be. She opened it a crack, looking at him over her glasses.
"Will you please ask father if I can have dinner at the bakery again?"
She closed the door, and he could hear muffled voices. She opened it again and he mustered a polite smile.
"Why?"
"She hasn't had time to work on the project, because she's been helping her parents in the bakery, not to mention, her portion of the project was much bigger than mine. If I don't help her, she won't be able to finish in time, and we'll both fail."
It wasn't a complete lie. She was helping her parents some, but Chat Noir was taking up a bit of time too.
"Just tell him to be back by nine-thirty."
He heard his father snap, and Natalie turned back to him to relay the message.
"I heard him, thanks. Thank you father!"
He turned on his heels, heading back up to his room as he dialed Marinette.
"Looks like I'll be at your place for dinner."
"I'll bake some fresh sweets!"
He heard Sabine chime in the background, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Better hurry, or she'll have a dozen things for you to eat when you get here."
He grinned, and glanced at the time.
"I'll come as fast as I can fly."
He hung up, reaching his room. He grabbed his school bag, motioning for Plagg to come on.
"Bakery again?"
He whined, and Adrien nodded.
"But don't worry. Just as Adrien this time."
He twirled the pencil between his fingers, waiting for her to tell him what to write. They had decided that she would read, and pick out important points in his life, and that he would jot them down. She read faster than he did anyway. He was completely full, her mother had kept bringing him sweets, and he just couldn't say no. It meant alot, to have someone so invested in making sure he ate. He glanced around her room, his eyes coming to rest on her pin up board. It had loads of pictures on it, and he swiveled his chair closer, scanning over them. He could tell Alya had taken most of them, some he even remembered her taking. His gaze settled on a picture of Marinette with Luka, he was playing his guitar, and she seemed so relaxed. He wondered if she still liked him. As far as he knew they never officially dated, but he couldn't know for sure. He had always been jealous of the way she responded to him. She didn't stutter, she was relaxed, calm. With him she used to be so stiff and awkward.
"Adrien?"
"Yeah?"
He looked away from the pictures, and she smiled softly.
"Is it okay if we take a break? We've been at it a couple of hours now, and I can finish the rest up before Wednesday."
"Sure."
He set his pencil down and stood up, stretching his muscles. She turned off the monitor, and he pointed at her wall.
"You don't want to be a fashion designer anymore?"
"What? Of course I do."
He finished stretching, plopping back into the chair.
"I was just wondering. All of my modeling pictures are gone."
"Oh! Yeah... that. Well... the fashion industry is always changing. Something could be in one second and out the next. It would be...pointless to try to keep up by printing pictures."
She seemed a little embarrassed for some reason, and he decided to let the topic drop. He was actually really proud of her. Almost the entire time he had been there, she hadn't stuttered. She still blushed, but she was just that type.
"So what do you want to do?"
Oh, he could think of a million things Chat wanted to do. But he wasn't Chat. Not right now.
"Still have Ultimate Mecha Strike three?"
"I haven't played in a while, but I'm still undefeated."
He grinned at her challenging tone, and crossed his arms.
"You're on."
"You cheated."
He could tell it was a half hearted accusation, and he nudged her shoulder with his.
"Oh come on Mari. Don't be a sore loser."
She scoffed, holding her nose up in the air.
"I am not a sore loser. I used to be the best at this game."
"We should have bet on it."
That comment earned him a glare, and he chuckled.
"That's what happens when you don't play for a while. Hand it over, I called winner."
Tom took the controller, and Marinette stood, shaking her head.
"Avenge me father."
Adrien grinned at the melodramatic tone she took, and Tom selected his character.
"I'm gonna crush him."
Marinette giggled, and his gaze followed her out of the room. He chose an avatar without even looking, his eyes glued to the doorway she had disappeared through. After a few rounds, they were both tied on level three, and Adrien was struggling to get the upper hand.
"All right boys. Dinner is ready."
He turned to glance at Marinette, and was suddenly bombarded with images of her saying that to two blonde headed little boys, who ran to him. They called him dad, and begged for a little more time. He flinched, and Tom's laughter snapped him back to reality. His avatar was dead, and Tom was high fiving Marinette.
"Daughter avenged. Tom style! Booyah!"
He shouted, and Adrien shook his head.
"Oh come on, she distracted me!"
"Whose a sore loser now?"
She teased and he stuck his tounge out at her. She rolled her eyes, and headed back into the kitchen.
"That was a challenge. You play well sir."
He stuck out his hand, and Tom gave it a hearty shake.
"You too were a formidable opponent."
"Boys!"
Sabine's voice cut through the room, and they both hurried into the kitchen. Adrien's stomach growled the second the aroma made it to him. They had made fried rice with shrimp. He quickly took his seat, taking a deep breath, his mouth already watering.
"How can you still be hungry? Maman fed you half the bakery earlier!"
Marinette shook her head at him, and her mother gently smacked her arm.
"He's a growing boy Marinette! He needs to eat."
"That's right. I am a growing boy."
He grinned, and Marinette couldn't help but smile back. Oh yeah. He could get used to this.
* * * * *
"I don't get it Plagg."
His kwami groaned, flopping over on the pillow next to him.
"Why are you so worried? You used to fantasize about having kids with ladybug all the time."
"But this was different. I chose to fantasize about that. But with Mari, it just popped into my head. I couldn't control it."
He waited for a response, and when none came he turned his head. Plagg was fast asleep, clutching a can of camembert. He sighed, rolling over and facing his empty room. He loved being at the bakery. It was fun, bright and warm. Her parents were always checking on them, always right there if they needed something. But leaving from that, and coming home to a father he never saw, made it so much harder. It made him wonder if he was the problem. If Gabriel had a different child, someone other than him, would things be any different? Would he welcome them with open arms? A lump was swelling in this throat, and he tried to force it back down. Some people were just not meant to have children. It couldn't be his fault. Not when he had done everything he could, to try to make Gabriel proud. Not when he did everything right. Adrien was not the problem. He repeated that in his head, over and over, until the words blurred with his vision. He wasn't the problem. He grabbed his phone, making sure he had Chat's phone this time, before calling her. He just wanted to hear her voice. Maybe it would make his room seem a little less empty, and dark. Maybe some of her light would shine all the way from her room to his window. She answered on the first ring, and he felt guilty at how tired she sounded. It was late, and he shouldn't have called.
"Chat?"
He swallowed past the lump in his throat, trying to make his voice sound as normal as possible.
"Sorry for calling so late princess. Did I wake you?"
"No I was just getting ready for bed. Is everything okay?"
His heart ached at that question, and he draped his arm across his face, as if that would stop any tears from falling.
"Kitty?"
The worry in her voice completely broke him, and what little resolve he had left shattered.
"No."
He whispered, guilt slamming into him as he told her the truth. She already had so much on her plate. Why should he make her worry?
"What's wrong?"
He had so many people who cared about him. He could tell by the worry in her voice that she cared. Why was he so torn up that Gabriel didn't? Why did he matter? Tears were streaming down his face, and he hated how embarrassing it felt. He hadn't cried in so long. He deserved to be able to.
"Talk to me Chat. What's going on?"
So he told her. He changed a few details, so she wouldn't connect Chat to Adrien, but he didn't lie. He told her how alone he felt. How trapped he was in his own home. They talked for hours, and there were times she cried with him. By the time he finally dozed off, he didn't feel as alone. He had a family. Even if it wasn't by blood. His friends were his family, and that was how he knew. He wasn't the problem.