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Summary: Adrien's mother taught him three things before she died: To be kind, to find the truth, and to always fight evil.
Word Count: 10K+ Rating/Warnings: T/one curse word, violence Notes: This is @miraculousturtle's (delayed) birthday present. Many thanks goes to @mahaliciously for beta'ing it for me.
Happy Birthday Brownie! (Yes, I was the anon talking about how this was 4K a few days ago, lol.)
Also known as the 2K oneshot that would not stop. *groans*
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"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." - Albert Camus
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The boy enters the world during the early, pre-dawn hours on June 1, 2000 with a shrill cry, shattering the silence of the hospital.
Emiline Agreste holds the tiny bundle of pink flesh and blue blankets in her trembling arms with a smile on her sweat-drenched face. Gabriel Agreste studies him with nervous awe.
"Adrien," Emiline christens him some time later, and Gabriel agrees with her choice.
And so, Adrien becomes his name.
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Adrien's first word is "ma," quickly followed by "pa," and then "cat." Emiline jokingly calls him her chaton, for his eyes always, always, always latch onto the graceful, mysterious creatures and stays on them until the felines are out of sight.
The first time it slips out of her mouth, Adrien giggles and claps his hands together, expressing his approval clearly.
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As he grows older, it becomes obvious that Adrien's a mama's boy – Not to say he doesn't like his père (Adrien adores Gabriel, and Gabriel always humors him when he shows him the senseless scribbles he calls "dresses"), but he clings to Emiline.
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His first friend is a girl named Chloé who he meets in the park one sunny day. She wears yellow and she always has a smile on her face as she sees him.
"Adri, Adri!" She will yell from her maman's arms, and Adrien will wave at her, running away from his own maman as her maman puts her on the ground.
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The first time he screams at someone is when Chloé rips his teddy bear's arm off when he is seven.
"A-Adrien," she says, for once not calling him Adri. He stares at the arm in her hand as the stuffing slowly slips out of his bear's body. He can't speak, can't cry for a moment – It was the bear his papa got him in that fair. He blinks back tears. "I-I'm sorry."
