Chat had tried to save the day. Emphasis on tried. He wasn't exactly an expert, it being his first day. He had been thrown into the new life style. Trying to find a place to transform while being famous was far more difficult than he expected. Teaming with Ladybug was fun, but it was difficult when she was more used to it and expected him to be similar.
It was a pain. Literally. He was clawed at by the 'akuma' and it damaged his suit. The red clad hero offered to help him, but the moment his ring beeped, she told him she couldn't. She desire to keep their identities a secret outweighed his suit.
He wasn't injured to badly, but he knew that the blood would be difficult to wash out. He hid in the alleyways of Paris, afraid to go home in such condition. His father would have a sour scowl, worse than his normal scowl. His make-up artist and the crew for his modeling would have a fit. He didn't want to go through all that drama.
He slumped by the wall of a red brick building. His body was too soft and not used to such an attack. He was clumsy with his movements and it only got in the way of the superhero. He slid down to catch his breath and rest. The bleeding was slowing down. That was good, right? He was too tired to know; his eye lids falling and his brain shutting down was evident of that.
•••
"Will he be okay?"
"Да, да." Click, click. "The wounds will heal, bit it might leave a scar if he tears the scab like you do." Woosh. "You did good on the suit though."
"Of course. Mom taught me how to sew, and I have your clothes for practice."
Adrien mumbled as he heard the voices of a girl and boy. He didn't recognize them, nor the language they spoke. It wasn't French, nor Chinese. He twitched and tried to prop himself up with an elbow. However, a strong hand pushed him back down.
"Don't move," commanded a stern voice. It was broken French and the accent was thick with a rolling tongue. "Wound will tear."
He complied reluctantly. He slowly opened his eyes to see a young man, about twenty hover over him with a serious frown. He held up a leather jacket and placed it over him, on the back of the couch. How in the h*** did he get there?
The girl looked at him with big eyes. She smiled lightly, silently saying he'd be fine.
"Where am I?" Adrien asked.
"You are at 1738 Drovler Road," the girl responded quickly and excitedly. He only held his head and groaned in annoyance. His father would kill him if he knew he was at the 'poor side' of Paris.
She looked at him worryingly. "Are you feeling well?" She asked. "Does your head feel bad?" The young blonde shook his hand, signaling that it was fine. He still frowned. How was he going to get home? Would it be alright for Plagg to transform?
"Who is Plagg?" Asked the girl. Crap! He said that out loud! "Is he the tiny cat that begs for cheese?" Son of a— She saw him?! That meant—! She only smiled at him, pressing a finger to her lips with a giggle. "I cannot tell any person. I do not think they would know with my words."
He calmed a bit. The young man, who pushed him down, helped him up more gently and slowly helped put on his leather jacket. He also handed Adrein a small pill. "This help pain." Afraid to argue, the model took it and swallowed with water. After the blonde took the medicine, the young man got up and left through a door he just noticed. He told the girl something, she nodded with a confident smile. She replied with something that sounded like a goodbye.
Adrien took a good look around the room. It was small. Many things were small. The couch was for two people, the rug hardly took any space. The door to his right took up a third of the wall. The cabinet adjacent was covered with mail, a set of keys and dying flowers. It was open with shoes noticeably put in.
Across from him was an opening to a tiny kitchen. The table was round and with only three chairs, with an unfinished breakfast, dying flowers, and napkins. The stove/oven had a pan with waves radiating, still warm with food. The fridge was plain and only had a page of a calendar. The sink was wet around with wet cups and plates on the counter next to it.
It was simple and cluttered. The girl had disappeared while he examined the apartment. He looked around for her and took advantage of the opportunity. He quickly got up and padded his way to the window to his left. He ignored the sharp pain by his chest.
"You'll have the trouble to open the window," came a comment. Adrien stiffened and turned to see the girl carrying a basket of laundry on her hip. He took in her more closely with nervous eyes. She had deep brown, curly hair, dark grey eyes outlined with her small, rounded glasses. She had on a thick white sweater with an American brand name with dark black-grey pants. She looked really plain.
"I—" he didn't have a chance to explain himself.
"You can take off the mask. Plagg is tried, no?" He straighten stiffly, feeling ashamed he forgot about his kwami. He eyed her slowly as she moved towards the kitchen. "Do not worry. I saw your face last night when your cat got tired. I fixed jacket with trouble for a time, but it is fixed, so you can release your cat."
Ladybug was going to kill him for having someone know he was.
She smiled at him again before leaving into the kitchen. "I say it before. I cannot tell any person."
Her French was extremely in need of help, but it seemed like she could be trusted. No one would fully understand her, making her an unreliable source. He let Plagg out of the transformation and he fell down into his hands. The girl was right. Plagg had really pushed himself all right just to get his jacket fixed. "I'm sorry..." He murmured helplessly.
The more he sat by the window, the more useless he felt. A plain girl was able to fix his suit, and look after his kwami, and help with his injury. He didn't understand half of what he could do as Chat Noir, and he was only trouble when it came to helping Ladybug. He would never catch up. It was just like when he first took up all those classes his father dropped on him. It was all too much.
The girl came back and her smile was gone. He almost didn't notice her if it hadn't been for the cheese she put in his hands. He noticed how she barely lifted a lip as Plagg ate her offering hungrily. She looked up at his eyes with a nursing look. "You hunger?" She asked.
Adrien didn't move, only stared at the tiny cat-like creature.
He didn't know how long he watched the alien cat. Plagg ate his cheese and began to sleep in his hand, but not before he made his his remark on how a tiny girl could take better care of him than his lousy charger. At some point, Adrein placed the black creature in his pocket.
Then she came back. Her hair was pulled back tightly and took off her shirt, that was a bit big, but not enough to cover her teenage body. She grabbed his wrist firmly and dragged him into the kitchen. He was reluctant of course.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
She didn't speak. She forced him to sit down in one of the wooden chairs. He watched as she took something from the pan and placed it on some bread. She poured something brown on it and spread it. Then something pink. He heard a knife chop onto a board, and what was cut sounded crisp and juicy. He had no control over his watering mouth.
In one minute, a sandwich was offered to him. He slowly took it and inspected it.
She gestured for him to eat it. "Nothing wrong," she confirmed. "There are the eggs, the ham, the sauce, the onions, the cucumbers, the bread. It is nutritious."
There was too much. His stomach wasn't big enough. His manager would scream if he ate the sandwich. So many unnecessary calories. He gulped nervously.
She gestured more, looking worried. "You are sick?"
Adrein shook his head. "It's not that..."
She watched him put the sandwich down on the table. She frown with furrowed eyebrows. "You must eat." She took a knife and walked towards him. She cut the sandwich, offering the bigger half. He reluctantly took it, feeling better that he didn't need to eat the entire thing. "My brother told me, 'he must eat'. You are tired and need the energy. The wound cannot heal if you are very tired." With that reason, he felt as though he had no choice. He took a bite.
And another. And another. And another.
He stared at the other half she cut. The girl hadn't eaten it yet. She gave it to him, as though she knew he'd want it.
He finished the sandwich silently and almost felt guilty afterwards. Almost. She offered milk to wash it down, which helped.
"Thank you," he sighed in, what his manager wouldn't be pleased with, relief. She only smiled brightly in response. She must've not learned 'you're welcome' yet.
"It is pleasure to help."
"Even more for a model?" He scoffed, a tad bitterly.
She blushed vividly. Of course she knew he was — "Plagg say I draw you last night?!" What...? He wasn't expecting that... "I am sorry! I am sorry!" She repeated. "I need the practice to draw the human faces. You was at sleep and Plagg wanted rest, then I draw when I cannot sew!"
Adrein stared at her dumbfounded. She didn't know.... who he was...? "Y-you..."
She sighed, defeated. "I am sorry. Do not be mad. It was only the side your face."
"Y-you don't know who I am?" He asked.
She shook her head with a nervous smile. "I cannot ask for name. Plagg say you cannot share your name."
He slowly smiled. "Adrien..." He spoke softly. "I'm Adrien."
She brightened. "I am Nelliya." He laughed a bit, she followed with her own giggle. "It is Russian, yes. Not French. I am new in country."
He shook his head. "May I call you something easier for me to pronounce?" She smile with an approving nod. "Nella?" He asked.
She softened her gaze at his nickname. "Then can I call you Andreya?" His eyes shifted a bit. He was all too used to his name. She giggled a bit. "It sound like girl name, yes? But it is name for Andrey in Russian. I have brother at home with same name."
Adrien felt all too comfortable with the nickname. He had never been shown such affection since before his mother disappeared. It was nice to have (even a small) connection be it a girly name. "No," he wanted to amend. "It's fine, really!" He was all too excited. "Andrey is fine."
She grinned widely. He grinned back.
Andrey had became his third name. And he loved it with every bit inside him.
•••