Glossary:
Clochette = little bell
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~*~*~*~*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(Mood Music: Hallelujah - Brian Crain cover)
It was just another Monday morning in the life of Nathalie Sancoeur. While she wouldn't necessarily categorize herself as a morning person, she did prefer to wake up extra early to quietly watch the sun rise, her beloved cat Clochette lounging lazily on her lap, as well as enjoy the luxury of being able to get ready for the day at a leisurely pace.
Her daily routine of scrolling through the trending news on her tablet while sluggishly sipping on black coffee was uneventful as usual... until she began going through the Adrien Agreste hashtag, as she always did.
Clochette did not appreciate being violently sprayed with coffee. Nathalie coughed and sputtered, wiping her dripping mouth and nose. She grabbed the nearest available towel (which, as she discovered later, turned out to be not a towel but a pricy dry-clean only sweater) to clean her face and tablet with. Hopping off and looking back with what was surely the cat version of a sneer, Clochette walked away from a very confused Nathalie, who continued to gawk and sputter at the blurry photos of her charge, hand-in-hand with the one and only Ladybug.
Inhaling sharply and leaping out of her chair, Nathalie snatched her phone, first to dial Nadja Chamack's number, followed by the Agrestes' lawyer, hoping they could help her minimize the potential damage of this situation.
"Gabriel cannot find out about this," she muttered to no one in particular, clutching the countertop with a white-knuckle grip.
------------------------------------
A couple of hours later, Adrien sat at the Agrestes' titanic dining room table anxiously poking at his breakfast, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sleep-deprivation from a night full of bad dreams (chronic nightmares were an unfortunate side effect of using his miraculous against its intended use) only amplified the maddening suspense.
Last night he'd been terrified to check the news, fretting that the photos from his date with Ladybug would undoubtedly be leaked onto the internet. There was no way he'd be lucky enough to escape that. He did, however, recall that none of the phones pointed at them had had their flash turned on, and therefore, there was a tiny possibility that the photos hadn't turned out clear enough to confirm that it really was Ladybug and Adrien in the photos, and not some attention-seeking lookalikes. It was that tiny ray of hope which allowed him to fall into a fitful sleep.
A hope that was dashed when he checked his phone at 3am (having been jolted awake by a particularly vivid night terror). As a result, he spent the next few hours searching for more photos, filing claims and reports all over social media, hoping they would get taken down sometime before anyone he knew could find out, and had gotten no more sleep.
"Good morning, Adrien," a stern female voice rang suddenly from the other side of the large dining hall.
Adrien suppressed a grimace. "Good morning, Nathalie."
Nathalie paused, chewed on her lip as she stared at him without blinking, and then continued, "You have Chinese lessons at 6pm tonight as always. You also have an early morning photo shoot tomorrow with a 5am wake-up call, so be sure to set your alarm for the correct time. Your piano recital is this Saturday so don't forget to get in some extra practice this week."
Adrien stared back expectantly, wondering when the warning about his behavior and consequences would come. A weighty pause and an air of tension hovered over the two of them, and the lack of conversation turned awkward, so Adrien forced himself to say, "Sure."
Nathalie stared back, trying her best to maintain a professionally cool and nonchalant expression, although Adrien could tell she was struggling to remain her composure. Adrien fretted internally, wringing his hands under the table, wondering if she knew.
Of course she knows, this is Nathalie. But why hasn't she said anything?!
After several seconds, which felt like he was held at the precipice of a roller coaster and waiting anxiously for the drop, Nathalie finally said, "That is all." She added a quick, "Have a good day at your shoot," before walking away briskly.
Adrien consciously had to stop his jaw from dropping.
"Th-thank you, Nathalie!" he managed to blurt out when she'd almost reached the door.
She stopped abruptly and looked back, her eyes full of an emotion he couldn't place. There was an unspoken understanding floating in the air between them. A solidarity. An odd sort of pact forged through kinship, through a need to survive together as allies under hostile territory.
"You're welcome," she replied quietly and exited the room, leaving a very puzzled Adrien behind.
He sank into his chair like a deflating balloon, recovering from the pressure and anxiety of what he'd originally anticipated from this meeting. Any time there was something he'd be getting in trouble for, Nathalie was always kind enough to warn him beforehand. If she hadn't mentioned anything to him (and he was positive that she knew who he'd been with the night before), it meant that Gabriel hadn't found out and that she wasn't going to tell him, since he relied on her to inform him of any news that might interest him.
This wasn't the first time Nathalie had put her job on the line for Adrien. Why would she continue to risk her job, her position as his father's confidante and right-hand-man, so to speak, on his behalf? She received nothing tangible from helping him; there wasn't anything he'd be able to repay her with. No accruing of favors or debts to hold over his head or she would have said something already. Adrien knew she wasn't happy working for them and yet she'd never resigned. Why was she still here after all the trouble the Agrestes had brought into her life?
Whatever the reason, Adrien was thankful. He let out a large sigh of relief, hoping that some of Ladybug's legendary luck (which had apparently rubbed off on him last night) would stick around a little bit longer.
After finishing getting ready, Adrien opened the front door and was halfway across the threshold when he heard a stern voice call his name from inside the house. He spun around to see Gabriel, who had just exited his office. Adrien felt an unpleasant chill trickle down his spine, yet tried to keep his expression neutral.
"Good morning, Father," he called back as casually as he could.
Gabriel approached until they were less than an arm's length away and stared down at him through his glasses. Despite having almost reached his height, he still felt so large and imposing that Adrien couldn't help but almost shake when he stood this close even after all these years.
"I could sense you last night," Gabriel finally spoke. "What happened?"
Adrien felt his limbs freeze up. Of course his father had felt his distress when he'd had his claustrophobic attack he'd had in the closet with Ladybug the night before. To him, being able to detect strong emotions came as natural as breathing by this point.
"Oh, I- uhh... I was watching a horror movie," he lied as nonchalantly as he could.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow and his mouth twisted into a disapproving frown.
Adrien wasn't sure if he looked convinced or not. He continued, "I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I'd forgotten how much I disliked scary movies, but I got really into the story and wanted to see what happened." He forced himself to smile, but was pretty sure he probably just ended up looking like the grimacing face emoji.
Gabriel grunted slightly in acknowledgement. "See that it doesn't happen again. You were fortunate I was already in bed and reading a book. The emotion from you last night was quite tempting, and I have often pondered whether you would make a more efficient akuma than you are as Chat Noir."
Suppressing a flinch, Adrien replied dejectedly, "Understood."
They went their separate ways quietly, having nothing left to say to each other. Adrien walked slowly, desperately attempting to squelch the negative emotions he was currently feeling so as to not alert his father again. A sense of restlessness and desperation had been slowly growing within him for a long while now, and yet he couldn't place what it was trying to compel him to do. He wanted to disappear, to run far away to the other side of the world and never have to see his house, or even Paris, ever again.
Taking a deep breath, he reined himself in.
I need to calm down. Think, Adrien... Think about something good, think about something nice, think about something that makes you happy. Like puppies, or ice cream. Or...
Or her.
Adrien felt his throat dry up and he gulped down a thick lump. He allowed his mind to drift towards better memories, thinking of Ladybug and her gentle smile; of the way her slender arms felt when they embraced him, so comforting and warm, making him feel completely safe; of how she smelled of fresh spring flowers and rain, and of her sweet voice as she sang the tune he associated with unconditional love and acceptance because of his mother.
Unconsciously touching his cheek, he blushed as he yet again mentally replayed the moment when Ladybug had kissed him the night before and how it made his body feel like it was on fire. He caught himself wishing he would've been able to return the kiss, idly wondering how her soft skin would have felt against his lips instead...
His eyes flew open.
What am I saying?!
He shook his head quickly, having finally reached his chauffeur, definitively attempting to ignore the whirlwind of butterflies in his stomach as he entered the car and tried to mentally prepare himself (again) for the day ahead.
------------------------------------
(Mood Music: Dance for Me Wallis - Abel Korzeniowski, W.E. Soundtrack)
Ladybug ran across the rooftops, agitatedly searching for an elusive candy-themed akuma, whose presence only caused her stomach to growl that much louder.
Why does there have to be an akuma now ? It's lunchtime!! Why does Hawkmoth want me to be hungry?! I just wanted my sandwich! Well, prepare to feel the wrath of a "hangry" Ladybug, you jerk!!
She swung across buildings casting worried glances down below. Left and right people had been turned into chocolate statues, which posed a major problem as it was a particularly warm day in August, so she didn't have long before the the statues would begin to melt.
She needed to hurry and find this akuma.
Hearing a thunderous roar, she jumped down onto the pavement and sprinted toward the sound only to find the akumatized person pointing a humongous chocolate cannon at a little girl. Seperated from her parents, the girl screamed and ran, but there was no way she would be able to outrun the much larger man.
"Stop!! Don't shoot, she's just a kid!" Ladybug shouted, rushing towards them.
To Ladybug's surprise, the akuma pointed its canon at the sky and fired. And yet it wasn't a thick stream of chocolate as she had expected it to be.
"Are you serious?? Chocolate rain?! " Ladybug huffed incredulously. Finally reaching the little girl, Ladybug pulled her close, spinning her yoyo upwards to shield them like an umbrella. She quipped, "Here's how we'll stay dry!"
"Then I'll make others feel the pain!" the monster bellowed, conjuring up a wave of chocolate to ride on, using a gigantic chocolate bar as a surfboard, and sped towards a shopping center where people were still scrambling to evacuate.
"Hey, get back here!" Ladybug exclaimed, chasing after him. She called back at the little girl, pointing at a fabric store whose owners she knew. "Go inside that building over there with the blue sign! They'll help you hide!" She watched flicked a glance over her shoulder to make sure the girl was heading to the building, then focused on the akuma.
Ladybug gradually closed the gap between her and the akuma, who was about a couple of blocks away roaring at the crowds. Before Ladybug could reach the akuma, something hit her hard from the side, sweeping her away and shoving her against the side of a building.
Wind knocked out of her and seeing stars, she barely registered what had just happened and struggled weakly to no avail. Thankfully, she'd managed to reflexively protect her neck from whatever hard metal weapon was pinning her down, which she subsequently tried to push away once she noticed its presence, but was too disoriented to succeed.
She groaned, blinking away the fuzziness in her vision and trying to identify her assailant. When she fully opened her eyes, she was met with a pair of bright green, iridescent ones, their unmistakable familiar glow sending a shiver up her spine.
"Chat...?" she rasped, aghast, feeling her stomach drop like an anvil. Staring wide-eyed and having been rendered speechless, her mind was filled with questions, but a single one stood out above all others.
Why?
Ladybug felt stupidly naive now, having let her guard down, foolishly inferring that just because Chat hadn't shown up yet it might mean that her words had had an impact on him. How presumptuous of her to assume that with a few well meaning gestures she would be able to forge the beginnings of a friendship with someone who had been her enemy for years, how utterly arrogant she'd been.
She had tried so hard to not get her hopes up in regards to where Chat Noir's allegiance would lie during the next akuma attack. And yet, now that that moment had finally arrived, she still felt woefully unprepared for the amount of hurt she was feeling.
Her chest heaved rapidly and she willed herself to fight back, desperately wanting to punch him, to kick him, to do anything other than to remain frozen under his grasp, and yet she couldn't summon the strength. She knew she needed to. She had always been able to, putting aside whatever curiosity and worries she'd had about the boy under the mask to do her job. But for some reason this time was different. Had she compromised herself and her own competence in her ill-fated attempt to broker peace between them?
I can't hurt him. I just can't .
In the midst of her confusion, she began to plead hoarsely, "Chat, please, I--" But she was interrupted when he placed his fingertips gently on top of her lips. He leaned into her, the subtle yet alluring scent of leather and expensive cologne he always carried with him causing her insides to flutter. The world seemed to have stopped as he pressed up against her, and she could barely hear the commotion around them.
Chat Noir's cheek lightly brushed against hers and she gasped softly, the confusingly pleasant contact producing goosebumps all over her body. He finally whispered, "The akuma's in the mixing spoon inside his apron pocket. Watch out for his licorice net gun."
He lingered for a few extra moments then pulled back, giving her one last indecipherable look, and as quickly as he appeared he was gone. Ladybug stood there, stupefied. All she could do was stare at him vaulting away like a shadow while everything else seemed to move in slow motion.
What the hell just happened?
------------------------------------
The incident with the candy akuma was not a one-time occurrence. Chat Noir remained an indirect participant in the next few akuma battles, never staying in one place longer than it took for him to discreetly tackle or corner Ladybug, always making it look like they were fighting, and secretly whisper the location of the akumatized item, some advice or clue, and, on occasion, even a few words of caution.
But Adrien knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. His father had said little about it but Adrien knew that he had noticed, and his excuses about having previous commitments and lessons to attend, or claiming to be concerned about civilian safety (Gabriel had always disdainfully scoffed at his attempts to protect those in immediate danger) would not hold up much longer. It was only a matter of time before Gabriel became truly suspicious.
All he needed was more time.
Somehow, in the midst of his busy schedule and extracurricular activities, for the last few weeks Adrien had begun to secretly research and study as much material as he could about magical artifacts (scarce as said information was), hoping to find some way where he and his father wouldn't be at odds with Ladybug anymore, and everything could be solved neatly and without violence.
So far there he hadn't found anything even remotely useful, and his morale was running low.
And so Adrien found himself underground as he often did, clutching a bouquet of pink carnations and standing by the glass capsule (he refused to call it a casket or coffin) that his mother resided in. Harsh, bright, fluorescent lights illuminated this giant underground chamber, which gave it a cold, clinical atmosphere, almost like a hospital room.
(Mood Music: True Colors - Brooklyn Duo cover)
He stood there for a while, taking in her appearance. Since she'd fallen into a death-like coma, she hadn't aged a single day, looking as radiant and beautiful as ever.
Just like he remembered her.
"Hi, Mom," he said, tracing a finger over the cool, hard surface, speaking quietly and reverently, as if anything louder than a murmur would somehow cause her discomfort.
"It's so good to see your face right now. So much has been happening lately." He sighed, then busied himself, placing the fresh flowers in an ornate vase that sat on the table, throwing away the old bouquet into the wastebasket underneath it. "Father's kept himself really busy and I hardly ever get to see him, even less than usual. We're like strangers. Sometimes I feel like the real Gabriel Agreste got abducted by aliens years ago and the one we have now is some nefarious martian doppelganger." He finished fiddling with the flowers and leaned against the capsule, speaking casually, "I mean, you know how he is, he's never exactly been a cheery ray of sunshine; he's always had an ornery side," he chuckled softly.
"But now he's..." He groaned with a grimace and rubbed the back of his neck. "Now he's like... a black hole. Not a single spark or hint of light in him anymore. And he sucks your happiness away if you spend time around him. I'm not sure how Nathalie can deal with him every day. I don't really understand what's happened to him after all these years. I mean, I know he misses you, like always. But there's gotta be something more. And I..." He paused, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "I don't think he's doing so well. Health-wise, that is."
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I walked in on him once a while back as he was having one of his coughing fits and... I saw the blood on the handkerchief. I ran up to him and asked to take him to a doctor but he waved it off, claiming it was just an old stain. And yet, ever since that day, he started using black handkerchiefs instead. He won't tell me exactly how using his miraculous against Ladybug has been affecting him, but I know this is connected. I don't know how much longer he can keep this up." He paused, biting his lip. "I'm really worried about him," he finally said. He was silent for a few minutes, absentmindedly cleaning a few fingerprints off the glass with his sleeve, trying to keep himself from imagining two caskets side by side.
Never in his life had he felt such heaviness, such sadness, such weariness as the kind he'd experienced this past year. His relationship with his father had deteriorated far worse than he'd ever thought possible. Gabriel's explosive, violent, and often unpredictable outbursts had everyone around him constantly on edge. And although Adrien would hate to admit it, he was almost afraid of being in his own house. It had gotten to the point where he'd begun wearing a snug leather glove while he slept, so that he would get woken up if Gabriel ever attempted to remove his ring. It hadn't happened thus far, but one could never be too careful around him nowadays. Something had to change, but he didn't know what it was.
"Anyway, sorry, enough about that. Ummm," He changed the subject, scrunching his face deep in thought. "Oh! School starts next week, so that's pretty exciting! I get to see my friends every day instead of once every few weeks. You'd like them, mom, I know you would," he rambled excitedly. "I've talked about them before. Nino, Alya, and--oh, I think you'd especially like Marinette. She's a very artsy person, like you are. And she's super nice. I wish you could meet them all. Someday, maybe..." He smiled sadly, wishing with all his heart that that day actually would come, and yet his hope continued to dwindle
"Oh, and..." Adrien turned his head away briefly and almost winced, like a kid who was about to get grounded. "There's... someone else I wanted to talk to you about. I don't know if she counts as a friend yet, but I... I've been spending some time with- um, with L-Ladybug," he stammered. "D-don't get upset though! I'm just trying to figure out how to help you and not have to fight her. There's gotta be a way to do both. I just haven't figured out how yet. I know it would probably be easier to keep doing what Father says and just steal her miraculous, but after all these years it still hasn't worked and I'm... I don't..." he trailed off, struggling to find the right words and his hands curling into fists.
Damn it. Why is this so hard?
He let out a big, shuddering sigh, curling in on himself. "I'm tired of fighting, mom. I'm just tired." He knelt down by his mother's feet, wearily sagging against the platform and placing a hand on it.
A few minutes passed. Adrien's thumb stroked the side of her capsule wistfully, imagining how things were many years ago. He would sit on a plush, fluffy rug leaning into his mother's legs as she tenderly stroked his head while sitting on her favorite sofa, and they would talk for hours.
"I've been hanging out with her. With Ladybug, that is," he finally spoke. "I've gotten to know her a little bit. And every time I'm with her, it just hits me that she's just... a normal girl. A normal girl who's been granted huge powers, but still, just a girl. She's not some creepy harpy with fangs who'll gouge your eyes out with her claws, like Father always made her sound like. She's..." He smiled fondly, the smile reaching his eyes for the first time that day. "She's kind of cool, actually. She's so different from what I ever expected her to be. She's kind and funny, very friendly, and she's really prett-- UMM, I mean--" His head shot up, eyes popping wide open. "She's, uhhh...! She's pretty neat." He cleared his throat and fought the urge to unbutton his sweater, since it had suddenly gotten very warm in this large, empty hall.
"Anyway, uh..." He coughed once and continued, "I know I can trust her. I just want us all to get along, and I know she does too." The side of his mouth quirked upwards and he looked up at Emilie. "It'll be our little secret, okay?"
He stood and laid his upper half on top of the glass, draping an arm across the capsule and setting his head down upon the cold surface; it was as close to a hug as he was able to get from her.
He looked upon her frozen features with a small smile on his face and said softly, "I love you, Mom. I'll visit you again soon, okay?"
Adrien made his way down the long platform, finally reaching the exit. He took one last look at the end of the chamber, the bright green of the vegetation in the manmade oasis contrasting starkly against the greys and blacks of the hall's beams, pillars, and walls. He flicked off the lights and exited, the loud creak of the metal door echoing across the hall, which then became a silent tomb once more.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~*~*~*~*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Poor Adrien! ;o; I swear it'll get better for him!
........Eventually. >:3c There's still some more angst in store...
*evil laughter*