French glossary:
"Les Deux Sots" = The Two Fools/Idiots
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(Mood Music: Life with Masks - Mystic Messenger OST)
After Chat dropped off the suitcase in his room at the bakery, Adrien embarked on his next mission: Going to the bank and withdrawing enough money to purchase everything else on his list, which included a new SIM card for Chloe's old (and extremely bedazzled) phone, and a laptop for school.
He made his way to the bank, wearing the hood up on his zip-up hoodie, and pulling it down over his eyes whenever he saw any suspicious looking men in suits.
At the bank, Adrien filled out all the necessary forms, grateful that he'd taken the time to memorize his savings account number years back, when they'd first opened it.
However, today he encountered a different problem.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Agreste," the bank teller said. "Like I said, I'm afraid that all your assets and accounts have been frozen. You can only withdraw money if your father accompanies you, or if he unlocks them himself."
Adrien sighed dejectedly. "Isn't there anything you can do?" he asked.
"I'm afraid not, sir," she replied. "You would have to speak to your father to have him undo the restrictions. We can't do anything until then... or until you turn eighteen years old. At that time, you can regain access without needing his permission, since you would officially be an adult."
Adrien pursed his lips into a thin line. His birthday was still a month away.
All his savings, all the hard-earned money from his modeling work... Gabriel was keeping it all hostage, hoping Adrien would come crawling back to him, like some pitiful prodigal son.
Well, two could play that game. He filled out all the necessary paperwork to reclaim what was his, so everything would be all set up when his birthday came around. He also made sure that Gabriel would be permanently locked out of his accounts at that time.
He thanked the teller and left the bank, feeling morose and surly. He couldn't even afford to get his used phone working, and was therefore cut off from all communication; save for whatever computers were available at an internet cafe or library. What else could he do?
Maybe Nathalie could help him figure out if there was anything else he could do legally. If he could even get ahold of her. He'd been worried about her while he was recovering at the Dupain-Chengs'; now was his chance to try to contact her.
Adrien walked to the nearest library and convinced the starstruck librarian to let him use their telephone.
The phone rang... and rang... and rang...
So he tried again. And again. And again.
But the same monotone voice repeated the same discouraging phrase:
"The number you have dialed has been disconnected."
The boy frowned. Was Nathalie alright? He'd left her all alone with his father. He wouldn't do anything to her, would he?
Mind whirling and chest tight, he sped to the computers to create a new email account (not risking logging into his usual one), and sent her a simple, nondescript message:
"u ok?"
He couldn't help but remain glued to the computer, clicking and clicking to refresh the page, hoping for something, anything in response. He drummed his fingers on the desk. Crossed his legs. Uncrossed them. Crossed them again. Fiddled with his shoelaces. Opened a new browser tab to distract himself by reading the news, only to switch back every 30 seconds. Minutes ticked by. But still, nothing.
Eventually he resigned himself to the fact that he couldn't stay in the library forever.
This wasn't bad news, right? No news oftentimes meant good news. Receiving a reply in such a short amount of time was rather unlikely... Even though Nathalie always replied within five minutes, because she never turned off her email notifications... Ever. But her not replying this time surely didn't mean anything, right?
Right... It's fine, everything's fine. Nathalie's fine.
She has to be.
Adrien trudged aimlessly down a nondescript sidewalk, lost in thought, his attention eventually drifting back to his livelihood. Could he make do without a single cent for an entire month? Probably not... He'd have to find a job.
But who would hire celebrity Adrien Agreste to work in retail or flip burgers? They'd either laugh at him, or think he was pulling some elaborate prank on a hidden camera show. How would he even begin to explain that he'd left his home and was on the run from his very own father?
Adrien had seemingly no reason why he would choose to run away. He was a privileged young man who had everything: a famous and well-respected family, wealth, good genetics, people at his beck and call... the list went on. To the outside world, Gabriel was a devoted husband and father; a bit of a hermit after his wife's "disappearance", but not unusual for someone who was mourning a loved one.
Chloe hadn't asked him why he'd left, but other people would. Obviously, the truth was out of the question. So, what was there to say instead? That he was just a spoiled rich kid having a rebellious phase?
It was a mess and there didn't seem to be a way out; he was cornered. He knew it, and he knew that Gabriel knew it.
His only ace in the hole was that Gabriel didn't know Adrien actually had a place to stay, thanks to the Dupain-Chengs. But he couldn't rely on them forever. And, as he was quite literally penniless at the moment, his options were severely limited.
He was broke, with a famous identity and an infamous alter-ego, and near impossible to contact since he didn't have a functioning phone. Things were looking bleak. If only he could–
"AAAACK!!!"
Adrien turned the corner on the sidewalk when a blur of pink and black slammed against him hard. Both bodies clattered to the ground, along with a myriad of bags and boxes the other person was carrying.
Adrien raised his head sluggishly with a small grunt, then opened his eyes to find–
"Marinette??" he said, eyes widening in surprise.
The girl groaned as she lifted her head, slowly pushing herself off of him. One of her eyes cracked open, then both popped wide open in recognition.
"A-ADRIEN!!" she squeaked, her face turning ruby red in an instant. "Gosh, I am so sorry!!" she yelped, practically leaping off of him. "Are you okay?!"
She offered her hand and he took it. "I'm alright, no worries," he replied, adjusting his glasses, which had shifted on his face when he fell.
He knelt down to help her pick up the items that had spilled out of their containers. "So, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Oh! I- uh," she stammered. "I was just getting some things for a friend!"
Adrien took note of some of the books, games, and movie titles as he put them back in their boxes. "Your friend has good taste."
She squawked out a weird laugh and mumbled in agreement.
As they rose from the pavement, something caught Marinette's eye. "Oh!" she exclaimed, bending over to pick it up. "Here, you dropped this." She opened her palm to reveal several Euro bills and coins, and a ticket stub.
He stared at the contents of her hand. "Are you sure these are mine?" he asked incredulously.
"Well, there's about... maybe a hundred euros or so, and a ticket stub for that new movie, 'Les Deux Sots'." A flash of recognition flickered across her features, and her cheeks flushed. She continued haltingly, "D-do you remember wearing this particular hoodie to the movie theater recently?"
Adrien contained a gasp and mindlessly ran his hands over the fabric, realizing that this was the same hoodie he wore on his date with Ladybug. He hadn't worn it since then. Not until three days ago: the day of the last akuma attack, and his subsequent fight with Hawkmoth.
"Oh," he replied quietly, accepting the items. "Thank you, Mari," he uttered, almost in awe.
She smiled widely at him. "No, thank you for helping me pick up all this stuff I dropped! Sorry again for knocking you over," she said sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it, it was my pleasure. So, where are you going with all this?"
"Uh... Home, actually," she replied. "My friend is gonna... pick them up later today." She stepped forward to take the boxes and bags from his arms.
"Can I help you carry it back? It's a lot of stuff; and you could barely see over the top of it," he offered.
Marinette fidgeted with her hands, stammering, "O-oh, I mean, I-I wouldn't want to impose, that is– I'm sure you're very busy and have important things to do, I don't want to bother you, and it is a lot of stuff, plus it's pretty heavy, and–"
"Really, it's no trouble at all; I'm not busy right now. And I'd love the company." He added, "If you don't mind, that is."
"Oh!! A-are you sure?? Wow, you're amazing! I-I mean, th-that would be amazing! Thank you!" she said, practically vibrating with elation.
"I'm happy to do it!" Adrien replied as they began the trek to the bakery. "I'm really glad we bumped into each other," he replied with a wink.
Marinette's head swiveled towards him, looking like she'd swallowed a golf ball, then exploded into a loud giggle-snort, which made him snicker in turn.
The pair walked together, enjoying some friendly, light-hearted conversation, with Marinette becoming more and more comfortable as they went. He was always thankful anytime she was able to relax around him and just be herself.
He dropped her off and they parted with a tight hug, which caused Marinette to let out a flustered squeak. While she wasn't aware of it, thanks to her discovery, he'd be able to buy himself that prepaid SIM card for Chloe's old phone and become reachable again. And the first thing he would do with that phone would be to send Marinette a text message, thanking her for everything she continually did for him and their friends, and for always being such a sweet person.
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(CONTINUED IN PART 4)