A/N: I shouldn't be writing this. I should be working on chapter nine of Destiny is a Funny Thing. But chapter nine gave me a lot of issues, and is currently under a partial edit storyline wise. Which means I probably won't get it up until next week. So, to take a break I'm making my first attempt at a one-shot. I can't even really do short-stories, so we'll see how this goes I guess! This is connected to my ML fic Destiny is a Funny Thing, but it can be read by itself. Hope you guys like it.
Adrien wakes with a start, his breathing heavy. It takes him a few moments to take in his surroundings. He's in Marinette's room. He ended up staying over after helping in the bakery with Marinette so her parents could get supplies for a special order. He takes deep breaths, trying to slow his breathing. He's safe, Marinette is safe. It was just a bad dream...a nightmare. He's lucky it was a mild one. Looking up at the loft, he can't see any movement so he assumes he hasn't woken Marinette. Adrien runs a hand through his hair with a sigh.
"Have a nightmare?" Plagg asks quietly.
Adrien jumps, turning to face the Kwami. "Plagg!" He hisses. "Don't do that!"
"Answer me."
"Not here." Adrien pushes off the chaise and silently moves across the room to the ladder. Once he's down the hall from Marinette's attic room he answers his Kwami. "Yes it was a nightmare. What's the big deal?"
"You idiot!" Plagg headbutts Adrien. "You're supposed to tell me about these kinds of things. Let me guess, the nightmare was about your death?"
"My death as Chat Noir to be specific. Why does it matter?"
"The nightmare is a sign." Plagg explains as they reach the kitchen. "I'll bet a whole wheel of cheese that Ladybug is having them too. They're memories of past Chat Noirs."
"Are you saying I have past lives?"
"Yes and No." The Kwami shakes his head and folds his arms. "Chat Noir has existed many times in the past, but Adrien hasn't existed before. As the current Chat Noir, you have the ability to see the lives of those who came before you."
"So it was a memory?" Adrien questions, pouring himself a glass of water. "A memory of a Chat Noirs from the past?" Plagg nods. "And what is it a sign of?"
"...The final battle with Papillon."
Adrien chokes on the water, going into a coughing fit. "What?! So soon?"
"Trust me, I wouldn't let you face Papillon with only three years of training and fighting under you belt. But it seems we don't have any choice." Plagg sighs. "Go back to bed for now. We'll discuss this later."
"Fine." He puts the glass in the sink and makes his way back to the stairs.
Part of the way through the living room, Adrien stops to look at the small framed photo that sitting one one of the shelves in the bookcase. He can't help but smile as he looks at it.
It's a simple photo, just a photo of the Dupain-Cheng family from about a year ago. But for Adrien, it's special. It was taken the day he realized he does have a family, even with his mother gone and his distant father.
Marinette lifts her head, her eyes set in a glare, when she hears her hatch opening yet again. "Dad, we have five different kinds of snacks. I think we're good on food right now."
"But honey-" Tom tries to protest.
"Out." Marinette snaps. "We need to study." Once Tom has retreated, Marinette lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry about my parents. I don't know why they keep acting like this. I swear this isn't how they normally are."
"It's okay." Adrien smiles, grabbing a cookie. "I think it's sweet that they keep using food as an excuse to check on us. It shows they care."
"...You're dad doesn't really do this kind of thing does he?"
"He used to, before..." Adrien trails off, his eyes dropping to the floor. "That's just how father is. And hey, you're parents are more than willing to fill the role whenever I come help in the bakery."
"Which they love, just so you know. You bring is a lot of business." Adrien rolls his eyes at this. "No, really. They love having you here. Mom loves that you have conversations in Chinese with her, and that you're teaching me when she can't. And dad," Marinette sighs, resting her forehead on her hand. "he has someone who actually likes his lame jokes."
"Hey, they're not lame." The blonde retorts.
"They really-" Marinette cuts off, hearing her hatch being opened. She turns to see Sabine sticking her head in the room this time. "Mom. We're fine."
"I'm sorry to interrupt you're studying, but we need you down stairs." Sabine says, a smile playing on her lips.
"Mom, can't whatever it is wait?"
"Go ahead Marinette, I don't mind waiting." Adrien gestures for Marinette to go.
"Actually, we need you as well Adrien."
This makes both teens blink in surprise, exchanging confused looks. "Um...okay. We'll be down in a second." Marinette tells her mother, who simply smiles and drops down into the hall. "I have no idea what they're up to. They're acting weirder than usual."
"Honestly Marinette, when it comes to your parents I don't think anything can surprise me." Adrien shuts the notebook they've been working in and pushes himself up, offering Marinette a hand.
"I feel like I should possibly apologize in advance..." The girl mutters.
"Okay, I'm surprised." Adrien admits as they descend the stairs into the living room, where Tom is setting up a camera on a tripod.
"Mom, dad...what's going on?" Marinette asks cautiously.
"We realized it's been such a long time since we've taken a family photo that we need to take a new one." Sabine explains. "We don't have one with your hair the way it is now."
Marinette reaches her hair, which is resting against her shoulders, no longer in the twin ponytails. A hair-style she tried out because Chat suggested it during one of his night time visits, and she decided to keep because Adrien liked it. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Of course it is. It's a change Marinette." Tom says as he finishes with the camera. "We want to mark all the changes of your life. And one day, you'll thank us."
"Now come on you two, get over here." Sabine gestures impatiently. "Sooner we get this done, sooner you can finish studying."
"Both...of us?" Adrien asks in surprise, his eyes widening. They said this is a family photo so why...
"Well of course both of you!" Tom walks over to the teens and pushes them forward. "It wouldn't be a proper family photo without the whole family in it."
Adrien freezes, his eyes dropping to the floor as his chest tightens. Family. They consider him family. He's always felt at home here, than he did in his own house. Silently cheering whenever they invited him to stay for dinner, which usually turned into a game night. And when they'd look at the clock, seeing that it'd gotten late, they'd insist that he simply stay over. Helping in the bakery, which they insisted paying him with treats to take home, despite his protests. He loved all of it. It made him happier than he'd been in years. His house stopped feeling like home when his mom disappeared three years ago. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be home, until Marinette opened hers to him.
Sabine's delicate hand wraps around Adrien's pulling him out of his thoughts. "You're a part of this family too, Adrien. Haven't you figured that out by now?"
"Alright everyone, get into place!" Tom orders, "I want this perfect on the first shot. Then we can take a fun one."
"Dad, no." Marinette protests, covering her face with her hands.
"Marinette, yes." Tom grins back.
"We need to take a new photo." Adrien jumps at Sabine's sudden appearance beside him. "You two have changed so much in the past year."
"Yeah...I guess."
"Up for a midnight snack?" Sabine guesses with a gentle smile.
"No...just couldn't sleep. You?"
"When I wake up at night, I can't fall back asleep until I know my children are safe in their beds. When I saw you weren't in Marinette's room I came looking for you. As a parent, it's my job to worry about you."
He wasn't born into it, but they're his family all the same. A place was made for him next to Marinette. It's a place Adrien hopes he'll be able to keep for the rest of his life.
A/N: A few days after I decided to make this one-shot as a way to tie this scene into Destiny is a Funny thing instead of just scrapping it, I found a drawing on tumblr of Adrien in a Dupain-Cheng family photo with a caption that said something like 'this better happen before the end of the show'. I thought it was a funny coincidence. The drawing was well done, but unfortunately I have no idea who's blog I found it on. I went through six or seven blogs before stumbled onto it.
Anyways, let me know how I did with my very first one-shot!
~Life is no Fairytale