My Neighbour Totoro AU no one asked for

My Neighbour The Ladybug

Gabriel Agreste was really trying. He moved out of his luscious mansion into a smaller (but still pretty massive) home out in the French plains with his only son. Though the media thought it was a father/son bonding moment, it really was to stay near the hospital where Adrien's mother stays. Adrien himself isn't a huge fan of the change, but somehow the forest that neighbours his home calls to him.

Ch 1:: La Ballade

It was surely a quiet car ride down an old French road with a stunning view of the Alps. The car radio was turned on to some classical channel with the low hums of Debussy Adrien had recognised from his collection of Romantic-Era composers. The old engine could be heard through the orchestral tunes and the nature of the outside tapped at the side window. The move away from the city wasn't welcomed at first, Gabriel hitting his son with the idea only three days prior wasn't a smart move, even now when he is actually trying to connect better with the fifteen-year-old. It was also sudden when Adrien was told to pack only the things he liked the most— which wasn't too much, a suitcase or two of clothes, his binder of piano sheet music (his father said a beautiful baby grand was waiting for him, Adrien like the sound of that), and a picture of his nuclear family before his Maman had to leave for the hospital.

All those things were packed in the back of the nice silver 4-by-4 his father claimed to have had since he was a teenager (Adrien didn't even know that his father knew how to drive) and he drove them the two and a half hour drive away from Paris and into a small, unknown-in-common-maps village that was close to the hospital in which his mother resides that was normally a five hour drive. Now, though, the five hours would be cut down to two.

Adrien perked when his mother was mentioned. Up until then, he only saw her once a year.

"Adrien, are you feeling alright?" Gabriel asked. The so-called professional business man, who Adrien had only seen in silver suits and ties in public, was currently wearing a plain white tee-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Adrien felt awkward, to say the least. And, no, it wasn't because of the attire, he's seen him wear comfort clothes a few times around the mansion. No, it was because up until that moment, Adrien never realised how toned his own father was for his age (he was forty-nine, mind you).

Adrien sighed quietly as he looked out the window. "Yeah," was his single reply.

The older man stared straight to the dirt road. "Listen," he said, "I know this was sudden, but the I think the city was smothering you a little. And you were alone in the mansion whenever I was out, I'm quite sure you didn't like it there."

"I liked it just fine, Father," Adrien said, "and I wasn't always alone. I had Nathalie."

Nathalie was the personal assistant that Gabriel recently fired. She wasn't let go because she was terrible at her job, no. She was let go because he simply didn't need her anymore. She was the mother figure for Adrien growing up, even if she didn't always show emotion— though she did show her care for him by letting him "forget" about his daily schedule in favour of going to the park. She was hired way back when Madeline was still staying at the mansion and she and Nathalie had gotten along well. When the time came for Madeline to relocate, Nathalie took place as the guardian for Adrien whenever his father had to take leave. Gabriel broke the news one day and Nathalie understood, she was given a hefty pay and bonus after being told her services weren't needed anymore. Instead of leaving cold turkey, she had given Gabriel and Adrien her personal contact information, claiming to want to stay in touch and be contacted for anything.

"Nathalie shouldn't count, and you know that." Gabriel's annoyance shut his son up. He sighed, "Adrien, I just didn't want you to grow up any faster without your mother."

Madeline had been moved out to an exceptional hospital away from the prying eyes of the media where she, and her condition, could be kept safely away from the press. Last year, Gabriel was given the news she had been reacting well to treatment and is expected to make full recovery. He didn't mention anything to Adrien.

"You know, Adrien, maybe this will be good for us. A change of scenery is always nice, hmm?"

Adrien did try to think of the bright sides. He would spend more time with his father. Yeah, that was a good one. He'd see the outside world for once. He'd get away from Chloe Burg—-

Adrien spaced out for a moment. "Yeah, this could be good for us." No Chloe, no problem.

Gabriel smiled and slowed the truck to a stop.

"Look outside, we're here."

Their new home wasn't small, but it certainly wasn't their mansion. It had a lush front yard with green bushes and trees surrounding the entire property. The actual house itself was all made from wood and appeared to have aged quite a bit. Adrien saw it was a two story with a balcony that had rotting wood. Maybe he can fix it later. Adrien opened his door and ran up the steep steps to the main entryway. It was a bit messy, but maybe it was because the house hadn't been occupied for a while. The windows had been open and shut in a pattern all around the house. There were cobwebs, but no spiders. A few stray weeds had snuck into the window frame, but Adrien knew he could fix it, too.

"You know, that house is haunted, right?"

A voice was behind him. A female voice. There was a chill that went up Adrien's spine as he turned around and saw a girl about his age in a pink blouse and overalls.

"Who are you?" He asked. Just as she was about to respond, another voice came through.

"Marinette, that's not a nice thing to say!" A slightly older woman came into view. She walked slowly, but Adrien knew she wasn't that old. The woman was dressed in a traditional Chinese dress and carried a basket filled with goodies.

Gabriel walked through the bushes carrying a medium sized box labelled "dishes". "I wouldn't worry, I did the same thing when I was younger." He set down the box at the front of the door.

"Gabriel," he put out his hand and the lady gladly shook it.

"Sabine," She smiled. They withdrew and Sabine grabbed the younger girl by the shoulders and thrust her in front. "And this," she introduced, "is my daughter, Marinette." Marinette smiled slightly and waved. She took three steps back behind her mother after. '

"This is my son, Adrien. As you can see, we recently moved." Gabriel took out the new keys and held them up to shoulder. They jingled around for a bit.

"Well, as neighbours it's our job to help you settle in, isn't it?" Sabine smiled and offered, though Adrien knew she wasn't offering. No, she was making her way down to their truck as she spoke and obviously wasn't going to take a "no, we don't need help" as an answer.

"Well, if you insist."