AN: This is essentially an AU where Félix and Bridgette become Adrien's foster parents. Adrien (and thus, Marinette, Nino, Alya, ect.) are all twelve at the start of the story.
Adrien was eleven years old, four months, and eighteen days old when his mother disappeared. One day she had been making him crêpes for breakfast and taking him for walks in the garden and tucking him in with two stories and a kiss at bedtime and the next day she was just gone. She disappeared with all of her favorite belongings; the blouse she wore on holidays, her comfiest pajamas, her makeup kit, her journal, a box full of old photographs. She only left behind her wedding ring, which Adrien's father found on his nightstand that morning.
(Adrien's father said she went missing, that someone must have abducted her. Adrien thought that her mother had simply fled, akin to a bird trapped in a cage.)
His father changed that day; the light faded from his eyes, a permanent scowl became transfixed on his face, and voice grew lower. Gabriel Agreste had never been a kindhearted man, but after his wife's disappearance, he turned into a monster.
Adrien originally sought out the comfort of his father. He had always been a sensory craving child, needing constant cuddles and touches and squeezes. His mother was indulgent and smothered the boy in tight hugs and kisses and back rubs. So when she was no longer there to provide him with this, Adrien naturally sought it out from his father. But when he tried to climb into his father's lap or give him a hug or hold his hand, he was greeted with a slap on the hand or a harsh shove or a verbal berating.
Adrien was eleven years, four months, and twenty-two days old when his father hit him for the first time.
It started as that, just hitting. But soon it escalated into punches in the jaw that left him swollen and finger-shaped bruises on his arm and concussion after concussion after concussion. His father slammed Adrien's fingers in the door when he whined, and would threaten him with a knife to his wrist when he cried. Manipulation and threats became a new constant in Adrien's life.
Adrien never told anyone, and he realized that he could, that he should, but he didn't. He would sit silently in the backseat of the car as his father's driver took him to photo shoots. He would smile and giggle when the makeup artists styled his hair. He would obey what the photographers said, and made small talk with the other child models. No one even questioned the occasional bruise on his face or arms. He was a boy, after all, and they were known for roughhousing.
Adrien wasn't dumb; he knew his father had power, that his father was in control. Even if he did tell, he doubted it would do anything to solve the problem. So he let his father hurt him, threaten him, control every facet of his life.
Adrien was eleven years, seven months, and three days old when he started hiding food. He stopped eating his meals and his the remains in napkins and baggies and hid them in his drawers. He imagined that one day he would pack up all the food and run away, and find a happy village where everyone was kind like kids always did in storybooks.
(The food always went bad before he worked up the courage to run away, however, and all he was left with was an empty stomach and a bundle of food to secretly flush down his toilet.)
He continued on with this habit, going days without eating and obsessively hiding his food instead. Even when the idea of running away was long gone from his head, he still stashed away his uneaten meals. It was the one thing Adrien could control.
Adrien was twelve years, one week, and six days old when a lady in a business suit showed up in his room and told him he was being taken out of his father's care. He didn't know how she had found out about the abuse or where his father was or if he would be coming back. All he knew was that he was being shoved into the back of a stranger's car with a hastily packed suitcase and he hadn't even been able to take a photo of his mother with him.
Bridgette Brisbois had always wanted a baby. She was one of eight sisters and couldn't imagine living a life without a large family under her roof. She married her college sweetheart, Félix, and despite his reluctance to have kids, he went along with it because it meant so much to his wife. But after six months of no birth control and daily sex and no pregnancy, they became worried. Bridgette started paying attention to her cycle, and having strict times when they needed to be intimate in order to have the best chance of becoming pregnant. When another six months passed, the couple finally sought help from a doctor who informed Bridgette that her fallopian tubes were blocked, making it impossible for eggs to reach her uterus.
In other words, she was infertile.
Bridgette tried to not let the news get her down, however, and sought other methods. The couple invested in in-vitro fertilization, but after two failed attempts they had to consider the fact that Bridgette may not be able to carry a biological baby.
While she was sad with this news at first, Bridgette just wanted a baby and they still hadn't explored all their options.
She considered international adoption for a short while, but the fees were far too expensive, especially after all of her savings had been spent on IVF. She got in contact with local adoption agencies, and eventually the couple was hooked up with a young pregnant woman looking to put her baby up for adoption.
Bridgette and Félix immediately saw this woman as their saving grace. They went to every ultrasound and doctor's appointment. They bought a crib and newborn outfits and bottles and diapers. They were ready to take their baby home.
But, as fate would have it, the woman backed out of the adoption just weeks before her due date. Bridgette was crushed, and a part of her wanted to give up. She couldn't deal with the loss of another perspective baby.
Félix was the one to bring up fostering. This way they would know whether or not the baby staying with them was in need of a temporary placement or a permanent home. Bridgette liked the idea of that- either way, they would get to parent a baby in need, and if things worked out, they would be able to take a baby into their family permanently.
They spent the next several months filling out paperwork and getting home visits and background checks and finally, finally they were cleared to be foster parents. And thus the waiting began.
Every day Bridgette anxiously awaited a call from their social worker. The crib was set up, there were baskets filled with toys and books, and the apartment was thoroughly baby-proofed. The only thing missing was a baby.
Weeks went by and they heard no word from their social worker. The social worker had explained that it may take awhile before there was a baby that would fit into their family. Many of the babies that went into the system had older siblings, and as Bridgette and Félix only had enough room to legally foster one child, they wouldn't be able to place those babies in their care without splitting the siblings apart. A lot of other babies in the system had medical needs and would be placed in the care of a family with medical knowledge. That left Bridgette and Félix with a slimmer chance of having a baby that would fit into their family placed with them.
After three and a half weeks of waiting, Bridgette received a call from the social worker around three in the afternoon. She was delighted, anticipating Clemence telling them the news that she had a baby that needed to be placed in their care. Bridgette was already wondering how old the baby was, and if it were a boy or a girl before she had answered the phone.
What Clemence told her instead was quite shocking.
"Hello, Bridgette- I hope this is a good time to talk," Clemence said over the phone.
"It's always a good time," Bridgette said cheerfully. "What's going on?"
"Well.." Clemence cleared her throat. "I know you and Félix were hoping to take care of a baby, and trust me, the first baby that ends up in our care that fits your needs will be sent your way."
"I'm sensing a 'but' here.." Bridgette said, her cheerful disposition wavering.
"But," Clemence began. "I have a little boy with me. He just turned twelve, and he's in need of an emergency placement. Every other family of mine is full or…unable to care for an older child. I was really hoping you and Félix would be willing to take him in. Just for the night, while I try to figure out where I can place him."
Bridgette was rendered speechless. As heartless as it sounded, she didn't want a twelve-year-old. She wanted a baby, had been longing for a baby for as long as she could remember. But she wasn't about to deny a needy child a place to stay. "Of course we can take him in," she said,
"Great." Clemence let out a relieved sigh. "He's had a rough day, I'll let you know. Police interrogations, a hospital visit..he's exhausted. I'll bring him over now if that's okay with you?"
"Now is great- we'll see you guys soon." After Bridgette hung up the phone she rubbed a hand over her face. She wanted a baby. She had a house that was ready for a baby. She didn't know the first thing a twelve-year-old boy would need.
"Who was that on the phone?" Bridgette looked up and saw her husband walking in.
"Clemence," she said, then bit her lower lip. "Um..so, she's gonna bring over a kid to stay with us. For the night. He's..twelve. And just needs a place to stay until she figures out where to place him so...I said yes..? I hope that's okay."
Félix looked caught off guard for a moment, but he quickly composed himself. "Of course it's okay. Here- I'll go get extra blankets and pillows from the linen closet. He can sleep on the couch." Félix was off in a minute, ever practical and always thinking and what needed to be done next. Bridgette let out another sigh, silently praying that the evening would not be a total disaster.
An hour and a half later, Clemence was knocking at their door with Adrien and his suitcase in tow. Bridgette and Félix went to answer the door together and plastered smiles on their faces. Bridgette had expected to see a gangly preteen who was likely angry that he had to stay with strangers. She was anticipating a night full of glares and disrespectful retorts and eye-rolls. Instead, she was greeted when a small boy who looked no older than nine, with his arms wrapped around his midsection and eyes gazing down at the floor. He was silent and stiff and looked about ready to burst into tears if someone so much as touched him.
"Bridgette, Félix..this is Adrien," Clemence said, her tone soft and quiet. She gently placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and guided him into the house. "Adrien, hon, you're going to spend the night here. I promise, they're a very nice couple and will make sure you're comfortable while you stay here."
Bridgette and Félix nodded to confirm this, but the boy continued to stare at his feet and not say a word. He looked exhausted, no doubt about that. Bridgette noted that there was light bruising over his left cheek and upper arms and that his face was gaunt and pale. She wondered what this poor child had been through to warrant him looking like this.
"It's nice to meet you, Adrien," Félix spoke up. "We just made some dinner. And we put some blankets and pillows on the couch for you to sleep with." Adrien gave a slight nod, acknowledging that he heard Félix speak.
Clemence cleared her throat. "Adrien, how about you sit down and rest for a bit while I chat with the adults in the kitchen?" Adrien seemed reluctant, but nodded and slowly moved to sit on the couch. Bridgette watched the boy for a moment before waving Clemence towards the kitchen.
"Can I get you anything? Coffee, water?" Bridgette offered.
"No, thank you," Clemence said, taking a seat at their counter. Bridgette and Félix followed suit and waited for her to speak. "So, as I said, this should only be for one night. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a family that has room for him by tomorrow. But if not, he's old enough for a group home so I'm certain I can find one that will suit him."
Group home? Bridgette always thought of a group home as a place full of criminals and drug addicts and other brands of troubled teens. She couldn't imagine a little boy like Adrien being sent to live in one of those.
"So- may we ask what happened to him?" Félix said, voice low.
"Well..social services received an anonymous tip a few weeks back about possible abuse in his household. I'm sad to say that it took quite a bit of time before the case made it's way to me, but I went to investigate today. I arrived at his house and immediately things felt off. At first, his father refused to let me in. I had to come back with a police officer and a search warrant. His father wouldn't let us talk to Adrien and honestly, things looked pretty normal. No signs of drugs, the house was well kept.
"But his father just…gave me a bad vibe. So I insisted we check the security footage from the system his father had within the house and…well, it was pretty disturbing to watch. His father was arrested and taken to a holding cell right on the spot and I got Adrien. We spent the rest of the morning at the police station and at the hospital— as he had quite a few injuries and is malnourished. All in all, he's suffered quite a bit."
Bridgette and Félix were speechless after hearing Clemence's spiel. Bridgette wanted to ask what kinds of things they saw on the security footage, but at the same time wasn't sure if she really wanted to know.
"What's going to happen to his father?" Bridgette asked softly.
"I hope he's put in prison with a maximum sentence. But…his father is a person with money and status. I wouldn't be surprised if he got off with a simple community service requirement," Clemence said dejectedly. "Anyway. I wanted you guys to be aware of his situation- in case he gives you any trouble tonight or tomorrow morning."
Clemence went to stand then and shook both Bridgette and Félix's hands. "Thanks again for this- I'll call in the morning to let you know when I'm on my way."
And with that Clemence went to say goodbye to Adrien and departed, leaving Bridgette and Félix alone with the traumatized twelve-year-old.
The couple cautiously entered the living room, where they found Adrien sitting in the exact same spot they had left him in. He looked like he hadn't moved a muscle.
"Adrien…how about you come and we fix you up some dinner?" Félix offered. Adrien stayed still and silent for a moment, then slowly lifted his head and made eye contact.
"I'm not hungry."
"Can you try to eat a little, honey?" Bridgette asked, remembering that Clemence had said the boy was malnourished. "We won't force you to. But I'd like it if you tried."
Bridgette's gentle demeanor was apparently enough to coax Adrien off of the couch and into the kitchen. He sat silently throughout the meal and hardly took three bites, but Bridgette didn't feel qualified enough to argue with the kid over eating.
"Are you tired?" Bridgette asked as she and Félix washed up the dishes. "You can go change into pajamas and lay down if you'd like. I know you had a long day."
Adrien stayed silent, but when Bridgette turned her head around he was gone. She sighed softly, figuring he went to change and lay down on the couch. With the boy now gone she could look over at Félix and share a look.
"I don't know how to make him feel comfortable.." Bridgette said sadly.
"I know," Félix sighed. "He's only here for one night. It'll be okay."
It turned out to be the longest night in history. Bridgette and Félix were woken up on five separate accounts, all due to Adrien crying out in his sleep. They took turns creeping down the hallway to check on him, but as soon as their poked their heads into the living room, Adrien would cease crying and feign sleep. Neither adult wanted to push any boundaries, so they ended up creeping back down the hall and climbing into bed with a disinherited sigh.
The fifth time Bridgette woke up to Adrien's crying, she couldn't take it anymore. She hated hearing the boy crying and being unable to do anything about it. So, she threw off her covers and walked down the hall, and even though Adrien stopped crying the moment he heard her footsteps, she continued into the living room.
"Adrien..?" Bridgette said softly. She stood in front of the couch for a moment, squinting in the dim light. Adrien appeared to be bundled underneath a blanket, only his eyes peeking through.
Bridgette took a seat beside him on the couch, testing his boundaries. He didn't scream or visibly flinch away, so she took it as an invitation for her to stay.
"I know it must be scary. Having to stay at this strange house with these strange people, huh?" She forced out a weak chuckle, which Adrien didn't reciprocate. "I know you must be scared of some other things too. I'm not going to force you to talk about it, but you aren't alone here. You can cry if you want to, talk if you want to. And if you want to be alone that's fine. But if you don't- I'm here." Bridgette didn't know where these words were coming from, they were just flooding out of her mouth. But she wouldn't take any of them back; she truly meant it.
"I'm here, too," Félix said, having been quiet hovering in the doorway.
Adrien sniffled and kept his head down, not responding in any verbal or non-verbal way for quite some time. Just when Bridgette was about to get up to go back to her room, a small voice broke the silence.
"You can stay."
The three words were laced with desperation, and Bridgette knew she wasn't moving from her spot on the couch for the rest of the night. Félix made his way over as well and sat on the opposite side of Adrien.
Adrien didn't talk to them, didn't cry, didn't do much of anything. But he did eventually drift back off to sleep with his head on Bridgette's lap. She let herself comb the boy's hair with her fingers, the sound of soft snores filling the room. She found herself smiling fondly, this scared boy somehow worming his way into her heart.
"We can't let him go to a group home," Félix said, his eyes fixed on Adrien as well.
"We aren't letting him go anywhere." As Bridgette watched Adrien sleep, she was already configuring how long it would take to get a bed delivered.
AN: Thanks for readng! In the next chapter I plan for Adrien to begin attending school where he will meet the rest of the characters. He won't be recieving Plagg until later on in the story as well. Leave any suggestions in the comments!