Once Adrien was enrolled in public school, he disliked saying he and Chloe were close friends. They'd known each other since they were toddlers but after she developed a crush and he saw her true colors on that awful first day of school, he would have preferred to not associate with her anymore. But what kept him going along with her (besides his desire not to piss her off), was that he felt obliged to stay. She had helped him when his mother left. Even if she was a horrible person, she had done great things for him and he knew he couldn't repay that. Sure, when her parents divorced he had helped her, but it wasn't the same. His mom was straight up gone, at least according to his father; Chloe's was living in a high-rise flat in the heart of London.
The warm summer air had a cool breeze dancing through to give relieve to Parisians as they made their way around town. Very few kids were loitering outside of the school. Even with a breeze, concrete and bright sunshine didn't make standing around outside incredibly enjoyable. In his classroom, he noticed Marinette, Alya, and Nino were deep in conversation.
"What're we talking about?" he asked as he slid into the bench beside Nino.
"Whether it's ethical to put chocolate in croissants or not," his friend replied.
"I'm telling you, it's blaspheming. I mean, croissants are great on their own! Why put chocolate on them?" Alya demanded.
"Okay, I'm stopping you there because you're wrong," Marinette cut in. "As long as it's quality chocolate, chocolate and croissants go well together!"
"Pfft, as if. They're great on their own, but not together," Alya retorted. Her eyes probed Adrien sharply and he squirmed in his seat. "Nino's on my side, but what about you, Adrien?"
"I, uh, well, I-I've never had a chocolate croissant before, so I can't say anything," he replied. For once in his life, he was thankful for a strict diet.
"What?! Are you serious?! Okay, you know what, clear the rest of the day. We're going to Marinette's for lunch and you'll be our deciding factor in this debate." His phone buzzed and Adrien jumped, shoving his hand into his pocket and pulling out his cell.
"I'll be right back." He was out the door in seconds, back leaning against the cool bricks of the building. "Huh, I don't recognize this number," he murmured. He tapped the accept call button and put it to his ear. "Hello, this is Adrien."
"Adrien, my sweet baby boy! Your voice has gotten so deep!"
"MOM?!" Adrien shouted, eyes bigger than saucers.
"Put me on video chat! I need to see you!" His breathing was ragged and his hand shook as he switched to a video call. Is this really happening? Or am I going to wake up and realize I'm dreaming again, he thought. His mother's beaming face appeared on his screen. It was her. It was really her. This couldn't be a dream. She always looked the same in his dreams, but here she looked older, more elegant. "Oh my gosh, you've gotten so handsome! Wait, are you at school?!"
"Y-yeah," he breathed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Crap, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize your father caved and let you go finally! I'll be fast I promise, and we can call once you get home," she said.
"Mom, where are you? Why haven't you tried to contact me and Father?" he asked. Her eyebrows furrowed and her pink lips tipped into a frown.
"What are you talking about? I've been sending you emails since I left. You've never responded so I just assumed you were mad at me and I figured it was time for me to call and apologize. Your father certainly didn't make it easy. Can you believe he refused to give me your number? I had to remotely hack into his phone to get the number! I swear, when I see Gabriel next I'm going to give him hell for barring me from trying to call you!" she told him.
"You've been sending me emails?" he repeated.
"Yeah! Haven't you been getting them?" she asked.
"No! I haven't heard anything from you since the night you disappeared!" She had left on her own free will? She'd been contacting him since he left? What was going on?
"What? Sweetheart, you know I'd never leave without keeping contact with you! I got it from your father but when you never responded I just . . ." She shrugged and a pit formed in Adrien's stomach. Something wasn't right. He didn't get emails, his father had given her an address. Had he purposefully given her the wrong one? But why would his father try to stop any communication. "I don't know. But I'm just so happy I got a hold of you today. I have exciting news!"
"Are you coming home?" he asked.
"I . . . no, I'm not coming home. Your father and I are divorced, but we can work something out so you can come live with me during your breaks!"
"Wait, you and Dad are divorced?!" he squeaked. His mother gave him a curious, concerned look.
"Adrien, you're scaring me. Didn't Gabriel tell you we split up?"
"No! He just said you vanished . . ." His mother made a noise akin to a feral cat growling.
"I can't believe him! He promised me he'd tell you everything!" All this time they'd just been separated? She hadn't been kidnapped? She just left because they were no longer married? Slowly, Adrien sat down in the pathway, letting his head rest against the wall. He needed to lie down. This was too much. This was far too much. "Are you okay, sweetie?"
"I'm okay. I just can't believe I didn't know," he said.
"I can't either! That's it, I'm making sure I get you this summer or I'm going to sue Gabriel, or something." His mother sighed. "I'm living in London so you won't be too far from home, and we have an extra room for you."
"'We?'" Adrien repeated.
"Oh, God, where's my head today!" his mother groaned, faceplanting. "This is half of the reason I called. Adrien, I'm getting remarried."
"You are?" he inquired. She grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh Adrien, she's so sweet and kind, she's perfect step-mother material!" She? Wait, my mom's gay? "We're getting married as soon as summer starts and we would both love to have you and your new step-sister at our wedding!"
"I'll have a sister?" he asked, excitement bubbling in his stomach. He'd get to see him mother again, and he'd get to have the sister he'd always wanted.
"Yeah! She can't come spend the summer with us, but that's okay! Well, actually, maybe she can, Matilde is texting her about the wedding right now. But that doesn't really matter, if she spends summer with us. I mean, you know her already!"
A scream pierced the hot summer air. Both Adrien and his mother jumped, the teen standing up and peering into the classroom. Chloe was staring at her phone, horror distorting her face, Sabrina's hands on her shoulders in what Adrien assumed was a comforting gesture.
"MY MOM IS GETTING REMARRIED?!" she screeched.
