Adrien Chapter 4
It felt as if he floated inside his own dream world. Here he was mourning over the loss of Ladybug, and suddenly she showed up out of thin air. All he wanted to do was tackle her and shower her in kisses, but he needed to keep his cool—after all, he didn't want to end of scaring her away on their first night back together.
He sighed happily as they leaped from rooftop to rooftop just like they did years past, and when they had to make one particularly large leap, Adrien extended his rod and held Ladybug as he used the rod to launch them across the gap. It came second nature to him and he could probably even navigate this city with his eyes closed.
Adrien grinned and stopped suddenly as he turned to face Ladybug. Immediately, he became wrapped up in her big blue eyes. Those were the same eyes that he had fallen head over heels for years ago, and even now, nothing had changed.
"Close your eyes," Adrien instructed and as always, Ladybug stared back at him dubiously.
"If you're suggesting it, it's a bad idea."
"I'm serious, m'lady. I promise you won't regret it." He picked up her hand and kissed her polka dot fingers, but immediately she pulled her hand away and pushed him away with a delicate finger to his nose.
Snubbed again. That hadn't changed, either.
"Chat Noir, when are you going to learn?"
"Persistence killed the cat, right?"
Ladybug laughed, the sadness that had previously been her eyes looking to be forgotten. "If that doesn't, then your curiosity sure will. Fine, I'll close my eyes, but if you even try to kiss me again, you'll get a slap across the face."
Adrien chuckled and picked Ladybug up in his arms as she closed her eyes. "Last time I tried, I landed in a pool. I don't want to do that again." His expression fell now that he knew that Ladybug couldn't see it. He wanted so desperately for her to return his feelings, but there seemed to be no chance of that. Perhaps it was a good thing that he was seeing someone now. Ladybug would always be his best friend, but she could never be anything more than that because she would never give him a chance.
Before he could dwell on that thought for long, he leaped into the air and felt Ladybug stiffen against his chest. Still, she trusted him enough to not open her eyes as they flew across the city until finally they landed on the hub and spindle of the Big Wheel at Place de las Concorde. The whole city looked to be lit up and sparkling, perhaps even brighter than the stars that twinkled in the sky. Down below, the locals celebrated with carnival festivities and fireworks that welcomed the much anticipated winter holidays.
"You can open your eyes now," Adrien said with a giant grin on his face. "But careful not to lose your balance."
Ladybug opened her eyes and gasped, her eyes traveling up the spokes of the moving Ferris wheel. "Wow! It's beautiful up here!"
"Mommy, look! It's Chat Noir and Ladybug!" a little voice said as it made its turn around the wheel, but the voice quickly disappeared and the two of them found themselves mostly alone.
"Happy that you trusted me?" Adrien teased as he moved over to make room for Ladybug. He really liked that she wasn't afraid of heights.
"I admit that you're semi-trustworthy. Though after the mudcrab incident, I'm not sure how much I can trust you at all."
His eyebrows rose higher than the Eiffel Tower itself. "Still holding that over me, eh? I didn't realize that fisherman had been akumatized. All I wanted was to show you some cool crabs."
"Chat, they were the size of a horse."
Okay, so he deserved that one. "You would think I would have earned your trust back after Hawk Moth."
"You saved my life, Chat," she replied softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I don't know how I could ever repay you for what you did for me that day. I thought Hawk Moth was going to kill me and then steal my Miraculous."
Adrien sobered at the thought. That night had been a dreary one, indeed. "That was an awful night, wasn't it?" he said so quietly that he thought that even Ladybug might not be able to hear him. He stretched his hand out in front of him and flexed his fingers, frowning at the memory of what he had to do to stop Hawk Moth. Never in his time as Chat Noir did he know that his cataclysm power could cause so much destruction. He took down an entire cathedral, reducing it to rubble, and destroyed Hawk Moth while he was at it. Or at least he hoped so. No one found Hawk Moth's body but the villain hadn't shown his face since that day.
"Someone I care about got hurt that night," Adrien said quietly as he stared out over the beautiful twinkling city. "I fear that it might have been my fault."
"Don't say that," Ladybug murmured soothingly. "Hawk Moth akumatized an entire army! You did what you had to do."
Still, her words did nothing to console him. For three years, he had lived with this guilt. "It's why you left, wasn't it? You left because of what I did."
"No!" she cried. "Chat, I didn't. I swear. You had nothing to do with it. It was… Well, it was someone else. I left because I felt as if I couldn't stand to stay anymore. But I'm back now and things can be just like they used to be. I promise I'm not going to go anywhere, and if I do, I owe you a real goodbye."
Neither of them said anything for a long time. Instead, they stared out over the city, sitting side by side on the unmoving hub while the rest of the wheel spun in circles around them. Adrien couldn't ever imagine leaving Paris. This was his home and he loved it with all his heart. Everything he loved was here—his father, his friends, Ladybug… He couldn't imagine what must have happened in order for Ladybug to have left all this behind.
"I kept looking for Hawk Moth's Miraculous in your absence," Adrien said slowly. "I've searched every square inch of Paris and I can't find it anywhere. If it gets in the wrong hands…"
Ladybug let out a long breath. "We'd better hope the right person finds it this time."
He nodded but paused to turn and look at her. So much of her face was covered by her red and black polka dot mask, and he couldn't even begin to guess her identity even if he tried.
"Tell me who you really are," Adrien requested for what felt like the thousandth time since he met her. "You know me well enough to know that I'll take your secret to my grave."
Like always, Ladybug shook her head. "You know why we have to keep it a secret, Chat. It's safer for both of us that way."
Snubbed again and again in every direction. Why wouldn't Ladybug trust him? He was trustworthy. He would never tell her secret even if he was tortured until his very last breath. But she just couldn't trust him. Nothing had changed.
As excited as he felt to be around her just minutes before, now he just felt downcast. Nothing could ever change between them no matter how much he wanted it to. So he stood up and extended his rod in preparation to make the jump that would help propel him across the city of Paris.
"That person I told you that I care about? I need to go check on them. I'll catch you later, Ladybug."
He saluted to her and before she could reply, he jumped off the hub and effortlessly made his way from building to building, from rooftop to rooftop, until he melted into the shadows of an alleyway without being seen. From there, he transformed from Chat Noir to Adrien and hid Plagg in his backpack. Of course, the kwami fell sound asleep.
Unsurprisingly, Adrien's father, Gabriel Agreste, installed new security measures on the manor since his accident, including a code at the gate and a fingerprint scanner at the doorway. No one could go in and out unless Gabriel wanted them to.
Both that gate and the door opened for him, and despite the fact that it was getting late, he found Gabriel's assistant, Nathalie, at the desk in the corner. She tiredly glanced up as he approached.
"Adrien, I didn't know you were coming by tonight." Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes like it never had while growing up, either.
"Can't I stop by for a surprise visit now and again?" Adrien chuckled. "Where is he?"
"In the study, I believe. Shall I escort you?"
Adrien shook his head. "I've lived here long enough to find it on my own. Thanks."
His feet had the path memorized by now as he made his way across the smooth marble floor and to the double oak doors that led to the study. Upon stepping inside, the study appeared empty, so he thought he might wait until his father returned. He found himself gazing up at the large, detailed painting of his mother and like always, he couldn't stop himself from smiling. She looked just like Adrien—same green eyes, same blonde hair, same crooked smile. If only she hadn't died so young…
"Adrien!" a surprised female voice sounded behind him. "What are you doing here?"
He spun around and his eyes widened in equal surprise as he took in a tall blonde woman with perfect white teeth and perfect symmetry in every part of her face. "Alyssa! I could ask you the same question! I thought you were modeling in America."
To his surprise, just seeing Alyssa helped soften his broken heart and engulfing her in a hug helped take his mind off Ladybug completely.
"I was in America, but now I'm back. Sorry I didn't call. I thought I should drop by and visit your father first to see how he's doing. Unfortunately, he's still in the same condition as before… But his spirits are lifted considerably."
How sweet… What other woman would come by just to check on his father before meeting up with their boyfriend first? Alyssa really was a sweetheart and that's what he liked about her.
"Talking about me behind my back, I see…" a slick, masculine voice said behind him and Adrien turned to see Gabriel enter the large study in his wheelchair. Just the sight of him caused guilt to creep up into his heart all over again. According to the doctors that performed hours and hours of surgery on him, Gabriel had been smashed during the fight with Hawk Moth and became paralyzed from the waist down. Although he looked much frailer, he still held an air of authority that Adrien has never seen in anyone else.
"How are you, Dad?" Adrien asked a bit stiffly.
Gabriel adjusted his glasses and gave him a rare but genuine smile. "Better than I have felt in a long time. You have a great girlfriend, here, Adrien. You could learn a thing or two from her."
"I'm sure I could," he chuckled. "Hot chocolate, anyone? Now that we're all together, I think we need to start up a fire and bust out the hot chocolate."
"Wonderful idea, Adrien," Gabriel replied, seemingly a little more cheerful and friendly than he usually acted toward him. "I'll put Nathalie right on it."
He wheeled out of the room once more and when Adrien found himself alone with Alyssa, he reached out and took her hand. To his surprise, her hand felt icy to the touch and she smelled like… Well, he didn't know why, but she smelled like a coat closet for some strange reason. Musty and strong.
"You definitely need to warm yourself by the fire," Adrien said, forcing himself to continue holding her hand even when the contact stung his skin.
"But you haven't even kissed me yet," Alyssa pouted and Adrien couldn't help but hesitate. Somehow, it felt wrong to kiss her after being around Ladybug. He found that he didn't…want to kiss her. But then he remembered the snub after snub he received from Ladybug and reminded himself that she wasn't interested anyway. So he leaned in and gave Alyssa a gentle peck on the lips and like always, he felt nothing. Surely, he just needed to give it a little bit more time…
Alyssa smiled and squeezed his hand. "That's better. Now we better not keep your dad waiting."
Adrien returned her smile even though that smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "That would definitely be a bad idea. Come on, let's go."
