Spread My Wings

"The best and most beautiful things in the world can't be seen or touched. They must be felt with the heart." -Helen Keller

Chapter Ten

Cobalt eyes stared, transfixed on the array of portraits on the wall of an office. The man's eyes traced over every photograph, spying the blond-haired boy he missed and had grown worried for.

Adrien, his only child. The boy was the only person he had left in this lonely life. Keeping busy had done little to settle his nerves. Adrien was his world. The boy was special to him. He and Adele had tried for years to conceive a child. It wasn't until five miscarriages later that they nearly gave up hope on having a family of their own.

It was finally a brighter time in their lives when Adrien was born. The poor child had been born premature, nearly a month too early. The doctor's were skeptical of his survival due to the weak vitals he displayed. Although, with time the boy's health improved. He managed to gain weight, and was able to breathe on his own. After many months, he was able to go home.

Having Adrien in their lives was a blessing. Gabriel took him with him to different cities for fashion shows as the boy aged. When Adrien grew to age six, his immune system began to shut down. Prone to sickness, his mother, Adele, decided to keep him sheltered away from the public eye. Home schooling was a must and freedom was taken from the designer's son.

Gabriel removed his glasses, his eyes misty with unshed tears. He wasn't a great father and Adele hadn't been a great mother. Both of them had learned this as Adrien grew older. The boy's timid nature had slowly evaporated as he became a teenager.

Adele often caught him trying to sneak out of the mansion. Her futile attempts of distracting him with attention or a trip to the park with herself and his bodyguard had not gone over too well.

The Agreste's marriage had become strained as both learned that they could not have anymore children. Gabriel threw himself into his work and Adele began modeling again.

Adrien was left to his own vices.

Gabriel's eyes flitted over to the photos of his son, a sad smile creeping up on his lips. At age eleven, Gabriel had signed Adrien onto modeling for his company.

Adele had not been pleased with this. She did not want her only child modeling at such a young age. She was afraid he would be tossed aside and dealt with a career that would end by the time he was in his mid to late twenties.

Adrien wanted to spend time with his father. If that meant modeling, then the boy would do it.

As time passed, Adrien became a staple in the modeling world. His exotic looks managed to make him a celebrity in his own right. By age thirteen, he had become a world famous model.

Starved for attention, the blond enjoyed the spotlight for a time. He soon grew tired of it as he saw less and less of his family.

With age and many supplements, Adrien was able to stay healthy and travel with his father. Their lengthy absences soon ended the marriage between Gabriel and Adele. The woman had disappeared without a trace. All of her belongings were left behind, even her peacock brooch.

Gabriel knew that Adrien was still grieving over the loss of his mother. It was one of the reasons he allowed him to attend public school. Adele hadn't made an effort to check up on their son and Gabriel would never forgive the woman for that.

The Agreste family was the wealthiest in all of fashion in Paris. Yet, not even all the fortunes in the world could change the fact that both Gabriel and Adele were unfit to raise their son.

The blond deserved so much more than he could offer. The boy was intelligent and handsome. He just hoped that his son was okay.

The man was brought out of his train of thought by the sound of a knock on his office door.

He looked up and cleared his throat. "Enter," he said, bitterly.

Nathalie entered, carrying her tablet as she turned toward her boss nervously.

Their eyes met as the assistant nodded at him.

"Did you need something, Nathalie? I thought you had taken the day off for some rest?"

The woman shifted from one foot to another, avoiding his eyes briefly.

"I'm feeling better, sir. I do have some news for you though."

"If it's about the imported fabrics, it can wait. I'm not in the mood to deal with the supplier's today."

The woman set her tablet down on the man's desk, then turning her cold eyes onto her boss once more.

"Sir, it's news regarding Adrien."

All thoughts left the man's mind at the mention of his missing son. He turned toward his assistant, eyes narrowed.

"Tell me."

"I have reason to believe that adrien is hiding out here in Paris."

Gabriel fought the urge to roll his eyes. Adrien couldn't have gone too far. He knew that much. The boy lacked street smarts due to his secluded upbringing.

"Nathalie unless you have any proof, I have more important matters at hand."

"Sir, I have reason to believe that Adrien is hiding under the guise of Chat Noir."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she instantly regretted it. Gabriel wouldn't believe her.

He mumbled under his breath incoherently, shaking his head in agitation.

"So that's where that ring came from. I should have noticed sooner."

Nathalie blinked, startled by her boss' words. Gone was the stoic man, and now here was a version of the man she hadn't seen in years. Not since Adrien's early childhood.

"Sir?"

"Thank you, Nathalie. I think you've made this much easier. Tracking him down is easy enough. But we need to get him back home. There's no telling how much harm has come to him."

"Yes, Sir." She picked up her tablet, and read through an article. "The last sighting of Chat Noir was over four hours ago. The news reports show him looking fatigued and ill."

Gabriel cursed under his breath. "I can't stand here any longer. We need to find Adrien."

"There's no telling where he had been hiding, Sir. Adrien could be anywhere in Paris."

"Nathalie, that isn't an issue. We just need to get into contact with the love of Adrien's life, Ladybug."

The woman's eyes widened behind her rimless lenses as she nodded in agreement.

"Contact the necessary parties to get in touch with dear Ladybug. She can help us guide Adrien home."

The designer hoped his plan would work. Adrien's life was at stake.

Nathalie left her boss' office, head bowed low. She felt horrible for telling the man of Adrien's secret. The teen barely had any freedom as it was. With Gabriel now knowing of his son's double life, the boy would probably face many consequences.

She feared that Adrien would be forced to return to homeschooling and would be forced into modeling full-time. There were repercussions to her confiding in her boss over his son's whereabouts. She just hoped that it would all work out. She could only hope.

Marinette fussed over Adrien like a motherhen. She attempted to force medicine down his throat, but ultimately failed. Plagg seemed to get a kick out of Adrien's stubbornness.

Tikki was not pleased with her counterpart's antics. She shoved one of her cookies into his mouth and threatened to tell Adrien embarrassing stories about Plagg.

"Geeze, can't take a little teasing, Tik'?"

The kwami of creation frowned and flew over to Adrien, gently brushing his hair from his face.

"Adrien, please take this medicine, it will make you feel better," she tried, her tone somewhat motherly.

The model blinked, touched by the ladybug kwami's kind words. He nodded gently, taking her into his hands, smiling at her sweetly.

"For you, Tikki, I will."

Both Marinette and Plagg scoffed at Adrien's words.

"What are we, Gorgonzola cheese?"

The female heroine raised a brow, shooting her kwami a confused look. She then turned her attention toward Adrien and then Plagg.

"What in the world was that about?"

Tikki leaned into Adrien's hands, nuzzling her cheek against his palms.

"Plagg hates Gorgonzola cheese," both Tikki and Adrien announced in unison.

Marinette shook her head, deciding to leave it at that. She didn't need to know more about the cat kwami's cheese preferences.

"Now, will you please take your medicine? Plagg told me about your weakened immune system. You need to keep your strength up."

Adrien shot his kwami a glare. He would show the cat no mercy.

"Don't harm him, Adrien. You need him," Tikki reminded him. "Besides, Plagg means well."

With a sigh, Adrien relented in his conspirations of leaving Plagg with nothing but Gorgonzola cheese.

"Adrien, please?"

"Fine," he whined, taking the offending medicine that was again thrusted into his face.

Considering that it was liquid, he managed to take it without making a face. Once he swallowed it, he layed back down with a soft groan.

His energy levels had diminished once again. His eyes closed as Mari gently patted him on the head.

"Get some rest, Kitty. We need you at your best."

"Yes, my Lady," he mumbled tiredly.

Nino had fallen into a funk. He missed his bestest bro. Adrien had been gone for ages. He figured the teen had run off due to his father's overbearing nature. However, the DJ felt betrayed. Adrien was his best friend. Alya had tried to help him, but she could only do so much.

The blond had been sheltered his entire life and wanted nothing more than a chance at a normal life. He truly felt for the model. But this funk and lack of bro-time had made things stressful for Nino.

Nino hit the replay button on his phone, replaying the sick beats that he and Adrien had mixed together. The rhythmic music pulsed through his headphones as he flicked through the newsfeed on his phone.

The music halted in mid chorus as the phone started to ring. Groaning, Nino glanced down at the screen. Seeing the familiar number to the Agreste residence, he flicked the button, answering the call instantly.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Lahiffe? This is Nathalie Sancoeur."

The teen sighed, turning to lay down on his bed.

"Yeah, I know who you are dud- I mean, Madame. If you're calling to ask me where Adrien is, I don't know."

The woman sighed on the other end of the line. "Mr. Lahiffe, I am calling to ask if you could get in touch with the young lady who runs the Ladyblog."

This request surprised Nino. He had not expected this.

"Uh, Alya? Yeah, I can do that. Do you want me to relay a message to her?"

"Yes, Mr. Agreste needs to get in touch with Ladybug and Chat Noir."

The reasoning seemed off. But the DJ would do as requested.

"Alright, I'll relay the message. Keep me posted on news concerning Adrien."

The woman didn't say anything for a moment, but then relented in the end. After all, Nino was doing her a favor.

"Of course, Nino."

The call ended abruptly, startling the male. He then decided to look through his phone and requested a facetime call with his main girl.

"Hey babe, I need your help."

Marinette gazed over at the snoozing blond in her bed. Adrien had been by her side fighting crime for years. He had been a hopeless flirt with his crappy puns and his gentleman- like self. The boy of her dreams was also her sweet, sassy kitty.

Relief coursed through her heart now that she knew he was safe and sound. A smile graced her lips as she watched him sleep. Although, her moment was interrupted by the vibration of her smartphone. Glancing down at it, she noticed an alert from the Ladyblog. The message read:

Ladybug Gabriel Agreste wishes to speak with you and Chat Noir. He has some things to discuss with you. -Alya

Marinette felt the color drain from her face. Mr. Agreste wanted to see both her and Chat? Something was amiss. Had the man figured something out?

She cast a look at her slumbering partner, shaking her head sadly. She wouldn't bring him with her. Adrien needed to rest and he needed a break from reality.