The Supper
As they finished their conversation with Alya and Nino, all four teens stood in the hallway silently. It was Dorje who approached them and warned the teens that they should go and eat something.
Adrien was still distressed, but Marinette pulled him by his hand. He did not feel stable on his feet so he flung his arm over her shoulders and she wrapped her arm around his waist as they slowly walked towards the large dining room. Ye took the boy from the other side and helped him walk.
Their bodies were not in pain any more, but the memory of pain was still very much alive. As they progressed slowly, they expected to wince in pain with each new move, but the pain never hit them, at least not the physical one. The large hallway was fixed now, all the tapestries and the curtains were in the place where they were before the battle.
Ling admired how everything got restored, Ye was surprised, but Marinette and Adrien simply stared at the floor before them, they watched each step they took.
Finally they reached the large dining room and took their position in a short line of students waiting for the food. Adrien felt his thoughts finally focused, he was focused on the emptiness in his belly and the smell of food in the air. His face lit up when he was handed a bowl of noodles.
Marinette took her bowl as she watched him. She smiled when she saw him smile. He was getting better, perhaps a little food was everything they needed at that very moment. They took their places on the carpet and started to eat.
"No rice?" Marinette teased and he smiled to her and then kept smiling at the noodles. He was not aware how hungry he was. The bowl was empty quickly. Marinette barely touched hers while he was already finished. She felt tired while the adrenaline left over from the battle made her stomach felt tied in a knot and would not accept anything inside. She mostly sipped her tea slowly because it was really hot.
"You will get sick if you eat this fast." Ling warned Adrien as she sat down. But Ye simply handed the boy his own bowl of noodles and took the empty one to fetch some more. They were all exhausted from the fight and barely ate anything the whole day.
Adrien took the full bowl with gratitude and simply stared at it. He was not yet completely used to that he was able to eat as much as he wanted, his life used to be so programmed.
"Perhaps you should drink first and then continue?" Ling offered a cup with Tibetan tea and Adrien took it instantly. "Be careful, it's hot!" the girl warned, but Adrien was too fast and burned his tongue. He made a grimace and lowered the cup.
Marinette was watching him carefully the whole time, she was worried about him, about what was going to happen next. She was sitting next to Adrien, side by side and he would lean onto her from time to time.
Ye was back with two more bowls of noodles followed by Dorje and Pema. The monks were as tired as the four teens and held on to their food as if it was their lifeline. The night and the day were full with fighting and with the time travelling they felt as if several days have passed since the last time they ate or slept.
"I thought we will need this one." Ye said as he put the extra bowl of noodles between the four.
"Oh, you can have it." Ling sing sang her reply. She was in a good mood, tired but good. The fight was finished, the evil man was defeated and there was only future to look forward to.
Marinette simply nodded. Both girls felt little appetite and ate simply because they knew they should eat at least something. Marinette worried about Adrien, about his mother, about what happened with his father and Nathalie. Because she expected the next disaster to just hit from around the corner.
Dorje sat next to Adrien, and Pema sat opposite to him. They were intent on watching the two teens and intervene in case they decided help was needed. Adrien was hardly the first person in the history of mankind who had to defeat an evil parent, but he was young and the period after the fight was never easy. So they stayed close and watched. The boy still wielded one of the strongest miraculous there was. For a while they ate in silence and sipped their tea from time to time.
Ye and Ling were glancing towards Adrien, from time to time, with worry written all over their faces. But as soon as the boy being watched raised his eyes towards them, they would pretend they were busy with their food.
Dorje and Pema were holding their bowls and eating slowly, but their attention was completely on the kids, all four of them.
"We might make another tea, the calming tea." Pema said casually to Dorje as if that was a conversation only for the two of them.
Dorje nodded his head as he raised his eyes but said nothing.
But not a minute has passed and someone left six small cups with dark tea.
"Teacher's order." the person said and left before they even saw their face.
"Well, if it is the teacher's order." Ling sing sang again as she distributed the cups.
"You should drink this only after you finish with your food, perhaps you should even wait a little for it to digest." Pema warned as she smelled the tea.
"This is a calming tea?" Ling asked.
Dorje nodded. He did not need to bring the cup to his nose to recognize the smell.
"It is, and they made it a strong one." Pema warned.
Adrien was looking at the cup. How many of these was he supposed to drink to be able to sleep ever again. It was one think to know Hawk Moth was his father. It was something completely different to see him detransform.
He fought his own father, his father held Marinette by her neck. Twice! His father knew it was his son whom he was hitting. His father was assisted by magical powers and Adrien was just a civilian. And yet, his father showed no mercy.
Nathalie was attacking them, civilians, while she was transformed. Adrien wandered how they survived, because the magic enhanced their strength so much that him and Ladybug were able to produce structural damage to the buildings with their weapons while transformed and in the heat of the battle.
Well, it was over. The battle was over and he was too tired to think much further in the future. Perhaps the monks would let him stay with them, but he wanted to stay beside Marinette, and it was probably too much to ask from her to stay with him. Then, there was the training for the guardian of the miraculous.
"I think this is the best meal I ever had." Adrien finally spoke. Everyone raised their eyes and looked at him. It was not much of a meal, except there was no limit in quantity for him. And he had just burned his tongue so it was questionable if he even felt the taste of the food.
Marinette smiled shyly, but when he grinned back she smiled widely and her eyes glowed.
"Do you want some more?" she asked gently.
"No, I am fine, not finished yet, see?" he replied he still had food left.
"What do you usually eat?" Ling asked curiously. But then a shadow crossed Adrien's face, just for a moment and she was sorry she asked him that. When she wanted to apologize and tell him he does not have to answer, Adrien began to speak.
"I don't know, something the dietician working for the Agreste Designs company prescribed. I actually stopped paying attention to that long time ago. I do not remember if I ever cared." Adrien replied. He also did not remember if anyone in the Agreste Mansion ever asked what he wanted to eat. He was simply given food, the amount he was supposed to take, not more, not less. And he was seldom asked if it was good, and that was a mere courtesy, not like he would get more or something else even if he asked, instead he got scolded for not sticking to his regime, so he stopped complaining long time ago.
Dorje and Pema did not react. They were used to the food in the temple. Everyone ate the same thing more or less, a large pot was cooked for everyone and they all ate. Of course, they added some spices if they wanted to change the taste, but they were used to not choosing what they ate.
On the other hand, Marinette stared at the boy while her eyes were becoming wet, rapidly. So this boy never negotiated to eat cookies instead of breakfast, lunch or dinner? He never nagged his mother in the kitchen asking what was for dinner and then exclaimed his disgust with the sprouts or something else? He never sneaked into the kitchen when there was no adult in sight and emptied a bag of candy? He never demanded fries or pizza when asked if he wanted stew or steamed vegetables?
Ye looked at Ling ant they exchanged a few words quietly before they stared at the boy.
"Then this is the best meal indeed." Ling exclaimed.
"Yes, this is fantastic, even better that that food we get in the canteen in my school." Ye smirked, it was obvious he was teasing.
"It totally beats the canteen in my school." Ling smiled back and nodded.
Marinette looked at the bowl. She felt complied to say something.
"Our school too." she added.
Adrien looked at her.
"I'd like to try the food in the canteen in our school one day." The boy said quietly. Pema and Ling both stared at the boy. Then Ling whispered something to Ye and the boy raised his eyes too.
Adrien noticed the questions in their eyes.
"I, um, did not eat there, not approved by the dietitian, you know?" He smirked.
Suddenly both Chinese teens were aware that this boy did not eat food prepared by his parents, like probably never! And they were both saddened. As much as they liked the opportunity to go and eat something outside, something different, something not cooked by their parents (just because they had that each day) they were away from how long enough that they actually missed what their parents cooked at home. And to never have that? That was pure awful.
Again they ate in silence, each wanted to say something, but stopped because it might hurt the boy's feelings.
"I just wanted to say … I am sorry for my father." Adrien finally spoke. He felt the need to say that, to geit it over with, because he felt responsible for his father's actions.
"What?" several voices screamed at once.
"No" Marinette waved her head.
"You have nothing to be sorry for." Pema replied calmly as Dorje nodded.
"And I want to thank you." Tears started welling into his eyes. "Thank you for helping me, thank you for fighting them."
"You're welcome." Ye winked.
"But of course" Marinette smiled and turned to him, her eyes started to get wet, more because she was tired than from the sadness.
"We said we will help you." Ling exclaimed.
"No problem." Ye added.
"Count on us the next time" Ling continued.
And then everyone laughed.
"Seriously, whatever you need, just tell us." Ye smiled, leaned forward and patted the boys shoulder.
There was one questions neither of the three teens wanted to say out loud in front of Adrien. And that was what was going to happen with him?
Marinette was aware that the body of his mother was somewhere in this temple and wondered if that bothered him. But he did not think about that. He was still chased by the memories of the fight.
They finally decided to empty the small tea cups and went to the room where they slept.
The monks urged them to go to their sleeping bags straight away. The tea was supposed to calm them and put them to sleep and nobody wanted to fall sleep somewhere in the cold stones that were the hallway floor. So obediently, the kids went straight to the large room and wrapped themselves in their sleeping bags. But they were still high on adrenaline and none of them was able to fall asleep.
They were laying in the sleeping bags and chatted. Ye and Ling were exchanging stories from their school. Adrien listened, laughed and translated to Marinette (as much as he understood himself because they used a lot of school slang that Adrien's tutors were not tutoring).
It was dark, the other students were mostly asleep and even those who were awake kept silent as the students around them were sleeping. The government official walked around and stared at the four teens in the corner for a while, until she was noticed by the two older teens. Marinette's cousins spoke slower and quieter not to disturb the sleeping colleagues. After a while they were both silent, Adrien just sighed from time to time and Marinette rubbed his back comfortingly. He turned to lay on his back while he pulled her to rest her head on his shoulder. He felt better that way because he knew he was not alone.
Marinette could not fall asleep and she felt Adrien was still awake. But they did not talk. He would move his hands to feel she was still there, although he felt the weight of her head on his shoulder. He rested his arm over her ribs so he would feel her breathing. He needed to know she was there.
"Adrien?" she whispered quietly. He tapped her side where his hand rested in response.
"Shh, it is okay, I can't sleep but you do not have to stay awake because of me." he replied.
"I can't fall asleep too." She spoke quietly.
"Why?" he whispered
"Well, because … the same reason I guess." it was the truth, but she did not want to say it out loud.
"Is it really over?" he sighed into the dark air above him.
"I don't know yet." and that was the best answer she could have given him.
And they stayed like that for a long time, awake with their eyes closed in the dark. And then finally, their bodies relaxed and they have fallen asleep.