So following the trend of my last few stories, I'm gonna give a preview of my next work. It's half to give you something to look forward to, and half to probe for actual interest. This next story will very different as I paint Gabriel in a very... Different light. He's more irrationally cold like in the show, and he doesn't get as much air time... In the beginning. =^-^=

The story will be a "Adrien runs away" story, where I take a more long term approach to how things would play out. Be warned, this story contains over used clichés which I use as plot advancement devices. Main pairing will be MariChat, but it can also be seen as Adrinette. (I see MariChat though...)=^-^=

Stray Alley Chat

"Kid, I'm only saying this because I'm worried, but please calm down." His chosen were dangerous when they weren't calm.

"Don't do anything you'll regret." Adrien rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The only thing I regret is being born an Agreste and being trapped in this house…" He trailed off as a thought hit him. "Wait…" He wasn't trapped, at least Chat Noir wasn't. Only Adrien was stuck here. All he had to do was be someone else.

"Kid?" The kwami called as the worrisome expression of his chosen hit him. It was common on his chosen when they were about to do something crazy, and potentially violent. "Tell me what's going through your head."

Adrien snapped up and rushed to his closet. "I can't take it anymore, Plagg."

The kwami followed with his brow furrowed. "Okay, but please tell me this doesn't involve anything violent… possibly murder…" He muttered more at the end though Adrien still heard him.

"The hell, Plagg? You think I'm some kind of psycho?"

"Um, no… not really, but if you're not going to hurt someone, then what are you doing?"

"Getting the hell out of here."

"I'll dye my hair!" He declared as he tapped his fist on his palm. Now all he had to do was find a place where people wouldn't recognize him and would dye his hair. Once that was done, he would be much harder to spot. He spent the next hour looking through a more rundown part of the city near the edge before spotting a place that resembled a salon. The sign at the window mentioned dying and cutting, though what he saw inside made him hesitate to enter. The place made him think of a tattoo parlor from a TV show, and there was hair all around the barber chairs. After a short breath to steel his nerves, he changed back in a nearby alley and went in anyway. No one would believe Adrien Agreste went into a store like this anyway.

"Welcome to Solle's Salon. We only take cash." The darkly dressed woman behind the register declared without looking up from her magazine.

"That's fine, how much to dye my hair black?" He asked feeling the color matched considering his hero persona.

The girl looked up and scrutinized his appearance. He wore a black hoodie and jeans, and held his backpack tight on each shoulder. Even with his choice of clothes she could tell he didn't belong in this part of town, and it put a smirk on her face. "That depends." She responded as she closed her magazine and stood straight.

"On what?"

"How much you got?"

Adrien was caught off guard by that response. Why would that matter as long as he had enough to cover the job? "Uh, I mean it's just a simple dye job, nothing special."

The woman snickered as she crossed her arms. "The very fact that I have to tell you only proves to me I can ask you how much, so how much do you have?"

"About 300 euros."

"Then that's how much it'll cost." She responded with her hand out for the money.

"All of it!? For a dye job!?" Especially in a place that looked like this. He'd heard Rose would dye hair for friends and it only cost them 50 euros; she even did touch ups for free.

"Yeah, kid, but I'll go ahead and be straight with you and that won't cost you a dime. You reek like a privileged brat. It's pretty obvious you have money on you, and in a part of the city like this, people will suck you dry. If I didn't then I assure you someone else will. At least with me, you'll get a quality service in return."

"These bruises on his ribs look worse than they are. Shouldn't take more than a week or so to heal so long as he rests. Same for his hand. The cut is shallow and won't need stitches."

"Oh, that's a relief. It's not every day someone falls off a roof and comes out in such good shape."

"Tom, that's not good shape." A woman countered the deep voice from before.

"He should consider himself lucky he didn't break anything." He countered.

"While that's true, I have to agree with Sabine. He's not in the best shape. His ribs wouldn't have bruised so bad if he wasn't underweight. You can tell by the look of the muscles here." Adrien felt a light throbbing on his torso. "At first glance they look full, but if you really look, you can tell they're strained. I see this on young men who work out while not eating enough calories and protein. It's not as bad as it could be, but I wouldn't call it healthy either. Make sure he gets enough to eat when he wakes up. I'm sure you know the kind of food he needs."

"Of course." The other woman responded.

"Anyway, this is the most I can do off site. Please have him come in to see me at the office when you can. I really would feel much more confident about that concussion if he did. It's mild, but strain can make it worse, so no activities that require mental concentration for long periods. That means limiting TV, games or excessive social interaction."

"Of course, we really appreciate you taking a look at him."

"Oh, it's no problem. You already gave me a nice discount on my order, and I couldn't say no to my favorite bakers."

"Hung….?" Adrien finally groaned out as light came to his eyes. The voices had been leading him out of where ever his mind was wandering until he realized he was sleeping. "Wh… where?"

"Ah, he's awake. That's an excellent sign after a fall like that."

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

He furrowed his brow as he tried to clear his vision. There was someone… a woman in front of him with a hand on his arm. "Who…?"

"Oh?"

"Don't worry, that's pretty normal after a head injury. You should be worried if he doesn't remember you after a few days at the latest." As his vision cleared he saw a tall woman glance at her wrist watch. "Unfortunately, I need to get going now, but please call me if you have any questions, and please bring him by when you can." The brunette picked up a few boxes and left though Adrien was more focused on the woman right beside him. She looked so familiar somehow…

"You okay there, son?"

"Son?" The teen wondered and the name bothered him somehow. He didn't like the sound of it.

The man must've seen the discomfort on his face as he crouched down beside the woman. "Sorry, care to give us your name then?"

"Hmm? My… Name…?" What was that again? Adrien, right? "A-a..ren…" He slurred out as he lifted a hand to his head. It really hurt the more he thought about it.

"Aaron? Is that it?" He nodded his head without thinking much into it and closed his eyes trying to quell the painful throb. "Alright, Aaron, just lie down and rest."

Sabine shook her head at her daughter as she nearly stumbled into the bakery around 8. "Wake up before you trip on something, Marinette."

"Hmmm?" She grumbled back while reaching for an apron. "Collette will be going on her morning break in 15 minutes, you need to be more awake to run the register."

"Mmkay…" She muttered back. Marinette tied her hair back loosely and headed for the sink to wash her hands. Though she didn't look like she'd just crawled out of bed, she sure still felt like it.

"Aaron, bring me another bag of flour… No, bread flour."

She turned to see Aaron, the new employee, looking at the flour stack in minor confusion. He was still getting the hang of things. She wandered over to the stacks and grabbed one of the quite large bags for him. "These ones. If you're unsure, dust off the label a bit and you'll see."

"Thanks, Marinette." He blushed.

"I'll take this to my dad." Adrien knew how much those bags weighed at this point, and was amazed by how she could lift it so easily.

"Thanks, sweetie. Care to help me start these proofed batches before you take over for Collette?" Her father gestured to the dozen bowls on the side counter. "I'd be great if Aaron had someone to observe. I think I do it too fast for him."

"You do tend to go into baker mode, papa." She waved Aaron over. "Come on, Aaron. I'll show you how it's done nice and easy." She pulled up the top part of her apron and tied it securely behind her neck. "The trick is getting a good rhythm with your hands." She pulled out the dough from one bowl and set it on the counter area she just coated in flour. "The flour will keep it from sticking to you and the counter while you knead it." She pressed down the dough and folded it, repeating this several times. "Go ahead and give it a shot." Adrien took some flour from the same sack as Marinette, and sprinkled it over the counter causing a slight cloud of it to form. "Gently, but that wasn't too bad. Then rub it a little between your hands before pulling out the dough." She kneaded hers slowly as she watched him start.

"So… Like this?" He pressed it down like a pancake.

"No… Too hard. You don't want it flat… Don't stretch it like-" She let out a sigh and shook her head. "Let's try this way." She swatted one of his hands and slid in front of him. "Put your hands on the dough." She ordered, and when he did it, she placed her hands on top of his. "Like this." She pressed gently before grabbing the edge and folding it back. "Feel how much pressure I'm putting into it?... Aaron?"

"Huh, yeah…. I think so." She turned to him with a curious brow.

"Marinette! Come up to the front please!" She heard her mother call and excused herself.

"Just give it a try like I showed you. When you can pinch it into a triangle and it stays, then you're done. If you're not sure, just check with Papa." She gestured and went to wash her hands. Adrien was only nodding because he knew that's what he should be doing.

"I can't believe you've lasted this long with only 6 pairs of underwear and 5 shirts." Marinette practically scolded Aaron as they walked down from the shopping district. She'd discovered him hovering over the washer when she got up that morning. He wasn't really sure how to use it himself and he said he was out of clean clothes. It was funny to hear at first since Marinette had run the wash only five days before.

"Well… When I left it wasn't like I could carry my whole closet, Marinette, honestly." He countered while holding his bags containing value pack underwear and t-shirts.

"I know, but you really should have done something before. This should have come way before buying Nathaniel's comics."

Aaron let out a sigh knowing he wasn't going to win. "Okay, but I was still short on money at first, and well… I thought I was doing fine."

Marinette tsked him. "Until this morning when I found you poking and prodding the washer like a cat with a mysterious new toy."

"Meow?" He teased back at her reference.

"Anyway..." She started to get things back on track. "Please make sure you have clothes enough for a whole week or two from now on. If a drought hits we won't be able to run the washer all the time like we have been. By the way, do you have anything for winter? Fall is only a few weeks away, Aaron."

"Um… Aside from a hoodie, no." He admitted sheepishly. "I can't say I was thinking that far ahead, but I hope to have earned enough by winter to buy a decent jacket."

Marinette just shook her head. "A decent jacket is going to get expensive, at least the kind you can wear all the time without it tearing." She informed with an exasperated sigh. "Though I suppose we can cross that bridge when we get to it."

"That's kind of what I've been doing. And speaking of bridges. Look over there." Aaron pointed across the bridge on the seine to spy Andre's ice cream cart. "Care for a treat for helping me out?"

Marinette once again rolled her eyes at him. "For someone tight on cash, you sure seem in a hurry to spend it."

"Only on you, princess." He smirked and started over before she could make any remark for the familiar nick name. When he saw her following he started in a run to make sure he got there first.

Just a few pieces from the story without spoiling too much. Please let me know what you think or if you'd be interested in reading it. This story will be rated T instead of M since I won't be as explicit. (Though this story wasn't terribly explicit when compared to other M fics on this site, but I digress...)=^-^=