Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.
Chapter 37,
Plagg had been uncharacteristically quiet since they left the factory. When they returned home, Plagg just floated over to Adrien's couch with Hawkeye's dog tags and simply held them dearly. Plagg almost acted like he was in mourning, and it broke Adrien's heart.
"Plagg? How are you doing?" Adrien asked. Plagg barely twisted his head towards the boy before shrugging absentmindedly.
"I'm fine." Plagg said softly and Adrien sighed heavily.
"Would you like to watch something with me?" Adrien said, carefully sitting on the couch beside Plagg, who just stared at the dog tags.
"Aren't you gonna meet up with Ladybug to fix your locker?" Plagg asked and Adrien shrugged.
"I have some time before we meet up." Adrien said and Plagg paused before answering.
"Watch whatever you want." Plagg said, not caring at all. He didn't even look at the television as Adrien flipped through and purchased something. Soon the sound of a gentle guitar started playing and Plagg nearly cried at the familiar sound.
"You...? Mash?" Plagg said, turning towards the tv and Adrien nodded.
"I'd like to watch the show with you, if you don't mind." Adrien said sweetly. Plagg's eyes were so full of tears that they burned his eye, and so he rubbed them.
"Have I ever told you that you're the best Cat Noir a guy could have?" Plagg said sweetly and Adrien smiled.
"Once or twice. But after spending all that time with Hawkeye, I think I'd like to learn more about him and the other people who helped us." Adrien said and this was true.
"I love you, Adrien." Plagg said.
"I love you too, Plagg." Adrien said, and together, they watched the show.
-
As the bodyguard, Armand technically had access to every room in the Agreste home. And by 'technically' he really knew that meant the living room and the garage; since the Agreste's were normally confound to the dining room or the bedrooms. Armand has spent the afternoon tuning up the limo. Normally he did this once a month, but he decided to do it a second time just to make sure it wasn't damaged from earlier's war.
He had gone a little overboard, making sure the water and oil was good, even though he had to strip down to his white tank top to avoid getting the top-half of his suit dirty. The car was perfectly fine, as expected, and he wiped his hands on a oil-stained rag and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. He filled a glass and started drinking when he heard the soft sound of crying. He went over to the door leading to the dining room and cracked the door a smidge. His heart broke to see Nathalie at the dining room table, crying.
Armand closed the door again. He knew that he wasn't the smartest, suavest, or the most romantic guy in Paris. He didn't want to make her feel worse. He stepped outside a moment, and picked the prettiest flower he could find, and then pulled a chocolate bar out of the pantry. He was a little nervous when he stepped into the dining room and set the chocolate and the flower down in front of Nathalie. She gasped softly when she noticed it; she was basically in her own depressing world. She blinked when she saw him.
"A... Armand? What are you doing?" She asked and he hesitated. He wasn't sure what to say, and he awkwardly nudged the chocolate closer to her.
"Making things... better?" He said unsure. Nathalie stared a moment and then she couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you, Armand." Nathalie said.
"What... I mean, tell me... do you wanna talk about it?" Armand asked, sitting beside her.
"Talk about the tank top?" Nathalie said and Armand smiled in relief.
"If you really insist on asking." Armand said and Nathalie giggled a little.
"I'm sorry, I just never see you out of your suit." Nathalie commented and Armand shrugged.
"It makes a bodyguard look a little more intimidating. I can't really say I love wearing suits, but it's part of the uniform." Armand said and she smirked.
"What do you like to wear when you don't wear the suit?" Nathalie asked and he shrugged.
"Well, I dress so fancy for work, I like to wear something more casual for everyday life. Like, say, t-shirt and blue jeans." Armand said and Nathalie smirked.
"Or tank tops." She said and he rolled his eyes.
"Ok, ok, so I wear tank tops under my suits, what's the big deal?" Armand asked and she giggled.
"Honest? Because you look kinda manly sitting there in that tank, covered in grease. It's, uh... kinda cute." Nathalie said with a light blush on her face and Armand gave her a surprised smile.
"That's unusual." Armand said.
"Is it?" Nathalie asked and he nodded.
"Yeah... but mostly because... I think that's the first time someone's actually called me 'cute'." Armand said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh." Nathalie said sweetly, somehow feeling more attractive under his gaze.
"So... what's wrong, Nat?" Armand asked and Nathalie sighed heavily.
"It's hard to explain, completely. You... know that I love Gabriel. And we just got in a fight... I didn't quit, I wasn't fired, but it almost feels like I broke up with him." Nathalie said.
For a moment, Armand stared at her, trying to think of something to make her feel better instead of worse. Then he reached over, picked up the flower in front of Nathalie.
"You know what I like about the Mona Lisa Anemone?" Armand asked and Nathalie shook her head.
"I like it because it has hidden depths. The top appears plain, just white, like an innocent disguise, almost. But then, close to it's very core, you see it's so colorful. This reddish, purple... aura... it's beautiful." Armand said and Nathalie's eyes widened at this simple observation.
"And, you know, that's kinda like you." Armand said, hesitantly slopping the flower behind her ear; making Nathalie blush.
"People look at you, and they think you're simple at first. And then they get to know you and they see how colorful and lively you really are." Armand said and Nathalie smiled and bashfully rubbed her arm.
"Thank you." She said softly and Armand smiled at her.
"Any time. I guess I better get going. I want to clean up the car and myself before the end of my shift." Armand said, standing up. Nathalie reaches up and her fingers grazed the flower in her hair.
"Armand?" She asked and he paused.
"This morning you talked about being friends. Maybe we could grab a cup of coffee later?" She asked and he looked away, then back at her.
"Ok, but I have a condition." Armand said.
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Nathalie said with a smirk and Armand smiled at her.
"No suits. Just casual wear." He said and Nathalie's smirk grew into a cocky smile.
"Isn't that an odd request?" Nathalie asked and Armand shrugged.
"One of the nice things about having friends is the fact that you can be comfortable around them? And be yourself and such. I don't think it's so odd to want you to be comfortable around me." Armand said and Nathalie smiled at him.
"Ok. Casual wear." Nathalie said and Armand smiled back at her before leaving the dining room.
Nathalie almost couldn't believe how nice Armand was to her. Then to add that he was willing to be her friend and hang out? She doesn't have many friends, especially since so many people are less interested in her, and more interested in what Gabriel or Adrien were up to. She quickly realized some of those people were actually undercover reporters wanting an inside scoop. She had fun with one, pretending she was falling for him and fed him some false information, which he got in trouble for.
But this was different. She hasn't really hung out with someone in years. And this was with Armand; big, brutish... surprisingly caring Armand. Nathalie wasn't sure if she remembered how to be a good friend anymore; but she was willing to try. And that's all that matters right now.