Summary: Paris is safe. Paris is doing great. Just obey the law and don't stay out too late, or else Chat Noir might get too you. And make sure, should you ever find this mysterious "Ladybug" he's desperately calling for, to report her to the police.
Important notice!
This is set before the episode „Dark Owl" for reasons that will be obvious very soon (and which you can probably already guess anyway, sooooo, uh, yay?).
Other than that I don't have much too say ^^ Feel free to review =)
What if all of Paris forgets?
Chapter One
.o.O.o.
Eyes fluttered open. Blankets were shoved aside. A smile stretched on lips. Today was going to be amazing.
It was obvious from the very first sun rays that Adrien missed because his early photo shoot had been cancelled. It was obvious from the fact that for once the breakfast table was set for two people instead of one. It was obvious because his afternoon photo shoot, too, had been cancelled and he was allowed to meet Nino, Alya and Marinette at the arcade today.
It was truly amazing, a miracle almost. The weather was great, not a cloud was in sight and everything seemed to scream that today was going to be the most wonderful day of the year.
.
.o.O.o.
.
Adrien awoke feeling groggy. His head was pounding, he could barely open his eyes and something felt...amiss. As if he didn't know where he was, which was weird because he knew exactly where he was. In his room, laying in his bed, trying to ignore the smell of Plagg's cheese. Nothing unusual, except for the pounding in Adrien's head.
Immobile, he stayed in bed trying to recall what had happened. What could have caused this momentary confusion? Had a late night patrol kept him awake for too long? Had there been any unusually exhausting photo shoots? But Adrien didn't remember anything that could have caused this amount of exhaustion. In fact, he was pretty positive that yesterday had been amazing. He remembered being able to sleep in, having breakfast with his father, getting to school, talking to Nino, making plans for the afternoon and…. blank. Everything after that was a big, fat, blank spot. Well, memory loss might explain why he felt so uneasy.
"Plagg", Adrien whispered, not feeling ready to get up just yet. He glanced to the side of his bed, watching the black Kwami devour a piece of camenbert, seemingly unaware of his chosen's call. "Plagg!", Adrien tried again, this time louder. He regretted his choice not a second later when he winced – a clear indicator his head was not willing to let go of the silence just yet. Adrien tried to ignore the pounding though, instead focussing on trying to quell his curiosity – and his worry. Something was wrong and Adrien couldn't shake the feeling that it was probably Akuma related.
"Plagg!" "What?", a nasally voice finally answered. The black Kwami lazily floated towards Adrien, eyeing his chosen suspiciously, though, if one squinted hard enough, one could make out a flicker of concern in the god's eyes.
"What happened yesterday?", Adrien asked, his voice hoarse. Shifting slightly and trying to ignore the pain he looked around for a glass of water, hissing when he didn't find one. "I don't know." Plagg yawned, stretching his limbs before looking at his chosen once more who was about to pounce and strangle that annoying bastard. "You went to school. Talked to that one "dude" guy. Had a nice chat with your girlfriend..." "Marinette is not my girlfriend!" "...You didn't feed me enough cheese. The usual. Oh, yeah, and there was this one Akuma, what was his name again? I don't know. Anyway, all I remember is transforming you – after my protest because I was in the middle of eating cheese! - and next thing I know is that we woke up in some alley because I couldn't hold the transformation any longer. Talking of which, I demand more cheese, that was way too exhausting..." With those final words, Plagg let himself dramatically fall onto the bed sheets, completely ignoring Adrien's exasperated sigh. "Plagg, you just ate cheese! And what do you know about the Akuma?!", he hissed, slowly, sitting up, holding onto his head. They had to get this conversation done quickly, Nathalie could call him anytime now and he'd rather get all the information he needed before he got a break away from everyone during school.
His Kwami had other plans though. "Can't…too…exhausted…Need more cheese...", he winced, eyes closed, though they were flickering. Great. Just great. Ladybug may be in danger and Plagg was being his usual self.
"Plagg, come one! We don't have time for this!" Adrien shoved his bedsheets aside, ignoring the muffled protests of the floating cat once it got buried beneath the heap of fabric. The motion didn't stop him from being over-dramatic though. "Not...enough...had...to hold...transformation...for...too long..."
Adrien hissed once more after he dipped his feet out of bed and noted that the floor was too cold for his liking. He painfully dragged himself to his closet, snatching some clothes from it, not really paying attention to what exactly he was going to wear.
"You can have another wheel if you tell me what went on yesterday!", Adrien finally gave in and not a second later Plagg had freed himself from the blankets, deciding to now triumphantly follow his charge and to grin smugly. "Ah, my energy resources have been replenished..." "Get to it!" Adrien wasn't in the mood for games. His head was still pounding and his throat still felt too dry – he really needed a shower and a glass of water.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever Mr. I'm-in-a-sore-mood." Plagg shook his head, while his eyes trailed off to the mini fridge that held all the delicacy in the universe. "So, during that "it's-not-a-date talk..." "Plagg..." "...you had with your "not-a-girlfriend" the Akuma alert went off. You got up, she got up, you both disappeared and next thing I know I'm sucked into your ring and you go off to do your hero-work." Expectantly, the cat watched him, obviously waiting for his promised cheese but Adrien wasn't having any of it. Not yet. That information hadn't been helpful at all, which was to be expected, if he was honest. He should have probably just consulted the ladyblog – he was sure Alya had at least gotten an idea of the Akuma's abilities and goals.
Plagg wasn't done yet though.
"Oh, and once I got out again, you were laying in a dirty alley out cold. I think some passer-by found you and wanted to get you to the hospital, but Nathalie intercepted them, god knows how. Your dad won't be amused with that bruise on your head, by the way." Adrien's head snapped up and he stared at Plagg for a reason, before scrambling scrambled into his bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror, trying to ignore Plagg's snickering.
A glimpse in the mirror revealed what Adrien had expected: He looked terrible. Absolutely terrible. His face was unnaturally white, dark circles adorned his eyes and the above mentioned bruise, that was going to sent his father into cardiac arrest, was featured prominently on his forehead. Great. If Nathalie hadn't already snitched on him, this surely was going to get his father's attention. This was a disaster. His father was going to kill him.
He had already known yesterday that something bad was going to happen. There had been just too many happy coincidences. All Adrien could do now was hope that his father wouldn't pull him out of school for it.
.
.o.O.o.
.
Paris is great. And Paris is safe. Those were the first thoughts that came to Marinette's mind once her alarm clock rang, waking her for the day to come. And while it reminded her of that perfectly fine, it failed to make her open her eyes.
Marinette knew that she had to get up, that she had to get ready - she just really didn't want to. Just five more minutes…
She expected to be scolded for her bad morning habits the moment she turned to rest on her other side, awaited the sound of a honey-like voice telling her off in good humour, reminding her that she didn't want to be late for school again. That she had already gotten two tardiness slips this month alone. The anticipation made her unable to truly rest (which begged the question – why was she trying in the first place?) and an unsatisfied frown spread across Marinette's features. It was a weird notion, she thought, because, really, who would that voice even belong too? She didn't even go to school anymore either!
Chuckling, Marinette turned around and closed her eyes once more, expecting sleep to claim her now that she was less tense, but she didn't get that far. Instead of a sweet voice (just who was she thinking about?) it was her mother who called her, worry evident in her voice. "Tardiness is a crime, sweetheart! And you don't want to be late on your first day of work!" One could hear the proud smile accompanying her mother's last words and Marinette smiled in accordance, happy to know her parents were as excited about the internship…
The internship!
Marinette shot up from her bed sheets, panicking and secretly scolding herself for wasting precious ten? Ten! minutes on something as ridiculous as sleep!
Of course! She didn't go to school anymore!
Marinette practically fell out of bed as she scrambled to get her clothes – her trademark pink jeans, white t-shirt and grey blazer – while simultaneously trying to put her hair into her equally trademark twin tails, before deciding against it. Maybe the look was a bit too childish for the occasion. She wanted to come across as mature after all.
Five minutes later and she was already applying make-up – some light mascara – and then she snatched her favourite purse, ready to face this new challenge that awaited her. For a moment Marinette took the time to look at her phone and smiled upon seeing the encouraging notes her friends had sent her just yesterday, after having receiving the letter.
"I call shots on the first interview once you're a successful designer!"
"If you ever need some good music to relax too, just tell me, dude, I'll gladly provide it!"
"Make sure to be on time! The Controller said tardiness is bad and Gabriel's is farther away from your home than school is! Kisses, Rose!"
"Could you design something black? That would be cool."
"There is an 83% chance that you'll get offered a job after the internship, calculating the circumstances under which this internship was handed to you, your history with the company and your talent."
It was great to see her friends this excited about her internship, though it didn't necessarily help Marinette's nerves to calm down (she had the urge to squeal, but she didn't want to disturb the neighbours). However, knowing their reaction did calm her persistent doubts about the whole ordeal. After all, it was almost too perfect to be true! But she had already pinched herself three times after reading the letter yesterday (signed by Gabriel Agreste himself!) and had even resorted to look up signs that she was in a dream.
She wasn't.
This was going to happen.
She...was going to intern at Gabriel's. She was going to work under her idol. She was one step closer to making all her dreams come true!
It was still a miracle in Marinette's eyes and her happy squealing (she tried to be quiet) was probably the reason why she tripped on the stairs, dropping her purse in the process that tumbled down the entirety of it.
Once she had snatched it from the floor (strange – why had she kept cookies in her purse?) - she was greeted with laughter and her parent's smiling faces, gesturing for her to sit down with them. The TV was on in the background, yesterday's public service announcement was playing. The Controller proudly stood next to Major Bourgois, announcing the new rules that would keep Paris safe from any sort of self-pronounced "vigilante heroes" as well as ensure that society would be running smoothly.
They couldn't have anything not go according to plan after all.
"Are you fine, sweetie? I hope you didn't hurt yourself...", Marinette's mother asked, casting her eyes away from the TV and smiling at her daughter. Tom and Sabine had gotten up extra early to prepare an amazing breakfast just for today, hoping their daughter would get up in time to grab more than just one croissant.
"Lets hope Mr. Agreste will fall for your design as quickly as you fall down the stairs!", her father chuckled, before gesturing for her to sit down. Marinette smiled brightly and snatched a cookie, enjoying the sweetness. "Are you excited? Do you already know what you'll do today?" "Oh, oh, yes! I-I will be shown around the building and stuff! A first introduction sort of, not that I expected anything else, after all I'm just an intern and this is my first day, but besides that I was told to bring my sketch book, so maybe they'll have a look at my designs, which would be suuuuper amazing, because imagine, what if they like them and what if I get to work with a real designer and what if this is going to be the very first..." Marinette took a bite out of her sandwich. "...chance to get my designs out there, though, don't you think that would be a bit too early? I'm still just a student after all and..."
Her parents chuckled at their daughter's continued rambling which stopped after a good five minutes (in which Marinette had stopped fantasizing about the chances this internship offered to fantasizing about what it would be like to own her very own label at some point – just to then live out the other side of what it would be like if they didn't like her designs and how she would be shunned in the design world for the rest! Of! Her! Life!) and their conversation dissolved into pleasant small-talk. It was helpful to calm Marinette's nerves and to bridge the time until her alarm went off, telling her to get going.
And get going she did. After tripping another two times she finally made it out the front door – just to almost run into one of the new robots patrolling the streets.
She had almost forgotten!
After apologizing to it several times and listening to it admonishing her about being more careful and "no running in the streets" it finally left and Marinette made her way to the next metro station, trying to ignore the piercing gazes of the robots patrolling the street.
After all, they were there for her protection.
.
.o.O.o.
.
Breakfast was boring. As was to be expected. His father hadn't attended it and worry clouded Adrien's mind, making him unable to enjoy the food – not that there was much too enjoy in the first place.
God, what he wouldn't give for some nice pastries right now. Maybe he could convince Nathalie to let him have lunch with his friends? Scratch that, after the whole waking up unconscious in an alleyway he should count himself lucky if he wasn't grounded for the rest of his life.
A sigh escaped Adrien's lips and he leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment. The shower had relieved some of the pounding in his head and the glass of water had greatly helped to improve his mood, but Adrien knew better. Something was wrong. He had most likely been knocked out during an Akuma fight and now he didn't even remember any of it! He wondered if he could have a sneak peak at whatever Alya had reported before school started, just to get an idea of what was going on. Maybe Ladybug had already defeated the Akuma? She was amazing enough to not need his help to take care of them after all.
Adrien was taking out his phone when the door to the dining area opened and Nathalie came in, her face an impassive wall like always. She hardly looked at him when she asked how he felt and the only glance she spared him was directed at the red bruise that "blemished" his face.
If he was honest, he didn't mind the look all that much.
"It's fine, Nathalie. Nothing too bad. I, uh, I got too close to the Akuma attack and hit my head, but other than that, nothing happened." He tried his best to fake smile but he knew his father's secretary could look right through the facade and he gave up after a few hopeful seconds. Another sigh.
This was terrible.
This was a disaster.
Luckily, he could just blame it on Plagg's bad luck, so that was that.
For a curious few seconds Nathalie seemed genuinely unsettled by the answer he had given there (was he missing something?) but that emotion was fleeting and back was the mask she wore everyday.
"Very well. We'll call in the doctor for later. Which time is most suitable for you?" Adrien frowned, taking his time to decide. Well, obviously not during school, so maybe during one of his breaks? He hadn't looked at his schedule yet, so he didn't know if his father had already planned him for anything other than his usual Mandarin lesson.
"Uh...In the afternoon? I'm not sure if there's time, but I'd hate to have the appointment during my lunch break..." He hadn't given up on his hope of dining out today yet and maybe, if he played along and behaved well, he might be able to slip out with Nino. He almost expected Nathalie to say something about it, to crush his hopes, but she didn't.
Well, she didn't do it the way he had expected.
"Lunchbreak? What do you mean?" Again, there was this look of almost terror, but again, it was gone before Adrien could get a good look at it. It was enough to unsettle him though. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. Had Plagg skipped some important detail?
"Uh, I mean, today is Friday, right? I have school?" Had he slept an entire day?! Please don't tell him that he had slept an entire day. His father would be furious!
The way Nathalie hesitated before answering roused Adrien's suspicions, but he didn't dare act on them. It would probably just make everything worse. And it was bad, because next thing Adrien knew was that Nathalie stammered.
"Sch-sch-school?" Nathalie never stammered. Nathalie was the perfect picture of composure, the most one could get out of her was a frown or a small smile. What had gotten her into su...no.
No!
Adrien's eyes shot open and he felt himself starting to panic. No. Had- had his father...already? Would he...He wouldn't take him out of school just like that, right? Right?! Not even...well, yes, his father would do that, but not without a warning, right? Right? Not just because of a simple bruise, right? Well, he had been found in a deserted alley, but his father knew how important this was to him and he wouldn't put him through homeschooling again, not after everything he had done just to be able to attend public schooling, just to be able to m...
"School. Of course", Nathalie's words ripped Adrien from his spiralling thoughts and his head snapped to her, eyes still wide. Of course. School. Of course. So...he hadn't been taken out of public school?
He couldn't help the grin that was spreading on his face.
"Of course you have school!", she reassured him again, though her words lacked any kind of real conviction. Instead she smiled weirdly, before bidding him a good day, informing him she was going to call his bodyguard and then scrambling off. And Adrien was too relieved to think about how weird the whole situation was.
.
.o.O.o.
.
The ride to school was awkward. The Gorilla seemed to be as surprised as Nathalie had been when Adrien had first brought the topic up, but had simply grunted once before shuffling into the car and chauffeuring Adrien to school, being his usual silent self.
At least something was normal.
They arrived early. In fact, Adrien arrived at school even before Nino did and decided to wait for him on the steps leading up to school, hoping his best friend was holding some answers.
It was weird, waiting on the steps. He got more stares than usual and it felt a bit like the first few weeks of his public schooling – whispering, glances and occasionally people would walk up to him – not all they way, mind you – before deciding against it and leaving him alone.
It was a terrible feeling and it made Adrien panic once more. Did they...did they know? About his alter-ego? What if he had been revealed, it would make sense, but wouldn't his father have talked to him by now?! For sure he would at least have taken his ring – to make sure he didn't out himself in danger yet again. But none of that had happened! He still had his ring – Plagg was prove enough, Was his own father scared of him now?
It was Nino's appearance that ripped Adrien from his thoughts this time.
His friend was listening to music, his trademark cap on his head and his eyes glued to the floor. There was nothing unusual about his appearance – it made Adrien worry a bit less. If his best friend didn't come up running to him, then there was no way that Chat Noir had been exposed. Even if Nino was rather composed – there were limits even to his patience.
A sigh of relief left Adrien's lips before he got up, hastily running up to his friend, calling his name out once. He was about to go in for a hug (they normally didn't great each other like that but right now Adrien just needed a hug) but he was stopped in his tracks by the visible confusion in his best friend's eyes. "Uh...do I know you?" Nino cocked an eyebrow. Smiled politely. Glanced around.
At first, Adrien didn't react. And then he recoiled. Stumbled back. Retreated.
…
…
M-Maybe his dishevelled appearance was throwing Nino off? Surely it was that, right? Because, he looked terrible right now, absolutely terrible. It had to be that, right? Right?
"Uh, dude, are you...Wait, aren't you that one model dude?" Nino's eyes lit up in recognition (but not the recognition Adrien wanted to see) and Adrien stumbled back even more. "A good friend of mine is a huge fan of your dad, dude! I bet she'd freak out if she'd see you right now…" Adrien simply stared at Nino, barely processing what he was saying. Yes. He knew Marinette was a fan of his father's work. Yes, he also knew she'd freak out if she were here at the moment. Leave it up to Marinette to be more nervous around a model than around his superhero alter-ego.
But that didn't matter. What mattered was that Nino should know that he knew that, that Nino should be aware of how much Marinette would freak out. There shouldn't be any questions. None at all. A sob escaped him, barely audible but it was enough.
"Uh, dude? Dude? Dude?!" Adrien snapped back to reality, feeling his cheeks heat up. Great. He had just spaced out. Amazing. And then he had sobbed. "I'm...I'm not really sure what's going on right now...", Nino started, eyes flickering away from him. So much for a good...first impression? Clearly, Nino didn't remember him.
He didn't remember him.
His best friend didn't remember him.
"So, uh, are you going to out school now? Should...should I show you around?" It was an honest question and the mild concern that had sneaked into Nino's voice was assuring. It showed he cared and it helped. Not much. But it helped.
Maybe this was just a dream. Surely, this was just a dream. I mean, this couldn't be happening. It just couldn't! Though it did explain Nathalie's confusion...
"I..." Adrien's voice cracked. He nervously rubbed his neck. Looked at anything but his friend. Finally managed to find his voice and keep the tears at bay that were sneaking up on him. "No. I'm - I'm good. But, uh, thanks for the offer, I just, uh..." What was he going to say? He had just walked up to Nino, had even called out his name. "Uh, I'm just a big fan of your, uh, music?"
Adrien hated that his words sounded like a question, hated that his voice was quivering, hated that he was looking like a total mess, but Nino seemingly didn't notice or didn't care or was too nice to show it, because the teens eyes lit up at his words and a smile spread across his entire face. "No way, dude! You...You listen to my music?! That's, dude, that's...wow!" Adrien couldn't help but smile at his friend's obvious ecstasy. At least he had that. "I...Do you want to talk about it? Give some feedback? I, uh, I have this new song I didn't release on Spotify yet, you can already have it if you want, it would mean a lot to me..."
It wasn't often that Adrien got to see his friend all flustered and he would have poked fun at Nino if it weren't for the fact that Adrien wanted to curl up somewhere and cry. As glad as he was that Nino felt honoured that he listened to his music – this wasn't how friends talked to each other. And Adrien knew he had to cut this short. This conversation was getting more and more painful with every passing second.
And keeping himself composed was a task that required too much energy.
"I...I'm sorry, but uh, I don't have much time and, uh..." Nino's eyes got wide and he stumbled back a bit (he had come closer during his ramblings - Adrien hadn't minded, they were friends after all, but if Nino didn't remember…). "Dude, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to...Anyway, I've got to go too and I, uh...I better leave you alone now...But if you ever need, like help or so, don't be a stranger!" And with that, Nino sent him an apologetic smile before walking away, towards school, leaving Adrien behind.
And Adrien made his way to a few trees, standing in their shade and waiting. If Nino didn't remember, then he'd simply have to defeat this Akuma as fast as possible.
But first he had to sort the mess out the mess that was his life now, apparently.
.
.o.O.o.
.
Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing! It seemed as if Marinette was incapable of thinking anything other than that throughout the entire day. It was amazing. Scratch that, it was more than just amazing. Today was the best day in her life! Marinette could barely contain her excitement and burst into frantic giggles everytime she thought no one was watching her (they totally were though – and everyone in the office thought her behaviour to be absolutely adorable). But she just couldn't help it! She was learning so much! And the people were so nice! Though, bribing them with fresh pastries had probably helped along a great deal.
Once Marinette had arrived at the imposing office building (she hadn't just been on time, she had actually managed to be early! - despite the extra security that was suddenly enforced everywhere) they had shown her around and with "they" Marinette meant two other interns that had already spent a month or so at Gabriel's. She got a quick tour of the building and they roughly explained what each section did, before she was shoved into the cafeteria and introduced to her future co-workers, who greeted her with bright smiles. The strange situation she had found herself in was talked about only once and while it did raise some eyebrows, no one dared question it any further.
Gabriel Agreste was known to do things his own way and if that meant taking on a new intern in the middle of the week, so be it. If it meant said intern was going to continue her schooling while doing the internship, so be it. Not like they could stop him in the first place.
After the introduction she had been taken away by some designers, had been shown the ropes around the place and then she had promptly been send off to get some coffee. Her first assignment had somewhat dampened Marinette's good mood, until she had been allowed to help do some stitching on a jacket afterwards and had spent the rest of the afternoon listening to her new colleagues talking about the pros and cons of different colour schemes, while trying to balance her schoolwork. It wasn't easy, but it was fun and it was more than what Marinette had ever hoped for.
And then the day already came to an end (too quickly for her taste!). Marinette was one of the last to leave the building and she was frantically packing her stuff – there was a curfew and Marinette didn't want to get on the Controller's bad side.
She hastened down the stairs, yanking the door open and hoping that it wouldn't take too log to get through security. But just before she managed to slip out of the door, a woman called her name and Marinette twirled around, eyes wide. Had she done something wrong, had she broken a rule, she hadn't been a perfect picture of composure throughout the day after all and what if that had angered someone? What if…
The woman that had held her up looked at her curiously, before shaking her head and handing the girl a folder, with clear instructions. "You are to bring this to the Agreste Mansion. I was told you should bring your sketch book along too. I assume you have it with you at the moment?" Marinette simply nodded, stars shining in her eyes, not trusting her own voice to speak (somehow she felt the woman would be less understanding of her squealing than the one intern that had caught her doing it). Her superior smiled once (it was a fake smile – for some reason Marinette felt as if she knew that sort of smile) and then asked whether she knew where the Agreste mansion was, at which point Marinette felt composed enough to give a (high-pitched) answer and was promptly sent of, the parting words being "Don't linger and make sure to get there before lock down – I was informed that you do not have to worry about getting home on your own late at night."
Seconds later Marinette found herself outside, trying not to raise any suspicions as she hasted to the mansion not too far away.
She was going to see Gabriel Agreste's home! On her first day! And he wanted to see her sketchbook!
.
.o.O.o.
.
Adrien waited for ten minutes tops for the car to pull up once more, having expected to get picked up anytime now.
He was surprised he had been allowed outside in the first place. Maybe his father had forgotten to tell Nathalie about the change in plans? Maybe his persistence had thrown her off?
His father's secretary got out the car the moment it stopped, holding her tablet in front of her, her appearance not fazed in the slightest, her voice as stern as always. "You're father wants to talk to you."
Well, at least his...escapade (that's what his father would call this, Adrien was sure of it) had gotten him his father's attention. It was something, right?
Adrien sighed and nodded, trying his best to not accidentally look into Nathalie's eyes while sliding into the car. Who knew what secrets they may betray.
The way back was spent in silence. Adrien tried to keep his thoughts at bay by messaging Chloé (he didn't dare to look at Nino's contact information), who had no qualms about texting him in class and promptly started to rant about her day. But listening, well, reading her complaints was better than the worry clouding Adrien's mind so he dutifully read every last of Chloé's texts and answered accordingly.
"Ugh, but at least that dumb girl from my class isn't here anymore."
Annoying girl? Well, that could be anyone, though Adrien had a good idea that Chloé was talking about Marinette. Why wasn't she in class though? It was too late for her to be late and she had seemed just fine yesterday...
"It's just so annoying, because now everyone is so excited about her stupid internship. I wonder what your dad sees in that baker's daughter anyway!"
Internship? He frowned. Marinette had gotten an internship with his father? His smile faltered and he felt as if someone had stabbed him once more (that feeling was today's companion it seemed). If she had gotten an internship, with his father of all people, then why hadn't she told him? Weren't...weren't they friends?
Adrien didn't get the time to think about it for long though, as the car pulled up into the driveway and he was ushered outside. He was asked to go into the dining room and that his father would be joining him fairly soon and so Adrien did, patiently waiting for his father to make time for him.
One could think that he'd be more concerned about his son suddenly running off to a school he had apparently never been to before.
The room was silent, aside from the noise that came from the TV. It showed some kind of public service announcement, displaying the mayor accompanied by some weird dude dressed in a military uni...Dammit!
Adrien bit his lip when he realized just who exactly that man was and his eyes started darting around the room. Dammit! How could he forget?! He shouldn't be here sorting out petty things with his father! God, what was he doing?! He should leave right now, find Ladybug and defeat this Akuma!
Checking the Ladyblog probably wouldn't be helpful, though he had to make sure to check it later, after interrogating Plagg in more detail. Something had gone wrong and Adrien just hoped his Lady was doing alright. Had she suffered any memory loss just like he had? What should he do if she didn't show up? He couldn't defeat the Akuma all on his own, he couldn't cleanse it! What...What if Hawkmoth had succeeded? What if…
"Adrien." A cold voice made Adrien's head snap up and he stared at his father like a deer caught in headlights before relaxing slightly.
That was just his father. Not an evil Akuma trying to take his Miraculous. This was a battle he could win on his own.
"Father, you wanted to talk?" Adrien swallowed his worry for now, knowing what was about to come. A scolding for running off today and most likely yesterday, judging from the way his father was eyeing him.
"Why did you pretend that you had to go to school?" Always straight to the point. Of course. Well, Adrien hadn't expected this conversation to go any different. After all his father had already asked him how he felt yesterday and that was enough parenting for the next two months.
"I didn't pretend. I've gone to public school for almost a year now." Maybe he could snap his father out of the Akuma's grip. Maybe he could stop all this from happening… "No. You didn't." His father didn't even look at him. He was probably holding in a scoff, too.
"But I remember it!", Adrien retorted. He...no! He couldn't let this be taken away from him that easily! Defeating this Akuma could take days! It wasn't much, but...no. Simply no!
"I remember all of it!" Adrien's protest echoed through the dining hall, not affecting his father in the slightest. All he did was cock an eyebrow and told him to not raise his voice in this house. It didn't fit his status after all.
The room stayed quiet for some time. His father glanced at the TV. Let out a sigh which told Adrien everything he needed to know ("I don't have time for his.") and made him wish to just wake up already. After all, there was no way this was reality. This simply had to be a...
"It was just a dream, Adrien. I know you've always wanted to attend public school – but it's for your own safety. Paris can be dangerous, filled with monsters and vigilantes declaring themselves heroes..." Adrien flinched at that and looked away. Great. Just great. Hopefully Ladybug was faring better than he was. "...and I don't want you to get hurt." At this, his father pointedly looked at the bruise on his forehead and Adrien lowered his gaze once more.
What did he expect?
"I don't know what caused this, maybe it was the injury you've received yesterday, but you have never, and will never, gone to public school. Whatever you are remembering are merely remnants of a dream that you better forget before it causes any more disruption to your schedule. Are we in the clear?" "But I...", Adrien started, not willing to give up yet, not yet!, but then he stopped.
Thought.
Realized something.
There was an Akuma on the loose. And for some odd reason, it had changed everything to make it seems as if he had never gone to school. He didn't know why an Aluma would do that, but there was no logical reason for him to not be influenced by it (no logical reason other than being a Miraculous holder) and he couldn't afford raising suspicions. He still hadn't heard anything from Ladybug and Adrien was getting seriously worried. What if... thoughts could be turned over later.
For now he had to play along.
"I...I guess you're right, father."
The words sounded wrong. They sounded oh-so wrong, but he couldn't stop himself from saying them. He had to. Whatever was going on wasn't going to get better by fighting his father.
"It...It was probably just a dream." Adrien swallowed his disappointment and tried to resist the urge to bit his lip. "I...I'm sorry for running off like that. It won't happen again."
Adrien hated lying. He definitely wasn't sorry for it at all. But it wasn't like his father cared anyway, whether he was telling the truth or not. All he had to do was play his part.
"Talking about running off, what were you doing yesterday?!" Something in his father's voice had changed when he asked that question. Before, his father's voice had showed the slightest bit of concern and Adrien had almost felt elevated at that (if it weren't for the topic they were discussing), but now it sounded even colder than usual.
There was more to this question than his father let on, but two could play the game and if Adrien had learned anything throughout his life, it was how to fake emotions.
"I...I don't remember." Adrien sounded genuinely confused to anyone that didn't know him well enough and his father did, in fact, not know him well enough. And just as he had expected, all his father did was frown, before nodding and examining his son one last time.
"Very well. For now, go to your room and freshen up a bit. Your schooling will resume as usual. The evening photo shoot will have to be cancelled though, due to your recklessness. I hope you are aware of what a hassle you are causing with your teenage rebellions, Adrien." One last stern look. One last disapproving smile. Then his father left the room and Adrien had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep the tears from spilling out.
Not again. He couldn't do it again. He just couldn't.
And he didn't even have any friends he could talk to.
.
.o.O.o.
.
Adrien hated this. He absolutely hated this. There was an outside curfew enforced and he was too afraid to break it as Chat without good reason, so he had decided to stay inside and call his Lady instead, hoping, no, begging for her to pick up.
She hadn't.
It hadn't helped his mood. Nor had it relieves his worries.
Alya's blog was of now help whatsoever. The last entry was about an Akuma that had been spotted close to the town hall, which may have been helpful at first, but wasn't helpful now. Well, he could always check again, maybe Alya had somehow escaped the Akuma's spell, maybe…
Adrien wasn't looking where he was going when he walked towards the stairs and he was too deep in thought to take notice of the girl standing in the foyer.
It was a mishap fated to happen.
The moment he ran into the girl she squeaked in surprised and let go of whatever papers she was holding onto, scattering them around the dining hall. She dropped to her knees at an instant, blue hair loosely falling over her features and hiding them from him, until Adrien recognized the outfit and that exact shade of colour.
"Marinette?" Confused, Adrien stared at the girl sitting in front of him. What...Oh, yeah. The internshop! Maybe he could talk to someone after all!
Marinette's head was lowered and her hands were frantically moving from side to side, collecting all the stray papers that she had dropped. At the sound of her name she looked up, blue eyes wide turning wider once she realized who was crouching next to her.
Adrien chuckled (he hadn't done that all day long, he realized), unable to contain his giddiness at her antics. It was nice to see her again and it was even nicer to know that she hadn't changed. She was still, clumsy, shy, somewhat adorable Marinette. She was still the same friend he had known yesterday, seemingly unaffected by whatever spell the Akuma had cast on Paris. Maybe he could ask her about that internship now and maybe he could talk about his own confusion and maybe…
"M-M-Mr. Agreste! Oh god, I'm so, so, so sorry! I didn't mean to stand in your way I was just distracted..."
Adrien's smile froze on his face.
Mister. She had just called him Mister Agreste.
Unaware of his inner turmoil, Marinette continued her rambling, continued being her typical, adorable self, continued to unknowingly stab him repeatedly in the guts. Until she had finally gotten a hold of the last piece of paper and got up.
Determination replaced her nervousness. She straightened her blazer, shook out her hair and then looked at him again, an apologetic smile on her lips, any trace of her shyness seemingly having vanished.
"I'd sincerely like to apologize, Mr. Agreste. I shouldn't have stood in your way and should have moved aside once I heard you approaching. I hope I haven't caused too much trouble." The last sentence was accompanied by a flutter of eyes and the slightest of blushes but other than that...no stuttering. No word mix ups. Just a normal sentence (though too formal for his taste) and equally normal gestures.
It was odd, coming from Marinette. Of course he knew she didn't normally stutter – it was just around him that she got so nervous – but it was difficult for him to unite both sides of her. And seeing her like this, composed and looking just a tad more mature finally drove home the point he had tried to pointedly ignore all day:
Things were different. And he wasn't part of it anymore.
Adrien swallowed his disappointment. Well, time for introduction it was then, right? He had done it with Nino, he could do it with her. Introducing one self wasn't difficult and neither was common politeness.
Under normal circumstances that was.
"You-You can call me Adrien, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng", he said, smiling radiantly (could she still tell that it was fake? She had been able to do so in the past and something in him hoped she still could). "And of course I know you, I, uh..." Nervously, Adrien rubbed his neck. Why did he know her? If Nino didn't remember him neither would Marinette and it wasn't like they had had much contact outside of school.
"I, uh...I like to know the names of the interns my dad hires. Especially the ones he holds in such high praise. Especially if they're as beautiful as you are."
The words were out before he had thought them through properly, which wasn't all that surprising. He did tend to just jump into things after all. And his brain had somehow forgotten that Marinette may not be nervous around him at the moment, but that didn't mean that he was Chat. In fact, he was still boring old Adrien and judging from the surprised reaction his words caused, she had not expected that.
Well, he hadn't expected it either. But at least he had gotten her to blush a little bit.
"Oh, uh, thanks?" Marinette seemed to be unsure how to react, chuckling awkwardly, and for a moment Adrien feared that he had ruined yet another first impression, but then she smiled at him and hesitantly extended a hand.
"Well then, Adrien.." Was she teasing him?" "...you can call me Marinette. It's nice to meet you." For a second, Adrien found himself blinded by the smile she shot him and almost forgot to take her hand.
But then he realized he was behaving like an idiot and took her hand, trying to summon all of Chat's suaveness (he failed miserably. He was simply too distracted).
It was an honest smile that she gave him. It was a nice smile. It was a smile one could get lost in, but most importantly it was reassuring. His friends may not remember him anymore, but that wouldn't last forever. Everything would be ok once he found Ladybug and she cast her magical spell once more. He needed that right now. He needed some comfort and if he found that in one of her smiles, it was more than he could wish for.
The moment of reprieve didn't last forever though. Soon, too soon, she let go of it hand and not a second later, the sound of footsteps coming closer made her turn around, taking away that beautiful smile.
"Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?", a voice called out and Nathalie appeared at the top of the stairs. "Madame Sancoeur? I was told to bring over these files." Marinette moved to get up the stairs and Adrien followed her, for lack of something else to do. Quickly, the folder was handed over and even faster Nathalie had examined Marinette once. A sly smile spread on her lips, before she composed herself once more and extended another hand.
"Your sketchbook?" "Oh, of course!" Marinette handed over the n´pink notebook too, blushing lightly and Adrien felt envious at the sight of it. He almost never got to have a look at her sketchbook! And most definitely not when she wasn't around!
"Very well, Mademoiselle. Due to the curfew it is too late for you to head home, so you will stay with us for the night. Your parents have already been informed and have agreed to this – Adrien, please show her to the guest rooms." Nathalie didn't wait for either of them to answer, instead opting to simply leave and tend to her duties.
The two teens waited awkwardly until she disappeared and then waited a bit longer, neither sure what to say next.
"Uh...I guess I'll just follow you to the room?" She wasn't sure what else she was supposed to do and Adrien was obviously spacing out, judging from the look of horror on his face once she broke the silence. "What? Yes! Of course! Guestrooms! Heh..." He nervously rubbed his neck, before glancing at her. It took him another 30 seconds to fully compose himself, but then he finally led her through the mansion, into the west wing.
They stayed silent during their walk, Marinette using her time to admire the stylish (albeit somewhat cold) interior design and Adrien tried to process everything. Three minutes later and they stood in front of the guest room, the door open and both teens unsure what to do next.
Adrien didn't want her to leave yet. She may not know it, but they were friends and he desperately wanted some normalcy. He could ask her whether she wanted to play UMS III with him, but how would he know she was into games? Maybe they could watch a movie? A movie, that was a good idea! Just some friendly activity that friends did and that would hopefully relieve the tension a bit. And then tomorrow, he could try to find his Lady in earnest once his head was cleared.
"A movie?" Marinette cocked an eyebrow once he had asked her and Adrien suddenly realized what that probably sounded like. She didn't remember him, dammit! Of course asking her to watch a movie with him after blatantly flirting with her would raise eyebrows!
Nervously, he rubbed his neck, looking at anything but her. He didn't want Marinette to get the wrong idea after all – she was nice and all, but she wasn't Ladybug and she didn't remember him form their previous encounters! He knew for sure that if he'd ever ask her out to the movies while not being manipulated by an Akuma, she'd politely decline. He had to be careful to not overstep his boundaries here.
"So, uh, we have a TV in the living room? We can go there? I, uh, this isn't meant as, you know..." The rubbing intensified. "...it just gets boring around here and I don't have many people to talk to normally and, uh..." Well, would you look at this. The roles were for once reversed. He was rambling and she was composed. What a world they lived in.
Adrien kept on rambling until a chuckle interrupted him and his head snapped up at the sound of it. Marinette''s smile was now positively teasing and he swallowed because, damn, if that didn't make her look like Ladybug and dammit Agreste, she's talking to you! "...worry, I don't mind watching a movie. Though, I'll probably have to do some homework while watching it, if you don't mind?"
Homework? She still had to do homework?! His father was such a slavedriver!
"Of course, I wouldn't want to stop you from furthering your education..." He sounded like an idiot, didn't he? She didn't seem to mind but he definitely sounded stupid right now… "And hey, maybe I can help you? I'm rather good at physics..." Adrien smiled awkwardly. Marinette smiled too, just minus the awkwardness, before accepting his offer and following him to the living room.
Well, for all that it was worth, at least Marinette wasn't nervous around him anymore. Maybe her shyness had indeed come from dislike after all (the thought was painful, because, while she wasn't his girlfriend, he did want her to like him – in a strictly platonic way) and maybe he could use the time he had until Ladybug showed up and scolded him for his inactivity (a scolding he definitely deserved) to get to know her better.
It didn't hurt to want to be friends with someone after all. And right now, he needed all the emotional support he could get.
He just hoped that Ladybug would show up soon.
.
.o.O.o.
.
"Sir, may I ask why she is here?"
Nathalie didn't often break the silence surrounding Gabriel, especially not when he was seemingly in one of his brooding moods. Gabriel was used to her being the best assistant one could wish for, fulfilling every task to excellence, never stepping out of line (or, rarely so). But the Miraculous he had lent her (and which she was strictly ordered to not activate) had made her bolder and more confident and she was worried. The presence of the girl spelled out trouble and maybe her worry had made her a tad more daring than usual.
Gabriel didn't mind though. He was halfway to his goal and nothing could ruin his mood as he absent-mindedly played with the pair of earrings in his hand. A smug smile crept upon his usually guarded features and a cold glint spread in his eyes.
The Ladybug Miraculous. Just a set of somewhat boring looking earrings. There wasn't much to tell anyone about there hidden secret.
After almost a year of fighting, of Akuma after Akuma that he had to throw at the two heroes of Paris (though no one would call them like that right now) he had finally one half of the pair that would grant him his wish. And considering Chat Noir could not cleanse his latest Akuma, it was only a matter of time until he would cave in and offer his Miraculous in exchange for Paris' freedom.
Smirking, he watched the unknowing girl find her way through the mansion, ears blank of any jewellery, folding his hands in front of him, tapping the table lightly.
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Nathalie. We can't have her go scheming because of some oversight and who knows, maybe Chat Noir could bring her back if he visits her. Plus, she is a good addition to the company. For all her flaws and annoying habits, she has a grand future as designer ahead of her."
And maybe, just maybe, Gabriel enjoyed to watch the clueless girl. To see just how easily she had forgotten about her role as a hero. To see how clueless she was to the wrongness of all of it.
.
.o.O.o.
.
Today was too great. Everything went according to plan. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, other than maybe the prolonged conversation he had had with Marinette, which was a treat everytime.
She had even stopped stuttering after ten minutes!
It was a dream come true and it finally made Adrien suspicious. He was the embodiment of bad luck after all! In conclusion, something was up. Either this was a dream or an Akuma would ruin his afternoon plans.
Adrien just hoped that it wouldn't be too difficult to defeat.
Well hello there and welcome to the end note! I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter (that happened to be a total 5k words longer than intended, so that's that - the next chapters should, in theory, be much shorter) and now that you're here, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could give me another five minutes of your time to leave a review =) They tend to make my day.
As mentioned, this will dabble in Adrinette first, followed by some MariChat, followed by some love-square shenanigans. The entire story is pretty much sketched out and should take roughly 25 chapters? No promises, but that's my estimate. Other than that, I have for once not much too say (other than, please review, that is =3 ) and wish you all a pleasant day/night/evening/morning/whatever.
Read you next time! ~ Bluestpaw