Chapter 13

Adrien made his way around his oversized room, grabbing the few things he cared enough about to bring with him and packing them in the boxes Nino had brought over for him. The immaculate case containing various trophies he had earned for fencing and other sports remained untouched. They meant more to his father than they did to Adrien. Besides, the entire apartment that he and Nino were moving into was smaller than the room he was standing in. Living in the smaller space would take some getting used to, as would having a roommate, but the freedom that came with it was more than worth it. The greatest difficulty was going to be hiding Plagg and sneaking off to fight akumas.

Walking over to his favorite spot in the room, Adrien scanned the wall where he had hung dozens of photos of his friends in a haphazard collage. His father hated it because it was messy and imperfect. Adrien loved it for that very same reason. He took his time gazing fondly at each photo as he took it down and carefully packed it. The most recent photos were mostly of him and Nino hanging out, though Alya showed up in a few of them. He didn't mind when Alya tagged along, despite the fact it turned Adrien into the unfortunate third wheel. He liked Alya, even though she could be rather intense at times, and he always enjoyed hearing from her about Marinette. He may not have seen her for quite some time, but that didn't change what she meant to him.

He lingered on the last photo from the wall, a smile pulling at his lips as memories flash through his mind. It was his favorite shot of the four of them in his first year at school. Alya was planting a kiss on her grinning boyfriend's cheek, and Adrien had one arm slung around the shoulders of a blushing Marinette, while the other held out the phone to capture the moment. At first glance, it almost looked like a picture of two couples. Adrien didn't mind the thought of that, if he was being honest with himself, but his heart had always belonged to his Lady. Still, he couldn't help the rueful smile that touched his lips at the sight of the pink coloring Marinette's cheeks.

A twinge of sadness always accompanied thoughts of Marinette. She was one of his first real friends, despite their rocky start. Sure, she was a little cooky sometimes, and hilariously clumsy, but she was also kind and fiercely loyal. She had been a good friend to him and the distance that had grown between them weighed on his heart. He missed her, incoherent babbling and all. Maybe he should call her about that job reference after all…

As his thoughts wandered, so had his feet. They brought him to his desk, where he reached into a small drawer and pulled out the lucky bracelet Marinette had given him the first time they played Ultimate Mecha Strike together. He smiled as he ran his thumb over the beads, then placed it safely in his pocket. Maybe it would bring him luck when he went to talk with his father later.

The two Agrestes still hadn't spoken to each other since they had fought, but Adrien was determined to be the better man. In all likelihood his efforts would be either useless, or end up in another explosive yelling match, but he knew that he needed to talk to his father one last time before he moved out of his childhood home. Leaving the home he had shared with his mother was proving to be harder than he expected, but he was looking forward to the new chapter ahead of him.

The oversized computer was another item he would be leaving behind. His laptop would be enough when he started college, and took up far less space. He sat down in the desk chair and began closing the open windows so he could shut it down. A tab for the Ladyblog was always left open. He told Plagg it was in case of akuma sightings, but the kwami knew it was mostly so he could obsessively scroll through the photos of Ladybug at a moment's notice. Adrien almost closed the tab before he noticed the new alert.

Someone had been akumatized.

"Yes!" He cheered as he forcefully pushed the chair away from the desk and let himself spin in a lazy circle.

"What are you so happy about?" A half asleep Plagg groaned from the inner pocket of Adrien's shirt.

"I get to see my lady." Adrien beamed. "Plagg, claws out!"