Part 2, and now you get to see what becomes of our little stray chat.=^-^=
Ch. 2 - Lost Chat
"He doesn't look too bad aside from that cut on his head. I've dressed it, but if it starts bleeding again, you may have cause to worry." He heard in a muffled tone as the concept of time and space tried to make sense of itself. Who is that? "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."
"You watch over him, honey, and I'll take care of closing the front." The man offered as he stood up.
Adrien could barely see anything through his fuzzy vision, and lay back as he was told. "Okay…"
"So, what should we do? I know you made up that 'relative from the country side' story on the fly, but we don't really know who he is?" Sabine pointed out as she held her coffee cup and watched the sleeping young man a few feet away.
"Well, he's not one of the neighbors, so what do you think he was doing on the roof? And his bag, you don't think he's backpacking do you? Not through Paris."
Sabine shook her head. "No, he didn't have any water in that bag. Just a tin of cheese, and even an inexperienced traveler would know better." She rubbed her thumb over the rim of her cup. "You think he might be a runaway?"
Tom looked over to the kid and shrugged. "I suppose, but he could just be on his own now. Some kids can't wait to get out of the house." He let out a breath. "I'm so glad Marinette isn't like that."
"You and me both. I don't know how I'm going to adjust when she gets through university and moves out."
Tom pat his wife's back. "Good thing we have a few years before that happens." He assured her as he noted the teen's hand moving. "Oh, is he awake again?"
The teen groaned and sat up slowly while reaching for his head. "Ng…. My head."
"Not too fast, Aaron, you'll make yourself nauseous." Sabine urged as she moved to his side. He was lying on the couch with a blanket over him though it was falling from his upright position.
"Oh boy, those are really blooming, son." Tom winced at the particularly vibrant one lining his ribs and another along his bicep.
"Blooming?" He looked over his arm and realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Where's my shirt?"
Sabine picked it up from beside the couch. "We had one of our customers who's a doctor take a look at you. She removed your shirt when she needed to check if anything was broken." Adrien took the shirt and winced from the strain of gripping it. His other hand went up to his ribs next as breathing started to sting. "It's okay, just bruising. Don't move too much, Aaron."
"Huh?"
"When you fell." Tom informed at his confused reaction. "I don't know what you were doing up there, but you fell from the roof. You should count yourself lucky this is all you got from it." He pointed out with a slightly stern voice. "Very reckless."
Sabine nodded. "Whatever your reasons, you need to be much more careful." She stood up. "I made a plate for you if you're hungry?" She offered, and Adrien's stomach growled at the offer.
"I think that's a yes, dear." Tom joked with a laugh. "It's good you're hungry. Not to brag, Aaron, but my wife makes the best teriyaki stir-fry." He bragged to the teen who still looked confused. He wanted to ask so many questions, but when the woman came back with food, his mind forgot all about them in favor of eating.
When he was done, Sabine took a look at his head up close and let out a breath of relief that it didn't start bleeding again. "Well, looks like this is going to be fine like Monet said it would." She adjusted the bandage slightly.
"Should we change it?" Tom asked as he came for the plate so he could clean the kitchen.
"At least once before bed would be best. Before you get to the kitchen, would you mind helping me move him to the guest room? He'll rest better on a bed."
"Sure, nice and easy, Aaron." He directed as he gently took the teen's arm over his shoulder.
Adrien walked with a slight limp from his sore legs, and noted he was wearing strange pants. "These aren't… mine?" He pulled at the cloth with his free hand.
"Oh, those are Marinette's. I know they're a little short, but getting your jeans back on would've had you moving too much at the time. I put them in your bag." Sabine held it up to show him. "Everything's still in it." She assured with a smile. Once they got him over to the guest room, which was thankfully on the same level as the living room he was lying in, Sabine turned down the bed and Adrien got in. "Now that you've got some food in you, get some more rest. The bathroom's right next door, but if you need help you can call out. Tom and I are in the room right on the other end of the hall."
The teen furrowed his brow at the kindness in her voice. It felt so odd, but wonderful. He cracked a smile as he lie back down. "Thank you… so much."
Sabine and Tom both smiled back as they held each other's hands. "Rest well, Aaron. We'll wake you up for breakfast in the morning." Sabine waved as Tom led her out of the room. They turned off the lights and shut the door leaving only the moonlight to shine in from the window.
"It's about time!" The little black kwami whisper shouted after popping out of the backpack. "I thought they'd never leave you alone."
"Plagg?" Adrien asked with minor confusion. He wasn't sure if he was remembering right.
"Yeah, good you still remember me, kid. Sorry about the bad timing before. I tried to hold on as long as I could." He admitted with a guilty tone while looking away.
"Huh? Oh… right." The man had mentioned he fell off a roof. Now he remembered running towards somewhere as Chat Noir. The transformation must've timed out. "I guess it's okay since I seem to be okay." He held out his hand for the kwami who jumped at the affection offered.
"Seriously, my favorite chosen ever!" He purred in his hands. "Last time something like this happened, I didn't get good cheese for a month."
Adrien chuckled. "I don't think I could handle you on cheese withdrawal."
"It's no fun for anybody I promise." Plagg remarked as he sat up. "So… You really feeling okay? The magic hadn't completely worn off by the time you hit, but it was still not all there."
The teen winced as he adjusted his shoulder. "Well, I'm not exactly fine, but I've been told I'll live. What happened though? How'd I get here?"
Plagg looked up with an understanding expression. "You did get a nice hit to the head so I guess it only makes sense you're a little confused. After you hit the dumpster in that alley, I tried to get you up when I realized what happened. Before I could really say anything though, that female human came out to see what made the loud noise, and found you. She then brought out the big guy who brought you inside. You woke up for a bit as they moved you and when the woman asked you about your parents and going to the doctor, you begged her not to. You were actually tearing up a bit, but that could've been from the fall. Anyway, they found some doctor they had in the store and asked her to look over you. Since they didn't know anything about you when the doctor asked, the man claimed you were a relative from the countryside. He had you looking at a loose bar on the terrace and you fell down. She seemed to believe it. Also, they seem to think your name is Aaron for some reason." Adrien raised a brow at the information and reached for his injured head. "Whoa, kid, careful. You did get a pretty nasty bump. You were bleeding and everything. Plus, that dumpster lid will never be the same."
"Ouch…" He hissed from the throb he got from a light touch.
"I think those humans are right, you should get some more rest. You'll probably feel better tomorrow."
"Alright, good idea. If you get hungry in the middle of the night, try to remember it's not all you can eat camembert anymore. At least not until I can figure out what I'm going to do from here on." Not something he wanted to think on at the moment. Falling off a roof or not, at least he had a warm bed and food at the moment. Those people were really nice, and he could have sworn he knew them from somewhere.
Gabriel cursed when Nathalie found no trace of Adrien the next morning. He'd refused to open the door when summoned for dinner, and he was more than happy to let him starve if that's how the boy wanted to be. That morning, however, not hearing anything from the room had him worried. He had Adrien's bodyguard break open the door and found it empty. The couch was knocked over, his computer chair was broken, and so was his piano bench. "One of the windows was left wide open and I found a website for a bus depot and tickets on his computer."
"Then what are you waiting for!? Send someone to check at the depot! Track his phone if you have to." She shook her head. "He didn't take his phone, or any of his cards." She showed him the wallet.
"What the hell does he think he's going to do without any money?" Nathalie doubted Adrien would go without money. He more than likely had some cash. "Just send someone to depot to look for him already! I don't want to hear anything else until you've found him!" The designer growled as he turned back to his desk. "Damn that irresponsible…"
Nathalie left him to his grumblings. Normally she would try to console him, but in this situation she thought it best for him to think himself. This was one of the few times she disagreed with his decision, and honestly felt Adrien had every right to run off. She didn't want him off getting hurt, but Gabriel wasn't handling his son very well, and hadn't for some time. If Adrien was gone for a little bit, it may help Gabriel realize that.
It was well after noon before Adrien awoke the next day. Sabine now had him in the kitchen where she was changing the bandage on his head. "You certainly got a nice long rest." She mused as she ruffled his bed head. "And you look much better already. She tightened the clean wrap and pushed a bowel up to him. "Oatmeal, and I have some eggs I'll fry up while you start on that."
He took his time to savor the smell wafting from the bowl. "Oh wow, this smells incredible." It had a sweet smell and the brown powder must've been cinnamon. He rarely got sweet treats like this.
"You make a cook happy with an expression like that." Sabine beamed once she came over with the eggs. "Eat as much as you can. We need to thicken up those ribs of yours so they'll heal better." He probably should have been in more pain as he ate, but the taste of the food blinded his pain senses for the time. "I need to get back to Tom in the bakery, but when you finish just leave the dishes here. You need to rest, but feel free to use the TV if you can't sleep, or lay down again in the guest room." Adrien smiled at her gestures, and she looked so worried suddenly. "Oh, Aaron, are you in pain?" She asked as she reached for his cheek.
That's when he noticed he was crying, but didn't know why. "I uh… a little, but…" He felt more tears come down. "I don't understand… I…" Sabine furrowed her brow at his sudden distress. "Its just… you're… you're so nice…" He finally realized aloud as his tears rolled down faster. "I don't… I… I can't."
Sabine smiled softly and took him in a very gentle hug. "It's going to be alright, dear. If you're worried about us kicking you out, then don't be. We won't say a word about it until you heal up a bit more. That cut especially. I want to take you by to see Monett tomorrow. She's a regular customer of ours, and she was the one to look at you yesterday." She could feel him tense slightly at the mention. "And if you're worried about money or asking about family, don't be. Tom and I have that covered. You just worry about getting better." She assured as she let him go. Her motherly instincts wouldn't let her be suspicious of him, and there was just something about him that told her he wasn't trying to take advantage in any way. Her instincts were usually right.
Over the next week Adrien allowed himself to be looked after by Sabine Cheng, the kind hearted woman who, along with her husband Tom, found him when he got hurt. They didn't ask any probing questions at all, and even let him walk about their home and store as he saw fit once he was well enough not to hurt himself. The second time he went down to the bakery he noticed something that got him thinking. Plagg watched over him from either in his clothes or from high above him as he explored. His chosen was doing pretty well, and even the doctor was surprised at how well he looked after only two days. The miraculous magic does offer a little bit of help in healing, but it's no miracle when dormant out of the suit.
He was finding it curious that his other half wasn't around, and found out the other day her chosen was out on an excursion just outside Paris with some friends. She would be back at the end of the month from what he heard. Hopefully by then, Adrien would have a better idea of what his next move was, because Plagg sure didn't. His kittens had such bazaar luck at times, that no single direction was ever good. If he were to tell him to go back home, how could he argue that many of his kittens were fine taking that road, while also knowing about the many who were killed or imprisoned after making the same decision? Too many variables! Plagg couldn't put them all together plus there wasn't really any cheese involved. "Aaron? Sorry, we haven't closed the bakery yet, did you need something?" Sabine asked after noticing their house guest loitering in the corner of the kitchen.
He looked at the clock on the wall. 30 minutes until close. "I know, I was just… could I talk to you and Mr. Dupain when you do close up?"
"What did I say about that, Aaron?" The large man, to the teen's great surprise, snuck up and placed a floured hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry… Tom?"
"Good, and would it have anything to do with the help wanted sign I've been seeing you stare at occasionally for the past couple of days?" He asked while grabbing a towel and beginning to wipe off his counters. Since it was so close to close, he wouldn't be baking anything else, and he needed to do a little bit of prep work for tomorrow.
"Yeah, actually…"
Sabine looked to the front and tapped the shoulder of the young lady manning the register. "Collette, I'll be in the back." She saw a nod of confirmation before leaving to join the very serious conversation with the boys. "So you noticed too, dear?"
"How could I not?" Tom chuckled much to Adrien's embarrassment. "But if you're serious about working here, it's going to require you to be more open with us, son… I mean, Aaron." Tom corrected once he was reminded of the boy's discomfort of the term for the hundredth time. "While my wife and I are more than happy to have you as a guest while you're still on the mend, we can't give an employee the same treatment. A lot more trust is required."
"If you're willing to provide us with the information necessary, however, I don't see why you couldn't work here." Sabine added in with a slightly more welcoming tone. Tom's expression was in total agreement.
"Okay… I think I can do that."
"Well then, why don't you wait upstairs? Sabine will call you down when we've finished down here. Then we can talk about employment." Tom sent him to the door into the apartment with a light tap on his uninjured shoulder.
He spent the next hour going back and forth with Plagg about possible cover answers. He was lucky they already thought his name was Aaron, so all he would need is a last name. Then he had to decide on a back story, and although he didn't want to take advantage, he needed a plausible excuse for asking them to rent a room. Even if he couldn't quite remember, he still knew these people somehow, and he knew they could be trusted. Adrien didn't want to lie about anything, but his father would no doubt do anything to get him back for his precious company. He didn't want these people to have to hide him. It would be best if they didn't know he was famous at the very least. "Without an ID, I might be able to swing some temporary work. It'll give me time to think about it more."
"So, saying that out loud make you feel like it's going to work any better?" Plagg teased as he partook of some cheese Adrien saved him from lunch.
"It's better than nothing." Adrien wasn't quite sold on what he'd decided on by the time Sabine called him down, but it was now or never.
Down stairs in the kitchen Tom was waiting while seated in front of one of the island counters. Sabine placed a chair beside him as well as one for their prospective employee. "Alright, Aaron. It's interview time. I hope you're ready." Tom stated with a serious tone that wasn't quite sold with the expression he wore. He pushed a document towards the teen. "First of all, how old are you?"
"18… kind of recently." He admitted at the end. His birthday wasn't for another two months, but it was close enough.
"Good, and do you have a last name?"
"Bassett. My name is Aaron Bassett." It was a pretty common last name in both use and definition; perfect contrast to Agreste.
"Good, and do you have your ID?"
That was the hang up. Adrien fidgeted in his seat for a few agonizing seconds before he decided to start his story. "No… I sort of left home without it." His obvious anxiety had the bakers worried though they already knew there was something the boy was running from. "I appreciate your help especially when I, pretty literally, just dropped from the sky, so I'll tell you, and I would appreciate it staying between us if possible?"
Tom took a breath before trading a slight glance with his wife. "That will depend on the information, but my wife and I will do our best to be understanding."
Adrien nodded with a slightly forced smile. "Okay… Well, I ran away from home. I mean, I just turned 18 so that's not exactly against the rules, but the reason is why it's so hard." He took a deep breath as he prepared to tell as much truth as he could without giving himself away. "My house… hasn't really felt like a home since my mother died. My father was never very touchy feely, and when she left us well… Over the years it just became more and more obvious that I was more a thing than a who to him. I've been homeschooled for most of my life, and in the past few years my father has gotten more and more controlling. It was like he was afraid I'd just disappear if I did something for myself. I spent more time locked in my room for a month than most would be in a year and I… I…" It was at this point he realized he was tearing up. "I don't want to go back…"
Sabine couldn't fight her instincts to embrace him as she held his head to her shoulder. "There's nothing to be afraid of here, Aaron." Afraid? He was angry at his father, not afraid… wasn't he? "Even if your father was doing all of that, you shouldn't have to worry now that you're of age."
"That doesn't matter to my father…" Adrien whispered through the woman's comfort. "If he knew I was here, he'd find a way to drag me back so he could keep using me for his business." He felt Sabine's grip on him tighten though he missed the shift to anger in Tom's expression.
"Was he hurting you, Aaron? If he was we need to repo-"
"Please, no!" The teen implored. "Please! You have no idea just what you're saying. He has too many connections… If you tried anything like that I'm worried… about what he could do to you." He was also worried about the hundreds of innocent employees in his father's company that would no doubt lose their jobs if Gabriel Agreste was arrested. His brand would never survive the political shit storm if he were found guilty.
Tom furrowed his brow at the insinuation. "Your father sounds like a dangerous man."
"Most of the people who work directly with him are pretty terrified of crossing him." Adrien informed as he pulled away from Sabine and tried to calm himself down. "I know he wouldn't try to hurt me, but… Sometimes I can't help worrying, and that's only if he even cares at all about what I'm doing." Sabine could see in his eyes that everything the boy was telling them was the absolute truth.
"Okay, Aaron… No, I'll call you son. You need some good associated with that term." Tom stated with a grin. It now made so much sense why calling him that had always made him so anxious. "For now, I think we can have you sign on as a short term employee. We'll have to arrange for you to get a reissued ID for long term, but at least we can get you started."
"Tom and I talked about it before calling you down. You're still not well enough to do work in the kitchen, but maybe in another week we can start you with that. For now, you'll clean tables, stock shelves, and help customers when we get a rush in. You might even do well on the register once we're sure your injury is all healed up." She expressed as she gestured to the bandage still wrapped around his hair.
"Now, one last thing, son." Tom cut back in looking more serious. "Considering what you told us about running away, I can only assume you don't have anywhere else to go? Were you heading anywhere before you fell?"
Adrien rubbed at his head in response. "While I'm not completely sure of exactly where I was going, I know I don't have any family I could go to; not any who could help me with my father anyway." His Aunt would probably bring him up to Gabriel and try to make a big stink about it since they didn't get along.
"Then I suppose you'll need a place to stay?" Tom asked based on what he inferred. "Sabine and I felt this would be the case, so how does this sound? We'll offset the cost of room and board with a portion of your pay. The guest room will be yours for now. You won't make as much, but it should be something you can work to saving with. When the time comes and you're ready to be on your own then we'll talk about adjusting your pay back to normal."
What could he say to that? It was more than he'd really hoped for. He thought for sure he'd have to beg before it got to this point, but they were already ready for him? Thinking back to his experience with the salon, he found it strange. The stylist may have had reason to take advantage of him, but she didn't really mistreat him. Now he had Tom and Sabine supporting him even though they barely knew each other. How is it that near strangers were more kind and civil than his own family? "I Think… That sounds great, Mr. Dupain." He let out his hand and Tom took it.
"If you want to work here, you're really gonna have to get comfortable calling me Tom. It's a requirement for all employees."
So yeah, Adrien (or Aaron) is now gonna work for Tom and Sabine! It's actually kind of funny how I came across that name. I made a typo when still in the part with Gabriel being a jerk and realized, Aaron would be a perfect fake name! (Plus easy to misunderstand given his mental impairment at the time) If you're curious about him being recognized, remember he hasn't actually seen them in years and all they've seen of him is ads. Also, you'd be surprised how different someone can look with a drastic hair color change. (Seriously, I'm amazed at my own sister in law who bleached her hair. Fricken scary)=^-^=
In regards to Adrien's memory, I'm pulling that out of my butt if it wasn't obvious. The point is for him to only have forgotten everything associated with the bakery. (Marinette, her parents, times he's spent there, ect...) I justify this based on that mental thing where if you look at something long enough, you suddenly question what it looks like? I do that with spelling all the time. Anyway, so the bakery was on his mind right before he hit his head, and those memories sort of... Maybe scattered? They're not gone, but super fuzzy.=^-^=
Thanks for reading! Please comment or complain about my use of clichés!=^-^=
