Well, time to take a crack at a story for this category. Thought this up and got a good deal of help writing it with my Co-Author SoIllKillYou. So if you enjoy this story, please send him some appreciation as well. Constructive criticisms and honest reviews are also appreciated.
Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and make no profit from this story of any kind.
Grampus
The final class had ended for the day at Francoise Dupont High School. The many students were gathering their things and departing, either on their way home or off to enjoy the free time they had before dinner. Adrien Agreste, like many of the others was in a hurry to get back home. Normally he wasn't fond of being at home, where he wasn't allowed to have friends over, but today was an exception. He was expecting company, his grandfather from his mother's side was visiting for Christmas and he couldn't have been more excited. All he had to do was get through a fencing lesson and then he'd be off to meet him at the train station.
Adrien got into the back seat of the car and went to close the door. But before he could, a set of hands had grabbed it, keeping it wide open. He looked up to see who was responsible and found his friends Kim and Max. There was a playful expression on Kim's face and Adrien began to suspect what his motives were for being there.
"Hey, want to come and join us in a snowball fight?" He asked. "Max and I are looking for as many as we can get."
"Sorry guys." Adrien said, feeling like he had repeated those words more than a thousand times already. "But I got someplace to be. Maybe some other time."
"Aw, come on! Please?" Kim pleaded, trying to use puppy dog eyes. "Nino and Ivan both bailed on us to hang with their girlfriends. Well I guess it's okay for Ivan since Mylene is sick. But we were hoping for at least six people and we already got Luka, Juleka and Alix. You'd be the last one, are you sure you can't just forget about whatever thing your dad planned for you?"
"Not today, sorry." Adrien answered. "My grandfather is coming to visit today and I want to be at the train station when he arrives. But I hope you have fun with your snowball fight."
Kim's shoulders slumped and he stepped back from the car. "Yeah, if we can find someone else. The only one who I haven't asked is Rose and she can't throw a snowball to save her life."
Just as those words left his mouth, a ball of tightly packed snow nailed him in the head. The thrower of said snowball was a young girl with short blonde hair, wearing a pink coat. She gasped as she saw Kim stumble and then fall over, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Oh my goodness! I'm sorry Kim! I wasn't trying to make you fall! Are you hurt?"
Max knelt down and checked on his friend. Kim let out a groan and began to sit up, rubbing his head. Max lent him a hand and got him back onto his feet. He inspected Kim's head and then looked back to Rose.
"There doesn't seem to be any serious damage, although I feel confident in saying there is a forty-six percent chance that he's going to have a nasty headache."
Kim shook his head and then set his eyes on Rose. A mischievous smile came to his face and he crouched down to grab some fresh snow, packing it into a very large ball. He then began to charge at Rose, holding his creation up over his head. But before he could even make it halfway, he stepped on a patch of ice and took a spill. He landed on his rear and his snowball flew directly up in the air, landing on top of his head.
"Make that a seventy-eight percent chance." Max stated, crouching down to check on Kim again.
-Meanwhile, elsewhere in Paris-
A pair of teenage girls were walking side by side down the street. The two were headed to a local bakery, where one of them happened to live. As they reached the doorway one got the door for the other.
"After you, Kagami." Marinette offered.
"Thank you. I'm so pleased that you agreed to help me with this." Kagami said as she stepped inside. "Baking is not one of my natural talents. I will definitely need all the assistance I can get."
"Oh, it's no problem. My family's bakery gets tons of orders for Bûche de Noël around this time of year, so I'm pretty good at making them on my own.
Kagami smiled. "I hope that Adrien will enjoy it. This will be the first time I've prepared food for anyone other than myself."
"I'm sure he will. I know for a fact that he enjoys a variety of different sweets. He always eats whatever I bring when we all get together for practice or anything like that. I'm sure he'll love the cake."
She followed Kagami inside of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. Kagami looked around, seeing a tall, burly man in a blue shirt writing busily on a notepad and chatting with a soft-featured Asian woman who was wearing a white Cheongsam. The two adults looked over as their daughter walked in, greeting her with warm, loving smiles.
"Hey Marinette." Tom said, setting down the notepad. "How was school today?"
"It was fine, thanks." She said, setting her schoolbag onto the floor.
"Who's your friend?" Sabine asked, gesturing to Kagami.
Kagami stepped forward and gave a formal bow. "My name is Kagami Tsurugi, it's very nice to make your acquaintance."
"Oh, right. Marinette mentioned that you'd be joining her in the kitchen. Something about needing help baking a cake?"
Marinette nodded. "That's right. She wants to make a Bûche de Noël for Ad…a friend of ours as a gift." She explained. "So, you don't mind if we get started now do you?"
"It's fine by me." Tom said, getting a couple aprons for the girls to wear. "We've gotten quite a few orders waiting to be picked up so we'll be busy down here. But don't hesitate to ask for help if you need any."
"I'm sure we'll be just fine, thank you." Marinette replied, heading for the stairs. "This way Kagami."
"Wait!" Tom called. "Before you go in there, I should let you know that I just had the floor waxed earlier! Mind your step!"
"We will!" Marinette called back as they reached the door. "Thanks for letting us know!"
She led her friend up the stairs and showed her to the living room in her family's apartment. She excused herself and went up to her room, setting her bag onto her bed. Tikki zipped up from her purse and hovered at Marinette's eye level.
"You seem to be in a hurry, are you excited to get started on baking with Kagami?" She asked. "I honestly wasn't expecting you to agree to help her when she said she wanted to make the cake for Adrien."
"Well…I wasn't going to at first." She admitted. "But Kagami wants to do this with me, when she could have just tried it by herself. And I'm not going to say no to doing something nice for Adrien. I'm just glad things have been so quiet lately."
"That's true." Tikki noted. "Hawk Moth hasn't sent out a single villain all month!"
"Probably because so many people are so excited for the holidays. There must not be as many negative emotions for him to work with."
Marinette took a moment to take a few things from her schoolbag and set them onto her desk for later along with her purse. She then grabbed a couple of cookies from a box on her desk to put into her purse for Tikki. The ladybug Kwami flew back inside and started on her snack while Marinette closed her purse and went back to the living room where Kagami was seated and waiting.
"Okay, let's get started."
The two stepped over to the kitchen proceeding slowly over the slick surface of the floor towards the counter. There a collection of different sized ceramic containers sat waiting for them to use. Beside them were some bowls, mixing and measuring spoons, measuring cups and a whisk.
"Looks like my dad already set out everything we'll need." Marinette said, stepping closer to the counter. "We can set straight to work just as soon as we've washed our…"
Suddenly Marinette slipped as she was mid-step. She leaned towards the counter to try and stop herself before she could hit the floor and managed to get a hold on it, but lost her grip. In the process she knocked over a container containing flour, most of it spilling onto her. She began to cough and sputter as the white powder had gotten into her mouth and nostrils.
"Are you alright?" Kagami asked, resisting the urge to smile in amusement at the other girl's folly.
"I'm fine." Marinette replied, starting to get to her feet. "A little embarrassed, but other than that I'm…. I'm …."
An enormous sneeze escaped her, sending a cloud of flour into the air. Kagami took a step back to avoid it, but wasn't able to move quick enough. The flour triggered a sneeze from her as well, sending the flour towards Marinette again and causing them both to sneeze over and over.
"I hope that this isn't a sign of things to come." Kagami said, managing to regain her composure.
-A short while later that day, at the Agreste Estate-
Adrien rushed into his room, tossing his schoolbag aside, completely forgetting that Plagg had been snoozing inside of it for the better part of the last hour. The cheese-loving Kwami flew out of the bag, a grumpy look on his face for the rude awakening he had gotten. He watched as his master rushed into the bathroom to freshen up, stopping for a moment to look over at him.
"Hey Plagg, could you go into my closet and get out my red cardigan out for me? Thanks!"
"I'm your Kwami, not your butler!" Plagg said, going towards the closet regardless. "What's the occasion anyway? We going somewhere?" He asked before letting out an excited gasp. "Ooh! Are we going to one of those fancy restaurants again? Those places always have the greatest cheese selections!"
"Sorry, not today." Adrien called from the bathroom. "We're going to be heading to the train station to pick up my grandfather. He should be arriving not too long from now, so long as the train isn't delayed or anything."
The excitement faded from Plagg's face. "Oh, well that's not so special. Why get dressed up for something like that? You're just meeting someone you can see any time!"
"Not exactly. Sure, I can video chat with him any day. But I almost never get to see him in person any more. This will be the first time since…." Adrien trailed off a bit, starting to look sad. "Since before we lost my mother." He fell silent for a minute, but then he shook his head and managed to smile again. "Anyways, I think you'd like him. Before he retired years ago, he was a gourmet fromager."
Plagg's eyes went wide and he nearly fell to the ground, so surprised that he had temporarily forgotten how to fly. The little cat shot through the air towards Adrien. He got right up into the boy's face, practically glowing with excitement.
"What?! Why didn't you mention that sooner? What are we waiting for? Let's go and meet this man among men!"
Adrien couldn't help but chuckle at his little partner's enthusiasm. "We aren't going just yet. He won't be at the station for a little bit and I still need to get ready."
"But when he gets here, he's gonna make some cheese, right? Does he know how to make camembert?"
"He does, and he could. But I think it would take a couple days before it was ready."
Plagg shrugged. "That's fine. I was going to age it to perfection anyway. But having some homemade would be the best!"
Adrien smiled and continued to get ready. After a few more minutes he was all set and went to exit his room, Plagg finding a cozy hiding spot to hide/nap in his sleeve. On the way down the stairs he saw his father and was about to ask if the man would be joining him to go to the station. But Gabriel was busy, on the phone with someone and seeming to be in less than a good mood at the moment. So Adrien took that as a sign to leave him to his work and he simply went out to get into the car.
-Back at the Dupain-Cheng Bakery-
Kagami and Marinette were making decent progress. After they had cleaned up all of the flour, and Marinette had apologized yet again for causing the mishap, they had begun preparing the Bûche de Noël. Following Marinette's instructions, Kagami had managed to mix the ingredients up without any trouble and the cake was now in the oven. The two made use of the time it would need to bake to prepare the frosting from scratch. Kagami was mixing a nice large batch of it, slowing down to give into temptation and have a little taste. But the moment it touched her tongue, she made a face.
"It's horrible!" She said, resisting the urge to spit it out. "It isn't even sweet! It's salty!"
"Um…did you check to make sure that it was the sugar canister you grabbed before?" Marinette asked.
Kagami hesitated a moment. "I wasn't aware that there would also be one full of salt."
"That's alright, you're still learning." Marinette said with a reassuring smile. "This is easy enough to start over. We should still have plenty of time to do it while the cake finishes baking."
It was at that moment that Marinette began noticing dark smoke coming from the oven. She gasped in shock and rushed over to open it, letting out more smoke and setting off the smoke detector. Hastily putting on the oven mitts, Marinette removed a completely burned cake from within the oven. She let out a small groan and looked at it with complete disappointment.
"I don't understand what went wrong. I preheated the oven to the right temperature, and it was barely in there for half as long as it needed."
Kagami stepped over and looked at the cake and then let her head hang a bit. "I…I think I made another mistake. Don't laugh but, I adjusted the temperature after you put the cake into the oven. I thought it would bake faster if the oven was hotter."
Marinette stared at the other girl in stunned silence and then she snorted a little. She clapped her hands over her mouth, struggling not to let her laughs escape her. Kagami scowled a little and gave her baking companion a soft glare.
"I asked you not to laugh." She said through clenched teeth.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Marinette responded, managing to control herself, but only barely. "It's just that, I never would have expected you to do something like that!"
Kagami sighed and then smiled a little herself. "It was pretty foolish of me, wasn't it?"
"You said it, not me." Marinette said. "Now, let's get rid of this bad cake and try again."
-Meanwhile-
A sleek, dark grey car drove down the snowy streets. Adrien sat in the back, fidgeting in anticipation while his bodyguard drove, nodding his head back and forth to the sound of his Clara Nightingale CD. From the neck of Adrien's cardigan, Plagg poked out his head.
"Are we there yet?" he asked.
"Careful Plagg." Adrien said, pushing the Kwami back down. "You'll be seen!"
"Oh please. He can't hear me and he's not going to see me while he's watching the road."
Adrien looked to the driver's seat as they came to a stop at a red light. He suppressed a laugh as he saw his body guard start dancing in his seat to the music while waiting for the light to change again. Now knowing that it was somewhat clear, he looked back down to Plagg who had stuck his head out again.
"So what's got you so antsy?" Plagg asked. "It's feels like an earthquake in here!"
"Sorry." Adrien whispered. "I'm just really excited to see my grandfather. It's been so long. I haven't seen him since…since my mother's last birthday."
He went silent and his face fell a little. Plagg noticed that Adrien's eyes were moistening a little and he began to get a little anxious. He hated it when his master got all mopey and he hurried to keep the subject from the boy's mother.
"Well if he's got you this excited then he must be a lot of fun!" Plagg said. "Maybe having him around will make staying at home less of a pain."
"Oh, trust me Plagg." Adrien said, perking up. "You're going to love my grandfather. He and I are actually a lot alike. My mother named me after him because she thought we look alike too."
"Wait a minute…" Plagg said, staring blankly up at his partner. "Your grandpa's name is also Adrien?"
"Yeah, I just told you I was named after him."
"Well that's just silly! Wouldn't it be confusing if someone said 'hey Adrien' while you were both in the same room? Why do humans need to use the same names as each other? It's completely uncreative!"
Adrien rolled his eyes and stuffed Plagg back down into the cardigan. A few minutes later the car pulled into the parking lot of the train station and parked in a spot not far from the platforms. The train was just pulling in and Adrien excitedly unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the car. His bodyguard was about to do the same, but Adrien stood by the driver's seat and tapped on the window.
"You can stay in the car if you want. I won't be long." He said, smiling at the silent man. "Keep enjoying your music and keep the engine running. I'll be back with my grandfather nice and quick."
The bodyguard sat back in the driver's seat and turned up the volume, starting to sway to the sound of the music again. Adrien rushed over to the platform, working his way past a bustling crowd of people making their way one direction or the another. Many of them were looking for a relative or a friend who was there for the upcoming holiday while the rest were trying to get onto the train and find a seat. Adrien began looking around for his grandfather in the vast crowd, feeling Plagg sneak his way up his cardigan sleeve. The Kwami poked his head out of the neck and started to look around with him.
"Is that him?" Plagg asked pointing at a random man.
"No Plagg." Adrien whispered. "That isn't him."
"What about him?" Plagg asked, pointing to another face in the crowd.
"No, now please hide!" Adrien said with mild annoyance. "You'll definitely be seen with this many people around!"
Plagg ignored him and leaned out a little, sniffing at the air. "I think I smell cheese! Is it coming from that guy? Is that him?"
Adrien quickly pushed Plagg back down, bumping the Kwami's head on his shoulder in the process. Plagg started to grumble about the treatment and Adrien felt a little guilty for it. But before he could whisper an apology to his little companion, the sound of a warm and familiar voice reached his ears.
"Adrien? Is that you?"
The teen looked over to see a tall man standing in front of him, a suitcase in one hand and a cane in the other. He had blonde hair that was turning slightly grey and bright green eyes, like emeralds that sat behind a pair of silver rimmed spectacles. A few wrinkles were here and there on his face, giving him a distinguished, yet kindly look about him. The moment he saw the older man, Adrien's face lit up.
"Grandfather!" He cried out, closing the distance between them and hugging him.
"It is so wonderful to see you again, my boy. Look at how tall you have gotten!" The elderly man marveled, taking a moment to return the hug before stepping back to look at his grandson. "You must have so many admirers! Have you started dating yet?"
"Hardly." Adrien replied, barely keeping himself from scoffing. "With how busy I am, I'm lucky that I'm able to spend any time with my friends. My father has me doing photoshoots at least twice a week, plus my fencing lessons and now that I've gotten far enough with my Chinese lessons, he wants me to start learning Japanese as well."
Adrien Sr chuckled. "Well I'm sure that you'll do well enough, you're a very smart young man. Otherwise your father wouldn't expect so much from you. And speaking of which, where is my son in law? Is he waiting in the car for us?"
"Father had to do an important interview today and couldn't make it here to meet you. But he'll be waiting at home for us."
For a moment the old man frowned, but then he brightened up a little. "Well everyone is busy at this time of year, and as long as I can spend some time with him, that will be enough. I'm sure we'll see each other at dinner. Speaking of which, is there any chance you could let me know what delicacy we'll be enjoying?"
"Fresh organic salmon with wild rice and a side of sautéed garden vegetables." Adrien answered. "I insisted we have some seafood since I know you don't get to enjoy it often."
"My mouth is watering already. Let's be off then, I wouldn't want to keep your father waiting."
The two left the platform and made their way to the parking lot where the car was waiting. Once they were seated in the back and their belts were buckled, the car backed out and moved towards the main roads. However instead of following the shortest path back to the Agreste Estate, the vehicle turned and began to move up a different street. Something that was quickly noticed by Adrien Sr.
"Are we taking the scenic route?" He inquired. "I may not have been in Paris for a while, but I remember that this isn't the way to your home, Adrien."
"Oh, right! I probably should've mentioned we'll be making a quick stop at a local bakery. The owners are the parents of a friend of mine and they make some of the finest bread and pastries in all of Paris."
"I see, and what are we getting there? Something tasty for after dinner I hope?"
"Actually I was thinking of a few fresh croissants to enjoy as an appetizer." Adrien said with a smile. "But I don't see why we couldn't take a look at what they have for desserts. My friend Marinette makes some pretty tasty macarons."
"Marinette?" Adrien Sr. repeated, a knowing smile coming to his face. "So your friend is a lady, eh? Would you say that she's a close friend?"
"No, just a good friend who I like to hang out with sometimes." Adrien replied, a sheepish smile on his face. "She's nice, but I don't think we're meant to be more than just friends."
From inside his cardigan, Plagg started to snicker. The sound worried Adrien, who silenced him with a quick swat. This however earned him a quizzical look from his grandfather.
"Are you alright, my boy?"
"I'm fine, I just had a little itch, that's all." He said, before adding under his breath. "A persistent little itch."
Plagg grumbled after having gotten the bop to his noggin. Adrien covered the area where the Kwami was hiding and quickly thought up something that would both change the subject and keep Plagg silent.
"Anyways, I think maybe we could also get some bread to go with some cheese too. Another friend of mine loves camembert and I thought I'd treat him to some, freshly made. Think you could teach me how to do that?"
"Of course, I'd love to! But camembert can be rather pungent once it has been aged. Are you sure you want to make that one?"
Adrien nodded. "Positive. Like I said, my friend loves it. He eats it all the time when we hang out. So much that I'm starting to think he might smell like the stuff."
A hearty laugh burst from Adrien Sr.'s mouth. He slapped his knee and continued to let it out, a couple of mirthful tears in the corners of his eyes.
"That is a good one! You have your mother's sense of humor, has anyone ever told you that?"
"Not really, most people just keep saying how much I look like her if anything."
"Yes, you really do." The old man sighed, placing his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "You have the same kind eyes, with a heartwarming smile. On the day you were born she said she felt like she had been gifted an angel from the heavens. I told her that was how I felt when she and her sister came into my life." He sighed again and for a moment looked sad, but then perked up and let out another quick laugh. "But I can say one thing for certain, your mother behaved like a little devil! Such a handful that one was at your age, always getting into trouble! I couldn't do a thing to stop her when she put her mind to something!"
"Really?" Adrien asked with mild surprise. "I never heard that about her before."
"Well she started to settle down not long before she met your father. She was still a free spirit and always did as she wanted. That is another way that the two of you are alike. I bet your father has to keep an eye on you, am I right?"
Adrien smirked a little. "Well, I do sneak out from time to time."
His grandfather chuckled and the two continued to talk for the short time that passed until the car arrived at the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It parked right out front and Adrien's body guard kept the motor running while the passengers got out and went inside. A delicious aroma met their noses as they stepped inside, Tom greeting his latest customers with a big smile.
"Hello there Adrien, are you here to see Marinette?" He asked. "She's a little busy right now, but I can get her for you if you like."
"That's alright, I wouldn't want to bother her if she's in the middle of something." Adrien replied. "I'm just here for some croissants. My grandfather is visiting for the holiday."
"Good afternoon to you, sir." Adrien Sr. said with a friendly wave. "I must say this is a lovely bakery you have here. Everything looks so fresh and delicious!"
"Thank you, that's very kind of you. Would you like a free sample?" Tom offered, picking up a box from the counter. "My wife made these macarons this morning. Please, I insist."
Adrien and Adrien Sr. each took a macaron from the box. As he took the first bite, Adrien Sr. hummed happily and then popped the rest into his mouth, chewing it slowly so as to savor the treat. Once he had swallowed the food, he licked his lips for any trace of crumbs he may have missed.
"Simply wonderful!" He declared. "Is your wife present? I'd like to pay her my compliments, that was quite the delight!"
Tom called Sabine over to the counter. She down from the apartment, a little flour on her apron and a broom in one hand and a dust pan in the other. After putting the cleaning tools aside, she brushed off her apron and stepped over to her husband's side as he introduced her to Adrien's grandfather.
"It's very nice to meet you." She said, offering her hand.
Adrien Sr. took it and planted a kiss on her knuckles. "A pleasure, madam. I just wanted to say that your macarons are positively delicious. I daresay the best I've ever had."
"Oh, thank you. But it's my husband's recipe. I just prepared them according to his directions."
"Well regardless, they are very good and I would very much like to purchase some. How much for a dozen? And a half dozen fresh croissants too, please."
"For you, only fifteen Euros." Tom said. "A little special discount for the holidays."
Adrien Sr. took out twenty-five from his wallet and handed the bills to Tom. "Here you go, please keep the extra as a gratuity."
"Why, thank you, but that's too much. We couldn't." Sabine said.
"No, please do. I don't mind paying a little extra, especially not for such good food. And a very merry Christmas to you."
With only a moment's hesitation, Tom accepted the generous tip and returned the season's greetings to the man. He packed up the items and gave a wave as the two customers went back out to the car. As the door closed, Tom handed the extra ten Euros to his wife to set aside for their next trip to the bank. She looked down at the money and smiled.
"What a nice man. And so charming!" She noted.
"I think it's safe to say that Adrien takes after that part of his family. He certainly doesn't act much like his father. To be honest I always thought that man is a little too stuck up."
"Oh hush! That's no way to talk about anyone this time of year!" Sabine scolded, giving her husband a light swat on the arm. "Even if it is true." She muttered to herself as she went to check on the displays.
Tom rubbed the offended spot on his arm lightly. "I wonder if we should've told Marinette that Adrien was here? I'm sure she would've liked to say hello." He said to himself as he looked over at the top of the stairs. "I think I'll check on how they're doing."
He left the shop to his wife and went upstairs, silently peeking in on the kitchen and seeing the girls standing side by side at the counter. Marinette was stirring a large bowl of batter while talking to Kagami. Tom leaned in a little to better catch what she was saying.
"One of the tricks I learned from my papa is to fold the batter. This will make the cake light and fluffy. But don't stir too hard, otherwise it won't work. Here, now you try it that way."
"Thank you." Kagami said, taking the bowl and spoon from Marinette. "I have to admit, I was concerned I wasn't mixing the ingredients right. I just didn't want to say so earlier. Your demonstration was very helpful."
Tom smiled proudly at his daughter, praising her silently. He had been a little concerned after he discovered that their first attempt had been a failure, but now it seemed that things were going smoothly. As he stopped, he noticed his daughter's friend Kagami removed something from her face and set it onto the counter. After taking a closer look, he noticed it was a clothes pin.
"Thank you for lending me the pin, by the way." Kagami stated, continuing to fold the batter as Marinette had shown her. "As I expected it proved useful."
"I'm glad that I listened to you." Marinette said with a small, sheepish smile. "Sorry about knocking over the flour, a second time."
"Hopefully we won't need to worry about it happening again. I believe I'm getting the hang of this." Kagami said, stirring with a bit more zeal. "It should be ready to go in the oven again. I'll prepare the baking sheet."
She set the bowl down and went to line the sheet with parchment paper and then lightly dust it with flour. While she took care of that step, Marinette checked the batter and decided to give it a few more stirs for good measure. Kagami turned to check on the oven and make sure it was preheated again, when Marinette noticed she was about to step on the same spot where she had slipped earlier.
"Kagami, wait!" She said, stepping closer to her friend. "That part of the floor is still…"
Marinette stepped on the wax, slipping and letting the bowl fly up out of her arms. As she landed on her rear, she saw the bowl turn over and land right on Kagami's head. Cake batter splattered down and was dripping over the girl's head and clothes.
"Oops." Was all Marinette could say in her defense. "Sorry!"
Kagami stood silently for a moment and then slowly removed the bowl, more batter falling onto the floor. Her entire face was covered, leaving Marinette with only her imagination to guess how mad the other girl currently was with her. As Kagami wiped the batter from her face, she revealed a small smile, much to Marinette's surprise.
"I've been told that eating raw cake batter isn't wise as it is very unhealthy. But it is very tasty." She said, lifting her hand which was still coated with the stuff. "Here, have some."
Before Marinette could do anything, Kagami had closed the distance between them and smeared the batter onto her face. Marinette let out a cry and stepped back, only to feel her foot giving again. This time however, Kagami caught her before she could completely lose her balance. But she used the opportunity to just wipe more of the batter onto the other girl. Marinette tried to push her away, but Kagami placed the bowl onto her head.
"Now we're even." She stated, starting to get up onto her feet and helping Marinette as well. "Although we need to start over again. As well as clean up. You wouldn't mind if I used your shower for a minute to wash my hair, would you?"
"Sure, I don't think my parents will mind either."
"We won't." Came the sound of Tom's voice from the doorway.
The girls turned to look at the man, who stood with his arms crossed while he stared at the mess they had made. Marinette let out nervous giggle and waved at him. Fortunately for her, he smiled and then let out a laugh of his own.
"I honestly can't say I'm very surprised, Marinette. This isn't the first time that you made such a mess while in the kitchen."
"No, that doesn't sound like much of a surprise." Kagami said. "I imagine with how clumsy she can be that this is a common occurrence."
"I haven't made a mess this bad in the kitchen since I was in primary school!" Marinette said defensively.
"Oh?" Her father asked, quirking an eyebrow. "So what happened last week doesn't count?"
-Back at the Agreste Estate-
The car pulled in through the gate and slowed to a stop. The three men got out and went inside, where Natalie was waiting to greet them. Adrien Sr looked around the foyer and then looked toward the woman with some confusion.
"Is Gabriel not coming to say hello?" He asked.
"I'm afraid Mr. Agreste is very busy and won't be able to step away from his work until dinner. He did ask me to send you his regards."
"Send me his regards?" The elderly man repeated. "If we were speaking over the phone that would be fine, but I'm right here in his home! Surely he could spare just one minute to speak to me in person?"
Natalie shook her head. "I'm sorry but he cannot afford to be distracted at the moment. You'll get to see him soon enough. Until then he has asked me to do whatever I can to help you get comfortable."
Adrien Sr. sighed and thanked her for her kind offer. He and Adrien went to seat themselves in the lavish living room, where a charcuterie tray had been set out for them. They settled down beside one another on the sofa and passed the time chatting and snacking, with Adrien sneaking bits of cheese into his sleeve for Plagg.
"And you are enjoying public school so far?" Adrien Sr. asked.
"Very much. I've made lots of friends, it's been so great to finally spend time with others in my age group."
"That is wonderful to hear, my boy. Your mother would be so happy for you. Would you happen to have any pictures of your friends? I'd like to see, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind, Grandfather. Hang on, I have one up in my room. Just a minute."
Adrien excused himself and rushed out to head upstairs. He returned a couple minutes later with a small frame that housed his class photo, the one from the park. As he sat back down, he handed it to Adrien Sr. and helped himself to another bite from the tray.
"So these are all your friends?" Adrien Sr. inquired. "They seem like a nice bunch."
"Well, that's almost everyone in my class. Chloe and her friend Sabrina aren't in that one, and I have a few other friends who I hadn't met at the time who are also missing from the picture." Adrien explained.
"I see, and on the subject of things missing, I noticed that you have no tree set up yet. Has your father not bothered to get one because of his busy schedule?"
"No." Adrien said, sounding a bit sad. "He didn't want to get one this year. I bought one for myself, a small one that is up in my room. I was thinking that we could decorate it together, since Father isn't interested."
"Honestly, that man is going to work himself to the bone if he isn't careful. Oh well, as long as he is able to have Christmas day off, that will be good enough."
"Um, about that…." Adrien began. "He already let me know that he wouldn't be able to spare much time that day. He has to be up early for some important video conferences."
Adrien Sr. nearly dropped the cracker he had been picking up when he heard that. He saved it and then looked to his grandson with genuine shock. That turned to frustration and he stood up, firmly planting his cane on the floor.
"Not interested in spending the holiday with his own child? Absolutely preposterous! I'm going to speak with him about that! Every parent should want to be with their children on the holidays! The nerve of that man, placing work before you on a day that is meant for family!"
He went to leave the room, but before he could take more than one step, Adrien also got up. He took his grandfather by the hand and gently squeezed it to get his attention. Adrien Sr. turned to look at the teenager, seeing a pleading look in his eyes.
"I understand that you're upset about that. Trust me, I know. But he's just having a hard time without…. without mom around anymore. Things just aren't the same this time of year without her, and his job isn't helping. That's why I was so happy to know that you were coming over this year. Please, Grandfather, can we just enjoy our time together?"
Adrien Sr. smiled at him and went to sit back down. "Alright, for you I'll hold my tongue about the matter. But it is still such a shame that your father is so busy. He deserves some time with you, if nothing else. I hope he can find some, even if only for a short while."
"Yeah, that would be nice. Maybe we can try to talk him into it during dinner. I was hoping to play the piano for the both of you. I want to play the song my mother wrote for you all those years ago."
"That would be wonderful. I bet your father would be very pleased to hear that again. She played it for him the night she told him she loved him. And for you when she was still waiting for you to be born." Adrien Sr. said, wiping a tear from his eye. "She'd love to know that you learned to play it, and that you would share it with your father and myself."
Adrien put his hand onto his grandfather's shoulder. "That's exactly why I want to play it, to honor the love she had for all of us and keep that part of her alive. I just hope my father isn't so busy that he can't stay after dinner and join us."
"Oh, trust me, dear boy. Once he learns what you have planned, I'm sure his work will be set aside without second thought! Perhaps we can even convince him to join us in decorating that tree you have."
"Yeah." Adrien said, smiling a bit. "Who knows? Maybe he'll surprise us."
-A short while later-
The time for dinner had come and Adrien brought his grandfather into the dining room. They sat next to one another and Natalie entered with the croissants, having had them lightly warmed up. Each of them helped themselves to one while Natalie stepped back out of the room. Shortly after a fresh salad was brought in for them, but Adrien Sr. noticed that only two bowls had been prepared.
"Where is Gabriel? Isn't he going to join us?" He asked of the woman.
"No, he'll be having his meal in his office. He's still very busy." She answered.
Adrien Sr. scoffed. "That's no excuse! He can take a short time to enjoy a meal with us."
"It's alright, Grandfather." Adrien said while poking at his salad. "I'm used to this. At least I can eat with you today."
"I take back what I said." Adrien Sr. stated, getting up. "This is inexcusable! I cannot believe this is a common occurrence! That settles it, I'm having a word with him whether he likes it or not."
"If you must, but I should let you know that he does not like to be disturbed when he is working." Natalie advised.
"That's fine, just as long as he bothers to speak with me, he can be as mad at me as he wants!"
Adrien Sr got up from the table and picked up his cane. He exited the room and made his way up to Gabriel's office. Stopping in front of the door, he knocked and waited patiently for a response. After no response he tried again, knocking more loudly this time. Again he was left waiting and he resorted to rapping on the door repeatedly with his cane.
"Gabriel! It's your father-in-law! I'm coming inside and we are having a talk!"
Inside the office, Gabriel Agreste stood in front of the portrait of his late wife. He heard the older man shouting to him from the other side of the door and stepped away to have a seat at his desk. As the door handle turned, he folded his hands and smiled a little to himself. Things were going just as he had planned.
Outside the room, Adrien Sr. gripped the door handle tightly, having found that the door was locked. He grumbled to himself and tried to knock again. This time Gabriel responded, speaking as if he were scolding his son.
"Please stop that racket." He called. "It's very distracting, as well as rude, sir."
"Sir?" Adrien Sr. repeated. "What's this 'sir' nonsense? You know you can just call me Papa, or at the very least use my name! And just what is so important that you cannot enjoy dinner with your family?!"
He rapped on the door again, now more determined since he knew he had Gabriel's attention. At the same time, Adrien was hurrying over to his side. He took his grandfather's free hand and gently tugged on it, giving him a pleading look.
"Grandfather, let's just go back and sit at the table. Dinner will be nice enough with just the two of us."
"Well it would be nicer if your father came down and joined us!" Adrien Sr. replied. "So I'll be staying right in this spot until he opens the door and does so!"
"My apologies, sir." Gabriel called from the other side of the door. "But I'm busy with far more pressing matters at the moment."
"More important than time with your family?!" Adrien Sr. demanded to know.
This time the response was silence, Gabriel was ignoring him again. The elderly man gripped his cane tightly, and scowled in pure frustration. He struck the door even harder than before, calling his son in law's name again and again. From within the office, Gabriel put a hand onto the Moth Brooch, caressing it gently. He could sense the older man's negative emotions; they weren't quite where he needed them to be yet. But they were close, it would just take a little bit more effort.
"Gabriel! I know you can hear me, so stop with the silent treatment and come out of there this very minute!"
"I have absolutely no intention of leaving until I have completed my work." Gabriel stated firmly. "Which is only going to take longer if these pointless distractions do not stop."
"What nerve you have!" Adrien Sr. shouted, feeling his anger beginning to get the better of him. "You call yourself a father?! How dare you choose work over even the smallest amount of time with your son! Emilie would never do any such thing! In fact, if she were still here, she'd drag you straight to that dining table and force feed you one bite at a time until your plate was clean!"
The mention of his wife made Gabriel tense up, his eyes widening in shock. He then scowled and gripped his brooch so fiercely that he nearly tore it off.
"How dare you!" He spat, standing and slamming his palms onto the surface of his desk.
"No Gabriel, how dare you!" Adrien Sr. countered. "If my daughter were standing here right now, she'd be severely disappointed with you not keeping your child as the top priority! I don't know what you see when you look in the mirror every morning, but I can say that it is not the same man who earned her love!"
Without a moment's thought or hesitation, Gabriel was on his feet and storming over to the door. He unlocked it and swung it open so forcefully that it slammed against the wall. He glowered at his father-in-law, clenching his fists so hard that his fingernails were cutting into his palms.
"You have absolutely no right to say such a thing like that to me, you stubborn old goat! Who are you to talk of being with family when you choose to live alone after your own daughter offered to let you live here all those years ago? Who are you to step in and act with such gall that you lecture me on how to raise my son? Who are you to me, other than a nuisance which I currently think I'd be best to rid myself of this very moment?"
Adrien Sr. stepped back, an appalled look on his face. "You…you would throw me out? Is that what you are saying, Gabriel? That you would toss family out of your home, at Christmas-time?"
"No, I wouldn't do that to my family." Gabriel replied with an eerie calmness to his voice. "But you aren't related to me by blood now, are you sir?"
"Father, wait!" Adrien interjected, stepping between the two men. "Please think about what you're saying! I know that you don't like how Grandfather is speaking to you, but he only wants what he believes is best for you. What's best for all of us, as a family!"
"That is enough, Adrien." Gabriel said with an authoritative tone. "You are a child and do not understand what is best for you. He is a grown man who has overstepped his boundaries and is therefore no longer welcome here. Now go back downstairs and eat your meal. As for you, Mr. Graham de Vanily, I want you out!"
"NO!" Adrien shouted defiantly, spreading his arms out as if to shield his grandfather. "He's not going anywhere! You can't just kick someone out like that! Especially not at this time of year! If Mother were here, she'd be furious with you for this!"
For the second time that day, Gabriel found himself freezing in surprise. He glared at his son and stepped forward, giving him a stern look. Adrien's resolve began to waver, but he didn't back away. It was all too obvious to him what was about to happen next.
"Adrien, you are to go to your room and remain there until further notice." Gabriel said firmly.
"I will not." Adrien returned, trying to return his father's glare. "If my grandfather has to leave, then I'm going with him!"
Gabriel sighed and pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen a couple times and the next thing Adrien knew, his bodyguard was stomping up the stairs. The large man grabbed him and lifted him up over his shoulder, making him cry out and struggle. As his bodyguard turned around, he saw his grandfather stepping up to speak to his father again.
"What are you doing, letting that man do that to your son?! Are you trying to be a bad father?!"
"Quite the opposite. I'm doing what is best for my son. He's been misguided ever since I allowed him to go to public school and make friends. Now his priorities are out of order. He shouldn't be valuing fun over preparing for adulthood. It's time I get him back on the right track. And once he's where he belongs, you will be leaving. Either on your own two feet, or with some… help."
Adrien Sr. was at a loss for what to do. He was getting nowhere with Gabriel. His grandson was being taken away by a man much too strong for him to confront. In his mind, all he could think of was how his beloved daughter would react if she had been there to see any of this. It made him feel a sinking feeling in his chest to know he couldn't do anything to put a stop to it all. He couldn't even find any more words to say. Except for….
"I'm so sorry, Adrien."
Feeling defeated and brokenhearted, Adrien Graham de Vanily slowly made his down the stairs. He picked up his suitcase and left, Natalie opening the door and then the gate for him. By the time he had stepped out onto the street, the bodyguard had returned and was standing outside the front door, as if to make sure he didn't try anything.
Back inside, Gabriel returned to his office and shut the door again. He stepped over to the large portrait of his wife and pressed the hidden buttons on it, sending himself down into his lair. As he walked through the repository where he grew his akumas, he hesitated. His hand touched the Moth Brooch, a dim glow emanating from the Miraculous.
"I'm sorry Emilie." He whispered, glancing towards the garden where his wife slept. "But I'm becoming desperate. And if I know that if our roles were reversed, you would do anything to bring me back. So I will do anything for your sake. Anything…"
He took a moment to mourn for his lost love, but then began walking again. As he entered his most private room of the estate, he called forth on the power of his Miraculous. His Kwami Nooroo flew out and hovered in front of him.
"Master, are you sure that you want to go through with this?" He asked. "You cannot seriously believe that what you just did wasn't crossing a line."
"It doesn't matter." Gabriel replied. "I've made my decision and I want to hear nothing more on the matter. Now Nooroo, dark wings rise!"
In the next instant, Nooroo was pulled into the brooch and Gabriel Agreste became Hawk Moth. The countless akumas began to flutter all about as he stepped closer to the large window, it's shutter slowly opening and letting light shine inside.
"Spurned by someone dearest to a lost loved one. Kicked out cruelly into a city far from home, so close to a joyous holiday. Such pain and betrayal must have left you feeling like an empty shell." He stated, infusing evil into one of his akumas and releasing it towards the window. "Now fly away my little akuma and darken his wounded heart!"
TBC.