Chapter 3: Life and Times of Two Young Heroes

After finishing his photoshoot, Adrien was driven home by his bodyguard. It had been an exhausting photoshoot for him. Mostly because he spent most of his time changing outfits and with no one to talk to during quick breaks. He exchanged a couple of words with some of the elements form the make-up department, as well as the photographer, but that was it. He liked when he had, at least one of his friends to talk with. But on that day, none of them were available to go with him. Even Marinette had things to do that afternoon, that prevented her from accompanying him. Some people would be upset at this, but Adrien was not that kind of person. Plus, he knew that he would see Marinette after dinner, when it was time for them to go on patrol.

When arriving home, he was greeted by Nathalie, who asked him how the photoshoot had gone, while reminding him that dinner would be promptly served at eight, as always, and that his father did not want to be disturbed, as he was working on his study. Going up to his bedroom to take a shower and study a little before dinner, Adrien walked past his father's study and listened to the sound that was coming from behind his study's door. The sound of a piano being played.

"Your dad is at it again." -Plagg said, as he poked his face from inside the jacket's pocket.

"He must be nervous. He always plays the piano to calm his nerves when things don't go as he expected them to go, or when he needs some inspiration." -Adrien told him. He had seen that happen enough times, to know that that was one of Gabriel's routines. –"And today he must be needing some inspiration. He's playing Verdi." -he said, as he recognized

"Glad you don't play piano to seek inspiration, or to unwind." -Plagg said. –"If you did, I'd probably be deaf, from all that classical music." -he pointed out.

"Yeah. Unfortunately, I still have to practice it every week." -Adrien reminded him. –"Which reminds me, I haven't practiced it this week. I'll have to practice it on Saturday." -he sighed.

"You've got to find a new instrument to play, Adrien. You're not the kind of person who should be playing the piano."

"Yeah, well, maybe one of these days, when I'm older, and out of this house." -Adrien chuckled, as he imagined himself older, living in an apartment, playing a guitar and with Marinette by his side. –"Maybe then, I'll try and learn to play another instrument." -he told Plagg.

"Guess until then, I'll have to get used to scales and arpeggios… great, now I'm sounding like the Aristocats!" -Plagg said in a sarcastic tone, which made Adrien laugh.

After taking the shower and putting some fresh clothes on, Adrien sat in front of his desk, and began to revise everything that he and the others had learned in class that day. And it did not take him long to start to feel a little sleepy. Like it happened with most kids, as soon as he began to study, Adrien began to yawn and feel sleepy. To make sure he would not fall asleep, he had Plagg to stand in front of him, eating Camembert cheese. The smell of it was powerful enough to make him feel repulsed by it, while keeping him awake. Focusing on his studies, Adrien saw time go by at a snail's pace, and after a while, even the disgusting smell of Camembert was beginning to not be enough to keep him awake and focused on what he was doing. This prompted Plagg to suggest Adrien to take a break.

"Come on, kid, you've been working for almost an hour now. Soon it will be dinner time." -Plagg told him. –"Why don't you just kick back and relax for a bit. You already know most of the stuff you wrote in your notebook today." -he said.

"Maybe… but I should try and study a little longer." -Adrien told him, as he stretched his arms. –"After dinner I'm going on patrol with Marinette, and that means, no studying for me." -he said.

"Sometimes I wonder why you humans keep studying like that. I mean, I know that knowledge is a good thing, but you kids spend most of your time cramming knowledge inside your heads, instead of going out there, explore the world and see how things work in it." -Plagg said. –"I mean, I know things have changed a lot over time, but I still believe that no matter how much you there's no substitute for experience, as trying things for yourself." -he declared.

"You're being quite philosophical today." -Adrien joked. –"Are you sure some of Wayzz's wisdom isn't rubbing on you?" -he asked him in a playful tone.

"As if I needed that turtle kwami to rub some of his wisdom on me. I'm just as wise as he is." -Plagg declared. –"Still, you know what I mean. Getting out and see how things really work, is way better than to read about them in a dusty old book." -he said.

"I wished our teachers would think like that." -Adrien sighed. –"Now thanks to you, I'm in a mood to go out for a walk on top of the rooftops." -he said. –"Have I ever told you just how much of a bad influence you are on me?"

"Lots of times… it's a good thing that I take that as a compliment." -Plagg said. –"Do you have any more Camembert? I just ran out of it." -he said.

"Nope, and you'll have to wait until after dinner for more. I can't go to the kitchen and get you another piece of it, this close to dinner time." -Adrien said, as he checked the time. –"In about 15 minutes, Nathalie's going to come knock at the door and tell me it's dinner time. Another night, where dad and I will most likely dine, without exchanging more than five words… sometimes, I really wish we would have something to talk about at dinner…" -he thought to himself.

But before he could finish that thought, Adrien heard someone knocking at his door. Hearing that, Plagg quickly got out of sight. Wondering who it would be, he turned around and told whoever it was outside, to come in. As the door opened, he saw it was Nathalie, who had knocked. Checking the time once again, he wondered why she had come to call him that early for dinner.

"Forgive me the interruption, Adrien, but your father wishes to speak to you." -Nathalie told him, as she entered the bedroom.

"Talk to me? Do you know what's it about?" -Adrien asked her, while wondering what could Gabriel want to talk with him.

"I'm afraid not. But he said that wanted to speak to you, before dinner." -Nathalie answered him. –"He's still in his study." -she said.

"Okay, I'll go talk to him, Nathalie." -Adrien said, as he got out of his chair.

"And I know it's not my business, but, when are you going to tell him about your girlfriend? You can't keep dating the girl, without your father knowing about it." -Nathalie told him.

"I still haven't found the right occasion to do it." -Adrien sighed.

"Well, then you better find the right occasion. Sooner or later, you'll have to tell him, and it better be sooner than later, because if you don't tell him, and he finds out, he's going to be very upset. More importantly, he will think that you don't trust him." -Nathalie warned him. –"But enough about that. You shouldn't leave your father waiting." -she said.

Making his way towards the study, Adrien continued to wonder what would be the reason his father would want to talk to him about. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty important, for him not to want to wait for dinner time to talk to him. Thinking about it, Adrien wondered if he had done anything wrong the past couple of days that would get him into any kind of trouble, and the more he thought about it, the more he was sure he had not gotten himself into any trouble.

"I've been on my best behaviour. I have attended all classes, I haven't skipped any fencing lessons, and I have always arrived home at the designated time." -Adrien thought to himself. –"What could he possibly want to talk about?" -he asked himself.

Stopping in front of the study's doors, Adrien sighed, before knocking at the door. Whatever the reason his father wanted to talk to him about, he knew from experience it was best to get it over with. Knocking at the door, he waited for his father to answer.

"Come in." -Gabriel's voice was heard.

Opening the door, Adrien found his father working behind his desk. He seemed to be working on something related to his newest Spring collection, from the numerous sketches on top of the desk. Gabriel was quite methodical, when it came to his work, but not so much, when it came to working and reworking on the designs. Once he began, his desk would become filled with numerous failed attempts to design a new set of clothes. From the number of pages on top of the desk, most of them crumpled and tossed to the side, he had been struggling to find inspiration.

"You wanted to talk to me, dad?" -Adrien asked Gabriel. One could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"Yes, come in, Adrien." -Gabriel said, as Adrien entered the study, closing the door behind him. –"Nathalie reminded me a couple of hours that Jagged Stone's concert tomorrow night." -he said. Adrien had told him about it, when he asked him permission to attend it, if they managed to get the tickets, to which he did. –"She also told me you texted her, saying that you had managed to get one of the tickets for it."

"Y-Yes, I did. In fact, the whole class managed to get tickets We were quite lucky, because they had to be raffled online." -Adrien said, wondering where that interrogation was heading.

On the outside, Adrien looked calm and serene, but on the inside, he was as nervous as turkey on Christmas. He was afraid that his dad would forbid him to go with the rest of the gang to the concert. It would not be the first time this happened, especially because Gabriel tended to do that, whenever he was in a foul mood. Silently, Adrien was praying to any God who would be willing to listen to him, so that this was not one of those times.

"I see." -Gabriel said with a neutral tone. –"You forgot to mention the concert was during a weekday." -he said.

"I did?" -Adrien asked. He could not remember if he had, but for Gabriel to tell him that, was because he might have forgotten to say it. –"It must have slipped my mind, dad." -he said, admitting his mistake.

"I shouldn't allow you to go to it, because it's on a weekday, and because you have exams next week. I didn't know the concert was going to be on a weekday, when you told me about it, the first time." -Gabriel told him, annoyed. –"If I had known

When he heard Gabriel say that, Adrien's heart sank. He was so excited to go the concert and now, he was hearing it from your father that he was not going to be allowed to go to the concert. Still, he was determined to convince Gabriel to let him attend the concert, and was about to tell him just how important it was for him to go, when his father spoke once more.

"But because I had already given you permission to go, and since you told me your whole class is going to the concert, I don't see why you shouldn't go as well. Like I said, I had already given you permission to go, and you know that I keep my word." -Gabriel said, with a sympathizing voice. –"Just remember to be home before midnight, and next time, be sure mention the day when a concert, or any other activity will take place, so I know if I'll authorize you to go or not, Adrien. You know that I don't like to be caught off guard by these things." -he said.

"Yes, dad." -Adrien smiled, happy to know that his father had not changed his mind about him attending the concert.

"Oh, and one more thing, Adrien. Like I said, next week you are having your exams. I expect that this concert won't get in the way of your studies." -Gabriel warned him.

"Yes, dad." -Adrien assured him.

Dinner went without a hitch. There was not much talk between Adrien and Gabriel, but Adrien did not mind. Gabriel had authorized him to attend Jagged Stone's concert and that was all that mattered for him right then. As he thought about it, he could not help to once again imagine himself at the concert, with Marinette by his side. At the same time, in his bedroom, Plagg wondered why Gabriel had called Adrien to talk to him, before dinner. At first, he was going to follow him and see what happened. But his natural laziness told him to stay put and wait for Adrien to come back. And when he did come back, he did not hesitate in asking him.

"So? What happened? What did you dad want with you?" -Plagg asked Adrien.

"Nothing much. He just wanted to tell me that I should have told him that the concert was during a week day, and that he expects me to study hard for the exams next week." -Adrien answered Plagg, as he handed him a piece of Camembert. –"Do you believe that for a second, I thought he was going to forbid me from going?" -he told his kwami.

"I believe that." -Plagg said, as he bit the piece of Camembert. –"But what matters is that tomorrow, you're going to that concert. It's been a couple of centuries since the last time I went to a concert. It's going to be fun." -he declared.

"Well, this one's going to be like nothing you ever heard or seen, Plagg." -Adrien said, knowing Plagg was also a fan of Jagged Stone.

"I believe you." -Plagg said. –"But you still haven't said your dad anything about you and Marinette, have you?" -he asked him, already knowing what his answered was going to be.

"No, I haven't." -Adrien sighed. –"I should have told him at dinner tonight, but I was afraid that he would not react well to the news and forbid me from dating her, while also forbidding me from going to the concert." -he said.

"I don't usually do this, but Nathalie is right You need to tell your old man about Marinette. You can't keep dating her, while keeping it a secret from your dad. Your situation isn't like the one Rose and Juleka, who also haven't told their parents, are in." -Plagg said. –"Marinette already told her parents about you. You've got to do the same with your dad." -he insisted on the matter.

"I know, Plagg, I know. And I'm going to tell him. I have no intention of hiding my relationship with Marinette from anyone." -Adrien declared.

"Alright, alright, I won't bother you with that issue any longer. I know you well enough, to know that when you talk like that, you're being honest." -Plagg said. –"And now, on other news, what's with this Camembert? It tastes funny… I mean, it tastes like Camembert, but at the same time, it doesn't." -he told Adrien.

"Oh, that must be because it's Light Camembert." -Adrien said.

"Light Camembert?! You dare to bring me Light cheese?!" -Plagg asked him, absolutely outraged by it. –"My taste buds should not have to taste that. Only people on a diet or with high cholesterol should eat that kind of cheese. The existence of that kind of cheese is an outrage to the fine art of cheese making and to everyone who appreciated a good cheese." -he told him.

"Well, that's the only cheese you're going to get tonight. We're currently out of regular Camembert." -Adrien said, as he sat at the desk. –"And now, let me concentrate for a bit. I'm going to try and study a little bit." -he said, as he opened his History textbook.

"I thought you were going on patrol with your girlfriend tonight." -Plagg pointed out.

"And I am, but it's still too early to go and meet up with her. So, I might as well study a little bit more." -Adrien said.

After dinner, Marinette went up to her bedroom to study until it was time to meet up with Adrien, so they could go on patrol together. Her mother had made a delicious ratatouille and Marinette ate more than she ought to, and a night patrol was just what she needed to burn those extra calories. Unfortunately, five minutes later, the blue-haired girl realized she was not going to be able to study anything that evening. She was too excited about Jagged Stone's concert, and more importantly, she could not take her head of the multiple ideas she had for Alya's birthday present. So, she closed her text books grabbed her sketchbook and began to work on the hoodie she was going to give Alya for her birthday. Checking photos of Alya as Rena Rouge online, she quickly drew a preliminary sketch of how the hoodie was going to look like.

"Okay, let's see. The main body will be orange and white. The sleeves will be orange on the upper part, and black, starting just above the elbow." -Marinette thought to herself, as she emphasized the details. –"The hood will have to be double-lined. That way, it will be quite warm. I'll do that with the sleeves as well." -she thought. –"Oh, and I can't forget to add some fox ears to the hood. Now… the pockets. I think I'm going to put some kangaroo pockets on the front, but I will also give her pockets on the inside. Alya is always carrying all sorts of things in her pockets, so she won't mind that."

In a matter of minutes, she had finished designing the hoodie. Looking at it, she was quite proud of herself, for being able to do that in just a couple of minutes. It was a beautiful hoodie. Not only that, it was one of her best works ever. She could not wait to make it. And not being able to wait, she decided to pass to the next stage, and that was, to find some sewing patterns that could help her make the hoodie. Luckily, she had more than 20 different websites that allowed a person to download and print all kinds of sewing patterns.

"You're on a roll, Marinette." -Tikki said, as she watched Marinette looking for some sewing patterns online. –"But, shouldn't you be studying? Remember what Miss Bustier told you and the rest of the class." -she said.

"I know I should be studying, Tikki, but I really can't concentrate on studying. Not when I can only think about the concert tomorrow." -Marinette sighed. –"Besides, my first exam is only on Tuesday. I've got time." -she said.

"If you say so." -Tikki said. –"But don't forget that you still have to go on patrol tonight." -she reminded her. The scarlet kwami knew that once Marinette began a new fashion project, she would tend to forget everything else. –"I'll be in your bed, reading the rest of that book I began last night."

"Alright, I won't." -Marinette said, without taking her eyes from the screen.

And just like it was to be expected, Marinette lost the track of time, as she continued to work on Alya's new hoodie. Once she printed the sewing patterns, she began to readying them, using Alya's measurements, making sure they were right. This took her long than expected, but she hardly noticed time going by. As she did this, she began to imagine how the whole thing would look like.

"Now that I'm thinking about it, the slider for the zipper would look cool if it was shaped like her miraculous. I wonder if I can find one?" -Marinette asked herself. –"It would be so cool if I managed to find one." -she thought.

She continued to work, without paying attention to time. She was feeling clearly inspired, and decided to make the most of it. Tikki herself also did not notice time go by, as she read the book. It was only when they both heard a tapping on the window, that they were both brought back to reality. Waving at Marinette, was Chat Noir at the window, hoping to get invited. Dropping what she was doing, Marinette quickly went to open the window to let him in.

"I was starting to get a bit worried. You didn't show up at our usual spot, and you didn't answer you cell phone." -Chat Noir told her.

"I must have put my cell phone on silent mode, and I totally lost track of time. Sorry." -Marinette apologized to the feline hero, as he looked at all the sewing patterns on the floor, as well as a few pieces of fabric.

"It's okay. I know how you get when you're in the zone." -Chat Noir smiled at her. –"So, what are you doing?" -he asked her, curious.

"I'm working on Alya's birthday present." -Marinette said, as she began to cut the fabric. –"I'm going to make her a Rena Rouge hoodie, with lots of pockets." -she giggled.

"Now that's a great idea." -Chat Noir said, happy to see his girlfriend engaged in a project like that. –"I'm sure she's going to love it." -he said. –"Wish I had half the talent you have, so I could make her something like that… but, she'll just have to settle with something I'll buy her."

"Don't say that. Whatever you buy her, I know she's going to love it." -Marinette smiled at him. –"Besides, you have numerous talents, Adrien."

"Yeah, but not one like yours." -Chat Noir said, as he looked at the sketchbook and saw the sketch Marinette had done of the hoodie. –"I would trade my handsome smile for a talent like yours, any day of the week." -he admitted

"Well, I wouldn't want you to do that, because I love that handsome smile of yours." -Marinette told Chat Noir, as a mischievous smile appeared on her face. –"And if you want to, I can try and teach you to draw, or sew." -she told him.

"Hmmm… I might take that offer, milady." -Chat Noir as he wrapped his left arm around Marinette's waist, and gently pulled her towards him. –"After all, you're the best seamstress I know." -he said, as he gently kissed

"Adrien, please… don't say those things. You're making me blush." -Marinette chuckled, as her cheeks began to turn slightly red.

"I don't mind it. After all, red suits you really well." -Chat Noir winked at her.

"You're such an evil cat, when you want to." -Marinette chuckled once more.

"Uh, excuse me… sorry to interrupt you two, but shouldn't you go on patrol? It's getting late." -Tikki said, interrupting them and bringing them down to Earth.

"Oh, right. I guess we should get going." -Marinette said. –"Sorry again for forgetting about our patrol." -she apologized again.

"No worries, Marinette. That way, you gave me an excuse to come and pick you up." -Chat Noir smiled at her; this time his smile looked more like the kind of smiles she was accustomed to see on Adrien.

And it's finished. This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but that doesn't mean it's less good. It's like they say, it's not abotu quantity, it's about quality. xD Either way, this chapter was basically my way to unwind a little bit from certain things that have been happening...thinks to the COVID-19, panic is spreading all over the globe. And it's no exception here in Portugal. So far, we already have 76 confirmed cases, and it's like they say, "it's going to get a worst, before it gets better". Around here, I'm already preparing myself to be quarantined for two weeks. Either way, let's not talk about that, let's talk about this chapter and what's in it. Like I said before, I'm going to focus a little on Marinette's fahion designer side of the story from now on.

I also wanted to share this with you guys... yesterday, when I arrived from the gym, one of my neighbours, a 12 year-old, who I know since she was a little baby (it's what you get, when you live through more than a decade in a building), she couldn't get home, because she had forgotten her keys and her cell phone when going to the grocery, and her parents wouldn't come back from work for another hour or so. So, instead of going to my apartment, I decided to stay at the entrance and keep her company, so she would have someone to talk to, until her parents arrived. As we talked, I found out that she's a really big fan of MLB. But you know what was the best part of that conversation? Was finding out that she reads this saga of mine. When she realized that I was the writer of these stories, she couldn't believe it (So, I asked her to test me. To ask me questions regarding the stories). It was really fun to find out that I happen to have a fan of my stories, this close to me. I even told her that if she had any ideas, she could tell them to me, personally, and that I would see if I would be able to use them, or not... life sure is funny sometimes, you know?

As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this story, or following sequels.