It's been a long time.
I own nothing. Not even this computer.
Review
The man stood at the bedroom door. He hefted the large bottle. It was the best stuff on the market. Guarantee to knock any one out with just one whiff. He held it in one massive palm before slowly easing open the young mans door.
The blonde young man was sleeping soundly. Snoring softly. The small black rat animal was snoring right beside him. The two looked peaceful in the soft moonlight. The man stepped carefully over the floor. He had studied the room often enough, there were no squeaky floorboards. No socks to trip over, nothing to give away his position or his presence.
The man stood above Adrien Agreste and reached down carefully, his large baseball glove like hands were surprisingly soft and dainty. He gripped the blonde boys hands and wiggled the ring off with one fluid practiced motion before pocketing it. The small black cats eyes began to ease open. It gasped and raised a small little nub of an arm in an attempt to ward the large monstrosity of a man off.
But Plagg disappeared without saying a word. The massive man gave out a little anxious sigh. He had been worried for a moment there. If he had been caught then it would all be over. The man uncorked the bottle and held it underneath Adrien's nose. Adrien's eyes began to flutter in confusion. He moaned and rolled his head and shoulders. His eyes briefly popped open in confusion.
"Y-you? W-what?" Then his eyes shut tightly and he was unconscious. The man gave a deep rumbling sigh. This stuff could knock out an elephant if left uncapped for too long. He was already starting to feel woozy. He did not have much time. The man reaches down and picks up Adrien by the front of his sleep shirt and hoists him up.
The man walks out of the room and glances around anxiously. He had used his undercover training to rewire the cameras so that they would show the same empty hallway for up to eighteen minutes. He needed every second that he could get. He quickly walked through the house, got to the main staircase and glanced around. No one was there.
He took the stairs two at a time. He began to duck into the hallway that lead to the garage and instantly turned back around. The woman was there. The one with the streak in her hair. He knew her name, but he didn't want to use it. Not after what he had learned. Not after he had ferreted out all of their secrets. She was talking aggressively on the phone, nearly screaming at someone, she finally took a deep breath and reexplained everything much more calmly.
The man waited until he heard the click of her heels moving down another hallway. The mansion might have been large but there were very few rooms inside. And the ones that they did have were ridiculously enormous. It caused a lot of echoes. Which made it easier to figure out where people were going. The man took a few steadying breathes remembering his training in the United States. He took a quick peek around the corner and sprinted for it when he realized that the coast was clear.
He was wearing very expensive shoes that would soften his footfalls. Just enough that you would hardly hear them. The man came to a stop outside of the garage door and opened it. He slipped inside and locked the door. His brow furrowed as he thought for a few seconds. He shifted the sleeping Adrien into a more comfortable position so that his small head was resting on his massive shoulder. And then he grabbed the small doorknob in his large hand and snapped it right off of the door. He dropped it to the floor and stomped it.
If you can't slow your enemies down the best you should do is confuse them. He walked to his favorite car, he smiles a small grin. It is his favorite car that he has ever driven. It is practically his baby. It has solid rubber tires, bullet proof glass and can actually comfortably fit his massive frame. He unlocks the car and slides Adrien in. Gently strapping the sleeping boy in and reclining the seat so that he would be comfortable on the drive.
The man glances around anxiously before reaching in and brushing the hair off of Adrien's forehead. He tucks the long golden curls behind Adrien's ears and smile to himself. The boy looks so peaceful. He was good at hiding it, but the man made his living off of reading between the lines and protecting those who paid him. And after years of protecting people he had become good at reading their body language. The poor boy was completely miserable, even when he pretended that he wasn't. It was evident behind his eyes. Those large green pools of emotional vulenrability.
The Man shook his head he still had much to do. He moved to the drivers side of the car and popped the hood. He reached into the engine block and felt around. He found what he was looking for and pulled the GPS and the tracker out with a grunt. It was bolted in and needed a few good pulls before finally snapping off of it's screws. He tossed it to the side and then went to the garage door. He pushed it upwards, he had oiled it that very morning. He had not been planning on this daring escape, in fact he only had a very vague idea of his plans so far. It was just part of his job description to do basic upkeep around the house and in the garden since his employer was too cheap to hire more staff. The man did not know why.
But he knew one thing.
Adrien could not stay here. It was not safe.
And it was only going to get worse. The man eases the door up, not a single squeak. He sprints out to the gate and unlocks it, swinging them open. He glances back towards the house. Only three lights are on. If anyone had discovered the kidnapping then all of the lights would be blazing and the police would have been waiting outside.
He sprints back to the car and begins pushing it outwards. He grunts and puts his shoulder to the drivers side door as he steers with his hand. He slowly and quietly as a mouse, moves the car out onto the street. The man glances around the street, the lamps are out, the street is silent. He grunts and pushes the car another block, his back straining and his teeth grinding. Once he was out of sight of the massive mansion he climbs into the car and turns it on.
Adrien moans a little in his sleep and the man glances back at him, his brow furrowing in concern, his heavy frown not leaving his face. He didn't want to hurt the boy, but he had to get him out of there. He knew where he had to go...But he didn't know if he would be taken in. He hoped beyond hope that he would be. The car turns on and gently rolls off towards the place that Adrien had been earlier that day.
The man spots the carnival lights off in the distance and can't help but think back to earlier in the evening...
The Man was standing in the parking lot, grass was pushing up through the pavement. His shoes were immaculately shined and his bodyguard outfit was perfectly tailored to his massive form. He glances down at his phones clock before growling at someone who was prowling close to his car. No one was permitted near his car besides him. And his charge.
Said charge was supposed to be arriving soon. It would be his curfew in just a few short hours. And that would mean he would get a stern talking to from his father. Which would also mean that the man would get a stern talking to from his employer.
The man sighs and glances over the top of the cars. How hard was it to spot a blonde sixteen year old who was one of the most famous models in the world with one of the biggest fanbase and following?
The man glowers at a couple with their child as they walk past. They increase their speed to get away from his sneer. The man grinds his teeth, he hates being out in public, everyone normally gawked at his enormous physique and massive muscles and hands. When he was a younger man he used to be proud of it. But now...well now he was just tired of all of the staring.
The laughter came to him first. He turned to look at the large carnival. The lights were still blazing against the night sky, the ferris wheel was lit up like a christmas tree and rotating faster and faster. Excited whoops came from the maze of mirrors and the carousel. It was all fun and games and tooth rotting sugary deep fried food.
And out of it came a small group of young adults. Adrien was in the middle of it talking to a group of other people his age. The man resisted the urge to smile. He let the warm feeling balloon upwards in his chest though. It was nice to see the young man so happy, so carefree. Adrien laughed at something that his friend said and thens hot finger guns back towards the young man before both wrapped their arms around each other and let out louder guffaws.
The man quickly identifies all of them and assesses that none are a threat to the young boy. There is Nino Lahiffe, an aspiring DJ who would get more credability if he didn't dress as a skater punk, beside him was his girlfriend Alya Cesaire, she would be considered nosy by some and domineering by others but that was simply because she had an impressive drive and an intuitive streak. She would probably make a fine reporter. Next to Adrien and blushing nervously was the blue/black haired baker daughter Marinette Dupain Cheng. Smart girl, and president of their class three years running.
The man quirks an eyebrow. He had not been made aware of their being in attendance. It was not inconceivable, since the carnival was one of the most popular attractions in Paris during this time of year. Drawing people from all walks of life. The three of them must have run into him there.
What was suspicious was that The Man had driven two people to the carnival. He then spots her as she steps out from behind Marinette Dupain Cheng. Kagami Tsurugi. The fencing prodigy from the extremely wealthy and powerful Tsurugi family. She was smiling slightly and gazing between Marinette and Adrien with a strange spark in her eyes. The man could tell from the tilt of her head and the way that she carried herself that she could easily defeat any of the others in armed or unarmed combat.
Adrien pauses when he spots his bodyguard. His smile falters before falling as he turns to the others and speaks. He seems taken aback when the entire group of them actually throw their arms around him and hug him. He steps out of it with a shamble and raises his hand to wave good bye as he wanders towards the fancy limo.
"Hello. Thank you." Adrien says politely as he steps into the limo. The man gets into the drivers seat and glances into the rearview mirror. Adrien is still gazing at the quartet as they wave to him as he is driven away. The man glances at Adrien again in amusement and then confusion. Adrien has lipstick on his cheek. The man pulls onto the street and then opens the glove box. There are granola bars, road flares, a bottle of water and a medical kit. He enjoyed being prepared. He also had a small box of wet wipes. He pulls one free and holds it over his shoulder with a grunt.
Adrien glances up in confusion before looking at his reflection in the mirror and chuckling.
"You would not believe what happened to me! The five of us were on the top of the ferris wheel and well..."He blushes and points at his left cheek. "This one is from Marinette, she is so sweet. The other cheek is Kagami, I wasn't expecting it and nearly fell off! But they did it at the same time that I think that I almost fainted!"
He chuckles as he wipes them off. He then gets his forehead and grins before pointing.
"Alya and Nino got me there! I got them all back though! Man friends are the best." He sighed in delight as the man continued to drive through the traffic. Weaving in and out and using the turn signals. The man rolled his eyes, it was ridiculous how dense the blonde could be sometimes. Friends did not give each other kisses at the top of a ferris wheel just to be nice!
But then again the man had no friends to speak of so what did he know?
"It was the best night of my life." Adrien sighs before leaning his head on the window dramatically. "I wish that I could live at the carnival. Everything would be better there." He glances down, the sorrow clear in his face.
The man notices, he does not comment on it though. He never does. He is not paid to talk, he is paid to drive. He wants to say something though, something comforting, something encouraging. Anything at all. Instead he just turns towards the next street back to the mansion.
The man drives towards the canal. He stops the car and gets out. He unbuckles Adrien and grunts as he picks the boy up. He begins to push the car towards the water. He jumps back and starts walking quickly before it crashes into the waves. He glances around. Not a soul around. Luckily no one noticed.
The man spots the ferris wheel blinking in the distance. He was almost there. He was almost there. He would do everything in his power to protect this boy. He might not be able to say it, but he could at least give the boy what he wanted.
A life at the carnival.
Anarka Couffine is startled awake and sits up on the deck chair before grabbing a nearby baseball bat. It wouldn't be the first time that they had a homeless person sneak onto their houseboat. Instead she watched as a car floated underneath the water and disappears beneath the waves. She rubs her eyes and sits back down. If someone wanted to toss a perfectly good car into the water well that was their business. Plus she could probably scavenge it for scraps. She picks up a nearby guitar and begins plucking out a tune before smiling and closing her eyes, letting the music wash over her.
It's been a long time.
I own nothing. Not even this computer.
Review