"How about a walk?"
Adrien looks up from his books to see his mother. The woman stands before him patiently. She appears relaxed, a gentle smile on her face as she waits patiently for his answer. Her son blinks a few times, surprised by the suggestion. His mother has been increasingly eager to get out and see the city. Often that means her heading out more or less alone given that he has class and that Nathalie has to manage the company. So of course she's left to her own devices. She must get lonely at times, the teen reasons.
He knows what it is to be trapped inside the walls.
Getting over his surprise, he gets to his feet, placing the book down on the couch. He's a little tired from having buried himself in his studies and the idea of having the chance to stretch his legs in quite an appealing one.
"Sure thing but uh-" The teen glances over towards Macaroon, slumbering nearby. "I probably should take Macaroon. He needs to get out."
His mother doesn't make many attempts to conceal the fact that she's lukewarm as far as the canine's concerned. Today however she nods understandingly. Apparently the thought of having the dog with them isn't a show stopper. So he guesses that she doesn't want to go anywhere where an animal companion would prove to be problematic. Perhaps just a little stroll around the block. It's not something that they ever used to do together.
Five minutes later, he's by the door. Macaroon is already barking loudly, jumping up and down at the prospect of going for a walk. Adrien smiles but wishes that for once the mutt would play ball so as to try and ease his mother about his presence. Whatever the case, it takes him the best part of a minute to calm the pooch down enough to manage to clip the leash on. Still, his mother remains patient. In truth, she seems a little distracted. The reason soon becomes apparent:
"Where's Nathalie?"
"Out." Adrien informs her finally managing to grab the dog's collar. "She said she won't be coming back for lunch."
"She's not still working, is she?" Emilie sounds truly appalled."It's Sunday!"
"Um… I don't know."
For the first time, it strikes him as odd, he usually knows where the woman is or at least the basics of her schedule. She'd just told him that she was going out and not to wait up for her at lunch. No further detail had been offered and he hadn't asked. He assumes it's something to do with work. It's hard to imagine what else Nathalie could be doing. The teen chooses not to dwell on the subject, although he might question her when she returns if she's in an appropriate mood to put up with his curiosity.
He sends her a text for good measure so that she doesn't return home early and end up wondering just where they've disappeared off to.
A few moments later and they're out the door and he's being dragged along helplessly. Macaroon is almost as heavy as he is and has the added benefit of four feet instead of just the two. The first five minutes of his walk are always a nightmare. Adrien leans back as much as possible struggling to avoid getting dragged face forwards as the dog pulled. It's just excitement. He could be taken for a hundred walks in one day, they would all start out the same way. It's embarrassing but at this point he is used to it. His mother has to speed up so as to keep pace with the two of them. If it bothers her, she doesn't let it show.
Eventually, Macaroon begins to calm down and the pulling and barking relents. Everything becomes just a little more relaxed and civilized. It allows the two of them to actually speak:
"You've got to raise them properly when they're puppies." Is his mother scolding him? He's not too sure.
"Yeah… We got him from a shelter."
The woman nods slowly, as if that somehow explains everything.
Her son wonders if she has a destination in mind. She definitely seems to be taking the lead. He doesn't mind. Following all the while walking by her side. Walks are the sort of mundane thing which he wishes felt less strange that they currently do. He wants to be able to spend time with his mother without either being reminded of Hawkmoth or struggling with the urge to pinch himself so as to ensure that this isn't a dream. He wishes that this was all just a natural part of life. Then again, this is the first time that they've been for a walk like this together, perhaps he'll get used to it. He's discovered that he can get used to a good deal. It must be strange for his mother as well, he reasons.
"I didn't think that Nathalie was much of an animal person." His mother seems eager to keep a conversation going.
"She's not particularly fond of them but she grew up on a farm so..."
His voice trails off. His mother seems to have developed a talent for asking questions which he's never really thought about himself. In truth, if they had a dog it was because he'd always wanted one. He doesn't think that Nathalie ever particularly cared for having one. She doesn't like animals all that much but will, at a push, help out with them. He's seen her lend a hand around her grandmother's farm be it mucking out chickens or feeding the goats. She'll do it but it's evident she gets no real pleasure out of their company.
They continue until they reach the Seine, crossing over and following it upriver.
She asks him if he comes this way often. It depends. Marinette lives in this general direction and Collège Françoise Dumont was too but it can be quite a walk so he often ends up either being driven or taking the metro. Has he any plans for the future? A few. He's going into business school assuming that he gets his BAC. What about after that? He's not entirely sure. Does he still go to the same fencing school? Of course, Mr. Dagincourt is the best teacher in all of Paris after all.
Then, out of the blue, she asks him one that hits him like a ton of bricks:
"When were you planning on mentioning that little rock climbing accident of yours?"
He tenses up abruptly, instantly realizing what she's referring to.
His "rock climbing accident" was no such thing. It was another of Nathalie's fabrications. There's always a reason for them. This, somewhat more outlandish one but it had needed to be. When it had become clear that he was going to be left with some scars from his confrontation with Hawk Moth and then more so from the collapse of the grand Palais were going to be with him for a while, they'd needed to explain to the outside world just how he'd got them. An accident rock climbing involving some nasty bushes at the base of a cliff had seemed like a good place to start, also providing an excuse for just how he'd succeeded in cracking three ribs.
His hand travels towards the spot where his father's blade once pierced his flesh. It still burns sometimes whenever he thinks back to that terrible night. Even here right now, in broad daylight, he can see the cold fury behind Hawk Moth's eyes as Dylan had charged forwards for the last time. He rubs it sometimes enough to worry the skin. Nathalie had him go to the doctor once when he'd informed her about the sensation. There's no medical reason for it to be hurting. It's healed up and the stitches were done professionally. So he'd been told to take painkillers and come back if the sensation persisted.
Adrien finds himself no longer walking next to the river with a slightly cool breeze on his face. Instead, it's dark, his eyes are stinging from the dust and he can't breathe. The same terror grips him as for a few moments, he's convinced that he's back under the rubble:
"Adrien?" His mother's voice only just reaches his ears.
"I- I'm fine..."
He manages to pull himself together. The fear lingers for a while as he continues to walk on. He's doing all that he can to stay in the here and now and not to dwell on what once was.
He's safe now. He repeats it like a mantra to himself. That's all in the past. Hawk Moth is gone. He can't hurt him anymore. All the same, he finds himself searching for Plagg, even subconsciously inside of his pocket. The kwami can't show himself. Not in public, not with his mother so close. Nathalie and Marinette are nowhere nearby. So he's left only with his parent and he's desperate to conceal his affliction from her. As such, even with a thundering heart, he forces himself to smile. Ignoring how false it must look.
"Not pleasant memories." He offers as an explanation.
"I can imagine. You're as pale as a ghost..."
"I'm sorry for not telling you." He's about to lie again and finds himself clenching his teeth as he speaks, causing him to mutter. "Didn't want to worry you."
"Oh, please Adrien, don't feel that you have to keep things from me. I'm your mother, I want to help."
Perhaps his smile is a little more genuine this time, softer as he feels some of that maternal warmth he'd spent so long longing for.
For a moment, he fears that she might be about to push further, to attempt to get to the bottom of just why he has such a violent reaction to what, to some, might appear to be a relatively mundane event. Instead however, she seems to sense that it's upsetting him and backs off. It comes as a relief, allows him to breathe. Gradually, his heartbeat returns back to normal and he is able, once more to relax. An awkward silence settles over them:
"I'm sorry if I seem nosy or insensitive, it's just-" She pauses, her voice trembling with emotion.
"You don't have to apologize." He stops her short.
"No. You're my little boy and it's been so long, I'm just trying to understand the man you've become."
Adrien frowns pensively.
He can't help but wonder if she can even recognize him anymore. Physically, he's different but it's not the scars that people can see which he's the most conscientious about. He doesn't bother to hide those. So much has happened and changed. He doesn't recall ever being so tired or angry. There's a rage that takes over him sometimes, a pain which he can't explain and which makes him want to do nothing more than pass it on. How can he make the woman see that somewhere inside, there's the same old Adrien. He's just a little older and has seen more of the world than he perhaps should have, that's all.
Nathalie would know. She's good at getting past all the hurt and getting to the core of the issues which trouble him but then she's been filling a role that Emilie had once occupied. There's no reason why she can't be trusted once more and yet… He's reluctant to turn exclusively towards his birth mother. He can't quite say why. Whilst ignoring or forgetting about the assistant was obviously not possible, he equally doesn't want his mother to feel like she's somehow been replaced. She never was.
On the other hand, Nathalie's more than just his father's assistant. She's played quite the role in shaping just who he is now. He wonders briefly if she's been a more influential figure in his life than his mother.
It's a question he doesn't need or want answered at the moment.
They're down by the place des Vosges. A fond smile makes its way onto Emilie's lips. It distracts her son from his innermost thoughts. There's something about his mother, whenever she smiles it's like the world gets just that little bit brighter. The action is almost inevitably contagious. Still, he does find himself unsure as to just what's brought it on. Perhaps, she's just relishing being able to walk around in the open like this. After a few moments, it's almost like she senses his puzzlement, explaining herself:
"We used to come here all the time when you were little, don't you remember?"
"Of course I do!" Her son replies, thinking back to those simpler times. "I used to pester you for ice creams."
"Do you want one now?" She questions with a knowing look in her eye.
"I…" Any notions about being a cool and sophisticated teenager are abandoned when he catches sight of the vendor. "… wouldn't say no..."
He feels almost childish as he's handed the cone with a single scoop of passion fruit ice cream. As a matter of a fact, it's the exact same flavor and quantity that he'd enjoyed as a boy. It's a bit of a challenge to eat and keep a hold of Macaroon so they eventually sit down on a nearby bench. Whilst it's still a little chilly and the leaves are only just beginning to appear as buds on the trees, it's none-the-less a pleasant spot. There are many families out. The teen finds himself relaxing, not necessarily something that comes easily to him these days.
If Adrien finds himself focusing more on the children playing with their parents and memories of his own past, his mother's attention is suddenly drawn elsewhere:
"Miraculous holders?"
"Yeah… Cat Noir and Ladybug."
Her eyes have found the large bronze statue. Adrien's so used to it at this point that it scarcely even registers. To a stranger – or someone who's been in a magically induced coma for the past five years – it must look a little stranger. His mother recognizes them for what they are however, much to his surprise. She fixes them for a moment before turning back to him, evidently eager for some further explanation.
Adrien hesitates but tries to mask the fact as being due to his reflecting about matters, wondering how best to phrase things. In actuality, he's acutely aware that there are things he's not meant to bring up. His secret identity is one of them. Up until this point, Emilie's knowledge of the miraculous has been exceedingly vague. She knows that she used the Peacock miraculous when it was damaged but can't say for what. Not once has she brought up any of the others. Even now, she doesn't mention anything about earrings or rings.
One thing is clear, he most definitely can't conceal the fact that Paris' heroes exist. Not when two of them are still active.
"They showed up about five years back. There were some major issues with these monster things but that's calmed down now. So they mostly just deal with stuff that some of the authorities struggle to handle..."
"I see..." Her voice trails off for a moment. "I wish that I could remember more about them- the miraculouses I mean."
"Maybe it'll come back someday..."
He's not too sure that he wants it to. They're better off like this. At least he doesn't have to explain just why her husband became Hawk Moth and just what he did.
Thankfully, her attention begins to wander once more. This time, it seems like she's actually searching for something. Adrien allows his own gaze to follow hers, actively trying to guess just what she might be looking for. It eludes him. She certainly seems to be a little puzzled. Whatever she expected or wanted to find, she's struggling to locate it. After a few more moments, she turns back to face him and explains herself:
"Marinette lives near here, doesn't she?"
"Yeah. The bakery's just over there!"
He points it out to her, glass windows just visible through the trees and fences. She – or more often the chef – used to go there every day to get their bread. She seems eager to return there for old times' sake. Adrien obliges.
Dogs aren't all that welcome inside. It's both the law and a bad experience with Macaroon and well… Some macaroons, has meant that the large mutt if officially outlawed from the store. So Adrien waits outside whilst Emilie goes in. She passes Marinette, eager to speak with her boyfriend about something for a little while. As usual, the girl is all smiles and pleasantness. She leaves the two outside. The smell of the bread hasn't changed and stirs a thousand memories in her mind. She takes a while to make her choice – it's been five years after all. There's a woman there, the teen's mother she wagers, who seems eager to strike up a conversation. Why wouldn't she? Their children are dating.
Mrs. Dupain-Cheng and the large man whom Emilie assumes is her husband who comes out later both seem to be the sort of kind and welcoming types with their heads firmly on their shoulders whom she has no qualms about her son being around. After five minutes, she eventually leaves, receiving plenty of encouragement to come by again for a drink or something. She promises to.
Outside, she's surprised to find Adrien looking a bit glum. Whatever the two of them are discussing, it must have been something comparatively grave to earn such a reaction. She only overhears the tail end of their conversation:
"I'll keep you posted."
They bid each other goodbye before Adrien rejoins her. He tries to put on a brave face, to forget about whatever was troubling him and actually does a not too bad job of it for his standards. Emilie however is neither fooled nor is she about to forget about the matter. They cross the street and back down towards the Seine. She keeps an eye on him out of her peripheral vision for a little while before asking:
"What was that about back there?" He appears a little puzzled but catches on soon enough. "-and don't you dare say "nothing"."
"It's my friend Nino's 18th birthday, in a few days." Adrien informs her with something of a heavy sigh. "The others are having a party and I'm invited."
"Nino…" She contemplates the name for a few moments, certain that she's heard it before. "He's the DJ, right?"
"That's him!" It's little things like being able to remember his friends' names which cause Adrien to smile. "He's super talented!"
"Well then what are you waiting for?" She laughs at the boy's hesitation. "Of course you can go!"
"Seriously?"
She just nods as a response.
The walk back is more sedate. Adrien opens up. He laughs and chats in a way that she's never seen him do up until this point. It's like she's got her little boy back. All that enthusiasm and joy, even down to the little spark behind his green eyes. Whatever been on his mind is lifted away. She doesn't question it, content to take advantage of his brighter mood.
They opt for a lunch out. The bread will do them for tonight's meal. Ice cream before lunch, it's hardly the typical order of things but then things are strange right now. They find a nice restaurant, slightly off of the beaten track full of tourists and settle down there. Are they pretending or is this real? Both would like to believe that latter. Adrien's smile isn't forced. He doesn't hide anything because no questions are asked that would require him to do so. Even Macaroon is well-behaved. Sitting there as a waiter brings him a bowl of water and his owner tosses him a few pieces of bread. They don't even touch the sides.
She gets him to chuckle on the way back home, telling him the same old stories that she had done when he was a child. They still manage to tickle his funny bone. He hasn't forgotten any of them but they haven't lost their charm in the retelling. Their laughter only grows louder as they grow nearer to the mansion and enter through its doors. He lets slip Macaroon. Rather than head for the dining room where his food and water dish are located, he makes a bee-line for the study, unusual. Adrien is quick to twig onto the fact that Nathalie must be home.
Sure enough, the woman emerged a moment later, highly unimpressed by the dog's greeting. His gaze travels between the two of them. Both are still slightly high on happiness from their trip and wearing beaming smiles.
Adrien's begins to fade however. Nathalie's been working no doubt and he's been out enjoying himself. That in itself doesn't quite bother him, it's not entirely uncommon. She wasn't invited along on this little outing. Whilst she hadn't been present for them to ask, it dawns on the teen that "mother and son outings" would necessarily exclude the woman. Does she feel left out? Has he betrayed some sort of trust between them? He wonders if some subconscious part of him might be drifting back towards his mother and driving him away from his Man.
Or is he just being paranoid?
It's towards Emilie that Nathalie seems to direct most of her attention. There's something behind the woman's blue gaze but Adrien can't make out just what it is. His mother only smiles warmly, confusing him further. He looks between the two of them but opts to remain silent, feeling awkward.
"How long have you been back Nathalie?" Emilie asks after a few moments.
"Not long..." A somewhat ambiguous answer given that it's getting on for three o'clock. "Did you two enjoy your trip?"
"Yes. Adrien showed me some of the places that we used to go when he was a little boy, didn't you?"
"Only around place des Vosges." The teen replies uneasy at having the attention suddenly directed back towards him. "I talked to Marinette for a bit. She says "hi"."
He adds the last part quickly, eager to change the subject. Nathalie smiles and nods before excusing herself, there's a fair bit of work which needs to be done apparently. Emilie too has matters to attend to, she's chatting with some of her old contacts from the film industry apparently. She's eager to see if she can get back to work and start living some semblance of a normal life again.
It leaves Adrien standing there awkwardly. His gaze travels up towards the large portrait which hangs just above the stairs. It's world which seems so far away now that he can scarcely believe that it was once his life.
Perhaps, he hopes, that in a few years, this confusion will be the same and he'll be laughing, thinking about how foolish all of this had been. Until then, he's going to admit that he's not entirely sure which path he's supposed to go down and how he's meant to get to that better but simple future he longs for.