Author's note: Thanks for the reviews!

/

It's something of an astonishing sight for Marinette Dupain-Cheng when Adrien returns to her, with Macaroon by his side. The young man appears to be none the worse for wear much to her astonishment. He even manages a smile, holding her close even as she calls him an idiot. He laughs, apologizes and promises never to do it again. She wants to believe him. In his arms, it's a challenge not to feel a certain amount of relief wash over her. Perhaps she's being foolishly optimistic but she likes to think that he's not going to run away this time.

Nathalie enters a moment later.

There's a certain amount of relief, a feeling that everything has more or less worked out as it was meant to. In some respects, in those few instants, she finds herself thinking that it's as if they've gone back to how things were a few weeks ago. Adrien feels, as she stays there in his arms for a few moments, more like the young man that she knows and loves than the man that he had become for some time. Marinette doesn't question where he was or just how the older woman had convinced him to come back but whatever she's did, the teen is grateful for it. She hopes that Nathalie can see that.

Tending to the bakery, the girl's parents give the group some time to themselves, sensing that they need the privacy. All the same, it's to Marinette's bedroom that the group retreats. It's a room that Nathalie's never set foot in before and perhaps the finds the pink a little bit overwhelming. At the very least, that's what the teen reasons upon taking note of her somewhat startled reaction. She shakes it off a moment later. There is quite a good deal on the woman's mind as they settle down calmly. For all that, they remain comparatively relaxed given the situation that they were in mere hours before.

There's a good deal on their minds as they sit there. Although efforts are made by humans and kwamis alike not to stare, all eyes still end up resting upon Adrien Agreste. The teen doesn't react or shift uncomfortably. With his head hung low, he seems only too aware that he needs to provide some explanations for what's happened:

"I'm sorry for running away Marinette. I was going to let you know what was going on as soon as I could." She doesn't tell him that it was okay because in her mind, it really wasn't. "I just wanted to make sure everything would work out first."

"You planned it?" The girl asks him a moment later.

Adrien doesn't deny it. It's clear that he's being 100% honest right now. The young man doesn't even attempt to conceal any of what he'd done. In some ways, it must be a comfort to her to know that he hadn't ever intended to abandon her. He explains his thought process, the fact that he had put a fair amount of reflection into it. His escape had been something that he had decided upon only a few hours after Nathalie had been driven away. He couldn't possibly envision living with anyone, even his parents, after they had forced him away from those he cared for.

He couldn't leave too soon however, his parents would have been expecting it. So he'd played along, allowed himself to be their perfect son. He'd done his best to numb himself. The medicine that he'd been prescribed to avoid any more potential violent outbursts had helped with that much apparently:

"I've got these..." He hands Nathalie an empty pillbox.

"Do they make things any better?"

"Mm…" The young man mutters, evidently a little uneasy. "Makes things numb. They don't hurt so much any more. I get kind of drowsy..."

"So are you going to keep on taking them?" Marinette asks him tentatively.

Adrien makes it quite clear that it's a touchy subject for him. From her perspective, she can see benefits to both. It all depends on how confident the teen is that he can keep himself under control. If he has some doubts, then it might pay for him to err on the side of caution. He's lashed out before. One of these days, Nathalie is certain that he will end up hurting someone more severely if he isn't able to dominate it. On the other hand of course, he'd been pressured into the whole thing by his mother and father. She could understand if he no longer wanted anything to do with them and by extension what they had forced him to go through.

He seemed to consider his options there in silence. The atmosphere was such that none of those with him were inclined to push for an answer. Instead they waited. After some time, neither of them seemed to be

"I got rid of them." He confesses somewhat sheepishly after a while. "I-I want to feel again, now that I'm away from them. I-It's coming back."

She can see that. It's apparent that Adrien is emotional although perhaps more sedate than he otherwise would have been in some other circumstances. It isn't anger that he's displaying right now so much as a sense of being lost. Marinette reaches out and takes his hand. The teen turns his head slowly to fix her. She offers him a gentle little smile, letting him know that he's safe now, in good company. If they were sitting a bit closer, no doubt they might just snuggle. It isn't Nathalie's presence so much as the knowledge that there's still some business which remains unresolved to deal with.

The figure of the Agrestes loom over them. They're inescapable. It prevents the group from relaxing. They will be coming back. They can't hide Adrien. Sooner or later, they will come for him. He knows that. They all do. That single piece of knowledge will make even the slightest notion of relaxing and breathing easily seem impossible to them.

So there's the question of just what they do. They have only a few options. Adrien has already chosen to run away, already showing his hand in so far as he's let them know that he has no intention of living with them for any longer than he physically has to. Whilst perhaps an admirable sentiment, it does leave them with the slight predicament that his parents are now actively searching for him. It means that they're going to have to make their move quickly, as something of a preemptive strike. For that, their son is going to have to contact them, something he's perhaps understandably reticent to do:

"I just want to forget about them!" He stresses to both women. "Can't I just get on with my life now?!"

"Not if they're going to come looking for you." Nathalie reminds him somewhat gravely. "They won't let you have any peace until they know where they stand. Besides, it might be better to let them know why you're doing this."

Adrien doesn't say anything, considering the woman's words in relative silence. He must know that he doesn't have much of a choice unless he plans on spending the rest of his life either in hiding or a permanent state of war. He doesn't say anything as he gets his phone out of his pocket, turns it on and looks up his mother's number.

He sends her a single message: "Get back home. I'll video call you."

They must practically teleport as five minutes later, his phone goes. Adrien holds off a bit, fixing the device with some sense of terror. For a moment, he looks as if he might be about to bolt. Marinette takes his hand. He tenses up, surprised. When he looks back to see her, it's almost as if he'd forgotten that she was there. The young woman smiles gently, confirming once again that he isn't alone. With a deep breath, he hits the button and a few seconds later, they find themselves faced with the young man's parents.

She feels the young man come close to backing away, retreating out of the sight. He doesn't however, managing to steady himself. He maintains a certain amount of dignity before them, managing to mask his fear and concern behind a cool exterior. It's in those few moments that Marinette realizes for the first time that he's downright terrified of his parents. It's all that it takes for her to decide that no matter what happens, he most definitely isn't going back to live with them. She doubts that he'll want to but she doesn't want to see him pressured into returning to a life which, she is convinced, is bound to destroy his soul.

"Adrien?! Where are you?!" Gabriel demands his voice harsh.

"I'm safe." The young man responds as calmly as possible. "Mother, father, we have to talk."

"Why not come home and talk?" Emilie suggests somewhat more gently.

"No… That's just it. That life you're trying to build for me. It isn't the life I want..."

His words aren't spoken all that kindly or delicately. They're delivered much like a sledgehammer but then Adrien's spent so long dancing around carefully that maybe it's time for him to speak his mind a little bit. Whilst his parents do certainly appear to be shocked, Marinette's not convinced that it's because he's expressing a sentiment that they had no clue existing so much as the fact that he's actively challenging them instead of shying away as he might have done once in the past.

His challenge is one which is met with hostility after a few moments. Neither of the Agrestes are particularly accustomed to having anyone speak out against them, so for their own flesh and blood to do so comes as something of a blow. It's clear that for a few moments, they can't quite work out how to react to it. Should they rage against him or on the contrary keep their heads and try to reason with their son. To Marinette's surprise, she notes that with every passing moment, he seems to be relaxing a little. As if he's no longer faced with demons but instead realizes that like him, they can be unsettled. For the first time, they seem vulnerable.

It gives him the courage to continue, not offering them a chance to add anything or question him any further.

"You're doing everything that you think is right but it isn't. Not for me. The truth is I was much happier before." He frowns, anger clearly taking over. "Both of you, when I didn't want to play ball with one of your schemes, you tried to stop me from being who I wanted to be, from being with the people that I love and I'm not going to live with that any longer!"

Once more, they seem to be too shocked to know how to respond. They just stood there blinking. Ironically, Marinette actually finds herself hoping that his words to hurt. That they remind his parents that their son can be cruel if he's hurt, that he can be pushed too far but most of all, she prays that they listen. She doesn't dare to hold her breath however, aware that Gabriel's generally inclined to blame anyone else before himself. She doesn't even know if he is capable of looking at his own actions and realizing that he was in the wrong.

Teeth clenched, Adrien isn't quite about to stop yet however. It's apparent that he isn't angry. He speaks to them plainly, as if he's laying out a business proposition more than anything else:

"I need you to respect my decisions and right now… I don't think you can." He lets out a sigh, his eyes lowering for a moment. "I need some time away from all that for a while. I think we all do. So, I won't be coming back to the mansion."

"Adrien…" Emilie dares to speak, her voice soft and gentle. "We're your parents."

"Then do what's best for me." Her son answers with a voice just as kind. "I'm not saying we never talk or see each other again but… I just need a while to clean my head."

There is a pause, something of a stunned silence. The Agrestes starred at their son as if he had just spoken in some foreign and utterly incomprehensible tongue. There was a certain amount of pain behind their eyes. It's enough to almost make Marinette feel sorry for them.

Quickly however, the shock behind Gabriel's eyes is replaced by a far more familiar rage. Those who knew him would doubtlessly be aware that he could be terrible when things didn't go his way. His teeth are gritted. There's a certain coldness which threatened to be terrible when the man unleashed the anger which was contained within him. His son doesn't back down. Sitting next to Adrien, Marinette senses his muscles tense up, as if he's preparing to receive a blow of some kind. Had they been in the same room, it would have been possible that the two of them would potentially have began to square up against one another. Thankfully, there is a certain amount of distance between the two of them.

Adrien's father opened his mouth, clearly he has a few things to say to his only son. Emilie however, stops him simply by placing her hands on his arm. She has a much softer, more compassionate look about her as she turns her attention towards her child. For a moment, something seems to pass between the two of them:

"Okay honey. You take your time. Remember though, we're here for you if you need us."

They hang up a few moments later, not giving Adrien enough time to protest or otherwise react to what had happened. Perhaps that was for the best. No doubt the couple had a good deal to discuss and to wrap their heads around these events and it was almost certainly preferable that they did that before tensions flared, which they almost certainly would if pushed too far. All the same, it seems to be a little bit abrupt.

The teen stares at the blank screen listlessly for a while. Evidently, he's struggling to process what just happened as well. It must be a lot for him. Perhaps he'll call this a victory or maybe in a few hours he'll bitterly regret this course of action and tell himself that he should have done things differently. It's quite tempting to leave him be for a little while so that he can try to make sense of a few things in private. Sometimes it can be a mistake to crowd Adrien, Nathalie knows that in the past he's not always welcomed it. On other occasions however, he's welcomed it.

He looks towards them a few moments later, visibly a little bit shaken. He speaks in a soft voice but one which betrays the fact that this isn't exactly the first time he's been around the block as far as his parents are concerned.

"I want to believe them..."

"You did the right thing, Adrien." Marinette tells him, reaching out to take his hand.

"I just hope they don't make me regret it..." Is all that he can think to answer.