Cooking wasn't something that had come especially naturally to Adrien. There was a single simple reason for that: he'd never been required to. There had always been someone, somewhere willing to prepare some food for him. More often than not, they'd been nameless. Their meals were prepared somewhere and through some system which Nathalie seemed to command, they had always reached the mansion both fresh and ready-to-eat. He'd never really thought about it. His lack of knowledge had only really become apparent during the few of Tom Dupain-Cheng's cooking classes he'd attended. Even then, it hadn't been all that unusual, many of the fourteen year olds were notices when it came to managing the pots and pans. In Tibet, he had been forced to learn. Not because his master had refused to do such a menial task but because it was required of him. There is no task too humble for guardian… One of the very first things which he had been told upon finding himself in the ruins of the temple.

"You might be Cat Noir and able to destroy a skyscraper, with the touch of your hand but if you cannot prepare your own food, then you will starve." Master Fu had told him, watching as he'd found himself unable to do something as simple as peeling a carrot without taking the skin off of one of his knuckles.

It wasn't something that he had to think about much any more. Like much of what he'd been taught, after hours and hours, turning to days, weeks, months and years of repetition, it had all become automatic. He chopped the vegetables, throwing them into the point with the rest of the mix. Things were running to time. He'd been forced to adopt the portion sizes to accommodate for the extra four mouths who had promised to be present. Easy, at least in theory. Nathalie waited patiently for him to finish his current task. She had something to say but evidently it wasn't urgent enough to warrant disturbing him. He finished with the last carrot, before turning around, giving her his full undivided attention.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to inform you that the meeting with the head of IT has been moved forwards to Wednesday. They're hoping to launch the platform by the weekend."

"That's great… Isn't it?" The last part was somewhat more tentative, he never really did know what was going on where these business things were concerned.

"Well, it's gone from being two months behind schedule to one. So yes, it is good news." Her eyes narrowed, unamused. "Do you ever read the summaries I give you?"

"I do!" He stressed that fact to him. "I just don't always understand them."

"Perhaps I should try filling them out in ancient Chinese..."

She approached none-the-less. He stepped to one side, giving the woman access to the pot. She didn't touch it, preferring not to meddle but contented with giving it a quick sniff. He trusted Nathalie's judgement. She knew how things worked and what people liked. It was largely due to experience which she had amassed from years of assisting Gabriel and accompanying him on various professional outings. He'd pretty much trust her to run most of his life, it's what his father used to do when he spent his days waiting in that lonely attic for someone to become either sad or angry enough to be able to become one of his puppets. This is a little different though. He knows that the former secretary trusts him with meals, she's being doing so for the past month. If she didn't like them, she'd let him know or at least start ordering herself a salad instead.

"Smells good." She noted her expression as stony as it ever was. "So you're actually giving this a go?"

"An attempt at a half normal life?" He smiled to the best of his ability, nerves making it difficult to appear to be entirely at ease. "I'm going to give it my all."

"In which case, might I suggest that you change. I've gotten used to those robes, your friends might find them a little off-putting."

"Good point." He looked down at the clothes. What had once felt odd now barely even registered. "What about you? Are you staying like that?"

"Me? You're going to be sitting down to dinner with your three friends-"

"What about me? Am I supposed to just starve in the corner?!" Plagg questioned floating over.

"-and your kwami. You don't want me hanging around." The woman declared clutching her tablet close to her chest. "Just leave the pot out here, I'll help myself and stay out of your way in the meantime. It's not like dinners are my scene anyway."

Adrien managed to contain a sigh. He knew better than to expect the assistant to hang around for something like a meal. There were simply too many people. She wasn't a social bunny. Far from it. The woman was far happier with only a couple of others around her and even them, more often than not she tried to keep at arm's length as he had discovered to his cost at several times in the past. It was just the type of person she was. The time she'd spent in a jail cell hadn't exactly improved the problem either, if anything, making her disdain for the rest of her humanity all the worse. She would be quite happy to sit alone in her room and work away in silence whilst the rest of them chatted away downstairs.

For once however, Adrien wasn't about to give up without a fight. He stepped out in front of her, blocking her path. She raised an eyebrow, dubious and not in the mood for fun and games right now.

"I said a half normal life. Grumpy former supervillains are a part of it."

"Well isn't that a nice little idealistic island you live on…" The woman replied, her eyes narrowed.

"Come on…" There was a time when a pleading look had worked, at least slightly with her. "It'll look weird if you're not."

"I miss the days when you didn't argue." The woman rolled her eyes with exasperation. "Fine but I might find some way to excuse myself half way through!"

Adrien didn't argue, it was already progress. There was a time, not all that long ago, where he knew that he would have had to order the woman to sit down to dinner with them if she wanted to have the slightest hope of her doing so. Even then, she would have argued, perhaps even refused. He decided to do as she said, the woman would be irritated enough already by the prospect of having to sit down for a meal for him and his friends. The meals with three of them (Plagg would always sit down for a plate full of camembert) were usually relatively quiet affairs. Idle chatter wasn't something which seemed to come all that naturally to the assistant. She was much happier being left to her own devices. He wasn't entirely sure if she'd ever come out of her shell. Perhaps it was wrong of him to try and drag her out of it from time to time…

He went back to his room and changed, slipping into some clothes which were less likely to cause less of a stir. Things which he no longer even thought twice about had struck her as being downright bizarre, bordering on the humorous. He remembered finding it a bit odd himself when, he'd first joined Master Fu but the weeks and months had turned everything into a routine and Paris into something of a distant dream. At times, he had found himself wondering if those days with his friends fighting akumas had ever been real. They'd seemed so far away up there on that mountain… Even now, standing in front the mirror in his room, ensuring that his collar wasn't folded, he found it hard to believe he was standing here. In Tibet, he had found himself dreaming of Paris, in Paris he found himself dreaming of Tibet. There must have been some strange irony there which he couldn't quite understand.

"Face it! You're just doing this to impress Marinette!" Plagg floated near to his head, admiring himself in the mirror.

"Impress her? If I can go the evening without insulting her then I'll be impressed!" He continued to fidget with the sleeves of his shirt, nerves once forming butterflies in the pit of his stomach. "Why's all this stuff so complicated Plagg?"

"Well, humans are pretty soppy, brainless things so it was never going to be easy."

"Thanks for that one." He abandoned any more modifications to his clothes. If something was wrong, Nathalie would intercept him. "Can you try and behave tonight?"

"Me?" The kwami huffed, seemingly offended. "I always behave!"

Once more, Adrien didn't argue. There was little point where Plagg was concerned. It wasn't in the kwami's nature to care all that much what others thought about him. Adrien was too easy going – that's what pretty much everyone had told him. The holder of the cat miraculous needed to be strong and firm, otherwise their partner could easily run amok, Master Fu had told him that much himself. Yet for all that, the young man was generally content to trust the strange creature. Mischievous as he might be, he wasn't actually evil.

The young man rushed downstairs, eager to greet his guests. Whenever they got here. A quick glance to a nearby clock confirmed that they should be arriving within the next ten minutes. He'd planned through everything that he was going to say, how he would say it. It was essential that he apologised. There would be no red roses this time but words intended to be kind, some attempt to justify himself. If it were possible to go back, he would have done this whole return to Paris thing differently. He couldn't have said what had driven him to go and search out Marinette. Nathalie had been out of necessity. He had nowhere to go and the emergency funds he'd shared with Master Fu in case of eventualities like this were almost all gone. His friend had been different, maybe that was what had caused him to blow up so spectacularly… He should either have stayed away or been straight with them from the start.

"They're here." A voice from the office informed him. "I've let them in."

"Thanks Nathalie!"

He should open the front door for them, save the group the trouble of having to knock. They would know that he was aware they had arrived. For some reason, he found himself hesitating however as he reached for the handle. He imagined them angry, resentful after the way that he had treated them the first time they had come here, willingly, just anxious friends looking to help. Marinette had warned him that they might not be entirely happy to see him. He didn't know the details of how the others had taken his rejection. His intention to distance himself from them had meant that he could only imagine that they had not appreciated it in the slightest. In all honesty, the young man couldn't blame them. Next to him, Plagg tilted his head to one side, wondering what was taking so long for his human partner to complete such a mundane task. Adrien shook his head, snapping himself out of his daydreaming state. He turned the handle, opening the door.

In truth, he wasn't all that sure what happened next. He heard a cry, probably more surprise than anything else. His instincts triggered, causing him to both brace himself and reach out his arms, catching the figure as they crashed into him. Marinette Dupain-Cheng had somehow managed to fall over once more it would seem. She seemed a little confused for a few seconds, no doubt getting her bearings as he held her in place, ensuring that she couldn't slip any further. Before he could ask just what had happened, the young woman let out a shrill shriek of surprise, jumping back about three feet and almost colliding with her friends who had been standing behind her.

"So sorry! I just wanted to knock! Then the door opened!"

"No harm done." Now, to remember the proper etiquette for such an occasion. "Please, come in."

He stepped to one side, allowing them past him and into the main hall. The young man took note of the weather: chilly with a very light rain. His guests would no doubt be a little damp. He trusted Nathalie to deal with things such as ambient room temperature. She was very much an indoors sort of person and let him know about two weeks in that he would have to put the central heating on if she was to stay in his employ. It didn't really matter. So long as the rooms didn't become saunas, he took little notice of just how chilly things were anyhow. Turning back, he found himself in a somewhat awkward position.

His family almost never received guests. The Agreste mansion had always been something of hallowed ground for the family. Very few people ever made it past the gates and those who did seldom stayed for long. He couldn't remember the last time they'd ever had guests. As such, the etiquette required for greeting them was something which eluded him. He'd asked Nathalie for a briefing, just the basics, what was required outside of a "hello". She'd explained it all to him but mentioned that given that this wasn't exactly a formal occasion and that he was essentially a twenty-something-year-old having a few of what had once been his closest friends round for dinner, there was no reason to be so hung up about such things. They were unlikely to pick him up on it. Even so, he knew that standing there gaping like a fish wasn't the way to go about solving the problem.

"Let me…" He strained himself, trying to recall the next step.

"I'll take your coats if you want."

Nathalie emerged from where she had been waiting in the office. She wore her usual disinterested expression as she came to his rescue, taking the visitors coats and hanging them on the nearby wrack so that they would dry. He would have to thank her later. He stood there poleaxed, still unsure how to proceed. Slowly, he closed the door shutting out the night's chill and the rain. That still left him with his friends to deal with. He found himself faced with no hostility as he turned around to look at the group once more. They appeared to be a mixture of neutral in Chloe's case but otherwise wore gentle smiles where the other three of them were concerned. It proved to be enough to shake him out of his stupor, reminding him what needed to be done:

"Before we go any further, I wanted to apologize for the other day. I thought that it would be in everyone's interests if we kept to ourselves." He let out a sigh, unsure how to explain his logic any further. "I was afraid that my duty as a guardian would mean that you guys ended up suffering as a result. It was wrong of me to presume that you wouldn't be able to manage it. I'm sorry…"

He'd said it. That was already a weight off of his shoulders. It was quickly replaced by anxiousness as he found himself faced with his friends. Waiting for their reactions, he stood there unsure just what to expect. Where they to be hostile, he trusted they would have been practical about it, refusing his invitation instead of coming here. Still, the young man found himself nervous. It had been so long since he'd had to deal with others like this. Oh how he longed in those few seconds for the quite sanctuary of the mountains. If it had been too much at times, he could see the benefit of it on occasion. Right in those few seconds, he wished that he could have faded out into non-existence.

Then, in a flash everything changed.

The group rushed him, not aggressively. They slowed down in the last few steps. Their arms opened, and he understood what they intended. He didn't quite have enough time to react however as they embraced him, pulling him in close for a shared hug. Their arms wrapped themselves around his neck. It was a gentle action but one which he none-the-less appreciated. He found himself laughing softly, surprised but grateful. His best guess was that they had agreed on this beforehand. Their action had seemed planned, rehearsed. Perhaps his speech had come as a surprise, but they none-the-less seemed truly happy to see him. No doubt Marinette had talked a few things over with them. Whatever the case, the young man wasn't about to complain. He would have returned the gesture were it not for the swarms of arms squeezing him.

"Good to have you back dude." Nino's comment earned yet another chuckle.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you…" Was all that he could think to respond. "All of you."

They pulled away a few seconds later. He smiled at them, hoping they understood just how sincere he was. So much had seemed overstated. Just how big a hole they had left in his life was one such thing. A hole that he had never dared to fill and a distance that he had never been able to bring himself to try and bridge, no matter how much his master had insisted that he at least try. Now, standing here, he felt some part of him finally slide back into place. He must have been getting emotional. Plagg tended to let him know as much by his displays of contempt, usually in the form of a disdainful huff. As if he, a kwami was far beyond such trivial matters. It was a reminder however that right now perhaps wasn't the place to be getting soppy. He still had dinner to serve after all.

Adrien was able to pull himself together enough to invite them into the living-room. It was warmer in there, at least physically. This house always felt a little cold and artificial. With a few more people, it gained something a little more human and relatable. They all settled down in the armchairs and on the sofa. Nathalie was the last one in, closing the door behind her. She sat down a little further away, distancing herself but still technically in the same room (it was progress as far as he was concerned). He noticed their attention focusing on the large picture sitting about the fireplace. Thankfully, the group seemed to remember just who they were with, their gazes quickly snapping away as if it was forbidden. Somehow, the young man found himself doubting that his family would be a subject they managed to completely avoid tonight.

"I take it Marinette explained things to you..." He declared taking his seat.

"What little I know..." The young woman replied glancing to her friends.

"Yeah. We're sort of expecting some big gossip here!" Alya informed him leaning forwards. "Where've you been? What have you learned?! Ooh! Are there other miraculous holders?!"

"Easy there!" Nino laughed softly. "Give the dude a chance to breathe!"

Adrien smiled in response. He doubted that they would find it all that interesting. Once you got part the somewhat exotic side of it, he'd very quickly fallen into a routine. The same few actions day in and day out, repeated in an endless cycle until it no longer required thinking about. He'd tell them if they really wanted to know. Thankfully, they had all been miraculous holders once. It wasn't as if they were bound by the same need for secrecy which held him in silence with the rest of the world. Plagg settled down on the arm of his chair, his eyes trailed over the group of young adults sitting there, waiting patiently.

He didn't know how the rest of the evening would go or even where to begin. He would have quite liked to get to know more about them, what they had been doing and what they were planning to do. There was only so much that a couple of hours on the internet could do. Still, sitting there before them, he didn't quite comprehend what he was expected to do next. It would be a shame if this all became about him. He sat back, trying his best to relax. With eight eyes resting upon him, he found the heat rising to his cheeks, as if this was something more akin to an interview than a meeting of friends. His fingers had found the ring, they toyed with it, turning it slowly. It would come off, he knew that. What he would find would be a pale line of skin which hadn't seen the sun in a good many years. He glanced back up at them. They were still there...

"You guys really want to know?" He questioned, uncertain.

"Of course we do!" Alya's enthousiasm still hadn't died down. "You left us in the dark you know!"

"I know. I'm sorry..." He let out a sigh, looking up at the ceiling. How often had he regretted that night? "I was scared and confused. I just wanted to get out of the city, away from everything... Even you guys."

"Yeah but-" Marinette started, regret filling her eyes.

"I know. I wasn't thinking straight." A painful truth he had come to terms with a few months into his time spent in Tibet. "If I could have go back, I'd do things differently. I shouldn't have left the way that I did. I'm sorry I didn't say 'goodbye'."

He'd run off like a coward into the night. Meeting up with Master Fu before disappearing from their lives for what he had thought might very well be forever. The only thing that would haunt him more than the horrified look the elderly man had given him when he had learned the truth was the tears in the eyes of the girl he had fallen in love with as he had announced brutally that he was leaving. Turning his back had been easier than facing them.

The regret had struck him almost instantly. The only thing more powerful had been shame at his own actions and weakness. How could he face them after all of that? They were his friends, they would understand, the old man had told him time and time again, practically begging him to do so little as write. The words had never come. He had found himself faced with the consequences standing alone atop a lonely mountainside. His only remaining companion was his kwami. For a while, he'd hoped it would be enough. Without the distraction of his master's teachings, the images of his former life had been quick to return to haunt him. They'd proved to be impossible to ignore, almost as if something was calling him back to them. He'd left, packing what little he had and returned to Paris. Confused, lost and woefully unprepared... He told them as much. A complicated tale to tell given that even today he wasn't entirely sure what had driven him to act the way he had. Fear, he suspected, was mostly to blame.

The others had more questions, he could tell. They listened to him intently, finally receiving at least some of the answers they had been denied for so long. It wouldn't be enough, at least he didn't think so but it was better than nothing and right now probably all that he could reasonably offer. He tried to remain relaxed, to stay at ease. It was true there was a certain amount of resignation in his attitude that caused him to just sit there, his limbs feeling heavy. He answered a few questions, mostly about just what his life had been like there. Yes, it had been harsh, brutal at times but he'd coped with it, adapted until it no longer registered.

"The thing I don't get, is when did you decide to become a guardian?!" Nino shook his head, evidently still somewhat confused.

"It wasn't exactly a lifelong dream of mine..." Adrien confessed lowering his head. "I needed something. I didn't know what it was... I guess, I did find some peace up there, at least for a while."

He would have been lying if he claimed otherwise. It had taken him some time to settle down, to get accustomed to everything from the exercise routine, to the diet and altitude. Once he had though, the memories of his parents had slowly faded away, the pain with it. He tried to explain how he had been encouraged to let go of his guilt, that it had no place in him. This was a time for a new start. Did that include his former friends? It shouldn't have. He could see that much now. Suddenly, his master's words made somewhat more sense. He hadn't understood at the time. How could he put that part of his life behind him and still hold onto a part of it. Sitting there with his friends, seeing their faces once more. It taught him to hope.

Tonight was an odd one. This was the first time that they had been together properly since he had returned. Adrien hoped to be able to exclude that pathetic attempt he had made to distance himself from them. It was an opportunity to be savoured... If they could stop their questions that was. This was beginning to feel like something of an interrogation:

"-but, did you want to?" This time it was Chloe who questioned him, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

"The world needs the guardians. If we don't exist then there's no one to manage the miraculouses." He hesitated a moment, looking around. "I think dinner should be about ready."

They nodded, getting to their feet. He escorted them into the dinning room. It was a room which they had only ever set foot in the room twice, at least with an invitation. During the battle against Hawk Moth and Mayura, he'd rather lost track of just where the fight had spiraled into. Nathalie had already set all of the seats for them. Almost instantly, as soon as they entered their attention fell upon the large portrait. It was admittedly hard to ignore the figure of his mother, still throning over everything like the near-god she had become for a while in the Agreste household. The eery sensation it created was shared by all. Even Nathalie, a woman usually far beyond such things as everyday emotions, never seemed entirely comfortable under the woman's green gaze.

"Yeah… I need to redecorate." Was all he could think to say. "But it's hard to find paintings with secret passages in mind."

"Do you even still use that thing?" Nino questioned averting his eyes from the image.

"I store some stuff up there." He replied honestly. "-and it's a good place for my workout. You guys settle down, I'll go and serve."

The group did as they were told, chosing their seats without any particular care for who sat where. There was more than enough space for everyone. Just why their dining table was so huge would forever be a mystery to Adrien. Even back in the days when his family had been whole, they had never had many people round. Barely any at all for that matter. The most he could ever recall was one evening when it had been him, his parents and the Bourgeois family – if that bizarre Christmas meal wasn't counted that was. Yet they had this massive thing which sometimes felt as if it could sit half the city and always felt terribly lonely when he had been having his lunches and dinners by himself. With six of them, he was hoping that it would be a little bit more lively.

Heading back towards the kitchen, the young man found himself hovering briefly by the door, listening to their chatter. He didn't care necessarily to easedrop to an extent where he was able to pick up everything that they were saying, it was more the tone which interested him. They sounded... Relaxed. That was a good sign he supposed.

He found the stew still bubbling away on low-heat. A quick smell confirmed that it was all alright. Next to him, Plagg hovered over it unenthouasiastically. He wasn't a big fan of the age old recipes from the guardians. Apparently, cheese was infinitely more preferable and the best there was, of course, was camembert. Ensuring that he was wearing some heatproof oven-gloves, he took the pot off of the stove and placed it on the worksurface. Hopefully his calculations would be correct and there would be enough for his friends. The sound of some high-heels clicking on the floor behind him caused the young man to turn around. Apparently he had some reinforcements which was probably a good thing because, he hadn't thought this through enough to know just how to carry the pot plus the associated bowls.

"Need a hand?"

"If you'd be so kind..." The woman frowned at the bowls, raising her gaze to meet his. "I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that your guests are probably thirsty."

"Did I forget to ask them if they wanted anything?"

"Yes, you did."

"I'll get them something." He declared trying to sneak into the kitchens.

"Let me. I know the combination to your father's wine cellar."

"Wine?"

"Trust me, they might not complain but they might be expecting a bit more than water." She added a second after, with what he thought might have been a slight smile. "We are French after all."

He nodded in somewhat puzzled agreement. He trusted his father's former assistant's judgement where such matters were concerned. He'd forgotten about the wine cellar. It was yet another place he'd been strickly forbidden to enter (although perhaps not as secret as the two lairs). Whilst she was dealing with that, he carried the bowls through, promising to be back in a few seconds with the rest of the meal. By the time he did so, Nathalie had already returned and was in the process of serving his guests. The sight of his friends indulging in alcohol struck him as decidedly strange. In his mind, they were still the same group who would have been content with a nice glass of soda. Things changed, he supposed.

The food was met with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion as he served it out to them by the ladleful. Nathalie had pulled a similar expression when he had first tried to serve her some. He hoped, that like her, they would taste it and decide that it wasn't too bad. Either that or he was going to have to go with the assistant's initial suggestion of a takeaway. At least they didn't protest too vocally about it. Push it around the plate however was something which all but Marinette partook in. He sat returned to the kitchen, fetching his own food as well as a plate of camembert for Plagg before returning.

"Looks nice..." Alya was the first one to speak up about the matter. "What is it?"

"Just tofu, rice and vegetables." He assured them, if they studied the plates, they would be able to tell as much.

"You're just eating bread and noodles?" Marinette questioned, her eyes fixing his plateful.

"Yeah. What you're having right now is what I'd have for lunch." He found himself being fixed by some somewhat dubious eyes. He shrugged in an non-apology. "I need my calories."

"But, dude, you actually cooked this?" His old friend still seemed unable to comprehend what he'd been told. "I thought you just burned stuff!"

"Yeah... Master wasn't impressed with my cookery skills." Adrien laughed somewhat nervously as he thought back to it.

"I still have nightmares about your macaroons..." The DJ could help but comment.

He laughed softly. Amused by the memories of Marinette's father's cooking classes and how badly he'd failed in them. It had been about the only class that his father hadn't viewed as being essential that he mastered, albeit he would no doubt have prefered his son not to be an embarassement in any domain, no matter how trivial. Whether or not he would have appreciated the dinner was something which Adrien couldn't say. The food was intended to be nutritional above all else and no doubt wasn't part of the fine-dining his family was generally accustomed to. For his part, his exercise routine meant that when it roled around to meal time, he was starved. He didn't waste much time when it came to eating. His friends were either being extremely polite and forcing the grub down themselves or it couldn't be that bad.

His eyes rested on his friends. So many years had passed and yet they didn't seem to have changed all that much. Did Paris have that sort of an effect on people? Maybe he was just imagining it. They'd spent so much time talking about him, he felt like his opportunity to get to know them was slipping through his fingers.

"So... You guys. What's happened whilst I was away?"

"With no akumas, things have been quiet." Alya informed him looking up from her plate.

"Well yeah but I meant you guys... It's been a decade!" It was a fact he didn't need to remind anyone about. "How have things been with you?"

He got a basic rundown. Marinette had already told him some of what was going on. The gang had stayed together, right through lycée. It was only afterwards that they'd had been forced to go their own ways. With Nino off the bat having a go at his own career in the music industry. For the moment, most of his activities were limited to private gigs (many of which involved some of Chloe's now famous parties). Adrien had started to read the paper which Alya now wrote in. It felt odd seeing his friend's name at the bottom of articles but a part of him wasn't entirely surprised by the direction of her career path. Chloe was – well, he struggled to understand her explanation – it sounded a lot like she was following in her mother's footsteps...

They sounded bubbly, enthouasiastic. Their lives had been working out well it would seem. They mentioned a few of the others. Names from the past he hadn't dared to look up yet. Including the former miraculous holders in his return to the city had been a safe enough choice. They were less likely to freak out given that they knew both of his identities. They might not understand why he had left them but at least they would know that he didn't actually pose a threat. Perhaps, Nino suggested, if they were careful and asked around a bit first, it might be possible to organise some sort of class reunion. Almost everyone had remained in the city after all. Nobody, it would seem had ever really blamed Adrien for what had happened, those who knew him seemed to have too good an opinion of boy to ever believe him to be capable of assisting his parents.

There was a brief pause in the discussion as the meal drew to a close, a somewhat uncomfortable silence which settled in. Finally, it was Chloe who dared to speak:

"So are you, like, staying?"

"I'd like to..."

"That's not an answer." Alya reminded him, her voice pointed.

"I can't lie." Apparently Marinette hadn't told them that much or they'd forgotten. "I can't promise you guys I'll never, ever leave but I certainly don't plan to. I'd like to make this my home... With my friends..."

It was a diplomatic response and probably not quite what they had wanted to hear but for the moment at least, it was the best he could offer. Somehow, he seemed to be enough however as they neither brought it up again nor insisted. He relaxed somewhat, reminding Plagg about manners as he watched the kwami wolf down more camembert in a matter of minutes than he could probably have managed over an entire mealtime. He supposed that expecting the little creature to behave had been somewhat naïve of him given that he knew its nature. Whilst not exactly malicious, he most certainly could be michievous. Now, in the rare situation of not actually having to bother about keeping himself hidden. He could be himself... Adrien was still far from convinced that was a blessing.

They smiled and even laughed. Reminiscing about old times, villains fought and victories won... Until Nathalie cleaned her throat, apparently being kicked in the face by Rena Rouge wasn't the fondest memory that she had. Supervillains were quickly removed from the discussion for fear of causing offense. Thankfully, their time at Françoise Dupont high still held more than enough fond memories for them to focus on. There was a shadow which hung over those years which hadn't been there initially, not right up until the day that he'd fled. When it had been just them against Hawk Moth and Mayura, things had seemed somewhat abstract. Yes, they were fighting supervillains but despite the danger, it almost seemed as if the threat was far enough away that when the masks finally did fall, they would be non-entities who they would be able to put behind bars without a second thought. Madmen, for lack of a better word, bent on world domination. Not his mother and father and the family secretary who at some point, had decided that she might as well go along for the ride.

He tried his best to forget about them as they talked about those days when the five of them had leapt over rooftops as if it were nothing. He forced a smile, trying to forget about the woman's portrait which still to this day felt as if it was looking down at him. It was in the past now, there was nothing he could do to change what had been.

The night rolled on. He didn't even notice that it was late until Alya practically jumped out of her seat. Half past one... Not usually a problem but she had a report due tomorrow and it still wasn't quite finished it would seem. Adrien smiled understandingly, feeling somewhat tired himself. Usually by this time he would be wrapped up in bed and sleeping. His guests excused themselves, complementing him on his cooking at they got to their feet and gathered their personal belongings together. Nathalie fetched the coats which they would doubtlessly need given that the rain was still lashing down outside, allowing the group to spend a few brief moments in private. Strangely, for the most part, they were full of silence. His friends exchanged some brief glances before Chloe cautiously spoke out:

"You know Adrikens, we were thinking of getting together next week for Jagged Stone's concert. Would you like to come?"

"Jagged Stone?! Of course, I'd love to!" Even after all these years, he remained a fond admirer of the rock star.

"For real?! Cool!"

They promised to meet up some time before and to all go down together. A specific time and location for them to meet up could be decided later as they exchanged phone numbers before one by one leaving. Whilst Nino and Alya intended to head home together, a walk in the rain didn't seem to faze either of the two as they bid them "goodnight". Adrien was somewhat surprised to hear that Chloe and Marinette were sharing a ride curtusy of Jean the butler. Things must have changed a great deal in ten years, not that he was complaining. Having two of his friends bickering the way that they usually did had never been a particularly enjoyable part of their relationship. He didn't know just what had happened to make the two young women be willing to share car space but he wasn't about to question it.

His gaze fell upon Marinette as they waited by the entrance for the girls' ride to arrive. She'd been remarkably quiet all evening... More so than the others. He couldn't help but wonder if she might have still been upset by his prior behaviour. A soft and gentle smile which she offered him seemed to indicate that that wasn't the case.

"I really enjoyed myself tonight. Thank you." She spoke after a few seconds.

"My pleasure." Was all that he could think to say as a response. "I'm really sorry for pushing you guys away in the first place. It was a mistake."

"We all make them..." The young woman assured him with the warmest of looks before a large black car pulling up outside attracted her attention. "Looks like my ride's here. Goodnight Adrien."

"Goodnight Marinette..."

A quick bise was enough to say goodbye to both young women. Guided by some force he couldn't comprehend and was barely aware of, he found himself standing on the porch, watching as the car drove away and vanished into the dark of the night. Plagg sheltered inside of his pocket, complaining bitterly about his decision to stand outside during such a downpour. His words barely even seemed to register with the young man as he stood out there seemingly oblivious to the rain hammering down. He replayed some of the night's events through his head. Wishing he'd said some things and done others differently. There was always tomorrow he supposed. He spent a short while longer fixing the road mindlessly, as if he half expected to see the car return and Marinette with it.

Eventually, the cold and his own tiredness hit him like a ton of bricks causing him to turn back around and head back inside. Nathalie, still holding the door open, shut it behind him. She didn't so much bat an eyelid as the now drenched (and entirely avoidable) state of her employer. Instead, she declared rather matter of factly:

"That seemed to go comparatively well."

Adrien didn't speak. Instead, he turned around and offered the woman a slight smile and a nod of the head. In those few seconds, he embraced a certain sensation of freedom as if a weight had just been lifted off of his chest..

/

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