"So, what's your plan, kid?"
Adrien groaned, throwing himself back onto the grass and flinging his arms out wide. Maybe the stars could offer some guidance. Why did Plagg insist on asking him over and over? What WAS the plan, anyway? He felt the cat kwami flop on his stomach.
"Because right now, you've left a girl in your house with nothing to do for 2 days and no real plan of action other than to steal fire from your father and get her a new robe. A girl on the doorstep is kind of funny, but a village burnt down because your dad throws a rage fit isn't exactly on my list of fun things to watch."
Plagg was right. What had started just because it was a convenient chance had gotten significantly more complicated. Usually, his pranks were immediate and impulsive - like hiding eggs in random locations in Alix's house or using his time as a cat to listen in to conversations that gave him fodder for blackmail opportunities. Once he'd even managed to turn Chloe's hair green.
But this was a bigger game. It had seemed like a fun idea when he had taken Marinette into his home - an easy way to cause a ripple of trouble for his father who never really seemed to care about him or anyone. But now, the goal had changed.
Sure, he didn't know Marinette well yet, but something about her called to him. He wanted to know everything about her, learn what made her laugh, why she got that little glint of determination in her eyes. He'd never felt like this about anyone before.
The stars offered no plan or wisdom to his predicament. Adrien glanced down to where Plagg flopped starfish style. The cat was usually more self-centred or focused on cheese than able to offer much advice but maybe he could help.
"What should I do, Plagg?"
He felt the creature snort before floating into view. The green eyes that pierced his seemed both completely amused, somewhat empathetic and utterly annoyed all at the same time.
"This will cost you." Of course it would. Adrien expected nothing less.
Adrien sat up to pay attention as Plagg began to outline some key pieces of the plan. A plan that was designed to both woo the girl and needle his father. Adrien was admittedly impressed. Plagg had a gift for troublemaking. No wonder they were a great team.
It was simple, really. It started with a visit to the village. He needed to learn more about Marinette and that was the best place to start.
With a soft grin, Adrien transformed and made his way down the mountains by the light of the moon. The village was barely visible down at the base of the rocks, a single flickering light from the fire in the centre the only evidence of its existence.
As paws made their way expertly over an unmarked path, Adrien allowed himself to ponder how different it might be. The village had never really held interest to him. It mostly belonged under his father's rule as a senior god with extreme and dangerous power. Gabriel has laid claim to it long ago. But, there didn't seem to be much of a reason for his father to even bother with the people who lived there - let alone why he required a bride from them and threatened their safety regularly.
As he got closer, Chat was surprised to notice that the village was bigger than he'd expected. From the mountain tops, it seemed nothing more than a speck. Now he realized it was a collection of a few hundred houses and shops. During the day, it was likely a bustling centre of noise and activity but now, in the cover of night, it was quiet.
The light of the moon was bright enough to travel but not really to explore. His feet found their way to the giant flame in the centre of the village. Homage, he supposed, to his father.
Raising his snout, he sniffed the air, instantly narrowing down the scents to the one he was looking for - bread. It was faint, but it was enough. It was through some winding streets, leading him further into a section of the village where the buildings were smaller, built with crooked wooden beams lashed together and thick thatched roofing. The roads were rutted and worn.
Padding his way silently through the dirt roads between the buildings, he wondered about the humans who lived here. Who decided which of them lived in a simple wooden shack compared to a large house made of stone? Was it a matter of preference like his own home or was it simply poverty. He wasn't ignorant of the concept of poor and rich - thanks in part to conversations with his friends who ventured father than he had bothered. But seeing it up close and first-hand made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
The smell of baking and bread surrounded one particular home. He eyed it curiously - simple and small, with a sign for bread hanging from a small post sticking out from one of the wooden cross beams. Was it where Marinette had lived?
Being a magical cat had advantages - advantages he showcased with a strong, silent leap to an open window high above the ground. The window was for a bedroom where people slept. Taking extra care not to wake anyone, he jumped to the floor and made his way through the doorway.
He explored quickly - a kitchen, a counter where they must sell their wares, a bathroom, and finally, tucked in the back of the house - another bedroom. It was smaller than the rest of the rooms as if it was added later out of some small space. There was only a bed, a closet with a few worn robes and shoes, and a small wooden stool at a table filled with carefully organized sewing supplies. This must have been Marinette's room.
Dropping his transformation, he stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Too dark to see much without his cat night-vision, he decided to flop on the bed instead and wait for morning's sunlight. Arms behind his head, Adrien stretched out, chuckling a little when his feet poked off the end. The mattress, if it could be called such, was bumpy, the blankets scratchy against his skin, and the pillow wasn't his usual level of soft. But it was her bed.
Plagg complained about food - as per usual - but finally nestled into Adrien's hair.
It felt different, this house. It smelled sweet and safe here. His mind's eye could envision Marinette in this room, hunched over the table working away on whatever project she had in her head. He imagined the laughter that Marinette had spoken of, spending time together with parents who adored you. It certainly wasn't like that on the mountain - most of the Gods he knew had little to no relationship with their parents, if they had them at all.
A noise brought him back from his musing. Afraid for a moment that he'd been discovered, he strained to hear. A soft mewling sound came from the floor. Rolling gently so he wouldn't disturb Plagg, he peered over the edge of the bed, finding a small shape in the darkness. A quick scooping motion brought it up to him.
A kitten. Warm, soft, and purring loudly. Plagg would be insanely jealous, Adrien thought as the kitten circled before snuggling close to his cheek, curling up, and placing a paw over its nose. Adrien couldn't help but smile. What had Marinette said her kitten was named? He couldn't remember, but this little thing was so coming home with him.
At some point in the night, Marinette had stumbled her way out of the house and out to the path in front of it. Some part of her needed to make sure that the village was ok - that there wasn't a fire destroying it because she'd failed somehow. The path had gone longer than she'd expected - leading her down through a series of buildings that she didn't even see in her disconnected despair. Finally, she found herself staring blankly down at the small outline of the village, barely visible through the darkness except for the pinprick of fire that she knew was aflame in the centre of town. Collapsing to the ground, she waited, fear knotting her stomach, anticipating the sight of the flames spreading while the fire god ravaged her home. It felt like an eternity of nothing before she finally allowed herself to believe that nothing would happen, that the village was safe from the wrath of the fire god - for now.
"What are you doing out here?"
She jumped a little at the unexpected voice behind her. Twisting around, she found herself again in front of the god who had given her the bottle of wine. He pulled her to her feet, studying her tear-stained face.
"What are you doing out here?" he repeated. She glanced back at the village quickly before trying to answer.
"I was just checking the village," she admitted. He looked curiously at her before checking the village himself. "To make sure he didn't burn it down."
"Burn it down?" He sounded shocked at the idea before laughing loudly. His grasp on her elbow turned her to walk her back down the path. "The village will be fine. Let's get you back to Adrien's place."
It wasn't until there were voices and various unknown bangs and clangs that Adrien realized he'd dozed off. The sun was still low in the sky, barely bright enough to fill the room with light.
Carefully sitting up as to not jostle the little kitten against his cheek, he felt Plagg stir in his hair with a loud yawn.
"Cheese?" mumbled the kwami, more likely out of habit than hunger. Adrien rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle. He would need to find something to feed his little friend before he could transform home. A sudden loud and angry hiss came from above his head.
"What is THAT?!" yelped Plagg, pointing in anger to the kitten on the bed.
Adrien's hands instantly wrapped around the black cat, shushing him. "Stop that! Someone's going to hear you!" Fangs nipped at his palms, but Adrien refused to let him out of his grasp. "Settle down. It's just Marinette's kitten." Plagg stilled. Prying open his fingers slightly, Adrien peered inside.
"Fine." Plagg floated over to the little thing, who was now sleepily blinking in their direction. Its fur was a deep orange colour, unique in its own right, patterned slightly with darker toned spots and brilliantly blue eyes. It stared at Plagg for a moment before making a low meowing sound. Adrien knew his friend was smitten just by body language alone but the little "aww" sound that Plagg made was highly out of character. Adrien's snort of amusement earned him a glare.
"Tikki?" a woman's gentle voice in the hallway called out. Adrien and Plagg exchanged a panicked look, transforming together almost without words and pressing themselves into the darkness under Marinette's bed. "Oh, Tikki - where are you?" Feet appeared in the doorway. "Oh, there you are, you silly little kitten. Marinette made me promise to take good care of you so time for breakfast." The kitten was scooped up and carried away, its purring heard from under the bed.
Chat waited until the footsteps were far away before daring to come out of the room. Transforming again back to Adrien, he decided it was time to get into action. In hurried movements, he pulled the sheets off Marinette's bed, grabbed everything he could from her table and placed it in the middle of the sheet. He gathered her robes and shoes, despite them being threadbare and worn - at least they would be familiar to her. His hands froze when he found a box in the back of her closet.
Were some things too personal for him to look at? He wasn't sure, though temptation pulled him to peek inside. With a frown, he pressed the lid down and carried the box to the pile of things that he planned to take home. She could show him if she wanted.
When the room was empty, save for the furniture, he tied the sheets up into a bundle. It should be easy enough to carry when he transformed. Plagg grumbled, insisting that cheese needed to come first. Leaving the bundle temporarily behind, Adrien transformed again, making his way stealthily through the house and out the window.
First, he needed to find some cheese to placate Plagg. Finding a dark corner, he transformed back to his human form, shoved a grumbling kwami into his robe, and wandered through the streets. The town was slowly coming to life as the sun made its way over the horizon.
Merchants of all kinds prepped their wares, children were rushing out of homes and down the streets with parents yelling behind them, and a general buzz was making its way through the houses. It was fascinating, this introduction to village life.
He smiled a little as a young girl with oversized ribbons in her hair stopped mid-run to stare at him with wide wondering eyes. Shyly she tiptoed to his side.
"Are you a god?" she whispered as if she knew his greatest secret. It startled him a little - that a young child could see through him in such a way. He crouched down, casting her a conspiratory glance with his grin. Children were perfect accomplices for the God of Mischief.
"Yes. I am. Can you help me?" Her already wide eyes grew even wider as she nodded. "Where can I find some cheese?"
Her face lit up like the sun as she excitedly grabbed his hand and pulled him through the streets. Ordering him to stay, she disappeared inside for a moment before proudly reappearing with her hands clutching a cloth-covered chunk of cheese. Plagg zipped out of his hiding spot before Adrien could stop him. The little girl squealed happily as Plagg grabbed the cheese with a mumbled word of thanks, chomping huge chunks at a time.
"Is he a kitty?!" she cooed, stretching out a small hand as if to pet the little floating cat. Plagg hissed and dove into Adrien's hair, grasp carefully attached to the cheese. Adrien just laughed.
"Sort of. Thank you for the cheese." Her beam of pride was catching.
"Can you help me with something else?" She nodded enthusiastically.
Shortly, he was being dragged through the city again, pulled to a section of town with large stone houses.
"This is Miss Kagami's house." The little girl pointed at one of the biggest houses - a two-story building surrounded by a wall. He patted her on the head and thanked her for her help before sending her on her way. As soon as they were alone, Plagg flashed in front of Adrien's face.
"We're going in, right? Please tell me we are going in."
"Of course, Plagg. You ready?" the kwami nodded, toothy smile in place. It was a quick flash of green light as they transformed, already in motion over the wall and the grass. How different this house was in comparison to that of Marinette's family. It made him feel like he was heading into a house like the one he'd grown up in - the cold, emptiness of distance as opposed to the close warmth of family.
Tumbling into a window, Chat wandered the halls, more than aware of the riches that were on display. Each step he took made him frustrated. How could these people use their wealth to destroy someone else's destiny? Marinette had willingly sacrificed herself for these people. He tried to keep his growing irritation in check.
Finding his way to a centre courtyard, he was surprised to find a girl not much older than Marinette, dressed in formalwear. She stood proudly in opposition to a swordsman, hand on the hilt sheathed at her waist. A single call had her in action, swift, strong movements unleashed at will against her sparring partner. She was sure-footed and aggressive, but somehow able to be careful and calculated. Even as he admired her skill from his perch on a half-wall, he knew who she was. This was Kagami. This was who his father was supposed to have as a bride. Not Marinette.
Hopping down from the wall, he kept exploring the house. A nudge of a nose against a slightly unlatched door revealed a woman sitting on the edge of a couch, her back rigid and straight. She was alone, hands wrapped around a teacup, staring unseeingly ahead of her. He sat in the doorway and watched as she drank her tea in silence. When her cup was empty, she carefully placed it on a saucer on the table in front of her.
"Who are you?" she asked finally. He said nothing. "It is rude to ignore people, you know." He continued to wait. The woman sighed in frustration.
Finally, he transformed back into his human self, watching Plagg whizz off to likely cause Kagami some trouble.
"I don't need to tell you anything, woman," he said at last. She was unfazed by the coldness in his voice.
"Are you a God then? Are you here to take Kagami from me after all? Even after the baker's girl offered to take her place?"
"She didn't offer anything. You bribed her family."
"And they accepted." Adrien's jaw tightened in frustration. How could someone be so callous?
"Another family gave up their daughter for yours. Doesn't that give you any guilt at all?" The woman shook her head. Adrien moved closer, his voice low and threatening.
"I will leave your daughter, woman. But I make no promises for the God of Fire if he learns of your deceit." She at least had the sense to pale in fear at his threat. With that, he turned and walked out of the room, firmly closing the door behind him.
It appeared that he'd learned something from his father after all, he realized. The art of intimidation. He hated that. Adrien wanted to hurry home and scrub the feeling from his skin.
Plagg was exactly where Adrien had expected him to be - hidden near the centre courtyard, eyeing for his opportunity to cause trouble for Kagami. The blurry darting of black was almost impossible to see to a human eye, but Adrien admired his kwami's skill in dashing between swiftly moving feet to cause Kagami to falter slightly mid-parry and take a light blade edge to her shoulder. Plagg disappeared on the other side of the yard, vanishing through a door hidden in the hallway. Adrien followed behind, slipping into the room while Kagami and her teacher were distracted by the unexpected sight of blood on the girl's arm.
His kwami was nowhere to be found on a quick glance around the room. It was a bedroom, meticulously decorated but sparse in comparison to the rest of the house. Hissing Plagg's name, Adrien caught sight of movement within a slightly open dresser drawer. A quick pull opened it to reveal not only Plagg but also a rather heavy satchel of golden coins. Adrien grinned at his partner in silent agreement that the money would be leaving with them. A quick transformation, silent cat feet racing out of the building, and a transformation back had them out on the street with a fistful of money.
Adrien already had a plan in mind as he walked down the streets back towards the bakery. Before long, his arms were filled with many things: fabric, paints, and foods. Plagg nestled contentedly in his favourite pocket, not even attempting to be quiet while he gulped down chunks of cheese. Adrien chuckles to himself at the trouble they had caused in the food market, mixing the fruits and vegetables on their stands, hiding coins in the pockets of unpurchased robes, and other foolish pranks that were ultimately harmless but fun.
As Adrien stepped inside the bakery, he admired the friendliness of the woman behind the counter. Like Marinette, she was petite with dark hair and eyes that shared exactly what she felt. She bustled to and fro, passing customers their orders with a genuine smile. A smile she soon turned to him.
"Hello. How can I help you?" He couldn't help but smile back.
"I have heard wonderful things about your world-famous bread. I would like to buy a few loaves."
"I don't know about world-famous," she laughed, "but my daughter always thought they should be!" A sadness flitted through her eyes for a brief moment before she righted herself again. "She always did love her father's bread."
"Where is your daughter?" The words were out before he could stop them. Marinette's mother just eyed him for a moment before answering. Shifting uncomfortably under her brief but curious stare, Adrien tried to keep his smile in place.
"I feel like you might know more than I would," she said, pausing as she wrapped his loaves in paper cloth. The flush on his cheeks betrayed him. "My daughter was given as a bride to the Fire God. I am very proud of her - she was a beautiful bride. She is a wonderful, kind, caring and creative girl. She will make our village god a wonderful wife." A pause before she wrapped the loaves he'd requested into a cloth. "I'm going to give you an extra loaf. On behalf of my daughter, Marinette."
Coins clattered on the countertop in his haste to pay. Gentle hands touched his as the woman passed him the bread loaves.
"Please. Watch over my daughter," she whispered, worry clouding the grey of her eyes before turning her attention - and welcoming smile - to the next waiting customer.
Adrien felt unnerved as he made his way out of the tiny bakery and around to the side of the building to hide. He had accepted that a child could recognize his immortality, but the woman? From the stories he had heard of humans, they rarely could see the truth of a god. It was just the way of things. Kagami's mother first - although he suspected it had to do with her blindness, followed by Marinette's mother. It was a little unsettling. When coaxed, Plagg simply shrugged, cheese dangling between his teeth mid-bite.
Allowing his kwami to swallow, Adrien transformed to slip back through the window of the house. Exchanging the sheet full of Marinette's belongings for the remaining coins, he scooped up the little orange kitten who looked at him with curious eyes and left in a flash of green - running his way out of the village and back up the mountain. He wanted - needed to see Marinette. He needed to make up for his mistakes.