AN: So this is the last chapter! MaxDark158 and May 16 writer were correct in their reviews! I hope all of you guys enjoy!
Plagg carried Adrien back to his own house and dropped him through the window leading to Adrien's room. Adrien landed with a thud, sending an unpleasant look towards his kwami. After brushing himself off and realizing where he was, he turned to face Plagg. "Wait, why'd you bring me back home?"
"This is where everything has changed the most. Without you, your dad is even worse than before. Come on, let me show you," Plagg said, leading Adrien towards his father's office.
As they walked along, he noticed Nathalie and the Gorilla were gone. He frowned.
They were about halfway there when something, or somebody, crashed into him. Plagg quickly hid in Adrien's shirt to avoid being seen. Adrien sat up and looked for who he had collided with. He was greeted with annoyed blue eyes.
"Marinette?"
"The one and only," she snapped back.
He stared at her in shock. When had she gotten so irritated? "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" he asked.
She glared in response and tried to gather up the papers she had dropped. Adrien scrambled to his knees to help her. "I work here, and I'm on lunch break for school right now. What are you doing here, and why'd you ditch school?"
Adrien felt intimidated by this new Marinette. "I was just... visiting school for a bit of the day. I wasn't a new student or anything. I came here to apply for a job. And wait, you work here?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm an intern for Gabriel Agreste." She quickly looked around, and then leaned towards Adrien a little bit. "Although, to tell you the truth, I wish I never applied for this job. Mr. Agreste is a nightmare. He steals my designs, yells at me, and says if I tell anyone that he steals my ideas he will ruin any career in fashion I might have." She shuddered as she uttered that last part. "So my point is don't apply for the job. You'll regret it forever if you do." Marinette finally stood up with her papers in her arms. "Thanks for helping me the papers I dropped. Consider the advice I gave you a payback of sorts. Oh, and if you tell anybody about what I said, I will end you."
With that, Marinette ran off.
Adrien stared at her as she ran off, blinked a couple of times, and then opened the pocket of his shirt for Plagg to fly out of.
"Plagg, is all of that true? I know my father isn't the nicestguy, but from what Marinette said he sounds way worse than before."
Plagg sighed. "Why don't you just go see for yourself, kid?"
Adrien frowned and continued towards his father's office. He knocked twice on the door, and waited for a response. He was answered with a very aggravated come in.
He opened the door slowly and stepped inside. Gabriel Agreste sat at his desk, not even looking up to see who had just entered.
"Um, Fath-I mean, Mr. Agreste?" he asked meekly.
Gabriel Agreste still looked at his papers. "Um, yes?" he mocked.
Adrien blanked, realizing he couldn't very well say he was Gabriel's son but only in an alternate reality. "Uh, I just wanted to say... hi?"
Gabriel slowly looked up, narrowing his eyes as he did. "You interrupted my latest project just to say... hi?"
Adrien gulped. He knew that tone his father was using all too well. That calm, questioning tone, signaling that whoever was on the other side of it was about to get the yelling of a life time.
"W-well, it seemed like you've been, uh, stressed lately and could use some cheering up?" Adrien tried.
Gabriel Agreste stared at him. "Get out," he whispered quietly.
Adrien frowned. He didn't hear him. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"
Gabriel's eyes flashed. "Get out," he said louder, walking slowly towards Adrien.
Adrien took a step back, stumbling as he tripped on a chair. He lost his balance and fell back.
"GET OUT!" Gabriel Agreste yelled, losing what little patience he had left.
Adrien jumped as fast as he could and ran out the door, slamming it behind him. Once he was a safe distance away, he fell to his knees, shocked at what he had just encountered. The look in his father's eyes was one he never seen before, and it scared him.
"Plagg, I've had enough. I want to go home. I miss old Father, I miss old Nino, I miss old Marinette, I miss old Ladybug, I miss old... everyone! I like the world with me in it."
Plagg nodded. "Finally kid, it took you long enough. Let's go."
This time, Adrien offered Plagg his hand with no complaints and let him whisk him away.
Plagg took him back to the Eiffel Tower, right where he had been before.
"I exist now, right?" Adrien asked hopefully.
"Yes, you exist now. Can I have some cheese?"
Adrien grinned. "Plagg, you can have all of the cheese!
Plagg couldn't help but smile at that.
Adrien ran home as fast as he could. He ran into Nathalie and pulled her into a hug.
"Nathalie! I've missed you so much!"
A puzzled Nathalie gave him an awkward pat on the head. "Uh, I've missed you too Adrien, but it's only been a couple of hours since I've last seen you."
Adrien pulled away and gave her a sheepish smile. Maybe he should have dialed it down a little bit.
"Oh yeah, heh, well... it's Christmas! Isn't that neat?" he exclaimed, trying to change the subject.
"Yes Adrien, it is very neat," Nathalie responded, raising an eyebrow.
Adrien gave a weak chuckle before running off. He burst into his father's office, surprising him.
"Ah, Adrien, I was just about to visit you. Merry Christmas."
Adrien grinned and engulfed his father in a huge hug. "Merry Christmas Father!"
Gabriel Agreste stiffened, then relaxed into the hug. He finally pulled away, and gave Adrien a small smile. "Why don't you go visit your friends and wish them a Merry Christmas as well?"
Adrien nodded happily and took off again.
He visited Nino first. He was glad to see they were still best friends.
He visited Alya next. He even asked her if she was Ladybug, which caused her to burst out laughing.
He visited Marinette last. He also asked her if she was Ladybug, but she just stuttered and turned red. Nothing out of the ordinary there, so he figured Ladybug wasn't anyone he knew.
He returned home, and was greeted with his father sitting at the table with a plate in front of him and next to him. "We haven't had dinner yet, have we?" he asked with a soft smile.
Adrien gave a huge grin before taking his seat next to his father.
That night, he gave Plagg an extremely generous serving of camembert. He transformed, and grabbed Ladybug's present.
He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, looking for Ladybug. He smiled when he saw a familiar red-clad superhero swinging on her yoyo. "Hey Ladybug!"
She landed on a nearby roof and searched for who had called her. Her eyes fell on Chat and she ran over to him. "Chat! I've been looking all over for you," she said, handing him a package. "I forgot to give you your present."
Chat grinned as he handed Ladybug her present. "That's alright, I forgot as well. Here's yours."
He let her open her present first. He had gotten her red earmuffs with black dots. She gasped when she saw them and pulled him into a hug. "Oh thank you chaton, they're lovely!" she exclaimed. Chat smiled.
She pulled away and gave him an excited look. "Now, open yours!"
He obeyed, of course, and felt his heart swell at what he saw. It was a black beanie with green and black cat ears sewn on. "My Lady, this is beautiful! Thank you so much!"
She winked in response. "Merry Christmas Kitty!"
He smiled. "Merry Christmas Bugaboo."
AN: There you have it! Thanks for reading and please feel free to review!