A/N: Okay, so you've probably noticed I haven't updated in like TWO MONTHS. And here let me explain. I've got major writer's block on this. It was only today that I was able to finish this chapter, as well as the next. But damn, I am not happy with them, you can tell where my block has kept me for ages. So, if you want this story going after the next chapter, providing me with suggestions are the best way to go.
Chapter Summary: Hospitals have weird rules, in case anyone doesn't know. Mari has stolen Adrien's phone again - he still hasn't changed his pin code (he should probably get on that). Elder-Adrien plays the guitar. Fight me. (Don't use guitars to clobber people. Not good). Don't piss Mari off. Don't piss Elder-Marinette OR Elder-Adrien (the sequel).
This crooked posture is all you've ever known, it is the consequence of living in between: The weight of family and the pull of gravity. Long before you were born there was light. Hidden deep in these young unfamiliar eyes. A million choices, though little on their own: become the heirloom of the heaviness you've known. You pressed rewind for the thousandth time, desperate for some kind of clue: When the scale tipped, when you inherited a fight that you were born to lose. It's not your fault. No, it's not your fault. I put this heavy heart in you. You remind me of who I could have been: had I been stronger and braver way back then. You are so much more than your father's son. You are so much more than the war's you've won. You are so much more than what I've become.
-Sleeping at Last
Part VIII:
It took them that long to settle the four over their phones, they were already at the hospital with a million things more they still needed to discuss.
Marinette took notice that Adrien glared at the doctor that told her previously to leave the establishment, and the man looked slightly annoyed he hadn't gotten his way.
They walked in to see both their elder's sitting, where they had gotten the extra chair they really didn't want to know, the grievances of the outside doctor might be a start as to where they had retrieved it from, how they kept it? Nope.
Elder-Adrien had some type of woollen creation he was creating going on within his hands that he was overly interested in, where he got the wool from, why it looked like he was making a miniature kwami, the children had no idea, they thought it was another good thing to leave well enough alone.
But both looked up as soon as they entered.
"There you are!" Both announced, Elder-Adrien getting up, Elder-Marinette excusing herself from standing, but she smiled at them.
"How is she?" Adrien asked, watching Elder-Adrien put away whatever he was fiddling with since they got to the present.
Elder-Adrien sighed. "They finished their testing, it's up to Aubrianne to come back on her own terms. No one can help her." Elder-Adrien started, paused, blinked, then looked around. "Pyaar?" He questioned.
Hearing her name, the peachick appeared. "Poussin!" She cried happily but stayed her distance.
"Would Aubrianne have seen what you saw?" He asked, curiously.
Pyaar blinked but nodded. "She would have, yes." The peachick muttered.
Elder-Marinette groaned. "Want a reason she doesn't want to come back? There's one." She scoffed.
Elder-Adrien looked thoughtful, while the children, especially Adrien looked stricken, so much that Elder-Marinette motioned for Adrien to come closer so she could hug him.
"It'll be alright, mon petit Chaton," She told him soothingly.
"Would you be able to tell her things have changed? And that her son needs her?" Elder-Adrien asked.
Pyaar blinked, then beamed. "I can! I can! It may take forever! But I can!" Pyaar nearly shouted before disappearing into the pin.
Elder-Adrien. "Well, that settles that." He voiced.
Elder-Marinette laughed before a forced cough made them look to the door to get their attention.
They all looked to see an apologetic nurse at the door. "I'm sorry but visiting times are over." She voiced, in genuine sorrow. "As seeing as Madam Agreste is not in life-threatening danger you cannot be allowed to stay outside hours." She apologised. Adrien looked worried, which she noticed. "Madam Sancoeur will be kept updated on all new developments, you will not need to worry, sir." She told him.
Adrien felt Elder-Marinette get up using the chair, as well as his arm, only to place it comfortingly on his back. "It'll be alright, we'll come back tomorrow, I know you'll hate it, but you need to go to school." Elder-Marinette told him.
Adrien flinched but nodded.
The nurse was getting nervous, so as to not get her in trouble, they left peacefully.
Elder-Marinette hadn't taken her hand off from Adrien's wrist since she grasped his phone and sent a message to Nathalie to tell her that he was staying with them (Adrien still hadn't changed his locking pin).
"Come on, Marinette's parents will be home soon, do you want to go to your house and get everything you'll need to stay for a few days? You know that Maman et Père won't let you leave." Elder-Marinette told him.
Adrien gave out a smile. "Alright. I'll meet you there." Adrien promised, seeing no one around he transformed into Chat Noir, and was speeding off to the other side of the city.
With Marinette's parents coming back, Elder-Marinette didn't set up to do dinner, knowing her parents would want to do it, so she turned to Marinette instead.
"You know your parents, you might want to set your chaise for Adrien, even if he won't actually sleep there." She warned.
Marinette nodded and rushed off to the appropriate linen cupboards.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when her window opened and a huge duffle bag slammed down onto her bed, followed by her stray cat.
"Minou!" She yelped.
Chat Noir looked at her and blinked in surprise. "Sorry, Princess! Didn't see you there!" He remarked Marinette sighed in relief seeing him safely back in her house as he jumped down from her bed with his bag then transformed back into Adrien, catching Plagg.
"Bag!" Adrien noted holding up his duffle.
Marinette giggled as he held it up like it was some sort of trophy.
"I made up the chaise for you to pretend sleep on, use it to your hearts content." Marinette noted for him.
Adrien blinked, then smiled gratefully. "Thanks!" He told her then put his bag down.
"We better tell them you're here." Marinette muttered, blushing as the thought came to her, that yet again Adrien was going to be in her room for the foreseeable future.
Adrien grinned and followed her downstairs.
Where they couldn't see their elders, but they heard them.
"Chéri! Where did Père put the guitar!" They heard Elder-Adrien shout in a way of asking.
"What do you want his guitar for!?" Elder-Marinette yelled back.
The children looked to each other in complete confusion.
"What does one normally use a guitar for!?" Elder-Adrien shouted back.
They looked over to see Elder-Marinette coming in from her parent's room.
"Hey there!" She said, noticing them, then turned back to shouting to her husband. "I don't know where he put it! Try the store!" She yelled.
"Okay!" Elder-Adrien yelled back, and they could hear him rushing around.
"Do I want…?" Marinette asked.
Elder-Marinette shrugged. "To know? Best you probably don't. I don't know what he wants the guitar for." She told them as she made her way to the couch to sit down. "I'm really not having a good day today…" She muttered as she did.
"Are you alright?" Adrien asked, nervously, while Marinette went over to her elder in concern.
Elder-Marinette waved them off. "It comes with being pregnant, I've gotten used to it. If there was danger today, I wouldn't have been able to transform, Tikki never allows me to on days like these. It comes and goes." Elder-Marinette said with a sigh as she leant back.
After both Marinette and Adrien had gotten over freaking that Elder-Marinette was actually pregnant, they were extremely curious to how far along she was. She didn't show much of a baby-bump from certain angles, even from the right angle it was only a small bump.
She saw the looks of interest and curiosity and gave out a puff of laughter. "We took bets on the gender on the day we went in to see the ultrasound. Adrien swore black and blue it would be a girl, while I wanted it would be a boy." She told them happily, making the two sit down as they listened enraptured, while she kept one ear out for the wayward husband, who was probably in the store room by now, trying to find a guitar that may or may not currently exist.
"And?!" Marinette egged on, causing her elder to laugh.
"He was right, as always." Elder-Marinette told them.
Marinette nearly squealed while Adrien gapped in astonishment.
They were saved from any particular awkward questions and answers when Elder-Adrien came back into the room holding a guitar.
"Found it!" He said proudly.
Elder-Marinette laughed. "And what did you want that for?" She asked.
Elder-Adrien came to sit next to her. "Why else?" He asked.
She looked at him dubiously. "I dunno…Last time you had a guitar, it was a Lucky Charm, and you bashed a robber over the head with it several times until it just broke." She said.
The teens stared.
"He got better." Elder-Adrien muttered. "Why would I get Père's guitar?"
She brightened. "Are you gonna play?" She asked giddily.
Elder-Adrien laughed. "Now you catch on!" He told her.
Elder-Marinette looked excited, as Elder-Adrien thrummed the strings, pausing to tune the instrument to his liking, then thrum it again until the noise it tuned out was to his satisfaction.
Marinette glanced to Adrien; You can play guitar!? She non-verbally asked.
Adrien blinked back, but nodded, he thought she knew that.
Marinette looked amazed.
"You try your hardest to leave the past alone. This crooked posture is all you've ever known. It is the consequence of living in between The weight of family and the pull of gravity…" Elder-Adrien started.
Marinette's glanced back to Adrien; You can sing too?! What the heck can't you do?!
Adrien sunk down into the couch behind him and hid his face with his hoodie in his embarrassment.
Nope, nope, nope. So much nope!
…The song was strangely relevant. And nice.
God damn it.
If Adrien thought the many, many hugs he had gotten from Sabine were weird once she had returned, and the reassuring back slaps from Tom even weirder, that he barely concealed the alarm look and taking one step back: then the many alarmed, confused, almost angry expressions and emotions coming from everyone but Marinette, Nino and Alya literally made him want to run away, hide away from the world, and maybe become Chat Noir to get away from everyone's angry glare (though that single idea was shot down in flames when he literally saw the undercover surveillance reporter tailing his every goddamn move!)
He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he walked on school grounds, but the animosity was not one of them!
Marinette must have felt his muscles clench in a tell-tale sign he was ready to bolt for the hills, in a very Chat Noir fashion most probably, that she latched onto his hand and held it firmly in hers.
"We'll be alright, Minou." She whispered to him.
Their gazes turned deadly towards her.
Adrien took a glance to her, she was seemingly oblivious to the now death glares set upon her, he tried to tug his hand away from hers in fear of what the school body could do to her.
There was no mayor of the city deeming her off limits to their anger. Hell, he wasn't even sure that would ward them off from harming him.
"Mari…" Adrien stressed worriedly.
She only smiled sadly but continued to hold his hand. "I know, it's alright." She told him.
It wouldn't be alright, and he would be damned if his father's shame brought her down with it.
They should never have arrived early!
Apparently, everyone and their dog did too.
And by everyone, Adrien literally meant their whole class arrived before they did, and they got to school half hour early. So, when did everyone else arrive!?
Chloé was the first to storm up to him, the only one ignoring Marinette's warning death glare.
He wasn't allowed to cower, or run away, damn it.
He was raised better than that.
"So, let me get this straight," Chloé started, in her high and mighty I've-Done-Detective-work voice. "Your father was the one to literally change all of us, and you didn't notice?!" She asked.
You'd think having just as a busy father (the mayor) she would be the one to understand.
Adrien looked to her apprehensively, internally trying to figure out to defuse two count down bombs in the room: the one in front of him, and the other going off to his side protectively.
"I never saw much of my father if the first place… He ran a business…" Adrien started truthfully.
Chloé just scoffed, and turned her glare to Nino, almost in disgust. "And you, your still best friends with the son of the father who turned you into a monster?" She asked.
Nino blinked at the analogy. "I'm not going to get angry at Adrien for something he couldn't prevent, or control. I talked to Gabriel once, he freaked me out then." Nino told her with a sigh. "I'm angry at Gabriel, sure, but I'm not going to take that anger out on Adrien, like you're apparently doing." Nino ended up glaring at the blonde girl, while Adrien turned to his friend thankfully.
Chloé looked like she had just swallowed a lemon.
"You're not the one who makes the rules, Chloé," Marinette started, finally seeing an opening to talk Chloé's head off. "Gabriel is under arrest, awaiting trial under law, such law will govern his fate, and both Ladybug and Chat Noir will be there as well." Marinette told her, trying to shift focus away from Adrien.
They could all do with shifting away from civilian form.
Chloé blinked. "How do you know they will be there?" She questioned.
Marinette felt Alya freeze next to her, but she only rolled her eyes. "I do watch the news, you know, it's all over it, it's why Gabriel's hearing was made public knowledge, and the day set aside so both Ladybug and Chat Noir could be there when summoned. Even if they are superheroes, they have responsibilities, do you think they'll shrink against those responsibilities?" Marinette bulldozed into questioning.
Chloé looked offended. "Of course, not!" She near on shouted.
Marinette puffed. "Then stop shouting offenses that Ladybug and Chat Noir wouldn't like you to shout, you've met them, would they like you to hound Adrien? Would they like you giving out grievances? Have they ever given you an excuse to parade authority over other people?" Marinette asked, standing up now, angry.
Chloé still looked offended, sucked a lemon, but looked as if she knew she were finally in the wrong, with the use of her likeness of the superheroes against her, like always.
"…They would not…" She murmured.
Chloé gave a second glance to Adrien in puzzlement, before sitting back down in her class seat, with Sabrina sitting next to her in concern, but not before she glared at Marinette murderously.
Adrien just gave out a sigh of relief that his oldest acquaintance had left well enough alone, and looked to Marinette thankfully.
She gave him a wink, and turned back around quietly.
Adrien understood the need to be at school like Elder-Marinette said, but holy damn were people suddenly capable of doing a full three-sixty: nice to him the previous day, to darn right ready to murder him the next.
He understood it was important, he understood he needed to be there, but it didn't eliminate his want to run away and cower, which he couldn't freaking do with that goddamn reporter tailing him everywhere he went!
There was even a malcontent buzz in the air that would have gotten someone akumatised had there been a Papillon to akumatise them.
The buzz turned into an angry mobster uproar by the time the four friends had exited class for lunch amongst their now-all sympathetic classroom peers.
Adrien literally whimpered seeing all the anger directed at him and took a step back in fear, trying to distance himself away from both the mob and his friends who could easily be hurt by being associated with him, even the teachers were backing up in alarm, but even they couldn't do anything to help.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Ladybug yelled as she and Chat landed between the uproar and Adrien, surprising them all. "Enough." She said as her wings folded and actually stood a head shorter than her Chat, who hissed at the reporter in disguise, with a lifetime of disguise reporters, he knew all tricks of the trade down pat annoyingly.
"What you're all angry about? What you're all doing right now? This," Chat gestured to them all with his extended baton angrily. "This will not help." He told them defensively.
"What are you doing here!?" One angry pre-teen asked.
Ladybug literally rolled her eyes. "We come from the future, duh." She told them.
"Then why not stop him earlier!?" Another yelled.
Adrien and Marinette could literally see all the willpower it took them both not to face palm.
"Yes, let's hypothesise this, shall we! If we went to the police and informed them of who Papillon was, without evidence, mind you, would they have believed us?" Chat Noir hissed.
This quietened the crowd.
"Here's the thing, we don't need to explain our actions to you, any of you." Ladybug stated heatedly, this earned a few heated glares in return. "We've told ourselves and the proper authorities of the matter, if what we've told them doesn't tringle down to news channels, then it's been decided you don't need to know. It's private, it's confidential, and it is not your life to live." Ladybug ended decisively in anger.
Chat Noir hissed then he angrily slammed down one end of his baton; its clap of thunder reverberating around the yard loudly and angrily. "You, any of you, have no right to hold anger against him," Chat pointed a claw to Adrien defensively, noting that Alya had her phone out, and had probably filmed the whole thing since the start, which he didn't mind if it got the whole goddamn city off Adrien's back, like the first time. "You, all of you, direct your anger appropriately, or do I need to let a certain Lady here cage you all until the police get here?" Chat threatened.
The group quietened down, some even dispersed from the horde, more so when Ladybug dilly-dallying pulled out her cage contraption that had previously been demonstrated in another of Alya's video clips on Ladyblog.
"I thought so." Chat muttered then made waves with his empty hand. "Of you go, you have classes and whatnot to get to!" He stated, and everyone bustled off with a few grumbles.
Marinette and Adrien rushed up to them, noting that Chat Noir irritably eyed the few stragglers into moving off.
"How did you guys get here so quickly?" Marinette asked.
Ladybug sighed, as she put her cage contraption away. "It occurred to me that, you guys being in school would cause a riot against Adrien that we didn't encounter the first time 'round," She looked to her hissing husband. "The first time, we're sure Adrien was in college and was able to continue his studies without making a public appearance until the situation died down." Ladybug stated, using civilian names seeing people her overgrown cat was still hissing at to move along, using his baton threatening should his angry hissing not provoke movement.
Adrien perked up at the fact he would be attending college, and grinned. "Awesome!" He stated, making Ladybug chuckle fondly at him.
"We'll talk more later, alright?" Ladybug started, and they nodded, she then looked to Alya, who had stopped filming at Chat's moving the children off. "Alya!" She called, getting the distracted girl to look up from her phone. "Make sure that gets public, Paris needs to back down, or I'll put them all in cages." She hissed, causing Chat to chuckle, then place his hands up in defence when she glared at him.
"Will do!" Alya noted, and went back to her video settings happily.
A/N: CAN YOU TELL I DON'T WANT TO WRITE THE HEARING?! NO?! GOOD! IT'S IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!