Chapter 3: Reunions and Ramifications
When Sabine returned to the bakery the next morning, the look on her face was one of substantial surprise.
"Was Marinette up? I thought I heard her moving around up there," Tom noted. "Odd for her this early, when it's not a school day."
"She's up. She said that she'd come down shortly and help us out, once she's dressed... for now, she was fiddling on her computer, with Gigi sitting right there helping her," she replied. "Watching the screen like a hawk at every move she made."
"Huh. They seem like they're really getting attached to each other," he said. "I know that she's wanted one of those for years..."
"They're two peas in a pod, it seems. Though... I still say that there's something odd about that hamster."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Gigi watching his new owner on her computer is one thing. But I could have sworn..."
"What do you think you saw?"
Sabine frowned, as if trying to convince herself before speaking. "I could have sworn that it was working the mouse for her. Moving it around and even reaching out and clicking it."
Tom considered that.
"That makes sense, I suppose," he reasoned. "Can you imagine it trying to type?"
"Tom."
Thank you for this. As you can imagine, I could not have done this on my own.
"No problem," Marinette yawned. "I figured that this way, I can help my parents with morning customers downstairs once I'm dressed, and you can get to your nap."
I meant your helping me keep abreast of what's happening in the world. My role in it may be diminished, but I would at least like to be AWARE of human happenings.
"So far, so good?"
I suppose so. My successors at the company are making some choices that I question, but... meh. They are doing what seems best to them, and it is out of my hands now.
"Paws, you mean," giggled Marinette. "I'm sorry, I'm picking on you," she added, when he turned away from her. "I'm only teasing."
The humor is not lost upon me. I am just... I am intensely aware of my limitations now, Gigi moped. For instance, I would greatly enjoy joining you down in the bakery this morning, getting a look at how things operate there.
"You would?" she asked, with mild surprise.
Of course. Your parents are extremely talented at their craft, are they not? From a purely aesthetic end, it might prove fascinating to see such procedures up close, masters of their art hard at work. However, I do not even have to ask, do I?
"If I brought a live animal into the kitchen, my father would skin both of us," Marinette agreed. "It's nothing personal against you, right? But he wouldn't let a dog or a cat into his work area, either."
Whereas my son might get a brief tour someday.
"I wouldn't rule that out, if Adrien would want one," she agreed again. "Last time I checked, Adrien didn't have a tail."
And so on, and so on. They are tiny indignities, but they do add up.
After a moment, he added, Speaking of Adrien... will you be seeing him soon?
"Yes, actually? He's coming over today after lunch. We're hanging out together and, um... whatever follows," she smiled. "So... I guess you'll see him up close?"
I am pondering how I feel about that. Given what I have become since last I saw him...
"As long as you keep your cool, it should be okay, right? He should have no way of knowing who's inside that body," reasoned Marinette. "You can't... think into his mind, can you?"
Not as far as I know. Tikki told me that I can only project to Kwamis and to people who have hosted a Miraculous, which is how you and I can... what?
Marinette's face was somewhat pale. "Okay, um, then don't do that with him? Because he has had a Miraculous."
You are KIDDING ME right now, gasped Gigi, rearing up. So Adrien WAS Chat Noir, as I once suspected?
Her expression became even more startled. "N-no! He wasn't... there's no way on earth that would have been possible..." she fretted. "You suspected him of that...? No! I, um... I gave him the Snake once."
You are not hiding an important truth from me, are you, Marinette?
All at once, Marinette felt as if Gigi's icy stare truly was Gabriel's withering glare in the flesh.
"I am not hiding that from you. I can scarcely believe you would think it, though. I've seen Adrien and Chat together," she declared. I have, haven't I? she asked herself. "On one occasion, against Desperada, I felt that he was perfect to help me out as Aspik. It didn't work out like I'd planned, and I didn't want to put him at any unnecessary risk after that."
Ah.
"Which is ironic, I suppose. My Lucky Charm was guiding me to him when your Risk Akuma was affecting me," she frowned, "and that led to... well, you know what it led to."
The hamster snickered, as best as one could. That was one of my more clever gambits, was it not? he gloated. I should have sent more Akumas to work quietly in the background, rather than a frontal assault.
"Let's not go into that now," she sighed. "I'm trying to be nice."
I'm sorry, I'm picking on you, Gigi apologized. I'm only teasing...
"Touche," smiled Marinette, hearing her own words.
Since you have brought up the subject of that particular day... there is something else that I am quite curious about. If I may inquire?
"Go ahead," Marinette sighed, all thoughts of web-browsing forgotten.
You mentioned that you are content with my nephew possessing the Peacock for now. I certainly assume that that is whom you meant when you mentioned it.
"It is."
Why?
"Should I not be?" she grumbled. "Is there something beyond his betrayal of me that should disqualify him?"
That... ought to have been enough, Gigi confirmed. Or at least it would have been for me. That was the turning point in our entire shared history, the edge that I needed to claim victory in our ongoing duel of wits. What made you forgive him for his actions?
Marinette locked eyes with Gigi, her stare as intense as Gigi's had been. "Forgiven is a very strong word," she snapped, "and he is far from that."
What, then? I am legitimately curious. And not just because I would rather that you do not cave in his skull. He IS family, for all his flaws of character.
"When I encountered him again, I learned... more about him. And about some other people," she frowned. "The Peacock is one of the only Miraculous I've never held, so I'm not as familiar with it, but when it comes to senti..."
She trailed off momentarily. "I won't call them senti-monsters," she clarified. "Many of them are anything but monsters."
I am very glad to hear that from you, Marinette, Gigi breathed. Because yes, many sentis are as human as you or I... well, as you are, these days.
"I don't want to know too much more about all of that, do I?" she challenged him. "About how certain senti-people came about. About who is a senti and who... might not be, and what you might know about that."
I will not lie to you about what I know, if you ask me directly. There are some answers that I possess.
Marinette took a deep breath.
"If Adrien was one... not saying that he is, but if he was... he is truly human, deep down? And if he had his own amok in his hands, he would have free will, and the rest of his life would be his own to choose?" she asked. "No mind control by others, no fear of being snapped away, all of that is true?"
If he was one... answered Gigi, slowly, then yes, that would be true. I do not believe that Felix would ever harm another senti willingly, or that any force could pry the Peacock away from him. He cares for his cousin, and would much sooner protect him than torment him in any way.
"I could take his Miraculous if I wanted to. Especially now, with so many others I could use," countered Marinette, "but I do not plan to. I'm willing to give Felix a chance to redeem himself. And... I don't want an answer about Adrien right now."
You're sure?
"If it truly doesn't matter, for better or worse, then I don't need to know. He is who he is. And if he ever wants to tell me more about... where he came from, he can."
And if he does not know whether he is one or not? If even he has doubts?
Marinette stared Gigi down again. "If it truly doesn't matter... then let it lie," she repeated. "And you're wrong about one thing. Felix's betrayal was a huge moment, but it wasn't what caused your victory. Chat and I held the line for a long while afterwards."
What was the tipping point, then?
"My failure."
I must disagree with you there.
"I figured you would. But I'll remember it until the day I die," Marinette shuddered. "I let my guard down at the most important moment. I was wide open for your Venom shot. I failed... I failed everyone."
Gigi crept forward and laid a front paw on her hand, as if attempting a consoling gesture.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng... I am only going to say this once, so please, pay attention. You were the worthiest of foes, and I will not witness you engaging in self-flagellation.
"H-huh?"
I will not allow you to beat yourself up unnecessarily, is what that means. Listen to me, please?
She nodded.
So many times during our rivalry, I knew that I had you and your partner utterly beaten. I turned your own team against you, I overwhelmed you with numbers, I had you on the ropes hand-to-hand, I held fifteen Miraculous to your two, I had you two outmatched so completely that even the gods themselves couldn't overturn my inevitable victory. It was a hopeless war of attrition for you, one that would leave you on your knees, begging for my mercy. Mercy that, if I felt magnanimous, I might actually grant. And yet you foiled me every single time, through creativity and bravery and simple bull-headed determination. Every... single... time.
"Except for the last time. The one that mattered most."
Do you know what your fault was that day, Marinette?
"Y-yeah, it was-"
Compassion.
As she felt silent, he continued. You had me dead to rights. I was the one on my knees, beaten and afraid. You could have killed me, if you had chosen to, or whatever other fate you could think of, he admitted. And instead, you reached your hand out to me, and you offered to be humane with me. To treat me as a fallible human being, not a supervillain. Just as with Felix, to dare to hope that I could become something better.
"I let my guard down. Just like I said."
You fell prey to a cheap shot, a last gasp of a desperate man. One for whom defeating you had long since overtaken his original goal.
Gigi shuddered slightly as he continued. My assistant, Nathalie, once read me the riot act right after I became Monarch. With the power of the Rabbit, she told me, I could have easily accomplished my goal without battling you at all! And yet, I felt the need to prove my superiority, to flaunt my newfound might, and it nearly cost me everything. And Nathalie was completely correct about that.
If you failed on that day, he concluded, it was because you were a better human being than I was. My... change in status... merely literalizes that. And witnessing you up close at long last, feeling your kindness being extended to a man whom you have every reason to hate, I understand my son's fascination with you completely.
"You are being kind in saying that," said Marinette, hesitantly. "Surprisingly humble and understanding, given our history and your former opinion of me."
I could kick and scream and rant and rave, but what good would it do me now? asked Gigi. I had two goals, and I have accomplished both. To finally defeat your partnership in our duel of wits and skill - which, as I noted, I did only via discarding all pretenses of chivalry - and to release my wife from her suspended state. I have no more reason to continue to fight you or to judge you from upon my lofty pedestal... even if I was not now totally dependent upon your compassion and care.
Being stuck like this, he pondered, it does... change one's perspective on life? And it gives me many long hours in darkness to consider the choices I have made, and how many of them have been wrong. And if I have wronged you in many ways, and I feel that I have, I feel that debt. A debt that grows with every fresh batch of food pellets.
"You're actually eating those things," marveled Marinette. "You do like them?"
They're not lobster mornay, he shrugged, and I do not want to know what is in them. Do not ever tell me what is in them. But to this mouth, they have sufficient appeal.
"Good enough, then. How about I go change out of my pajamas," she suggested, "and get the rest of my day started?"
A few hours later, Gigi scurried back and forth between his cage and the dollhouse, back and forth, back and forth, unable to steady his nerves.
My son is nearly here. MY SON IS NEARLY HERE!
How do I even begin to approach this situation?
Do I speak to him, mentally? Will he even hear it, if his Miraculous-wielding time was so brief? Do I NOT speak to him? I need to remain silent for his mental well-being at present, but can I force myself to pretend to be a simple animal?
The computer! I could type out a message - throw myself at the keys, I can reach the Backspace key without aid -
How can I get up onto the desk without Marinette's assistance? CURSE these tiny legs!
This is madness, of course it is madness, I cannot just... blurt out my existence abruptly! Not without the obvious question of how his father ended up inside a HAMSTER. At that point, could I trust Marinette to try to maintain the facade, that this was all part of my 'sacrifice' to defeat Monarch?
But is it not cruel to let him mourn me, knowing that I am alive, I will be watching over him, that I am in good hands?
STEPS!
I hear steps on the stairwell! They are almost here - WHAT DO I DO -
- aaaaaaaaarrrrrrgggghh!
As Marinette led the way into her bedroom, she checked for Gigi's whereabouts. Drawn to an odd sound, she noticed immediately that he was sprinting on his cage's wheel as hard as he could go, to her surprise.
Huh! He had said that he wasn't fond of that wheel. He must be beyond agitated... she thought to herself.
"Okay! First, I have someone that I would very much like you to meet," she told Adrien, trying to keep her cool. "The newest addition to the household."
Adrien approached the cage, wide-eyed and with visible joy. "This must be Gigi," he exclaimed. "He is just precious!"
The hamster stopped running abruptly, with the wheel's momentum nearly slinging him off to the side in a heap. Regaining his balance, he shook it off and stared up into very familiar green eyes.
"He is, isn't he? He's the cutest little thing," grinned Marinette.
"Wow..." said Adrien, peeking in at Gigi through the cage from one angle, then another. Gigl darted from side to side, following his movement. "Your parents got him for you?" he asked.
"Not... exactly? It's kind of a long story," she wavered. "But he's here now."
Adrien reached for the cage door, then paused. "Is it okay if I let him out? Maybe hold him? He wouldn't bite me, right?" he wondered.
A giggle burst out of Marinette at the thought. "No, I really don't think that he'll bite you," she managed. "Go ahead, if he'll let you hold him."
He reached out for the hamster... and to his astonishment, saw that the hamster appeared to be reaching out to him with its tiny paws, as well.
And then...
"Whoa," marveled Marinette. "I'd say he likes you."
"I would say that, too," said Adrien in a startled tone, his hands tentatively petting the small, furry creature that was hugging his neck tightly with its front paws.
He did his best to turn his head towards it as it nuzzled him, but the angle was awkward. "Is he this affectionate with you?" he wondered.
"Maybe not quite like that?" she offered. "But he does seem to like people in general."
"It's... I'm not sure how to react," Adrien explained. "I mean, he's super-cute! And I can't say no to cuddling him like this. I wanted a hamster of my own, but Father would never let me; after my feather allergy was diagnosed, he was afraid that I'd be allergic to it, too."
"Hamsters have feathers?"
"No... but he was just being protective. He was... that's just how he was," he replied. "But it's like... I can almost feel... Gigi's reaching out to me, and not just with his paws. It's somehow deeper than that..."
"Maybe he's a little too excited right now," said Marinette, feeling a bit nervous about how the situation was progressing
As she stepped forward to collect Gigi and return him to his cage, Adrien held him out in front of him and smiled warmly. "I like you too, little buddy," he cooed. "I'm sure that we'll see a lot of each other... eh?"
"What is it?" asked Marinette.
"Are Gigi's eyes... tearing up a little?"
"YES he's had a little too much exercise," she blurted, quickly. As she motioned Adrien over to the chaise, she slipped Gigi back into the cage and closed the door. "Subtle. Very subtle," she hissed in a whisper.
Sometimes you don't understand what you have until it's gone, came Gigi's mental reply. My boy... to be with him again, to see him smiling again like this... Even I am not without emotion.
"I get it. I get it!" Marinette whispered back. "BUT we can't tell him like this, right here and now, for so many reasons, and it would need to be Ladybug telling him, NOT me, because only she would've known about-"
Yes. I am sorry, Marinette. It's only the first time I've seen my son since I DIED, metaphorically speaking. I am overwhelmed in the moment!
"You can behave?"
I can behave. Go, do what you had planned with him. I will be content here.
"Be careful what you're projecting," she added. "So that Adrien doesn't hear your thoughts."
If I need you, I can concentrate and send them to only you. Do not worry about that.
With that, Marinette went over and sat by Adrien's side. They talked about Gigi for a bit, then about some personal things happening in Adrien's morning, then about a game coming soon that both of them were looking forward to...
...and soon, the talking stopped.
Not far away, underneath a chair on Marinette's balcony, a Kwami was sulking.
"You can come inside," Tikki suggested. "We can spy on how hilarious Gabriel the hamster looks."
"Not a chance," Plagg grumbled. "I spent enough time in the same building as that scumbag. I won't do it again. I'm horrified that Adrien's that close to him!"
"He's that close to her," she pointed out. "There isn't a thing that Gabriel can do about it any more. In fact, I think he's starting to approve of their being together."
This is intolerable!
On the third complaint ringing in her skull, Marinette did her best to rotate her ongoing makeout with Adrien so that she was facing Gigi and Adrien's back was to him. A curt hand gesture behind Adrien's back signalled, "Knock it off!"
I will not! I am not.. opposed to your sharing appropriate affection with my son any more, but you cannot expect me to WATCH it happen in front of me!
Her next gesture was a twirling finger, as if saying, "Then turn around!"
I can still HEAR you. Would you do this right in front of YOUR father?
Responding to him was difficult for Marinette, as the voice in her head and Adrien nibbling gently on her neck were both extremely distracting. When Gigi began jumping up and down and squeaking repeatedly, that was enough for Adrien to notice him as well.
"Someone wants your attention," he noted.
"Someone else has it right now," breathed Marinette.
"I can tell that."
The chirping and scratching in protest continued.
"You don't think he's jealous, do you?" grinned Adrien. "That I've got you all to myself right now?"
"Jealous isn't the word I would use," Marinette evaded. "Can... you excuse me for just a moment?"
Scurrying over to the cage, Marinette lowered her voice to a whisper. "You want your son to be happy, right?" she hissed. "I think you can tell that he's quite happy right now."
This is utterly indignified and disrespectful. You cannot find another place for this?
"Oh, sure, I'll just take him down to the bakery. The customers will love the floor show. It's not like we're showing off for you; it's just... this is my room! It's the one place where we have privacy."
Bah.
"Just go to sleep, or something! Your eyes are heavy."
My eyes and ears are burning.
"Will you please shut up? Adrien is wondering what's going on. You don't want to test me on what I'll do next."
Try me.
"There are many things that I... haven't done with Adrien yet," she stammered. "That we're nowhere near doing yet, as a couple. But if you keep this up..."
Precisely what are you threatening me with watching, young lady?! Choose your words carefully.
"I don't know what I'll do yet! I didn't plan anything special for today! But if I do... escalate, it won't be something you'd want to see, I promise you. So just ignore us!"
Gigi was unbowed. And if you do cross those lines in front of me, I will fill your skull the entire time with things that will kill the mood. Horror movie scenes. Bad poetry. Tuneless singing. How did that one old song go... "I'm Henry the 8th I am, Henry the 8th I am I am..."
"Is everything all right over there?" called Adrien.
"Yes, it is. Gigi just needs some special attention for a minute," she replied, then glared down at Gigi. "Remember, you made me do this," she whispered with a scowl
Do what - gaaaah!
"You don't have to be happy that he didn't get one of your... special lessons," Tikki chided Plagg. "You have held back on telling him his father's secret, right?"
"For now."
Looking more frustrated than angry, Plagg frowned, "He thinks his father's dead. He's mourning him. He's all broken up about that and even for a piece of trash like Gabriel, he ought to be. That's his dad. Gabe wasn't always a supervillain or hot garbage as a father. Everything Adrien knew just changed and he's fragile as hell and I don't want to break him."
His scowl returned. "I mean, if Pigtails doesn't tell him, I will, sooner or later. Count on that. He needs to know the truth, when... he's more ready to hear it. His hurt's still too fresh right now."
"I can live with that," Tikki agreed.
Abruptly, Plagg sniffed the air. "Speaking of what's changed... have you noticed anything... off about this new world yet?" he asked. "Like, fundamentally wrong?"
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"It's like... look, I've never been as attuned to things as Wayzz, right? And I can get lost in my own little world sometimes," Plagg admitted. "But I'm paying attention now, because my not paying attention cost Adrien dearly. And it just seems like... like there's a crackle in the air. A heaviness. Like a cloud that's forming. It's subtle, but it's there."
Tikki closed her eyes. "Now that you mention it, there is a difference from how things were. Just enough to be noticeable," she concurred. "What do you think it is?"
"I don't know yet. But I don't like it."
Gigi squeaked in alarm as he felt Marinette pick him up, hold him aloft, and in a singsong voice... drown him in overwhelming affection.
"Who's the cutest little hamster in the whole world you are YOU ARE, Gigi!" she cooed. "Oh, look at those little whiskers and that little pink nose and those little feets I just want to kiss every one of those little tiny feets mmmwah mmmmwah mmmmwah mmmmmmwaaaaah!"
STOP THAT, IMMEDIATELY! Gigi roared, impotently. This is revolting! And improper! And disturbing on many levels!
"Oh, when Adrien's gone home we're going to cuddle and cuddle and cuddle," giggled Marinette, "And I might get you a little outfit to wear. Maybe a little hamster sailor suit, with a ruffle around your neck and a cute little hat..."
PLEASE put me down! I am not a toy! I have never been so... emasculated...
"And Adrien can cuddle you too!" she declared. "You can snuggle up in his arms like the cutest little fuzzy doll and he can rock you back and forth and stroke your little ears..."
I GIVE. PLEASE. I will... I will go to sleep and not say another word...
When he reentered his cage, he managed one last defiant expression Marinette's way. That was dirty pool, you, he snarled. VERY dirty pool.
"It wasn't my idea of a good time, either," she agreed. "But... good niiiiight, Gigi," she smiled in her normal voice, draping a cloth cover over the cage.
The afternoon proceeded as planned, with both Adrien's remaining virtue and Gigi's remaining dignity mostly intact from that point forward.