A New Chance
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A little girl with golden pigtails was looking around the many arrangements of flowers on display at the front of the florist shop. She looked among the lilies and carnations, smelled the roses and buttercups, and curiously tried to touch the potted cactus.
"Careful, Emma." Her father came up to her from behind and drew her hand away from the desert plant. "We're just getting some flowers, remember?"
"Yes, Daddy." Emma smiled and went back to the roses.
The florist came up and leaned down to greet her little customer. "Why hello there, young lady. Are you here to buy some flowers?"
"Yes, ma'am. We need some flowers for my grandpa's birthday." Emma answered twirling her little purple dress back and forth.
"Oh, how thoughtful. What kind of flowers would your grandfather like?" the florist walked over to the bundles of flowers to be ready for whatever the girl picked.
"I don't know. I can't ask him because he's a statue." she answered simply.
The florist had to do a doubletake on the girl's words. What did she mean, a statue? "Ummm, what do you mean by that, sweetie?"
"There's a big shiny statue of my grandpa because he saved Paris a long time ago. Daddy says since he doesn't have a grave, we should put the flowers on his statue. But I can't ask him what flowers he wants because statues can't talk."
There was only one statue representing a man that saved Paris that the florist could think of, and it made her look back to the girl's father. She thought he'd looked familiar, but she couldn't completely place him before now. "Are... Are you...?"
"Adrien Dupain-Cheng, ma'am." he greeted with a hand out for her to shake. That's right, he took his wife's last name, though no one really understood his reasoning. Why wouldn't he want to keep his esteemed family name that not only had a big impact on the fashion industry, but also saved the world from a supervillain terrorist? "And I think grandpa would really appreciate some lilies for his birthday, don't you think Emma?" he asked his daughter.
"Sure Daddy." Emma laughed then went back to the roses. "Daddy, can we get some flowers for Mommy, too?"
The florist froze a bit at that question and thought the worst. Did something happen to Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She didn't remember seeing anything on the news. Then she relaxed when the father's response was calm and happy toward his daughter.
"Why, Emma, it's not Mommy's birthday yet?" he smiled.
"Because you said she has the hardest job and that we should always show our app... apprech-... " the four-year-old struggled with the big word.
"Appreciation." her father finished for her.
"Yeah. I wanna give Mommy the pink ones." she pointed to the roses.
The florist was happy to oblige and took out some of the chosen blooms. "What is your mommy working on, dear? Some new clothing design?" she guessed.
"No," Emma giggled. "She's carrying around my baby brother until he's ready to be born."
"Oh isn't that exciting?!"
"Yeah, but he's taking a long time, though." Emma pouted.
The florist couldn't help but giggle at the dear little angel. "Oh, I'm sure it won't be for much longer." She looked back as Adrien as if silently asking him when the new arrival was.
"We still have another two months."
"That's still too long. I wanna see my baby brother now." Emma whined this time.
"Now, now, Emma. Remember when we talked about being patient?" Adrien scolded her gently. "What did Papa Tom tell you if you take the bread out too soon?"
"That it won't taste right, and we have to start all over again and wait even longer." she recited her maternal grandfather's words.
"That's right. The same thing goes for your baby brother. If he comes out before he's ready, he could get really sick and he won't be able to play with you. We don't want that to happen, do we?" Adrien picked up his daughter to help her look him in the eye better.
"Okay, Daddy, I'll be patient." she whispered.
"That's my girl. Now come on, why don't we get the flowers for your grandpa and for Mommy?" he set her back down and let her go back to the register.
The florist being witness to the whole scene, felt like her heart was going to melt away. What a sweet little family. She had already finished both the bouquets while they were talking, and handed the lilies to the little girl while Adrien took the roses and paid at the register. She waved them goodbye and wished them a good day. She saw through the window a dark-haired woman that Adrien presented the roses to, no doubt this was his wife, Marinette. She couldn't hear the conversation, but she would guess he was telling her that it was the daughter's idea she should have flowers too. Marinette was touched and reached down give a big hug to her daughter, well as far as she could reach anyway given her extended stomach. Then the happy little family went on their merry way.
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"Hi, Grandpa. Happy Birthday!" Emma shouted at the statue before placing the flowers below the stone plank with Gabriel's name on it.
"Happy Birthday, Father." Adrien said quietly. Marinette took his hand in silent support.
"Daddy, did Grandpa really save Paris with you and Mommy?" Emma asked innocently.
Adrien tongue felt like lead at her question. He didn't want to lie to his daughter, but he also felt she wasn't ready for the truth. They told her about being Ladybug and Chat Noir, and that it was a special secret. It wasn't on purpose, her curiosity got the better of her and she stumbled upon Tikki and Plagg. But she understood that she must never tell anyone about mommy and daddy being superheroes, she was very smart. The question was would she understand that her grandfather being remembered as a hero was all a lie?
Marinette could see his struggle, and decided to answer for him. "It was because of your grandfather that Monarch isn't around anymore, Emma."
"Cool." Emma looked at the statue for another minute, then pointed to the playground thinking she paid her respects long enough. "Can I go play now?"
"Sure, honey." Marinette watch her daughter head straight for the jungle gym set. Adrien was still looking up at the statue sadly. She knew how hard all this was for him. "Are you okay, Adrien?"
"I just hate having to keep up with this charade." he grunted.
"I know, but there's not much else we can do." she leaned in to wrap her arms around his middle, and he held her back in return. One hand went to her stomach to feel their son kick, and she felt some of the tension leave her husband.
Gabriel Agreste was a sore subject for the both of them. It had taken a few years for the heroic duo to remember the truth behind the final battle with Monarch. Marinette was the first to remember. At first there were things that she couldn't make sense of. She remembered fighting Monarch in the Agreste Mansion, she remembered breaking through the floor and into a secret garden area in the basement. She remembered seeing the body of Emilie Agreste in a strange chamber, and that she separated Monarch from some of the miraculous and the butterfly brooch fell into the water. Then her memory went to Gabriel, and he was standing in front of the Kwami of Reality. She saw Gabriel and Emilie embrace before everything went white. Next thing she knew she was all alone with the miraculous, and for the life of her she couldn't remember much of what happened between her, Monarch and Gabriel. It was like the more she thought about it, the more she was forgetting. Those few memories that she had seemed to create the scene that Monarch was gone, but she couldn't remember things like what Monarch looked like when the brooch came off, why she came to the mansion as Ladybug in the first place, or why Gabriel was involved, like she was missing several pieces to a puzzle.
The only thing she didn't have to think too hard on was when she cast the miraculous cure and freed everyone from the control of the Alliance rings. Argos showed up not long after that, and told her how she needed to give the twin silver rings to Adrien because his life depended on it. She asked if he knew anything about what happened to Monarch or Gabriel Agreste, and he seemed to be having the same trouble remembering exactly what was going on. He knew that their families were involved with the peacock and the butterfly miraculous, and that Gabriel wanted to save his wife but had no way of succeeding. He knew that some kind of deal was made, and it involved the Tsurugi family. He remembered Gabriel trying to separate Marinette and his cousin, but everything in between that felt blurred. They looked around the place together, and there was no trace of them, or the butterfly miraculous. She even tried asking Plagg, and he simply said that unless they knew what Gabriel specifically wished for, there was no way for them to know how much was changed. They came to the conclusion that Gabriel Agreste made a wish that put a stop to Monarch's reign, but at the cost of his own life. That was all she could explain to Adrien at the time when she gave him the rings.
The man was decorated as a hero after that, and for a while Marinette believed every bit of it herself. She made sure to be there for Adrien when he needed her, and she made things better for the kwamis and her friends by sharing the power of the miraculous. It was a good thing too when the new villain with the butterfly miraculous showed up, a woman that went by the name Chrysalis. Ladybug and Chat Noir continued to be the great heroes defending Paris, and they had all their teammates to fight beside them once more.
Timed passed on at a good pace until one day when the butterfly holder caused a particularly nasty akuma that resulted in the use of Bug Noire once more. Merging Tikki and Plagg again, for some reason, caused the spell to break on Marinette and suddenly she remembered everything the wish made her forget. Gabriel Agreste was Monarch, it had been him the entire time. There was no heroic sacrifice, he simply took the coward's way out both because he didn't want to be without his wife, and that he was very short on time from Chat Noir's cataclysm. He had been using his son this entire time and sealed him away just to get a hold of the bug and cat jewels. Marinette remembered all the hatred she held for the man, and how much her heart broke for Adrien. It was actually super lucky that an akuma didn't come after her with how awful she felt then. She didn't know what to do now that she knew the truth. How could she face Adrien again after all this?
Her answer was given to her when she reversed from Bug Noire once more. Tikki and Plagg seemed to remember what really happened as well, a strange side effect to their unified powers. Plagg was the first to react, saying that the time for secrets was over, and that she should explain everything to Chat Noir, reveal herself to him and to Adrien as well. Tikki was in full agreement. At first, Marinette wanted to deny it. What was the point in ruining everything for Adrien when the wish made his father out to be something he could be proud of? Plagg countered her statement with it all being a lie, and sooner or later he'll learn the truth, and it will break him more if he finds out the wrong way. Reluctantly, Marinette agreed and let the black cat fly off to return the ring to her partner.
Ladybug did as the kwamis suggested, and met with Chat Noir saying they had to share identities at last. She didn't think it would be that big a deal this time, until the mask fell away from her partner. It took everything in her not to fall apart when she saw that her dear partner and the boy she loved were one in the same. Only now everything involving Gabriel Agreste made it so much worse. For Adrien, he thought he won the lottery in learning who his lady was the entire time. But when she didn't share his enthusiasm, he sat them both down and gave her time to explain everything.
Naturally it was hard for him to believe the truth, but once Marinette let him unify Tikki and Plagg for a moment, the effects of the wish were cleared away and he remembered everything involving his father. The Alliance rings, the digital avatars of him and Kagami, Gabriel separating him from Marinette, taking him to London and locking him away to make him use the accursed tech so his nightmares would stop. Adrien was boiling with anger at his father's actions, then all he could do was cry when Marinette got to the part about his mother, the twin rings, and the cataclysm slowly destroying Gabriel's body. Marinette could only hold him as he sobbed uncontrollably against her.
Eventually things calmed down and they went into hero mode to compare notes. Marinette explained how she didn't know what Gabriel wished for completely, his words "Read my heart, read my soul" seemed so vague. Adrien confessed that before his magical revelation, all the memories of his father were little moments they had together, like he was only able to remember good times, as few as they were. He just went along with everyone calling him a hero, that his sacrifice was honorable. Marinette explained how Gabriel had requested that she would never let his son know about the villain he once was, and only know about the father he tried to be. Perhaps part of his wish was to make that true, but what was sacrificed to create such a block in their memories?
They thought that maybe they could ask Gimmi themselves, but Tikki and Plagg warned them that it was Gimmi's own personal rule never to reveal what once was and what had been changed. When they asked why, Tikki answered with how Gimmi hated it enough when someone only summons them to complain, so why should they tell them how things used to be just for them to want to change it back? So, Marinette and Adrien gave up on the idea and tried to figure out for themselves what the wish had caused. They thought maybe Bunnix could help, but Plagg shot that down saying how the wish rewrites reality, so even her perspective would be altered. To the rest of the world, it seemed like no one could recall much about Gabriel Agreste other than the obvious. He was a famous yet reclusive fashion icon, had partnered with the Tsurugi tech company to create the Alliance Rings, then when Monarch hacked the rings to create an army of akumas, Gabriel sacrificed himself to save the world. Everyone would always say it as a notecard version and never went into better detail. It was almost like they physically couldn't. Did this mean that no one would believe them? What would this do to Paris if they knew the truth?
Seeing as how they couldn't prove it one way or the other, Adrien and Marinette decided that it wasn't worth the risk, so they kept Monarch's identity to themselves. Marinette never even told Alya. They continued on with their lives together while still being the city's heroes. Marinette started her dream of being a successful fashion designer and Adrien decided to fully separate himself from his father's shadow. He went to the schools of his choosing, and earned a degree in psychology to help other kids that went through the same issues that he did. In a way, it was therapeutic for him as he got to share some of his experiences of having a father like Gabriel Agreste. He even asked to take his love's family name when he asked her to marry him and truly start a new life in his own way. Then they had little Emma, the purest joy to ever come into their lives, next to the new little one on the way of course. They were still fighting Chrysalis, but even that was worth all the happiness they gained.
"You know, we may never fully know what Gabriel's wish was, but I don't think I would change anything that we have now." Marinette said as she watches her daughter go down the slide and climb back up to do it again.
"I guess it just bugs me how Monarch basically won." Adrien sighed. "Or that I wasn't enough for him to not do any of that shit in the first place..."
"Adrien..." she put a hand to his cheek to make him look at her. "He never deserved you, my love. And he doesn't deserve to have us stress over him. We may have to live with his choices, but we won't let it control us. Okay?"
"As you wish, milady." he whispered and pulled her closer for a kiss. Then they went back to watching their daughter play.
Emma had changed it up from the slides and moved on to the swings. She was imagining being like her mom and swinging on her yoyo through the city. The little girl had often dreamed of being a hero like her parents, even went so far as to ask if she could have a miraculous one day. While she was disappointed when her mother said that all the miraculous jewels have good owners, save for the butterfly, Marinette did say that maybe one day when she was old enough they could pass down the bug or cat to her if she still wanted the responsibility. Emma was beyond enthusiastic at the thought. She thought it over several times about either wielding the ladybug earrings, or maybe even her father's black cat ring. She drew her own costume ideas, pretended random items around the house were her lucky charms, and even got into a bit of trouble by breaking a dish and saying it was her cataclysm. Her parents had to calm her down after that one, and said how there are more than one way to be a hero besides having a suit and magical powers. The four-year-old didn't see how, though, since both of her parents were secretly superheroes. How else can you be one if you don't have a miraculous?
"Hey look, an akuma!" Emma heard one of the older boys across the playground call out. He and two other boys his age were chasing after what looked like a normal little butterfly. "Get it!"
Emma didn't think much on the boys chasing the flying insect until it landed on some flowers, and it looked like they were going to stomp on it. The poor butterfly, she thought. Then another, much smaller boy, stepped in to the stop the older ones.
"No, Stop! Don't kill the pretty butterfly!" the little boy cried out desperately. He was a very small, skinny boy compared to the older ones. He had on a red and white striped sweater, glasses that didn't fit on his little nose very well, and a messy mop on light brown hair. He was also had a book with butterflies on the cover in the hand that stretched out to shield the threatened insect.
"Are you stupid? We're trying to stomp on the akuma!" the leader of the older boys shouted.
"NO, it's just a regular purple emperor! It's not an akuma!" he cried out again, then he opened his book to picture of said butterfly. "See, it says so right here."
"Tch, what are you, some kind of butterfly lover!?" the older boy gave the smaller one a shove.
The boy with glasses didn't mind the shove too much, and went back to showing off his little book. "Yeah, I do like butterflies, there's a lot of them that are..."
"Then you're a bad guy!" The boy laughed and encouraged the other two to join him.
"What!? No I'm not!" he denied, but it only made the boys laugh at him harder.
"Yes, you are. Everyone knows that butterflies are evil. They are the archenemies of Ladybug and Chat Noir!" he shoved the boy again, this time knocking him over. The butterfly was all but forgotten now that they had someone else to taunt. "Maybe you're working for Chrysalis..."
"No..." fat tears were falling down the little boy's face now.
Having witnessed the whole thing, Emma leaped off the swing and ran over to the boys, and got underneath the nose of the leader who was a good head taller than her. "Hey, you leave him alone!"
The leader laughed at the little girl trying to be brave. "Get lost, girly, this is none of your business!"
"I said leave him alone, you big bully!" Emma said, not backing down.
"That kid likes akumas!" he pointed to the boy still on the ground.
"No, I don't. I like butterflies!" he cried.
"Same thing!"
"No, it's not!" Emma cried out this time.
"Yes it is." the older boy insisted. "Everyone knows that butterflies are evil!"
"No, they're not!" Emma insisted. "My mommy says so. The miraculous is for good people, but the bad guys stole it."
"The butterfly only makes bad guys!"
"Nuh-uh, it can make heroes too. Ladybug says so!" she stomped her little foot this time.
"Oh, and you talked to Ladybug before, little girl!?" he crossed his arms, expecting her to make something up.
"Yes, I have."
"No you haven't, liar." the other boys said in denial.
"Have too."
"Have not!"
"Have Too!"
"Have Not!"
"HAVE TOO!"
Seeing the whole confrontation and how it started to escalate, Marinette and Adrien saw that it was time for them to step in before a real akuma might show up. Plus, with Ladybug and Chat Noir being part of the children's conversation, they worried about their four-year-old accidentally letting something slip. They were both silently praising her for being so brave against these older kids, though.
"Excuse me," Marinette spoke up as they reached the group. "Do we have a problem, here?"
"No, we're not doing nothin'." the boys denied right away.
"Oh really? It wasn't looking like nothing to me." Adrien frowned at them. "It looked like you boys were very much doing something mean."
"They were being mean to that boy, Daddy." Emma pointed to the little boy that was finally picking himself off the ground.
"It's his fault!" one boy accused.
"Yeah, he was helping Chrysalis with an akuma!"
"We saw that akuma flying around! It was an akuma!"
"Liars! It was just a butterfly!" Emma shouted back.
"So what!? Everyone knows butterflies are evil!" the leader said in final.
Both Adrien and Marinette had to fight rolling their eyes at the kid's words. It was an unfortunate stereotype that developed over the years. Many Parisians were anxious at the sight of any moth or butterfly in the area. There was a great paranoia whenever someone had butterflies in their gardens, or anyone that had a hobby of collecting them. Then there were the marketing scams that exploded after Chrysalis was terrorizing the city for the first couple years. All the salesmen that claimed to create replicas of Ladybug's magical charms, or the realtors that sold 'guaranteed' akuma proof homes. There was even an akuma insurance! In the words of Chloe Bourgeois: It was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! And obviously it was being engrained into these kids here.
"Now you boys listen to me very closely." Marinette stated going into full Ladybug mode. "Butterflies are not evil. They never were evil. Not even the butterfly miraculous is evil. But people like Monarch and Chrysalis are the bad ones that are using the miraculous to hurt people. And the only way for them to win is if people are being mean to other people."
"Is that what you boys want? For the bad guys to win?" Adrien added, making the boys kick the dirt with guilt.
"No, sir." they all grumbled.
"What would Ladybug think if you ended up causing an akuma by being mean to others?" Marinette asked. She could see that they felt worse at the question, and they didn't want to answer, so she continued. "She would be very disappointed. Ladybug and Chat Noir are counting on all of us to help fight the supervillains, aren't they?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Then isn't there something you should be saying to my daughter and this little boy, here?" she gestured to the two.
"Sorry.." they all said quietly.
"Alright then." Adrien said. "We can all agree that there's nothing wrong with regular butterflies and it's okay to like them. And we better not see you boys causing any more trouble, or we'll have to seek out your parents. Are we understood?"
"Yes..." the leader grumbled.
"You boys go on now." he waved them off, and they all made a break for it.
Marinette turned her attention back to her daughter and the little boy. "Are you two alright?"
"I'm okay, Mommy." Emma had a bright smile on her face with her little fists on her hips like she had just conquered a mountain.
Marinette could only smile at her brave little girl, then turned back to the boy. He was clutching his book very tightly to his chest while looking down at the ground. He seemed like he was trying very hard not to cry again. "Are you alright, young man?"
"Y-yes, madame, thank you for helping me." he said politely, but still wouldn't look the grownup in the eye.
Adrien saw how tense he was, and decided to get down on the grass so he was at a more eye level with the boy. "What's your name, son?"
"Gavin." he whispered.
"Hi, Gavin. My name's Emma." being her usual cheerful self, Emma stepped up on front on him with her hand out to shake.
Surprised by her boldness, Gavin felt his cheeks heat up greatly at the little girl in front of him. Then he felt nervous about talking to her, but he also knew it would be rude not to answer. So, he gingerly shook her small hand in return. "H-hello, Emma."
Marinette silently gushed at the boy's bashfulness, then looked around for anyone that might come to his aid. "Are your parents around, Gavin?"
Gavin pointed across the playground. "Father's over there. He told me not to bother him right now because he has to talk to a bunch of important people."
Adrien looked in the direction to find a man in a very expensive looking suit talking to several holo-screens projected from the visor glasses on his face; the latest model of the Tsurugi brand no doubt. "Why did he take you to the park if he was just going to be in a conference call?" He turned back to the boy when he heard a sniffle.
"We... we were supposed to go to the zoo... and then get ice cream..." Gavin wiped his runny nose with his sleeve.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetheart." Marinette got down on the grass with the assistance of holding on to her husband's shoulder, and started rubbing the little boy's back to soothe him. She took out a tissue from her bag to help clean off his face.
When it seemed like he was feeling better, Emma made herself known once more and got in front of Gavin. "Do you want to play with me? We can go on the seesaw, or play in the sandbox?"
Gavin looked like he wanted to say yes, but then shrunk in on himself and answered quietly. "Father told me not to get my clothes dirty."
Adrien looked angrily back at the man that was still on the conference call. Was he even aware that his son wasn't beside him? Plus, he takes the boy to the park, and expects him to stay clean?! This was definitely sending Adrien back to his childhood. He looked back to his wife, silently asking if she could believe this. He wondered if maybe they should do something.
Emma seemed to have an idea. "Do you want to color with me? Mommy brought my colorings."
Marinette confirmed it pulling out the case with Emma's crayons and colored pencils inside, along with a sketchbook. "Why don't we go sit at the picnic tables?"
"Okay!" Emma took Gavin's hand and led the way over to the picnic area. Her parents followed behind the children and Marinette laid everything out for them to use. Emma sat across from Gavin with her mother beside her, while Adrien sat next to the boy.
Adrien watched as Gavin took out some stuff from his own little backpack. There were two more books on different insects and animals, and a plush set of the life cycle of the butterfly; there was an egg, a striped caterpillar, the chrysalis, and finally a pretty monarch butterfly. This kid really did like butterflies.
"Ooooo, I like your plushies." Emma commented as she reached for the monarch butterfly. Gavin slid it over to her so she could reach, and the girl waved the plush around to make the wings flap. "Are butterflies your favorite animal?"
"Not really." the boy answered shyly. He opened one of the books that had the cycles of different species. "I just like learning about them, and how they can change into something completely different. It's like they have a new chance at everything."
Adrien was surprised at the little boy's statement. He could tell that there were several layers to his words. Gavin must have gone through some stuff at such a young age. That made Adrien wonder. "How old are you, son?"
"I... I... I'm five today." he hesitated.
"Oh, it's your birthday?" Marinette gasped.
"It's my grandpa's birthday too!" Emma pointed proudly to the large silver statue.
"That's your grandpa?" Gavin asked softly.
"Yep!" she smiled, but the boy didn't share her happiness.
Adrien watched as Gavin looked back at the statue of his father, expecting to see shock and awe as he had previously seen with everyone else. But instead, the boy made a little frown that caused his glasses to slide off his nose again, and he turned back to his books while holding on tightly to the caterpillar plush. "What's wrong, Gavin? You don't like the statue?" he asked innocently.
"I don't like that man." he answered under his breath.
"Why not?"
"Father says he was a good business man, but I think he looks mean. He says I should be like him when I grow up, but I don't want to." Gavin said as he fidgeted with his books, just flipping through the pages without really looking at them. "Father says I have to be good at business stuff to get by..."
Adrien could only sigh, remembering the pressure of having a financially successful parent. "You know, the man in that statue was my dad, and I didn't like him very much either."
Gavin looked at the man in shock. "Really?"
"Yeah, he wanted me to take over the family business, but I wasn't very good at it, and I wanted to do my own thing. What do you want to do when you grow up?" Adrien rested his head on his hand and gave him his full attention.
"I want to study bugs and animals, and find brand new kinds and give them cool names!" Gavin nearly bounced in excitement.
"That sounds like a lot of fun. You would get to go all around the world searching for new species."
"And then I'll show everyone that butterflies are good, and they won't make fun of me anymore." he said in strong determination, at least as strong as a five-year-old could give.
"Look Gavin, no one should make fun of you for liking something. You can do and like whatever you want." Adrien gave him a pat on the shoulder, and it seemed to give him some confidence.
"Yes, sir." he smiled.
"Hey, I have an idea." Marinette spoke up. "Why don't you both try to make up your own butterflies? Create your own design on the wings?"
"Yay!" Emma got to work right away by taking a piece of paper and outlining some big wings with a black crayon.
Marinette handed Gavin some paper and crayons as well and let him get to work. He started the same way as Emma and outlined the shape of a butterfly, only he chose to use the colored pencils. He then used the sky blue pencil and filled in the wings before going back to the black to make several triangles. He picked yellow, purple, pink, and red orange to fill in the small triangles, all the while with a peaceful smile on his face.
That peacefulness was broken slightly when Marinette heard her husband make a small gasp. She looked up at him to find a slightly haunted look on his face as Gavin was finishing his drawing. She didn't see what was so alarming about it, and she reached over to touch Adrien's forearm to mouth the question what was wrong. He only mouth back later, and she left it at that, going back to look at her daughter's drawing. Emma had chosen to make a lilac butterfly with swirls and circles of a darker purple that reminded her a lot of Nooroo. Marinette's mind wandered to the same wishful thinking she had many times before. That one day they will rescue that poor kwami, and that she'll find a suitable holder for him.
"Those are interesting patterns you both chose." Adrien commented on the kids' drawings. "Gavin, have you seen that design somewhere before?"
"No, I just thought it looked pretty." Gavin said as he admired his own work.
"I like it!" Emma cheered, making the little boy flush again much to the adult's amusement. She then held her drawing high over her head for her father to see. "Is mine pretty too, Daddy?"
"It's beautiful, Emma." he smiled.
The little girl smiled, set her drawing back on the table, and turned her attention back to the boy. "What's your favorite food, Gavin?" she asked a random question. "Mine's Papa Tom's salmon quiche."
"I-" he hesitated, then looked at the adults as if asking if it was okay to answer. Marinette gave him a nod in reassurance. "I like pancakes."
"Ooooo, my mommy makes the best pancakes." Emma said as a matter of fact.
"It just comes from being the daughter of a baker. You learn a few tricks." Marinette accepted the praise.
"I tried to make it once so Mother would have breakfast in bed, but I put too much flour in and made a mess. Father was real mad." Gavin looked scared at the memory.
Adrien tried to ease him. "If you like, we can set up with your parents to have breakfast with us someday. We can have a big pancake party."
"Yeah, pancake party! Pancake Party!" Emma nearly cheered, and her parents just laughed. Gavin felt more relaxed and ended up laughing with them.
"GAVIN!" Everyone jumped at the thundering voice of the man that was stomping his way toward them. Evidently, Gavin's father had finished his conference call and was angered to discover that his son was not beside him. "What Have I Told You About WANDERING OFF?!"
The boy shoved what he could back into his pack clumsily, and nearly fell over off the table seat to get to his father. "S... so-... sor-"
"SPEAK UP, BOY!" the man yelled, which only made the boy coil away and hug his backpack close.
Marinette and Adrien weren't standing another minute of this. "Excuse me, sir..." she tried but the man wouldn't let her finish.
"I hope the boy wasn't causing you folks any trouble." he stared his son down.
"Not at all, in fact he's a very bright young man." Adrien said in a cool, calming voice. He knew how to deal with people like this. Act like you weren't outraged by their behavior, and appeal to their ego. "He was just sharing his biological knowledge with my daughter. He's at a very high reading level for his age."
"Oui, he's a fast learner, if only he wouldn't waste it on such useless subjects." he crossed his arms trying not to show his disappointment too much.
"I don't know about that." Adrien took out his hand to greet the man. "My name is Dr. Adrien Dupain-Cheng, sir. My father was Gabriel Agreste, perhaps you've heard of him."
Shock and recognition went through his face before he shook the offered hand. "Ahh, yes, Gabriel Agreste. He was a fine businessman, that one. It's a shame you did nothing to continue his legacy."
Adrien knew it was meant to be a gentle insult, and he was used to it. So, he knew how to respond. "Yes, he was, but I like to think that the great sacrifice he made is what helped all of us start anew, including myself. I'm more than content with what I've got." he pulled Marinette to wrap his arm around her shoulder. "Besides, my father agreed that my wife had more talent than he ever could."
A lie, of course, but Marinette knew that Adrien always had the best faith in her talents, and that was good enough for her. She decided to take a turn against this man. "Sir, Gavin was just telling us it was his birthday. If you would like, we could go down to my parents bakery down the street. How about a birthday cupcake on us?"
Gavin smiled at the offer, but let it drop when his father answered. "That's very kind of you to offer, but we really must be going." he took the boys hand and began to walk away.
"Just a moment, please." Adrien pulled a business card out of his jacket. "Our children seemed to be having fun together. If you would like, we could set up a playdate for them now and then. Just give us a call."
The man took the card to be polite, but Marinette had her doubts that he would hold on to it. Good thing she slipped her own card into one of Gavin's books that she picked up. The held them out to the boy. "Here's your books, Gavin. You were in such a rush, you nearly forgot them."
"Thank you, madame." Gavin said quietly.
"Wait Gavin!" Emma finally made herself known and held out her drawing and the butterfly plush he left. She gave him the drawing first. "Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks Emma." Gavin then held his own butterfly drawing to her. "Here, we can trade."
"Thank you." then she tried to give him the butterfly plush back, but he held her hands in place and they both held the doll together for a moment. Marinette heard her husband gasp again, but she didn't look up at him.
"You can keep it." Gavin said.
"Gasp, really!?" she held the drawing and doll close, then gave the boy a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Look Mommy, now I have Nooroo!"
"That's great, honey." Marinette humored her daughter. She had this great collection of different stuffed animals in different sizes, giving them all the names of the kwamis. Nooroo was the only one missing.
"Nooroo?" Gavin said curiously as he tried to fight the steaming blush off his cheeks from Emma kissing them.
"She comes up with the funniest names." Adrien answered before his daughter had a chance to, then he went back to addressing the boy's father. "I hope we can meet again sometime, give our kids the chance to play again. It's always good for kids to have friends." The man looked like he wanted to say otherwise, but Adrien held down his gaze and pointed to the card in his hands. "My office number is on there, and it redirects to my mobile so I am easily reachable. Gavin can call me anytime, if either of you ever need to talk." Meaning he better receive word from either of them, or Adrien would have to take certain measures to ensure the boy's safety.
"Thank you." He looked liked he wanted to choke on that thank you, but then straightened himself up again. "Now, if you don't mind, my son and I are planning a trip to the zoo for his birthday. Isn't that right, Gavin?"
"Really?" Gavin was shocked, then was too happy to question it further. "Yes, father. Bye, Emma!" he waved back as he followed behind his father.
"Bye-bye, Gavin!" she waved back.
"That was a very heroic thing you did, sweety." Marinette complemented.
Emma was confused, though. "Huh? What did I do, Mommy?"
"You protected Gavin from those mean boys, and you gave him something that he really needed." she answered.
"My drawing?" Emma guessed, still not sure what her mother was talking about.
"No, silly, you gave him a friend." she hugged her daughter.
"You're mother's right, Emma. I'd say you were that boy's hero today." Adrien added.
"I was?" Emma said astonished.
"Yep. And I think a hero such as yourself deserves an ice cream." Adrien pointed to Andre's cart that just pulled up. "What do you say?"
"YES!" she handed the items to her mother so her dad could pick her up and carry her over his shoulders as they got in line for the frozen treats.
.* * * * * * * *
Emma spent the rest of the afternoon gushing over her new butterfly plush, and the beautiful drawing Gavin had given her. Her father had to practically pry them away from her when it was time for dinner, and then he kept it away from her when her mother gave her a bath. The little girl left the drawing with her mother later on because she promised to laminate it, so she went to playing with the butterfly. She was currently in her pajamas, playing with it along with her Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls in her room. Tikki and Plagg were joining in the game using the dolls as their rolls. Mother and Father were just watching their daughter in amusement from the doorframe.
"'I'm Chat Noir, and I think I'm hilarious by saying very cringy cat puns!" Plagg imitated his holder with the black cat doll.
"Hey..." Adrien sounded offended.
"And I'm Ladybug, I pretend not to like the cat puns, when really it just makes me want to kiss the kitty senseless!" Tikki said teasingly holding her own doll.
"Tikki!" Marinette gasped at her kwami's words, and hopelessly shielded her eyes from trying to look at her husband's smug face.
Emma was just giggling away at the little deities. "And I'm the butterfly holder." she held up the butterfly.
"Oh, so you're the ones causing all the akumas?" Plagg asked.
"Then Chat Noir and I will be the ones to stop you!" Tikki added.
"Nuh-uh, you're not fighting akumas this time!" Emma said as a matter of fact.
"We're not?" Tikki said, curious to what the child's plan was.
Before answering, Emma grabbed one of her other toys from the shelf; a sparkling pink fairy. "An evil, wicked witch has come to Paris to cast a bunch of spells on the people to take the miraculous and become all powerful."
"Oh no," Marinette gasped as she took a seat in the rocking chair with Adrien standing beside her.
"What sort of spell is she casting, Emma?" Adrien asked intrigued.
She put the fairy down, then went toward her play food "She makes all your favorite foods taste bad. Now all the croissants will taste like green beans!" she held up the plastic version of her least favorite vegetable.
"Ooooo, you're right that is evil." Adrien played on disgust, but also tried not laugh and break his little girl's story.
"Can Ladybug and Chat Noir stop her?" Marinette asked.
"Nuh-uh, because the witch made Tikki's cookies salty, and Plagg's cheese isn't smelly." Emma held up more play food.
"*Gasp* The Audacity! The Blasphemy! The witch must be Stopped!" Plagg shouted very dramatically, swooning back and forth like he was going to faint.
This time Adrien did laugh. "Hehehe, so what are the heroes going to do Emma?"
The little girl dropped the plastic food, and picked up the butterfly plush. "I'll use Nooroo to make everyone into aku- wait, Mommy what's the oppokit of an akuma?"
"It's opposite, honey." Marinette corrected. "And I think the right word would be a kamiko."
"Yeah, I'll make a ka-mi-ko for Ladybug, and turn her into a magical chef so she can make all the food tasty again, and Tikki and Plagg can stop the witch." Tikki gave the Ladybug doll to Emma, and she placed the butterfly on the doll's back and acted out her little scene.
"How do we stop the witch?" Plagg asked with his Chat Noir doll.
"Break her wand, Chat Noir!" Emma answered with her Ladybug/butterfly doll.
"Cataclysm!" Plagg through his doll at the fairy one.
Emma then took a plastic spatula and held it with the Ladybug doll. "Now with my lucky charm..." She turned to her father with her hands up.
Adrien knew exactly what she wanted. He reached down to place his hand under her arms. "One... two... three!" he counted then lifted her up into the air and she shouted.
"Miraculous Ladybug! Wheeeeeee!"
Father and daughter laughed as they went around the room a few times, before Adrien landed her safely on her bed. Emma was in a fit of giggles that just made Adrien laugh with her.
"Alright Emma, time to settle down." he said as he started to tuck her in.
"Was I a good hero, Daddy?" she asked letting her father put the covers over her.
"You were a wonderful hero, my little kitten, and you'll be an even greater one when your older." he brushed her bangs and have her a kiss on the forehead.
Marinette walked up to Emma's bed at that point to do the same thing as Adrien stepped back. "Goodnight, Emma." Then they both started to leave the room with the kwamis following them.
"Wait Mommy!" she called out. "I didn't say goodnight to the baby!"
Marinette looked back at Adrien telling him to go ahead. "Of course, silly me." She walked back to sit down at the edge of the bed, and let her daughter hug her protruding stomach.
"Goodnight baby, I love you." Emma whispered.
"Alright, sweetheart, now it's time for sleep." Marinette said tucking her back in.
"Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"When you and Daddy beat the bad guy, can I take care of the real Nooroo?" Emma asked as she looked at the butterfly plush.
The little girl's question shocked Marinette. "You want to have the butterfly pin, Emma? I thought you wanted to have the ladybug or black cat miraculous one day."
"Yeah, but Tikki and Plagg love you. I think Nooroo needs a friend just like Gavin did." Emma answered.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, and if I have the butterfly, I can make everyone a hero for a day every day. Or maybe I can make a pretty gown for a girl at a party, like the fairy godmother in Cinderella!" Emma sat up in excitement, thinking of all the possibilities.
Marinette just smiled. "Well, you know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think Nooroo would love it if someone would use his powers like that." she kissed her daughter again. "Goodnight, Emma."
"Goodnight, Mommy." she yawned and curled up against her pillow with the butterfly plush in her arms.
Marinette just had a big smile on her face thinking about the inner workings of her daughter's mind. She tried looked around for her husband. He wasn't in the living room or kitchen, so she went for their bedroom. The light was on, so that must he where he is. She stepped through to find him at her craft desk.
"Guess what our daughter said?" she giggled, but stopped when her husband didn't turn to her. He was staring very intently at what looked like an old folder. "Adrien, you okay?"
"Marinette, did you notice anything odd about that boy?" Adrien asked, still not looking at her.
"Well, I wouldn't say odd." She walked over to face him. He was still looking at whatever was in the folder. It wasn't one of hers, so she assumed it was his. Both Tikki and Plagg were looking at the contents with concerned faces. "Did something seem off to you?"
"It's just..." Adrien didn't know where to start, worried Marinette would think he was crazy.
"Does this have anything to do with your reaction to his drawing?" Marinette guessed.
Adrien took a deep breath. "That thing he said about butterflies having a new chance kept repeating in my head for some reason. Then when he said it was his birthday today, the pancake thing, and the way his father behaved... I thought maybe I was just drawing up coincidences, until I got a better look at this." He took out a couple pieces of paper from the folder and handed it to Marinette.
One of them was the drawing Gavin made earlier, while the other looked like a designers sketch. It wasn't one Marinette made, but she recognized the artist style. It was one of Gabriel's. There was a simple outline of a woman, with the detail put more into the dress. A sky blue summer dress with black outlines along the shoulders and at the trim of the skirt. There was a continuous triangular pattern on the skirt with several shapes filled with different colors; some purple, pink, yellow, and red orange. She then looked back at Gavin's drawing. The two weren't an exact match, but the color choice did make it seem very similar.
"Is this why you asked if Gavin had seen this pattern before?" she recalled their conversation earlier.
"Yeah, and the thing is this design was never released to the public." he pointed at the paper. "Gabriel had several that he kept to himself. Ones that he said he would draw to later make as gifts for my mother. Again I thought I was just making coincidences, until I saw this..." He showed her another picture.
It was a pencil sketch of a young couple over a bridge. It looked like a sketch the street artists would do for tourists. Looking at it closer, Marinette could see that it was Gabriel and Emilie when they were younger, possibly their late teens or early twenties. They were holding hands and looking into each others eyes as the sun was setting behind them. It reminded Marinette of when she saw Emma and Gavin earlier, when he gave her the butterfly.
She looked back at her husband, no doubt he had reached the same conclusion that was running through her mind. "Tikki?"
"Yes, Marinette." the red kwami answered.
"If someone were to wish for a new chance at life, would sacrificing their old one be the proper exchange?" she looked her little friend in the eye.
"It's possible." Tikki contemplated. "But if that were the case, then anything involved in that person's life would be sacrificed as well. Their families, their friends, their accomplishments..."
"What about just their memories then?" Marinette asked again. "We always assumed it was about no one learning he was Monarch, but what if our memories of Gabriel was what he sacrificed to pay the toll for the wish."
"It wouldn't have made a huge difference." Adrien thought it over. "With how reclusive he became after losing my mother, no one knew much about him for there to be a major impact. I was the face of the brand for the longest time, and he was just the guy in the back that made the clothes." he started pacing. "Plus he was dying, so if he wished for a new life with a new chance, and this is a reincarnation sort of situation..."
"Do you have any pictures of your father when he was Gavin's age?" Marinette asked.
"No, that sketch there was at the earliest time of my parents relationship. That's all I've ever had of them." he answered setting the folder down on the desk.
Marinette heart was racing now, thinking of the other possibility if they were right. "But if Gavin is Gabriel reborn... does that mean... Emma..."
"NO!" Adrien said right away. "Whatever the wish did to my father, my mother was never a part of it. Nathalie told me she was already long gone. Emma is just our Emma. Our precious little girl."
"He's right." Plagg spoke up. "Gimmi may be capable of a lot of things, but the price would have been much greater if it involved bringing someone back from the dead."
Marinette felt relief that Adrien denied the thought right away, and that Plagg confirmed it. Still, there was the matter of that boy. She settled on the bed to think things over, plus her ankles were starting to swell.
"What do you think we should do, milady?" Adrien asked as he sat down next to her.
"I think we should do what we would normally do. Not just as superheroes, but as parents." she turned to her kitty and smiled. "We set up a playdate for Emma and Gavin. It will be good for her to have a friend her age to play with since a lot of our attention will be on this little guy for the first few months." she rubbed a hand over her stomach.
Adrien's hand joined hers and they both felt the baby kick. "You sure that's a good idea, Marinette?"
"It's like I said: We aren't going to let Gabriel's choices control out lives. And out there is a lonely little boy that needs the same thing that you needed growing up. I think we can safely say that he really liked our daughter." she smirked.
Adrien felt a protective streak run through him at the thought. "Yeah, well, the boy better behave himself if he knows what's good for him."
"I happen to think he was a perfect little gentleman." she leaned back and gazed softly at her love.
"Is that so?" Adrien leaned over and kissed her strongly on that lips. Marinette laid back the rest of the way on the bed and pulled Adrien with her, kissing him back.
When they pulled away, Marinette said under her breath. "I don't know about you, but all that talk about pancakes earlier really put me in the mood for it."
Adrien only laughed. "I could go make some for you."
"You?" she asked skeptically.
"Oh course, I learned from the best after all." he kissed her again, and was about to get ready to go to the kitchen, but his wife wouldn't let go.
"Changed my mind, I want something else." she whispered. "You can make the pancakes in the morning."
"What does my lady want?" as if he didn't already know.
"Lock the door." this time she did let him go so he could get up and comply.
"As you wish, milady."
.* * * * * * * * * *
.
AN:
Much of this was my wishful thinking when the Re-creation episode happened. I'm sure many others such as myself wander what it is exactly that Gabriel did. I big part of me hopes I'm right, because otherwise it means that A. Too many people are lying to Adrien (Plagg included), and B. There are way too many ways for the beans to be spilled. I'm sure we'll all find out eventually. Then I just love writing about our characters in the future with their kids, especially Emma.
Thanks for Reading! I hope everyone enjoyed. Leave a review if you like, and see you next time!