They all had breakfast together the next morning, and this time, Adrien dragged Nathalie to have breakfast with them. Something to which Gabriel did not object, because this way, the atmosphere was at least less tense, he didn't know how to bring up the subject of the previous night, but at least his son did.
"Father, can we talk about last night? You didn't respond to what I said…" He spoke quietly, not entirely sure about whether it was a good idea to let it out at the beginning of the day, but Nathalie being present gave him more confidence, mostly because she could scold his father.
"Adrien, I didn't send you to London to get rid of you, stop thinking that."
"If not, then don't you consider me your family?"
"No-" Gabriel stopped for a second, missing to notice that it could be misinterpreted, the look of his secretary was what made him realize. "I didn't mean that I don't consider you my family, what I meant is that it's not what you think."
"What else could it be? You know what? Forget about it, I lost my appetite." Adrien left the cutlery on the table, this before getting up and leaving the dining room, ignoring his father's call.
"Damn, why do you keep on misinterpreting what I say?" Gabriel complained, frustrated, because he didn't know how to word his feelings either and it just kept making everything worse.
Nathalie noticed it and she didn't know whether to tease Gabriel or feel sorry for him. In part, he deserved it, but at the same time it wasn't good, for Adrien had left clearly feeling distraught about his father's terrible way of expressing his feelings on the matter.
"You should talk to him so that the misunderstanding doesn't keep on growing like that, the plan can wait." They had planned to bring Chat Noir to Paris, if everything went well, they hoped to get the miraculous soon.
They had been analyzing them for 2 years after locating the miraculouses, they had been developing a plan taking into account their style of combat. Hoping to get an akumatized that would be good enough to leave Ladybug and Chat Noir with their defenses low.
"You're right, Nathalie." Gabriel got up from his chair, leaving the dining room.
He went over to his son's room, knocking on the door as he stood infront of it. He waited a few seconds, waiting for a response, but when no answer or noise came from the other side, he knocked again before opening the door.
"Adrien, are you in the bathroom?" He inspected the room, checking to see if he was on the second floor, but nothing. The bathroom door was open, so he wasn't there either. "Where is my son?" He turned quickly towards the bodyguard, worry and annoyance rapidly blooming in his chest.
He didn't let the man respond as he quickly left the room, looking in other places of the house. He wasn't in the kitchen, nor in the living room, nor in the patio and even less in the meeting room .
"Did he run away?" The man entered his office, feeling upset as he turned to look at his secretary. "Adrien wasn't like that, he never ran away and he always paid attention, I shouldn't have sent him to London with you, I thought you were keeping a good eye on him."
"You're gonna have to excuse me, sir, but that's your fault, not mine. I won't lie to you, sometimes he escaped while we were in London, but only at the beginning. When I confronted him about it he apologized and asked for permission to go out from then on, he fulfilled all his duties, so I didn't see anything wrong with him going out."
Gabriel seemed ready to open his mouth, yet, Nathalie kept on.
"Adrien found a certain freedom while being in London, he didn't have you breathing down his neck 24/7. I know that I'm not Emilie, I'm not his mother, I'm practically a nobody, just your secretary and his nanny, however, I saw him grow up and I became fond of him. I know I should've told you from the beginning what was happening, he's your son, but I was worried about his mental health, his mother had just passed away, he needed to go out and get some air, not lock himself in his room all day and get depressed. Adrien is human, he feels and suffers like anyone else and I know that you didn't want to raise a robot, you just wanted to keep him away from pain, but not everything is solved by working or studying."
"... I know, Nathalie, you're right." Gabriel dropped onto the furniture and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.
It was for that reason that he had wanted to fix the misunderstanding, the metaphorical rope that held his relationship with his son had become more and more worn over the years, now it only hung by a thin thread.
Gabriel didn't want a perfect son, even if it seemed that way. All those classes were so that he would have less time to think about his mother's illness; less free time so he wouldn't ask about him and notice his absence.
But now he realized he had been an idiot, a coward, he should have told him everything a long time ago.
That boy who obeyed without questions had long grown into a young man, a young man with questions and worries. But the fear of being judged was one of the reasons for not telling him when he became old enough. Instead of telling him he made the cowardly decision to send him to London.
Away from him.
"Nathalie… let's carry on with the plan, I just hope he gets to safety." He got up from the couch, determined, this before making his way down to the laboratory with her. This before they went on to the lair.
A few minutes earlier
"This is it. He admits it bluntly and then tries to cover it up, does he think I'll keep on buying that story?" Adrien clenched his fist in rage, not caring about the world at that moment.
"It's not like you let him finish either..." Plagg murmured.
"I didn't wanna hear his answer." Adrien said, relaxing his hands and looking at the kwami. "Surely only something worse will come out of his mouth."
"Kid, change that mood or you will be akumatized. I understand that you are upset, that your father is not the best, and I don't like him, however, at some point you will both have to talk right, without you running away and him not staying silent or avoiding the issue."
Plagg crossed his arms over his chest and sat down on the back of the couch.
"For you, Camembert stinks, but that's because you haven't tried it; not everything is what it seems. Maybe the cheese does stink, but you have to take risks, you might like the result."
"I know... but not now, if there is really something good there, let him be the one to take the initiative. Now we must go to Master Fu as we agreed, besides, I need to clear my head."
"Right... but what if you just go for a walk? You don't have to go see him now."
"No whining. We must see him today."
"But-"
"Plagg, claws out."
He didn't even let Plagg complain and went quickly to the window, just then he heard a knock coming from the door. He went into a mini-panic attack before running to the bathroom, leaving through that window instead without making any noise.
On the way, he was careful not to be followed or seen by anyone before de-transforming in a hidden from sight place.
He had to walk a little bit until he reached the building where the guardian lived at. Upon arrival, he had to wait for the customer to leave before he could enter.
"Good morning, Master Fu." He greeted him as he entered.
"Chat Noir? What are you doing here? You were supposed to be in London, who protects the city from Mayura?" The man couldn't help but get worried, because he didn't know whether Bunnix and Viperion had stayed there.
"Don't worry, I spoke to my teammates before leaving, they will protect London in my absence. Plagg told me to come see you once we arrived, that you surely had something that would allow me to get to my companions quickly if they were to need me. Last night I met Ladybug and she told me that there were some special abilities?"
Adrien took a seat infront of the guardian and Plagg flew over to Wayzz.
"I see, so you met Ladybug." He let out a sigh of relief knowing that he wouldn't have to explain everything to him. "You still should have let me know you were coming. But yes, these abilities allow miraculous holders to adapt to the environment around them, one of those allows you to fly and breathe in space, so you could fly quickly to London."
"Oh, I understand, I think I would only need that one, since I will have to travel more."
"Anyway, I'll make you the others too, if you're in Paris you're going to need them." Master Fu got up from the ground to go to the roof. "Follow me."
"Yes, sir." They both went to the roof, and there Master Fu got to work while Adrien watched everything curiously. Once the formula was created, he started working on the cheese rind so that the stored abilities would be there, that way Plagg wouldn't complain as much.
When they were about to go back inside, a loud noise made them turn to see where it was coming from. In the distance, you could see how giant roots grew through the buildings.
"Papa Garou… You must go help Ladybug and Queen Bee, strength is needed with this akuma, they could use your help."
"I wasn't going to sit idly either. Goodbye, Master Fu, I'll see you again another time." Adrien quickly went downstairs to get Plagg.
When he left the building, he went to a safe place, transforming there before quickly going to where the chaos shone. He had to admit that it was easier to get around Paris, the buildings were less taller than in London.
Once he arrived he analyzed the situation, and he couldn't help but be stunned for a second when he saw a sentimonster, he was sure that it was a sentimonster and not the power of the Gorao potato, or whatever the guardian said it was called.
He reacted again when he saw that there was a girl fleeing from the villain, although she was quite agile at dodging, he Still had to help her.
"Marinette! Let me protect you from that pain! Tell Papa Garou what's happening!" Chat Noir threw his boomerang to cut the roots so they wouldn't reach the civilian, and caught it when he went down to rescue the girl.
Once he landed next to her, he threw a ball of destructive dark energy at the akumatized person, making it explode before it could reach him, thus the smoke covered his vision for a moment. Taking advantage of the situation he picked the girl up, taking her to a safe place as far away as possible.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, thank you, he's my father, he cares about me too much, but I don't know what caused it this time." She looked him in the eyes, noticing the worry edging on his face. "You're Chat Noir, right? My friend loves heroes and she told me about the ones in London."
"Yes, I'm… I'm sorry, I don't quite understand how akumatized people work, but the mushroom that was floating next to him wasn't there before, right? I think it's a sentimonster, I fight them in London, did you happen to see where a feather entered?"
"You're right, the previous times he didn't have that. I did see a feather, but I don't know where it went, maybe my mother, Sabine, knows where it went, she works at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, she is Chinese and short, her hair is the same color as mine."
She needed to transform as soon as possible, but She couldn't seem to throw him off.
"I'll stay here, I'll hide so he doesn't find me."
"Okay, it would be more dangerous to take you with me. If you see him coming, run and look for another safe spot to hide."
"Okay." Marinette entered the building quickly; she couldn't waste any more time.
"Luckily I went to the bakery already, otherwise I would be lost." Adrien spoke to himself once he was alone before setting off.
Ladybug transformed when she saw him gone and went to where the akumatized person was. When she got there, she saw her partner hiding behind a wall while she analyzed the situation.
"Queen Bee." She called out in a low tone as she reached her side. "What's the report?"
"Ladybug, you finally arrived, I was waiting for you before acting. I think there are 2 akumas, although the second one looks strange, perhaps it's a new ability of the akuma." She pointed out what she was referring to.
"It's a sentimonster, apparently Mayura is in Paris working with HawkMoth."
"What?!" She shouted in a whisper, feeling a mild crisis coming. "It's my fault isn't it? I shouldn't have been curious, what if I actually dialed Mayura instead? Or what if it wasn't him?"
"Queen." She quickly grabbed her shoulders. "It's not your fault, maybe they already had it planned and it was just a coincidence, if it had been Mayura who you called it would have shown her name, and she would have already attacked you instead of being distracted by someone else."
Although after saying that she got a little nervous, the one they had attacked was her father.
"It's true, Mayura works for Hawkmoth, I had that theory with my colleagues, and if Bunnix doesn't deny something it's because it could be true." Chat Noir joined them in the conversation, luckily, he found the lady quickly.
"You-!"
Ladybug covered her friend's mouth before she could scream out loud.
"Don't worry, I was planning to come to Paris before your unexpected call, it's just a coincidence. The amok, as the peacock's feather is called, is found in the necklace next to the butterfly. I don't know how you work here, so tell me how you stop it. Usually, the object where the amok is at breaks and I do a cataclysm on it, but those are usually random things without importance."
He got down on one knee so as not to be seen by the villain.
"Last night I explained the basics to you, so I figure I can purify that amok just like I purify the akuma. We've dealt with this akumatized before, so we know how he plays, he's extremely strong, we could use your strength and combat ability."
She looked at her partner before releasing her.
"Give us a quick summary, Queen."
"The fungus releases spores that cause people to go into a trance once they inhale it, they start saying everything about anything. The best thing would be to avoid breathing it."
"Wow, it looks like Mario got the mushrooms mixed up." The boy joked, receiving a confused look from the wasp.
"If that was meant to be a joke, it was a bad one."
"Anyway, I'll take care of the sentimonster, Chat Noir, you distract the akuma with a fight so that Queen Bee can paralyze him and take off his collar."
"Understood."
Ladybug casts her magic amulet, choosing masks to avoid breathing in the spores. She gave one to each one of them before they began to execute the plan.
It was the first time on that kind of scenario for everyone, however, it went better than they expected. It gave them a bit of trouble at first to separate the sentimonster from the akuma, but once done they took advantage of the distraction to paralyze it and tear off its necklace.
Once it was done and Ladybug threw the lucky charm up in the air, Chat Noir marveled at how that looked; It really was magical.
"Not bad for the first time as a team." The black cat stated as he held up a fist. "I know you high five, but it's more comfortable this way if there are more than 3 on the team."
"I know." They both bumped fists with him.
"Now, if Mayura is here, your team has to come, right?" Chloé asked him, just to be safe and not suffer another crisis later.
"That's right, though, is that okay with you, Ladybug?" He asked her, now feeling a bit unsure since with what she told him that might not be a good idea.
"Yes, call Viperion, I will give him my confirmation so that he comes safely." She let out a heavy sigh; there was no other choice.
Adrien nodded and took out his staff, calling his partner. He just hoped he was transformed, usually, they didn't do patrols at this hour.
"Hello, Chat, how are you doing in Paris? I thought you would be busier." Viperion commented once he answered.
"Well, a moment ago I was, I was fighting with a sentimonster and an akuma." He raised an eyebrow, that insinuation was more than clear.
"Wait, are you saying Mayura is there? That explains why everything is so calm even though there was an incident recently."
"Yes, and it's as we thought, she works with Hawkmoth, apparently they plan to attack with everything this time, you should come to help."
"Okay, I'll tell Bunnix to go when I see her."
"You must come too, Vip, your ex-boss orders you too." Ladybug spoke, standing next to Chat Noir. "If something happens it will be my fault. To try to catch that duo we will need more than one opportunity, you are essential."
There was a brief silence after her words. She considered her words, because if something happened it wouldn't be her fault, but his for not keeping his mouth shut and being more cautious.
However, she was right, Bunnix told him that he was essential for the day they captured HawkMoth.
"Okay, I'll see if I can get anything done, but I don't promise anything, we'll see you later."
"Ok, bye, Vip." He bid his goodbyes before hanging up and turning to look at the girls. "I'll let you know when he arrives if you don't find him before."
"Well, we should get together and collect all the information we have about them, so we can see if we can tie up any loose ends and be able to find them faster." Queen Bee suggested; she knew the same as Adrien, so she wouldn't ask what happened.
"I hope so, now let's talk to our kwamis, maybe they have some information. See you later." Marinette bid her goodbyes; she needed to check on her parents.
"Goodbye." Adrien went back to Master Fu, taking the same care as before. He told him what happened and the guardian thought the same as them, the rest of the team should come. Of course, they had to be careful, HawkMoth and Mayura shouldn't know that they were coming.
Not yet.
~
Gabriel has been contemplating the void in silence for quite a while now, he kept on wondering how Chat Noir got there so fast.
"Sir..." His secretary called him, worried, about 10 minutes had passed since the defeat, and he was yet to drop his transformation.
"Nathalie, are you sure that Chat Noir doesn't know your identity?" He turned to look at her, somewhere between annoyed and anxious.
"They never discovered my hiding place, nor have they seen me in person. I know what's worrying you, but this was probably just a coincidence. My last sentimonster was extremely strong. I made sure of that, so he surely came to see the guardian to ask for information."
"I hope it's just that. For now, I want to see if Adrien has returned." He de-transformed and went downstairs with his secretary. They both searched the mansion to see if there was any trace of him, but nothing, he was still missing.
Gabriel was even more worried, but he would give him a little more time to come back.
Unbeknownst to him, Adrien didn't plan to go back home anytime soon.
After Master Fu, he went to Chloé's hotel. Upon arrival, the butler told him where Chloé was and he went up there. He could have texted her or called her, but he preferred to see her in person, he didn't want to tell her his problems, he just wanted to be with someone.
Chloé was preparing a surprise welcome party for Adrien. She knew well that he didn't have any other friends in Paris, however, she would invite those from school, that way, if they ended up going to the same university, he could meet them from now.
She would ask Sabrina to invite them, she had better chances to get affirmatives, she just hoped they would accept, but if they didn't, she would still have the party between the 3 of them, and maybe the butler would join.
She was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the elevator open until someone spoke to her.
"Hello, Chloé, your butler told me you were here."
"Hello..." She responded automatically, not quite catching who it was, then almost broke her neck when she recognized the voice. "Adrien?! You can't be here! It was supposed to be a surprise!"
She all but pushed him towards the elevator and quickly dialed another floor.
"Why? By the way, nice decoration." He smirked at her teasingly, he already knew what it was about. "Is it a party for me? Aww, Chloé, I didn't know you were that nice." He made puppy eyes when he said it, because on the inside, it really moved him.
"Don't look at me like that... forget what you saw." She pushed the floor of her room when the elevator opened. "I won't give you details of anything, so don't even try."
"It's okay, that way the effect of the surprise is not completely lost. Thank you, really, that made me feel better." He hugged her and moved a little from side to side, squishing her happily.
"Did something happen?" Chloé asked, she didn't even need proof, but she could bet it had to do with his father.
"I would rather not talk about that, I don't want my mood to turn sour again."
"Okay, but you know you can tell me anything."
"I know," He pulled away from the hug to look at her, pushing away his thoughts about his father. "Is Sabrina here?"
"Yes, she's in my room," She linked her arm with his, guiding him to the room once the elevator opened. Chloé and Sabrina had been friends since long before he met her. He was closer to Chloé than with Sabrina, since he hardly saw her, however, they got along quite well and he liked her.
Still, Bourgeois would always be his best friend.
"Is she also involved in the surprise?" Adrien asked, wanting to see if she'd let something slip.
"Yes, she- Hey! I almost fell for it, you said you didn't want to know more, so don't be a smartass." She gave him a judgemental look before knocking on the door. "Sabrina, Adrien is here."
"I had to try anyways." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled in defeat, better to leave it at that.
It took a couple of minutes before the girl inside the room opened the door symbolizing that everything was in order.
"Hi, Adrien." She waved her hand euphoric when she saw him.
"Hello, long time no see." He moved his hand too. "How have you been? I know they have prepared a surprise."
"I've been fine, but I don't know what surprise you're talking about." She chuckled nervously, glancing at Chloé.
"He already knows about the party, Armand told him where I was and he saw the decoration, that's why I told you he was here." She let him go, looking at him with her eyes narrowed.
"That's not my fault, how was I supposed to know that you were organizing something? He didn't tell me anything."
"Yes, I know... Anyway, do you want something to drink or eat?"
"Is chouquettes okay?" Agreste asked, since his breakfast wasn't long ago, a dessert would be nice.
"Yes, nothing better than a dessert for energy." Sabrina agreed merrily.
"Okay, I'll be right back." Chloé left the room, going back to where the decoration was at to finish something while the chouquettes were being prepared for her.
While they waited for her return, Sabrina and Adrien sat on the chairs at the balcony next to the table.
"Tell me, Adrien, how long will you stay in Paris? You won't leave, right?" She asked curiously, since it was also related to the purpose of the party.
"I don't know for sure, but with some luck I'll be able to stay." He rested his elbow on the table and looked out at the city; in the end, they ended up speaking about that.
"With luck? What are you talking about?"
"Well, if my father doesn't change his mind, I'll stay." He shrugged tiredly. With Mayura in Paris he didn't need to go back to London, but he would still go back to visit his friends and his cousin and aunt.
"I see, I hope he doesn't change his mind and you can stay, we miss you here." That was true, and besides, the party consisted of that, making more friends for the future. "By the way, do you already have in mind what you want to study?"
"My father wants me to study fashion like him, but the truth is that I'm not really that enthusiastic about anything, however, I don't know what else to study, I will have no choice but to study that."
Although he liked some things, it wasn't exactly his desire to specialize in that.
"That sounds sad… I hope you find your passion one day and can study it. We will support you." She tried to encourage him; but he still looked a bit crestfallen.
"I'm back." Chloé announced as she entered, leaving the tray on the table before sitting next to them. "What were you talking about?"
"Nothing important, I was just telling Sabrina that if my father doesn't send me back to London, I will study design and fashion." He smiled dully, letting her know that he didn't want to keep on talking about that.
"Oh, I understand… I hope you like chouquettes."
Adrien stayed chatting for a long time. Nathalie kept on texting him, so he went back home before dinner so as not to keep on worrying her.
As soon as he crossed the gate, she and his father were waiting for him at the entrance of the house, one worried and the other half annoyed and… that, but the second didn't matter much to him.
"Adrien, where were you? I was texting you all day and you didn't respond to any of my messages." Gabriel's tone was firm, yet, he was really worried, but that's not how his son saw it.
"Only Nathalie texted me, not you." He muttered under his breath, starting to get frustrated. "I was with Chloé and Sabrina, that's why I didn't answer the texts."
"If you wanted to go out you just had to say so, that way your bodyguard would accompany you, Paris is not safe."
"Ha…if I had done that you wouldn't have given me permission, when I was here you only sent me to my room to study or practice piano. London isn't safe either and you still sent me there, don't act like you're really worried if something were to happen to me, you're just worried that I won't listen to you and you won't be able to control me."
"Adrien! Don't talk to me in that tone, I'm your father. Go to your room, you will have dinner there. I hope you don't run away again, otherwise, I will be forced to put cameras in your room." He spoke firmly, just hoping that his son would listen to him, although he seemed reluctant to do so.
"You're always watching me anyway, it makes no difference." Adrien spat before walking away. "I preferred London." He whispered as he passed by him, loud enough to be heard, he really did it on purpose.
When he got to his room he slammed the door shut to showcase his anger, although he regretted it immediately; he had never done that before.
Meanwhile, Gabriel put his hand on his chest, ending up sitting on the stairs when he couldn't take it anymore. He had truly failed as a father, more than he had realized. Adrien had the firm belief that he didn't love him and that he only wanted him as a perfect and obedient son.
He hated his health, he regretted so much having taken that trip to China for inspiration, if he hadn't done it everything would have been fine.
"Sir, are you okay?" Nathalie bent down a little to help him up. "You look pale, you should go rest."
"No, I must talk to my son, if I let this continue to grow it will be worse, I have let it go for far too long." He quickly entered the house, however, halfway up the stairs he stopped due to a sudden boht of dizziness. "I can't let it continue like this-" He said through gritted teeth.
"Gabriel!" Nathalie and the bodyguard went quickly to him, preventing him from falling down the stairs. They took him to his room and laid him on the bed, turning on the oxygen. The secretary took off his glasses and left them on the table so he could rest better.
Nooro came out when the bodyguard left and checked him over.
"He's getting worse, although the miraculous stabilizes him, at the same time it damages him if he stays transformed for too long. I had already told him, it steals the vitality he doesn't have."
"I told him too, he didn't listen to me." Nathalie said with a sigh. "Nooro, let me know if he wakes up or his health worsens, I'll see Adrien, Duusu, stay here too."
She left the room shortly after. She knocked on the door, announcing it was her before entering once given permission to do so. Adrien sat infront of the desk, looking depressed and she could understand why.
"Nathalie…" His tone of voice let her know that he regretted the way he had spoken to his father. "Is everything okay? I heard a commotion outside."
But he didn't seem to want to talk about it.
"Yes, everything is fine, don't worry." The secretary's face showed concern, but the young man thought it was because of the argument.
"I'm sorry, Nathalie, I'm sure it caused you problems that I spoke to my father like that, but it just frustrates me." He gritted his teeth, turning in his chair to face the window.
"I know, so don't worry about it. I know that your father frustrates you, who doesn't get frustrated by him? But he really loves you, he cares for you, in his own way, in a very horrible way, but he does. Respectfully, your father is an idiot, but he loves you."
At least insulting Gabriel got Adrien to smile a little.
"You don't have to defend him or make excuses for him, Nathalie."
"Oh, believe me I don't, your father doesn't deserve to be defended, but it's the truth. I've known him for a long time, I went on excursions with your parents. At that time it was more evident that he didn't know how to express himself, it was your mother who took the initiative. Your father is an expert in business, but he is too clumsy when it comes to expressing his feelings to a point where if he doesn't say things, you don't realize anything. Since Emilie died it's harder for him to do it."
Although she wanted to tell him the whole truth, she couldn't, it had to be Gabriel who did it so he could explain his reasons well, because if she did, he would surely not believe her. However, if it took too long, she would do it.
"So... Is it true? I had my suspicions."
"Suspicions?" She asked, confused, she couldn't understand what he was talking about. She felt like they were suddenly not on the same page.
"Yes, you and my father have something going on." She definitely didn't expect that. She was telling him about how his father loves him but doesn't know how to express it. How did he jump to that conclusion out of nowhere?
"Adrien, I think there's something you're misunderstanding." She tried to fix the situation, but his expression towards her was one of compassion, she didn't need that look.
"I've seen how you talk and look at each other, it's hard for me to believe that nothing is happening. I don't judge either of you, I like you, although I don't know how you could be interested in my father, I suppose it's for the same reason, that you have known each other for a long time. He sent you to London with me even though you are his secretary, he really trusts you a lot."
"Adrien, it's really not like that, Gabri- your father and I don't have the relationship that you think."
Maybe Adrien needed glasses, he was seeing things where they weren't.
"It's okay, Nathalie, I just hope my father doesn't treat you badly."
She really wanted to try to fix the misunderstanding, but Nooro peeked out from the second floor, apparently, something was going on with Gabriel.
"There really is nothing between us. I have to take care of something, I'll let you know for dinner, I just hope that when the time comes you agree to talk to him." She left the room, quickly going to Mr. Agreste.
When she entered the room, she saw him trying to get out of bed. She stopped it right away.
"Gabriel, you must stay resting, you shouldn't walk, you should be recovering energy."
"Nathalie, I must fix things with my son, there is no time to rest."
"Okay, but do it tomorrow, unless you want to talk about something that has nothing to do with that. Rest if you don't want to collapse infront of your child and worry him."
"What are you talking about?" He stopped trying to get up and stayed on the bed.
"Adrien thinks we are in a relationship, I tried to explain to him that it wasn't like that, but he didn't believe me." She kept quiet when she realized Gabriel had gained a faraway look, a minute passed and she snapped her fingers infront of him to catch his attention, was he listening to what she just said? "Are you okay?"
Gabriel didn't wish to speak about that with his son, but it caught him off guard the idea that his son would think that when he hadn't seen him interact with Nathalie in a long time, they just arrived a few days ago.
Sure, he already got over Emilie, he still held affection for her, but he no longer loved her, he knew to move on, although it took him about a year.
"I'd better talk to him tomorrow." He laid back down on the bed, putting on the oxygen again. "Please make sure he eats well."
"Yes, sir." Nathalie turned off the light and left the room with Duusu, of course, hidden in her clothes.
~
"Do you really believe they have something?" Plagg questioned Adrien while eating a piece of cheese.
"It seems so, besides, who knows? Maybe my father will go back to the way he was before, even if he's not good to me, he will be happy with Nathalie." He shrugged his shoulders, texting to his friends in London, he had forgotten to do so before.
"Do you want him to be happy?"
"Of course, Plagg, I don't hate him, I'm just frustrated that he doesn't talk to me properly and treats me like he doesn't care. If Nathalie is right, then I hope he can talk to me properly or be clear and just tell me that he hates me."
He turned his phone off and left it on the table, this before going over to him.
"Don't finish all the cheese, the others I ordered will arrive tomorrow."
"Oh, I understand, partly, I think. Anyway, about your friends, it's obvious they're planning a welcome party." He shut the box of the cheese.
Plagg was a first-class glutton, however, he listened to Adrien, he didn't want to run out of cheese and starve later (although he always was starving). He didn't know if it was a curse, but his holders always had an ugly problem and a depressing life when he met them.
"Yes, it was too obvious, but I won't ask them anything. However, I don't know how they will do it, I have no friends here apart from them, but I like the gesture. If Luka came I would invite him, although I don't know if it's valid because it's supposed to be a surprise."
Adrien wanted to let out a sigh, but as soon as he inhaled he only felt the rotten smell of the cheese.
"Have you never thought about eating something else?"
"Never, cheese is the best, the older and more rotten, the tastier and creamier." You could even see hearts in his eyes when he said it.
"You better keep your love for that thing away from me, I can barely stand it even after years of having to stand it. It's hard to get rid of the stench and it was embarrassing when Alix asked me if I had fallen into a dumpster." He covered his nose, sitting on the couch to be as far away from the smell as possible, although his nostrils were already defiled. "But that one stinks more, where did you get it from?"
"Your socks." Plagg hid the small can again. "You can't blame me, they have a similar aroma, but the cheese smells better."
"Seriously, sometimes I don't know whether you are insulting me or flattering me…'"
"Kid, no one flatters you more than me, cheese is everything to me, that must tell you a lot."
"That's why I say it." Adrien shook his head in resignation, staying there for a while before going to bathe.
Shortly after, Nathalie announced dinner, taking him to the dining room. Gabriel was resting, so he didn't have to give any mind to the punishment he had given him, plus, he also knew that he hadn't been punished for no reason.
However, her challenging him made Adrien believe that she might be the one in control in that relationship and reaffirmed his theory. In the end, he wasn't completely wrong, because Nathalie could boss his father around without him complaining.
When dinner was over he went back to his room, wishing goodnight to her. After making sure that no one would come to see if he was sleeping or tell him anything, he transformed and left. He headed to the Eiffel Tower, sitting at the top like last time.
He took out his staff and marked Bunnix's number, but when she didn't answer he marked Viperion, who responded shortly after.
"Hello, Vipe, are you in Paris yet? I dialed Bunnix but she didn't answer. I guess she's busy."
"Yes, at least I did arrive in the afternoon. She had some business to attend to so she couldn't come today, she said she would come as soon as she could."
"Ah, I see, it's no problem, we still have time, I think."
"Yes, by the way, where are you? I was going to look for you now."
"I'm at the Eiffel Tower, at the top, the view is pleasant here." He answered calmly as he watched it. In short, he really liked it up here.
"Okay, I'll be there in a moment, I'm close."
"Ok, I'll wait for you."
Shortly after hanging up he jumped when someone touched his shoulder, he really had arrived early. For someone who carried around a lyre, Viperion was very stealthy. Unnervingly so.
"I told you I was close." He said, this before sitting next to him and pushing him gently.
"I see that, you didn't even give me time to blurt out anything." He laughed softly, touching his chest, his cat side almost flying away.
"You and your jokes, I missed them today." He had already gotten used to them. "Speaking of, how was today? Did you have problems with the akuma?"
"It went well, although it was a bit complicated to work with the fact that they are real people, in the end everything turned out well, you know I'm a very flexible cat." He winked playfully.
"Yes, I imagine that it wasn't easy for them to try to tame the independent cat."
"Well, yes, but Bunnix's scoldings have helped me to not always be the leader." He knew when to give up leadership. "Speaking of which, what happened to you here? You never mentioned anything about Paris, Ladybug told me that you were partners." He looked at him curiously, maybe he'll say more than her.
"It's complicated, I can only say that it's dangerous, if HawkMoth were to akumatize me, everyone would be in danger." He spoke quietly, because it was his greatest fear.
"So, that means you know her identity like you know mine? You told me something similar once." He spoke in a hushed tone, as if they were being heard. "When you discovered the identity of the two you said that it was dangerous if Mayura found out."
"That's right... but it's more complicated with Ladybug." If he said the reasons, his identity would be more obvious, although his friend was sometimes a little bit too oblivious .
"That sounds like you had something." He smiled mischievously and bumped their shoulders together.
"Don't try to guess anything, Chat Noir." He shoved him softly. "I'm not going to affirm or deny anything, you know that discovering your identities was not on purpose, but I'm here to correct the mistakes and take care of you all, like Bunnix protects the timeline."
"Yes, yes, of course, but nothing will get that idea out of my head now." He stuck out his tongue like a little kid who was having the time of his life teasing him.
"Think what you want then." Viperion rolled his eyes with a small smile. There was no point arguing with him, because knowing what his life was like, he let him do whatever he wanted as Chat Noir.
A long time ago he got the idea that perhaps he was clinging to certain things that he believed out of nowhere because that way he was escaping reality. He has seen Adrien put up with things as Chat Noir, and be depressed in his civilian form, yet, he rarely tells anyone what happens. He has lived so much under his father's orders that it's difficult for him to open up at times for fear of being a burden.
"Hehe." Chat sprung up from the ground and stood on the railing. "Since we are both from Paris and know it well, why don't we have a race? If you win, I won't bother you by asking, but if you lose, you will only have the right to deny what is not true." He turned to look at him. "The first to reach the museum wins."
With that said, he let himself fall back, taking the lead.
"Aren't you old enough for that?!" Viperion complained, but he followed him anyway, after all, if he won, he wouldn't have to know if he was lying or not.
Chat Noir was agile and fast like a cat, however, his disadvantage was that he didn't know the roofs of Paris and its shortcuts well. On the other hand, Viperion knew them like the back of his hand, so he arrived before him at the agreed location.
Of course his friend arrived shortly after, but he hid when he saw Viperion with someone. Adrien was a man of gossip and the way they were looking at each other said many things.
"Viperion... I see you've already arrived." Marinette was feeling a mix of emotions at that moment, her night walk had been meant to clear her mind and help her mentally prepare for his arrival.
"Yeah, not long ago." He glanced around in search of Chat, but he didn't see him. He really hoped that he wouldn't arrive yet and see him on the scene. "Chat Noir is around, it's not a good idea for us to talk right now, he's too curious."
"Oh, no, I understand, I've noticed. Anyway, I was just taking a walk, I was already on my way back home, I'll leave you to your business." She smiled lightly before carrying on with her walk.
When she was far enough Luka could already hear Chat Noir's giggle behind him.
"Stop getting weird ideas in your head, I won, so you won't get anything." He crossed his arms and turned around.
"I wasn't going to ask anything, I just found it curious that the anonymous hero was recognized by a civilian, although her family's bakery is good, I don't judge you."
Even so, he was still giving him the 'so a girlfriend, huh?' look.
"Do you know her?"
"Yes, I had to try the passion fruit macarons, they were delicious. Her father was also akumatized today and I took her away from danger." Chat bumped their shoulders together, passing him by. "You're such a gallant, Vip."
"Stop getting weird ideas, just like you saved her, I saved her once when Ladybug arrived to take care of the akuma." He moved to look at him again.
"Yes, whatever you say, Rrrromeo ." Chat let out a mischievous giggle and took out his cane, leaning on it. "The hero that no one knows saved a girl, there's nothing strange there."
"Chat Noir..." He warned him this time.
"Yes, I know, but it's so fun to tease you, to see how your serene expression changes, the poison's coming out, buddy." He held the staff properly, extending it as far as possible to flee the scene, and of course Viperion followed him.
"What's gonna change is your tail because I'm going to tear it off, come here, you annoying fireball." He threatened jokingly, he wasn't really mad, he was just diverting the topic further.
Marinette already knew his identity; he couldn't let Adrien know it too.
As Viperion, he tried to be more serious, but also with a teasing humor, thus, deflecting all possibility of being seen as Luka. He wasn't like that before, but she figured him out that way as soon as they met as civilians.
"That's only if you catch me!