13. Chapter 13

What was left of the rest of the semester went fairly smoothly. Adrien hadn't had many projects and since his classes were mostly building a basic foundation to the rest of his degree, it wasn't hugely difficult. Before he knew it, he and Marinette were riding the bus to the train station, where he would take the Eurostar back to Paris. Marinette would be following nearly a week later.

"It's gonna be weird living at home again for break," Adrien said mournfully as he watched London pass them. Surprising no one, it was raining again, and that combined with the dropping temperatures made the day quite miserable. "Waking up early, doing photoshoots again..."

Marinette shot him a surprised look. "Your father is making you do photoshoots over the break?"

Adrien shrugged. "Yeah. And I'll be doing a lot of them, to make up for not doing any earlier. There's a couple winter ads still to go, and then the spring line. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried doing a summer shoot or two as well."

Marinette looked nothing short of incredulous, and Adrien couldn't blame her. "Doesn't your father have any other models he could be using?"

This time, Adrien really couldn't help the amused snort that escaped him. "Of course he does. But I'm 'the face of the brand', you know. I think he wants me to appear at least once per season, and since I'm not going to be doing runways for him anymore and I missed some of the fall and most of the winter photoshoots..."

"He's overcompensating," Marinette finished. "That's frustrating."

"And then it really cuts into the time I get with you guys." Adrien flopped back into the seat, frustrated. "Which is super not cool. I mean, it's supposed to be vacation." Then he glanced over at Marinette somewhat sheepishly. "I sound like a brat, don't I. I'm the one still in school while all of you guys are already working and you only get a couple days off for the holidays."

Marinette shook her head furiously. "No, not at all! It makes sense that you wouldn't want to work during your break. You do work really hard during your semester, I know you do." She paused and looked at him again. "...that's not the only thing that's bugging you, is it." She had noticed over the past few weeks that Adrien seemed a bit less like his normal cheerful self than normal. "...Adrien?"

Adrien let out a long huff. "It's nothing, really, I'm just being stu-" He quailed under the look Marinette shot at him. "Okay, okay. I just- it's just been bugging me that I'm so far behind the rest of you guys. Like, you and Alya both have internships, Nino's working on indie films and DJing, all of our other classmates are working, too...and I'm still in school."

"That's not your fault, Adrien!" Marinette said immediately. "If you had been able to do a Physics program right away like you wanted instead of getting a business degree, you would be done with your undergrad by now. It's not like you're just taking a longer than normal time to finish your first degree- not that there would be anything wrong with that, either, but really. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It wasn't like you were dithering around playing video games for three years while the rest of us got our degrees."

"I know, I know." Adrien was practically pouting. "It's just...I'm not used to being behind the curve. Like, I was usually ahead of the curriculum in class in collège and lycée because of my tutors, and I was the first one to really have a job. And now..."

"And now you have one completed degree, just like the rest of us, and you're doing another one," Marinette reminded him. "You know, Max is still in school, too."

"Doing his Masters," Adrien finished. He huffed. "And if I decide to do a Master's on top of this degree...god, I'm gonna practically be thirty before I get a job. I'll be that creepy weirdo who's still living with his father and who's never had a job besides looking pretty in front of a camera."

Marinette smothered a snort. "Oh, woe is you. You had to look pretty in front of a camera and got paid for it."

Adrien still pouted.

"Plenty of people don't go straight into uni once they've finished lycée," Marinette added, figuring that this maybe wasn't the best time for joking around. "Not everyone knows what they want to do at first. No one who knows you will think you're a creepy weirdo, Adrien." She paused and frowned. "And you really think you'll go back to living at your father's house once you finish your degree?"

Huffing, Adrien ran a hand through his hair, only succeeding in messing it up more. He was going to have to comb it before they got back to Paris, or he would have both Nathalie and his father scolding him for his appearance. "I don't want to, of course, but unless I have a good reason, he'll just pester me nonstop about living at home until I cave. I tried floating the idea moving into my own apartment closer to campus when I was getting my business degree, but he wouldn't hear of it. He said there was no point in me living elsewhere when there was plenty of space in the mansion, and that it would just make things unnecessarily difficult when scheduling fittings and photoshoots and runways if I lived somewhere else."

Marinette blinked, stunned. "...you don't need your father's permission or approval to do anything. If he's upset, then he's upset."

Adrien cringed. He knew that, but... "I guess it's just easier to do what he wants instead of having to deal with the pestering and nagging. And, well, he did have a lot of good points when he said it was a bad idea for me to live on my own. I didn't really know how to cook for myself then, and I didn't really have the time to be setting up a whole new place of my own. Besides, pretty much all of you were still living at home as you went to uni, right?"

"Right," Marinette confirmed. "It was cheaper, and then I could focus on my studies and all of the money I earned from commissions I could keep or use to pay for fabric for my own designs, instead of having to spend it on housing or groceries. I wasn't that far from campus, either."

"Are you going to go back to living with your parents once you finish your internship?"

Marinette had to think about that. She hadn't thought about it before, really, especially considering that she wasn't even sure if she was going to apply for an extension. "I...don't know? I guess I'll just play it by ear. If I get a really good job and it's not close to my house, then I'd probably get an apartment of my own. If I get another internship that doesn't pay much...well, I mean, I don't mind living at home."

Adrien tried not to make a face. He had been worried that he would get that sort of answer. It only strengthened his father's arguments on why he should return to Agreste Mansion after he finished his degree in London. Convenience. Familiarity. Saving money.

(Of course, that last point wasn't a real concern. Adrien had plenty of unspent money in the bank from years upon years of modelling. He wasn't quite certain how much there was there, but it could probably easily cover a couple years' rent if he didn't go for something too upscale. And he could always keep modelling while he searched for a job that he actually wanted.)

"Nino and Alya moved out of their families' homes," Adrien said instead. Their friends had found a fairly small apartment to share only a month after graduating from university and apparently hadn't looked back. Adrien had been there quite a few times before he left for London and thought that it was a nice enough place, but he might go a little stir-crazy in something that small, especially if it was that small and he was sharing the space with another person.

Marinette shrugged. "Yeah, but they're dating. They couldn't exactly live together in one of their old rooms. Besides, it would have been a pretty long commute for both of them if they stayed with their families." She glanced over at him. "You really don't want to go back to living in the mansion, do you?"

"I've gotten too attached to living on my own, I think," Adrien said, running a hand through his hair a bit sheepishly. "Being able to cook my own meals, set my own hours for getting up, take naps in the middle of the day if I need them...it's a lot of work, sure, but it's definitely worth it. And the mansion is just too big. I feel like I'm just rattling around in it."

"It's definitely your choice," Marinette said with a shrug. "Don't try to base what you should be doing off of what other people are doing. Everyone has a different situation. Just because Alya and Nino still live in Paris and moved out or because I might move back in with my parents when I go back doesn't mean that that should have any bearing on what you do."

Adrien managed a bit of a laugh as the train station came to view and he got up. "How did you get so wise? You sound like you've had way more experience at life than I have."

Marinette shrugged, a small smile playing at the edges of her lips as she followed him off of the bus. "Maybe I have. I did find my apartment all on my own, after all."

Adrien groaned and whacked her shoulder with his own. "That's not fair. I didn't get the choice."

"I know. I'm just teasing you." Marinette giggled at his expression before sobering. "Seriously, don't judge yourself based on other people. You've had different things to deal with than we have. Whatever feels right to you, do it."

It was definitely strange being back in Paris and living in such a large space again. His entire apartment could probably fit easily into his bedroom with space to spare, and it was just him and Plagg hanging out in it again. His father for once decided to join him at dinner his first night back, though there wasn't a whole lot of conversation going on as Gabriel also had decided to bring a pile of financial reports to peruse to the table.

It was a far cry from dinners with Marinette. While they sometimes fell into companionable silence, they almost never brought things to the table unless they had something that urgently needed to be done, and even then they made comments about whatever they were doing and took breaks to have actual conversation.

And even though they were nearby, so far he hadn't had a whole lot of time to see his friends, aside from their brief get-together when he got in at the train station. He had fittings nearly all day on his first few days back, with only short breaks to use the bathroom and get something to eat or drink. Nino and Alya were still working during the day and their breaks didn't line up at all with his, and then he was still being prodded and pinned when they got off for the day. The next few days were filled with several shoots for TV commercials, and they ended up having to do take after take because the director was picky, there were several models involved, and everything had to be just right.

Once Marinette arrived late on Friday she was similarly busy, since the bakery was being absolutely flooded with customers and she was helping her parents keep up with the rush. She had texted him several photos of the work she was doing, and Adrien hadn't had the heart to ask her to stop tempting him. The piles of delectable treats in her photos were making him hungry, and he couldn't eat real meals during his fittings since it could make him slightly bloated, which in turn would throw off the fit. Instead of complaining about his rumbling stomach (he was eating, but only very small amounts at a time), he sent back compliments of the gorgeous treats Marinette was making. She deserved it, after all. Even with the amount of pressure they were working under, everything looked as perfect as always.

(He would ask if she could bring something when they did get to meet up, but he knew full well that there was no need. Of course Marinette would bring holiday treats to share with her friends. She didn't need to be asked.)

Every day, by the time he got back to the mansion, all Adrien wanted to do was eat a proper meal and go straight to bed. As much as he wanted to go out as Chat Noir, he would fall right off the rooftops if he even tried it right now and besides, in their last (very rushed) run-in before Adrien had to go back to Paris, he and Ladybug had agreed that they shouldn't show up until closer to the holiday itself. After all, most people didn't have that much time off near the holidays.

Besides, now that he was at home, his father expected him to get up early. If he went out as Chat Noir and ran into Ladybug and didn't get in until one or two in the morning, he would be a zombie in the morning and would get a scolding from his father for being unprofessional, winter holiday break or no. It was best to avoid that.

Several busy days into his so-called holiday, Adrien actually got to see Nino for nearly forty minutes over Nino's lunch break. The went to a nearby cafe and though Adrien wasn't allowed to have more than a light salad (bloating was still, after all, a concern, as much as he hated to admit it), it was nice to be able to talk to his friend in person again.

"Isn't your father going to let you have any rest at all over your break?" Nino asked incredulously when Adrien admitted that he still had several more fittings and photoshoots yet to go. "Like, doesn't he realize that you want a break after studying hard all semester? He can use regular models. They're actually paid to do this stuff."

"I'm getting paid too," Adrien pointed out. "Dunno how it compares to normal industry level, but I've always gotten paid for modeling for my father. I've only just gotten access to that account recently, but I think either Mom or Nathalie insisted on me being paid from the start so I could have some savings built up once I graduated."

"Can't you just, like, say no to it, though?"

"I have said no to it. I didn't do the fall campaign, and most of the winter campaign. And I don't like how he's approaching it now, with cramming everything in at once so he doesn't have to call in the photographer and the rest of the staff and other models every day, but I did technically agree to do it."

"You didn't say no, you mean," Nino said with a sigh. "Dude."

"It'll be over for the most part by the holidays," Adrien assured him quickly. "And there's obviously nothing over Christmas itself, because the photographer and all of his staff charge extra for holiday work, or they just refuse to do it altogether. I forget which. It might depend on the holiday."

Nino could only sigh.

"And I'll be able to eat proper holiday treats again once I'm not doing photoshoots and fittings," Adrien added with a grouchy stab at his salad. "Marinette's been sending me pictures of the delicious things she's been making, and I want to try everything. It looks amazing, and all I can eat is this so I don't end up bloated in the photos."

"Salad's a sad holiday meal, dude," Nino said, snorting. "Even if it does make you pretty for the photos."

Adrien tried to hide his grin. "Oh, no," he said as seriously as possible. "The pretty part comes naturally. The salad is so that the clothes fit perfectly."

He laughed when that garnered an eye-roll from his friend, and then they moved on to a different topic of conversation. Nino talked about the current film project he was working on, and how the director was absolutely impossible to work with.

"Everything has to be re-filmed a dozen times, and then he'll come back the next day and tell us that half of the scenes we did the previous day weren't good enough or he changed something, so we have to re-do them all over again," Nino grumbled. "We're way behind schedule with getting things filmed. And he keeps having me re-do the music because it wasn't quite what he envisioned, but he never tells me quite exactly what to do. He just keeps throwing buzzwords around instead like they're supposed to mean something to me. The project is gonna crash, I can tell you that already."

Adrien's brow furrowed. If the project crashed, that could really hurt Nino. He knew that projects of that size (aka small) sometimes waited to pay their workers until after it showed and started making money. "...are you getting paid for this in advance?"

"Of course," Nino assured him. "I haven't forgotten what your photographer told me about making sure I get paid. The director wanted to pay me after, of course, but I negotiated to get paid as we went. He kept telling me that I would get paid more if I waited until the end and I wouldn't get paid more than negotiated 'when the film became a smashing success'-" Nino rolled his eyes- "but I'd rather have a guaranteed source of income than have a bunch of empty promises that I'm depending on."

"Smart."

"I think a lot of the others on set are really regretting not doing the same thing now," Nino added. "They look more worried every time the schedule gets set back. At least people aren't giving me the cold shoulder just because I'm getting paid and they aren't- at least, not yet. They might be a little more chilly once the end of the project arrives and they don't get a great paycheck. Or any paycheck, if we end up going over budget for filming."

"I don't even understand how that's remotely legal," Adrien said, shaking his head. He was everlastingly grateful to his normal photoshoot photographer for giving Nino helpful hints about what mistakes he should be avoiding when he was freelancing. It seemed that there were all sorts of pitfalls that one might not normally think to look for, ones that could easily end Nino's career or force him to pick up a second job- well, third, technically, since Nino was already working as a DJ as well- to make ends meet. But with Vincent's advice, Nino had only had had to fight for his proper pay once.

Nino shrugged. "I think it's in the contract," he suggested. "That their level of pay depends on the success of the project. It's probably worded more delicately than that, to suggest that they'll be paid no matter what and waiting to the end for their pay could mean more money. Otherwise I think more people would be doing what I'm doing."

"Ugh. That's just playing dirty."

Minutes later, Adrien's phone chimed and he had to get back on set. Regretfully, he downed the rest of his salad and waved good-bye to his friend, promising to try to set up another get-together as soon as possible.

After all, Nino was right. The holidays weren't supposed to be about work.

The last photoshoot of the day thankfully went smoothly, and Adrien was able to go home and eat dinner at a relatively reasonable time. It was a bit on the late side to try to get together with his friends but he didn't have to get up early the next morning, which only meant one thing.

Chat Noir time.

Adrien bid good-night to... well, to the empty entryway- and then locked his bedroom door before transforming and launching himself out of his bedroom window. Minutes later, he was getting pretty close to the center of the city. As he slowed for a moment to take in the city (his city, at last), he caught sight of a familiar red-clad figure bounding across the rooftops.

"Hey, Bug!" Chat Noir called, speeding up again so he would catch up to her. He poled across the street and landed neatly next to her on top of a roof. "When did you get back?"

"Just recently," Ladybug answered, reaching out to give him a hug. "And you?"

"I've been back for a bit. I haven't gone out until today, though, and honestly I was a little surprised that I could. I've been crazy busy." It seemed that all of his waking hours had been scheduled, but at least the worst of it was (for the most part) done.

"Breaks when you've been away aren't really that relaxing, are they?" Ladybug surveyed the city around them and waved to a couple pedestrians down below that were eagerly pointing up at the duo. "So many people to see, things to catch up on..."

Chat Noir nodded frantically. Boy, could he ever relate. Even if his father hadn't been loading up his schedule with fittings and photoshoots, he had had so. many. people. that he had wanted to see and catch up with. There was Nino and Alya (and Ladybug), of course, but he had also wanted to talk with most of their old classmates that were still in the area as well. Chloe had tried to practically attach herself to his side the second that she heard that he was back in town- apparently she had gotten over sulking about his marrying-Marinette prank- but a combination of fittings and a holiday cruise that Chloe and her father were going on kept him from having to tolerate his former friend for too long. Chloe had been put out, of course, and had tried demanding that her father get Adrien onto the cruise as well so they could spend two whole weeks together, but Adrien had straight-up refused.

Once upon a time he had admired the pushy attitude that had gotten him enrolled in public school without his father's permission, but that time had long passed. He had grown older and wiser and able to see the consequences of bullying people to get something, and Chloe had not.

"It seems like the people are glad to see us back," Chat Noir said before he could dwell too much on his failed friendship. He joined Ladybug in waving down at the crowd fast forming below, and then he grinned at her. "Race you to the Eiffel Tower?"

"Oh, you are on, kitten."

It was freeing to be able to run and shout again without worrying about people seeing or hearing them. The two superheroes teased each other as they took turns leading the way to the Eiffel Tower, banter flying free and loud as they raced. They drew quite a few eyes, but it didn't matter. Not here in Paris. They reached the Tower as one and practically flew up it together, drawing more and more attention as they neared the top.

"Ah, I missed Paris," Chat Noir said as they landed on the uppermost platform and paused to catch their breaths. The city spread around them, wide and sparkling. "London just isn't quite the same."

"I miss making noise when I run around," Ladybug agreed, holding on to the platform's railing with one hand and hanging out over the city. Her eyes scanned the horizon, a habit ingrained after years of fighting akumas. "I miss talking to people during patrols. I love London and all, but Paris will always have my heart."

Chat Noir couldn't help the way his shoulders slumped at that. It definitely sounded like he would be losing both Marinette and Ladybug back to Paris after the year was over. He hadn't been expecting them to be in London at the same time as him in the first place- really, he should be looking at the time they had together as a bonus- but it was going to be very, very lonely next year when they had both headed back. He was doing his best to enjoy the fabulous company while it lasted, but he couldn't help but linger on what the following year would be like. Still, it was the holidays, and he had Ladybug and all of his friends all in the same area. Moping would have to wait.

"Are you still keeping up with the Ladyblog?" Ladybug asked suddenly, effectively startling Chat Noir out of his mopey thoughts.

He raised an eyebrow at her, somewhat surprised by the change in subject. "It isn't really active anymore, but yes, I do occasionally peruse it." It was useful for keeping an eye out for if there were any rumors of superhero sightings in London. Alya kept an ear to the ground for all things superhero, so if someone noticed the French superheroes in London, she would know within...well, maybe not a day, not now that she had a job to deal with, but a week. Either way, it was fast enough to do damage control if they were spotted. "Why?"

"Did you see that she's doing a research project on historical Miraculous users?"

He hadn't seen. He had heard about Alya's project of course, both from Alya herself during her visit and from Marinette's occasional updates, but he hadn't seen a Ladyblog post about it yet. Of course, he hadn't been checking the Ladyblog during finals, so maybe it was a recent post. "No. That's cool!"

"She's been having some trouble," Ladybug continued. "Because most users were pretty quiet about it. So I've been thinking of asking my kwami some questions about past holders, to see if I can give her any guiding hints without putting my identity at risk at all."

Funny, he had been thinking of doing something similar. Of course, he would have to be more careful about it than Ladybug since he did actually know Alya, but he could probably at least give some guidance. "Are you thinking of holders of other Miraculous, or ours as well? Has she already figured out that you aren't two thousand years old?"

Ladybug snorted merrily at the reference to the akuma battle so long ago. "Oh, she figured that out ages ago. She might not have posted it, but one of her friends told me when she figured it out. By that time, Alya had at least figured out that trying to expose us online wasn't a great idea anymore, so she didn't post anything."

One of Alya's friends? Adrien hadn't heard anything about that particular discovery, and the only other people that Alya would have told would have been Nino or Marinette. He couldn't quite see Nino flagging Ladybug down to tell her that Alya had figured out her identity diversion, but Marinette...

Marinette had always been against Alya trying to figure out the duo's secret identities, even if she hadn't been as vocal about it at first. She had worked with Chat Noir before, and it was completely possible that she and Ladybug had done something similar during one of the battles where Adrien was held up, unable to transform, and arrived later in the game. She was totally the type to wave Ladybug down just to warn her about something like that.

"What were you planning?" Chat Noir asked, deciding not to question the thing about Alya's friend. It didn't really matter at this point anyway. "Search down the Ladyblogger tonight 'accidentally' and see if she asks about it and then give her the info another night?"

Ladybug bit her lip and then shook her head. "No, I don't think we need to find her tonight. Since the Ladyblog is public, we just say that we spotted the post and wanted to help. That we were interested as well, so we asked, uh..." She paused, frowning. "Uhhh..."

It only took a moment for Chat Noir to catch on. "Right, we can't exactly tell her about the kwamis. But maybe we can say that we have, y'know, some papers or something referencing past holders, or maybe we can say we ran into a holder of a different Miraculous recently and they told us some stuff, just bits and pieces. That would explain why we can't just, y'know, give her the papers so she can analyze them herself."

"And then if we find out about other holders that we want to tell her about later on, then we can just say that we ran into that holder again," Ladybug concluded. She grinned and reached out to scratch his chin. "I like that, kitty."

Chat Noir grinned, leaning into the chin scratch as much as he could. Ladybug's fingers still left him all too soon. "And we can go talk to Master Fu, too, if we want. He could maybe think up more historical users that Alya would be likely to be able to find stuff on. He's been active so long, and he's seen the other Miraculous in use, so maybe he would have some clues."

"We're gonna end up overwhelming her," Ladybug said with a laugh. She was grinning, though, clearly excited about their plan. Chat Noir had to wonder why- sure, he was excited about the opportunity they would be giving Alya (though he had to admit that he still was concerned about whether or not Nino had been told and what his reaction might be), but again, he knew Alya. He was her friend and of course he would be excited about being able to help her. Ladybug, though- what was she getting out of this that was making her so excited? Was she just as curious about the past users as Alya, even though she had her kwami (a more cooperative one than Plagg, or so he had gathered from their occasional conversations about their magical companions) to answer her questions? Was she really eager to find out about other Miraculous users? Or did the idea of helping someone really make her so excited on its own?

...or was it possible that she knew Alya?

Nah. How improbable would that be? Both of Paris' superheroes knowing the city's most prominent superhero-focused reporter and both coming out of it with their secret identities intact? Ladybug was probably so cheerful as a result of a combination of being able to help someone, being able to run like normal again in Paris, and because of the fast-approaching holidays. That was just the kind of person she was.

They stayed out for another hour before Ladybug, surprisingly, tapped out first. She had to be up early the next morning, she explained, and if she wanted to actually be awake for the day she had to go to bed earlier than usual. Chat Noir only stayed out for a few minutes after she left before deciding that it wouldn't be a bad idea at all to go to bed at least somewhat on time. He waved to a few more fans, paused for a couple photos, and then took off for his father's house. The light were still on in his father's home office, of course, but other than that the house was silent. He landed lightly and made sure that the window glass was tinted completely dark before detransforming. The green light lit up the room for half a second and then faded, leaving Adrien blinking away the spots dancing across his vision as he headed for his desk, where his phone was blinking an alert that he had a message.

Or fifty, Adrien corrected dryly as he opened his phone. That might have been an exaggeration- he didn't quite have fifty messages- but Alya and Nino at least had been blowing up the group chat. He had to scroll up a way up to figure out what had started the flood. Apparently they had been trying to see if they could set up a group get-together early in the day on Christmas Eve since Marinette would still be busy until then, and then when they didn't get a response out of either Adrien or Marinette (who, Adrien assumed, was probably hanging out with her parents or going to bed early since she would surely be tired from helping her parents with the holiday rush), they decided to start bombarding the duo with suggestive comments. Adrien rolled his eyes as he scrolled through one hint after another that he and Marinette might be hanging out, possibly alone and not with either of their families. Were their friends trying to make things awkward between him and Marinette? He wasn't going to let it work.

After shooting back a quick text message (Do you guys REALLY think that I'd be checking my phone every ten minutes if I'm in my father's presence?), Adrien washed up for bed. There was no real reason for him to dignify Alya and Nino's antics any further.

Besides, he and Marinette were just friends. Just like before, Nino and Alya were seeing things where there wasn't anything.

A/N: So this is Christmas Part 1! Next chapter will be the rest of the holidays.

As always, reviews are much appreciated! :)