3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Adrien," Marinette called as she ran down the stairs. Her pajamas fluttered in her wake. He was about to leave for a morning photo shoot, but she needed to talk to him since he had a similar viewpoint as Chat.

He turned from the door, looking extra scrumptious with his perfect hair and form-fitting clothes. Then he smiled.

Her brain blanked and her foot slipped. She thudded down the last couple stairs, eyeballs rattling, and found herself sitting on the floor, staring at nothing.

Did that just happen? Did she just fall down the stairs in front of Adrien?

Play it cool.

She jumped to her feet with a wide grin and a "Ta-Da!" as if she'd done that on purpose.

Halfway across the room to her, he stopped mid-stride and blinked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" She smiled even bigger and walked to him.

He tilted his head, observing her differently. "You really did hurt yourself by falling down some stairs, didn't you?"

"What? No, I'm fine." She twirled to prove her point.

"No, the last time. I thought maybe you were lying." He looked down sheepishly when her eyes widened. "It's stupid now. But I thought you might've been covering for someone."

Her heart jumped. Did he know about her and Chat? Did he know she was Ladybug?

"Me?" she squeaked. "Covering for someone? I don't know what you're talking about." Was her eye twitching?

"You know, like a boyfriend."

Chat wasn't her boyfriend.

"Like an abusive boyfriend," he clarified, probably because of how slack her face was. "That's what most victims say, right? They fell or ran into a door." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought that if something like that was happening, I could help. But then I didn't see any pictures of a guy in your room, and you haven't mentioned anyone." His cheeks flushed. "It was stupid. I'm sorry."

Oh, so he didn't think she was Ladybug. And he'd wanted to protect her. Her heart swelled to the point of bursting.

She touched his arm. "No, no. That's very kind of you. And I appreciate you looking out for me."

He beamed. "So, you don't have a boyfriend?"

"Nope. Unless I count you, since you're a boy and a friend." She twitched and quickly added, "And Nino. And my dad." Oh god, that just got weird. "And my dentist, the mailman, the clerk at the espresso bar across the street." Stop talking. Just stop talking.

He chuckled. "Sounds like I have a lot of competition."

Then he turned toward the door, leaving her mouth to fall open. No, he was just joking. He couldn't have been serious. But she sure could dream.

Picking her jaw off the floor, she said, "Wait. Why do you think it would be better if the Miraculouses didn't exist?"

He paused with his back to her, now rigid. "I shouldn't have mentioned that."

"No, it's okay." She circled around him. "I'm just curious."

Glancing at his phone, he said, "The photo shoot is about to start. Can we can talk later?"

She nodded and smiled, though, inside, she slumped. "Break a leg! Er, good luck? Or is it just have fun?"

He relaxed and returned the smile. "Lock up behind me."

oOoOo

Adrien entered the apartment and found music playing from upstairs. He glanced at her room with its partly open door and saw her moving around.

After tossing his keys in the bowl, he took off his shoes. It had been stupid of him to bring up the Miraculouses. Everyone loved them, loved having a hero. Thinking differently made him stand out for the wrong reason, and his father wouldn't approve of that.

Now, he just had to figure out how to get her to forget about the subject. She was no Alya—the girl was still trying to find out who Ladybug was—but she was determined in her own right. He glanced upstairs and sighed. Maybe having a roommate was a bad idea.

No, she made this place warmer, brighter...happier.

Plagg zipped out of his pocket and looked at him. "Personally, I'm glad she's here," he said, as if hearing his thoughts. Though, over the years they'd learned to read each other so well he might as well have.

"What happened to no one can know you exist?" Adrien whispered.

"No one can know about me, but maybe she can talk some sense into you." He crossed his arms and stared a hole into Adrien's head.

"If you can't, then no one can."

Plagg puffed up his little chest, then scrunched his face in uncertainty on whether or not he should be proud of that. Adrien had to hold back a laugh.

"Regardless," the kwami said, "maybe hearing it from someone who makes your heart pitter patter will have an impact on you."

"She doesn't make my heart do that. She's just a friend." Adrien looked at the time, and considered making dinner for her.

Plagg followed him into the kitchen. "Kid, you've been saying that for years."

"And it's true. Now, what do you think she would like, chicken or fish?"

The kwami slapped a hand to his face, but then he saw a wheel of Camembert cheese and flew to it, licking his lips.

Adrien made up his mind and pulled out all of the ingredients.

After chopping all of the vegetables, he threw away the scraps just as someone knocked on the door. His head jerked to it, then upstairs. Maybe she was expecting someone.

He darted to the entrance before whoever it was could make any more noise and interrupt what she was doing. A quick check through the peephole showed a tall, burly man and a much shorter Asian woman, holding a plant and a to-go box from a bakery. Marinette's parents. Maybe she'd invited them over. That made sense. They'd certainly want to see where she was staying.

Except his father had never bothered to check on him here. The realization stung.

He shook the thought from his head and opened the door. "Hello, M. and MM. Dupain-Cheng."

Their bright smiles tilted down slightly at the sight of him. They'd probably been expecting their daughter to greet them.

Sabine recovered first. "Bonjour. Is Marinette here?"

"Yes. Come in. I'll get her."

They followed him into the living room. "Are you her roommate's...friend?" she asked, looking around, most likely for this other person.

He gestured for them to sit on the couch. "I am her roommate and this is my place. Would you like anything to drink?"

Marinette's very stout, very imposing father's brows lifted in surprise, then lowered into a straight line, a dark slash across his face.

Adrien backed up. "I'll go get her."

So...she hadn't told them she was moving in with a guy. A little warning would've been nice, but that was fine. He would just go hide in his room.

He knocked and her music lowered.

Marinette's happy face greeted him as she swung open the door. "You're back!"

"Yeah. And your parents are here. And they didn't know about me."

She blanched, turning into a pale marble statue with a crooked smile.

"You didn't invite them?" She still didn't move. "They're waiting for you in the living room."

Coming back to life, she nodded and walked toward the stairs. When he didn't follow, she stopped and gestured for him to do so.

He shook his head.

She narrowed her eyes.

Sighing, they went downstairs and she rushed to give them hugs. They hopped to their feet and threw out their arms in anticipation, their gifts now forgotten on the coffee table.

Adrien hung back, a vice squeezing his chest.

"Mama, papa, this is Adrien Agreste, my roommate," Marinette said, one arm around her mother and one around her father.

Adrien dipped his head slightly. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

"You never mentioned your roommate was a boy," her father said, hugging her tighter to him.

Her chuckle came out strangled. "I, um, forgot."

His jaw hardened. "The same boy you had all those posters of?"

Adrien laughed inside at the memory when he'd first seen them on tv and thought she had a crush on him only to find out he was just an inspiration to her as a designer. No wonder her dad seemed more protective of her than he'd remembered.

Marinette's eyes widened into saucers.

"Tom," her mother chastised him. "Let her go and sit down. She's grown now."

He did so, though very reluctantly and, all the while, grumbling under his breath.

Then Sabine looked at Adrien. "I always thought you two were cute together."

"Mom," Marinette groaned, her face reddening, "we're just roommates. Nothing more."

Adrien nodded.

"Sure, sure." She looked around. "This is a lovely apartment."

"Thanks," Adrien said. "I can show you around if you'd like."

They stood, and, as he ushered them toward the kitchen, her mother said, "How many bedrooms are there?"

"Two," he answered. The apartment was large, maybe she thought there were more.

She nodded. "One for each of you?"

"Of course," Marinette said, looking harried. "Papa, you're going to love the kitchen."

They made it to the doorway, her father leaning inside with one hand on the door frame, ogling the space, before her mother sweetly asked, "And you two are being safe?"

Marinette groaned, but Adrien just smiled, thinking she'd been talking about security.

"Yes, ma'am. We take several precautions, like—"

A loud crack split the air.

Her father held part of the door frame he'd been touching.

"My apologies, M. Dupain-Cheng. I'm afraid they don't make things like they used to." It was something his father always said. Then, to reassure him since safety seemed so important to them, he added, "But the building is up to code and there have been no incidents reported."

Her father's eyes were still flinty.

Adrien swallowed. He looked at Marinette to encourage her to help, but her mouth was hanging open and she seemed stunned. What else could he say? "Um. We are very safe, though. Day and night." Shade by shade, her father darkened. "Why, just this morning—"

"It was nice to meet you again," MM. Dupain-Cheng said after a glance at her husband. She grabbed his arm and led him to the front door. "But I think we should be going now."

"Oh, okay."

At the entrance, her mother pried the piece of wood out of Tom's hand, then passed it to Adrien.

Was Marinette's father grinding his teeth? And why did she look to be on the verge of fainting?

"See you tomorrow," MM. Dupain-Cheng said to her daughter. She looked at Adrien and smiled. "Au revoir."

"Goodbye." Adrien closed the door and looked down at the broken section of the doorframe. What was that all about?

Upstairs, a door suddenly closed.

He glanced in the direction of her room, Marinette nowhere in sight, and shrugged. After tossing the piece of wood on the coffee table, he made his way into the kitchen to finish prepping for dinner.

oOoOo

Out on patrol, a desperate distraction after an awkward dinner with Adrien, Ladybug jumped onto a roof and scanned the streets for trouble. How could he not have understood what her mother had referred to? Her father probably wouldn't let her leave the bakery the next time she came over.

Did Adrien not think of her in that way at all?

Catching sight of a black figure a couple buildings down from her, just barely visible under the full moon, she froze.

Chat Noir.

He stood, leaning against a chimney with his arms crossed. Though his face wasn't lit enough to be visible, she knew he watched her.

She walked to the ledge. Come back to me, Chat.

oOoOo

Go to her, Plagg said.

With the moon at her back, she was a sight to behold, majestic...a superhero. Which made him the villain.

He unclenched his jaw to speak. "If I do, I'll have to fight her."

You don't have to do anything.

"You know I do."

Why was she just standing there? Hadn't he done and said enough to make her hate him?

He certainly wanted to hate her. It would be so much easier that way. But he couldn't. He still loved her.

Trying to ease the pressure in his chest, he let out a long breath.

She didn't deserve this. She was kind, pure-hearted, and altruistic. He grimaced at calling her selfish and seeing the hurt his words had caused.

Lady Luck, some had named her. Then why did she get him as her partner? That was the worst luck of all.

An alarm blared not far from them. She looked in its direction, and he turned from her, running as fast as he could, not caring where.

Wind whipped his hair about, and he pushed his legs to move faster, to leap further. His chest heaved. His muscles burned.

He ignored it all and kept going, over buildings and landmarks, across parks and highways. He sprinted until he could do so no longer.

Feet stumbling to a stop, he saw an advertising column showing his face. A photo shoot he'd done for a watch company.

Staff in hand, he lengthened it and swung at the picture over and over again. Each impact reverberated through his arms, making him wince. He didn't care. He took his frustration and rage out on his image.

His heart pounded in his ears. Sweat slid down his face and made his hair cling to his skin.

Kid, take it easy.

Time slipped away. He slipped away. All that existed was the pain consuming him...until there was nothing left.

Hands numb, his staff fell from his slackened grasp and he collapsed to his knees, panting. Drops fell from his chin to splatter onto the concrete. He touched his face and was surprised to find he was crying.

Come on, Plagg said, sighing. Let's go home.

AN - surprise! A chapter on Thanksgiving week after all! Brought to you by...lack of sleep. Lol!

FYI, I died laughing while writing this chapter. It was so much fun. And then I died again when I went over it with my sister. I hope everyone got a chuckle from it as well, and then immediately felt sad for our poor, struggling Adrien.

Thanks for reading and commenting, favoriting, and following. The interest in this story has really shocked me. Which is why I wanted to get a chapter in this week, as a thank you.

And, of course, my sister has my gratitude as well. I love that she lets me share my writing with her, and actually enjoys it.

Until next time.

Update: another edited chapter done!