News Of Alters

"How are things with your girlfriend?"

It marked the first time Gabriel had ever, ever taken an interest in Adrien's life, not because he wanted to control it, but because he was genuinely curious. Adrien was holding up his end of their deal, his modelling shoots were the very icon of perfection, he was doing well in his classes, and he was attending all of the activities he was assigned by his father. While he didn't entirely approve, if Adrien was going to keep up his end of the deal, he would too.

Although Adrien had to wonder, could his father have picked a worse time to have an interest in his life?

While it was late, Gabriel had come to speak to his son, just a few minutes after Chat Noir had sneaked back into his room and turned back into Adrien. Had he been just five minutes earlier, Adrien would have had to explain where the hell he had been. That was something he could be thankful for. He didn't need more complications.

"Fine." Adrien lied through his teeth. It physically hurt him to say. He knew why he was lying. He didn't want his father to be proven right. Just once... Just for once, he wanted something that he could have as his, something he could say he was right about, and that his father was wrong about.

Marinette hated him now. But he just... Didn't want to admit it. At least not to Gabriel.

"I see." Gabriel acknowledged, and made a mental note of, his son's quick and simple remark. The older man cleared his throat. "I would be interested in meeting her."

"O-Oh?" Adrien bit his tongue.

"I'd like you to request her presence here for dinner this weekend, at her convenience." Gabriel said, sounding like he was arranging a formal business meeting. Knowing the kind of person he really was, this was probably a similar sort of thing to him. "Give me a list of her preferred meals, and I'll have the chef's prepare something she should find acceptable."

"...Yes, father." What else could Adrien say? He didn't even want to admit to himself that Marinette wanted nothing to do with him, never-mind his overarching father.

Gabriel then left the room, having said what he had wanted to say to his son, leaving Adrien with the biggest pang of guilt and sadness since he had come back home.

Could this get any worse? Was it even possible at this point?

What the heck was he supposed to do now?

Adrien hadn't moved from his bed even slightly since the previous night. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know what to do?

What the hell was he supposed to ?

He regretted saying what he did to Ladybug, to Marinette... He truly regretted it, so freaking much. There wasn't enough words to describe how much he regretted it, but he was totally out of ideas. He'd said it. It was done now. It had all happened. And now, this was where he was at.

Was this... The way things were going to be from now on? Was he going to have to live knowing that Marinette hated him, and that Ladybug literally wanted to kill him? Was that something he just had to... Accept? That Chat Noir couldn't go out anymore, for risk of ending up being killed by the very person he'd had every intention of dedicating himself to in every way imaginable?

That his Soul Mate was going to spend the rest of her life hating him, while he longed for her to return?

Did this... Was this how this had to be now?

At this point, he wasn't even surprised that it always seemed to happen to him. But...

".. Kid, this is my fault, I know." Plagg said, catching Adrien's attention. The Kwami sounded an odd mix of remorseful and determined. Anything other than indifference sounded weird from Plagg, so naturally, actual emotions from the Kwami caught the young models attention. "I know I'm the one who told you to tell Ladybug about the Soul Links and everything... But you're kidding yourself if you're telling yourself that you're fine with this."

Adrien would have laughed if he wasn't in such crippling emotional pain. Plagg had hit the nail on the head. For a creature that talked about next to nothing but cheese, and claimed to care for little more than the favorite aforementioned food, he was surprisingly perceptive. He was correct of course. Adrien hated this. He hated that this was how things had turned out... But what the hell could he do? "Exactly what choice do I have, Plagg?... There isn't anything I can do..."

"So you're just giving up on her?"

"It's what she said she wants..."

"No, it's not! You know that it's because of Spite that she's acting this way!"

Sighing, Adrien rolled over to look away from the Kwami. An in vain attempt, as he knew Plagg could just hover in front of him if he wanted to be seen, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

It wasn't that he wanted to give up on her. Of course not. He could punch Plagg for even insinuating that. He never wanted to... But he was totally out of ideas. Talking to her yielded no results, and telling her the total truth caused her to want to never see him again. And when you're threatened with death if the person you want to help so much as sees you, that seriously limits your options to do much of anything.

What could he do? What choices did he even have?

"Plagg... If you've got an idea, believe me, I am ears, buddy."

That feeling of absolute helplessness covered over him like a sheet, encasing him into a cocoon. It had been a long, long time since he had felt so... Absolutely nihilistic about anything at all... He missed her.

He missed Marinette.

"Oh for the love of Kwami's." Plagg sighed, exasperated. "That's it, I can't do this anymore."

An eyebrow was suddenly raised by Adrien as he turned to look at his partner. What was he talking about? Do what? "Wait, what?"

"The hell with the rules - Kid, I'm gonna put this as bluntly as I can. Marinette has been manipulated. She does not think these things about you, and your Soul Link isn't even shattered, it's been altered!" Plagg threw all causation to the wind. Rules about explaining a Soul Link and their status, rules about interfering with how things had to happen how they had to - Plagg couldn't care less anymore. This entire situation was driving him crazy with guilt and frustration that he just couldn't help himself anymore. "I can promise you right now that like that, Marinette is not going to be even the tiniest bit happy. Do you seriously intend to leave her like that?"

Each word Plagg had said had made Adrien's eyes go wider and wider. For the first time all day, he shot straight up off his mattress. His jaw was on the very verge of unhinging and swinging open like a loose door-frame. "Wh... Wait a second, Plagg, you mean..."

"It's possible to turn her back to normal."

That was like being shot by hope itself. Like an arrow had just lodged itself in Adrien's ribcage. He had to process a lot of information that was being thrown at him all at once. The first one being that these weren't entirely independent actions Marinette was taking. Adrien knew that Spite had been the one to edit the Soul Link between them... Marinette hadn't stopped loving him by choice... But part of why he hadn't gone to the extremes he would have done otherwise was because he was under the impression that she still had free will. According to Plagg, this wasn't the case. Additionally, he could change her back to normal? To her original personality? The one that was... Actually her?

Suddenly, he was angry. "And you didn't think to mention this four days ago?!"

"There are rules I'm supposed to obey kid. We could very easily end up with you or Marinette six feet under by me even telling you this!" Saying that, the black Kwami shuddered, clearly not wanting to entertain the possibility of his human partner winding up dead. "The only reason I telling you is because its my own fault that Ladybug now wants you six feet under!"