1Another attempted foray into Miraculous Ladybug. Same as before this is an attempt to get more experience with writing romance and more lighthearted interactions. While I'm not overtly cynical or grim in real life in fanfics I often struggle to write stories that don't have an undercurrent of grimness in the tone.
The same is true here. I've been writing a Spider-Man story for a while now, and while there's definitely superheroes in canon it also comes across as far more low-beat given the fact that criminals are monstrous, the public is often ungrateful and suspicious and the various characters go through horrendous trials and suffer traumas.
With that in mind my attempts to try a more lighthearted bend are probably not gonna go so well, but hopefully this fic turns out alright.
Christmas Eve, a holiday for people to spend time with their families curled up in front of the fireplace with a cup of eggnog in their hands and a Christmas carol at their lips.
Christmas Eve, and instead of being at home Adrien was out on the streets. He hated to admit that it really didn't come as a surprise to him.
The first Christmas without his mom. The first one with just his father...or at least it was supposed to. He was at work, or at least that's what Nathalie told him. He knew his father's assistant had no reason to lie to him, but a part of him couldn't help but feel that his dad was trying to avoid him...avoid everything about this day, actually. Usually he'd at least get a text, a confirmation that he'd made it to school and finished all his extracurricular activities and requirements.
Instead there was nothing. Not for the whole week, really. His father had secluded himself to his work and hadn't so much as left the offices to return home. Adrien knew he could visit him there, but what was the point? He was cold at home, but he was even colder when he was outside of it. There was nothing quite as disappointing as going through all the trouble to go there only to be turned away because he didn't have an appointment.
He should know. It'd happened to him twice.
Sucking in a soft breath, Adrien stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and trudged down the snowy road, the crunch of the snow under his feet the only sound that accompanied him. The street was devoid of all life, though that wasn't a surprise. His watch told him that it was only a little over an hour till midnight, and even the laziest of Christmas shoppers would've already finished last minute wrap-ups.
"What are we doing out here, kid?" Plagg asked, the Kwami's head peeking from over his collar pocket, "It's an hour till Christmas. Shouldn't you be eating a turkey or something?"
"That's Thanksgiving, Plagg." Adrien chuckled softly. At least he wasn't alone. The miniature cat god (or so Plagg claimed, at least) could be a pain sometimes, but he appreciated his company nonetheless...not that he was going to admit it, of course. The second he did Plagg'd take it as just another reason to pump him for Camembert or whatever kind of cheese he could get his hands on.
Speaking of which...
"Hey, kid, you sure you don't wanna go back? I'm starving!" There it was right on cue. Adrien let out a sigh and rolled his eyes as the Kwami began buzzing around him, throwing out the same complaints as always, "Come on, I'm dyin' here! I'm just skin and bones, Adrien! Skin and bones! Why are you being so cruel!?"
"Plagg, I fed you an hour ago!" Adrien sniped back. It helped distract him from what he was doing...not that he knew what exactly that was besides walking around aimlessly, but it still helped.
"Yeah, and that's 60 minutes I haven't eaten! And it's increasing by the second!"
Adrien knew Plagg was just trying to get him to go back home. While the Kwami could be (and more often than not, was) obsessed with eating as much cheese as he could pack in - which was a disturbing amount considering how small he was - he was definitely playing it up.
It wasn't like he couldn't see why. A young teenager alone on Christmas Eve just before midnight with no one else around? That screamed a lot of things, and none of them were good. It might've been mitigated if he'd been Chat Noir - at least then there wouldn't have been any danger - but he stubbornly refused to transform. What if an Akuma came out? He needed to be at 100 percent. Considering everything he'd seen he wouldn't have been surprised if someone became Akumatized even at the 'most joyous time of year'.
Adrien desperately tried to ignore the fact that he might've been that person if it wasn't for Plagg.
"I'll come back soon, Plagg. Just...let me think for a bit more, alright?"
The Kwami looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually he closed his mouth and retreated to his pocket with a mumbled, "Sure, kid." Adrien felt bad, he really did, but he couldn't...staying at that empty house with no one but the gorilla and Nathalie for company wasn't Christmas. He had nothing against them. He knew they cared for him, if only because it was their job to, but it really wasn't what he looked forward to when the hands struck 12.
His thoughts drifted back to his last meeting with Ladybug a week prior. Immediately his mouth curled up into a slight smile and he felt a warmth spread across his cheeks. His lady - well, not actually his lady, but he still liked to call her that - was always a bright light in his day, and she did it without even meaning to. Adrien often wondered how someone could be so confident, so certain of themselves.
He wondered what she was doing now. While the two of them were friends - or at least as much as they could be considering they didn't know each other's true name and face - they never shared personal details. He would've told her anything if she'd just asked, but Ladybug had been adamant that they keep their secret identities. It wouldn't be safe, she reasoned, for anyone outside of them and their Kwamis to know.
Adrien understood, though he couldn't help but feel downcast at the idea that after months of knowing her the only thing he managed to get was that she liked fashion; and even then that was only after he'd caught her staring at a billboard (of himself, ironically enough) with a look of wonder on her face. When he'd called her on it she'd blushed, something he never thought he'd see, and deflected the topic to being about the Agreste company and the upcoming winter fashion line.
It was the first time they'd talked about things outside of 'work' and shallow topics, so he quickly joined in on the discussion. Being the son of Gabriel Agreste gave him intimate knowledge on a lot of fashion do's and don'ts...even if he was kind of bummed that the first extended talk they'd had was about his dad and how awesome and creative he must have been to create such varying designs year after year.
'Yeah, he's awesome...' Adrien kicked a clump of snow and made his way to the park. He felt spoiled; running away from home and moping all by himself? His dad must have been worried. No doubt Nathalie told him he'd left and he was calling every police station in town trying to find someone to search for him. Ever since his mom's disappearance he'd been overprotective, and he was sure his dad didn't mean to be controlling, it was just...
The young teen shook his head and suppressed a frown. His father thought he was doing the best for him, but the plans, the strict schedules and the not-so-subtle nudges towards possible future careers - most of them settling on modeling, of course - were beginning to suffocate him. The only time he felt he could forget was when he was Chat Noir, and even then with the rising Akuma attacks and conflicts in his schedule it was beginning to take its toll.
Maybe he should go back already, he thought. The street clock notified him that it was only 15 minutes before midnight, and surely by now he'd had his fill of moping around, right? If he was lucky he might've made it back before anything too serious happened and he could play off his unexplained absence with some cobbled excuse about meeting up with a friend at the last minute. Surely even his father wouldn't be paranoid enough to call all his friends and double check the story, right?
Whatever thoughts of running back with some kind of alibi died as soon as he caught sight of the lone figure sitting on a park bench. For a second Adrien thought that he might have been dreaming, that maybe he'd been so desperate to see someone that his mind played tricks on him.
But no, there she was: Ladybug sitting at bench in the middle of a park less than an hour before midnight.
Adrien blinked and and shifted from one foot to another nervously. She was real - he could see every inch of her body lit up by the dim streetlight, her lips curled into a slight frown that he often saw when she was frustrated with something...mostly she had it whenever they had to deal with Chloe, which was distressingly frequent. It didn't say good things when about half of the Akumas they had to deal with was because of something she did.
Seconds passed before he eventually took a single step towards her, the crunching snow under his feet almost unbearably loud. Ladybug's head raised slightly and for a split second he saw the look of absolute exhaustion on her face that the mask barely hid. It was quickly replaced by a look of wide-eyed surprise, her mouth parting open in shock while a strangled choke barely escaped.
The two of them just stared at one another, neither willing to make the first move. What should he do? What should he say? He'd met her as Adrien before, but those times were fleeting; a shared look when Mylene's father had been Akumatized or the time Simon Says targeted his dad for revenge. But even then their talks were fleeting, relegated to a few awkward comments before her attention was drawn to the problem at hand.
"M- Ladybug." The words 'My lady' were on the tip of his tongue, but he reigned them in. He only called her that as Chat Noir, and even then only sparingly; she had a noted dislike of the name, though for the life of him he didn't know why.
"A-A-Adrien!" she said, her voice uncharacteristically high and nervous. Adrien's eyes almost widened at the sight of it. Gone was the confident superhero, the girl (or woman...he never did find out if she was serious about being over 5000 years old) whose mask never cracked and whose answer to any sign of danger was a self-assured smile and a foolproof plan.
Another moment of silence passed before he eventually managed to force himself to speak once again, "I...what are you doing here?" On Christmas Eve, no less...though he supposed the same thing could be said about him.
Ladybug blinked, the action slow and languid, before the question finally seemed to register, "U-Uh, well..." She stood up straighter on the bench, snow falling from her shoulders and the top of her head, "I, um...I was looking for...something- someone, I mean!" she amended quickly, "He, um...he ran away from home and his family was worried about him. I thought I'd help look."
"Someone? A friend?" He did his best not to sound jealous. He knew the price of jealousy - Copycat was a mistake he didn't want to repeat - but he couldn't help it. Whoever this guy was Ladybug was willing to go out on Christmas Eve in full costume to try and find him. It was hard not to be jealous.
Though a part of him couldn't help but marvel at the chances. Two people ran away tonight on the same time frame? What were the odds of that?
"U-Uh, yeah." She coughed into her right hand and gave him a strained smile, "He, uh...we know each other. From school, I mean."
School...he knew she attended, but she'd never disclosed just where she studied or what year she was. She looked about the same age he was, he could tell that even through the mask, but looks could be deceiving, "O-Oh?" He looked down at his feet and shifted again, "That's, uh...well, I'm sure he's happy that he has a friend like you searching for him..." Did this mystery man know about her identity, he wondered. She'd been adamant that no one, not even her family, knew. But still...
"Um...yeah..."
Adrien was torn. Should he leave now? Pretend that he'd just been out for a late night walk and say his farewells before he embarrassed himself? Chat Noir might have been her partner, but Adrien Agreste was just a face on a billbboard; some hapless civilian she saved a couple of times before he disappeared and Chat Noir 'mysteriousl' reappeared.
But then again this was probably the only chance he could talk to her as 'Adrien'. No Akumas, no need to worry that he'd accidentally blurt out some secret while he was wearing the mask and make a fool of himself. He didn't feel nearly as confident without Chat Noir to hide behind, but was that really a bad thing? There was nothing wrong with being 'just Adrien', right?
Ladybug's next words decided for him.
"Do you, um, wanna take a seat?" She patted the empty spot to her right on the bench.
"Wh-What about your friend? Don't you have to look for him?"
She did that slow blink again, but her next words came out faster than before, "Oh, um, I actually found him not too long ago. I just came into the park to take a break, you know? Take in the scenery." She gave an awkward laugh and gestured to the snow-covered shrubbery, "So...yeah."
"What about your family? Don't you..." Adrien trailed off. Why exactly was he prodding her? Here he was being asked by Ladybug to hang out - this counted, right? - and instead it looked like he was coming up with an excuse to refuse without coming off as rude.
"Oh, um...well, they went out to search, too. I'll text them that I found y- my friend, I mean. I'm sure it'll be okay." She pulled out a dark smartphone with white edges and turned her back to him slightly to block it from view. Right, it was must've been personal... "And...done!" She put it back into the pocket of her suit and offered him a slightly more relieved smile, "So...do you want to join me? I mean I'd understand if you were busy or-"
"No, no! I'm, uh, totally free!" Totally free? On Christmas? Could he sound any lamer? Suppressing a wince, the teen reluctantly took the seat on the other side of the bench, making sure there was a fair distance between him and Ladybug. He would've wanted to sit closer, but it would've been rude to presume. She'd probably invited him to...whatever this was just to be kind. She was always like that, after all.
The seconds ticked by with neither of them exchanging a word, both Ladybug and Adrien exchanging only a few furtive glances before they looked away once more. At the back of his mind he couldn't stop questioning her behavior. Why was she acting so withdrawn? He'd seen hints of it during the debacle with Simon Says, but even then she was business as usual when they fought the Akuma.
Now she was just...he didn't know how to describe it? Shy? No, that wasn't a word to describe her. Was the cold affecting her in some way? He'd heard ladybugs went to hibernate in the winter, so was she the same? It sounded silly, but he'd once purred when she patted his head - something she never let him forget, by the by - so anything could happen when they were transformed.
"So...why are you out here, Adrien? Shouldn't you be at home celebrating Christmas?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.
"I...well, I guess." He sighed and raised his left leg onto the bench, hugging his knee close to his chest, "I just...can I be honest with you, Ladybug?"
"Of course you can. Always." She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. There was that kindness he'd fallen in love with.
"It's just..." He sighed again and shook his head, "My mom disappeared less than a year ago and my dad took it hard. He's been...controlling. I think he's afraid that if he takes his eyes off me for even a second that..."
"That he'd lose you, too," Ladybug finished, her voice soft.
"Yeah." He gave her a subtle nod, "I mean, I understand. When mom went missing both of us were devastated, but he...I mean, he's taking it too far. It's like he's obsessed with the idea of making sure I don't have any time for myself, that he knows where I am every day. Modeling, fencing...I barely have an hour to spend time with my friends or..." Or to be Chat Noir. He'd even taken to sneaking out at night just to satisfy that frustrating itch.
"Adrien, I'm sure he cares about you-"
"No, I-I know that." He mussed up his hair with hands and took deep breath, "But I just wish he wouldn't treat me like I was fragile, you know? I'm not a kid. He doesn't have to hold my hand through everything."
Ladybug didn't say anything at first. Instead she gave him a look he couldn't read before she suddenly said, "I...I don't know what to say. I wish I could say I understand what you're going through, but my parents...there were always there for me when I needed them. One time when I was younger I got into an argument with..." She bit her bottom lip and looked away, "I'm sorry, I can't-"
"No, it's completely fine. I understand." He did his best to give her a comforting smile. Even if she couldn't reveal anything about herself he still appreciated the fact that she tried to help him, "I'm sure your parents miss you, especially now."
"Yeah..." She let out a single, soft laugh and looked to him again, "So is that why you went out? You were frustrated with your dad?"
"More or less...sounds pathetic when I say it out loud, huh?"
"Of course not," she said immediately, "I can't relate to having a father like that, but it doesn't mean what you're going through doesn't hurt."
"Thanks..." He looked back down at the ground and kicked a clump of snow with his free foot, "It's not like I don't get him not exactly looking forward to Christmas without mom around, but he's been even more closed off than usual. I haven't talked to him in a week and then he sends me a message that I've been scheduled to appear in some show tomorrow? It's like he wants to completely forget this is supposed to be a holiday."
"I heard about that. The Christmas Day event; it's been the talk of every fashion outlet."
"Yeah, promoting some new festive line. It's going to take all day, and after that he's flying to Venice for some kind of meeting. I just didn't expect to spend Christmas day on some runway being pictured, you know? None of my friends can go, either. They're spending time with their families and I can't just ask them to blow off their plans so I can see someone familiar in the crowd."
"I see..."
"I guess I just wanted to have some time alone, you know?" He put his leg down and looked up at the night sky, "Nathalie tried to call my dad to come home, but I didn't want to hold my breath. I'm not even sure if he even noticed I left-"
"Of course he did!" Ladybug suddenly said. Before he could say something back about how he was only rambling out of grief she leaned towards him, her right hand holding onto his left in a sudden tight grip.
Right now, however, all he could focus on was the fact that Ladybug's face was only inches from his and that she wore the same look of fierce determination he'd seen a rare few times before.
He'd seen her this close before, but usually it was in the heat of a fight. He didn't have time to linger before they were assaulted by a flock of pigeons or some other gunk. But now he saw the light freckles that peeked out from under the mask and just how bright her bluebell eyes were. Some part of him felt a tingling sense of familiarity, but it was fleeting at best.
"L-Ladybug-"
"Adrien, I know your dad can be cold, but he cares about you! Heck, I'm sure that right now he's worried sick because his only son is out here doing god knows what in the middle of winter!" She sounded so sure...was it just her natural certainty or was it something else? "And he's not the only one! I'm sure your friends are out there right now looking for you!"
"H-How do you know?"
She opened her mouth, but nothing came. Reluctantly she sat back on her place on the bench and Adrien felt her fingers begin to slip from his before he quickly tightened his hold, "A-Adrien-"
"How do you know?" he asked again.
"I...saw them. When I was swinging around." Adrien's brows furrowed in suspicion. She didn't sound too sure of that, "I-"
"No, it's alright..." He sighed and let go of her hand, "I...I shouldn't pry. I'm sure you have your secrets." He couldn't help but hope that he knew her outside of the mask, but he clamped that thought down. What were the chances of that in a city as big as Paris? "I'm sorry for going off on a tangent."
"N-No, it's fine. I'm sure that-"
Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the sound of the clock's ring. Both their heads snapped to the timepiece only to be met with the sight of both hands raised towards 12.
Midnight. In a minute it'd be officially Christmas Day.
Adrien blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "M-Merry Christmas, Ladybug."
"H-Huh?" Her gaze focused back on him before her eyes suddenly widened, "O-Oh, right! Merry Christmas!"
Well...it wasn't exactly how he thought he'd get to spend his Christmas, but he didn't regret it. Not many people could say they finished up Christmas Eve with Paris' beloved superheroine, after all.
"W-Well, I should probably get back..." Ladybug stood up reluctantly and stretched her arms above her head, "Do you want me to escort you home? ...I mean, you'll have to tell me where it is, but yeah..."
"N-No thanks, I can make it on my own."
"Oh, good..." She chewed on her bottom lip for a brief moment before she detached the yo-yo at her side. After this he wouldn't see her again, at least not as Adrien. Only when he was Chat Noir, when they had to lie to one another, "Well, I'll be-"
"L-Ladybug, wait!" Adrien said. Tripping slightly at the sudden interruption, she turned back to him with a curious look, "Do you..." He took a deep breath. He had to say it, he had to, "Do you...wanna meet up again?"
"Meet up...? You mean to hang out?"
"Y-Yeah! Only if you want to, though!" He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, his cheeks tinged red so fiercely he doubted she would've accepted it was because of the cold, "I-I understand if you don't want to-"
"N-No, I do! It's just..." she paused, trying to consider her words, "I don't really know how we can do that, you know? I can't just meet up at a cafe or something in full costume."
"Yeah, I figured..." It made sense. She was Paris' biggest celebrity; any attempt to hang out in the open would end with her getting mobbed, paparazzi taking pictures or Alya (bless her heart) putting up a video on the Ladyblog. That wasn't even getting to the rumors that could sprout if she was found meeting up with the son of Gabriel Agreste, "Just...actually, please forget about it-"
"It's not that I don't want to! I do! It's just..." she trailed off again, her eyes narrowing for a brief moment before they suddenly widened, "...Actually, I think I have an idea. Are you free tonight at the same time?"
"What are you- oh." His own eyes widened in realization and he quickly nodded, "Um...sure, no problem." He was sure his dad would have the gorilla waiting outside his door to make sure he didn't run off, but it was nothing a quick transformation to Chat wouldn't solve, "So...do we just meet here again?" No paparazzi or fans to interrupt either of them.
"Why not? It should still be abandoned." She shrugged lightly, "So...see you tonight, then?"
"Tonight."
Giving him one last smile, Ladybug attached a yo-yo to the nearby lamppost and pulled herself up and swung out of sight. Adrien watched her leave with a goofy grin of his own. He and Ladybug were meeting up to hang out...he could scarcely believe it. He was almost afraid to pinch himself and find out that it was all just a dream, that the last few minutes were all just in his imagination.
Sadly, Plagg seemed to have no such problems.
The kwami flew out of his jacket and pinched his cheek roughly, eliciting a pained yelp from the young man, "Ow! Plagg, what was that for!?"
"You were staring, loverboy!" He rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "Come on, you feel better now, right? Let's go back to the mansion; I'm starving! Watching you and your girlfriend making kissy faces at each other works up an appetite!"
"Sh-She's not my girlfriend, Plagg!" Not for lack of trying, but hey.
"Oh sure, you just meet up at midnight with total strangers. Whatever makes helps you sleep at night, kid, but first I need to be fed!"
"Alright, alright!" He ushered his partner back to his jacket pocket and began the slow walk back home. Despite the light chill in the air and the no-doubt impending punishment he was due to receive Adrien couldn't help but feel giddy. He was going to hang out with Ladybug, and this time there wouldn't be an Akuma or anything else to ruin it.
He couldn't wait for tonight.
A lot of stuttering from these two, but it fits the situation. I know I had Ladybug act more like Marinette, but if Simon Says is any indication this is to be expected. I'll have her act more confident in the coming chapters, especially since Ladrien is more appealing to me than the other 3 variations on this love square.
Anyway, like the title indicates this story takes place over 7 nights (not counting this chapter) with the ending at New Years. I really only have one question: Would you guys preferred if the POV remained solely on Adrien or should I have it alternate with Marinette after every chapter? It seems like many fics using this variation focus mostly on Adrien, but I'll let you guys decide.
