The day had been an absolute nightmare. Chloe hadn't been the least bit understanding and his hangover only felt worse the more she yelled and cried. Every little thing seemed to put her in a bad mood and whenever he was involved her voice would suddenly sound like a bird –sharp and loud.
He was just glad it was over.
Walking back up the steps to his father's old home, nostalgia seemed to set in. Four storeys tall, the cream walls had turned a shade darker and in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint. The courtyard had become unruly and overgrown, with weeds sprouting beneath the pavement and tangled ivy running over his old bedroom window.
But he was grateful, at least, that the interior had been taken care of. The grey marble had been freshly polished and the large cylindrical lights still worked, with all the wiring maintained and cared for in the hands of the mayor.
His stuff had been placed in the middle of the foyer, looking sad and pathetic in comparison to the upkeep of the mansion. The worn little duffel bag looked like a stray dog in a king's palace.
"Sure brings back memories, doesn't it Kid?"
The kwami's voice bounced off the walls around the house, echoing in the darkness of the rest of the house. Devoid of furniture, the large building felt solitary and alone. Exactly how he was feeling. Maybe he should've stayed back with Chloe in her hotel.
Plagg flew freely, exploring the house the way he hadn't while his had been locked inside. His feet moved on their own, guiding him through the foyer and various rooms until he came upon his father's study.
A portrait of his mother still sat on the far wall, surrounded by abstract shapes of various colours and sizes. He stopped in front of it and stared. Her rosy lips and pale skin made her look bathed in white light. Her eyes were the feature he loved best –the feature he'd inherited from her. Bright and sparkling, they always used to eliminate the darkness in the house and bring to life the love in his father's heart.
Without her the house had grown cold and miserable. She'd made it a haven and her death had made it a cage –trapped his father in the abyss of his own dark thoughts.
He placed his hands out in front of him and slid his fingers over the shapes his father had used to access the lair. Taking a deep breath, his heart thundering in his chest, he pressed them and stepped back as a small circle drew itself in the floor.
It lasted only a second and when Adrien opened his eyes again everything was dark. He couldn't see the room around him, but he could see it clearly in his mind, the large dome ceiling and the incredibly large window directly in front of him.
He took a step forward and something shifted beneath his foot. All at once white light filled the empty space. The metal blocking the front of them window peeled away and between Adrien and the Parisian sky was the evidence of his father's crime.
The window was broken, shattered through the center from where Ladybug and Chat Noir had broken into the room. The metal beams forming the moth-like figure were bent inward, distorting the image.
The room was covered in dust with cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, but that wasn't the reason his eyes were welling with tears.
It'd been so easy to push aside the truth, to forget how many times his father had endangered the lives of the people of Paris, threatened Ladybug and turned him against her. There'd been so much fear, doubt and anger in Paris because of him –because he wanted it.
Dropping to his knees, a sob broke through Adrien's throat and his chest squeezes painfully. The worst part wasn't the akumas, or the way his father actively sought out injustice in other people's lives, but the reason behind it all.
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Too Young For Love (On Hold) ~ A Miraculous Love Story
Fanfiction"Chat Noir," she murmured. "His father is Chat Noir." It's been six years since Hawk Moth was defeated and Ladybug hasn't seen Chat Noir since. After sharing something special with her partner, she can't help but feel haunted by his abrupt disappear...
