Thief | Lukadrien

Part 19 - Gabriel Knows

Marinette's/Ladybug's POV

As soon as Luka left, Chat and I went over to an alleyway to detransform. I clasped my hands together to think of what to say, while Chat folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall.

"So..." I started. "Mystery solved, I guess."

"Yeah," Plagg agreed. "Well, what do ya know. Snake boy is a thief with good intentions."

Adrien's gaze remained on the street. "Mm."

"Hey, you good?" I asked.

He sighed and looked up, but didn't say anything.

"I know this is a complicated situation," I started. "But I think Luka's first idea is the smartest one; we should go the police, or children's aid, or... what are the services applicable to this situation? I'm not sure, I'll have to look it up. Professionals are better suited to handle this than we are. Barging in as superheroes might just make it worse—"

"No," he whispered, his voice on the verge of breaking. "Please stop."

I bit my lip nervously. "I'm sorry. This must be really hard for you."

He closed his eyes, trying to hide the tears threatening to fall. He clenched his fingers over his thumbs tightly. "If I lose my father, I'll be losing all I have left of my mother. I don't have any other family than my aunt, so I'll have to move away. I won't see Luka, or you, or Nino or Alya. I won't be Chat Noir anymore. I mean, I guess you could find a replacement—"

"That isn't going to happen." I grabbed his shoulders firmly. "We're going to figure this out."

"There's nothing to figure out. There's nothing wrong with my family. I'll be fine. We don't need to do anything."

I was getting really worried. Did Adrien seriously believe that everything was alright? Or was he just so deep in denial that he couldn't see what was right in front of him?

And what could I do about it? I didn't know how to handle this kind of scenario. What was I supposed to do? Who was I supposed to tell? Adrien didn't want me to go to the cops, but how could anyone keep that promise, knowing the danger that Adrien could be in? I came from a very loving house hold, and couldn't imagine what Adrien could possibly be enduring at home.

"I have to get going," Adrien said. "I have a piano lesson."

"Oh, o-okay. I'll walk you home."

He smiled softly, a sincere sense of gratitude mixed with a fear of his future. He had every right to be scared, but I didn't want him to get lost in his own thoughts, so I tried to lighten the mood a bit.

"So, how was your date? Did you have a good time with Luka?"

"Yeah. He's great."

"You two make such a cute couple!! We need to think of a ship name—Adrika? Meh. ViperChat? Ew, no."

"Lukadrien!" Tikki suggested. She was hanging out in my purse.

"Not bad, Tikki! Lukadrien. Huh, I like it. What do you think, Adrien?"

He didn't answer. It broke my heart to see him so frightened.

We finally arrived at the manor. Adrien unlocked the gate, and we headed inside. Nathalie was standing on the staircase with a concerned look on her face.

"Sir, your son is here," she said, pressing a button on her headset.

A few moments later, Mr. Agreste stepped out of his office. "Adrien, you informed me that you would be going on a date with Ms. Kagami, correct?"

"Y-yes," Adrien said.

"So the lie continues."

"Lie?"

Gabriel walked towards Nathalie and placed his hand on the railing. He didn't bother to face Adrien as he spoke. What a f*cking drama king.

"One of your fans posted a video of you walking into the recreation centre, holding hands with a boy."

Adrien paled. "He's just a friend, father."

"The messages on your phone prove otherwise."

I thought back to the day Adrien and I revealed our identities. He wasn't able to text me because his father took his phone... which meant he or Nathalie could have flipped through his conversations.

"That's a huge invasion of privacy!" I said, my hands balling into fists. "You have no right to do that!"

"Ms. Dupain-Chenge, I believe it's best if you take your leave."

"No, I—"

"It's okay, Marinette," Adrien assured me. "You can go home now. I'll be fine."

"But—" I started, but I couldn't think of what to say next.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Mari."

I watched as Adrien slowly walked behind his father into the office. As the door closed, a feeling of defeat washed over me. Luka was right to be concerned. This wasn't normal.

"Good day, Ms. Dupain-Cheng," Nathalie said, nodding her head towards the door.

"No," I said, shaking my head and glaring at the office door. "No, it isn't."

"Mr. Agreste asked you to leave the premises," Nathalie reminded me.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know my friend is okay."

Nathalie stared at me.

"How can you just stand there?" I asked her. "How can you just let this happen?"

"I am Mr. Agreste's assistant. It's my job to follow his orders."

"So you're just going to let him hurt his son?! What kind of person does that?"

Nathalie turned away, placing her focus on her clipboard.

"My apologies, Ms. Dupain-Cheng," she said, walking away. "Have a safe journey home."