Criminal

Chapter 14: Noir Serum

Note from author: This chapter leads into Adrien's past and how he became Chat Noir. So this chapter is past tense- and before Adrien met Marinette. It's also a pretty long chapter.

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Adrien sighed as he stood in front of his shower head, the warm water running down the tan skin of his back. He was sixteen years old and still hadn't convinced his father to allow him to go to a regular school. He was sick of being taught at home by Nathalie, and he was sick of being trapped in a cold and lonely mansion.

The loss of his mother seemed to take over his mysterious father, leaving the teenage boy lost and utterly neglected. The huge empty space his bedroom provided was a constant reminder of how alone he was, and he was so tired of it. The blonde turned off the water and began to pat dry his golden locks of hair with a fluffy towel.

Once he was dried and dressed, he decided to give persuading his father to allow him to go to a regular school another go. Each step he took down the stairs echoed throughout the mansion. He was about to knock on his father's office door before he overheard a seemingly concerned tone from Nathalie.

"Gabriel, I've always supported you in your decisions regarding your wife- but the serum isn't ready. It's too dangerous to take right now and could have unexplainable side affects. Please, reconsider!" Natalie urged, and Adrien pressed his ear against the large office door to get a clearer listen.

Serum? Unexplainable side affects? What did a serum have to do with his mother?

"I can't wait any longer, Natalie. The more I wait the more I feel like I'm betraying her-" Gabriel said, and Adrien frowned as he listened in. Her? "Just wait at least another week Gabriel, I just need to run some more tests... If you go down there right now, there's no guarantees that you'll come back up." The concerned assistant spoke, and afterwards there was silence. 

Down where? Adrien thought to himself, and he remembered seeing his father reveal a cabinet hidden behind the painting of his mother.

"A week. After that, I won't wait any longer." His father spoke definitively, and he heard Nathalie's footsteps begin to come closer to the door. Adrien's eyes widened as he hastily hid behind one of the pillars as quickly and quietly as he could. The large office door slowly propped open, revealing the blue haired woman.

Nathalie closed the door, and leaned against it afterwards as if she was in distress. She pulled the loose strand of red hair behind her ear, and fixed her glasses before allowing herself back into an emotionless yet professional estate. Adrien gulped, his heart racing at the fear of getting caught eavesdropping on their conversation- that clearly was meant to be kept strictly between the two.

Once Nathalie was out of sight he headed back up to his room, and sat in front of his computer desk. Serum?

The blonde stared at the picture of him and his mother, wondering how she had anything to do with it.

The teen frowned in determination and thought about how he could get to the cabinet behind the painting of his mother without getting caught. There were security cameras everywhere in his father's office, for obvious reasons. They could only be stopped at Natalie's desk, and when she wasn't there.

He'd have to do it tonight when she was sleeping, and he'd have to be very meticulous.

***

Adrien carefully slipped on his socks as he got out of bed, he quietly opened his door and began to head to Natalie's work space. It was midnight, so both his father and the assistant must've been asleep or in their rooms. The blonde carefully stepped down the stairs, making sure not to make any harsh movements that would cause an echo.