Next of Kin

Chapter 21

Adrien bounced his 'good' knee up and down, wringing his hands together. His fingers brushed against his Miraculous and he had to admit he felt like he was more himself with the real deal back on his finger and Plagg hiding in his shirt. The hospital was bustling with people, but the nurse had taken him to a more private location and away from the glare of story hungry reporters. Now he was waiting for Marinette and Nathalie to come back from the cafeteria with coffee while they waited for news on his father's condition.

It had been a whirlwind 24 hours. Between the show, defeating Lila and the rescue of Gabriel and Kagami, both Adrien and Marinette had very little sleep. Kagami was understandably exhausted from her ordeal, but was otherwise fine. Adrien was sure that when Félix finally laid eyes on her when they arrived at the hospital it was the first time he had seen his cousin had shed a tear for someone other than himself. Félix held her so tight and kissed her so hard a lesser woman would most likely have crumbled, but not Kagami who gave back as good as she got. Félix took her back with him to the hotel so she could sleep. Adrien's father, on the other hand, had not fared so well.

When Officer Raincomprix arrived at the house where Gabriel and Kagami had been kept, their guards were long gone, but Gabriel had slipped into unconsciousness. Kagami informed them that he had passed out not long after the broadcast of the Miraculous Face Off had been cut, a combination of fear for his son and the very high fever finally taking its toll. Now all that was left for them to do was wait.

"How are you holding up kid?" Plagg asked, poking his nose out of Adrien's shirt.

"Alright I guess. My leg isn't aching as much as it was earlier." Adrien replied, stretching his leg out.

"You know that wasn't what I was asking about." Plagg said flatly.

Adrien folded his arms across his chest. "I don't know. I mean, I don't want my father to die, but I don't know if I'm ready to see him either. Does that make me a horrible person? He's been through a terrible ordeal, but I can't help feeling that he deserved it." Adrien ran his hands down his face. "God that sounds so awful when I say it out loud."

"You're not a horrible person, and what you're feeling sounds pretty normal to me." Plagg assured him, patting his chest. "You're father did a lot of bad stuff, and as much as I don't like sleazebag, he had a point last night. Sometimes forgiveness doesn't feel like an option. Give yourself time."

Adrien had to smile at Plagg's favourite nickname for Ricardo. True to his word, Sabrina had let Adrien know that Ricardo had sent a signed statement to her father in regards to his involvement in Lila's plans. Although he technically had broken some laws himself, Officer Raincomprix didn't feel chasing up an extradition from Italy back to France would be worthwhile, besides, his testimony on the kidnapping and extortion would be enough to keep Lila behind bars for a long time so they were willing to cut him a deal.

When Marinette and Nathalie returned with the coffees, his fiancée was just finishing up a phone call with Alya.

"What did she say?" Adrien asked, taking a long sip of the hot beverage.

"Officer Raincomprix said Lila has been ranting for hours that your father was Hawk Moth and that I'm Ladybug and that you and Félix are both Chat Noir. Sabrina encouraged him to ask Alya for her opinion since she was a reporter and had run the Ladyblog for years. She gave him plenty of evidence from the Ladyblog of us alongside the superheroes and of Gabriel being akumatized. He didn't question their validity. Also our old principal Mr. Damocles has testified that Lila claimed to suffer from an illness that makes her lie."

"It's ironic really." Adrien observed. "I guess it's a case of the boy that cried wolf. The one time she tells the truth, nobody believes her. I guess that's karma for you."