When Adrien Returned

Chapter 3: Adrien

Adrien woke up to a rumbling sound. The vibrations were so intense, he subconsciously flung towards his open window.

"Plagg, CLAWS OUT!" the sleepy head shouted.

Adrien tried to get a hold of his staff but as soon as he realized he hadn't transformed at all, it was all too late. His momentum made him hit hard on the glass window, face first. The collision compelled him to slump down on the floor, letting out a loud grunt.

Plagg wasn't there to transform him into a superhero he so instantly wanted to turn into. Staring at the ceiling of his bedroom so close to the window made him realize he never saw it from this angle before. Of all the things he had done with Plagg, he never remembered hitting the bedroom window so hard. Adrien laid there reliving all the moments he ever spent with Plagg.

He smiled as he stood up and walked towards the bed, rubbing his throbbing forehead. Laying on his bed again, he was too hurt to process what happened. As he tried to snap back to reality, Adrien barely managed to notice the time.

4 pm.

He had no idea how long he was out of it or when he even arrive at the Mansion. He was just so damn tired of everything that he didn't even bother to check the time.

Adrien looked around the room and noticed his lunch was kept covered on the coffee table in front of his TV. He walked over to see a bottle of 19-year-old Parisian wine and a platter full of deserts from The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. Amongst the pastries, he found a note.

Now that your strict diet is out of the way, no one's stopping you from having desserts for Lunch. Welcome back, Adrien. It's good to have you with us.
~ Natalie

He smiled at this kind gesture of Natalie. He knew it was her way of appreciating Adrien finally standing up against his father. Whenever Adrien disobeyed Gabriel, Gabriel didn't let Adrien eat his dinner but Natalie would always slip in food along with a subtle appreciative note in his room. She was like his sister, always protecting him.

Adrien ate a few things from the platter but he saved the macaroons for later. He still believed that the macaroons from The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie were the best in the world. It was a box full of assorted macaroons and with a single glance, he knew which ones were passion fruit. 

Sipping his fine wine, he found bliss as the pastries melted in his mouth instantaneously. Although he appreciated his platter, he still eyed the macaroons till it was finally time to consume them all!

As he carefully opened the neatly packed box, he was taken aback. The warm smell of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and passion fruit was too much for him.

It reminded him of Ladybug.

The reminiscent of Chat's senses made him remember her scent vividly. He felt her presence around him, resting her head on his shoulder, their arms wrapped together. He could feel her humming his rooftop song.

Adrien rose and shook his head to snap out of it but that barely helped his vivid memories.

He needed to be out of this room, get some fresh air, anything to make him forget Ladybug. He left the macaroons on the coffee table and while he picked up his phone, Adrien noticed the remaining pieces of Camembert. Shoving them deep in his pocket rather than the macaroons, he rushed out of the mansion.

Adrien didn't know where he was headed, all he knew is being away from his home would bring him peace. He didn't even know why he came back to Paris - perhaps he missed home but Paris didn't feel like home. His home felt distant like always.

He felt like he wasn't home yet.

The people of Paris didn't recognize Adrien anymore. Maybe it was the rumbling far into the distance that caused panic or maybe it was this version of Adrien. Their innocent sweet Adrien the people of Paris loved and adored so much looked a lot older and much edgier than before. Out of the public eye for years, he was just another wanna-be edgy high fashion blonde in the street.

Evenings in Paris were this blonde's favorite. He saw the sky turn orange and the clouds into a beautiful shade of purple. Mesmerized by the sky but his view obstructed by a huge building, he soon realized he stood below the building.... the rooftop of which was his and Ladybug's spot.

All those memories he tried to run away from rushed back all at once, more vivid than before. The start, the fun including the flirty times, and eventually the sad ending. He almost turned around, but his feet hesitated. Adrien believed that he just wanted to see the sunset but even he knew he was trying to cover up his heart's true desire, to see his lady.

He took the lift to the highest floor and climbed up the stairs to the rooftop. As he opened the door, he truly didn't know what he wanted on the other side of the door, a Ladybug or just a normal sunset of Paris.

Adrien calmed down and took a deep breath. As he opened the door, he was left stunned.

The light blue sky above him turned orange around the sun. The streaks of purple clouds traveled towards this glowing sphere shifting their colors to pastel pink.

Adrien traveled the world, living on the topmost floors to the vast valleys, but no corner made him feel so alive, he felt complete, this felt like home.

Mindlessly, Adrien walked towards the parapet and leaned on it- too hypnotized to take his eyes off this magnificent sunset.

Adrien closed his eyes and tried to breathe in the air to capture this moment picture perfectly in his mind, but he was taken aback by the whiff of smoke.

He looked around to locate the burning smell. In the opposite direction of the sunset, behind the rooftop entrance, erupted a fire. He didn't realize that Paris was still under attack. Even though his instincts wanted him to run toward the smoke to help out, he knew he couldn't.

Adrien took out a cigarette and lit it up in a poor attempt to keep his mind off of his uselessness. He stared back at the sunset taking longer drags of his cigarette.

Suddenly, the pastel pink clouds were taken over by a wave of hot pink. It took him just a second to realize that they were Ladybug's butterflies fluttering away, fixing everything. The herd dispersed and flew towards the sunset creating a beautiful coral color in the sky.

"Woah... So this is where they fly every time she fixes everything" said Adrien puffing out a cloud of smoke.

Adrien's calm was soon clouded by thoughts about his decision of coming back to Paris. He was so eager and excited but in reality, all there was pain.

Everything reminded him of Ladybug, the streets, the buildings, the macaroons... and now even the sunsets. It was as if wherever he went, a shadow of Ladybug lurked around him, haunting him.

He tried to block it out but he couldn't. He could still hear her yo-yo reeling, he could still hear her grunts, even her footsteps as if she was behind him.

"...Adrien...???"

The voice startled Adrien. He turned back to follow the voice hoping that it was his imagination, but he knew all too well that it wasn't.

"Ladybug..." confirmed Adrien.