Starlet • Lukadrien [Miraculous]

Chapter 14 | media

It was all over the news, all over the internet, everyone around the world was talking about it. But Adrien? He felt... numb.

Gabriel Agreste, aged 54, beaten to death by cell mate.

It was a crime of passion, the killer was already sentenced to life in prison for previous crimes so he didn't have anything loose by committing another crime. He was very fourth coming about why he did it too, because Gabriel triggered him. It's a sad reality that prisons are full of people with severe mental health issues, often having grown up in poverty, abusive households or to crime families. And there was one unwritten rule that everyone knew in prison.

Child abusers, and god forbid child... likers- are the lowest of the low. Even serial killers will turn their nose up at child abusers. Why? Because it's not uncommon for them themselves to be victims of said abuse. According to the news reports, Francisco Joaquin aged 42, already in prison for second degree murder, was moved to the same cell as Gabriel after a fight with his previous cell mate.

It only took three days in the same cell for Joaquin to find out what Gabriel was in for, and though he tried to control his anger, when Gabriel started talking about how he'd treated Adrien, thinking in his mind it was 'justified' for the means to the end- it set the previously abused child, now adult inmate to snap.

One moment he was trying to contain his anger, the next he was being pulled off a dead body by the guards.

There was one line in the interview that really stuck with Adrien through-

'I'm not sorry. That bastard had it coming, I have nothing to loose anyway. But I am sorry, for Adrien. All the torture he had to endure and I'm sorry if my actions have made things worse for him. But I was in his shoes once, and he's turned out a better man than I have'

Adrien wasn't sure what to feel. He hadn't spoken to his father since the day he was sentenced. 3 years ago now. He'd tried to forget everything, move on. Part of him, was a little upset. He'd lost BOTH his parents now. But then again, he lost Gabriel as a father the moment he lost his mother all those years ago. When he checked out, began to see his son as nothing but an object.

Nathalie was the only parental figure he had left, and she'd been that parental figure since he was a kid. So in a way, Adrien felt like he'd already grieved the loss of his father back when Gabriel was still alive and living under the same roof as him.

He was... relived.

He'd never have to face that man again, never have to hear his name again once this media frenzy was over. If he was dead, there was nothing to report on or talk about. People could finally just... shut up about him. Forget him. He'd be immortalised as 'the terrorist who abused his son, let his assistant get deathly sick and kept his dead wives body in the basement'. A topic for a history book long after Adrien himself was dead of old age.

Adrien didn't cry, nor did he celebrate. He was just... numb. Nathalie felt somewhat the same, she'd long since realised how she'd been used and thrown aside like she was worthless by that man. The only thing she cared about in this situation was if Adrien was ok. And well... he seemed to be.

When Adrien opened the front door at around midday, still in his pyjamas, he found Luka. He kind of expected Luka to show up unannounced today. They didn't say anything for a moment, Luka studied Adrien's expression. It was blank.

"Hey..." he said.

"Hey..." Adrien replied.

"... a lot going on?"

"Yeah..."

Luka bought him into a hug, one Adrien gladly accepted. They stood there for a moment, in silence just processing. Adrien felt like he should be crying... but he just couldn't.

"Come in..." Adrien said, tone rather flat.

Closing the door behind him, Luka followed Adrien up the hall. This was actually the first time he'd seen Adrien and Nathalie's place in Italy. They'd exchanged addresses a while ago, but Luka's university was closer to his appartments so they always ended up there.

The front hallway opened up into the kitchen, which then dropped down a few steps into the lounge room where Nathalie was mindlessly watching the news on the situation. Her right leg up on the coffee table in a compression wrap. She looked tired, also still in her pyjamas.

"Mum, Luka's here" Adrien said.

She looked over, her emotionless stare at the TV suddenly shifting to a tired smile.

"My god you got tall" she chuckled.

"Nice to see you too, how have you been?" Luka asked.

"Better, stuck with leg and lung issues but I'm not dying, so that's a win"

At least she could joke about it, that was a good sign.

"I just... with everything that came out today, I wanted to check up on you guys" Luka said.

Adrien sighed and sat down beside Nathalie, gesturing for Luka to come sit down too.

"Honestly I don't feel much of anything. I grieved him when he died as a parent to me back in high school. I feel like I should be sad but... I'm more numb than anything" Adrien replied.

"Me too, in all honesty. I can't bring myself to cry. But I'm not ecstatic either, just... empty" Nathalie agreed.

Luka got what they meant, Gabriel may have been family, but family isn't always good. The whole blood is thicker than water thing was a load of bullshit. Your blood can hurt you just like water can, thickness be damned. Family isn't your blood, it's who cares the most for you and who you cherish the most. Look at Adrien and Nathalie, not a single drop of DNA connected them but they were mother and son in every other sense of the word.

"I suppose numb is better than inconsolable" Luka said.

"Suppose so. I'm just dreading the media shit storm this will create. We'll have reporters asking for statements for months... what am I meant to say? That I'm glad the fucker is dead? That I simply don't care? That I'm distraught? None of those will get a good reception" Adrien replied.

"The media can fuck off. They can get one statement and leave us alone after that. Let him and his name die. The only thing about this entire situation that should be remembered is how it effected you, how horrific parents can be to their children. How to spot the signs" Nathalie added.

Adrien sighed, wrapped his arm around Luka and pulled him into a side hug on his left. Then leaned his head on Nathalie's shoulder to his right.

"Good riddance, but I think I just... want a hug for a while" he muttered.

"That I can do" Luka replied, returning the hug by leaning up against him and wrapping his arms around him.

Nathalie just have the boys a smile and draped her arm over Adrien's shoulders giving them an assuring squeeze.

If the news wasn't going to shut up about this for a few months, at least they could watch it together and support each other through it all.