Runaway

This work was made for 2016's ML Secret Santa on Tumblr! You can follow me there (and on AO3) at inevera13! Hope you enjoy it, please give me some feedback! :)

Adrien leaped down the stairs of the mansion – running all the way to the closed gates and vaulting up over them. He continued moving without really knowing where he was going. He was only wearing socks – fluffy ones – sweatpants, and a red Christmas sweater his father didn't exactly love. But what did he know, anyway?

Adrien and Gabriel had fought. This time, about Gabriel being away for Christmas. He always did the same, the holidays always had him swamped in work, which Adrien considered weird – he was always swamped in work; he could at least make some time for Christmas. It used to be Adrien and his mother's favorite time of the year, curling up in front of the fireplace; a fireplace that hadn't been lit up ever since she disappeared.

The argument had been a heated one; heated, unlike that damn house. Even Gabriel had lost a bit of his composure. Nathalie had woken Adrien up at around 1am to inform him of her and his father's departure to Lisbon – since they'd both forgotten to tell him. They'd be gone for a week, which meant they'd be away for Christmas. Again.

Now the 17-year-old boy was running and wishing for a place that felt like home because that house certainly didn't, not anymore. Plagg was in his pocket, the little God worried as he'd never seen Adrien so dazed. He hadn't even thought of transforming, he just wanted to run through the snow. The boy suddenly halted. He now found himself at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Marinette's house; and then he was knocking on the door of the closed place, looking for something even sweeter than their expertly baked goods. And then... panic.

Adrien suddenly realized what he just did and began to panic. He seriously considered running away before anyone could come to the door but he freezes up – Marinette is there, with her bouncy pigtails and her obviously Christmas themed pajamas. Adrien, who despite being of slight social awkwardness had always thought of himself as oddly charismatic; started vomiting apologies.

Marinette was sitting on the floor of her living room by the heater with a plate of cookies by her side, a purple blanket draped over her shoulders. Tikki was in her lap munching on a cookie; the both of them silently watching Project Runway. Her parents were away for the weekend and she and Tikki were enjoying some alone time. Alone time that got interrupted by a loud knock on the bakery's door, so loud Marinette could hear it from two floors up. She ushered Tikki into her pocket and sneaked down the stairs, grabbing a frying pan on her way. She had recently re-watched Tangled and agreed with Rapunzel's thinking; you can (almost) never be too wary, after all. She steadily walked to the door, frying pan ready, and opened it to reveal a very hot – very freezing – Adrien.

He looked panicked and shaken up. Marinette had to try her hardest not to hug him tight.

"I am so sorry! I know it's late, I don't really know why I'm here, I just, I needed, like, a place, actually, no, um, I mean, oh God, I'm so sorry Marinette, I have no excuse, just, I'm so-"

He was interrupted by Marinette harshly pulling him inside the toasty bakery before he could run away; she was definitely stronger than she looked, and with a determined look on her face that reminded him slightly of Ladybug.

Marinette silently pushed him to her living room and sits him next to the heater. Adrien suddenly realized how cold he was and let himself shiver a bit. Project Runway was playing on TV, Tim Gunn on screen. Adrien didn't really know what to say but he felt there was no real need for words. Marinette suddenly stood up and when she came back, she brought an amount of blankets that could easily make Adrien's inner child's dream blanket fort come true. While Marinette wraps him up in all the blankets, he can only stare at her, dazed, till she stares back.