Mariposa

Chapter 21: The End (last one)

Adrien took the long way home so he could think up a really good excuse and story to tell his father to explain where he had been the last few days.

"I mean I can't really tell him the truth can I?" he asked Plagg who tried to help by saying 'He probably won't be there or noticed you have been missing'

At last he was at the gates of his house, took a deep breath, and pressed the doorbell.

'Yes? Adrien?' came his father's voice through the microscope the camera had.

"Hello, Father," Adrien said giving a slightly nervous smile hoping it would have been Natalie instead.

With a buzz, the gates opened.

'Come inside and come straight to my office.' his father said before the camera pulled back into the wall.

Sighing, Adrien walked inside the gates, up the drive, through the doors, and as instructed went to his Father's office.

'Knock, knock'

"Hello? Father?" Adrien said as he opened the door and looked in coming inside, seeing his father at his desk, looking at a desk picture of himself, Adrien, and Adrien's mum.

Gabriel waited until Adrien was up in front of the desk and sitting in the chair there, before he asked any questions.

"So. Where have you been these last few day's Adrien?" Gabriel asked not putting the picture down or looking to his son.

"I was... Hiding," Adrien said as strongly as he could "I had gotten knowledge that that most recent Akuma wanted me so I did my best to hide from her."

"Why would this Akuma want you in the first place?" Gabriel asked finally putting the picture down and looking to Adrien.

"To get back at me for hurting her," Adrien said sighing and went into the story, the best he could, about what happened a few days ago at school.

"I see," Gabriel said in his thinking voice, holding his chin.

"Father, please don't pull me out of the school I..." Adrien began but was cut off.

"How did you know to come back if you were in hiding?" his father asked.

Surprised, Adrien took a few seconds to think up an answer and gave one.

"I saw the ladybirds fix everything," he said slowly so he remained calm "And left it a few hours just in case something else was still not quite right." he said, which was relatively true.

"And this... 'Marrinette'," Gabriel asked checking he said the name right, getting a nod from Adrien. "She really does love you?"

"Yes Father," Adrien said confidently.

"And do you love her back?"

"Yes Father. I love her with all my heart." Adrien said looking his father in the eye as he said this.

"Hmmm..." Gabriel said a small smirk on his lips "I seem to remember her from that hat competition. Do you know if she has any other skills to do with fashion designing?"

"Excuse me?" Adrien asked blinking, confused.

"Do you know if Marinette wants a job in fashion designing?" Gabriel repeated.

"Um, yeah I think so," Adrien said not really sure how the conversation got to this.

Nodding Gabriel turned to some buttons on his desk and buzzed Natalie.