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Adrien swore he hadn’t meant to find out on purpose.
He hadn’t planned to follow his father down into his lair, and he hadn't planned to see him argue with a purple kwami. He certainly hadn't planned on seeing him transform into Hawk Moth.
And honestly, he didn’t remember how he got from point A to point B.
One moment, he was watching his father turn into Paris’s public enemy no. 1, and the next he was bounding across the rooftops of Paris as Chat Noir. All he knew was his cheeks were wet, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of his tears or because of the unrelenting rain.
Adrien stopped on a slippery rooftop and fumbled for his baton, dialing in Ladybug’s name, but all he got was her voicemail.
Hi, Chat! If you’re calling me again to recite more poetry, can you wait until we meet up again for patrol? Please quit bugging. Thanks!
He snorted. Of course she wasn’t out and about- it was almost midnight. She was probably asleep like any sensible teenager would be.
Adrien shoved his baton back into its place and collapsed onto the railing.
His father was Hawk Moth. Adrien had seen him transform with his own two eyes, yet he still couldn’t believe it.
Just as he was about to run off again, he caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking balcony.
Marinette.
Marinette was sensible. He was sure she would help him figure out what to do next. Adrien practically flew across the rooftops to get to her.
Just before he reached the bakery, Adrien ducked into a nearby alley to detransform. As urgent as the situation was, he didn’t want to risk his identity by arriving as Chat Noir. After ensuring that Plagg was safely tucked away in his jacket pocket, Adrien hurried towards the entrance, buzzed the door twice, and stood back.
Eventually, a very cross looking Marinette Dupain-Cheng sporting a pink bathrobe with fuzzy black cat slippers peered through the glass door suspiciously. After a good ten seconds, she whipped it open. “Who is hanging around the bakery at this time of night?”
“…Me?”
Marinette did a double-take. “Ah! Um… Adrien!! H-hi! What uh… what brings you here so late at night?”
“It’s urgent, Marinette. I need to talk to you.”
“Oh.”
Without another word, Marinette ushered him inside the bakery and hastily locked the door.
She turned to him and shuffled her feet. “You can come upstairs if you want. My parents are out on a trip right now.” Adrien nodded and hesitantly followed her up into her living room.
“Wait right here” Marinette insisted when they got to the top. She hurried over to the linen closet, retrieved a towel, and carefully laid it down on the couch. “You can sit here.”
Adrien numbly strode over to the couch and slumped onto the towel while Marinette sat down on a chair she had scooted over from the dining room. She gazed at him in concern.
“Adrien, what’s going on? Have you...”
Adrien realized that in this lighting, she had probably noticed how red and splotchy his face was.
“...Have you been crying?”
“Nope!”Adrien hurriedly wiped a tear off of his cheek, “Nope, it’s just the rain.”
“Adrien,” Marinette said softly, “What’s wrong?”
Adrien played with his fingers and looked down at the floor. He had come all this way just to talk to her, but now that she was sitting right in front of him, he didn’t know if he could do it.
“Adrien…” Marinette delicately placed her hand on his shoulder, “You can tell me anything, you know. You can trust me.”
How could Adrien tell her anything but the truth when she was looking at him like that?
“I… I found out something about my father. Something I wish I’d never known. My father… he’s...” Adrien could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks again, but this time he didn’t try to stop them.
Marinette gently clasped his hand with her own and nodded at him to continue.
“I… I just discovered that my father is Hawk Moth.”
Marinette gasped and went still for a few moments. Then she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “Oh, Adrien… Adrien, I’m so sorry.”
Adrien whimpered and embraced her back, hiding his face in the crook of her neck as tears spilled down his cheeks. He told her everything between sobs - his curiosity about his father's disappearances, the lair, the butterflies, all of it. Marinette played with his hair gently and hummed softly while he explained.
When he was done, Adrien detached himself from her arms and met her gaze with his own. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Marinette appeared to be in just as much shock as he was. “I don’t… I don’t know. I suppose we should tell Ladybug and Chat Noir.”
“How?”
Marinette bit her lip, “Um… I’m in contact with Ladybug. I can let her know.”
If he was in any other state of mind, Adrien would have asked her how exactly she had gotten Ladybug’s contact information. But now? He didn’t care.
He offered her a hesitant smile and sniffled. “Okay.”
Marinette patted him on the shoulder gently and returned his smile. “Okay. Can I… offer you something to drink? Or maybe something to eat while you’re here?”
“You mean… I can stay for the night?”
Marinette appeared taken aback. “Of course! Do you honestly think I’m going to kick you out into the rain back to your father? You’re always welcome here.”
Adrien smiled weakly. “Okay then. In that case… may I have some croissants, please? They’re my favorite thing to buy whenever I visit.”
“Of course.” Marinette sat up and made her way over to the kitchen. While she was gone, Adrien spent a few moments taking everything in. Her home was warm and full of plants, photos, and bright pink pillows. It was everything his father’s mansion wasn’t.
It was just like Marinette, who had somehow given him hope for the future. Adrien wasn’t quite sure what to make of it all.
“I have the croissants!” Marinette’s voice broke Adrien out of his trance.“They’ve been in the fridge for a couple hours, so they’re kind of cold. Still delicious though.” She set a plate full of them down on the couch next to him, then sat herself down onto the chair.
“On the house” she whispered conspiratorially, “don’t tell anyone.”
“Your secret is safe with me” Adrien chuckled lightly, and he set the plate onto his lap. He took a bite out of the first croissant and winked. Marinette blushed adorably and looked away. They sat in a comfortable silence as he finished.
When he was done, Adrien set the plate aside and met Marinette’s gaze with his own. “So… are we going to talk about my father?”
Marinette lightly clasped his hands in her own. “Adrien, we can deal with your father later when we tell Ladybug and Chat Noir. Right now, you’re hurting, and I’m going to do everything I can to help you feel better.”
Adrien blinked for a moment, then looked down shyly. “Thank you, Marinette.”
“Of course!” Marinette beamed.
Adrien imitated a bow. “I'm truly in your debt, m’ lady.”
Marinette giggled and gently kicked his leg. “You dork.”
Not for the first time, Adrien noticed Marinette’s black cat-themed fuzzy slippers. “I like your slippers.”
“Thank you,” Marinette blushed, “I made them myself.”
“I don’t suppose you’re a fan of Chat Noir?” Adrien asked.
Marinette huffed. “Maybe a little .” When Adrien glanced at her dubiously, she sighed. “Okay, I admit it. I’m a pretty big fan of Chat Noir. But it’s not my fault that he can be adorable and charming when he wants to be.” She swept a stray strand of hair out of her face and smiled fondly. “Maybe he is a huge dork and maybe I care about him a lot.”
Adrien could practically feel his face turning red. “Well… that’s a good thing, I suppose.”
Marinette sighed, “I guess so. I have a Ladybug pair upstairs. I messed up on the sizing by accident, so they’re way too big on me. You can have them if you want.”
Adrien met her gaze. “Seriously?”
Marinette nodded and began playing with one of her pigtails, “ Though… I’ve been thinking about something.”
“What?”
“Well… I imagine you’re not going to want to be staying with your father anymore. Not since you figured out he was Hawk Moth, anyway. So…”
She bit her lip. “I was thinking maybe until you get your family business settled, you could stay here with my family for a little while.”
Adrien shook his head incredulously, “What? Would your parents even be okay with that?”
“I know my parents,” Marinette answered reassuringly, “as long as we explain what happened, they’ll be on board with it. You have to trust me on this.”
“Always,” Adrien replied simply.
As Marinette grabbed his empty plate and moved to the kitchen to wash it off, Adrien slouched back onto the couch. Staying with the Dupain-Chengs for an extended amount of time seemed like a poor idea. It would make it more than difficult to conceal his identity, for one. Hiding Plagg was tough enough as is. Plus, he didn’t even know what his extended family would want to do about his living situation when they found out the truth about his father.
Yet, as he watched Marinette hum to herself and sway side to side while she worked, only one word came to mind.
Home.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng felt like home. And that was all he needed to stay.