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Running away from school is becoming an unhealthy obsession of his.
Of course, Adrien waited until school let out for the morning to run away. He just didn’t want to have to drive all the way back to the Manor, eat in an empty dining hall, and then come back. It was a waste of petrol. Bad for the environment - and for his soul.
So he ran away from school, his beloved bodyguard chasing him half-heartedly for a while before waving goodbye and giving him a lecture on general safety.
After leaving school, he usually met up with Nino and the others, but today they were doing a group project he wasn’t part of. Which left him to wander the streets like a stray cat.
Speaking of -
A quiet mewl caught his attention. Adrien paused, ears perking up.
Definitely a cat, somewhere in the alley. Adrien loved cats, and had no sense of self-preservation, so he didn’t hesitate to check it out.
“Oh look Plagg, it’s you,” Adrien said dryly as his eyes caught on a little orange kitten, curled up against the wall.
“I’m way more personable,” Plagg protested.
Adrien gave him a look. Plagg huffed, crossing his arms and turning away.
The little cat mewed softly again, making Adrien soften immediately.
“Hey there little guy,” he cooed, “What’s your name?”
No collar or nametag. Maybe it really was a stray? Should he take it to the shelter? Or to a classmate? Subconsciously, Adrien reached out, slow enough to let the kitten come to him. Eventually, it did.
Adrien picked it up, delighted, “Aren’t you a cutie? Maybe I should keep you! I’ll name you - “
That’s when it noticed Plagg.
It’s ears flattened, pupils narrowing as it let out a hiss. Adrien yelped as it’s claws dug into the flesh of his hands, and he toppled backwards, something falling out of his pocket.
He barely had time to orientate himself when he realised what had fallen out.
His lucky charm, the one he’d gotten from Marinette.
His lucky charm, that kept all his bad luck away.
His lucky charm, which was being carried away in the cat’s mouth .
Adrien tried to give chase, but he slipped on wet cement, scratching his already injured hands in the process. When he looked up, the cat was gone, the lucky charm with it.
“This is all your fault Plagg.”
“I blame your bleeding heart.”
***
Adrien wasn’t superstitious by any means.
But he was. Right now. Without his favourite charm.
Adrien sniffled in his arms as he lay his head on them against the table. Nino slid into the seat beside him.
“You okay, bro?”
Adrien groaned.
“Aw, that sucks dude.”
Adrien whined.
“It’ll be okay.”
Alya looked between them, “You understood any of that?”
Nino shook his head solemnly, “Not a word, but a bros gotta do what a bros gotta do.”
Adrien un-buried his head for long enough to look up, “Thanks man.”
Alya shook her head, “Boys are strange,” and then turned to Marinette, who was stammering so hard she hadn’t gotten a single coherent word out. Alya nodded sympathetically, “I know exactly what you mean, girl.”
The sight of Marinette made Adrien’s gut churn with guilt. He decided right then and there to never let her know he lost the precious gift she had given him.
“Adrien,” Ms Bustier said, drawing his attention, “Did you turn in your homework?”
“I’m sure that I did.”
“I thought so too, but I couldn’t find it.”
Adrien buried his head back in his arms.
So it began.
***
“This is sad.” Plagg said.
Adrien had taken shelter from the universe in the bathroom. So far, he had tripped countless times (once into Rose’s art project, which he still wanted to apologise for), said something embarrassing at least thrice and ended up drenched in honey-and-feather twice.
Twice didn’t seem like a lot, but it was strange that it had happened at all.
He was currently removing the last of his feathers under Plagg’s scrutiny.
“How do you even become chicken-man?” Plagg asked, “I looked away for two seconds.”
“I need my lucky charm back,” Adrien said in lieu of a response.
“Maybe Chat Noir will have better luck.”
***
“ Maybe Chat Noir will have better luck,” Chat Noir mocked, “Stupid Plagg. You can’t let the universe know your plans!”
Plagg grumbled somewhere in the back of Adrien’s mind, which he dutifully ignored. He continued his fruitless search, the sky darkening with angry clouds that reflected his mood well.
“I feel ridiculous,” he mumbled as he waved to passing fans who were cooing at him.
“That’s how the cat felt,” Plagg responded in his mind.
Adrien pouted. The cat was so cute, he couldn’t stop himself from cooing.
He sighed, ducking under a ladder that was wobbling dangerously. He steadied it, getting a thanks from the guy at the top in return, who was holding a brush with dripping white, a tub of paint balanced precariously on the edge of a ledge.
“I think I’ll have better luck as - as - “ dammit, he couldn’t let the universe know, “Whatever. Let’s just detransform some- “
That was when Chat Noir got drenched in white paint.
Which was what he got for walking under a ladder.
“I am so sorry, Chat Noir,” the guy on top of the ladder said, “Uh, it’s a nice look on you?”
Chat wiped paint from his eyes and promised the universe vengeance.
(Somewhere, Marinette shivered at the remembrance of Chat Blanc.)
***
“Here kitty kitty.”
“You know cats don’t understand English - “
“HERE KITTY KITTY!”
Plagg pouted, “Don’t ignore me Adrien.”
“I will ignore you all I like until you stop sitting around and actually help me.”
“I’m but a poor kwami,” Plagg yawned, “Do it yourself.”
Adrien huffed, poking his head into another alley, “I don’t even know where to start .”
“Maybe with an umbrella?”
“What - “
Now, Adrien was a Good Boy™. He hugged all his friends, kissed his plushies goodnight and tried to be Very Nice.
But he really, really wanted to break something when the first rain droplet hit his nose.
The ensuing downpour had him seeking shelter in yet another alley way. He was shivering from the cold, miserably getting ready to call it a day when Plagg drifted past him lazily.
“Oh hey, what’s that?”
Adrien whipped around, nearly tripping in the process.
“It’s -”
“A her.”
“It’s her!” Adrien hopped forward happily, ignoring the orange cat’s hiss. He picked her up.
“Aren’t you a cutie?” Adrien cooed, rubbing his cheek against hers, “Why’d you run away? Did big bad Plagg scare you? I can give you all of Plagg’s cheese - “
“EXCUSE ME?”
“And you can live with me forever and ever - “
Plagg groaned, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Adrien reluctantly pulled himself out of showering the cutie with affection, “What?”
“What you came here looking for?”
Plagg pointed towards the little box that the cat had been hiding in. Adrien adjusted the kitten so that the claws were safely pointed away from him and peered into the carton.
Little trinkets decorated the box, from blankets to little toys. Adrien reached out, grabbing his lucky charm and gently sorting through the rest.
“What a little thief,” Plagg said snootily, “You should leave it to its thieving ways.”
Adrien gasped, “How could you say that!” he cuddled the cat closer, “She just wanted a home.”
Plagg narrowed his eyes, “I hate her.”
“You’re just jealous. Isn’t Plagg a meanie?” Adrien crooned, “Yes he is, yes he is .”
Plagg glared at the cat, “I hate you.”
The cat hissed back.
***
Chat Noir dropped by the shelter, happy to let the cat scratch away violently at his indestructible suit. He was sad to see her go, but knew he couldn’t keep her.
“Does she have a name?” the girl at the counter asked.
“Uh …” Adrien thought about it, “Lucky.”
“We have at least ten cats with that name.”
Plagg snickered. Adrien sighed.
“Charm.”
The girl shrugged, clearly very over that fact that one of Paris’ heroes was here. Adrien gently handed Charm over, and got a wonderful scratch in return.
“I think she likes me,” Adrien purred.
The girl gave him a look that was eerily reminiscent of a kwami he knew.
Once they were outside, Adrien found a place to be alone to detransform. Plagg sighed dramatically, stretching.
“Glad that’s over. I’m hungry.”
“Hey, Plagg,” Adrien said contemplatively, “How did we just happen to come across that cat after so long searching?”
Plagg settled into his hair sleepily, “You forget I’m a god, kit.”
Adrien paused at the implication.
Then shrugged.
“Want to get cheesecake on the way back?”
“Bribery,” Plagg nodded in approval, “The universe doesn’t stand a chance.”
Lucky charm tucked safely into his pocket, Adrien found himself agreeing.