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Adrien needed to get away. He needed to escape the life he was living. He didn't want to die. Nothing that dark...but he often felt like he wasn’t living.
"It's your life, kid." Plagg said, throwing a piece of cheese into the air. Adrien blinked and the cheese disappeared as if it had never existed. Disgusting. "Only you can decide how you live it."
Adrien contemplated Plagg’s words. Did he want to continue to be a follower? Drifting through each day following the rules and expectations of everyone else around him. A model son. A constant partner. A loyal friend. A cheese supply.
He was tired.
He was numb.
Joyless achievements. Loveless longing. Endless expectations.
He was like a stray cat at the heels of those around him. Kicked when he was underfoot. Ignored as long as he didn’t get in the way. No place to truly call home. No one to truly call family.
Gabriel wasn't a father.
Ladybug wasn't a lover.
His friends were unaware that he was merely a shadow of a man he didn't even know. No identity. An image preened and pruned and perfected for the camera.
"Plagg...I can't do this anymore."
"Huh?" Another slab of cheese. The nauseating sound of cheese being digested whole.
Adrien looked at Plagg, but the Kwami was focused on another slice of camembert.
"Nevermind...it doesn't matter."
His life didn't matter.