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Adrien’s finger hovered over the doorbell of the apartment complex with “Lahiffe” on the nameplate, while he checked his phone for the fifth time. The dim screen only confirmed what he already knew: Google Maps congratulating him on arriving at his destination, and the time glaring back at him—19:34. Early. Too early. He had been so desperate to get out of the mansion that he hadn’t thought through just how awkward showing up early might feel.
His father was busy with a fashion event tonight, one Adrien was still deemed too young to attend, leaving him with rare freedom until at least one in the morning. But now, here he was, pacing on the sidewalk outside Nino’s apartment, second-guessing everything.
“Are you gonna ring the doorbell, or are we freezing out here for fun?” Plagg grumbled from his coat pocket. “Come on! They probably have cheese inside!”
Adrien shifted on his feet. “But we’re early. Too early to be polite.” Adrien said.
Plagg groaned. “So? You’ve got so little free time as it is; why not make the most of it?”
“I know, but–”
“Oh, for crying out loud!” Plagg shot out of his pocket, pressed the doorbell firmly, and darted back before Adrien could stop him.
“Plagg!” Adrien hissed, but the damage was done. The loudspeaker buzzed to life with a scratchy rendition of Nino’s voice.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s, uh… it’s Adrien,” Adrien stammered, feeling absurdly awkward.
The door buzzed, and Adrien pushed it open, stepping into a world utterly unfamiliar to him. The stairwell smelled of cleaning products and the faint traces of strangers’ lives — cooking, detergent, and the musk of close quarters. The echoes of his footsteps bounced off the walls as he climbed, marveling at the novelty of an apartment building. Several families living separate lives in one structure — the thought fascinated him.
By the third floor, Nino’s door was already open, his friend standing there with a grin that made the nerves in Adrien’s chest untangle slightly.
“Hey bro! Glad you could make it!” Nino greeted him with a quick hug.
“Thanks for inviting me,” Adrien replied, trying to focus on the relief of not being home instead of the storm still brewing in his mind. “I’ll need to head back by midnight, though, just in case Father comes home early.”
“Midnight? What, are you Cinderella now?” Nino teased.
Adrien struck a dramatic pose, his grin playful. “What can I say? I’d look amazing in a ballgown.”
Nino snorted. “Gotta tell Mar about that one! Come on in, take off your shoes. Oh, and this little guy is Noël.”
Adrien glanced past Nino at a smaller, bouncier version of him, practically vibrating with excitement. So that was the little brother he had heard so much about.
“Nice to meet you Noël,” Adrien said, offering his hand.
Noël shook it enthusiastically. “I know who you are! Nino talks about you all the time! You’re also on a billboard near my school!” Adrien cringed at the mention of that. “Do you have a cat?”
Adrien froze. “Uh…”
What was he supposed to say to that? Nino had told him that he smelled like cat, but he hadn’t thought it would be so noticeable. Then again, Noël was probably a werewolf too.
“Shoo, you little menace. Let me have some bro time with Adrien,” Nino said and gently shoved his little brother down the hall.
“But I wanted to show him the shiny Suicune I caught!” Noël whined.
“Later,” Nino insisted while Adrien slipped off his shoes, placing them neatly beside the others.
He also bit his tongue to avoid blurting out how much he actually wanted to see the shiny Suicune. This was not the time for that though.
“Sorry again for being early,” Adrien said awkwardly in lieu of something better to say.
“Nah, it's fine!” Nino grinned. “Mama and Baba are still cooking dinner right now, though, so we'll have to wait till we can eat, that's all. Come say 'hi' and then we can chill in my room.”
Adrien’s smile faltered. “I forgot to bring a gift. Oh god — Nino, what if they think I'm rude and hate me?!”
“Hey, chill, bro. It's fine. I'm sure my parents didn't expect a gift on such short notice.”
“But isn't it still rude?”
Nino thought for a moment and then suddenly dragged Adrien down the hall into a room. Upon entering, it became clear that this was Nino's room. A pair of familiar headphones hung over the backrest of a gaming chair and the computer monitor showed a half-finished analysis of the homework text they had gotten in English class today.
Nino immediately went to a wardrobe and threw some pieces of clothing to the side before pulling out…
“You kept the basket!?” Adrien exclaimed.
“Yep. You have no idea how hard it was to smuggle it past my parents. I put it into the broom closet out in the hallway and then snuck out in the middle of the night to hide it in my room.”
Adrien blushed shamefully. “Sorry that you had to do all that.”
Nino waved it off. “It's your secret to tell and there really wasn't a good way to explain the basket other than the truth. Besides, now you can give my parents this,” he said and handed Adrien the bottle of wine.
“You're a genius!” Adrien said, taking the bottle from Nino, relief flooding him.
Nino shrugged, unabashed. “I have my moments. Let's get this over with before my parents think I abducted you.”
“You technically did,” Adrien said with a grin, hoping it masked his nerves.
After all, if Noël had already picked up on the fact that he smelled like a cat, Nino’s parents would likely notice too. They were werewolves, after all. Should he really divulge this secret to them? Telling Nino had gone smoothly, but these were strangers.
What if they don’t like me?
“Details!” Nino waved him off and motioned for Adrien to follow.
They walked through the small apartment, which felt about the size of Adrien’s entire room. A strange thought. The only thing that distracted him from his nerves about meeting Nino’s parents was the heavenly smell they walked towards. Whatever Nino’s parents were cooking, it smelled like something his nutritionist would put on Adrien's personal food blacklist. Good thing he would never have to know. It was already hard to explain how he suddenly lost more than the two kilograms of regular water weight — being Chat Noir had more costs than just cheese.
“Hey, Mama, Baba, Adrien is here!” Nino called out over the sizzling meat.
Both of Nino’s parents turned around, smiling warmly. Adrien relaxed marginally but still couldn't prevent pasting a practised smile on his face — the kind he used when he had to greet his father's business partners at galas or other such events. It looked friendly enough to be polite, but at the end of the day, it was only a mask to hide his real feelings. Right now, it served to hide his anxiety as best as possible.
“Hello Adrien, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” Nino’s father said, shaking his hand.
“It really is! Nino can’t stop talking about you,” his mother added with a grin, causing Nino to groan.
“Mama!” he protested.
“Only good things!” His father quickly assured, shooting Nino a teasing look.
Adrien kept the smile on his face, still tight, and held out the wine. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I brought you a gift. I hope it isn't too presumptuous.”
“Oh, how thoughtful! Thank you,” Nino’s mother exclaimed, taking the bottle. “This will pair perfectly with the beef. Thank you for that as well, by the way.”
“N-no problem,” Adrien stammered, a little awkwardly. “I thought it was the right thing to do.”
Nino hadn’t been able to hide the meat from his parents as easily as the rest of the basket since it needed to be refrigerated after all, so he had told them that it had been a random gift by Adrien. Well, it wasn’t technically a lie, just that it hadn’t exactly been random.
“We’ll just head to my room for now, okay?” Nino said, his tone casual, as though it were more a statement than a request.
“I’ll call you two when dinner is ready,” his mother replied, and just like that, the conversation was over.
Adrien didn’t dare breathe easy until they were back in Nino’s room.
“Nino, I don’t know if I can do this,” he admitted
“Do what?”
“Tell them! I mean, what if they hate me for it? What if–” Adrien faltered, the words catching in his throat. He’d held this secret for so long, and while Nino had accepted it, his parents were a completely different story. They were werewolves. What if they didn’t want a werecat anywhere near their family?
“Hey, dude, calm down,” Nino said, guiding him to the bed so they could sit. “They’re not going to hate you. They’ll be cool with it, I promise.”
Adrien wrung his hands, staring at the floor.
“You don’t know that,” he muttered. “They could think I’m a freak or… or that I don’t belong here.”
Nino shook his head. “I get that you’re scared. But dude, I need you to trust me on this. You can’t keep bottling this up. It’s not just about keeping secrets anymore — it’s about getting the help you need. I’m here for you, but I can’t do it alone. My parents can help.”
Adrien swallowed hard. “But what if–”
“They won’t,” Nino cut him off, his tone firmer now. “You’re amazing, Adrien. If they’re surprised, it’ll be in a good way. You’ve gotta believe me.”
Adrien looked at his friend, the sincerity in Nino’s eyes making his chest ache. “What if I mess it up?”
“Then you mess it up. Big deal,” Nino said, grinning. “But I don’t think you will. After dinner, when we’re all sitting at the table, just… talk to them. You don’t need to give a big speech or anything, just be yourself. I’ll back you up, okay?”
Adrien hesitated, the storm in his mind still raging, but he nodded. “Okay. I’ll try.”
“That’s all I’m asking, man,” Nino said, clapping him on the back. “We’ve got this.”
Adrien wished he could believe that as fully as Nino did. For now, all he could do was breathe, steel himself, and hope for the best.
─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The beef was prepared spectacularly. Even his personal chef couldn’t have pulled it of this well, and Adrien almost felt guilty as he took a second helping. Maybe it was the sauce, or the side dishes, or maybe it was simply the fact that he was, for once, eating at a table with more people than just himself and Plagg. Either way, it was the best meal he’d had in a very long time.
So far, the conversation had been harmless — just general questions about school and his life. Nino’s father seemed especially interested in his homeschooling history, and the extra classes he took. Adrien had to paste on a polite smile at the mention of homeschooling; he hated it with a passion, especially now that he knew how much better a normal school experience could be. It wasn’t until Nino’s father mentioned that he was a teacher himself that Adrien understood his curiosity, and the conversation naturally became lighter after that.
At one point, Adrien even got into a conversation with Noël about their favourite Pokémon, during which Mme Lahiffe had to stop him from running to his room to get his 3DS.
As dinner came to a close, Adrien’s nerves only seemed to grow. He was thankful to Nino, who seemed to sense his discomfort and began explaining a new software he had found and was saving up for.
In the reprieve it granted Adrien from making further conversation, he did his best to mull things over. On the one hand, it would be amazing to have adults actually on his side for once. And other werebeasts at that, who understood his daily struggles as a supernatural creature all too well!
However, what if they didn’t approve of him? His father had a hard time approving of him even when he was human, always seeming to lack in one field of expertise or another. The second place in fencing was an embarrassment, anything but the full score on a test was a failure — even if he had the top grade of the class — and if his word choice was off by even one expression, it was a faux pas. And Nino’s parents were a teacher and a doctor respectively, so they probably had high expectations as well. No matter how much Nino had tried to reassure him, the fact just remained that Adrien was a complete failure as a werebeast. He couldn’t even talk as one, let alone all other sorts of stuff werebeasts probably did. Why would Monsieur and Madame Lahiffe want to help him? It would just be more work for them. Maybe he should compensate them if that was the case? But no, even then it would probably be out of pity and… and he didn’t know how to feel about that.
Would they kick him out once they knew?
Would they forbid him from seeing Nino?
Would they–
“Adrien?”
He flinched as a hand landed on his shoulder. It was just Nino, but Adrien’s reaction had caught the attention of everyone at the table. Either that, or he had been so lost in thought that this hadn’t been the first time his name had been called. He felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment and his hands curl into the fabric of his jeans, dangerously close to hurting.
“I-I’m sorry,” he instinctively said with an awkward grin that he couldn’t quite tweak into a genuine one. “But may I use the bathroom?”
“Of course, you may. It’s to the right down the hallway,” Nino’s mother said.
Adrien just managed to answer with a polite smile and a nod, not even really listening to the directions, before he hurriedly got up and walked into the hallway. Contrary to what such a manoeuvre would be like at his own house, here it put barely any distance at all between the dining table and him, just a wall and an open door.
“Hey kid, you good?” Plagg asked from his shirt pocket.
Adrien went to nod but turned it into a shake of his head and then shrugged. He was about to elaborate on his inner turmoil further when he suddenly heard steps and Plagg ducked back into his hiding place.
“Adrien? Are you alright?”
It was Nino’s mother. Why had she followed him out into the hallway when he had supposedly gone to the bathroom? Oh no, was she about to throw him out? Was it rude to ask if he could go to the bathroom while they were still sitting at the table? He knew it was rude with some business dinners of his father which he had attended.
“Oh! I- I’m fine, sorry for causing a scene,” he therefore quickly said and plastered on a polite smile.
“A scene? There was no scene, a’azizi.”
There wasn’t? But then what would warrant this… whatever this was?
“Then why did you follow me?”
“Because I was going to tell you that the bathroom is in the other direction.”
Adrien wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
“…Oh.”
He should have listened better and actually gone into the bathroom instead of just lingering in the hallway.
“But since you think you created a scene, is everything alright? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I- I am okay,” Adrien lied.
Mme Lahiffe was quiet for a moment and looked at him not unkindly, but in a way that made it clear that she didn’t believe a word.
“Then I still want to do what I can to help you, if you’d like my help.”
An adult wanted to help him? She wasn’t getting paid for this like his tutors or Nathalie did, and she didn’t have any parental obligations like his own father had — well, if only technically, as he was a busy man. No adult had ever made him an offer like that, and he didn’t know what to think of it. It was hard enough to ask for help from people his age! And this was no small thing either, but a secret he had kept all his life which he had only very recently shared with Nino. He desperately wanted help and some guidance, but where would he even start with that?
He felt Plagg nudge him.
Maybe asking would be a good start for now.
“What- what if I want help, but I’m not sure how to ask for it?”
Mme Lahiffe seemed to think her words over for a moment.
“You could always confide in a trusted adult.” Adrien cringed, and she seemed to notice. “Or a trusted friend first,” she added. “It could help to get some support if it’s a bit too nerve-wracking approaching an adult.”
Been there, done that.
“What if I’ve already confided in my friend and he’s encouraging me to tell his family?”
Adrien bit his lip immediately as he watched some sort of comprehension settle in her eyes. That might have been a little too specific to continue as a hypothetical scenario.
“You don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to,” she reassured him.
“I do though! I want to tell them. I’m… I don’t know…”
It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. The hope of getting help and the fear of rejection weighed equally on his decision.
“…finding it a little intimidating?” Madame Lahiffe finished for him.
Adrien could just stare at her in amazement at how well she had grasped it and nodded.
“Hmm… maybe tell one person? Before telling the whole family? Get a taste of how what you’re asking for will be received.”
That still sounded terrifying… but marginally better.
“Like a sounding board?” He asked hesitantly.
She smiled at him.
“Exactly!”
Adrien tried his best to smile back, but the nerves dragged the corners of his mouth downward and itched his hands to dig into something — just like when he scratched the furniture at home when he was stressed and shifted. He balled them into fists to escape the temptation — it would only hurt his fingers anyway.
“I… I can try?” Adrien eventually asked shyly.
Mme Lahiffe threw him an encouraging, motherly smile and a nod. It was the sort of smile his own mother had given him, so long ago that it had become a foggy memory at this point, a bitter sting of nostalgia. But it also came with something rare and precious: the feeling of safety.
“O-okay,” he started, not sure if he could actually form the words. “So, I- I was homeschooled for a while and missed out on a lot of social development through it. It’s not really because my parents are celebrities, because that technically applies to Chloé as well, and she went to public school just fine all her life. I mean… well, the reason I was homeschooled was because I was… somehow different. My parents and grandparents weren’t like that, so I… I have no idea where I could have even gotten it from, but I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember. A-and I always thought I was the only one. Well, maybe I am… for my particular case.”
Adrien shook his head in frustration. He was rambling. His father would have already glared at him for it, maybe given him a lecture about using precise wording and not wasting his time. Nino’s mother, however, just looked at him with patience, her gold-brown eyes kindly urging him to go on.
“What I’m trying to get at, is… I…” He took a deep breath.
Just like ripping off a band-aid.
“I’m a werecat, and I have no idea how to properly be one.”
His nails were digging into his palms, and he felt himself shivering. It was terrifying to admit it out loud and he half-expected to be thrown out of the apartment any second now. What he didn’t expect was a hug.
At first, he didn’t know what to do. It had been so, so long since an adult had hugged him that the sensation surfaced all sorts of childhood memories for him. His mother, comforting him after his father had yelled at him again, or when he had hurt himself, all while she had whispered soothing reassurances to him.
But this wasn’t his mother. It was Nino’s mother, and he was a guest! Would it be polite or impolite to return the hug? Was there even an etiquette for a situation like this?! If there was, he didn’t remember it. What he did know, though, was that this was… acceptance? Nino’s mother didn’t seem to be throwing him out at least. She didn’t hate him?
The hug felt… warm. Memories aside, Mme Lahiffe was hugging him of her own volition, and the embrace felt safe. Was it possible to feel reassured and accepted and welcomed all in a single hug? Adrien could only suppose it was. It had been a long time since he was hugged in this way. Were the hugs from his own mother like this? He struggled to remember; it had been so long. But he sincerely hoped they were. The hug was overwhelming in all the best ways that he felt a little unworthy of it.
“Shhh... it’s okay,” she whispered. “You’re alright, you’re safe.”
He wondered why she was soothing him when he felt something trailing down his cheek. Tears. He was crying. When did he start crying? Why did he start crying? It sounded like someone was bawling their eyes out — was that him? He wasn't sure when it had happened, but his arms had returned the embrace, his fingers now clutching to Mme Lahiffe’s shirt like a lifeline, and he felt so much that he couldn't put it into words.
Adrien didn’t know how much time passed, but he faintly realised that someone else joined the hug — he recognised Nino by the smell before he even glanced to check. A heavy hand on his shoulder startled him at first, but when he looked up, he saw Monsieur Lahiffe standing there with a reassuring smile on his face. Last but not least, Noël came running out of a room with a Litten plushie in his arms that he pushed at Adrien very insistently.
It was both overwhelming and embarrassing to have so many people, most of which he has just met, try to comfort him when he wasn’t even really upset. He was happy. Very happy, in fact.
It had taken fifteen years, but he had finally found people who didn’t think he was a monster.
Adrien had no idea how long the hug lasted, but it abruptly ended when he noticed a vaguely familiar rumbling in his chest. Be basically let go and backed off as if he had been stung and tried his best to swallow down the purr.
“S-sorry, sorry,” he stammered and coughed to make it stop.
This was mortifying! He had never purred outside of being a cat and hadn’t even known this was possible before now! Why was he purring?!
“That’s a weird growl,” Noël innocently pointed out and Adrien, once again, wanted the ground to swallow him.
“It’s not a growl,” Nino said and wrapped an arm around Adrien’s shoulders. “He’s just purring. Cats do that.”
Adrien let his hands run down his face in a feeble attempt to hide.
“This has never happened before, I swear. It’s so embarrassing,” he mumbled.
The moment was raw and vulnerable, yet Adrien couldn’t deny it felt freeing too. The embarrassment of the purring aside, this was the first time in years — maybe in his entire life — that he felt fully seen. Not as the perfect son Gabriel Agreste demanded, not as the golden boy of the modelling world, but as himself. Adrien. The werecat. The boy who just wanted to belong.
Nino nudged him playfully. “Dude, don’t even sweat it. You know how much stuff I’ve embarrassed myself over in front of my family? You’re doing great.”
Mme Lahiffe placed a gentle hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “Adrien, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Purring is natural, isn’t it? A sign you feel comfortable and happy?”
“B-but it’s weird,” Adrien stammered, his face still buried in his hands. “I’m weird.”
“No,” M. Lahiffe interjected firmly. “You’re you. That’s not weird, it’s wonderful.”
Noël beamed up at Adrien, clutching the Litten plushie tightly. “I think it’s cool! Can you teach me how to purr?”
That earned a watery laugh from Adrien, the tension in his chest loosening ever so slightly. “I don’t think it works that way, Noël.”
The warmth in the hallway felt like a tangible thing, wrapping around him like a blanket. He glanced at Nino, who gave him a reassuring grin.
“See? Told you my family’s got your back,” Nino said softly. “You’re not alone anymore, bro.”
Adrien bit his lip to hold back the tears threatening to fall again. How could he put into words the weight that had been lifted? Instead, he just nodded, his voice a quiet murmur. “Thank you. All of you.”
Mme Lahiffe’s smile was gentle but firm. “You don’t have to go through this alone anymore, Adrien. We’re here for you, no matter what. Always.”
And for the first time, Adrien believed it.
As they returned to the dinner table, Noël tugging Adrien by the hand and chattering excitedly about his Pokémon collection, he felt a new kind of warmth settle in his chest. This wasn’t just a family; it was acceptance. Maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something new — a future where he didn’t have to hide who he was anymore.