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Redemption	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 2815 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
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After school the following day, Marinette accompanied Adrien to the police station where he relinquished Gorilla's letter as evidence against Judge Bouchard. Adrien remained stoic throughout the interview, as the police asked if he knew the whereabouts of Gorilla, Nathalie, or Gabriel, or if he had any connections with Judge Bouchard himself.
Marinette thought Adrien looked a little distant when he replied that he had not. There was a sadness in his eyes that she did not want to think about. She held his hand as they left, and he squeezed her fingers in return, but wouldn't meet her eyes.
'Do you want to talk it out?' she asked, quietly, as they walked down the street.
'Not here,' he replied, 'not yet.'
She kept a hold of his hand, but let her gaze drift as they continued walking. The other people on the street payed them no heed, some merely raising an eyebrow, or frowning at them, but no one was openly hostile.
Emboldened, Marinette took a sharp left and darted into a café, dragging Adrien behind her. They stumbled over the threshold as people looked up at the sudden intrusion, then they all turned back to what they had been doing.
'Why don't you find us a seat?' Marinette suggested. 'I'll get us some drinks.'
Adrien furrowed his brow, and opened his mouth. Then, he shook his head with a small smile, his features smoothing out. He patted Marinette's shoulder before moving to a table in the far corner.
She joined him a few minutes later, hanging her purse from the back of the chair as she slid into her seat across from him. 'Our order will be here soon.'
'This is really nice. Thank you, Marinette,' Adrien said, with a small smile.
She felt her cheeks heat up. 'Of course. How are you feeling?'
His shoulders sagged. 'Heavy, tired, guilty.'
'Why guilty?' she asked, raising a questioning brow.
'Not about Bouchard,' he clarified,' I don't give a toss about him.'
'Good,' Marinette giggled.
Adrien's answering grin was fleeting. 'I mean about Father. I feel like I ratted him out, even though the letter was so vague about his current location. Is it weird to feel like that now?'
Marinette rested her chin in her hand, her elbow on the table. 'A little, maybe, but he is your dad. I suppose it's instinctual to want to protect the people you love.'
'I suppose,' he replied.
'You don't seem convinced.'
Adrien fiddled with his napkin for a long moment. Just as he drew breath to answer, a waitress came with their order. She set down two mugs of thick hot chocolate, and two generous slices of raspberry cheesecake. Marinette thanked the waitress as she left while Adrien stared at his share with wide eyes.
'You're supposed to eat it, not admire it,' Marinette chided, with a poorly suppressed grin.
Adrien coughed into his fist. 'Right.'
They ate peacefully for a moment, as she waited for him to collect his thoughts.
'I guess,' he began, 'what I feel the most guilty about is the letter itself. As you said, it was a private letter to me, wherein Gorilla called me his son, then I just gave it away. What kind of ingrate does that?'
Marinette shook her head as she swallowed her mouthful. 'Gorilla knew you provided evidence against your dad, right? So, I bet he gave you as much information as he could, knowing you'd turn it in to the police. It was a gamble on his part, but it payed off.'
Adrien looked at her with hopeful eyes. 'You really think it was deliberate?'
She nodded. 'I also think he was sincere when he wrote that he loves you. I don't think you should ever doubt that.'
He visibly relaxed at that. 'You're right, of course. Gorilla would never use me so callously.'
Marinette sipped from her mug. 'Do you feel a little better now?'
Adrien sat back with a sigh. 'Yeah, I think I do. You're a miracle worker, you know that?'
She waved a dismissive hand. 'No, I'm just telling you what you already know. Sometimes it just helps to hear it from another perspective, is all.'
He smiled at her properly, then. Marinette felt her belly flutter.
'Still, I'm really lucky to have you in my life. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me.'
Marinette tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she shrugged. 'Any time.'

Marinette sprinted to school the next morning. She had stayed up late working on designs to help calm down after the day she'd had, and lost track of time. As a result, she had overslept.
She barrelled into the classroom, skidded across the floor, then darted into her seat with a hasty apology to Caline. She sank down when the rest of the class tittered at her expense. Caline just shook her head before continuing the lesson.
The morning passed smoothly after that. Marinette smothered her grin at the idyllic picture of Adrien participating in class, his comments met with typical responses from the others. Just before lunch break, however, Principal Damocles made an announcement over the PA system.
'Could all staff and students assemble in the courtyard, please? I repeat, all staff and students are to assemble in the courtyard immediately, thank you.'
Everyone stared at the speaker for a moment.
'What the heck?' Alix muttered, breaking the silence.
'This hasn't happened since,' Sabrina trailed off, with a sideways glance at Adrien.
Caline clapped her hands. 'You heard the Principal, everyone. Pack your bags quickly, and head to the courtyard in an orderly fashion, please.'
With that, they slipped their things back into their bags, and filed out the door, down the stairs, and into the courtyard, where the rest of the school was rapidly gathering.
Everyone was looking up at the rear wall, where a large white screen was hanging. A news broadcast was projected onto it, and Nadja's voice came from the speakers.
'In breaking news, Judge Bouchard, who presided over the Papillon case, has just been arrested in front of the Palais de Justice. He has been accused of corruption, and of tampering with the criminal justice system for personal gain. He is also facing charges of professional negligence, and dealing with fugitives for profit.
'Yesterday, a piece of evidence was brought to the attention of the authorities, and has been crucial in the case against Bouchard. The police have stated that the nature of this evidence is confidential, until such time as they feel it's safe to reveal.'
The students stood in their class groups, staring at the screen, as images of Judge Bouchard being led into a police car came on screen. There were gasps and murmurs as Nadja came back into view.
'A corruption enquiry is already underway. Bouchard, however, has not released any formal statement as yet. It's predicted that he'll plead not guilty, but forecasters have determined he will likely be found guilty on all charges. In the event of a guilty verdict, he will face a lengthy sentence in Fleury-Mérogis Prison.'
Adrien stood next to Marinette, arms crossed, and one brow raised. 'Principal Damocles really called us here to watch that? Does he do that often?'
'Nah, Dude,' Kim replied, draping himself over Adrien's shoulders. 'The only other time this happened was for the result of your trial.'
Chloe elbowed him sharply in the side. 'Zip it, you oaf.'
Adrien turned around to look at them all. 'Really?'
'It was the case of the century,' Max explained. 'The whole country was interested in that case, and wanted to see history being made.'
Principal Damocles stood on the platform beneath the projector screen. 'Attention, please. Everyone, may I have your attention, please? Thank you. Now, I hope you all learnt a valuable lesson here, children. Nothing good will come from dealing with the devil.'
'That's a bit much, isn't it?' snorted Adrien. 'My dad wasn't the actual devil.'
Nino elbowed him. 'It's just a figure of speech.'
'This is what people mean when they say crime doesn't pay,' Principal Damocles went on. 'If you ever participate in illegal activities, you will get caught. I hope you will all take this cautionary tale to heart. Dismissed.'
'Was this really necessary?' Adrien asked, as he followed Marinette and Alya to the bakery.
'Which part, the assembly, watching the broadcast, or Damocles' speech at the end?' questioned Nino.
Adrien held his hands out, helplessly. 'All of it.'
'It's like Max said,' Alya tossed over her shoulder. 'Everybody has an interest in seeing this whole thing through to the end. Papillon was the criminal of the century, so of course everyone will want to see his associates brought down, too.'
Adrien raised an eyebrow at her.
'You're different,' she said, with a flippant wave of her hand. 'You've already shown whose side you're on, so people have, largely, lost interest in you. Now that you're not a threat, or in cahoots with him anymore, you're basically just another citizen.'
'Good to know,' muttered Adrien, as Nino chuckled beside him.
They ate with Tom and Sabine in the bakery kitchen, filling them in on the new turn of events. Adrien then revealed his part in Judge Bouchard's fall from grace, confessing his feelings on giving up the letter were still conflicted.
'I think I know why,' Sabine began. 'You've mentioned before that your relationship with your father was strained. So, when Gorilla told you he loves you, a part of you wanted to keep that reminder. It's not so unusual. Maybe, if you ask nicely, the police will let you have a copy of the letter.'
'Are they allowed to do that?' Alya asked.
'Perhaps not until the courts have made their decision. Bouchard was only arrested today,' Tom elaborated.
'They sure moved fast,' observed Marinette.
Tom nodded. 'They have to, once they have enough information. They can't risk the suspect catching on, and running away.'
Sabine reached out to pat Adrien's hair. 'You did very well, helping the police like that, and at such personal cost. Bouchard would still be free if you hadn't. I'm so proud of you.'
Adrien's cheeks turned pink. 'Thank you.'
They turned to more cheerful matters while they finished eating. Then, Tom and Sabine hugged each of them tightly before sending them back to school. No one said anything as Tom and Sabine hugged Adrien a little longer, and a little harder, than the others.
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Redemption