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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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- 27
Tom and Sabine took charge of Adrien's relocation. He gave them the keys to the halfway house, then left for school with Marinette.
By lunch time, they had moved his belongings into a vacant room downstairs from the living room. It was spacious, with large windows, and its own bathroom. The piano sat below the windows to the left, and a wardrobe stood against the right hand wall, next to the bathroom door.
Adrien looked around with wide, wet eyes.
'I'm afraid the closet is quite old,' Sabine apologised, as she finished putting his clothes away.
Tom stood by the rear wall, adjusting the portrait of Adrien's family where it hung in solitary splendour.
'I'd say the bigger issue is a bed,' he countered. 'The one at your old place was the property of the state, and couldn't be moved.'
'Ew,' Marinette muttered from the doorway.
Sabine hummed, as she thought. 'You will definitely need a new bed, and soon. Tom and I can get one for you.'
'No, please. You don't have to do that,' Adrien interrupted her, holding up both hands. 'You've both already done so much for me. I think I can get my own bed, and with my own money.'
Sabine eyed him carefully. 'Are you sure? You won't have time to go looking today. Even if you did, it could be a couple of weeks before a new bed is delivered.'
'It does beg the question of your sleeping arrangements until you get something,' Tom mused.
'I'll be fine with a sleeping bag for now,' Adrien assured them.
Sabine still looked doubtful, but Tom seemed ready to accept him at his word.
'Ok, we'll find you a sleeping bag and a mattress pad. Do you have any preferences?'
'Not really. I am allergic to feathers, though,' he replied, his cheeks turning pink.
Marinette stifled a surprised snort of laughter. 'Monsieur Pigeon must've been a blast.'
Adrien looked over his shoulder to scowl at her with mock severity.
'Synthetic it is,' Tom announced.
'All right, kids, you need to have your lunch and get back to school. Marinette, you're showing Adrien how to find his appointment, and his way home again, this afternoon?' Sabine asked.
Marinette nodded. 'Yes, Maman. We'll probably leave straight from school, so we'll be back late.'
Sabine smiled. 'Excellent. Of you go, now,' she waved them out the door.
Marinette was halfway up the stairs when she realised Adrien wasn't beside her. She paused, and turned to see him still on the landing, with a faraway look on his face.
'Is everything ok?' she asked. 'My parents can be a little full on, so if you feel like they're moving too fast, just say so.'
He shook his head, and looked up at her as he began to climb the stairs. 'It's not that.'
Marinette hummed, questioningly, her head tilted.
'It's just, your mum called it "home." Like, our home. It's been a long time since I've had one of those.'
Marinette paused, then turned around to meet him, where she pulled him into a tight embrace. He hugged her back immediately, clutching her shirt and burying his nose in her hair.
They stood like that until their bellied reminded them they still had to eat

Marinette led Adrien to the Metro, where they caught a train to an area Marinette had never been on foot before. It was part recreational, part business district, and was filled with as many people as any other part of the city.
Adrien recognised their location, and took the lead, showing Marinette to a modest building housing several different businesses, from a taxation office, to a funeral planner, even an insurance agency.
Adrien walked in, and headed to the elevator to push the call button. The doors opened immediately, so they both stepped inside.
'Where would you like me to wait for you?' Marinette asked as they went up.
'There's a waiting room just beyond the elevator doors. The seats there are comfortable enough.'
'Cool, cool,' Marinette nodded.
They got off on the third floor, the doors sliding open on a room lined with chairs.
'This is the waiting room,' Adrien explained. He then pointed to a door to their right. 'The Doctor's office is through there.' He pointed to another door opposite the elevator. 'I don't know what's through there. I've never seen anyone come in, or out.' Then, he pointed to a hallway leading off from the left of them. 'There's more down that way, but I don't know anything about that, either.'
Marinette just nodded, then followed Adrien to a row of chairs beside the psychiatrist's door. They sat in awkward silence while they waited.
Eventually, the door opened, and a small, twitchy man emerged. He glanced at Marinette and Adrien, then darted into the elevator, pressing the buttons frantically.
Marinette raised an eyebrow after the doors closed, but Adrien pretended not to see him.
A few minutes later, another man walked out of the office. He was large, and well dressed in a business suit, but had foregone wearing a tie. His hair and beard were light brown, and carefully trimmed, his moustache waxed into curling points. Marinette guessed he was in his forties.
'Ah, Adrien, right on time. It's good to see you again,' he said, in a deep voice.
Adrien got to his feet with a grin. 'It's good to see you, too. Doctor Hugo Bonhomme, I'd like you to meet Marinette Dupain-Cheng,' he replied, indicating her with an open arm.
Marinette scrambled to her feet. 'Good afternoon.'
Hugo's eyes sharpened. 'So, you're Marinette. I've heard so much about you.'
Her gaze dropped to the floor, but not before she noticed Adrien's ears turn red.
Hugo chuckled, the sound echoing down the hallway. 'It's a pleasure to meet you, Marinette. Now, if you'll excuse us, Adrien and I must talk.'
She nodded, vigorously. 'Of course. It was nice to meet you, too.'
She slumped back into her seat after the door closed.
Adrien's appointments went for an hour, so Marinette spent the time playing with her phone, and trying not to think about what they were saying.
Finally, the door opened again, and Adrien stepped out. Marinette stood to meet him, and saw that his eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot. He greeted her with a genuine smile, though, so she didn't know how to react.
Hugo followed Adrien into the waiting room, smiling when he saw the concern on Marinette's face. He held out a hand to her.
'I'd like to thank you, and your family, for everything you've done for Adrien. He's very lucky to have you for a friend.'
Marinette smiled back, and shook his hand. 'He's a good friend, too.'
'I hope we can meet again, Marinette, it's been a pleasure. I'll see you next week, Adrien.'
'Yes, Sir.'
With a final nod, Hugo retreated back into his office.
'He seems really nice,' Marinette observed, as they left the building.
Adrien nodded. 'He is.'
She reached out to hold his hand. 'I think seeing him has done you a lot of good, too.'
'Definitely. I'd be a basket case if he weren't around.'
Marinette gave a thoughtful hum. 'I always wanted to name my son Hugo. It's such a nice name.'
Adrien coughed delicately into his free hand. 'Is that so?'
'Did you know it means bright in mind and spirit, or intelligence? I think it's an auspicious name.'
Adrien just hummed an agreement. She figured he needed some time to allow his emotions to settle, so she led him back to the metro in silence, still holding on to his hand. He squeezed her fingers in return, trusting her to guide him while he was lost in thought. Once they arrived at the metro, though, he tugged her to a halt.
'Actually, there's one more stop I have to make,' he muttered, sheepishly.
Marinette nodded, and led him to a map of the metro network, posted on the wall behind a pane of Perspex. They figured out the route they needed, then hopped on the next train.
Adrien hadn't told her an address, or the purpose of his next stop, nor did he seem inclined to talk, so Marinette silently followed his lead, still holding his hand.
They got off in a part of town which was completely unfamiliar to her. She looked around curiously at the unusually quiet streets, and sombre architecture. At the end of a long street, Adrien led her though a tall, wrought iron gate, and into a cemetery.
Wordlessly, he made his way to the more recent burial sites, winding through the necropolis on a path he knew well.
He stopped before a solid black headstone. Rounded and glossy, it protruded from the earth like a canker. Across its face, Emilie Agreste, beloved wife and mother, was engraved in bold, silver script, followed by the dates of her birth and death.
Adrien's hand slipped from her grip as he lowered himself to the ground beside the headstone.
'Mother would've hated this rock,' he told her. 'It's so stark and cold, completely unlike her. I wanted her to have a white headstone, with gold cursive, but Father never listened to me.'
Marinette sat beside him, concerned by the bitter note in his voice. She didn't know what to say, so she took his hand once more, and held it loosely in her lap.
Adrien turned to her with a rueful smile. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you.'
'Would you like a moment?' she asked, quietly.
His gaze dropped to the ground.
She squeezed his hand, then let go and stood up. 'I won't be far.'
She wandered aimlessly, looking sadly at the rows of graves. The further she walked, the older the headstones were, and more varied in shape and size. Some were nothing more than plaques embedded in the ground, while others were elaborate sculptures of angels, but many had lost their limbs over time. The most depressing ones were the graves of children, some of which were fenced in with rusted iron, like a parody of an infant's cradle.
Marinette turned away from the maudlin sight, to make her way back to Adrien. Just when she was beginning to think she'd lost him, he found her. She jumped when he tapped her on the shoulder.
Heart palpitating, she turned on him with a reproachful expression.
'Sorry,' he mumbled, but a grin tugged the corners of his lips.
Marinette gave an inelegant snort, but reached for his hand. 'Ready to go home?'
He nodded, his fingers curling around hers. 'Let's go.'
- 25
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- 27
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Redemption