Outside
Adrien woke up to the sound of this alarm. Every day had been the same, Chinese, fencing, piano, homeschooling. Sometimes Chloe came to visit. Other times it would be Kagami and her mother. Adrien knew he was isolated. He knew that he did not know the real world. He wanted to see.
Adrien ran downstairs in record time, fully ready for his first real day of school. His goal was to sneak out without alerting his father. Natalie would drop by his room at 6:30 am, meaning he only had fifteen minutes to get out of the house. He peeked out of his room, looked around, and made a run for it. The sun beat down on him, a light breeze ruffled his hair, numerous scents wafted towards him. Both voices had receded a long time ago. Adrien only felt the rush of running through the city he had been in his entire life but never seen. He finally slowed down to the smell of chouquettes. Freshly out of the oven. Looking around, he realised that he was lost. The buildings looked unfamiliar. It was only then that Adrien realised that he had no idea where the school was. Wandering around embarrassed, he decided to follow the aroma. He had skipped breakfast, after all.
A moment later, the bell above the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie door tinkled. A small Chinese woman with jet black hair at the cash register smiled at Adrien before handing another customer their items.
Adrien slowly walked to the counter as the only other customer left. Gathering his wits, he decided to test his social skills.
“Ni hao, wo shi Adrien,” he began, speaking fluently in Chinese.
The woman seemed confused for a moment. Then she chuckled softly.
“Your Mandarin is very good, is it an elective subject in school?”
Adrien, slightly embarrassed, smiled and shook his head.
“Actually, I’ve never been to school before, today is my first day. I’m going to Collège Françoise Dupont,” he admitted.
The woman was briefly taken aback. Such an educated, well mannered young gentleman, yet he had never been to school. She was intrigued, but smiled kindly.
“Well, can I help you with anything in the bakery?”
A loud crash from the floor above interrupted them. Both Adrien and the woman were startled. The next moment, a man called out from somewhere upstairs.
“Sabine! Marinette overslept!”
The woman, Sabine, sighed and shook her head with a smile. Adrien blinked and startled when he saw Sabine on the other end of the counter, collecting macaroons and rapidly filing them into a container with exquisite precision. The next instant, she had placed them on the end of the counter near the door leading to the back. As if on cue, chaotic footsteps tumbled down from the floor above and the door flew open. The girl was the same age as Adrien. She had her Sabine’s hair and eyes, but clearly lacked the grace. Sabine had reassumed her position behind the counter by the time her daughter picked up the box of macaroons.
“Marinette!”
The girl stopped, croissant in mouth, and turned to look at her mother. It was only then that Adrien got a better look at her. Big, bluebelle eyes, midnight blue hair in pigtails secured by red ribbons, fair cheeks. Adrien felt a hand on his shoulder. Sabine addressed them both.
“Could you help this young gentleman? He’s in your class this year. Why don’t you show him the way to school?”
Bluebelle eyes met with Adrien’s striking emerald.
She put the macaroons inside her backpack and swallowed the bite of croissant. A blush crept up her cheeks as she fumbled to compose herself. Giving him a smile, she extended her free hand.
“I’m Marinette.”
“Adrien. Pleasure to meet you,” Adrien smiled back, shaking her hand. He turned to Sabine. “I’ll take a bag of chouquettes, please.”
The scents of the bakery faded gradually as Adrien and Marinette walked to the school,
“Your Mandarin is so much better than mine. Which tutor do you go to?”
“I have private tutors. My father said it’s not safe for me to be mingling with people.”
Marinette finished her croissant and looked at him confused.
“Why wouldn’t it be safe?”
Adrien hesitated for a moment, then looked around. Soon, he spotted it. Marinette followed his gaze. An advertisement for the Agreste fashion brand. With his face on it.
“You... you’re Adrien Agreste...” she whispered in awe.
She couldn’t read his expression anymore. His emerald eyes were unfocused, looking at nothing but the middle distance ahead. Something clouding his thoughts.
Something small abruptly crossed their path. Marinette yelped and jumped back, causing Adrien to do the same. To their relief, it was only a black and orange butterfly.
“It’s just a butterfly,” Adrien chuckled.
He looked at his side to see Marinette loosen herself from his arm, her face pinker than before. Concern caught him off guard.
“Marinette! Are you okay?”
Adrien gently laid his hand on her forehead. The sudden touch sent mixed jolts through Marinette. She leapt back in shock.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she sputtered.
Adrien, flustered, awkwardly retracted his hand.
“I thought you had a fever. I’m sorry if I scared you,” he mumbled apologetically.
A twinge of guilt came over Marinette as she realised that he was truly sorry.
“It’s alright. Thank you for checking,” she said as she smiled.
Adrien still didn’t make eye contact with her.
“I really am sorry. This is my first time out of home on my own. I’ve been homeschooled up until today,” he murmured. He looked up slowly, only to see the same look on Marinette's face as he had seen on her mother's. Intrigue. Then came the gentle smile.
"Let's have a great first day of school then," Marinette said, leading him up the steps of Collège Françoise Dupont.
Gabriel looked at the elaborate double doors Adrien had just slipped out through. He approached them and laid a hand on the composite material. The sound of heels clicking against marble followed him.
“We couldn’t stop him,” Natalie said apologetically.
“I’ll just have to be more careful,” Gabriel told himself.
No more was said as the man retreated into his office to the left of the foyer. Natalie sighed before taking up her post at the desk outside. Her computer unlocked using her fingerprint as it always did. On the desktop, a woman with a slender face, green eyes and blonde hair softly gazed back. Gabriel was looking at the same woman in the large painting that adorned the wall behind his desk in his office. She was dressed in a multitude of uniquely shaped gold pieces constituting her gown. Gabriel swiftly pushed down on a select combination of triangles on the woman’s dress, activating buttons. Natalie continued her work in the following silence.
