LadyBugOut AU (Snippets)

Summary:
Adrien goes home after getting his ring taken.

Chapter Text
Adrien knew the feeling of being numb. After being disappointed so often by his father and the ragged schedule known as his life, Adrien began to expect things to not go his way. At the same time, getting numb got tiring after a while and he just let himself be upset instead.

But this? This was not something he expected, and the numbness had come right back. As he got lost multiple times, struggling to find his way home from where he'd been, all he could feel was the faint wind against his face and the phantom presence of something on his right hand that he dared not to investigate.

Deep down, he knew there was nothing there, so he didn't bother looking.

After what felt like an hour (maybe more), he arrived at his house and realized yet another issue he had to face: there was no way he could sneak back inside now.

If he'd been paying more attention while weighing his options, he would've noticed the camera watching him.

"Adrien!"

The voice made Adrien go stiff, briefly startled out of his numb state. He turned towards the camera, unable to see who was on the other end but unfortunately recognizing the voice.

"What do you think you're doing out there?!" Gabriel asked, his voice tense and angry. "Do you have any idea how late it is?!"

Honestly, he didn't.

There was the sound of Gabriel huffing, followed by the sound of tapping keys. "Come in immediately and see me in my office."

The gates to the mansion opened, Adrien begrudgingly trudging past them to go inside. Each step felt heavy and uneven, like he could fall over at any moment.

Nathalie opened the doors for him as soon as he arrived in front of them. She looked down at him disapprovingly, saying nothing but clearly knowing that Adrien was in for an earful.

Adrien looked up towards his room, noting Gorilla standing in front of the door. He looked tired, and Adrien could only reason that it must've been very late and he'd been keeping them up with his absence.

Silently, he walked into Gabriel's office, where Gabriel was standing quietly behind his desk, his back facing the portrait of Emilie. His monitor was clearly lit up, even though Adrien couldn't see what was on it. If Adrien had been a little more aware of himself and his own surroundings, he might've found it strange.

"Where have you been?" Gabriel asked coldly.

Adrien blinked, his usual posture traded out in exchange for being pathetically hunched over. He could only give a half-hearted shrug in response to Gabriel's question because, really, he'd been everywhere.

Gabriel's gaze sharpened at the "attitude" Adrien was giving him. He eyed Adrien up and down, then continued, "You've been sneaking out ever since you've been going to that school, and don't think I haven't heard about the things that have happened there. Will it be necessary to take you out?"

"...No," Adrien replied, though it actually took him a moment to think about it.

"No?" Gabriel echoed. "So you've finally realized that this behavior is doing nothing for you? After going behind my back multiple times to bring shame to the Agreste name, you've noticed how pointless it all is?"

Adrien had no response for him. Gabriel glared, obviously frustrated that Adrien had shut down in front of him and seemed insistent on staying quiet.

"Very well." Gabriel turned away. "Go. You're lucky you don't have any photoshoots in the near future, as I'm sure you won't get your standard amount of sleep."