Archive of Our Own ^beta

There were some days Adrien wanted to go to the store and ask for a refund on his dad. Get an exchange, maybe trade in for Amanda’s dad.

This was one of those days.

“ADRIEN!” his father shouted, practically frothing at the mouth. “Put the spoon down!”

And almost immediately, the blond went on the offensive. “Stay back, Father! I have carbs and I’m not afraid to use them! No, I’m not afraid to eat them!”

Adrien dove into his cereal with the fury of a wild animal.

“Adrien, cease this childish rebellion at once. You are an Agreste, and you must keep up appearances,” his father said sternly, walking over to the table to wrench the spoon out of his mouth. “No son of mine is going to have anything less than an admirable figure.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure an admirable figure isn’t me looking as thin as a rake,” Adrien said, feeling pretty snarky today. “I look like I could blow over in a stiff breeze! Now let me go to Marinette’s birthday party!”

“Oh, so that’s what this is about?” his father snarled. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll just get even fatter binging yourself on birthday cake.”

“Might be for the better, actually,” Adrien drawled, gesturing to his model figure. “Just a hunch.”

His father took a deep breath, and found a moment to collect himself. Sighing, he said: “Alright, alright, fine. I suppose it might be for the best. Her family is fairly famous in witch society, and it would do our family good to be seen with them.”

Adrien sighed. Well, he supposed that was as good as it was going to get. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, he decided.

-----

“And just like that, he gave you his permission?” Amanda asked, with a scoff and narrow green eyes. “What a crock of-”

Professor Finnelan peered her head out of her classroom, glaring. The redhead quickly took a step back.

“I mean, what a load of nonsense, right? It’s all because of Mari’s ‘family’ and not because she’s such a nice girl and not because she’s your friend,” Amanda said. “Once again, your father is in the running to win the worst parent of the year award.”

Here Adrien was, in Luna Nova Academy when just a few short years ago he would have been going somewhere else. It had taken some pulled teeth, but the school was now trying out the idea of being co-ed.

Needless to say, he stuck out like a sore thumb amongst his mostly female classmates.

“What's real is family,” Adrien quoted, Amanda giving him the stink eye for referencing that one dumb movie he’d made her watch with him once. “Or in this case, what’s real is building bonds between families. My father hopes I’ll marry Marinette one day, and that his rich self will get even richer.”

“I mean, don’t you want to?” Amanda drawled. “Don’t think any of us haven’t caught you scribbling ‘Adrien Dupain-Cheng’ in your notebooks.”

“Yeah…” Adrien said with a slight flush. “But not to make my father happy.”

“Who knows, act out enough and maybe he’ll disown you,” Amanda said with a shrug, only half-joking. “Just a thought. Everybody wins--well, everybody except Gabe.”

“I’m tempted,” Adrien said, only half-joking as well. 

“Oh, snap, we’d better get to class like yesterday before Professor Lukic has our heads!” Amanda said, checking her watch with her eyes nearly bugging out of her skull. “Race you!”

“Hey, you didn’t even say ‘ready set go’!” Adrien said, his voice coming out as a near-whine.

Look, he didn’t mind Amanda, not really. But sometimes the Irish girl was just a bit too wild and crazy for him.

The girl had apparently made it her life’s mission to make sure life was never boring for him at Luna Nova, having taken him in at the start of the new year. She’d seen him looking all lost, alone, and afraid upon first entering the school.

“Hey, just because you’re one of the only boys in this school doesn’t mean you should look so pathetic. Most boys I know would be jumping at this chance! Come on, show a smile, eh?”

She was going to make him meet all of her friends, let him have a ball. 

Oh, well, he was resigned to his ‘terrible’ fate.

Class passed without much incident, though Lukic still creeped him out. With her rotting teeth and beady eyes, she looked like something from his nightmares.

Then there came the explosion, and almost on instinct Adrien’s head whipped around to meet Amanda’s eyes. 

“Hey, don’t look at me! I’m just as surprised as you!” the redhead said defensively. “Okay, I swear if this is Kagari’s fault again…”

Marinette was shouting her apologies as everyone filed out of the now smoking classroom.

“I didn’t mean to, girls! I swear, my mind has been elsewhere all day and, whoops, suddenly I’m mixing the wrong things together! Boom!”

The professor for her part was laughing. “Aahahahaha! I swear, I haven’t had a kid as dramatic as you in ages! It’s been a long time since I’ve had to abandon class, wooo, suddenly I feel 20 years younger!”

“Oh, sure, when I cause an explosion I get scolded but when she does it…” Akko sighed to herself.

“You both are ridiculous,” Diana said as she walked away from the disaster zone, rubbing her forehead. “You both bring shame to our academy. Never in all of my life have I seen such inane insanity.”

Adrien swore she was actually smiling though.

“Well, I didn’t expect… Okay, then!” Marinette said, forcing a smile. “At least the Professor’s amused about my complete and total failure. I doubt the Headmistress will be quite so pleased when I’m inevitably called to her office.”

“Oh, relax girl,” said her best friend, a Creole student by the name of Alya Cesaire who worked in the school’s journalism club. “I’m sure Holbrooke will understand, she probably has to deal with accidents like this weekly.”

“Yeah!” Adrien said, shooting up in support. “And that’s all this was, an accident!”

“Hmmmm,” Amanda said from his side. “I wonder why her head was so lost in the clouds? I wonder why indeed~?”

Adrien tried to force the blush down, adjusting his tie. He was amazed it hadn’t been him who’d caused an explosion!

“Well, I suppose there’s nothing to see here, huh?” Marinette said, a little too quickly and eager to remove herself from the scene of the crime. “Just another day in the life of a witch-in-training!”

“It was awesome,” Sucy said in her usual bored, disinterested monotone. “Awesome.”

“W-Well, if you say so…” Marinette stammered before quickly bolting out of there. “Can’t believe I made such a fool of myself and-”

“Woah, okay girl, chillax.” Amanda was quick to reassure her. “No big, as I guess they say? We’ve all made an explosion or two in our lives. Sometimes we screw up.”

“I suppose, it’s just I’m still new here and I thought I’d make a great impression.” Marinette sighed. “That things would be different.”

Adrien frowned. He’d heard bits and pieces of the bluenette’s history, about how some rich girl had chased her from her old school basically. 

That as he’d gathered, she came here to make a fresh start free of any judgment. That people would think her a better witch than she was at her old school.

He wondered how much of that apparent lack of ability was only imagined.

“Well, don’t worry, you just got to give it time,” Adrien said with a reassuring smile, looking positively golden as the light filtered in through the windows. “Okay, so sure, you’re having a bad day. Everyone has those as Amanda said. I think sooner or later, you’ll come out spelling like roses.”

Marinette suppressed a groan at the pun before smiling softly, the action making Adrien’s heart skip a few beats. How he’d like to see that every day! 

“As Professor Chariot always says: never forget, a believing heart is your magic!” Adrien went on, holding up a finger like a wise old sage. “Just believe in yourself, okay?”

“It’s still so wild to think that Professor Callistis was really once Shiny Chariot,” Marinette said, still somewhat stunned by the whole thing. “Like we’re learning from her!”

Amanda, as Adrien had noticed, had ‘conveniently’ vanished. He frowned, knowing exactly what she was doing.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Marinette asked.

“What is?”

“That anyone can be a witch or a wizard, and we get the one school that holds one of the most famous magic-users of all time and it’s only now we’re just realizing that,” Marinette said. “I mean, sure most of the magical world didn’t see it that way for a long time but Shiny Chariot was an inspiration! She made people smile.”

“Who knows, maybe one day that’ll be you?” Adrien said, not even noticing how tightly he was squeezing her hand until he felt Marinette squeeze it back. “N-Not the part about the magical world thinking you’re a joke, no! What I mean is, maybe you’ll be making people smile just like Chariot!”

“I guess,” Marinette said, her shoulders slumping as she fell back into depression again. “It’s just, well, I gotta get past being a screw-up in front of everyone. Everyone’s entertained by me, sure, but for exactly the wrong reasons right now.”

“So? Show them all!” Adrien said. “Show them all your magic!”

Honestly, if he ever met her old classmates, he didn’t know what he’d do. Already, ideas for nasty curses were forming in his mind. He quickly forced the vengeful thoughts down; no, he had to be better than them.

A true wizard never took revenge.

“Thanks Adrien, I’m glad you’re here,” Marinette said. “You’re right, I need to stop feeling so sorry for myself. No true witch ever got anywhere by moping about!”

“Honestly, I’m so sorry that your ‘friends’ treated you how they did,” Adrien said, realizing too late how that might be taken.

“So that’s it?” Marinette said, whirling on him. “You think I’m an object to be pitied, is that it?”

“N-No! I don’t!” Adrien quickly said. “I’m just saying, you didn’t deserve any of that. You’re way too nice a girl to anyone to just treat you like something they’ve scraped off the bottom of their shoe.”

Marinette’s expression softened.

“I don't even know where I went wrong,” she admitted. “One day, everything was fine and the next-”

“You did nothing wrong,” Adrien reassured as they continued their walk. “If anyone was in the wrong, it was your former classmates. Now come on, what did you say? That a true witch never got anywhere by moping, is that it?”

“Y-Yeah,” Marinette said, in a stammer and a blush covering her face. “Sorry. Are… are you coming to my party later this week? I’m sorry if I have to ask, but I heard that your father… well, he-”

“Yeah, I’m coming. Dad changed his mind, if only so that I can be seen with you,” Adrien said bitterly. “Amanda said I should get myself disowned; do you think she’s right?”

“Considering what a piece of shit your father is?” Marinette scowled, ignoring Professor Finnelan’s glare. The professor had overheard them, and was peering out of her classroom. “Honestly, I can’t see how it wouldn’t improve your situation.”

“So rebelling it is then,” Adrien said, an almost cat-like grin coming over him. “Nice to know.”

“You know, if it were anyone else I’d have to say I disapprove, but well-”

“I’m a special case?” Adrien said, impishly causing Marinette to swat at him. A far cry from the insecure mess she had been a few minutes ago.

“Careful, I think I can see your head swelling from that ego of yours, Agreste,” she teased. “I just don’t like to see my friends suffer, that’s all.”

“He used to be different, you know,” Adrien said with a sigh as they continued to walk back to their dorms. “Before my mom passed, he used to be so full of life. Now though…”

“Now though he’s a terrible person, I don’t care what excuse he justifies his actions with. Grief or not, he’s going to end up losing you anyways with how terrible of a person he’s become,” Marinette said, her lips a thin line. “No wizard worth his salt treats his own son this way.”

“Wow…” Adrien said, in a breathy whisper. This was why he was crushing so hard on her, she was one of the few who dared to say what they really thought of his father. Not even worrying about the repercussions.

“I only speak the truth,” Marinette said before spotting her friend waving her over. “Ooooh, there’s Alya! Catch you later!”

As she dashed off, Amanda finally returned.

“So, you two looked like you were getting closer…” she said, green eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Shut up…”

-----

“Now Adrien, you must show up dressed properly, you cannot underdress. You must show yourself to be a wizard of refined and exquisite taste,” his father had said. “You are representing my family. Our family.”

Yes, ‘my’ family. Adrien had heard his father’s slip-up. He always liked to emphasize that he was in charge.

“Maybe I should just show up wearing the ugliest suit possible,” the blond said to himself as he strode into the clothing store. “Just to piss him off.”

“No, it’s not worth it,” Diana said to him, having offered to help pick something out before he made a mistake. “I know you and Amanda think getting yourself disowned is a good idea, but it’s not. Don’t be an idiot. One day, and I know you don’t like thinking about it, your father’s wealth may come in handy.”

“Yeah, but at what cost?” Adrien snarked. “Being on my father’s leash forever?”

“It won’t be forever, you’ll be of age soon. I know you hate your father and everything he stands for, justifiably so, but you’ll have to support yourself one day,” Diana said. “Don’t listen to Amanda, she only thinks she knows what she’s talking about.”

“I know, but I hate having to owe my father anything. It just makes me sick thinking about it,” Adrien said, with a sigh as he looked through some of the more expensive suits. “I’m lucky I managed to talk him into letting me pick my own suit. To show I’m my own man, and I can be responsible, I told him.”

“And yet you wanted to pick out the ugliest thing possible just to spite him,” Diana returned. “Yes, you’re the spitting image of personal responsibility.”

“I like to live life on the edge,” Adrien said with a cat-like smile.

“Please don’t, you freak us all out when you do. I can see why you like Marinette though,” the heiress said with a sigh and a shake of her head, the only way that a -if only adoptive- sister could. “You’re both idiots half of the time.”

Was he really that obvious?

Could everyone in the school see it?

“Honestly, you could do worse,” Diana said in appraisal, and from her, that was about the biggest seal of approval that you could get. “At least you didn’t go after Hannah or Barbara. I think I would have to show actual concern for you if you did.”

“You mean you’re not concerned for me now?” Adrien said teasingly.

“No, I’m just making sure you don’t do anything stupid,” Diana said before looking at a crimson, almost Victorian number. “This one, I think. It’s not anything too extravagant, but it’s not like you’re going to a debutante ball.”

Adrien felt the linings, and smiled, remembering the red of Marinette’s hair ties. “It’s my favorite color.”

“Yes, you’re being exceptionally obvious right now,” Diana said. “You do have it bad and it’s going to make me sick the closer I stand to you. You don’t even need to be stung with a bee, or maybe you do.”

Adrien gave her a confused look, looking far stupider than he actually meant to.

“Well, it’d give you the courage to finally confess, wouldn’t it?” Diana said. “Seeing you look at Marinette like a lost puppy is truly disgusting at times.”

“But not all of the time?” Adrien snarked, seizing his chance.

“Oh, hush. Just go and try this on,” Diana sniffed. “I’ll go pay.”

-----

Adrien almost stopped himself walking in the door, suddenly feeling very nervous with a package under his arm. He was here, this was Marinette’s house. So just walk in, he told himself.

Well, house may not have been the operative word. It was more like a manor, nothing he hadn’t seen before but was still somehow intimidating.

Maybe it was because of who lived there.

He could hear a voice, sounding a lot like Amanda in his head. Just go in, you idiot! It’s Marinette! Honestly, you’re truly pathetic at times.

Nope, wait, it sounded like Diana now.

Well, they would both probably be saying the same thing. Amanda might just shove him through the door herself.

“You made it!” Alya cried as soon as he walked in. “Honestly, we were getting worried. We didn’t think you’d even show! I told my girl, just wait, you’ll show up soon. And lo and behold…”

“I’d hate to disappoint,” Adrien said with his best winning smile.

“Is your father with you?” Alya asked, somewhat concerned as she peered out the door. “Okay, good, he isn’t. I was half-expecting him to come with you. It’s like you can’t go anywhere without that man following.”

“No, I think my father thinks I’m the only person necessary to represent my family. You can’t pull him out of his office these days,” Adrien said with a chuckle. “Something I’m kind of grateful for really.”

Alya’s nose wrinkled. “Ugh, once again your father shows what a flaming piece of garbage he is. He sees you like a chess piece!”

“Don’t worry, in a few years I’ll be taking myself off the board,” Adrien said. “Just two more years, and that’s all.”

“Duuuuuuudeette!” Amanda cried as she crashed through the entryway like a whirlwind. Oh, yeah, Adrien thought he’d heard the sound of a broom crashing. “Up top! Mari’s going to have the best birthday that there’s ever been! Honestly, blondie here didn’t need to buy anything, he’s enough of a present!”

Adrien flushed. “I wouldn’t feel right turning up without a gift.”

“Marinette would still smile either way." Amanda laughed. “Present or no present.”

Indeed, Marinette did seem to be smiling at the sight of him as they joined her out back. Jaunty music played from a nearby record player, all of the latest pop songs reaching Adrien’s ear.

“Adrien!” she practically shrieked, hugging him tightly. “You came!”

“Everyone seems so shocked that I would. You all suck, you know that, right?” Adrien said in perfect deadpan, though obviously his insult had no real bite to it.

“Love you, too!” Amanda said, flipping him off.

“Still, I’m so happy you came. It wouldn’t be a party without my be-” Marinette started, before seeing the ‘look’ that Alya was giving her. “Sorry, my second best friend. I have to say that otherwise, Alya’s probably going to jinx me. Or you.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s worth ten of me,” Adrien complimented, kissing Marinette’s hand. “She’s there for you when I’m not.”

“Oh, hush, you don’t give yourself nearly enough credit,” Marinette said with a blush, shoving him away. 

“Oh, my, how the moods change!” Adrien said in a teasing tone. “First you love me, then you hate me! You see this, Amanda? She can’t make up her mind!”

“I know I can, you’re both going to make me sick,” the redhead said with a very distinct roll of her eyes. “Excuse me, I’m going to go find something else to do so I at least don’t have to listen to all of this flirting. You’re both disasters, both of you.”

“R-R-Right,” Marinette stammered out before running a hand down Adrien’s suit. “Ooooh, it’s very nice. I assume Diana picked it out for you?”

“How do you know it’s Diana?” Adrien asked. “I could have chosen it myself!”

“No, I know it’s Diana’s work because if you picked anything out it would be as ostentatious as possible, “ Marinette said. “Terrible on purpose.”

“Got me there I suppose!”

Okay, in all honestly, Adrien would admit he looked kinda dashing. He was wearing a tailcoat, with the lapels and cuffs lined with golden fabric, and under all that, a prim and proper coal-black waistcoat with silver buttons, a little silver chain at the bottom.

Honestly, if his father were here, he might almost approve.

“Still, glad we dodged that bullet. You look nice, I approve,” Marinette said. “Honestly, right now I’m trying to think of what I could add to it, and honestly I’m coming up with nothing. So victory!”

Marinette, he knew, wanted to be a fashion designer as well as a famous witch. She never did anything by halves. 

Makes me feel a bit inferior honestly. Like, I don’t even know what I want to do with my life beyond getting free of my father, Adrien privately admitted to himself. I suppose supporting Marinette is somewhere in the cards, but what else? I want to have my own life as well, something beyond that.

“You okay? You look a bit down? I know your father’s terrible and all, and that he’s only letting you be here because it represents his family but-”

“Sorry, it’s just, well I’ve been thinking,” Adrien admitted as they mingled with the rest of the guests. “Like where do I go from here? After I turn eighteen, I mean? I want to have my own life, something my father didn’t choose for me that will ‘reflect on the family’ and whenever I think about what it is, I… I just come up empty.”

“Oh…” Marinette said. “I-I see, yeah I guess I haven’t really thought about it either. Like I know what I want to do, I guess I just never considered what you might want to do with your life.”

“You? You’re thinking about me?” Adrien asked, stunned.

“Of course I am, you doofus. I’m your friend!” Marinette said, smacking his arm as they found a bench away from all of it. “It’s just, well whenever I look at you, I feel well inspired actually.”

“R-Really?” Adrien continued to stammer, hardly able to believe his ears.

“Yeah, I do!” Marinette said with a little nod. “You’re always so confident and it’s like you know what you want to do at any given moment. You’re a fantastic wizard and it makes me want to be a better witch!”

Adrien’s face felt hot at this.

“So hearing you admit to being just as lost as I am…” Marinette trailed off.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Adrien said. “Burst your bubble and all that.”

“No no, it’s actually kinda the exact opposite,” Marinette said, gripping his hand. “It makes me feel better actually because now I know you’re more, well, human really. That you’re not on a pedestal and that I can relate to you more.”

“Oh,” he said, dumbly, because what else could he say?

“So, thanks I guess?” Marinette said with a shrug of her shoulders, before resting her head on his. 

They stayed there for a bit, just enjoying each other’s company.

“We… we should probably get back to the party,” Adrien said after a few minutes of silence. “People are probably wondering what happened to us, they might think we’ve snuck off to make out or something.”

Marinette let out a cute little ‘eep’ realizing he was probably right, and couldn’t get to her feet fast enough.

“I’m glad you said all of that to me though,” she did say, however. “I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

“I guess Amanda’s right; we’re both disasters,” Adrien said. “We really don’t know what to do with ourselves.”

“Says you! I got my whole life planned out!” Marinette said, poking him in the chest. “First, Luna Nova. Tomorrow the world! All will be in awe and amazed by my magical prowess!”

Yeah, okay, he liked this new confident Marinette. The one who wanted to challenge the world.

Can’t say I won’t mind being by her side every step of the way, Adrien thought. Maybe for now we’re just friends and I’m okay with that. It doesn’t have to happen in an instant.

“Cocky!”

“Hey, you have yourself to blame. You believed in my believing heart,” Marinette said. “You think I’m going to be a great witch, so I have to prove you right. I refuse to let my worries and doubts hold me back.”

Huh, Amanda was right. (As ever.) Looks like all Marinette wanted as a present was for him to be there.

“Well, I can’t exactly be lagging behind then. Fine, if you want to be a great witch, I guess I’ll just have to race you to the top,” Adrien said with a wily smirk.

“Oh please, bring it on. Girls rule, and boys just drool,” Marinette said childishly sticking out her tongue. “But if you think you can beat me, bring it on. But witches before wizards!”

“You’re on!”

Yes, Adrien thought to himself. He could stand being by Marinette’s side; she brought out the best in him after all! She must have the magic touch!