geophile | cerealia

No... I'm sure your disguise works just fine. I'm not one to brag, but I am quite perceptive.

[ he chuckles softly, finally wrapping his head around everything in front of him. he still has questions, yes, but they can wait until adrien has said everything he wants to. ]

[ ... goodness. well. it isn't like adrien can argue that. if he had to name someone who would be very hard to keep secrets from, the first name to come to mind would be steven's.

but. still. chat... adrien remains standing, finding this entire situation both somewhat anticlimactic but not and still kind of nerve-wracking and he's not sure what to say now that he's made it this far and he has to continue past steven basically saying "huh well what do you know i was right".

so he slips back into his chair and sits. ]

... You're amazing, Steven.

[ wait. no, this isn't fanboy time. ]

—This is... going way differently than I planned it in my head.

[ he's. all over the place. this is his first time telling this big, big secret, like he'd said, and it certainly shows. he pauses again. ]

So... I'm Chat Noir? [ ....................... maybe he should just blame the sleep deprivation. ] You... can ask questions, if you want. I think it'll probably help me explain...

[ or just actually have a coherent thought process. ]

Now, now... There's no need to flatter me for being observant.

[ if he wasn't used to hearing things like that, he'd be blushing by now. but compliments do come with being champion, so he's learned how to accept them humbly and in stride. ]

I do have a few, but only one really feels as if it begs urgency to be asked.

[ haha. adrien can only offer steven a small smile at the mention of flattery, though he was really only being honest. he's... taking it all in stride, despite perhaps a few hiccups, and it's. something else.

but, one urgent question... huh. adrien tilts his head curiously. ]

What is it?

[ there's another pause as he thinks about his words, wanting to articulate his question properly. finally remembering his tea again, he takes a sip. ]

When I speak with Adrien Agreste, I see a reserved, careful young man that doesn't rock the boat. He's shy, but also kind - someone that has a strong sense of duty that wouldn't hesitate to help someone in need.

[ another pause. ]

I see something similar to that when I speak with Chat Noir, but with completely different supporting qualities. He's fast-talking, carefree, and a little reckless... perhaps to a fault, at times. But that doesn't take away from that same base line of wanting to help others, no matter what.

[ and another pause, but this time he looks to adrien head-on. ]

I want to be able to understand you a little better, so my question is this: which of these is the real "you"?

Edited (IM REPEATING MYSELF) 2016-03-04 17:34 (UTC)

[ ... despite there being a lot of questions that adrien was expecting, the one that steven asks isn't one of them. it catches him off-guard... obviously, from the way he just. looks at steven inquisitively, then off to the side, as if the response somehow sat there.

what is he supposed to say to that? ]

You aren't going to ask "why a cat?" instead?

[ pft. honestly, he both had and hadn't thought about it much. it wasn't as if chat was a front, and it wasn't as if adrien was one either. it was just... different circumstances, and a different reception and expectation towards how he should act.

it's not really a question he knows how to answer, not elegantly or easily. a question he never really expected to have to answer. in hindsight, however, shouldn't he have seen this coming? he's aware he's completely different as chat, and that's on purpose. but it isn't like he's ever... pretending, either.

but it's also such... silly thing, bundled in insecurity, and he isn't sure if he really wants to show that to someone. but if he's going to talk about that, to tell someone, it would be okay if that someone was steven, wouldn't it? ]

It's... complicated. There's lots I can't say or do as Adrien... and Chat's my chance to try something different. To do things I want and say things I want, see if... that's okay. [ "i'm shy and homeschooled and it's easier to be way more confident and build up some self-esteem when you can destroy anything with a touch and scale a building?" ] ... It's kinda... I wasn't even allowed outside until a couple of months ago.

[ and that's sad and weird and. it isn't like he'd ever had a chance to really figure things out beyond just what his father set out for him.

maybe he'd like to be like chat all the time, but he isn't and he can't and he isn't sure. he's both? ]

I'm afraid not.

[ sorry little guy, he asks the hard-hitting philosophical questions. while he hopes that he's not prying too much, this really is something he wants to know. if adrien was putting all of his cards on the table, then steven wants a little more detail.

he listens carefully to his words, reflecting on them. chat noir is an alter ego in every sense of the word... but as he continues on, it makes more and more sense, especially from steven's perspective. he thinks back to the stricter regime and responsibilities he was saddled with before he even left on his journey. it's tough, and you're always wondering what you would be like - what life would be like, if only you could do something else.

steven's escape was pokemon training; adrien's is chat noir. they're both children of unusual circumstance, and their upbringings are still a part of them, even if it isn't always visible. ]

I see. I think that's a valid answer... and the one I probably should have expected.

[ adrien's aware that steven understands the situation he'd gone through growing up, given he'd gone through the same thing, but. at the same time, he'd always seemed so confident and certain that adrien wasn't sure if he'd ever hesitated over trying to figure out who he was beyond the rigid outline he'd presumably just had to fill in, given their similar backgrounds. chloé never seemed to be one to think over that, after all. then again, chloé was just... different.

the cat ears flatten on top of his head unconsciously, and then he decides to just ask. ]

... Did you go through that?

[ escaping and hesitating and thinking too much about the stuff that should be pretty obvious? he... supposes?

steven said he'd wanted to understand adrien better (and that's... nice, honestly, that someone would want to), and the reverse is the same for adrien as well. he wants to understand steven better as well. ]

I was far more lacking in a catsuit... but yes. I suppose I did.

[ while his father wasn't as strict, whether he realized it or not, he had tied steven down to a future as devon's heir from an early age. it had taken an immense amount of convincing to let him travel and take on hoenn's pokémon league challenge, and when his father had said yes... it felt liberating.

was it a silent form of rebellion with a new goal in mind? maybe. but, as they do, steven's pokémon journey helped him to grow and realize his place in the world - who he was, and what he wanted to do. ]

It'd be kind of scary if you had the catsuit on top of everything else.

[ "everything else". he already finds that steven gets it far more than a lot of people. even without the fact he's trying — just that would be enough; add in a catsuit and it would get to be Too Much. that's just the joke, and his smile is tentative, yet light.

... though honestly, it's still difficult to imagine steven ever being little steven, but that's a little silly.

he stares into his tea a little before he takes another sip. genuinely: ]

If I can figure things out like you did, I think that'd be nice.

Let's keep that thought out of mind.

[ he sure will be. expensive suits >>>>> being a furry, thank you, goodbye. but he's glad to see that adrien is smiling again, even if it is small. ]

It comes with time and life experience. You're a smart young man - you'll be able to find your way.

[ steven you're 25 stop talking like you're 92 ]

[ why you gotta be so rude. and why you gotta be so old, too.

but. if steven's saying that, he can latch on to that and take it as an honest statement. he doesn't often get compliments like that... especially not from the people he wants to hear them from. ]

You sound like a sage when you say stuff like that. [ adrien?? anime sage. yet, judging from his tone, it's pretty obvious to hear that he really did take those words to heart. ] ... Thanks.

[ and he's actually feeling kind of "oh. how do i take this." about it now. looks like steven gets the honor of being one of the two people to render chat noir a ???? mess. ah. yes, right. there's still other things to say and other topics to cover and— ]

Did I answer your first question okay? You had other ones, right?

[ sorry your dad sucks / being rich is difficult / how do i haiku ]

I prefer "wise beyond my years", but thank you as well.

[ adrien seems much more relaxed than he did when he came in, which relieves steven as well. for such a strange topic, this little reveal seems to have gone quite well. with his main question answered, they can move onto more lighthearted topics. ]

Mm. I'm satisfied. [ a pause for a sip of tea... and a smile. ] As for the others... let's start with what you do as Chat Noir. I'm sure that jumping around buildings for fun isn't how you spend your free time.

[ at least, he hopes it isn't. ]

[ crawling in my skin. these bill$$$ they will not heal. ]

You found me out.

[ definitely more relaxed. there's still a lot of uncertainties around the whole thing of telling steven, mostly how he'll relay this to ladybug when (when, he thinks) she gets here, but... he felt he had to tell at least this one person here, and he hopes she understands.

speaking of ladybug... ]

I'm a superhero. So, I save the city where I'm from when it's in danger. [ more carefully: ] Well... Me and someone else.

[ so, no, not jumping around buildings for fun. ]

[ if he'll allow him to put in a good word for himself, he'd be glad to try and convince her that he's worthy of her trust. if she's anything like adrien is, then he's sure that he'll see good things in her. ]

So you have a partner in crime-fighting... What are they like?

[ is your life a cats x mcu crossover, adrien? inquiring minds want to know. ]

[ just kidding i hate shakespeare. it's a little hard to talk about her after the kind of confirmation that the flamines story is real, but it's okay. he's here. she'll end up here too.

it's not hard at all to pick up on the way he suddenly seems incredibly distracted, as if trying to find the perfect words. or maybe he seems more like the protagonist of a shoujo manga. one or the other. probably both. ]

She's... really smart. The smartest girl I know.

[ ... ]

Kind, brave. Reliable, selfless and— [ ah. ] —amazing. You'd like her a lot. I mean, Paris loves her—

[ and, obviously, so does he.

don't ramble, kid. ]

[ ah... yup, he's definitely picking up on that. steven is by no means an expert on romance, but it's clear from adrien's tone that the fondness that he speaks about this girl with is a little stronger than just admiration. he's called him amazing before, but the way he calls her amazing has a whole different connotation.

it's cute, anyway. ]

I see... She sounds like the ideal person to have fighting by your side. I'm sure you two make quite the team.

... Yeah.

[ sometimes he feels like she could probably do it all on her own, but they do make a great team and he won't ever deny that.

he pauses, then adds: ]

She's... a big part of the reason why I wanted to keep this secret, even here. Some things everyone knows back home, but... not the kwami, and my identity... We never even shared this with each other, and that was her choice.

[ he is betraying her trust here. he's aware of that. but he's also made his choice, and he'll deal with that after. adrien just wants to let steven know of the circumstances. ]

I would've asked her first.

...Then are you certain that you're all right with me knowing all of this?

[ it's not like anything adrien said can be taken back... but if this partner is as important to him as he describes her to be, he'll excuse himself from the situation before he becomes even more involved. he has an obligation to do that if adrien has regrets. ]

[ ... mm. with a pause that isn't... hesitation, but more like a final mental confirmation of what he's doing, adrien nods. ]

I scratched my head about this a lot already.

[ there was no way he wouldn't, because ladybug's trust was that important. he wouldn't ever begin this confession without being certain, at least instinctively, that he wouldn't regret a word he's told to him. yes, ladybug's trust is important. so is steven's. he's... important.

the situation they're in is big, too. adrien's not certain he can handle it alone, not like he has been. ]

When I see her again, I'll be honest.

[ whether it be here, or if they fix this before she gets here... he'll do the right thing. ]

Yeah. Like I felt I needed to be with you, too. [ this is fine. he's said it. ] Just... if you meet her, don't tell her you know until I do, okay?

[ to be entrusted with such a secret... something about it makes steven feel a little warm. his serious expression softens into an understanding smile, placing a hand over his chest almost like a pledge. ]

You have my word. Though if it's all right with you... when she arrives here, I'd like to meet her.

[ "whenshe arrives". he talks about it as if it's an inevitability - a reassurance to adrien that he'll see her again. he hopes it's true for his sake, but his own curiousity has made him want to see what she's like, too. he's always been fascinated with people who possess admirable qualities (superhuman or not), and this "ladybug" seems to fit the bill. ]

Edited 2016-03-07 17:41 (UTC)

[ adrien doesn't miss that indirect reassurance. it's for things like that that he's gotten to this point; that he feels comfortable enough with steven to feel like he can trust him with something like this. the corners of his lips twitch just the slightest, and his own smile grows. ]

There's no way I wouldn't introduce you guys. [ two people he thinks very highly of need to meet each other, obviously, so they can both see how cool they are. ] Like I said, I know you'll like her... and I know she'll like you too.

[ maybe it'll be a little awkward at first because of the information he's given steven, but... he knows. ]

I'll take your word for it.

[ he's got high expectations for her now, but he doubts that she won't be able to meet them. if she's anything like adrien is, he knows that she'll be more than admirable. ]

Let's move on, then. I'm not too familiar with the "rules" of superheroism, but would it be a stretch to say you have some sort of power?

[ as he asks, aron will waddle to his side of the table to try and reach for his bell with a stubby leg. it looks shiny... can she eat it? please let her eat it. ]

[ no, aron, don't eat his cool fashion accessory... but adrien will lean forward a tad, wondering idly what she's reaching for, looking up at steven when he responds.

with a nod: ]

It'd be a really good guess. [ does he sound a little proud? maybe. ] I'd... show you what it is, but "destroy anything with a touch" makes for a pretty not-pretty demonstration.

[ you know, just a bit. ]

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geophile - 2016-03-15 15:30 (UTC) - Expand

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