geophile | cerealia

[ why would he choose not to, though? this is something adrien feels like he needs to share, so he'll gladly lend his ear. it's kept to himself, but he does feel quite honoured that adrien is comfortable enough to share something that apparently would have dire consequences in his world. ]

Still, it sounds like something very important to you.

[ he'll make an attempt to understand, even if its not something he's familiar with. ]

It is.

[ he says this without any hint of hesitation or nervousness, because it is. saving paris, ladybug, getting an opportunity to slip out of his oppressive routine and... well. there was just no way that he'd ever regret meeting plagg and taking up the miraculous.

so, steven's choosing to continue to hear. the tension in adrien's shoulders relaxes, somewhat, as he slowly unravels what he's planning to say.

second. er, second... ]

... I feel like I'm a lot more useful with this. Especially when it comes to all of... the dangerous stuff. [ is he stalling? kind of. but now that he's telling the truth, all of the little things he wants to say are just coming up. ] I trust you, and... I want you to rely on me too, which is why I'm being honest.

[ he knows the sentiment of responsibility well - it's not in his job description as champion to protect hoenn and its inhabitants, but he sees it as his duty. while he doesn't do it in a suit and mask, he can respect those who take on a burden like that.

he drops a sugar cube into his tea, stirring it gently and idly as he listens. ]

I'm honoured that you trust me enough to confide in me. [ take it one step at a time, adrien. he's not going anywhere, remember? ] And for what it's worth, I trust you as well.

[ right, steven isn't going anywhere, but his mind is going all over the place. at least hearing that he's trusted as much as he trusts helps ground him—those are always words he aims for, and to get them from steven is... nice. that he's even gotten to the point where he feels he can... admit something like this to someone is nice.

he'd always thought ladybug would be the first to hear this, but... he feels he should tell steven with the way things stand now. he wants to tell steven. ]

... It's hard not to trust you. [ or confide in him, for that matter, since he just gave off that... dependable air. like ladybug, almost, but different. ] ... So, thanks. That means a lot.

[ adrien resolves himself.

he exhales. ducks his head a bit, sorts out the nerves, then says: ]

Okay... I don't think you'd ever freak out, but— [ don't. ] Remember that someone else I said I'd be bringing along?

[ cue the kwami who had been asking himself more and more "HOW MUCH LONGER" mentally. yes, at the end of that little question, plagg's head will be peeking through the top of adrien's hair with a huff. there's a second where he just stares carefully at steven, humming thoughtfully, before he floats out to hover near his face after a stretch.

adrien is understandably smiling a little self-consciously, gauging the trainer's reaction to his... um, miniature companion who is not quite pokémon like. there really was no non-subtle way to reveal him. trust him, he'd gone through about five different "REVEALING PLAGG" plans until he just settled on the Just Tell Him Straight-up Route. ]

Finally! I thought I was gonna be in there for aaaages.

Meet Plagg.

[ surprise! ]

[ looks like that tea is going untouched for the next little while, because steven sure wasn't expecting that. by "someone else", he thought adrien was alluding to his own alter ego - this is taking him completely by surprise, and the wonder in his expression clearly demonstrates that. he isn't "freaking out", but he's positively intrigued.

beldum and aron also perk up, but its the former that takes the plunge and floats close to plagg. you're that weird friend it made behind the sofa! long time no see!!! ]

That's... [ how do you even describe something like that? and it talks! ] Not a Pokémon, but something else entirely...?

[ he's half musing to himself, half asking an actual question. wtf, agreste. ]

[ wtf agreste is right. while steven lets that sink in and leave his tea to suffer alone, adrien's going to finally set up his own. honey... sugar... sweet as he can get it, honestly. this is one part of the "oh." he has to say tonight, and the fact he doesn't have steven running out the door screaming is... one part of his worst thoughts gone. not that he ever thought steven would.

while adrien sips his tea, plagg's filling in. ]

Hey, Beldum. Don't get comfortable — I didn't forget about that one time you didn't smuggle some tarts for me.

[ to the pokémon, as it comes closer. plagg floats back a bit, then throws his attention onto steven, crossing his arms. ]

And I didn't forget about that one time you ate my tarts. Something else, huh?

[ okay, that's enough tea sipping. better move in before plagg blunt-statements them both out of steven's apartment. ]

Plagg, be nice.

[ mumbled with a sigh, before he looks at steven. ]

Not a Pokémon. [ adrien doesn't need to confirm it, of course, but he does regardless. it isn't like he knows all about plagg, and he's certain that plagg's not going to... explain all of it beyond what he needs to, so he'll fill in what he can. ] He's a kwami.

[ just the name probably doesn't explain much. adrien's looking at plagg for help here, to try and make this understandable.

and of course, plagg simply shrugs. yep. no assistance. ]

Like... a magical fairy?

[ ........ yes? ]

[ now see when he thinks fairies, he thinks fairy-types. flabébé, carbink, all those adorable little guys... not that plagg, isn't cute, but from the way adrien speaks to him, he may not be the best behaved.

but steven won't hold that against him, of course. beldum doesn't seem too concerned either - it wasn't about to be a thief, even for a new friend! ]

So he's a companion of sorts. I think I can understand that.

[ not sure how that connects to what he had in mind, but okay! we're getting somewhere... and he'll continue with addressing plagg. ]

I don't think it would be out of the question to assume that you made the noise I heard that day, is it? [ that makes him smirk. ] I assure you that if I knew you were there, you would have been more than welcome to some. That being said, you have my sincerest apologies for not being a proper host.

[ he'll even extend a finger (seeing as a hand would be a little too big to shake) in a peace offering. ]

[ plagg stares at that finger, then at steven, then at that finger... well. he supposes it's better than adrien poking his head the first time he met him, and he was promised a lot of cheese for minding his manners, so... there's two tiny paws gripping steven's finger, giving it a little shake. ]

Tch. Yeah, sure, no problem. I'm taking those sugar cubes as payback, by the way.

[ ... and that's that, as plagg does drift to the bowl to take a sugar cube and nibble on it like a normal floating cat. thing.

adrien just. laughs. ]

... Sorry about him. But he's... yeah, he's my companion. [ one of his best friends, to boot. ] Actually, it's thanks to him that I can show you the next thing I need to tell you.

[ look he just wants to be polite! but he's glad that plagg seems to be receptive of it, noted by his relaxed smile. ]

Feel free. I have plenty.

[ have fun, little fairy-type. he'll focus back onto adrien, expression becoming just a little more curious. "thanks to him"... so plagg somehow played a role in all of this? ]

Oh? [ he's intrigued, adrien. go on... ]

[ well. with plagg introduced and steven... taking him well, that's one half of the story kind-of-not-really explained. but... that still isn't the whole story, and he isn't sure how steven will take that.

he looks a little nervous again as he's prompted to continue, his eyes drifting to plagg who's still finishing up that sugar cube with distaste. too sweet, he mutters, before his eyes meet adrien's and he sighs rather deeply as adrien stands up, clenching his right hand in his left.

... how does one magical girl transform in front of one of the people they consider a role model... and who probably expects him to pull out the suit and just change into it. ]

Okay... [ um. ] Plagg... claws out?

[ and what steven will see is the little kwami being sucked into adrien's silver ring, before there's a very bright flash of anime and green light ~~but no theme song unfortunately~~.

when that light fades there's chat noir in adrien's place, looking just as tentative, and no plagg at all.

now, it's chat's turn to wait. his expression seems to be saying that he's ready for steven to ask and say whatever he wants, or maybe he's just waiting for this to sink in. ]

[ ????????????????????????????????????????? ]

[ on a list of things that steven wasn't expecting, that definitely tops everything. sure, he was sure of the double identity as chat noir, but... that transformation. could you even call it that? what else would you?

after the initial shock passes, he tries not to look too surprised... in fact, he's more than a little amused. ]

I had my suspicions, and yet you still managed to take me completely off-guard...

Sorry. I thought about other ways to tell you, but all of them were still—

[ ... ah, wait. his tail sways, eyes widen and he stops, as the rest of steven's words sink in to confirm adrien's other worries. that is, the ones that told him where he thought steven knew, and the ones that plagg had responded to with a simple: "yeah, maybe if you weren't so obvious about it..."

oh.

oh. ]

... Am I really that obvious?

[ that's what he asks first, beyond the "what do you think?", "off-guard in a bad way?" and the little aside of "so that's what steven looks like when he's surprised". ]

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. ]

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