Cage

How different is

the gentle song of the bird

when it is free

In Spanish:

Qué diferente

el canto del pájaro

cuando está libre

My father loved birds… caged birds, captive birds. They only had some square inches to jump and sing. Nevertheless, they sang. I guess there are were some primitive force that even captivity wasn’t able to kill.

Now, I think it is better to listen to them in their own environment, in the messy whirpool of their own bussiness: their battles, their loves, their deaths, their births.

I guess we were very different. I guess I never understood him. Maybe, I should have made them free. Some punishment? maybe, but that would have been a good deed.

Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer and little Sean at a circus in Rome, 1964.

Why does Genius, like Brink, give its protagonist a father with a back injury? Consider the two films’ treatment of disability in the context of the father-as-provider archetype. In what ways do these films’ fathers subvert or uphold traditional economic and literary conceptions of masculinity?

It’s Plagg Appreciation Day again!

Holy smokes, I’m alive!!! And… I… *checks notes* WROTE something!? 

Lord bless Plagg. This cat motivates me out of writing funks like no other. Especially since I felt guilty about missing the last Plagg Appreciation Day (Aug 13, 2021), I knew I HAD to write something for today. Of course, I had NO CLUE what to write until about 5pm today. So… *whew* Crunch time, amirite? 

This is one of my shortest Miraculous Ladybug fics, but it’s done and complete and posted before midnight. So… win?

You can stay here to read my latest story, or you can find it on these other sites:

onAO3, on FFN, or on DA.

Cataclysm the Doubt

Summary: Barely three hours into becoming a new father, Adrien is not handling the life change very well. It’s a good thing Plagg is right there to get the twenty-something’s head on right. Being able to cataclysm physical things is certainly easier, but sometimes a metaphorical cataclysm is the best option.

Rating: General Audience

Word Count: 1728

Status:Completed one-shot

“Adrien?” Plagg poked his head out from behind Adrien’s cover shirt and looked up at his owner.

The twenty-three-year-old had been wandering the halls of the maternity ward for nearly thirty minutes. Despite Marinette’s room having a private toilet, Adrien marched to the public restrooms by the elevators on the opposite side of the floor. He didn’t use them. He simply splashed water on his face and combed his blonde hair out of his bloodshot eyes. He then checked all five vending machines scattered on the floor; never finding what he wanted in any of them. Then it was back to the restrooms to mindlessly scrub his hands.

Each time Adrien passed Marinette’s room, he paused, but then continued on his wanderings.

“Adrien, you okay?”

“Yeah, Plagg.” Adrien was good at hiding his true feelings. Scary good. He had years to practice. Even so, Plagg could tell that the chipper joy in Adrien’s voice wasn’t really how he felt.

Not sensing any other eyes on them, Plagg drifted up to Adrien’s eye level. “Seriously,” he said, “How are you doing? You haven’t been back in that room for over twenty minutes.”

“It hasn’t been that long.” Adrien checked his watch. It had been twenty-eight minutes since Marinette fell asleep and he rushed out of that small room.

“Adrien.”

“Come on, Plagg, this isn’t safe. Hide.”

“Adrien.” Plagg spread his arms and legs out as far as they’d go, trying to block his owner from walking any further.

“I’m a father now, Plagg. Marinette and I are parents. Why wouldn’t I be fine? This is the happiest day in my life.”

“But?”

“I don’t-”

“But!” Plagg insisted.

Adrien scooped Plagg into his shirt and rushed into the darkened empty room nearby. After checking that there were no nurses coming by to catch him, Adrien quietly closed the door and let Plagg out.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Plagg. I’m happy. I truly am.”

“I’ve known you for a decade. I can smell an overripe curd of bleu cheese a mile away, and, boy, are you covered in it. Spill.”

“Plagg, I-”

“Spill!”

“I’m scared! Okay?” Adrien yelled, only to realize how loud he was after one in the morning in a hospital wing filled with new mothers. His eyes widened as he clamped his hands over his mouth.

“The brave Chat Noir is afraid? Of what?”

“What do you mean, ‘of what’?” Adrien hissed. “Of being a father. I- I don’t know if I can do this, Plagg. I thought I could do anything if I was with m'lady, but fatherhood?” Adrien shook his head and hung it in his hands. Finding the guest chair in the room, he slumped hard into it.

Plagg huffed out a sympathetic sigh. “This is about your own father, isn’t it?”

“I mean, yeah? How could it not? I don’t want to be like him!”

“And you’re not.”

“Notnow, but how do I know I won’t be like him? How do I know my father wasn’t like me before- well, before he had me? I can’t- I can’t do that to Emma. I can’t be him to Emma.”

“And you won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re afraid of that. Because you’re here with me terrified that you’ll become your father. Because you are already thinking about your daughter and how you don’t want her to have your childhood. Adrien, you are not your father. I promise you.”

Tears streamed down both of Adrien’s cheeks. His eyes were unapologetically puffy. “I can’t fail her.”

“You won’t.”

“But-”

“You. Won’t.” Plagg placed a flippered paw on Adrien’s nose to help ground him. “I won’t let you. Marinette certainly won’t let you. Sugarcube is a little too lenient for her own good, so she probably will let you, but then growl miserably at you until you learn your lesson.”

Adrien gargled a chuckle through his tears.

“Go on.” Plagg nodded towards the door. “Go back to your room, kiss your wife, and hold your daughter.”

With a nod, Adrien got up and slowly unlatched the door. After checking that the coast was clear, he slid back out into the hall. He moved to walk back to the restrooms to freshen up, but Plagg tugged the inside of Adrien’s shirt in the opposite direction: towards Marinette’s room. Another nod. Adrien had delayed enough, and no one seemed to be awake to see his red tear-streaked face anyway. Not that it mattered. Lots of stressed new fathers probably looked exactly the same way.

Adrien opened the maternity suite door painfully slow to try to not wake Marinette. She was gently snoring away, still exhausted from the thirty-one hours of labor, let alone the ten hours she had already been up before the contractions started. Aside from a few naps here and there, she had been awake for nearly two straight days. Adrien guessed he probably was awake for just as long.

In the bassinet on the far side of the bed, Emma was fussing slightly. She didn’t seem fully awake or in need of food, but she was softly whimpering; testing out her voice. Clicking the door closed behind him, Adrien glided over to his daughter. Hearing Emma do anything but happy coos was already breaking his heart.

Tikki poked her head out from the little bed Marinette had tucked in her purse; knowing the kwami wouldn’t be able to sleep next to her like normal.

“Adrien?” she gently called out.

Plagg held up an arm and shook his head. This was his owner. He’d handle it.

“Shhh. Shhh, it’s okay,” Adrien whispered as he knelt beside the bassinet so Emma could see him.

“Pick her up,” Plagg whispered.

Standing again, Adrien gingerly scooped his daughter into his arms. He mentally replayed through all the training both the nurse and Marinette went over when he first held his little girl. Head properly cradled in the crook of his arm; neck supported. Body pressed against his chest until he was fully upright to make sure he firmly had her. Blanket tightly swaddled against her to make her feel warm and safe. Stomach towards his chest so she can better snuggle into him.

She still chirped out little whimpers, but they quickly became fewer and farther between.

“Shhh. It’s okay, Emma. I’ve got you. I’ve got you. Dad-” Adrien choked on the knot in his throat as his eyes glossed over with tears. “Daddy’s here.”

“Yeah,” Plagg smoothed down some stray hair on Emma’s head. “Yeah, he’s always going to be here, kid.”

Adrien pulled Emma close to kiss her temple before cradling her against his chest again. She gargled some coos finally, and fell asleep.

“I’m still so scared, Plagg.”

“I know. Most parents are.”

“How are you so sure I’ll be good at this?”

“How quickly were you able to get the hang of being a superhero? Or having friends? Or being with Marinette? Or living away from your father? You adapt quickly and learn faster. You have a good heart. One of the kindest I’ve ever known. You love fully and deeply.”

“But what if that’s the problem? What if something happens to Marinette?” He looked over at his sleeping wife, and the tears spilled over once more. “How do I know I won’t do the same thing my father did? Marinette’s my everything.”

“Is she? I know she was as of two hours ago. But is she still everything? Look at your girl again.”

Adrien glanced down at the tiny person sleeping in his arms, and he instantly knew. “Her too. Both of them. They’re both my whole world.”

“Kwamis don’t have parents, and we’ll never have children. We don’t know that bond, but we still know love. I can sense yours. Would you let anything bad happen to Emma?”

“Never. Not if I have the power to stop it. I’d die before letting her get hurt.”

“Well, let’s not get too dramatic here. She is going to get hurt. That’s just life, but you get my point.” Plagg poked Adrien in the chest by his heart. “That is how I know that you have nothing to worry about. You’ll never become your father because you still have half your world in your arms right now.”

“Do you think my father loved me this much once?”

“I’d like to think so, but considering everything I’ve seen, it’s hard to believe. Which is stupid. Because how could anyone know you and not love you so intensely? You even wore me down.”

Adrien silently chuckled and leaned his head towards Plagg. Taking the cue, Plagg gently head butted Adrien in the side of the forehead.

“Thanks, Plagg. I love you, buddy.”

“Yeah, yeah. I do too.”

“Do what?” Adrien teased.

“Love ya too. Now, can we get some sleep? Or some camembert? Or both? I can’t handle this much sappiness.” Plagg shook the serious tone off of himself before drifting over to join Tikki in Marinette’s purse.

“Yeah, I guess sleep is good.” Adrien gingerly laid Emma back into the bassinet, stroked the soft fuzz of her hair, and gave her one last kiss on the forehead. He then grabbed the blanket the hospital had draped on the push-back recliner for him to sleep in. Tucking himself in, he glanced once more at the two most important ladies in his life. With the smallest of smiles, he dried the tears off his cheeks and let himself drift off.

“I didn’t realize you were so compassionate, Plagg,” Tikki sincerely praised.

“For him? Anything, Sugarcube.”

Tikki groaned at the pet name, and curled back onto her bed. Plagg looked over at the other little bed Marinette had hidden in her purse for him, but decided against it. He drifted back over to Adrien and snuggled under the blanket with him. Out of all the holders, Plagg still firmly believed Adrien was the best one he’s ever had. Fourteen or hundred-fourteen, Plagg decided he would always be there to remind Adrien of that fact.

————————————————————————-

*A/N: Whoo boy. I’ve been in… shall we say… A Mood™ lately. Mostly with me coming to terms that my husband and I might not actually ever become parents. So, naturally, I decide to write about Adrienette becoming new parents. Yes. I did make myself sob as I wrote this. Yes. I did have to stop a few times because I literally couldn’t see my screen anymore. Yes. I am better now. Yay, the cathartic nature of writing.

*ahem*

Anyhoooo… I meant to include something in the story about Adrien learning how to parent from Tom and Sabine, but I just couldn’t find a way of doing so organically. It always felt like shoehorned dialogue, so it had to be cut. Please know that the sentiment is there though, and Marinette will probably reassure Adrien of that once she wakes up.

Did you enjoy this? Check out my other Plagg Appreciation Day stories.

Breaking Monotony
Summary:Plagg’s days are all starting to feel exactly the same. As he goes through yet another school day with Adrien, he wonders if he can do something to start shaking up the status quo. At the same time, though, he reflects on how great it is that his life is fairly predictable.

Forever in Darkness
Summary: Plagg has always been in darkness. It had become all he knew. Then he got a ray of sunshine, and it helped save him. There was a reason he believes Adrien is the best Chat Noir ever.

The Truest of Friends
Summary: It’s the second day of the new school year, which also means it’s been a year since Stoneheart first attacked Paris. Adrien wonders how he could best celebrate the anniversary of becoming Chat Noir, and how to properly showcase how much he cares for someone very special in his life.

I Need Him Back
Summary: **SPOILERS: NY Special**
Marinette has no clue what to do without her Chat Noir. All she wants is for her partner back. Plagg is just as distraught without his holder, but maybe he can find a way to get the ring back to Adrien. The trick is doing so without revealing who Chat Noir was to Marinette.

Alternatively, I JUST started up a series (I still don’t quite understand the collections set-up) on AO3 that will also house all of my Plagg Appreciation Day stories.

The next Friday 13th isn’t until January 2023. Good lord, PLEASE let me back into any semblance of a regular writing routine by then! Anyway, who wants to join me in showing Plagg some love? Did you post any Plagg appreciation today? Please send me a tag! I’d love to see what you did. :D

@discoveringmiraculouswriters

ilikeit-art:

I enjoyed watching this, i hope you do too.