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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 23, 2017 20:33:33 GMT
Yang wasn't sure what to say to that. If Adrien could stand up to his dad, he could have a say in things too. She loved the guy, but he was frightened of his father, and he would always live that way unless he did something about it. But, Yang knew advising him to stand up to him would only lead to disaster. Adrien's dad was an uptight, stern guy. He wouldn't react lightly to his son arguing with him. And if he found out Yang was the one who talked him into it, he'd never let the two spend time together again. It was probably best if she kept her thoughts to herself on this matter. She finished off her sandwich, giving a contented sigh. "Nothing like a chicken sandwich to perk things up," she said, right as the waiter came with the bill. She knew there was no point in arguing about who was going to pay for what. Adrien would take the bill, like he usually did. Still, she hoped maybe in the future, she could pay for the both of them. It wasn't fair if Adrien footed the bill all the time, and she didn't want him to think she was taking advantage of him.
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Post by skyeknight on May 23, 2017 21:00:45 GMT
Adrien took the check with a smile. He finished the last of his sandwich as he glanced over the bill. Everything added up right. He pulled out enough cash to pay for the meal and a good tip and laid it on the card slot. Couldn't risk a credit card. Fans would be raffling his signed receipt since it would have his autograph. It would get weird. He didn't want to make things on a first date with Yang. She would probably think it funny if she saw some of his fans freak out, but at the same time, probably a little creeped out.
"Mom always said good food made for a good mood." he said.
His mother loved food. She could actually cook, unlike his father and she did it a lot. The nice kitchen was put into the manor just for her. Adrien had many a happy memory baking with her, covered in flour and chocolate. Those ended quickly when she disappeared. She had been as skinny as a rail but with the metabolism of a horse. Adrien's father didn't want to test the theory that Adrien had the same metabolism because Adrien was the cash cow of the family.
"This was a lot of fun," he told her.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 23, 2017 21:12:59 GMT
"Wise phrase to live by," Yang agreed. Food brought people together, and was something to be enjoyed. Besides, she knew what it was like to go without it for a while. It seemed dumb of some people not to eat when there were others living on the streets who'd die for something like a cheeseburger or a taco. Adrien quickly paid for the bill, and she let out a slow breath. It looked like this lunch date had actually come off pretty smoothly. She nodded in agreement with what Adrien said. "Yeah, it was," she said. As she headed to the front door, she felt like maybe she could handle stuff like this now. Maybe she was finally better enough where going out with friends wasn't so overwhelming anymore. Unfortunately, right as she opened the door, she was greeted with a sight that made her go "Oh shit," under her breath. Barely five feet away was a small group of people with cameras, video cameras, and even some microphones. As soon as one woman caught sight of Yang and Adrien, she shouted "Look there they are!" She practically led the charge as the group rushed towards them. The paparazzi had found them. If Yang had to guess, someone inside the restaurant had probably recognized them and talked about it on social media. There had been a lot of people on their phones. Maybe one of those people had been blabbing about them. Either way, it was impossible to find out who exactly was responsible for this. Yang just took half a step back as questions and flashing lights came at her and Adrien from every angle.
"Adrien Agreste? Who is this girl? Do you know her?"
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"Are you throwing your diet out the window?"
Granted, none of the questions were directed towards Yang, but all of this was a major sensory overload. She couldn't even say anything for a moment as she tried to orient herself and not do something dumb like trip over her own feet or pass out.
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Post by skyeknight on May 23, 2017 21:28:58 GMT
Adrien followed towards the door, probably in the best of moods he had been in for quite some time. He quietly slipped his hat back on along with his shades. He was quite proud of their date, feeling like it was a success. She had fun. He was certain that she had eaten something. She was socializing again and seeing that it was okay to go outside after the incident. Perhaps if he buttered her up a little more, she might agree to date him for real. He would like that, but he wasn't about to start daydreaming about the future, even if it did help him get through some of the worst 'jobs' his work had him doing. Nothing could ruin this moment.
Except for the paparazzi.
His stomach sank like a lead weight and he suddenly felt very sick. He went wide eyed and horrified. A wall of reporters were waiting for them. He threw a vicious look over his shoulder at a hostess who was standing nearby watching everything. Someone inside that building leaked that he was there and they would pay. He had paid quite handsomely for his privacy. The restaurant would be hearing from his lawyer after he got Yang to safety. But first, he had to get her there first. The questions came quickly, almost too fast too be answered, but Adrien had a practiced response.
"No comment." he replied firmly.
Let them say what they would. He could do an interview for someone after Yang was not there and not in the center of it all. She wasn't used to this. She could have a panic attack at this rate. He wrapped an arm around Yang and guided her through the crowd. It was slow going. There were microphones and cameras in their faces. His only concern was Yang. He had to get her out of there. The reporters could try to instigate something, hurt her, chase them down for a damnable story.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 23, 2017 21:42:37 GMT
Yang didn't know how Adrien responded so coolly. She knew this had touched a nerve. It would touch a nerve on anyone. But despite only answering with two words, the questions kept coming.
"Come on Adrien, you gotta tell us how you met this girl."
"How did she lose her arm?"
"Is this to rise awareness about the victims of Thrax's jail break?"
Yang's temper started to flare. Did they have to bring Thrax into this? That just made her upset. She knew she had promised herself not to get too involved with things anymore, but this was getting on her nerves. And more important, it was getting on Adrien's nerves. He probably felt as uncomfortable as she did, and if she could do something to help him not feel that way, then she wanted to do it.
"Back off," she said, glaring at a man with a huge camera in his hands.
"What?" He almost seemed perplexed by her question.
"I said, back off," she repeated. "No comment means no comment. Get it through your heads."
"Oh come on, we just want to get a few questions answered."
Yang was ready for an angry retort to that, but Adrien already had an arm around her and guiding her towards the car.
"Wait, hold on a second, just answer one question!"
Yang could hear the camera man's voice behind her, but she didn't look at him, until she suddenly felt his hand close around her right arm. Or, what was left of it. That, combined with all the flashing lights of the cameras, was enough to set Yang off. For a moment, she wasn't in the parking lot, surrounded by reporters with Adrien next to her. Instead, she was Garcon Perdu, and Thrax was in front of her, smiling wickedly. His hand was around her arm, and his grip was too tight. It hurt. She could feel his fingernails digging into her skin, and she couldn't pull away, no matter how hard he tried. Her eyes went wide as Thrax raised his right hand, his giant claw gleaming in the light as he swung it forward.
"Let go!"
Yang retaliated the only way she could, and her left fist swung around smashed into Thrax's face, sending him to the ground. Only, when she looked again, it wasn't Thrax she had hit, but the camera man, whose nose was bleeding quite a lot. Those who weren't staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths were still clicking away with their cameras, or filming. It looked like some of them were trained to keep getting footage, no matter what happened. Yang didn't care about any of that. Adrenaline and anger were still coursing through her. She wanted to take a swing at all of them. She wanted to break every camera, snap every microphone in half.
"Anyone else want some?" she yelled, breathing through clenched teeth.
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Post by skyeknight on May 24, 2017 1:33:48 GMT
"No comment," he responded automatically to the questions.
Their day had been going so well until this happened. They were almost to the car. Just a little further. Hopefully they wouldn't try to chase them, otherwise, Adrien would have to call the police. His only focus was on getting Yang to the car. It was probably why he hadn't realized one of the reporters had grabbed her until she urged him to let go. By then she had wiggled out of his grasp and socked the man clean across the face. Adrien wondered if it was possible for his jaw to become unhinged.
He realized now, he should have brought the car around or made a distraction, or prepped her for what the paparazzi was like, but he found he rather liked her method, since the journalists backed up. But their stunned silence would only last so long. He took her hand in his before looking her dead in the eye, trying to drag her out of whatever this had triggered for her. Just a few more steps and they would be to the car. He clicked the lock and once again tried to urge Yang forward.
"Hey, Princess," he chided softly, so only she could hear. "C'mon, let's get out of here."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 24, 2017 2:41:57 GMT
It took a moment for Yang to register that Adrien had turned her around and was speaking to her. Her mind was still trying to come back to the present and calm down. It kept telling her that she wasn't in danger here, that she didn't need all this adrenaline, she was safe. She blinked several times, feeling like Thrax might walk around the corner at any moment. But what brought her back to reality was Adrien's eyes. They were full of concern, and worry. That finally made what happened register in Yang's mind. She had messed up. She had really messed up. She had made things worse, again. A lump formed in her throat and she couldn't speak. She just nodded as she let Adrien guide her into his car. No other questions were asked by the paparazzi. Really, the only sound came from the camera man, who was trying not to get blood everywhere.
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Post by skyeknight on May 24, 2017 15:15:23 GMT
She had calmed down enough for him to get her into the car. Once the door was shut behind her and she had a barrier between her and the mad crowd, Adrien turned to face the reporters. He was at the end of his patience with them. Never before had he ever addressed them for something they did or said, aside from manners and 'no comment' neutrality. He wasn't going to take this complacently any longer. Not when they had him seeing red. His hands shook. He had to take a deep breath or his powers would act up. Not a good idea to blow that secret too. His only concern was to get Yang as far away from the media vultures as possible.
"A tell all interview will be given to the network with the highest bid. I will set up a drop box for all bids after I make sure she's okay," he told them. "Until them, get out of my way."
He pushed a camera out of his face and got into the driver's side of the car. The car rattled slightly when he slammed the door shut. He didn't have much time. He was going to take as much advantage of the stunned silence as he could. He all but peeled out of the parking lot. He left the reporters behind him. For a little while he just drove, hoping that he had given them the slip. He wanted to just drive until they were out of the town, far away from the media and the pressure. But those were his problems, not Yang's.
"Yang, I am so sorry." he said with sincerity dripping from every word. "If I had... If knew they would show up..."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 24, 2017 17:41:22 GMT
Yang was trying to get a grip, but she could feel her emotions getting out of hand. She was angry at herself, angry at the paparazzi. How could she have done something so stupid? She should have just ignored them, or not gotten triggered so easily, or something! Anything besides punching the guy in the face. She had just wanted to help get the reporters away so Adrien wouldn't be so mad, but she had just made everything worse, like she always did. When Adrien started apologizing, she shook her head. "I messed up," she said, her voice choked up. "I messed it all up. I just wanted us to have a nice lunch date and...and..." She gave a sob as tears filled her eyes. To Yang, this had meant everything. She felt like if she could get through this date normally, it would mean she was getting better, that maybe she had a chance. But, obviously, she hadn't, and she felt like such a failure. For a moment, it almost felt like she and Adrien were a legit couple. Even if he didn't feel that way, she could at least pretend, for a moment. Now, who knew if he would ever want to go with her anywhere again. She just attracted too much attention. And if attention was on her for too long, she snapped. Who'd want to hang out with someone like that?
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Post by skyeknight on May 24, 2017 19:21:03 GMT
"Yang, it's okay. Those... people," he said, using the term people very loosely. "They're pushy. They want a confrontation. They want scandals. They want bad things. Don't worry. I'll make sure they leave you alone, I promise."
He just had to satisfy whatever questions they had. That was his life. He was used to what he had to do in order to appease the masses, but Yang was not the type to bow down to someone's will like that. She was far too free spirited for that sort of thing. But now he had yanked Yang right into it without any regard for her wellbeing. All because he had been selfish and forced her to go out before she was ready. He looked around for somewhere to pull off, somewhere where they could talk. He found an empty parking lot in a not-so-good part of town. It was still safer than back at the restaurant. Once the car was stopped he turned to look at her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 24, 2017 22:10:33 GMT
"No! I'm not okay!" Yang yelled, not even aware that Adrien had pulled over and stopped the car. "And I probably never will be!" She wiped her eyes, but it did nothing to stop her tears from falling. Anger and frustration and self-pity were running through her like crazy, like a dam had broken, and she felt like she could do nothing to stop it. "I can't do anything I used to! I can't fight or put my hair up or go out on a lunch date or anything!" She curled herself into a ball on the car seat as much as she could, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. She had tried for so long to keep things positive in front of her friends, including Adrien. Letting on about all the horrible emotions and thoughts going on would just make them worry. That was how she felt. But she couldn't hold back now, not when the possibility of never recovering from losing her arm was crushing her.
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Post by skyeknight on May 25, 2017 13:19:00 GMT
"Oh Yang..."
Her tears made his heart sink. He was incredibly glad he had managed to find somewhere to park, otherwise he would have been extremely distracted. They had been having such a good time, but it was spoiled now. He was already cursing the media for their involvement with Yang's crisis. He reached over and wrapped an arm around her before pulling her in for a full hug. It was a little uncomfortable for him, considering he was leaning over the middle console, but he had to do something to try to comfort Yang. She shouldn't go through it alone. He was, after all, the reason she was so scared in the first place, though very indirectly.
"You'll be okay," he said. "Maybe not right now, but someday. I shouldn't have pushed for this so soon."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 25, 2017 16:58:09 GMT
Yang felt Adrien's arms around her, and his voice was gentle as he assured her that she would be okay someday. She wanted to believe him, but she wasn't sure if she could. Any evidence of her getting better seemed pointed towards the contrary. It had been months and she felt like she hadn't made any progress, mentally at least. And even then, there were still a lot of physical things she couldn't do. She didn't know how she could move on from this. "No, I wanted to do this," she said, her arm wrapping around him in return. "I thought that...if I could do this...then it would mean I was getting better. It would mean I had a chance." She gave another sob before yelling "And I blew it! I messed up. I got involved again when I shouldn't have and I just made things worse." Who knew what would happen after this whole fiasco? Would the reporters be satisfied with whatever interview they got from Adrien? Or would they try to hunt her down for some answers? Would the camera man she had punched press charges? There were a number of bad things that could happen and all of them terrified her.
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Post by skyeknight on May 27, 2017 0:42:15 GMT
"You can do this. You did do it!" he insisted. "You can't expect to be at your best after everything... And honestly, I liked what you did with that reporter. I've wanted to do it for years."
He wiped at her eyes, trying to rid her of the tears. They just about broke his heart. Seeing her this upset was killing him, especially since they managed to put that behind them and have a good fun lunch together. She had even laughed. His poor poor princess. Did it make him the dragon since he wanted to lock her away in a tower for her own safety or the knight since he wanted to be the protector and keep her safe? He shook his head sadly.
"It isn't as bad as you think. It's just news. Give it a week or two and someone else will do something that takes the heat off of us." he assured her. "People get bored quickly."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 27, 2017 2:02:11 GMT
Yang looked up. "You...You're not worried...about that?" Adrien actually didn't mind that she had punched the guy? She didn't know how to feel about that. If her actions were something he'd been wanting to do himself, did that make them okay? Was the lunch date really ruined if he didn't care about what she did or how she had lost it for a moment? Adrien seemed to be pretty confident that the whole issue would blow over soon, but Yang couldn't help but imagine the worst. "But...what about your dad?" Yang wasn't really worried about what Mr. Agreste could do to her. She didn't really care. If she wasn't feeling so down on herself, she might have socked the guy too, if given the chance. No, what worried her was what he might do to Adrien. If he got pissed off over this, would he keep his son on lock-down at the house? Would he send him away? Would he monitor all his social interactions? Her mind kept jumping from possibility to possibility, each one worse than the last. "I just..." She sniffled, trying to speak a little less hysterically. "I don't want you to get in trouble. I don't want...anything else getting screwed up because of my actions."
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