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Post by skyeknight on May 27, 2017 2:59:52 GMT
"I'm not worried," he reassured her. "It was self defense."
He would make this blow over. He knew how to treat these sorts of situations. Yang was just out of her element. This wasn't something she knew how to handle. He smiled and dried the last of the tears off her face with a kerchief he had pulled from his jacket pocket.
"It's not how I would have told him, but he'll have to get over it." he said. "I am an adult. I can move out and I can stop modeling if he tries to stop me from seeing you."
Adrien realized now that he had more power than he gave himself credit for. If his father threatened him like this, he could rebel for the first time in a long time. He wanted to if it was for Yang. If his father tried to stop him, then Adrien would fight back. Yang made him happy. He wasn't about to give that up just because his father told him no.
"Yang, I'm constantly walking that line. I'm a rich kid who parades around in spandex stealing shit." he laughed. "That is a bigger scandal than this."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 27, 2017 3:12:18 GMT
Adrien's words were comforting, slightly. He sounded so sure about this, and he seemed determined to stand up to his dad if need be. Yang let out a breath. Maybe this would be okay. Maybe this wouldn't turn into a crisis like the other time she had messed up. She still felt bad about how she reacted, though. She had hoped that maybe her PTSD would have gone down slightly by now, and she was frustrated that it hadn't. How could she even hope to be a functional human being if she couldn't control this? She couldn't let this rule her life, and she couldn't let it affect Adrien's. He didn't deserve this, not after all the kindness and generosity he had shown her. "I still wish I could stop...being so scared all the time," she said, her voice slowly getting calmer. "I'm always paranoid that something bad will happen again. And if something bad does happen, my mind jumps to the worst possible outcomes. And I just feel like...everything's slipping away and I have no control at all. It makes everyone worried about me and...they don't deserve that. You don't deserve that."
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Post by skyeknight on May 27, 2017 3:39:35 GMT
"You're allowed to be scared though." Adrien said. "It'll take time for you not to be scared. But you don't have to get better overnight. I want you to do this at your pace."
She had gone through a harrowing ordeal. She had been hurt and frightened by Thrax. The man wasn't caught. It certainly would help Yang sleep better if he had been. Which only strengthened his resolve to give everything he had over to the police. They would see something he did not. They would do their job and he could bow out of their world once and for all to keep Yang safe. That's all he wanted to do anymore, was to keep her safe.
"Yang, we worry because we care about you. We want to see you happy again."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 27, 2017 3:51:01 GMT
"But what if I never stop being scared? What if...what if this is how I'm going to be, forever? Everything is just falling apart and I can't...I can't do anything to stop it." Yang swallowed, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She didn't want to become hysterical again, although she could feel her emotions rising. This was a big fear of hers, and it was hard to talk about it without getting choked up. "And how long are you willing to deal with that? You do all these nice things for me, but I can never give you anything in return. I can never be what you deserve, and you deserve someone who's whole and sane and...and..." She stopped at that point, afraid she might start crying again if she continued. Her other friends were out of her mind for the moment. This was just about her and Adrien now, and how she felt like she didn't deserve someone like him, and how he could be better off with someone else. It was the main reason why she could never tell him how she felt. She was broken, a total mess, and he didn't deserve someone like that.
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Post by skyeknight on May 27, 2017 15:13:59 GMT
"You won't be this way forever. You're stronger than that."
Just because she didn't see it now, didn't mean it wasn't true. Yang was stronger than that. It would take time and healing. She would feel better once Thrax was arrested. Or dead. Make him pay for all he had done to her. It might not make things right, or bring back Yang's arm, but she would feel safer once he was out of the picture once and for all. Adrien wanted to do that for her, but there was only so much he could do as himself. He had to let the police do their work to catch the man.
"Yang, I do what I do because I want to," he said. "You make me... so happy just by being yourself. I haven't felt this way in a very long time. I care about you. A lot."
Just short of an 'I love you' that danced across his tongue. He couldn't go throwing that at her just yet. He didn't think she was ready for it. The last thing he wanted to do was add more pressure to her. She went through enough as it was.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 27, 2017 17:17:46 GMT
"That's what everyone keeps saying, but..." Yang gave a sigh. "It just feels so impossible. And I'm trying. But it feels like I'm not getting anywhere." Everyone was always reassuring that she'd make progress eventually, that she had to be patient. But Yang was tired of being patient. She wanted to get better now, so she could stop feeling so miserable and being such a burden to everyone around her. They didn't mind helping her out now, but would they always feel that way? Adrien said pretty much the same thing everyone else did: they helped her because they wanted to, they would always care about her, and being herself was the best thing she could do. She leaned back against the headrest, feeling tired. "Sometimes...I don't even know what 'being myself' is like anymore. I know who I used to be, and I know what I'd like to be in the future. But now...I don't know who I am." She wasn't a fighter anymore, or a surrogate mother. She wasn't a street kid, or a baker, or anything like that. Yang felt like she didn't know who she was. All she knew was that she didn't want to be scared and broken like she was now.
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Post by skyeknight on May 27, 2017 23:05:56 GMT
"No one is pressuring you to get better. These are things you have to come to terms with on your own." he said. "But we'll do what we can to help along the way."
He felt awful that she felt the need to get better as quickly as she did. He only wanted her happy. Normal was not going to be coming back any time soon, not when she had a piece of her physically taken away by the demon. Even if she was fitted with a 'new' hand it wasn't going to be normal. That would take some getting used to on her part. It was a burden he could not take from her, no matter how much he wanted to.
"You've got plenty of time to find out," he added. "And I'll be right here for as long as you want me to."
He wasn't leaving. Not again. Not unless she said she didn't want him around.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 27, 2017 23:13:45 GMT
Yang let out a breath. No matter what problem she had, Adrien always assured her that he'd be there for her. After saying it so many times, she was starting to feel like maybe it was true. Adrien might have a solution, or some way to make her feel better, but at the least, he wouldn't leave her. She had to take some comfort in that, even if this whole paparazzi incident left a bad taste in her mouth. Knowing he would never leave her might just be the backbone she needed to keep moving. It might not make things better, but it would at least give her enough motivation to get through each day, regardless of whether she made any progress towards her recovery or not. "If I had it my way, I'd have you with me forever," she said, her hand lightly grasping his. She knew her words and actions carried heavy romantic implications, but she didn't care. It felt like the right thing to say, and holding his hand always made her feel better.
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Post by skyeknight on May 28, 2017 0:14:59 GMT
"Is that so?" Adrien asked. "Careful there, I might start to fear you're going to lock me up in your closet."
That was something only a psychotic fan would do. Of which Yang was not. She wasn't obsessed with his fame like some people were. He was happy for that, but he couldn't help but tease her for it. She might punch him for it but she also might laugh at him. Which was the goal, to make her laugh. He would take the punchline if it meant she laughed. He smoothed a hand through her hair. At least she wasn't crying any longer.
"But forever doesn't sound so bad." he admitted.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 28, 2017 4:28:11 GMT
Yang gave a little laugh. "Maybe I should, so I could have you all to myself," she teased in reply. If she had it her way, she'd have Adrien all to herself, and none of his fangirls could lay claim to him. It was a jealous part of her that she'd never admit, but she could feel it creeping up on her every now and again. And then she'd always feel guilty, because she could never claim Adrien as her own. They weren't even really dating right now, even if she wished they were. But a big part of her still felt like she didn't deserve somebody like him. So, she kept her feeling to herself, for the moment at least. It was hard to resist at least pretending they were a couple, what-with the hand-holding and Adrien smoothing her hair out her face with a gentle hand. Who knew what this might look like to outsiders. And who knew what the paparazzi might think, with the photos they probably snagged of the two of them. Yang just hoped it would blow over as easily as Adrien said it would. Otherwise, the two of them would be in deep trouble.
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Post by skyeknight on May 29, 2017 0:52:06 GMT
"Oh trust me, I'm yours."
Then he realized what he said and laughed a little nervously. His mind to mouth filter was seemingly shot due to such close proximity to Yang herself. He wasn't sure if he should play it off as a joke or not. Yang's confidence was battered enough so if he said he didn't mean it, then she might take it personally or it could break what little confidence she had managed to rebuild. He couldn't do that to her. So he did what he did best as both Chat and Adrien. He owned it with a confident smile.
"What I mean is, you said you'd give this date a trial," he said. "So would you date me?"
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 29, 2017 3:02:30 GMT
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Are you being serious?" she asked. She couldn't tell if he was. If she said yes, would that make them officially a couple? Or was Adrien just speaking hypothetically? She wasn't sure, and she didn't know what answer to give. Seriously trying to date him might weird him out. And even if he did feel the same, could they make it work? Adrien had promised that he'd never leave her, and he didn't mind all the bad parts about her. But this wouldn't be the only time her PTSD would get in the way of things. And then there was the issue of his dad, who'd never approve. And who knew what kind of media backlash Adrien would get. There were so many things that could go wrong, but it almost felt like it was worth it if it meant being with him. And if Yang could choose anyone to face the bad stuff, it would be Adrien.
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Post by skyeknight on May 29, 2017 15:54:54 GMT
"Of course I am." he said. "But... if you need some time to think it over, that's okay too. You've been through a lot today."
He had just thrown a curve ball at her. He was terrible at waiting. He was also a little protective after this. He wanted to be hers, but he wanted her to be his as well, so he could take are of her and protect her and be there for her. He had fallen head over heels for her. He didn't care what happened so long as Yang was right there with him. He felt like he could take on the world with her by his side.
"I can take you home?" he offered. "Uh, your home! You probably don't want to go to my house yet!"
He felt like he might as well as just put his foot in his mouth. He was blathering like an idiot.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 29, 2017 16:57:53 GMT
Yang felt her face turn red. Adrien was being serious, and she didn't know how to feel. It seemed like the feelings they had for each other were mutual, but could she admit what she felt? Was now even an appropriate time? Adrien had a point in that a lot had happened today, and her emotions were all over the place. Besides, there was still that tiny part of her that wondered if maybe Adrien deserved someone better than her, even if he insisted that he'd always care about her. Anytime she thought about him getting swarmed by fangirls, or being surrounded by female models for a photo shoot, she found herself feeling inferior, and a bit jealous. She wanted him, but other girls had things she didn't have: money, perfect lives, both arms intact. It made her feel like the bottom rung of the ladder. She usually didn't care about stuff like that, even when she had been living on the streets. But things were different now, especially when it concerned Adrien. She didn't know what to do, or even say. When Adrien suggested taking her home, she just gave a nod, not trusting herself to speak at the moment. New emotions were swirling within her, and they were pretty confusing.
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Post by skyeknight on May 29, 2017 18:12:52 GMT
Adrien nodded. He slowly pulled back into his seat, letting her go. He wouldn't say a word about how he missed how warm she was. He took a deep breath before smoothing back his hair. He started the car and started to drive to her place. Traffic wasn't bad. Reporters weren't swarming the streets like ants, looking for them. Perhaps luck was on their side for now anyways. "Lets get you home," he said gently. "If they cause you any problems... We can have a sprinkler system installed at your place. Then you can douse them whenever they get on your property. I'm sure you'd like that. Or we can talk to Shadow and make sure they stay away."
Shadow was like a teddy bear when it involved Yang, but everyone else? He could be a rather intimidating man when he wanted to be. Even if Shadow did a run by every so often by her place, Adrien would feel better. But he figured the sprinkler system would cause Yang the most amusement. She could have it on a remote control and just mess with them whenever she wanted - if they found out where she was at all.
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