11: Welcome

"Oh..." You mumbled as you opened the door, staring at the people before you with slightly widened eyes. Nino, Alya and Adrien were outside, all smiling brightly.

"Aww, you sound disappointed to see us, dude!" Nino laughed. You let a small smile grace your face, only just realising how rejected you sounded.

"I'm not disappointed, just surprised... I haven't finished clearing up..." You mumbled, imagining your messy room and scratching the back of your neck. They wouldn't go in there anyway, right...? Alya laughed.

"You don't need to clean for us! It's no problem!" She smiled. The others did the same. You nodded and let them all in. You hadn't had guests over before, so it was sort of strange. They all looked around, "Oooh, your house is nice!"

"Yeah, it's sleek, but homely..." Nino nodded as he glanced around.

"Hm, yeah." Adrien nodded. He was probably used to much more fancy stuff, but the homely feel might have made him like it. You closed the door behind the three of them. Your house was pretty nice, a color scheme of a couple of different shades of grey, beige for the floor, curtains and other areas, and white. You really only used the kitchen and your room, so the rest of the house was clean. Maybe ever-so-slightly dusty, but you made sure to clean it.

"So, uhm, what now?" You asked as you walked toward the group. You felt you should probably get them some refreshments, but then again, you weren't really hosting anything important. It was just a hangout. But, maybe you were still meant to be a good host...? This was their first time in your house, after all...

"I guess we can play games. Oooh, you've got this game?!" Nino gasped as he switched through the games on your console. Ah, when did he turn that on...? He was sitting on the couch with the controller in his hands, Alya just behind him. They looked like they had made themselves at home... You nodded.

"Yeah, it's really good. I'm pretty far into the game, and it doesn't have multiple save slots, so unless you want spoilers, I don't think you should play. Unless you just want to grind for money and stuff. Then that'd help lots, thanks." You laughed, heading to the kitchen to get some snacks. You opened a packet of chips and poured it into a bowl.

"Alright, awesome! I've wanted to use the weapons, I've only seen them in gameplays!" Nino shouted back from the living room.

"Hey, I want to play too!" You heard Alya call. Adrien entered the kitchen

"Hey, Y/N." Adrien smiled, leaning against the doorframe. You glanced at him with the corner of your eye.

"Hey." You nodded, checking the fridge. Should you get drinks...?

"I know I said I wanted to hang out with you and not a group, but I invited Nino, and then I thought you might feel awkward since there's two boys and Alya was right beside him so I ended up inviting her too, and theeen it just turned into this..." Adrien laughed awkwardly. You nodded, picking up the bowl of chips and walking off. Adrien followed closely behind.

"Ah, it's fine. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" He asked as you walked toward the couch. You set the bowl on the table in front of the couch and sat down.

"Yeah, definitely." You nodded as Adrien sat down beside you. You asked the group, "How come Marinette isn't here? You all usually group up."

"Ah, she had to help out in her parent's shop. She's working as the cashier again, since her parents are busy with a large order." Alya explained. You nodded. 

"Oh, right." You nodded. You weren't told about this, yet you felt like you already knew... You ignored the feeling and watched as Nino ran around, messing with the axe and throwing it everywhere, then making it come back to him. Adr+ien had a go, and was surprisingly good. They also encouraged you to play multiple times, as well as talking to you, dragging you into conversations, and sometimes even putting you in the center... You felt awkward...

"Oh come on, Y/N. Please?" Alya smiled. You shook your head.

"I can play any time I want..." You sighed.

"You still should play! Show us how good you are! You've been quiet, so have a go!" Adrien encouraged. You let out a sigh.

"Is this about the akumatization? Not just this; all of this. You've been putting me in the center of the conversation all day." You said with a tired smile. They all silenced in unison, guilty looks on their faces, giving the answer. "Guys, you really don't need to try and include me into everything. I get you're concerned, but I'm not that importa-... Well, how can I word this better... I don't want to be in the center, I just want to be . Do you get it?"

They didn't reply.

"But I guess I can try one game. Just to show how infinitely better I am." You laughed smugly, snatching the controller away from Adrien. The lively atmosphere and bright smiles quickly returned.

"Yeah, I'm coming back, don't worry..." Adrien sighed. You could hear him in the kitchen. Adrien had to go back home, sadly. Apparently, he had 'used up' all his time out during the sleepover and he wasn't allowed out again for the week, possibly even the month. What a rubbish life. At least you could wander around, unlike him...

"Ah, this sucks, dude..." Nino sighed, stretching back. You, Nino and Alya were still sitting on the couch. You had stopped playing some time ago and just talked for a while and relaxed. The hangout was fun, but Adrien had to go.

"Yeah..." Alya pouted with a huff, resting her arm on her hand. You nodded. Adrien came back into the room.

"So, guys... My car's coming to pick me up soon, so I'll have to go... Sorry to ruin the hangout..." Adrien laughed humorlessly, scratching the back of his neck.

"It's fine, we'll hang next time! You go do your thing at your rich-person house, we'll just stay back here and chill." Nino smiled, pointing his index fingers at him. Was he doing finger guns...?

"Yeah, It'l--"

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering filled the room. Adrien quickly bought his arm around your shoulders and pushed you to the floor, shielding you from the glass. He sure had quick instincts... The chair beside the couch shielded you both from the splinters of glass. A brick flew through your window, hitting the floor and tumbling a few feet behind you.

"I'LL GET YOUR MIRACULOUS NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!" A voice growled viciouscly. You saw Ladybug swing past your window. Ah; an akuma attack...

"I've got to record!" Alya gasped, rushing away.

"A-ALYA, WAIT!" You yelled after her. She had already run to the front door and was ready to leave, phone in hand.

"I'm coming too! Don't worry, I'll take care of her." Nino smirked, jogging toward Alya, who had just ran out the door. He sped up his pace and left.

"I-I've got to go too-" Adrien stuttered, but you quickly cut him off.

"Uh, no way. It's way too dangerous. Honestly, those two should have stayed too." You sighed, standing up. The commotion had moved further down the street, but it was still visible from your window. "You can't go, you could get hurt."

"I'm fine, plus my dad won't like it if I'm not home during an akuma attack... He'll  let me out again, and he'll probably even ban you from ever talking to me. Come on, please?" Adrien pleaded. You let out a sigh.

"Just... Go the opposite direction of the Akuma, or at least circle around it, will ya?" You huffed as you crossed your arms. He nodded with a smile and ran out the open door. You let out a sigh, your posture relaxing as you trudged to the door to close it. You glanced at the broken window, then scowled and muttered to yourself, "Ladybug better beat this Akuma; I want my window fixed..."

You walked up to your room with a sigh. So, another akuma... Were they targetting Ladybug's identity? Hah, someone else had to do your job... How pathetic... You shut your bedroom door behind you with your back. You started to pace around, thoughts filling your head, then leant against the corner of your room. You slowly slid down and clutched your hair with a groan. Why were you feeling terrible about being akumatized?! You weren't meant to akumas! That's wrong! 

You continued to think of your conflicted emotions, words and images filling your head. You weren't even sure what to think anymore... Suddenly, something... No, some had ran your window. You stared at him in shock. Ah; the akuma... So he hadn't gone through the window, he had made it disappear. He looked injured. He seemed to have fallen somewhere, evident by the scratches and bruises all over his body.

"Damn, that was close... I'm so stupid..." The boy growled. You let out a sigh. He didn't see you. You didn't want to bother with this anyway... You stared at him with tired eyes. He noticed you shortly after. "O-Oh, sorry..."

"It's fine. I don't care. Go ahead and do what you want. By the way, if you win against at Ladybug, you're paying for both my windows. You broke another one downstairs." You said with a sharp look. He stared at you with surprise for a moment, before laughing. He looked pretty cool. He had a jacket with a black and dark blue color scheme with hints of white, some black pants and a blue shirt, with some gloves and other accessories. He also had black hair. Pretty normal-looking for an akuma, but the accessories gave it away.

"Alright, sure. I'm okay now... I'm going to fight those freaks until I win." He said, glaring outside with the corner of his eye. He got ready to leave, walking a few steps. You noticed he was wobbling slightly.

"Hey. Rushing in isn't going to do you any good. Go fix yourself up, you're limping." You replied. He let out a salty laugh.

"What, you're helping an Akuma? You're meant to be scared." He scoffed. Your expression didn't change at his remark.

"I was the last Akuma. I remember it all, too." You replied. You were pretty sure this guy wouldn't last. You don't know how he got injured, but Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't actually harm Akumas, so your guess was that he fell or injured himself. He wouldn't remember this when he was de-akumatized since he was a full Akuma.

"Y-You remember..? But, that's not meant to happen...?" He spoke, shocked. You rolled your eyes with a sigh.

"Look, just go fix yourself up in the bathroom. There's a first aid kit on the wall. Hide away until you're better, then leave. I don't care." You sighed. You were tired from too much social interaction and being angry over akumas.

"...You're surprisingly nice." He smirked, walking off into the hall. You let out a sigh, leaning your head back. What were you even doing? "Where's the bathroom?!"

"Door opposite mine!" You replied. He yelled back a thanks, then you heard the door close behind him. Huh. An Akuma in your house. Weren't you an Akuma repellent? Oh well, it was fine. You decided just to go along with it. Maybe you would be able to get information about who Ladybug was, since you curious...

A short while later, the akuma re-entered the room. He had a few plasters over himself, but looked a lot more fixed up. He fixed his hair and outfit up too... 

"Still sitting in that corner?" He laughed. You nodded.

"Yeah, I guess. My name's Y/N. You?"

"Fader." He smirked. You let out a sigh.

"Your name?" You spoke as you got up.

"That's it. Fader. The old me is gone." He grumbled. You let out a huff with a smirk.

"Hm, sure. Well, welcome to my house, Fader." You smirked. What were you doing..? Welcoming an Akuma?! You lost it, huh?

"Heh, thanks."