A Typical Day

[mistkitt]

Originally Posted: 06/20/16

In fact, why not an entire Single Dadrien drabble?

~*~

Adrien Agreste’s day started at six in the morning. He woke up, showered, shaved, dressed, and walked down the hall to the only other bedroom in his small apartment. There, curled up with her favorite stuffed cat, slept his daughter Emma.

Emma, like most little girls her age, was having a princess phase. Her room had practically become a shrine to Disney’s Frozen (Adrien himself could sing “Let It Go” backwards and forwards). He stepped over various plastic princesses on his way to his daughter’s bedside, reminding himself to scold her for the mess later. At the moment he could only watch her sleep, struck by how much she resembled his late wife: dark hair, button nose, and when she was awake, her fiery temper. He shook his head. “Emma, come on. Time to get up.”

She whined and turned over with exaggerated movements, throwing the covers over her head. Adrien picked her up, blankets and all, and carried her to the bathroom. He sat her on the toilet lid. Pulled the Frozen shower curtain aside. Ran water until it was sufficiently warm. “What do you want for breakfast?”

Emma woke up immediately. “Coffee!”

“Try again.”

She stuck out her bottom lip. “Yogurt.”

Adrien scrubbed her head and took the blanket away from her. “Yogurt and toast coming right up.”

He took the blanket back to her bed and laid out one of the newest outfits his father had made Emma. Then Adrien brewed coffee for himself and prepared Emma’s school lunch while he waited for her to get dressed. No matter what, they always had breakfast together. It was tradition.

Emma, refreshed from her shower, became a chatterbox. She caught Adrien up on the plots of all her favorite cartoons on the way to school, then planted a kiss on his cheek before she ran off, lunchbox flailing at her side. He pretended not to notice the hungry stares of the kindergarten moms as he waited for Emma to go indoors. Before she did, she turned back and waved at him.

Ah, he was going to miss that when she hit her rebellious phase.

Next came work. Straight up fashion from eight to four. Business meetings, papers to be signed, phone calls to make, more coffee to drink. He was grateful for Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who always seemed to know when his energy levels were depleted and brought him something from her parents’ bakery.

After work, Adrien put on an encore performance of his greatest role: Super Dad Who Never Gets Tired. He picked Emma up from her friend’s house and got to work on dinner as soon as they arrived home. Emma ran around his legs and told him all about school: a boy had lost his first tooth and now everyone wanted to lose their teeth, Chloe’s daughter brought an expensive charm bracelet for show and tell, the teacher taught them a new song. When dinner was ready they ate at their small round dining table.

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Do you wanna get married?”

Adrien choked on his food and coughed violently. “What–? Where did that come from?”

“I heard two ladies saying how you should get married.” Emma paused, then gave him a serious look. “I told them they’re wrong.”

Adrien burst out laughing. He couldn’t help himself. There was no doubt in his mind that if he ever started dating again, Emma would run off all his potential mates. But rather than entertain the thought, he watched some television with his daughter until her eyelids got droopy, then he helped her change into her pajamas, brush her teeth, and climb into bed.

Later, as he stood at the sink silently scrubbing the dinner plates, he allowed himself to imagine how nice it would be to have someone to talk to. Someone to cuddle with on the sofa. Someone to sleep next to. But as appealing as single fathers were to single women, Adrien knew the truth: not many of them were truly willing to parent a child they hadn’t given birth to.

And Emma Agreste–his little princess, his entire world–deserved better than that.