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Okay, this was bad. Really bad. Like, ‘the end of the world’-bad.
Ladybug had left her daughter with him so she could patrol.
Which he loved, okay? Adrien loved every minute he got to spend with little Emilie, her cute chubby cheeks and-
Wait. Losing focus here.
Ladybug had left her with him, not even five minutes ago, and now the little one was crying.
Oh God, what was he supposed to do?
In the three years since she’d been born, Adrien had seen Emilie at least once a week - more, if they managed - and yet he’d never seen her cry. Sure, there had been the occasional tear here and there, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a peck on the nose and a dumb cat joke.
A skinned knee however, seemed to require more than that and it was driving him to panic.
“Sh, it’s okay, ma petite ,” he cooed hoping it would help calm her down. He’d picked her up already, her head resting against his throat. “I know it hurts, but it’s going to get better.”
Emilie’s answer consisted of more crying.
He was not qualified to deal with this - he had no idea what to do or how to comfort a child.
There was no blood - just a little redness - so that meant he wasn’t supposed to take her to the hospital, right?
Wait - when would he have to take her to the hospital?
Adrien had only vague memories of his mother consoling him when he was younger, and none of his father. In the rare occasion that a child was akumatized it was usually Ladybug or their parents who calmed them - he was really just the comic relief in those cases.
Maybe he should call Ladybug? Ask her to come back and he would take care of patrol tonight.
No - that would mean giving up on the precious little time he had with Emilie. And he didn’t want her to think he was incapable of watching after the little one.
Rocking her softly he paced across the roof, continuing to make soft cooing noises. Wasn’t that supposed to calm babies?
But she wasn’t a baby anymore - with three years she was considered to be a toddler, wasn’t she?
Was there a difference between consoling a baby and a toddler?
He should have read a book on the subject.
He needed help. He needed someone with experience and -
An idea formed at the back of his mind. Adrien wasn’t sure whether it was brilliant or absolutely stupid, but he was running out of options before the tenants of the next building would call the police on him.
And wouldn’t that be awkward to explain?
“Plagg, claws in,” he uttered the familiar phrase to call his transformation off.
“You better have some cheese ready or -” Plagg stopped as soon as he realised that Emilie was upset.
Curious as ever about his detransformation she had halted in her crying for a second, only to pick it up again now with new enthusiasm.
Plagg was by his side immediately, cheese forgotten. “What happened?”
“She tripped and skinned her knee. I’m not sure what to do. She won’t stop crying.”
As if he’d taken care of hundreds of children before - and who knows, maybe he had - Plagg took control of the situation.
“Sit down with her,” he ordered and Adrien complied, placing Emilie on his lap.
“Hey, kitten, watch this!” Plagg said to the little girl and immediately started to pull funny faces.
Emilie watched him, her eyes glued to the little kwami, and she seemed to forget about her knee.
“You too,” he whispered to Adrien, stopping his entertainment for a second.
Not yet convinced by the strategy, rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue.
When the tears stopped coming, Adrien put more effort in his show - if she needed him to be silly, he could easily do that.
If Ladybug could see him now, she’d declare him certifiably crazy.
“Now, you try it,” Plagg instructed Emilie.
Sniffling, she tried to imitate Plagg, pulling her face into a grimace similar to the one Adrien wore.
“That’s better, isn’t it?” the kwami cooed and Adrien was speechless when Emilie actually nodded.
Who would have guessed Plagg was good with kids?
Within minutes the three of them were laughing, competing with each other, seeing who could make the funniest face.
Emilie’s knee was all but forgotten and they spent the rest of the evening with her toys and colouring books, until she fell asleep in his arms.
He didn’t have to make use of his new-found skill of comforting Emilie until a few months later when she’d bumped her head as she tackle-hugged him.
Ladybug was still around, so she immediately reached to take her daughter from him.
Adrien was relieved to see that she too tried to calm down the little one by cooing and rocking her in her arms.
But just like the last time, it wasn’t enough.
“I’m sorry, chaton. Maybe I should take her home.”
“No!” he replied. “I’ve got this.”
He began to joke around, pulling faces, forcing Emilie to concentrate on something else than the pain. Adrien told his stupid jokes and put on a show.
Within minutes, Emilie’s tears started to dry up, and a little smile appeared on her lips.
Still, he continued until she was laughing.
When he finally stopped and looked up to boast about his child-rearing skills, he blushed.
Ladybug studied him with the strangest expression, as if she had never seen him before.
“What?” he asked, grateful for his mask that prevented her from seeing the extent of the blush that spread on his cheeks.
With a small smile she shook her head. “Nothing.”
She handed Emilie over to him. “Looks like you’ve got this under control.”
“Always, ma lady.”
“Thanks, chaton.”
Adrien and Emilie watched her until she was just a red spot in the distance.
“So, ma petite princess , how about a story?”