"My day begins at 4 a.m. every morning because the bakery opens at 7. You think that the life of a baker is pretty routine, making the same pastries, rolls, cakes... but actually, it's different everyday. One day someone might order a cake in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, and another day you might..."

The voice filters through the door and through the wall, and Adrien Agreste puts a finger in his ear to try and block it out. He doesn't mind Tom Dupain, he'd love to be inside listening to his talk, but he's got a voice so loud that Adrien can barely hear the phone pressed to his ear. He presses it closer and presses the up button on the volume, even though he already knows it's at its maximum.

"You've reached the voicemail of Gabriel Agreste. Please leave a message."

Even though Adrien knew this was coming, he can't help but be disappointed. He'd hoped that, just once, his father would pick up.

Clearly, his hopes were in vain.

"Hi, Father," Adrien says. He can still hear Tom Dupain inside. "It's Parent's Career Day at school, remember? I was hoping that you were going to show up. Call me back."

He ends the voicemail, and stares at the photo of Gabriel for the two seconds before it disappears. The photo is from several years ago, when Adrien took photos of his dad just because he could. Nowadays, he's considering taking photos every time he sees his dad just to celebrate the occasion.

Even though he knows he should be inside, he was just out here to try and call his dad, he opens Miraculous. There's been another heap of likes on Episode 8, and he thinks about LadyBug. Wonders about the boy that she mentioned, the boy that she likes. Wonders if he even stands a chance.

ChatNoir: hey princess, today isnt going good for me today, so just thought id say hi in case urs isnt going too good either

He's sent it before he can wonder whether it's too sappy, before he closes Miraculous. Tom Dupain has finished talking, and he thinks he can recognise Sabrina's dad's voice. He must be going next. Adrien should go inside and listen to his talk too.

He doesn't move. He just stands there, staring at the screen. At the absence of response from his father, who he hadn't even seen that morning.

"You!"

Adrien immediately recognises Chloe's shriek, and puts his phone back into his pocket with a sigh. When he pushes open the door, he isn't quite sure what he's just walked into. Everyone seems to be gathered around Marinette, who's standing amid a lot of croissants and a silver tray, while Chloe is yelling.

"What?" Marinette asks, incredulous. "What are you talking about?"

"You purposely tripped on my bag so you could steal my bracelet!" Chloe shrieks, and Adrien sighs the tiniest possible sigh. Chloe had shown him the bracelet that morning. It was an ugly bracelet, in his opinion, and he was rather relieved it had gone missing. "You're a policeman! Arrest her!"

Adrien isn't sure who's more surprised; himself, Marinette or Roger Raincomprix himself. He knew Chloe was attached to the stupid thing, but not this much. Although, admittedly, it may have something more to do with her hatred of Marinette and determination to use her father's power whenever possible.

"My daughter is not a thief!" objects Tom Dupain. Marinette opens her mouth to object as well, but Roger blows his whistle.

"Hold on a minute, Miss Bourgeois, we don't accuse without proof! Now, everyone, calm down, please. Maybe you simply misplaced your bracelet."

Adrien almost laughs. While he wishes Roger Raincomprix could intimidate and knock some sense into Chloe, he highly doubts it.

"You're calling me a liar? Daddy!"

Here we go again, Adrien thinks. Calling Daddy the moment things don't go your way. He wonders when Chloe will actually start to deal with her problems herself.

"Roger, I demand you search this girl!"

On reflection, Adrien would like to add that he also would like to know when Mayor Bourgeois will stop dealing with Chloe's problems.

"Need I remind you that as mayor of this city, I am your superior!"

Roger's eyes widen.

"But, sir, it's against the law! I can't just-"

"All right," says Mr. Bourgeois. "Then you are no longer a police officer."

No one speaks. Everyone is in shock. Except, apparently, Chloe and her father. She just looks smug.

"Mayor, you can't be serious?" Roger asks, struggling to find the words. "Over a missing bracelet?"

"This is my daughter's bracelet we're talking about!" Mr. Bourgeois snaps. "You're-"

"Chloe's no different to the rest of us."

He isn't quite sure why he said it. He certainly wasn't intending to. It just, kind of, came out.

"Excuse me?" asks Mr. Bourgeois, and Adrien hates what he's about to do. He hates that he's just as bad as Chloe, that he's using Mr. Bourgeois' love of having the Gabriel brand based in Paris to manipulate him.

"Agent Roger wouldn't be fired if it was Marinette's bracelet," Adrien says. "And legally he isn't allowed to search her bags. He's just doing his job, and if it was any of the rest of us, you wouldn't care. He doesn't deserve to be fired."

"Yeah, Daddy," Chloe says, and Adrien sinks even deeper into the pits of horrible-ness. Now he's using Chloe to manipulate her father. "He didn't do anything wrong, and doesn't deserve to be fired!"

Sabrina's eyes light up, and Roger looks incredulous. Chloe seems to be unsure whether her statement was a good decision or not.

"Thanks, Chloe," Adrien says. Even though he knows she's doing it because she's his oldest friend, he can't help but be grateful that Roger hasn't been fired.

"I suppose..." Mr. Bourgeois frowns, apparently surprised by Chloe's sudden change of heart. "You're not fired, then. But I demand that my daughter's bracelet is found!"

Well, Adrien thinks to himself, we obviously didn't get the message through to Mr. Bourgeois. But maybe Chloe will start to work it out.

As it turns out, Adrien finds the bracelet under his own seat, which was vacated when Marinette tripped. After receiving much thanks from Chloe, the remaining parents finish their own talks. He's disappointed, but not surprised, when the end-of-day bell rings and he hasn't even received a text from his father. He doesn't see him when he arrives at home, either, and so goes straight up to his room and opens Miraculous on his laptop. Almost the same moment he loads his chat with LadyBug, she sends him a message.

LadyBug: aww, thanks chat. it wasnt that great, but im sure u didnt have a very good day either

Deciding not to mention his issues with his dad, Adrien types a message about the incident with Mayor Bourgeois.

ChatNoir: apart from some personal issues, there was an incident where someone nearly got fired at school for some ridiculous thing. mayor bourgeois and his daughter, unsurprisingly

LadyBug: yeah, i heard about that. heard the mayors daughter is quite the brat, always using her dads power to get stuff

Technically, LadyBug isn't wrong, but Adrien can't just Chloe's reputation be tarnished like that.

ChatNoir: idk, chloe isnt that bad. i think she was just raised to believe she was better than everyone else. she just needs to be taught that just bc shes the mayors daughter doesnt mean that she can do whatever she wants.

LadyBug: if u say so. i was actually thinking we base episode 9 on roger raincomprix, the policeman who nearly got fired. i heard this one kid in the class, ironically chloes childhood friend, managed to stop him getting fired, but in the tp world without the kid defending him, hed probably be fired and then akumatised.

Him. LadyBug had heard about him in real life. She might even know him in real life. It makes him happy, to think that he might know LadyBug.

LadyBug: actually u two would probably get along XD. make the "defenders of chloe" club yknow

Adrien almost laughs, almost responds to say a club isn't a club with only one person. Almost forgets that LadyBug has no idea that he and said kid are the same person.

ChatNoir: ill start to recruit members XD