Truth and Consequences

by siderealSandman

Summary:

On Sunday, Marinette discovered who her arch nemesis really was.

On Monday, she made Adrien’s father a deal.

Chapter 1: Prologue: The End of the Road

Snow tumbled in the gaping hole in the side of the Agreste manor, landing on the smoking piles of shattered wood and mangled carpet. The smell of charred ozone mingled in the air with hundreds of aimless akuma, flitting here and there without their master to guide them. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of sirens made their way to the shattered remnants of Adrien’s house, but Marinette was numb to everything save for the look of utter bewilderment, betrayal, and contempt on Adrien’s face.

 

“...why?” Adrien mouthed, tears spilling out of the corners of his eyes and tracing trails down his soot covered cheeks. With torn clothing, mussed hair, and an ugly gash bleeding through his turtleneck, he looked only a tiny bit as bad as Marinette felt.

 

“I...I didn’t know,” Marinette croaked, dragging herself across the floor and towards her partner. “I didn’t know, I promise, I swear, I was only trying to-”

 

Adrien’s arm jerked away from her touch as she reached out for him, hauling himself to his feet and leaning on the wall for support.

 

“Trying to what ?” Adrien murmured, shaking his head. “Trying to help?! My father...he was my father and you didn’t tell me?!”

 

“I didn’t know it was you!” Marinette insisted, rising with a wince to stand level with him. “If I had known, I-”

 

“What difference would it have made?!” Adrien spat, face crinkling as he stared at the blackened crater where Hawkmoth had stood only a few moments before. “I told you this would happen...I told you and you didn’t trust me!”

 

Marinette’s head swam as the sum of her nightmares seemed to rise around her with the smoke. Her ears dripped droplets of red in the snow, naked for the first time since she was fourteen years old. Adrien cradled his hand to his chest, an angry red welt the only sign a ring had ever been on his finger.

 

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said feebly. “I know that doesn’t even begin to help, but I swear, I’m so, so…”

 

Marinette trailed off, staring at the floor where Hawkmoth disappeared.

 

“We can still fix this!”  Marinette said, a manic edge creeping into her voice. “I-I can get my team—our team—and we can figure out what h-happened, right? We can still find them...w-we can get them back, right Adrien?”

 

She took a hesitant step towards him, ignoring the dull, throbbing pain in her ears as she watched his back, silently pleading for him to turn around and just look at her. 

 

When he did, Marinette suddenly wished he hadn't.

 

“We?” Adrien echoed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand before finally meeting her gaze with a look of anger and disappointment cold as the snow that piled around her ankles. “What makes you think there’s a we anymore?”

 

---

 

Three months earlier, on a cold Sunday in September, Marinette had learned the identity of her greatest enemy.

 

The next evening, she made Hawkmoth a deal.

Notes:

AR YA READY KIDS?!

So this is the start of my Big Damn Long Miraculous Civil War AU. I've seen quite a few "Chat Joins Hawkmoth" AU's but no "Ladybug joins Hawkmoth" AU's which I think is a ripe opportunity for drama. And since S2 is failing to live up to Thomas' ominous "Miraculous Civil War" tweet, I figured I'd take a crack at it.

This AU is divergent post Syren and will likely be contradicted multiple times by upcoming episodes. That's fine; at this point I want to do my own thing with these characters regardless of where canon ends up. Hopefully I can present this AU in a way that makes sense.

As always, feedback is the fuel that keeps me going! Please leave a review/comment/death threat in the comments below

Chapter 2: What You Are In The Dark

Three Months Earlier

“Vengeance is mine sayeth... PRAYING MAN-TIS!” The large, bug-headed akuma in a priest’s vestment shrieked, slicing a car in half with his long, hooked forelegs. “MOCK MY EDUCATIONAL BIBLE-THEMED BUG CARTOONS, WILL YOU?!”

 

“You just had to make fun of Horace the Easter Beetle, didn’t you Michel?!” A girl in a Catholic high-school uniform shouted, dodging a trash can Praying Man-Tis threw at her head.

 

“I said it before and I’ll say it again; it was a stupid cartoon!” Her schoolmate shouted, defending himself with a backpack that their disgruntled youth pastor easily sliced in half with his mandible claw.

 

“Not helping!”

 

“You know I have no verbal filter! What am I supposed to do; not mock him?!” Michel said, holding a trash can lid up feebly to defend himself. The razor-sharp edge of the akuma’s claw glinted in the mid-day sun as it came arcing down, ready to cleave the pair in two.

 

Clink!

 

“Far be it for me to tell you how to practice your religion, padre, but I don’t think the Bible condones eating people.” Michel glanced over the rim of his shield to see a tall, black-clad young man blocking Praying Man-Tis’ claw strike with a long silver staff.

 

“Oh thank God, we’re saved!” Michel sighed as Chat Noir kicked the disgruntled pastor in the chest.

 

“OH NOW YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT GOD?!” Praying Man-Tis hissed, slicing a nearby car in half as Chat Noir vaulted over the hood. He whirled around, striking the insect in the back of its spindly legs as he tried to lure the akuma away from the teenagers. A flash of red swooped down from a nearby rooftop, the head of a yo-yo making a quick loop around the akuma’s claws. Snarling, Praying Man-Tis’ arms were hoisted above his head as Ladybug landed beside her partner, looping the end of her yo-yo over a nearby lamppost.

 

“You two might wanna take a page out of Exodus before your friend gets loose,” Ladybug grunted, tugging against the akuma’s strength as the younger teenagers turned and ran down a side-street.

 

“Hey look; w-we were saved by an insect after all!” Michel’s voice called as he ran out of sight.

 

“Shut up Michel!”

 

“COME BACK; YOU STILL HAVEN’T FINISHED THE GOSPEL COLORING BOOK!” Praying Man-Tis screeched, pulling against Ladybug’s yo-yo and snapping after the retreating teenagers.

 

“Dude, they’re like fourteen,” Chat said, jamming his baton in his mouth. “Nobody over fourteen colors.”

 

“I color,” Ladybug mumbled, tugging the Akuma back over the lamp post with a flick of her wrist. “Not cheesy photocopied drawings of the Last Supper, but I find it therapeutic.”

 

“Huh,” Chat Noir said, blocking another claw strike with a raise of his baton. “Guess I know what to get you for Christmas then.”

 

“I could use some more colored pencils, come to think of it,” Ladybug said, kicking the akuma back into the Seine. “Though there are a few books I haven’t been able to find yet-”

 

“ENOUGH!” Praying Man-Tis bellowed, rising from the water like an angry kaiju. “FOR TOO LONG HAVE I BEEN SCORNED BY THE YOUTH OF THIS CITY! ONCE I TAKE YOUR MIRACULOUS, HAWKMOTH WILL ENSURE THAT NO ONE CALLS MY EDUCATIONAL BIBLE CARTOONS LAME ANY LONGER!”

 

“Dude, we’re right here! ” Chat said, wiggling a finger in his ear. “Ow...my ears are ringing now.”

 

“RINGING WITH THE PURE AND GOOD WORD OF THE-” Praying Man-Tis glanced down to see his ornate gold crucifix resting securely in the palm of Ladybug’s hand. “...when did you-”

 

“While you were rupturing Chat’s eardrums,” Ladybug said, spinning the necklace around on her finger.

 

“...oh,” Praying Man-Tis said, scratching the back of his head with his claw. “...can I have it back? It’s kinda the source of my dread powers, you know…”

 

“Oh, so if I were to break it that would be-”

 

“Really bad for me, yes,” Praying Man-Tis nodded.

 

“Oh...well, in that case.” Ladybug held out her hand. “All yours.”

 

“....r-really?”

 

“Sure!” Ladybug nodded. “Let’s go another couple rounds! Not like I’m late for an afternoon shift or anything! I got aaaaaaaaall the time in the world!”

 

“...o-okay,” Praying Man-Tis said, tentatively reaching out for his crucifix. “I-If you’re sure, then-”

 

Ladybug spiked the cross against the ground with all her super strength, shattering it into a thousand pieces as Praying Man-Tis screech, shrinking back down into an unassuming twenty-something man in a priest’s collar.

 

“Wha...what happened?” The priest looked up as a sea of bright, sparkling ladybugs washed over the destruction, wiping it clean and leaving the sparkling streets of Paris good as new.

 

“You know the drill,” Chat said, waving his hands over the priest’s head. “Say ten Hail Mary’s, four Our Father’s, one Dead Parrot Sketch, and all will be forgiven.”

 

“And maybe update your Bible study class,” Ladybug said, latching on to the edge of a building and swinging up off the street.

 

“Think that was a record,” Chat said, landing on the roof and holding his fist out. “What was that, like five minutes or...Ladybug?”

 

“ Sorrygottagotalklaterbye!” Ladybug called out as she leapt off the roof, swinging off towards the other side of the city, already well out of earshot.

 

“Huh...guess she really was late for something,” Chat murmured, glancing down at his fist before bumping it with his other. “Good job, Chat!” Why thank you Chat!”

 

---

 

“I’mhereI’mhereI’mhere!” Marinette cried, dashing through the cafe doors and worming her way past customers as she elbowed her way to the cash register. “Sorry I’m late!”

 

“I love you, but if you stick me with cashier duty again, I will have to kill you,” Alya said, tossing Marinette an apron from the coat hook by the bar. “You know how I get when I have to talk to customers .”

 

“Crabby?”

 

“ Righteously crabby,” Alya hissed, turning around with a broad, artificial smile. “Yes, sir, have you made your decision?”

 

“I...had a thing to do,” Marinette chuckled nervously, scanning the coffee order Alya had scribbled on the torn sheet of paper.

 

“When don’t  you have things to do?” Alya snorted. “What was it this time; album art commission? Art school audition? Dough explosion at the folks’ place?”

 

“One time that happened,” Marinette said, spraying some whipped cream on the hastily cobbled together latte and passing it across the counter. Contrary to her fondest hopes, being a superhero didn’t get easier as she got older. In fact, as Marinette was presented with more interesting and lucrative opportunities, being Ladybug became more and more of a chore. She was now more likely to get called away in the middle of work, class, or an invigorating design project than she was when she was fourteen and while akuma battles were no less harrowing, they were more intrusive and annoying than life threatening.

 

It didn’t help that Hawkmoth was running thin on akuma ideas.

 

“Once is enough,” Alya said, grabbing a croissant from the display case and tucking it in a brown paper bag. “Did you...hear back from Central Saint Martins?”

 

“...oh,” Marinette wiped her hands on her apron, shooting Alya what she hoped was an easygoing smile. “Not yet…”

 

“Matter of time,” Alya said with a wave over her shoulder. “You’re a shoe-in; how many other applicants have won a Gabriel sponsored design contest when they were fourteen.”

 

“That was four years ago,” Marinette pointed out. “It was a long shot anyway; I-I’m not holding my breath.”

 

“Well, not like you’re hurting for options,” Alya shrugged, pulling her apron off and heading into the back. “New York, Tokyo, San Francisco; who knows where you’re gonna be next year.”

 

Marinette bit her lip, watching the cream dissolve into the coffee with a blank, unfocused stare. Part of her wondered why she was working so hard to save for a future that seemed further and further away with each akuma attack.

 

“...y-yeah, the world is my oyster!” Marinette chuckled, wiping her hands on her apron as she slid up to the register. “Thank you for waiting, sir, can I take your…”

 

One would think that after four years of being casual friends with him, Marinette would have been immune to Adrien Agreste’s unique brand of boyish charm.

 

“Sir?” Adrien asked with a crooked smile. “I thought we were at least on first name terms by this point.”

 

The problem was that Adrien’s boyish charm had grown up along with the rest of him; faster, it seemed, than Marinette could develop an immunity.

 

“O-Oh that’s just what all the cool kids are calling their friends these days,” Marinette laughed, leaning on the cash register and accidentally charging Adrien for fifteen scones. “Sir...madame...your excellency. Ironic formality is all the hype these days.”

 

“Shows how behind on the times I am,” Adrien snorted. “Can I get a-”

 

“Tall black iced tea with no sweetener?” Marinette said, already pulling a pitcher of tea from the fridge behind the counter.

 

“With-”

 

“Half a lemon?”

 

“And a-”

 

“Raspberry scone,” Marinette supplied, fishing one out from behind the counter and tucking it in a brown paper bag.

 

“And while you’re at it-”

 

“A medium latte with two pumps of caramel?” Marinette asked, glancing at the fencing bag over his shoulder. “When are you going to stop buying Kagami’s coffee for her?”

 

“When I stop losing duels where coffee is on the line,” Adrien sighed. “I swear, the first time I beat her was some kinda fluke…”

 

“The fact that I have it memorized at this point means you should probably stop stepping to your senpai like that,” Marinette chuckled.

 

“Speaking of memorization,” Adrien said, leaning on the counter. “We still on for tomorrow?”

 

“Four-thirty, your place,” Marinette nodded. As though she would forget.

 

“I’ll let Nathalie know you’re swinging by,” Adrien said, grabbing a drink in each hand and snatching the bag with the scone in it between his teeth. “Thnks!”

 

Marinette watched him waddle out of the shop with an armful of drinks, wondering if he was capable of going thirty minutes without doing something that made her squishy.

 

“What was that about?” Marinette turned around to see Alya leaning against the doorframe with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Nothing,” Marinette said quickly, fiddling with her braid.

 

“Adrien leaves you red-faced over nothing?” Alya asked, draping an arm over Marinette’s shoulder. “You really expect me to buy that?”

 

“...it’s just a study date at his house,” Marinette said, worming out of Alya’s grasp.

 

“So it’s a date?” Alya said, lips curling into a grin.

 

“A date with books and no funny business,” Marinette said quickly, busying herself with cleaning the counter.

 

“Not with that attitude,” Alya said, bumping her hip against Marinette. “Come ooooooon; he basically invited you over while his parents aren’t home~”

 

“His father is a workaholic and his mother may be dead,” Marinette pointed out. “They’re never home.”

 

“Point still stands,” Alya said, pouring a cup of coffee for herself. “We’re gonna be out of school in a handful of months; this could be the last chance you get to do what every girl and at least half the guys in Paris dream of!”

 

“...Adrien?”

 

“Precisely,” Alya nodded.

 

“When you say every girl in Paris, do you mean that you-”

 

“What can I say; kid looks good in jeans,” Alya shrugged.

 

“...does Nino know that you-”

 

“What part of half of the guys in Paris was unclear?” Alya asked. “Look, Luka didn’t pan out the way you wanted, but that was like a year and a half ago, right? Get back up on that horse already...and by horse I do mean-”

 

“Got it!” Marinette said, straightening the disposable cups to give herself something to do other than turn red. With everything going on in her life, the last thing she needed was a fling with someone who was probably leaving for some posh foreign college in the following fall. She had tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to move past her feelings for Adrien and the last thing she needed was to go deeper down the rabbit hole she had spent four years crawling out of.

 

...on the other hand, next autumn was a long way away. Maybe the quickest way to get over Adrien was to get under-

 

“O-Oh, thank god, a customer,” Marinette muttered, stepping up to the counter with a beaming smile. “Can I help you?”

---

“Hooooooooooooooome!”

 

Marinette caught the door with her foot so it didn’t slam, strolling through the back of the bakery with a yawn. The smell of long-eaten dinner still lingered in the kitchen, and a plate of chicken, vegetables, and rice sat in the microwave with Marinette’s name on it. A note on the fridge read “ Trouble with delivery driver; back tonight <3” in her mother’s neat pink calligraphy next to a crisp, cream colored envelope that Marinette had been anticipating...and dreading all week.

 

“Are you going to read it?” Tikki asked, fluttering out of her clutch bag as Marinette reheated the meal her father had made.

 

“I’ll get to it,” Marinette said, tucking the letter in her bag and hauling her dinner upstairs. By the time she had reached the ladder leading up to her loft, she had cleared through the chicken and vegetables and was just finishing her rice when she scooted through her trap door.

 

Not much had changed in Marinette's room since she moved to the loft; only her computer and drawing table were relatively recent additions. A half-finished jacket pinned to a mannequin sat near her workstation, and a blinking light on her dashboard alerted her to a chat notification.

 

Luka: soooooooooooo not to be a pest or anything buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut

 

Luka: did you get a chance to finish the back-cover art yet?

 

Rolling her eyes, Marinette scarfed down the last of her dinner, firing Illustrator up as she replied to Luka.

 

Marinette: some of us are still in lycee :P

 

Marinette: and have two jobs

 

Luka: two whole jobs???

 

Luka: i dream of the days when i only had two jobs

 

Luka: working two jobs would be a vacation for me

 

Marinette: cut me some slack; i’m not used to the whole starving artist grind

 

Luka: you will be, young skywalker

 

Luka: you will be

 

Luka: b t dubs, did you hear from Saint Martins yet?

 

Marinette: why is everyone asking me that?

 

Luka: because it’s cool

 

Luka: and you’re totes going

 

Marinette: might be going

 

Luka: did anyone else have a letter of reference from jagged fucking stone?

 

Luka: i think not

 

Marinette: we’ll see

 

Marinette: i have a french paper to write but i’ll try and get you another draft tonight

 

Luka: you’re a peach <3

 

Luka: i would kiss you just for old time’s sake if i were there

 

Marinette: with that tongue stud???

 

Marinette: hard pass; you used too much tongue as it was

 

Marinette: whatever girl you’re with is going to get her teeth broken by a little metal wrecking ball

 

Luka: >:P

 

Marinette: what did I say about too much tongue

 

Luka: just for that; no more kisses for you

 

Marinette: my dentist thanks you

 

By the time ten o’clock rolled around, half an essay on Les Miserables and half an album cover for a budding punk group were finished, and the cream colored envelope perched on Marinette’s desk had remained unopened. Every time her eyes drifted over towards it, she came up with something else to do. She started on her math homework that wasn’t due for a week, organized her desktop folders, and even wiped her desk down before curiosity started to get the better of her.

 

It was heavy in her hands as she stared down at it; she didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Slowly she peeled the back of the envelope open, fishing the letter out and starting to read.

 

 

 

Dear Ms. Dupain-Cheng,

 

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to-

 

Marinette felt her stomach churn, heart pounding in her ears as she read line after line of glowing praise. “ Great potential...imaginative designs...scholarship opportunities.” Every word said in her favor sent another cold, icy pang of disappointment washing through her as she just stared down at it, fingers running over the parchment almost longingly.

 

“What does it say?” Tikki asked, swooping over to read the letter as Marinette dropped it on the desk. “...you got in?!”

 

“Yeah...looks like it,” Marinette said softly, standing up and running a hand through her hair.

 

“B-But that’s amazing!” Tikki said, fluttering up to look her partner in the eye. “I-It’s what you wanted, isn’t it? One of the best schools in the world accepted your application!”

 

Marinette bit her lip, staring out at the Eiffel Tower. “It’s in London.”

 

Tikki’s antennae drooped, fluttering down to the desk with a small sigh. “...oh.”

 

It was what she wanted; an education from Central Saint Martins would have kickstarted her design career and made enough valuable connections to get her first investors interested. It was the beginning of her life as she wanted to lead it...and she simply couldn’t do it.

 

“Maybe you could…” Tikki trailed off, searching for an answer.

 

“What?” Marinette laughed. “Take the Chunnel every time an akuma popped up in Paris? Unless you’ve been holding out on teleportation powers, I can’t go to school in England and still be a superhero in Paris.”

 

“But…” Marinette swept the letter into her top desk drawer, opening Illustrator again and trying to lose herself in the swirling patterns of her design. She managed to ignore the weight in her chest up to and until Tikki laid a hand on her finger, looking up at her with wide, wobbling blue eyes.

 

“...it would have been nice,” Marinette said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and turning back to her computer.

 

---

 

“Chat?”

 

“Hm?” Chat glanced across the rooftop at his unusually taciturn partner as she stared out over the city.

 

“Do you…” Ladybug started, trailing off as she seemed to struggle to find the words. “Did you ever read the story of Sisyphus when you were a kid?”

 

“...sounds familiar,” Chat said, leaning on his staff. “Yeah, didn’t he betray the gods or something? And in true Greco-Roman dickweasel deity fashion, they made him roll a boulder up a hill for all eternity.”

 

Ladybug’s expression melted into a small smile. “Every time he almost got to the top, it would just roll back on down again. And he’d have to start over.”

 

“Makes you wonder why he didn’t just sit down; give up and spend the rest of eternity taking a cat nap,” Chat snickered.

 

“...maybe he thought it was important,” Ladybug said. “Maybe he...knew if he didn’t haul the boulder up to the top of the hill, someone else would have to. Maybe there was enough of the good king left in him to not back down from his duty...or maybe he’s just been doing it so long that he needs to see it through.”

 

“Even if it’s impossible?” Chat asked.

 

“Maybe he doesn’t know that,” Ladybug said, hugging her knees to her chest. “Maybe he thinks...okay, just one more try. Maybe this time I’ll get it; maybe this time I’ll win.”

 

Ladybug bit her lower lip. “...I mean, would you give up if you were him? Just accept that your task was impossible and that you’d never be free of this...this life you were living?”

 

“Do you really need to ask?” Chat snorted. “You know me; someone tells me I can’t do something, I’ll do it just to spite them.”

 

Ladybug snorted, standing up with a lazy stretch. “Well, if nothing else, spite is a hell of a motivator...same time tomorrow?”

 

“Unless our Sunday gets interrupted by Monsieur Butterfly,” Chat chuckled, holding out his fist. “You owe me two for skipping out on me today.”

 

“Fair enough,” Ladybug said, tapping Chat’s fist with a quick one-two punch. “Sorry about that, I just-”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Chat said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Let me know if you want me to cover a shift for you or something.”

 

“I wouldn’t even subject Hawkmoth to one of my swing shifts,” Ladybug chuckled, stepping backwards towards the edge of the roof. “...well-”

 

“I think Hawkmoth owes you one or two shifts at this point.”

 

“Owes me more than that,” Ladybug mumbled, shaking her hair. “Text me when you get home, kay?”

 

“Safe swinging,” Chat said with a two fingered salute as he dropped off the roof, kicking off a balcony and somersaulting over the lip of another building. She watched his dark figure retreat for a moment, admiring the deft way he landed and moved with an almost liquid flow before turning, latching her yo-yo on a lamppost and swinging off the roof. It was moments like this, when her life wasn't in peril and she could enjoy the simple freedom of swinging through the city with the wind blowing through her hair, that she truly appreciated the freedom being Ladybug offered.

 

Her unexpected side job came with fewer perks than one might think so she was sure to take advantage of them whenever she could. Gliding past her balcony window, she latched on to another lamp post, slingshotting herself up into the night air. She reveled in the feeling of freefalling for a few seconds before swinging up and over the rooftops, closing her eyes as the chilly night air whipped past her cheeks.

 

The light in Ayla’s bedroom caught her attention as she landed on the roof across from her family’s townhouse. It was something of a guilty pleasure to catch small, stolen moments where her friends had their hair down and looked completely unguarded. Alya sat with her back to the headboard of her bed, phone cradled on her shoulder as she typed on her laptop. She couldn’t make out what Alya was saying but judging by the way she rolled her eyes with beaming laugh, it wasn’t hard to tell who she was talking to.

 

Envy wasn’t an emotion that Marinette liked to dwell on; she had been blessed and fortunate in so many ways that it felt petty begrudging the lives that her friends had built for themselves. But there were moments when she found herself craving the freedom to chart her own course, unfettered by responsibility she had shouldered since she was a fourteen year old girl. Alya didn’t have to plan her life within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower; she didn’t have to worry about putting her boyfriend’s life in danger on the off chance that Hawkmoth discovered her secret identity. The course of her life was entirely hers to chart and despite having nigh-limitless powers of creation of her fingertips, there were fleeting moments where Marinette would have traded her earrings and her nighttime runs through the city for just a taste of the freedom Alya had.

 

Shaking her head, Ladybug swung off the edge of the roof, hoping to lose the burgeoning feelings of resentment somewhere over the rooftops. She found herself sailing past Nino’s apartment, winding her way through the city until she found herself perched on one of the buildings across the street from Adrien’s family estate.

 

There were lines that Marinette never crossed as a superheroine; spying unseen on Adrien was one of them. She knew it would have been too easy to go down that slippery slope if she started and so she consciously steered clear of the Agreste manor whenever she felt like going on her little nightly strolls. Adrien lived his entire life under a camera lens; he deserved to have just a little bit of privacy in his personal life.

 

His father, on the other hand, wasn’t subject to the same courtesy.

 

The light on at the end of the compound drew Ladybug’s attention towards Gabriel Agreste’s office. While she had never indulged the creeping urge to spy on Adrien, the opportunity to be a fly on Gabriel Agreste’s wall was a little too much to resist. She could see him leaning over a drafting table as she had done so many times before, mumbling something to himself as a dark look of concentration crossed his face. While she had nothing but personal disdain for Adrien’s icicle of a father, the fashion designer in her couldn’t help but bear some begrudging respect for someone who built his fashion company out of nothing. He was living her dream; posted up in an expansive manor his own brand had bought. She could see herself in a similar position in a few years, drafting late into the night and in her personal office, talking with Tikki as her pen slid across the-

 

Ladybug frowned as Gabriel’s head turned to one side sharply, teeth baring as he snapped at someone just out of line of sight. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she maneuvered herself up towards the window, keeping to the shadows as she tried to get a look at whoever Gabriel was snapping at. Adrien’s complaints about his father had petered off over the years, but something warm, fierce, and protective inside her bared its fangs at the thought of Gabriel looking at his son like that. She tilted her head to one side, peering around the corner as she tried take in whoever he was talking to…

 

And at first, she saw nothing.

 

Her initial instinct was that Gabriel was muttering darkly to herself as she sometimes did when faced with a difficult design decision. In the months and years that followed that moment, Marinette often found herself thinking back on the chance she had to follow her gut and turn away.

 

Six seconds was all it took to notice the small, floating purple figure that seemed to be the subject of Gabriel’s ire.

 

At first, Ladybug mistook it for a stress doll or an elaborate pincushion like the one that sat on her drafting table. During trying creative periods, she would often find herself ranting at the little duck shaped pincushion in the hopes that merely vocalizing her problems would be enough to solve them. So for a brief moment, Ladybug didn’t think anything of the fact that Gabriel was feverishly speaking to what appeared to be a doll; creative minds needed a safe outlet for stress, after all.

 

Then, the doll moved.

 

It was slight at first; just a flutter of wings that made Ladybug wonder if she hadn’t been up too late. She blinked, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her fists in the hopes that it was just hallucination brought on by lack of sleep. But when she opened her eyes, the floating purple figure had moved, hovering in front of Gabriel’s face as he spoke with it.

 

Ladybug froze, not trusting the flimsy shadows to hide her as she watched one of Paris’ most prominent fashion designers argued with a small purple bug creature. She tensed up as he turned to face the window, ducking out of sight as the small figure seemed to be going on at length about something. Gabriel closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke two words she couldn’t quite hear.

 

A dark, purple light overtook him, causing Ladybug to avert her eyes with a pained wince. When she looked again, a tall, masked figure had replaced Gabriel and the small floating creature was no longer anywhere in the room. Ladybug’s stomach clenched, eyes widening as she saw a figure she had only seen in illusions or projections turn, walk towards a bookcase that swung open, and disappear down a dimly lit tunnel.

 

It wasn’t until the bookcase door shut behind him that Ladybug realized her hands were trembling.

Chapter 3: Dealing with the Devil

Ladybug crouched on the ledge for what seemed like an eternity, shaking fingers clutching the windowsil. Cars passed on the street below, occasionally spilling light on her hiding spot, but Ladybug dared not move for fear that her legs would give out the moment she tried. Moving would mean that she needed to act; needed to do something about what she had just seen.

 

What was she supposed to do?

 

Could she take Hawkmoth by herself? She didn’t know where he was going or what kind of security measures Gabriel could have installed to thwart intruders. A better question; did she even know what he was capable of? She had spent almost five years fighting his proxies and servants, but his own skills were still largely unknown.

 

Taking him alone was out; she needed to call Chat, wait for Gabriel to transform back and then-

 

Her communicator beeping drew her out of her stupor. Fumbling for her yo-yo, Ladybug took a deep, steadying breath before answering.

 

“Chat, I...I need you-” Ladybug said.

 

“Always nice to hear,” Chat’s shaky chuckle came from the other end. “But maybe we should wait until after we handle this akuma, hm?”

 

“Akuma?” The sound of distance screaming drew Ladybug’s attention to a giant pink cupcake that threatened to swallow the Arc de Triomphe. “Of course there's an akuma; why wouldn't there be an akuma?!”

 

“You wanna split dessert?”

 

“I’ll be there in a second,” Ladybug sighed, closing her communicator and sparing one last look at Gabriel’s office before latching on to a nearby lamp-post and grappling towards the frosted nightmare that threatened to engulf her city.

 

---

 

“That was a piece of cake,” Chat said, watching the purified akuma flutter up over the city. Ladybug watched it flutter back in the direction of the Agreste estate, wondering why it never occurred to her that the butterflies might return home to their master when all was said and done.

 

“Okay, that was a low-hanging pun,” Chat admitted, frowning as Ladybug’s gaze drifted off over the skyline. “That one needed more time to rise...rise like a cake...cakes rise, right?...Ladybug?...you okay?”

 

“Chat…” Ladybug said, turning to face her partner. “There’s something I need to-”

 

Beep! Beep! Beep!

 

Ladybug growled, bunching her hands in her hair as her earrings started beeping. “Look, I...let’s meet up in the usual spot tomorrow; we need to talk.”

 

“I...have a study date in the afternoon but-”

 

“Chat,” Ladybug said, blue eyes hard as she held his gaze. “We need to talk.”

 

Another series of beeps silenced Chat’s line of questioning as Ladybug hopped off the roof, springing off a dumpster lid and landing behind a restaurant delivery truck as her transformation ran out.

 

“Okay,” Marinette murmured to herself, trembling fingers opening a packet of store bought cookies and passing one to Tikki as she fluttered up into her hood. “Okay, okay, okay...let me think...let me think…”

 

“What’s there to think about?!” Tikki squeaked, crumbs falling down the front of Marinette’s shirt as she frantically crammed the cookie in her mouth. “Adrien’s father is Hawkmoth !”

 

“Hey, say that louder next time!” Marinette said, pulling out her phone to make it look like she was talking to someone. “I don’t think Gabriel Agreste heard it that time!”

 

“B-But this is what we’ve been working for!” Tikki squeaked in her ear as Marinette wound her way through the evening crowds. “We have him! We have his address! We just need to sneak in while he’s sleeping and-”

 

“I know!” Marinette snapped, pausing under a tree as she took a deep breath. “Look, after getting drenched in magically generated buttercream, nothing would make me happier than going over there and snatching that Miraculous away from Adrien’s skeevier than advertised father…”

 

“But?”

 

“ But, I can’t just break in, guns blazing,” Marinette countered. "This whole situation just got a lot more complicated than I thought it would be..." 

 

“You could sneak in?” Tikki suggested, scarfing another cookie down in a hail of crumbs and chocolate chips. “Steal it from him when he’s sleeping?”

 

“And what if he doesn’t keep it on him when he sleeps?” Marinette countered. “What if he locks it away in a safe or something and I’m left fumbling around in the dark until the alarm system trips? And how am I supposed to explain to Adrien why I’m rooting around his father’s office at night?”

 

“I don’t know!” Tikki said, an edge of desperation creeping into her voice. “But we can’t just do nothing! We...we can’t just leave him there!”

 

Marinette closed her eyes, ducking into a grocery store with a small sigh. “...what’s his name?”

 

“...Nooroo,” Tikki muttered into Marinette’s ear. “I know we have to be careful but it’s...he was just so sweet. And kind. His power is supposed to help people realize their potential; to make heroes out of anyone...and to have him be in the hands of that vile man-”

 

“I know,” Marinette said, reaching into her hoodie and rubbing Tikki’s head with the tip of her finger. “And we’re going to get him out...we just need a plan. We need to figure out how to get to him without him transforming, or running, or causing a scene, or-”

 

Marinette trailed off, eyes narrowing as Gabriel’s cold, refined features glowered up at her from the front page of a fashion magazine.

 

“...Tikki,” Marinette asked, eyes drifting over to the rows of packaged cookies. “Does Hawkmoth need time to recharge after an akuma?”

 

Tikki frowned. “I...we all need to recharge after a fight. Unless we find some way to recharge our magical power like eating cook-”

 

Tikki froze, looking up at the rows of cookies before turning slowly to look at Marinette.

 

“How fast can you eat?”

 

---

 

The sliding bookcase locked with a thunk behind him as the last of Gabriel’s transformation disappeared in a flash of dark purple light. He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath as he fought to calm the rising tide of frustration that welled up after every failed attempt. Closing his eyes, he slowly started counting down from ten, willing himself to resist the urge to upend his desk with every passing second until he felt calm again.

 

“Frosting?” Gabriel said, shooting Nooroo a cool glare. “That was the best you could manage, hm?”

 

“I-I didn’t think-” Nooroo wilted as Gabriel held his hand up.

 

“You can spare me the sob story,” Gabriel sighed, rubbing his temples as he reached for the light switch. “I know better than to expect any degree of effort on your part at this point since you’ve made no secret how little you care for my family. I just thought that after four years, you might at least be tired of this miserable run around.”

 

“Aren’t we all?”

 

Gabriel’s heart seized in his chest as a voice echoed off the walls of his empty office. The lights came up on a young woman perched on the edge of his desk, blue eyes hard and arms cross as she glowered down at him beneath a red and black mask.

 

“How…who let you…” Gabriel glanced between Ladybug and Nooroo, faced with the enormity of his greatest hindrance catching him redhanded talking to a purple butterfly kwami. “I...I know how this looks, but I can explain-”

 

“Can you?” Ladybug asked, hopping off the desk, advancing on the fashion mogul as he backed towards the door, looking for a way out. "Go ahead then; explain. It’ll be good practice for your criminal hearing !”

 

“Nooroo, transform me!” Gabriel hissed, tilting a chair over to try and slow Ladybug down.

 

“Much as I’d like this to be a fair fight, I’m running on three hours of sleep and eighteen cups of coffee,” Ladybug said, kicking the chair clean across the room with an shattering crash. “Yeah, never had to deal with cooldown in the middle of a fight, huh? Fortunately for you, the care and feeding of your kwami isn’t going to be your problem for too much longer!”

 

“I-I understand how you feel-” Gabriel grunted as Ladybug lifted him off his feet by his lapels and pressed him up against the door to his office.

 

“You can’t even begin to comprehend how I feel,” Ladybug hissed, fingers bunching in the fabric of his shirt as his glasses slid off his nose. “I have spent four years putting my life on hold because of you and your magical temper tantrums-”

 

“Tantrums?” Gabriel’s lip curled into a snarl as he feebly tried to pull Ladybug’s hands off his shirt. “You think I’ve spent four years doing nothing but throw tantrums?! Like a child?!'

 

“Right, because covering Paris in pink buttercream frosting is just the peak of maturity." 

 

“If you’re going to arrest me, arrest me,” Gabriel spat. “But I will not be judged by a child who has no understanding of my life beyond what she has no doubt read in supermarket magazines.”

 

“Ooh, now who’s being judgemental?” Ladybug laughed, blood pounding in her ears as her fingers twisted in the expensive fabric of his shirt, lifting him higher over her head. Nooroo seemed frozen in mid air, paralyzed between his master and his best chance at freedom. “Okay, Gabe, why don’t you fill me in then? What do you need my Miraculous for anyway? You want money? Power? Always wanted a pair of silver studs with spots?”

 

“You think that all this has been in service of some shallow vanity?” Gabriel panted, legs kicking against the door as he struggled to get out of Ladybug’s grip. "You think that little of me?" 

 

“I think much, much less of you,” Ladybug spat, bumping Gabriel hard against the door. She could feel Tikki’s anger bleeding through her suit, amplifying the hurt she already felt. It wasn’t enough that Gabriel be dragged in; he had to pay, had to explain himself, had to give some reason as to why she had spent so long fighting. “Come on, tell me; get it off your chest. You owe me an-”

 

“I...owe...you... nothing!” Gabriel hissed, teeth grinding as he glared down at his captor. “You cannot even begin to understand what I’ve gone through; what I’ve lost!”

 

“We’ve all lost plenty thanks to you,” Ladybug snarled, bringing Gabriel back down to eye level. “Tell me something; was it worth it? Was it worth all the heartache and destruction you caused?!”

 

“Emilie is worth anything!”

 

Ladybug blinked, fingers slackening ever so slightly as a soft series of knocks broke the tense silence that followed Gabriel’s outburst.

 

“Father?” Adrien’s voice came from behind the door. “Father, are you alright?”

 

Gabriel glared at Ladybug for a moment before she dropped him, sliding behind the door as Gabriel quickly straightened out his appearance. He ran his hands through his hair, took a deep breath, and unlocked the door wide enough to stick his head through.

 

“Yes, Adrien, I’m perfectly fine,” Gabriel said, sparing Ladybug a brief glance before forcing a somewhat uncomfortable smile. “I-I’m afraid my new chair was somewhat shoddily put together.”

 

Through the crack in the door, Ladybug saw Adrien’s eyes glance at the broken chair across the room, praying he didn’t look right to see her hiding behind the door. She didn’t know how she was going to explain to him what she was doing in his father’s office after hours or how to even begin to explain his father's extracurricular activities. She didn’t know if she had the heart to look him in the eye as she made him effectively an orphan by hauling his father off to prison.

 

“Do you need some ice?” Adrien asked, stepping forward as Gabriel held the door closed to prevent him from coming into the room. “Or water, or-”

 

“No,” Gabriel said a little curtly. “...thank you, but it was just a careless accident. No need to worry.”

 

“If you say so,” Adrien said, a little uncertainly as he backed into the hall. “I’ll let you get back to work then…”

 

“Wait…” Gabriel spared Ladybug a quick glance as Adrien turned around. “I...have business in the morning. Early flight to Belgium.”

 

“Oh,” Adrien nodded, shoulders slumping ever so slightly. “Sure; I’ll get Nathalie to drive me to the fencing meet.”

 

“I apologize for cancelling at the last minute, but I may be detained for quite some time,” Gabriel said. “If...the worst should happen, Nathalie has all my affairs in order.”

 

“What?” From her hiding spot, Ladybug could see Adrien frown in confusion. “Why are you-”

 

“The controlling interest in the Gabriel House of Fashion will be held in trust until your eighteenth birthday next month and the deeds to this property, the townhouse in London, and the cottage in Vienna will be transferred to your control as well,” Gabriel continued. “The contents of my bank accounts, as well as my personal retirement-”

 

“Father, where is this coming from?” Adrien laughed, brow knitting in concern. “You’ve made this flight more times than I can remember; why are you suddenly talking like you might not come back?”

 

Gabriel glanced at Ladybug for a moment, eyes betraying something other than contempt before turning back to his son. “Because...you are a man in all but age. Should...anything happen to me, you need to be able to provide for yourself. Nathalie will, of course, help in whatever capacity she is able, but...she is not family. And when...if something were to happen to me, you would be the only member of our family left.”

 

“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” Adrien said, resting a hand on his father’s shoulder. “You’re going to go on this trip like you’ve done so many times before, and you’re going to come back in one piece just like you always have.”

 

Ladybug’s stomach churned as Adrien leaned in, wrapping his arms around his father in a hug that he tentatively returned after a moment. In her haste to ensure that Gabriel was punished for his crimes, she neglected to consider that one of her oldest friends would be made fatherless in the transaction. As much as Hawkmoth needed to be stopped, it would come at the cost of Adrien’s last living family member, effectively orphaning him and exposing the company his livelihood was based on to ruin and ridicule. She had never considered that Hawkmoth might have family; he had been a faceless spectre that haunted her since she was fourteen. Seeing him as something human was unsettling; not even Tikki’s bristling anger managed to quell the sick feeling that bubbled up in her stomach.

 

“I am...not the most expressive person,” Gabriel said. “And I realize there have been times when you may have felt like I haven’t lived up to my responsibilities as a parent-”

 

“Father-”

 

“-but you must understand,” Gabriel said, pulling back with his hands on Adrien’s shoulders. “Everything I have done has been for your benefit...please, remember that.”

 

Adrien frowned in confusion. “I...will?”

 

“Thank you,” Gabriel said, awkwardly patting his son on the shoulders. “Now, you should be in bed. I fear Ms. Tsurugi will skewer me if she learns I kept you up.”

 

“I’d say that I’d fight her off but...well, we both know she’d beat me,” Adrien said with a shaky laugh, waving at his father as he backed out of the room. “Goodnight; safe travels.”

 

Gabriel opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but apparently decided against it, waving him off and closing his door with a lock that echoed in the silent office.

 

“I will ask you to kindly remember that this is my home ,” Gabriel said, voice quietly restraining the anger that shook each syllable. “And to please refrain from tossing me about in a pique of anger while my son is home.”

 

Ladybug pursed her lips, folding her arms as Gabriel walked behind his desk, pressing a small button that opened the bookcase that led to his lair.

 

“I don’t know how you discovered my identity, but I’ll just assume it was carelessness on my part,” Gabriel said smoothly. “That’s hardly important now; all that matters at this stage in the game is deciding what you are going to do with this knowledge.”

 

“You know what I have to do,” Ladybug said.

 

“What you have to do is ensure that no more akuma appear,” Gabriel said, looking over the rims of his glasses. “It seems to me that there are a number of ways to accomplish that.”

 

Ladybug felt her skin prickle at the insinuation. “What are you suggesting?”

 

“I’m suggesting that there may be a way for us to both get what we want,” Gabriel proposed, gesturing to the tunnel. “Though I would prefer to discuss this somewhere more secure.”

 

“What makes you think that I’m going to follow you into your creepy secret lair?” Ladybug asked, crossing her arms.

 

“If you weren’t, you would have arrested me by now,” Gabriel shrugged, turning around and walking into his hallway. “You still could, I suppose…”

 

Do it, a voice in the back of her mind that sounded strangely like Tikki demanded.

 

...and then what? Another voice countered. Orphan her friend? Doom a company full of designers like her to death by collateral damage?

 

Hawkmoth just had to be someone important, didn’t he? He couldn’t have been a nobody who nobody would have missed if he went to prison. He had to be a lynchpin in Parisian culture, her second favorite designer, and the father of one of her favorite people, didn’t he? It would have been easy to bag a nameless, faceless baker or shopkeeper or tailor without everything falling down around her ears...but Gabriel Agreste made things all the more difficult.

 

Tentatively, Ladybug stepped forward, following Gabriel into the dark hallway and towards a dimly lit beacon of dark purple energy.

Notes:

Remember kids: don't go into supervillain's lairs unsupervised!

Thanks for all the feedback so far! Next chapter is the end of this prologue section so I'm eager to see if I can make a case that people will accept going forward. As always, read and review!

Chapter 4: Give Peace a Chance

“Do you prefer red or white?”

 

Ladybug raised an impassive eyebrow at Gabriel as he uncorked a bottle of surprisingly cheap liquor, tilting the pale liquid into a stemless wine glass which he offered to Ladybug. When she made no move to take it, he shrugged and took a long pull from the chardonnay.

 

“Forgive me; I shouldn’t have assumed you were old enough,” Gabriel said.

 

“I’m-” Ladybug stopped herself with a small scowl. “Trying to fish personal information out of me?”

 

“Trying to be hospitable,” Gabriel said, corking the wine bottle and pacing over to the intricate glass window overlooking the city. Pale moonlight streamed in, casting shadows that made Gabriel’s face look thin, pale, and haunted. “I feel we may have gotten off on the wrong foot.”

 

“Kinda blew your chance to make a good first impression four years ago,” Ladybug said coolly. Small, pale purple butterflies danced in the air, fluttering close to Ladybug long enough to check her out before losing interest and dancing away.

 

“Never hurts to try again,” Gabriel said, setting his wine glass down on the windowsill and turning to face Ladybug. “Very well; let’s talk business. What is it that you want?”

 

“Are you trying to bribe me?” Ladybug asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Would you accept a bribe?” Gabriel asked, reaching into his jacket for a checkbook. “Funny; I hadn’t considered whether or not you might be open to selling your Miraculous…”

 

Gabriel took one look at the withering glare Ladybug leveled at him and quietly put his checkbook away.

 

“Very well,” Gabriel said. “Hard to put a price on something that is quite literally priceless, after all...so what is it that you want?”

 

“What I want is for you to stop using your butterflies to ruin my life,” Ladybug said, crossing her arms. “I want you to give up your Miraculous and stop chasing after mine .”

 

“And in return?”

 

“Return?” Ladybug asked. “How about your freedom; is that good enough?”

 

“No,” Gabriel said simply. “It’s not.”

 

“I’m sorry, Gabriel,   but you’re not really in a position to make demands,” Ladybug said. “One word to the chief of police, and-”

 

“What, exactly?” Gabriel asked, taking a sip of his wine. “He’s going to take the word of an adolescent vigilante over mine?”

 

“Your word is better than Ladybug’s?” Ladybug snorted. “Which one of us has a statue of them in the middle of a park?”

 

“Which one of us has their name on half the park benches in this city, along with the words “Generously donated by the estate of…” Gabriel countered. “If celebrity is the only arrow in your quiver, I’ll remind you that I’ve been gracing magazine covers since you were in diapers.”

 

“Well, that’s just more reason for me to take your Miraculous right now then, isn’t it?” Ladybug countered.

 

“You can certainly try, though I imagine any fight between us might be a bit destructive,” Gabriel said, glancing down at the house below them. “The problem with akumitizing workers to build a secret lair for you is that they tend to skip over building codes; I shudder to think what would happen if our fight carried out into the main house…”

 

“Figures,” Ladybug sneered. “Given your complete and total disregard for your son’s safety in the past, I can’t say I’m surprised.”

 

“Do not assume that you know what is beneficial for my son more than I do,” Gabriel said, voice cold and steely. “Let it be clear that I would not be the one putting my son in danger in this situation.”

 

“So it would be my fault for wanting to drag in his criminal father,” Ladybug said.

 

“I am not going to apologize for the things that I have done in service of my family,” Gabriel said, hands clasped behind his back. “I doubt a simple ‘sorry’ is sufficient at this point in any case. But I am giving you a chance to end this peacefully with minimal destruction to all parties involved. I am offering you a trade.”

 

“Let me guess; you want my Miraculous,” Ladybug said.

 

“My interest in your Miraculous extends only so far as to what it can do for me,” Gabriel said. “Your guardian...has he never told you what kind of power you wield?”

 

Ladybug was silent, so Gabriel pressed on. “One who wields both the power of creation and the power of destruction has the potential to rewrite the world to suit their whims. That degree of power can overcome any obstacle, achieve any goal...heal any wound.”

 

“You expect me to believe that?” Ladybug asked, fingering her earrings absentmindedly.

 

“Think of the things you’ve already done with your power,” Gabriel said. “Think of all the devastation you’ve healed with a wave of your hand. Does it really stretch credibility to believe that the Ladybug Miraculous—with the Black Cat to provide support—could bring someone back?”

 

“Adrien’s mother,” Ladybug said. “So...this was all for her?”

 

“Everything I’ve ever done since I was fourteen years old has all been for her,” Gabriel said, folding his arms behind his back. “There is nothing that I would not do to make my family whole again; I cannot expect you to understand that, but if the power of your Miraculouses can bring Adrien’s mother back from…”

 

Gabriel trailed off, taking a deep breath as he fixed Ladybug with a resolute stare. “I promised that I would bring Emilie back...and I will not break that promise. To do that, however...I require the use of your Miraculous.”

 

“So you just want me to hand it over?” Ladybug asked, shaking her head. “After all we’ve been through?”

 

“I don't need to actually posses them,” Gabriel continued. “I just...I need their power to be used once...for one solitary wish. I would not even need to be the one to make it, as long as it is made.”

 

“...so…” Ladybug shifted her weight. “One of us could…”

 

“You could use them both,” Gabriel said, snapping his fingers with a sharp echo that reverberated across the walls. “A snap of the fingers is all it would take; one second of effort and we could both go our separate ways. Paris need never be bothered by our little turf war ever again.”

 

Gabriel took a step forward, staying slightly out of reach. “Four years we’ve been at this. Four years of pointless back and forth like something out of a cheap comic book...aren’t you sick of this? A young person like yourself should be looking to the future rather than fighting a long, bitter, pointless war.”

 

“Yes,” Gabriel continued before Ladybug could interrupt. “This was all pointless; you were involved in a fight you had no business getting involved in and for four years, you’ve done nothing but delay my family’s reunion. That is what you’re fighting for; not for peace or for justice, but to torment one family who has been through enough heartbreak for-.”

 

“Stop it!” Ladybug blurted out, taking a step back. “You think that makes any difference?! Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?!”

 

“I am not asking you to feel sorry for me,” Gabriel said softly. “I am offering you a way to end this without further harm to anybody. ”

 

Ladybug stood stock still, jaw clenched and hands shaking in balled fists, not trusting herself to move as she scanned Gabriel’s face for any hint of deceit that would justify his elimination.

 

“I...I need to go,” Ladybug said, backing slowly towards the tunnel. “This was a mistake, I...I need to-”

 

“Of course,” Gabriel said, running a hand through his hair. “I did not expect an answer right away. Take all the time you need; we have nothing but time, don’t we?”

 

Rather than give him an answer, Ladybug simply turned, running down the hallway as though she were waiting for it to swallow her whole. She didn’t look back until she was at the window that led to his office; didn’t realize that she had been holding her breath until the first gulp of night air seared her lungs as she dove off the balcony.

 

---

 

 Nooroo watched Gabriel down the last of his wine with a thoughtful smack of his lips as he looked out the window.

 

“That went better than I thought it would,” he mused, watching Ladybug’s figure retreat over the rooftops.

 

---

 

 Tikki started yelling the minute the suit disappeared.

 

“You had him!” Tikki shrieked as Marinette paced the length of the balcony, hands running through her hair as she fought to regain control her breathing. “He was standing in front of you and you walked away! You could have snatched that pin away from him at any time but-”

 

“I know!” Marinette snapped, rounding on Tikki. “I... know. ”

 

“What,” Tikki said, zipping up and cupping Marinette’s nose. “Were you thinking?!”

 

“I don’t know, okay?” Marinette said, batting Tikki away with a wave of her hand. “I panicked; forgive me for having some trouble digesting the fact that my friend’s father is a crazy person in a moth suit!”

 

“W-Well...digest it!” Tikki squeaked. “Call up Chat! We need to go back!”

 

“And do what?” Marinette laughed, running her hand through her hair. “ Hey, M. Agreste! I took a powder and decided, actually, fuck you and your deal; let’s throw down! Oh, shoot, try not to drop rubble on your sleeping son’s head while I’m kicking your ass, kay?”

 

“Then we can lure him away!” Tikki said, fluttering up to Marinette’s shoulder. “ Call Chat ; we can come up with a plan! We can fight him and-”

 

“ What have I been doing?!” Marinette snapped, rounding on her kwami with a wild, frantic look in her eyes. “What have I been doing for the last four years, Tikki?! I’ve been fighting! I’ve been fighting since I was fourteen years old and it isn’t working!”

 

“All I do is fight ,” Marinette rambled, pacing the length of her roof. “And when I’m not fighting, I’m waiting to fight! I’m hanging on the edge of my seat just waiting to get the call that something is attacking my city! I’m on standby twenty-four seven! I-I can’t even go to the beach or go on vacation or go to the movies without worrying that something bad is going to happen!”

 

Tikki floated back as Marinette blinked rapidly, shaking her head and scrubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. “I’m sick of it...I’m sick of my life being completely ruled by a fight I thought would be over by now! It’s the same thing, over and over and over again! Even now; now that we know who Hawkmoth is, I still can’t just run in there and bag him without Adrien’s life falling down around his ears.”

 

“Seriously?!” Tikki scoffed. “You know who Hawkmoth is, you have him at your mercy, and you’re not going to take him down because it’s going to inconvenience your extravagantly wealthy crush?!”

 

“What am I supposed to do; Adrien is my friend!”

 

“And Nooroo is mine!” Tikki snapped. “How calm do you expect me to be when he’s being held hostage by that... hideous man?”

 

“I know…” Marinette said, reaching out a hand and stroking her agitated kwami’s head. “I know exactly how you feel. Hawkmoth has two of our closest friends hostage...so what do we do in a hostage situation?”

 

Tikki’s eyes drooped for a moment, before widening in horrified realization. “...you don’t mean-”

 

“We...negotiate,” Marinette said, kneeling down to get on eye level with her kwami. “Tikki...is he lying?”

 

“Marinette-”

 

“Tell me he’s lying, and we’ll take him down,” Marinette pleaded. “Please, just look me in the eye and tell me there’s no way that we can bring Adrien’s mother back and I’ll call Chat right now…”

 

Tikki glanced away, scowling deeply at the street below them. “That...that shouldn’t matter.”

 

“Is it possible?”

 

“Only one person in the history of the world has ever held the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses!” Tikki said, fluttering around anxiously.

 

“Is it possible ?”

 

“Anyone who did would have to wrestle with the two most powerful forces in the universe! I-It’s not like rubbing a magic lamp and making a wish; we’re talking about reshaping reality itself!”

 

“Tikki!” Marinette said, catching the fluttering kwami in her palms and bending over to look her in the eye. “Is...it...possible?”

 

Tikki glanced away for a moment, mentally chewing on her answer before turning back to Marinette. “Technically... technically anything is possible, but-”

 

“But what ?” Marinette asked. “Tikki, we have a chance to end this without anybody else getting hurt; w-we can’t just dismiss this out of hand!”

 

“So that’s your plan; after everything we’ve been through we’re just going to give the homicidal maniac what he wants?!”

 

“It’s not like he wants to rule the world or anything; he’s trying to bring his wife back,” Marinette countered.

 

“According to him ,” Tikki sniffed. “Personally I wouldn’t trust him as far Ladybug could throw him...which, I might add, is not a bad idea!”

 

“Yeah, sure, let’s just whip people around the city like a superhero movie!” Marinette said, throwing her hands up. “Let’s just get in there and kick ass! I mean, why don’t I just kill him and dump his body in the river?! I mean it’s not like my actions have any consequence, right?! Who cares what happens after, right?! I’m sure Miraculous Ladybug can fix the fallout that’s gonna come after the head of a major fashion label gets outed as a supervillain! But hey, as long as we bag the bad guy it’s all hunky dory, right?!”

 

Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose. “We...we have to think about this. If there’s a chance that we can bring Adrien’s mother back and ensure that Hawkmoth never akumitizes another person again-”

 

“And you expect him to just hand over Nooroo when all is said and done?” Tikki asked.

 

“He doesn’t have any reason to keep fighting and if he does I can just take him down even easier ,” Marinette said. “No...no, if we do this, everybody gets what they want. We could do it tomorrow and everybody’s life could just go on.”

 

“You’re talking like you have both Miraculouses already,” Tikki said, shaking her head. “What about Chat? Is he supposed to just give you his ring when you tell him Hawkmoth made you a deal?”

 

Marinette bit her lip, frowning at the ground below her for a second. “...we can cross that bridge when we get to it.”

 

Tikki shook her head, floating a few yards away from Marinette as silence washed over the roof.

 

“Kwamis are beholden to their chosen,” Tikki said after a moment. “So if this is your choice...I have no real way to stop you.”

 

Marinette turned to see Tikki looking at her with a tired, sad look that made Marinette realize for the first time just how old she was.

 

“But this is not going to go the way you think it will,” Tikki said softly.

 

Tikki fluttered through the skylight as Marinette turned back towards the city, taking a deep breath as she watched the lights glimmer until the sun slowly started to peek over the rooftops behind her.

 

---

 

“You need a break?”

 

Marinette shook her head mid yawn, slapping the sides of her cheeks as she forced a small smile. “Sorry...late night.”

 

“I couldn’t tell,” Adrien said, watching her finish the third cup of coffee he brought from the kitchen. “I would top you off, but at this point I think you’ve had enough.”

 

“I’m probably just eating into tonight’s sleep at this point,” Marinette said, slurping the coffee-flavored sugar slurry at the bottom of her cup with a thoughtful smack of her lips.

 

“I think we’ve done all we can for today anyway,” Adrien said, closing his textbook and stretching with a small grunt. “We can always hook up at some point this week if you want to refresh.”

 

“You know I’m always down to hook up with you,” Marinette said, blinking as her sleep-deprived brain caught up to what she had just said. “...that came out wrong.”

 

“You do need some sleep,” Adrien chuckled, mopping up a streak of raspberry jam with the corner of his pastry before popping it in his mouth. “Just as well; father said his business trip to Belgium was cut short so he should be home for dinner.”

 

“O-Oh,” Marinette coughed. “Well...yeah, you should probably spend time with him then, huh?”

 

“I take what I can get where he’s concerned,” Adrien shrugged. “He has gotten better; we’re not gonna be playing football in the park anytime soon, but at least he’s home for dinner most nights.”

 

“That’s…” Sad, Marinette thought. “Good?”

 

“Not as good as these pastries,” Adrien said, biting into the last orange scone with a small moan. “Seriously, when can I get the recipe?”

 

“Family secret; sorry.”

 

“If I marry you, do I get it?” Adrien asked as Marinette covered her squeak of surprise with a small cough.

 

“I-I’ll see if I can get it in my dowry,” Marinette chuckled, scratching the back of her neck as she stood up. “See you tomorrow?”

 

“Unless I bang at your door at three in the morning asking for more scones,” Adrien said, standing up and walking her out of his room.

 

“I may or may not throw them at your head if you wake me up at-” Marinette froze at the top of the stairs as the front door opened and a somewhat tired looking Gabriel Agreste stepped through.

 

“Oh, Father!” Adrien said brightly as Marinette’s stomach plummeted to the soles of her feet. In the light of day, it was easy to forget that Gabriel Agreste was a full fledged supervillain. He didn’t look like what she expected a supervillain to look like; he looked like an overworked old man, tired from a day of pretending to travel. “You remember Marinette, don’t you?”

 

Gabriel looked up at her with a small nod and a perfunctory smile. “Ah, Mlle. Dupain. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

 

Not as long as you think, Marinette thought as she returned the smile. “M. Agreste. I hope your trip was successful.”

 

Gabriel’s brow knit in confusion for a moment before he nodded in recognition. “Yes, my latest trip was quite successful, thank you for asking.”

 

“Marinette was just mentioning that she’s been accepted to Central St. Martins,” Adrien mentioned, nudging Marinette lightly in the ribs.

 

“Really?” Gabriel said, perking up ever so slightly. “I’ve worked with half the admissions board at some point or another and they’re not the type to be easily impressed.”

 

“N-Nothing’s for certain yet,” Marinette said, waving her hand. “There are still a few French schools I’m waiting to hear back from…”

 

“Don’t let Parisian snobbery hold your career back,” Gabriel said seriously. “French education is not automatically superior; it may do you some good to get out of the country for a while...broaden your horizons.”

 

Gabriel’s eyes turned to Adrien at the last line and Marinette felt him stiffen beside her.

 

“HEC is as good as Oxford,” Adrien said somewhat stiffly.

 

“There’s something to be said for travelling while you’re still young enough to enjoy it,” Gabriel said cryptically, brushing past them and heading up the stairs. “Congratulations on your admission, Mlle. Dupain; I trust you’ll exceed the expectations placed upon you.”

 

Adrien waited until the door to his father’s office closed upstairs before rolling his eyes.

 

“Oxford?” Marinette asked.

 

“Father wants me to do my undergraduate there,” Adrien shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Mom’s old alma mater so...he’s got a soft spot for it.”

 

“Oh,” Marinette said softly, rocking back and forth on her heels. “Well...it’s Oxford . Can’t beat that for a pedigree.”

 

“I guess,” Adrien sighed, forcing a small smile. “Sorry; you must be tired. I won’t keep you.”

 

“You make it sound like it’s a chore talking to you,” Marinette tsked. “But I’m sure you’d like to catch up with your father.”

 

Marinette paused as she stepped out into the cool autumn evening, turning around with a smile. “I’ll...see you tomorrow?”

 

“You want to do our chemistry homework together?” Adrien asked, leaning in the doorway. “After class?”

 

“S-Sure!” Marinette said brightly. “We can cheat off Alya and Nino’s notes at a cafe or something.”

 

Marinette didn’t miss the way Adrien’s expression fell ever so slightly. “Oh...yeah, sure we can all go together. Four heads are better than two, right?”

 

“I’ll let Alya know when I get back,” Marinette said with a small wave of her fingers. “Night Adrien.”

 

Adrien watched her walk down the steps, watched her round the corner past his gate, and watched her until she disappeared around the side of his house.

 

“Night Marinette,” Adrien muttered with a small smile.

 

---

 

“No...no we’re not going in that direction this season,” Gabriel said, scowling at the sketches Nathalie had dropped off earlier. “Well if that’s his opinion, he can sit this fashion week out; he either loses the hat or we go with a different designer...yes...yes that will do nicely.”

 

He registered the sound of the window unlatching behind him, but didn’t look up from the sketches or drop the call. “Have him deliver the revisions to my office tomorrow morning...thank you...goodnight.”

 

“Forgive the mess; I’m just getting my ducks in a row for Fashion Week,” Gabriel said, hanging up the phone and carefully tucking the designs in a manilla folder. “One of my designers insists on trying to bring back comically large hate as if this was the Kentucky Derby or some garish gala.”

 

Gabriel turned around to see Ladybug pacing around the edge of his office, stopping to lock his office door before turning to face him.

 

“Have you considered my proposal?”

 

“Let’s get one thing out of the way,” Ladybug said, crossing the room and placing her palms on Gabriel’s desk. “I don’t like you, M. Agreste. I don’t like you and I could throw you much farther than I trust you.”

 

“You need not like someone to do business with them,” Gabriel said, regarding her over the rims of his glasses. “You need not even trust me, even if I have no plans to betray your confidence.”

 

“Good, because I don’t,” Ladybug said, eyes narrowing at Gabriel. “We’re not friends, we’re not partners. If I even think you’re going to go back on your word I will dropkick you into the Seine and fish you out by your heels for the whole city to see. Understand?”

 

“Completely,” Gabriel said, folding his hands on his desk. “Now...terms?”

 

“You will hand over your Miraculous-”

 

“No,” Gabriel said curtly, ignoring the scowl that darkened Ladybug’s face. “My Miraculous is the only collateral I have to ensure that you’ll keep your end of the bargain. You will receive it only when my wife is restored to me and not a moment before.”

 

Ladybug’s lips curled into a snarl. “Fine...but no more akumas.”

 

"Akuma," Gabriel interjected. "It's a singular plural, like-"

 

"Do you want to get slapped?" 

 

“I suppose a ceasefire is in both of our interests,” Gabriel sighed. “What else?”

 

“At no point will you ever possess our Miraculouses,” Ladybug said. “ I will use both of them to make your wish.”

 

“Very well, but you will do it here where I can be assured that you are doing what you say you are,” Gabriel said. “While we’re on the subject, if we need to meet, we will do so here. You will not approach me in public, at work, or in the presence of my son. For that matter, Adrien is not to know any details of our arrangement, understood?”

 

“Understood,” Ladybug said.

 

“And on the subject of your...partner,” Gabriel said. “He is not to know my identity; I will deal with you and only you in this matter.”

 

“So what am I supposed to tell him?” Ladybug asked.

 

“Tell him what you like,” Gabriel shrugged. “Just keep my name out of it. How you get his ring is immaterial to me only so long as you get it.”

 

“I can reason with him,” Ladybug said, eyes narrowing as a small scoff slipped out of Gabriel’s lips.

 

“If you say so,” Gabriel said, holding his hands up placatingly. “When do you anticipate that you’ll acquire it?”

 

“Tomorrow,” Ladybug said. “It....may take a while for me to get him to agree.”

 

“I’m willing to agree to a ceasefire until this time next week then,” Gabriel said, raising an eyebrow at her indignant glare. “One week should be enough time to state your case; after that-”

 

“I’ll get it,” Ladybug said, crossing her arms. “I’ll bring it here, make your wish, get Nooroo back, and we’ll be done. That the sum of it?”

 

“Seems to me you’ve summed it up,” Gabriel said, slowly standing up. “If that’s all-”

 

Gabriel held his hand out.

 

“Then we can do business.”

 

Ladybug glanced at the outstretched hand for a moment, sparing Gabriel a cold look before she reached out and gave it a brief shake, releasing his grip after one pump.

 

“You had better thank your son,” Ladybug said after a moment. “He’s the only reason you aren’t in prison right now.”

 

Gabriel surprised her with a genuine, human laugh that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Something about the sight of Gabriel Agreste smiling was eerily unnatural.

 

“And here I thought Mlle. Dupain was the only impressive friend Adrien had." 

 

"I think you'll find that Adrien runs in more impressive company than you think," Ladybug said coolly, brushing past him on her way to the window. 

 

"...I'm glad it was you," Gabriel said as her boot perched on the ledge of the windowsill. She turned to see Gabriel looking at her with his hands clasped behind his back. "Something tells me that your partner would not have seen things so clearly." 

 

"For your sake?" Ladybug said, latching on to a streetlight outside. "I hope he does." 

Notes:

I'm actually proud that I made it to the plot of my story in under 20,000 words this time...

Thanks to everyone who's reacted to this so far; this idea has been living in my head for so long that it's been really interesting to see how other people have responded to this relatively unexplored concept.

Hopefully I've laid out this scenario in a way that makes sense (thanks @DarkReyna16 for vetting this) but I'd like to hear what y'all think. Do you think I laid this out in a way that seems reasonable? Is Marinette entering into a hostile partnership reasonable given the circumstances I've set up?

Next chapter! Ladybug gets the Black Cat Miraculous and makes the wish! Everyone goes home happy!

...yeah, nah, it's only gonna get better(worse) from here lads

Also, despite this getting posted in a month (apparently) dedicated to Gabrinette and despite the two main characters of this fic being Ladybug and Gabriel, this fic will not have any Gabriel/Hawkmoth/Ladybug/Marinette romance because...ew.

Chapter 5: Communication Breakdown

It was five past six and Chat Noir already knew there was something amiss.

 

The setting sun spilled on the roof of the old, rarely visited apartment building that had served as their unofficial meeting spot for more than four years. It was earlier than they typically met, and despite setting the meeting, Ladybug was nowhere in sight.

 

Ladybug: Patrol tonight; six o’clock. Meet at the usual spot.

 

Chat Noir frowned at his communicator, making sure he was in the right spot at the right time. It took him less than ten minutes to make it from fencing practice to their meet-up spot, but when he arrived, Ladybug was nowhere to be seen. After missing patrol the night before and refusing to go into detail over the phone, something was troubling him and with each passing second that Ladybug was late, his uneasiness only worsened.

 

The sight of a familiar red figure swinging over the rooftops five minutes later did little to quell the nervous flutter of his heart in his throat. For once, he wished his swishing tail didn’t give away the anxious butterflies in his stomach as Ladybug landed, cradling a bag of warm, baked sweets under her arm.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Ladybug said, cracking open the bag of pastries and offering him a warm lemon scone. “You would not believe the line at the Dupain’s bakery.”

 

“With these scones?” Chat asked, cracking it open and inhaling the warm, rich scent with a sigh. “I’m surprised the line doesn’t wrap around the city. How did you even get in?”

 

“Special City Savior privileges,” Ladybug said, closing the bag and rocking back and forth on her heels. “Owners let me practically come in the skylight.”

 

“Wait, how come I don’t get to do that?!” Chat asked, blinking after a moment. “...well, I’ve actually never asked.”

 

“I’ll put in a good word for you,” Ladybug said, scratching her arm a little anxiously. “Sorry about bailing last night; had a lot on my plate.”

 

“I’m sure it was a good reason,” Chat said, popping the corner of his scone in his mouth. “Everything alright? You were acting a little...off the other day after the Great Frosting Disaster that threatened our city.”  

 

Ladybug opened her mouth to respond, but seemed to think better of it, biting her lip as Chat tore pieces off his scone. “...how long have we been doing this, Chat?”

 

“...you mean raiding the Dupain’s bakery before patrol or-”

 

“I mean…” Ladybug gestured between them. “ This. How long have we been doing the whole teenagers with attitude thing?”

 

Chat frowned. “Four years in...twenty four days. October 19th, right?”

 

“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” Ladybug chuckled, shaking her head somewhat wistfully. “It feels like forever ago.”

 

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Chat said, eyeing Ladybug’s expression out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Fun…” Ladybug echoed, fidgeting with her yo-yo. “Not the word I’d use...I mean this is fun; moments when we’re not fighting off possessed schoolchildren or slighted lovers with superpowers can be fun…”

 

“You don’t think eating your way out of a cupcake the size of Notre Dame is fun?”

 

“Wasn’t fun on my stomach the next day,” Ladybug chuckled. “Seriously though; you can’t tell me that you’d be disappointed if Hawkmoth disappeared tomorrow without any warning.”

 

“I’d be disappointed that I didn’t get to deck him in the schnozz at least once,” Chat said, jabbing his fist in mid-air. “You can’t tell me you’d be disappointed if you never got to toss Hawkmoth around a little for all the grief he’s given us.”

 

“What good would that do?” Ladybug asked.

 

“It would make me feel better,” Chat shrugged.

 

“But are we really in this to make ourselves feel better at this point?” Ladybug asked, fidgeting with the cord of her yo-yo absentmindedly. “Or are we in this to stop akuma from terrorizing our city?”

 

“Something tells me a fist in Hawkmoth’s face would accomplish both for me,” Chat said, punching his palm with a satisfying thwack .

 

“But what if you had to choose?” Ladybug asked, turning to face her partner. “Is it more important to make sure one man is punished or is it more important to make sure nobody ever gets akumitized again?”

 

“Someone’s philosophical tonight,” Chat chuckled, scratching his chin. “I mean...I guess it’s more important that people stop living in fear of one bad day turning them into a monster...but at the same time, we can’t really guarantee that without bringing Hawkmoth to justice. One way or another, it’s gonna come down to some face punching in the end...”

 

Ladybug nodded, chewing her bottom lip as she slowly walked over to her partner, placing her hands on Chat’s shoulders. “...what if it didn’t have to?”

 

“What do you mean?” Chat frowned.

 

“What if we could put a stop to Hawkmoth without fighting another battle?” Ladybug asked, fingers squeezing his shoulders through his suit. “Without putting any more people in danger? What if...what if we could end this all tonight ?”

 

“Tonight?” Chat echoed, blinking in disbelief as his half-eaten scone dangled from his fingertips. “What are you talking about?”

 

“Chat,” Ladybug said, licking her lips. “Do you trust me?”

 

“Ladybug, do you know something?” Chat asked, gripping her shoulders. “Is that why you bailed on our meeting yesterday?”

 

“I had to be sure of something before we talked, but I need to know if you trust me or not,” Ladybug asked.

 

“Okay, I could honestly do without the cryptic back and forth here-”

 

“Chat!”

 

“Do I need to say it?!” Chat laughed, scratching the back of his head. “I mean...don’t you know that by now?”

 

Ladybug took a deep steadying breath. “I...have discovered a way to completely end this feud with Hawkmoth. I can get his Miraculous back and make sure he never has the power to harm anyone ever again...but to do that...to do that, I need your Miraculous.”

 

“How?” Chat asked. “What do you need my ring for?”

 

“I…it’s a long story,” Ladybug sighed. “And I can’t go into too much detail but...this is a sure bet. If I do this...if we do this, then Saturday’s frosting disaster will be the last akuma we’ll ever have to deal with.”

 

“But you can’t say…” Chat said, closing his eyes with a small sigh. “I thought...I thought we were past this.”

 

“Past what?”

 

“Past you not telling me things that I need to know,” Chat said, pulling out of her grip and pacing the length of the roof.

 

“This isn’t the same thing!” Ladybug protested chasing Chat down. “You don’t need to know how this shakes out, you just-”

 

“Need to hand over my Miraculous,” Chat sighed, crossing his arms. “And trust you.”

 

“I thought you did,” Ladybug murmured.

 

“That’s not fair ,” Chat said, shaking his head. “You’re asking me to give up the one thing I’m supposed to protect with my life and giving me nothing in return.”

 

“I’m trying to give you your life back!” Ladybug said, grabbing Chat by the shoulder and turning him around. “Don’t you want this to all be over? Don’t you want to be able to leave town without worrying about whether or not it’s going to crumble around your ears?!”

 

“Yeah, but-” Chat ran his hands through his hair. “How do you even know this plan is going to work? How is this supposed to stop Hawkmoth without a big confrontation? Last I checked, he seemed kinda attached to his Miraculous and the whole ‘take over the world’ scheme he’s got going on.”

 

“He doesn’t…” Ladybug stopped herself before she could say anything else, closing her eyes as she weighed her options.

 

“I’m your partner ,” Chat said, crossing his arms. “If you want my Miraculous, I deserve to know why.”

 

“...okay.”

 

“Okay?”

 

“You want to know why I need your Miraculous?” Ladybug asked, licking her lips as her fingers twisted together anxiously. “I...I know who Hawkmoth is.”

 

“You...you wha-”

 

“How or why isn’t important,” Ladybug barrelled on.

 

“Are you sure?” Chat asked.

 

“I saw him transform in front of my eyes,” Ladybug said, watching her partner’s face split into a toothy looking grin.

 

“Wait...does he know you’re-”

 

“No,” Ladybug said, shaking her head. “He doesn’t know anything about me...just that I know that he knows he’s Hawkmoth.”

 

“Did he see you?”

 

“Would have been pretty hard to miss me when I was picking him up by the scruff of his neck and tossing him around his house,” Ladybug chuckled, infected by some of Chat’s bouncy enthusiasm.

 

“You...wait, you fought him?!” Chat stammered. “Wh-when?! Why didn’t you call me?”

 

“I didn’t fight him,” Ladybug said, biting her lips. “I roughed him up a little and then...we talked-”

 

“You... talked ?” Chat asked, head tilting to one side. “About what; when he plans to turn himself into the police?”

 

“Not exactly,” Ladybug said, holding a hand up. “Before...before I tell you what happened, I need you to promise me you’ll stay calm.”

 

“...what are you going to say that you needed to preface it with that?” Chat asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I met with Hawkmoth on Saturday,” Ladybug said. “I..I wanted to know why . Why he had spent four years terrorizing his own city.”

 

“So you, what, pumped him for information?” Chat frowned. “Kinda wish I had been there for that…”

 

“He told me that our Miraculouses are special; did you know that?” Ladybug asked. “When you put them together...when they’re used by one person, they can accomplish anything. Creation and destruction working in harmony to suit one person’s purpose...”

 

Chat idly glanced down at his ring, turning it over as Ladybug enclosed her hands around his.

 

“...even bring someone who’s gone back,” Ladybug said softly, looking up into Chat’s eyes.

 

There were moments in their partnership where Ladybug was truly impressed with Chat’s quickness; the speed with which he put the rest of the story together and twisted out of her grip was something to behold.

 

Chat looked at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. “...tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.”

 

“Chat,” Ladybug said, taking a step forward only for Chat to retreat from her, cradling his hand close to his chest. “Chat, what if we were wrong this whole time?”

 

“I can’t...I literally can’t believe this,” Chat said.

 

“All those hours we spent just guessing about what Hawkmoth wanted,” Ladybug said, a frantic edge creeping into her voice. “Money, power, world domination; he just wanted to bring his wife back!”

 

“Says him !” Chat spat. “Tell me you’re not seriously thinking of just giving up your Miraculous to the purple psychopath we’ve been fighting since collége !”

 

“He is never going to lay hands on either of our Miraculouses,” Ladybug said seriously. “ I will be the only one to ever touch both of them; that was our deal!”

 

“Your... deal ,” Chat echoed, straightening up and staring at her incredulously. “You... you made a deal with Hawkmoth-”

 

“Chat, if you will just let me explain-”

 

“-for my Miraculous,” Chat said. “Without even thinking of talking to me?”

 

“This all happened so fast, I-I didn’t have the time to stay on top of Hawkmoth and bring you in!” Ladybug said. “I came straight to you after I talked to Hawkmoth again-”

 

“ Again?!” Chat hissed. “How many secret meetings have you two had without me?!”

 

“If I thought you could have helped-” Ladybug started, irritation mounting with each interruption.

 

“Oh I would have helped,” Chat laughed, teeth flashing in the setting sun. “I would have helped my foot up his-”

 

“ Chat!” Ladybug shouted, startling a small murder of crows off the ledge of a nearby roof. Her voice echoed throughout the city streets, reverberating off townhouses and offices as Chat straightened up, eyes narrowing in a way that prickled Ladybug’s irritation even more.

 

“I am sorry that the situation moved too quickly to involve you,” Ladybug said, taking a deep breath through her nose. “And I am sorry that I didn’t consult you before cutting this deal, but I assumed-”

 

“You assumed I would just hand over my ring, no questions asked,” Chat said, shaking his head.

 

“I assumed you would see the benefit of a peaceful solution to four years of pointless back and forth fighting that’s put Paris in the crosshairs!”

 

“Hey, I didn’t start this fight!” Chat said, pointing his finger at Ladybug. “ You didn’t start this fight! We’ve been doing nothing but defending each other and this city from a lunatic in a bug costume; why is it our job to sue for peace?!”

 

“Because fighting isn’t working!” Ladybug groaned, grabbing her hair with both hands. “Fighting...isn’t...working, Chat! We have been rolling a rock uphill since we were kids and we’re getting no closer to the top!”

 

“Only because we didn’t know who we were fighting,” Chat said. “Who is it?”

 

“Chat-”

 

“No, I just want to talk!” Chat said, holding his hands up. “Hey, he convinced you that rewarding him for terrorizing Paris was a good idea; let’s give him a chance to sell me on it!”

 

Ladybug sighed, glancing to one side and muttering something that got lost on the wind.

 

“Seriously; if this is as good a reason as you say it is, maybe we can all just shake hands and go out for ice cream later,” Chat said. “Let’s go, c’mon.”

 

“I…” Ladybug shook her head. “Hawkmoth agreed to stop creating akumas and I...I agreed that I wouldn’t tell anyone else what I knew...he only wanted to deal with me.”

 

“And you told him no, right?” Chat asked, eyes narrowing. “You told him that there was no way you were going to make a deal concerning your partner without your partner, right? You fought Hawkmoth until he agreed, right?”

 

Ladybug’s lips pursed in a thin, tight line that told Chat everything he needed to know.

 

“...I see how it is,” Chat laughed bitterly, gesturing at Ladybug. “ Batman gets to make a deal with the Joker, but we gotta leave the sidekicks out of it, don’t we?”

 

“Oh my god, are we really doing this right now?!” Ladybug laughed, clutching the sides of her head. “Is this really happening?! Am I hallucinating?! The fate of Paris is hanging in the balance and you’re holding it up because you feel slighted?!”

 

“Hey, don’t make this about my hurt feelings-”

 

“ You’re making this about your hurt feelings!” Ladybug snapped. “ You’re mad because you didn’t get to play superhero!”

“... play ?” Chat said, green eyes narrowing.

 

“I...I didn’t mean it like that,” Ladybug said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

 

“No, no, tell me how you really feel,” Chat said, spreading his arms wide. “Let’s get it all out there! Ladybug clearly thinks that I’ve been playing at being a superhero!”

 

“That is not fair ,” Ladybug said in a soft, dangerously quiet voice. “Do not put words in my mouth.”

 

“Your words are not the problem here!” Chat snapped. “You found out who Hawkmoth was—and didn’t tell me—you met with him twice —and didn’t tell me—you made a deal with him for my Miraculous without consulting me and now you won’t tell me the identity of our arch nemesis because he wants it that way! What you’ve done and what you’re doing is more worrying to me than the words coming out of your mouth!”

 

“What I’ve done and what I am doing is trying to make sure Paris never has to wake up to another akuma attack,” Ladybug said, hands balled into fists at her side. “So sorry if I haven’t taken the time to loop you in to this deal, but there are people’s lives at stake here...including yours!”

 

“Aren’t you tired of this?!” Ladybug asked, pacing around the edge of the rooftop. “Aren’t you sick of having your life dictated by our responsibilities? Don’t you wish you could just snap your fingers and put a stop to this pointless back and forth struggle? I know I am! I have things I want to do with my life that don’t involve running around rooftops in embarrassingly tight spandex; don’t you?”

 

“Of course I do, but-”

 

“But what?”

 

“It can’t just end like this!” Chat said. “Is this how it’s really supposed to end? Hawkmoth just walks away scot free with the thing he wanted in the first place?”

 

“If it means it ends, what’s the big deal?”

 

“Because someone has to answer for all the heartache this city has endured!” Chat shouted, tail swishing back and forth as he paced the roof.

 

“Even if he’s not the only one who has to answer for it?!” Ladybug asked. “It’s not that simple, Chat; Hawkmoth has a business. He has a family!”

 

“ Who cares about his stupid family?!” Chat blurted out, startling Ladybug into taking a step back. “So... what?! This was never going to end without collateral damage; someone was always going to be out a father or a brother or business partner!”

 

“Not like this!” Ladybug said. “We have a real chance to put a stop to all this madness without anyone else getting hurt! Isn’t that worth more than making sure Hawkmoth gets punished?!”

 

“Why are you asking me?! You already made the deal!” Chat said, throwing up his hands. “Maybe we should poll Paris! Hey, citizens! Does the bug themed psychopath deserve to get his wish? Text #HAWK to 43123 to cast your vote!”

 

“Can you please this seriously?” Ladybug said, foot tapping against the rooftop. “You’re not thinking clearly-”

 

“No, you’re not thinking clearly,” Chat said, shaking his head. “Never ever thought I would say that about you…”

“Chat-”

 

“Call me when you’re ready to do this right,” Chat said, stepping off the edge of the roof.

 

“Chat, wait!” Ladybug called, but he vanished into the encroaching night faster than Ladybug could catch up with him. She watched him go for a moment, watched his black silhouette disappear over the rooftops until it blended into the shadows that lingered between buildings.

 

On the streets below, a passing couple heard a frustrated snarl before a crumpled bag of pastries sailed over the edge of the roof and landed in front of them in a shower of crumbs.

 

---

 

Ladybug: Chat?

 

Ladybug: Chat, please answer me

  

Ladybug: I know you think I’m out of my mind but please

 

Ladybug: Please take a moment and think about what I’m proposing

 

Ladybug: Think about what really matters to you

 

Ladybug: We can accomplish our mission to this city with one move

 

Ladybug: We can end this today

 

Chat Noir: i agree

 

Ladybug: You do???

 

Chat Noir: yep

 

Chat Noir: this has gone on long enough

 

Ladybug: Yes!

 

Ladybug: We don’t need to fight any more akuma to keep this city safe!

 

Chat Noir: nope

 

Chat Noir: just one bad butterfly left to swat

 

Chat Noir: tell me who he is and i’ll end it now

Chapter 6: My Hand Slipped

 

Chat Noir: how am i the one holding this up?????

 

Chat Noir: you have a royal flush and you’re folding!!!

 

Ladybug: I’m not having this conversation again

 

Chat Noir: i can’t believe you’re not even considering it!!

 

Chat Noir: you’re the one who wants a quick end to this, right?

 

Ladybug: Yeah, I want to beat the newest Mech Quest game too

 

Ladybug: Does that mean I have to rip the disk out and throw it at the wall?

 

---

 

Ladybug: BECAUSE IT ISN’T JUST ABOUT HAWKMOTH

 

Ladybug: OUR ACTIONS AFFECT MORE THAN JUST THE MAN WE PUT IN JAIL

 

Ladybug: Hawkmoth’s family are victims in all this too!

 

Chat Noir: victims because of their loony relative!!!

 

Chat Noir: why is it suddenly our responsibility to make up for the things that Hawkmoth did?!

 

Ladybug: Because if WE don’t, NO ONE WILL

 

Ladybug: This isn’t as simple as putting one man in prison anymore.

 

Ladybug: If Hawkmoth is outed and publicly punished, there is a very real chance that hundreds of people will be out of work and his family will be left to bear the brunt of public scorn.

 

Ladybug: Are you ready to do that?

 

Ladybug: Are you ready to look his family in the eye and explain to him that you had a chance to not only keep him out of prison but bring his wife back and didn’t take it?

 

Ladybug: Are you ready to explain that the need to make someone pay outweighs their happiness and well-being?

 

Chat Noir: i think if i found out my father had traumatized half the population of paris for four years i would understand it if he needed to do some time in the clink

 

Chat Noir: why don’t you ask his family what they’d rather do?

 

Ladybug: His family doesn’t need to know

 

Chat Noir: so you’re fine just making a decision that affects people you don’t know without consulting them first?

 

Ladybug: No matter what we do, our decisions affect people we don’t know!

 

Ladybug: Don’t you get that?

 

Ladybug: If I tell them, they have to wrestle with the fact that they were living with a monster for four years.

 

Ladybug: They have to suddenly second guess every late night meeting or missed birthday and wonder if their family member was out terrorizing the city.

 

Ladybug: Am I crazy for sparing them that pain?

 

---

 

Chat Noir: just admit you don’t trust me

 

Ladybug: How many times to I need to say this??

 

Ladybug: This

 

Ladybug: Isn’t

 

Ladybug: About

 

Ladybug: You!!!!!

 

Chat Noir: yeah you made that really clear already, thanks

 

Ladybug: Oh my god

 

Chat Noir: no

 

Chat Noir: you are asking me to wager my miraculous on a gamble without giving me anything to go on other than you plan on giving this ring to hawkmoth

 

Chat Noir: and after four years of putting my life on the line, i don’t get a seat at the table to decide the fate of paris

 

Chat Noir: because you don’t trust me to not put my foot up his ass

 

Ladybug: Maybe because you’ve done nothing but talk about how much you want to put your foot up his ass since I’ve told you!!!!

 

Ladybug: How many times do I need to tell you that I trust you?!

 

Chat Noir: trust me to do what exactly?

 

Chat Noir: be a good sidekick?

 

Chat Noir: take hits intended for you?

 

Chat Noir: did you trust that i would keep my mouth shut and fork over my ring when you asked?

 

Chat Noir: or do i only have your trust when it’s convenient for you?

 

Ladybug: You know what?

 

Ladybug: You’re being so incredibly immature right now it’s not even funny.

 

Ladybug: You have done nothing but make this about yourself since I told you!

 

Ladybug: You act like holding the fate of this country in my hands is some kind of cool privilege that I’m robbing you of!

 

Ladybug: This isn’t fun and games Chat!

 

Ladybug: I’m not holding out on you because I get off on being secretive and withholding!

 

Ladybug: I am trying to come up with a win-win solution

 

Ladybug: The most gain for the most people

 

Chat Noir: even if one of those people is a psychopath?

 

Chat Noir: does hawkmoth deserve to get his wish more than paris deserves vengeance?

 

Ladybug: Does satisfying the need for revenge mean more than coming to a peaceful solution?

 

---

 

Bzz!

 

Adrien let out a frustrated snarl as the edge of the sabre slid across his padded stomach, triggering a buzzer that added another point to his opponent’s steadily increasing lead.

 

“Again,” his opponent said, prompting a return to their starting positions. A bell chimed and Adrien lunged again, leaving his chest open for another point heralded by the sound of the buzzer’s metallic ring.

 

“Again,” his opponent said, flourishing a silvery sabre and returning to an almost perfect guard position. Adrien raised his sword as the bell chimed again, counting on his speed to slip past the guard and-

 

Bzz!

 

“Agh!” Adrien pulled his face protector off with his free hand, resisting the urge to toss it across the empty practice hall.

 

“That’s two you owe me,” Kagami said, removing her own face protection. “And to spare your wallet, I think we’ll end it here for today.”

 

“I can go a few more rounds,” Adrien protested, feebly poking at Kagami who absentmindedly batted his weapon away.

 

“You’re in your head too much; you’re going to lose an eye if you keep ‘fencing’ like you’ve been ‘fencing’ all afternoon,” Kagami clucked, resting a hand on her hip as she narrowed her eyes at Adrien.

 

“Sorry...just a little out of whack today,” Adrien muttered, running a hand through his hair with a sigh.

 

“Clearly,” Kagami said, uncorking a bottle of water and squirting a jet in her mouth before tossing it to Adrien. “Anything you’d like to share with the class?”

 

“I…” Adrien but his lip, choosing his words carefully. “I got into it with a friend a few days ago. Kinda had a shouting match if I’m being honest.”

 

“A shouting match?” Kagami asked, raising an eyebrow. “ You?”

 

“I shout!”

 

“At other people?” Kagami said, narrowing her eyes. “About?”

 

“Something stupid,” Adrien said dismissively. “We’ve been working on this project for a long time and let’s just say we’re having differences of opinion in the home stretch.”

 

“And you got your blood pressure raised over that?” Kagami chuckled.

 

“It was an important project,” Adrien said, chewing the inside of his lip.

 

After the meeting with Ladybug the day before, Adrien had tried to put as much distance between himself and Ladybug as possible, running past the limits of his kwami-enhanced stamina until he found himself on the edge of town. He always thought better when he was in motion, but even the lap around the city’s edge didn’t offer any solutions to a problem he never thought he would face.

 

“Still nothing to get your whiskers twisted over,” Kagami clucked, rapping his padded chest lightly with the flat of her sabre. “Pretending your opponent is the subject of your woes isn’t going to do you any favors as a fencer.”

 

“Like I’m going to the Olympics anyway,” Adrien snorted, batting Kagami’s sabre aside.

 

“You could if you put the work in.”

 

“ One rookie prodigy fencer from France is plenty, don’t you think?” Adrien said, poking Kagami in the side. “Any more and the old guard will get humiliated.”

 

“I can’t be expected to humiliate the international fencing community by myself, can I?” Kagami chuckled, batting his fingertip away with the flat of her sword lightly.

 

“You’re gonna have to find some way to manage,” Adrien said, tucking his foil in its case. “Same time next week?”

 

“Only if you leave your troubles at the door like I do,” Kagami said with a small smirk. “I’m getting tired of always beating you.”

 

“I’m pretty sure I scored on you a few times since we’ve started practicing together,” Adrien said, crossing his arms.

 

“Times where you didn’t lean into my guard and kiss me to distract me?” Kagami asked.

 

“You’re just mad because we don’t kiss anymore,” Adrien said.

 

“Yes, truly I am bereft and despondent that the great Adrien Agreste no longer sees fit to grace my lips with the company of his,” Kagami said in a flat deadpan, back of her hand pressed against her forehead. “Surely a wealthy, eligible bachelorette with her own townhouse can do no better than a collége student who still sleeps in a bedroom with a skate ramp in it.”

 

“Hey, you liked the skate ramp!” Adrien spluttered.

 

“Not my favorite piece of furniture in your bedroom, if I’m being perfectly honest,” Kagami said, lips curling as Adrien’s face flushed a darker shade of red. “You’re still too easy to fluster; you know that, right?”

 

“You just know all my weak spots,” Adrien said, stiffening as Kagami lightly pecked him on the cheek.

 

“Better than you think,” Kagami murmured, ruffling his sweaty hair as she brushed past him. “Good luck with your project; try not to hurt your voice this time.”

 

Adrien grumbled out a half-hearted retort, stuffing his fencing gear back in his pack as the door slammed behind Kagami.

 

“...you wanna explain why you stopped seeing that girl?” Plagg asked, floating out of his bag and landing on Adrien’s shoulder.

 

“She’s allergic to stinky cheese goblins,” Adrien chuckled, flicking Plagg lightly on the head. “You drove her away.”

 

“Glad she didn’t go too far away,” Plagg sniffed. “Keeping your head on straight is a two person job and Ladybug’s currently not up to the task.”

 

Adrien frowned, idly changing back into his street clothes as he glared holes in the floor in front of him. Kagami was right; he had been off balance and in a bad mood since his spat with Ladybug and their ensuing week-long text message argument. They seemed to wind around each other in circles, neither giving any ground as they struggled to pull the other over the line.

 

“Hey Plagg…” Adrien said. “Could...could the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses really-”

 

“Eh,” Plagg shrugged. “Who can say? Not like anyone’s been able to hold us both at the same time for...hm...must’ve been a couple hundred years now. I kinda black out whenever Tikki and I are too close together for too long anyway.”

 

“...so if Hawkmoth were to get both...or if we let Ladybug use both-”

 

“You’re acting like it’s as simple as snapping your fingers,” Plagg said, nibbling on the corner of his cheese. “Phenomenal cosmic power doesn’t come easy, kid. I mean, Ladybug’s got a stronger will than most, but-”

 

Adrien’s phone chirped in the bottom of his bag, a familiar three note chime that he had programmed to ring when exactly one app updated. Heart plummeting, he dove into his bag, scrambling for his phone as the Ladyblog app flashed across his screen.

 

AKUMA ATTACK: BELLEVILLE

ALL CITIZENS PLEASE REMAIN INDOORS

MORE NEWS TO FOLLOW

 

“So much for a ceasefire,” Adrien murmured. “Plagg...transform me!”

 

---

 

The scene that greeted Chat Noir as he touched down in the courtyard of a park next to a series of apartment buildings was baffling to say the least.

 

“-had no right to interfere like this!” Ladybug shouted, hands beating against the chest of an akuma dressed in the uniform of a Napoleonic artillery man. He could have been mistaken for a historical reenactor were it not for the glowing purple mask that hovered over his face.

 

“Our deal was for one week,” the akuma spoke in a voice that reverberated and echoed with someone else’s. “You have not held up your end of the bargain; why should I?”

 

“I am this close to convincing him,” Ladybug said, holding her fingers up to the akuma’s mask. “You have to-”

 

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Chat asked, unable to keep the sneer out of his voice as he casually approached from behind. Ladybug whipped around, interspersing herself between the akuma and Chat.

 

“Chat, please give me a minute,” Ladybug asked, holding her hand up. “This is all a misunderstanding!”

 

“There is nothing to misunderstand,” Hawkmoth said through the akuma’s mouth. “Ladybug has failed to satisfy the terms of our deal; Warning Shot here is...well, a warning shot.”

 

“ You stay out of this!” Ladybug hissed at the akuma before turning back to her partner. “L-Look, you wanted a meeting with Hawkmoth, right? Well...meet! Here he is; you can talk to him as long as you-”

 

“I think not,” Hawkmoth said through Warning Shot’s mouth. “ We had a deal, Ladybug; our understanding was that I would deal with you and only you in this matter.”

 

“Not really your call anymore, Hawky,” Chat snarled, resting the baton against the akuma’s shoulder. “You’re dealing with me whether you want to or not.”

 

“Chat, please; just hear him out,” Ladybug begged, hands clasped in front of her. “I promise you, this all makes sense; Hawkmoth, tell him-”

 

“You expect me to debase myself in front of every adolescent in a costume?” Hawkmoth sniffed. “No; I owe you no explanation.”

 

“You are not helping your cause right now!” Ladybug insisted.

 

“I thought that’s what you were supposed to be doing,” Hawkmoth retorted. “But, if you’d like to go back to the way things were before-”

 

“Hey, I prefer things better that way,” Chat said, giving the akuma a quick once over. “Now let’s see here...what’s small and easily breakable?”

 

“Chat please just let me handle this!” Ladybug said, trying to pull Chat back from his nose-to-nose staredown with Hawkmoth.

 

“I can handle this just fine!” Chat said, digging his heels in and glaring through the mask at Hawkmoth.

 

“Listen to your…’partner’, boy,” Hawkmoth said, refusing to retaliate even as Chat shoved the akuma back a few steps. “She has your best interests at heart…”

 

“I do,” Ladybug insisted, sparing a glare for Hawkmoth. “Chat...Chat, please look at me.”

 

Ladybug grabbed the sides of Chat’s face, twisting his head until he was staring down at her. There was a time when being this close to Ladybug would have turned him into a lovestruck mess; where the feeling of her gloves on his cheeks would have been the highlight of his week.

 

He thought he was past the point of Ladybug’s big, blue eyes holding any power over him...clearly, he was wrong.

 

“I know you’re mad or slighted or upset with me,” Ladybug said in a slow, calm voice. “That’s fine...we haven’t ever really fought like that, have we?”

 

Chat was silent, eyeing Warning Shot out of the corner of his eye as Ladybug continued to speak. “I-I guess we were pretty overdue,” Ladybug chuckled, rubbing her thumbs on his cheeks. “And we can fight more when this is done but please , Chat; please just hear us out…”

 

Chat let out a small growl, but Ladybug’s expression took some fire out of his anger. “I need you to be calm right now,” Ladybug pleaded. “Please…”

 

Chat sighed, sparing Hawkmoth one last glare before turning away.

 

“Fine…” Chat said. “I’ll hear you out…”

 

“Thank you,” Ladybug said, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. “I-”

 

“And they say you can’t train a cat.”

 

Hawkmoth’s words echoed throughout the empty courtyard, followed by a snarl as Chat whipped around, hurling his staff at the brooch on the akuma’s uniform. It shattered, and a small purple butterfly floated out of it as Ladybug watched on in horror.

 

“Chat!” Ladybug hissed, watching the akuma float up over head. “What are you-”

 

“Catch it,” Chat said, fists balled as the confused local historian wobbled to his feet behind him. “ Do it!”

 

Ladybug let out an annoyed sigh, flicking her yo-yo open and snapping up the akuma in a flash of light. She watched it go, purified and floating back towards the center of the city before turning around and facing her partner.

 

“What...the hell ?!” Ladybug spat, spinning Chat around to face her. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

 

“My job !” Chat fired back. “Or did you forget that we’re not supposed to be having chit-chats with akuma?!”

 

“That akuma was not here to hurt anyone,” Ladybug seethed, jabbing her finger at the historian who seemed to be taking his cue to slowly slither away. “He fired three shots in the air to get my attention and then led me here . He wanted to talk !”

 

“He wanted to shake you down and make fun of me while he was at it,” Chat scowled. “Some talk…”

 

“Un believable!” Ladybug groaned, jabbing her finger into her partner’s chest. “One minute of calm, reasonable discussion was all I asked for-”

 

“Hey, what are you getting mad at me for?!” Chat asked, batting Ladybug’s finger away. “Your buddy showed up and started talking down to me the minute I showed up!”

 

“It was just talk !” Ladybug snapped. “I needed you to just do nothing and you couldn’t even do that because your fucking ego got bruised! That was our one chance to sit down and discuss this deal together but you blew it!”

 

“Oh no, what a bummer,” Chat deadpanned. “Truly unfortunate; oh well, guess we have to kick his ass now, huh?”

 

“You are being such an ass right now!” Ladybug growled. “You’re looking for any reason to kill any chance this deal has at working.”

 

“Yeah, because it was such a stellar plan to begin with!” Chat spat. “Look, I know you think you figured out a way to twist this so nobody gets hurt, but people have already been hurt! There’s a trail of hurt that goes all the way back to my fourteenth birthday!”

 

“And there’s nothing we can do about that!” Ladybug snapped. “ Nothing! We couldn’t help all those people when we were kids, but we can help now! We can help people who would be hurt if we keep fighting!”

 

“You know what,” Chat said, taking a step back. “You do what you want to do; I’m gonna keep doing what I’m supposed to do and hopefully you’ll wake up and realize that there’s only one real way to end this.”

 

“Chat, wait-” Ladybug said, reaching out to grab his wrist as he turned away from her. He stepped farther than she thought he would, and instead of her fingers closing around his wrist as she intended, her fingers brushed across his fingers, tugging his ring ever so slightly off his finger.

 

They froze, eyes trailing from Ladybug’s fingers on his ring up until they held each other’s gaze. In one swift motion, they stepped back from each other, Ladybug holding her hands up and Chat cradling his hand to his chest, a look of anger, confusion, and fear clouding his features.

 

“I...I didn’t…” Ladybug stammered, throat suddenly tight as she searched for the right words that seemed to slide further and further out of reach. “Chat, I-I didn’t- Chat!”

 

Chat sprang up into the encroaching night, leaping over the ledge of the roof as Ladybug latched onto a nearby lamp post, grappling herself up onto the roof after him. She touched down in a low crouch, scanning wildly for any sign of her partner.

 

“Chat?!” Ladybug called, frantically scanning the shadowy alleys beneath her feet. “ Chat, come back! I didn’t mean...I would never ... Chat!”

 

---

 

Across the city, Gabriel Agreste calmly walked over to the window overlooking the city and unlatched it, pushing it open and taking a deep breath. The cold night air lapped against his face, and as he watched a red figure swing closer and closer to his his home, he allowed himself a small, self-satisfied smile.

 

As Ladybug approached, Gabriel calmly removed his glasses and tucked them into his breast pocket, protecting them from harm as Ladybug swung through the window and immediately punched him in the face.

Notes:

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Don’t
ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Stop
ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Me
ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Now

٩( ᐛ )و cause
٩( ᐛ )و im
٩( ᐛ )و havin
٩( ᐛ )و a
٩( ᐛ )و good
٩( ᐛ )و time
٩( ᐛ )و havin
٩( ᐛ )و a
٩( ᐛ )و good
٩( ᐛ )و time

And so the plot thickens. Hopefully this Ladynoir fight isn't coming off as one-sided one way or another. I know people tend to stan either Marinette or Adrien but I want to be fair to both of their points of view here. I don't want it to come across that Ladybug has just gone off the deep end and I don't want Chat to come off as completely childish and stubborn for refusing her. Hopefully I'm pulling this off but if I'm not, you know where to tell me.

Thanks as always to DarkReyna16 for looking this over! Please let me know if you're still on board for this ride; I promise the end will be worth it.

Chapter 7: Perspective

Ladybug had a fantastic right cross.

 

Even as he was sailing over his desk, crashing into his new chair and landing in a broken heap on his office floor, Gabriel had to admire the way she stepped into the blow, threw her whole weight into her arm, and twisted her fist so the first two of her knuckles collided with his face.

 

Her technique, Gabriel mused as Ladybug hauled him off his feet and dangled him over the floor, was flawless.

 

“What the hell is your damage?!” Ladybug snarled, slamming him on his desk with a splintering thud that suggested that it was finally time to replace his workstation. “I had this all under control until you just had to get your snippy little quips in!”

 

“Clearly,” Gabriel coughed, wheezing as Ladybug hauled him up off his desk and back on to his feet. The slowly darkening bruise on his right cheek throbbed painfully as Gabriel touched it with a small wince. “I sense that you’re unhappy with me.”

 

“No, I’m fucking ecstatic that our plans to bring this to a peaceful solution have fallen down around my ears and now my own partner thinks I’m trying to steal his Miraculous,” Ladybug spat. “So thanks for that!”

 

“I won’t apologize for refusing to spill my life story to anyone who asks,” Gabriel said, straightening his tie and wiping the corner of his split lip with a handkerchief. “You must see now why I chose to deal with you over your partner…”

 

“Because you provoked him!”

 

“I provoked you as well,” Gabriel said, removing his glasses from his jacket pocket and replacing them on his nose. “You, however, appear to possess more of a practical sentiment than he does since you seemed to see the merit in my proposal...and the sense not to fly off the handle and squander a deal because your feelings are hurt.”

 

“Don’t talk like you know us,” Ladybug said, poking Gabriel in the chest.

 

“You forget that I’ve spent the last four years watching you,” Gabriel said, regarding Ladybug over the rims of his glasses. “I’ve watched countless battles between my akuma and you, and do you know what I see? I someone who does what they want to do and someone who does what they must do.”

 

“We both do what we have to do.”

 

“Oh, I don’t doubt that your partner can be effective in battle,” Gabriel said, wiping the corner of his mouth. “When properly managed. But I do business with CEO’s; not their support staff-”

 

“Hey, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t created that akuma!” Ladybug snapped.

 

“I wouldn’t have created an akuma were it not for you reneging on the terms of our arrangement,” Gabriel said, leaning back on his desk. “You have not done what you said you were going to do, so where does that leave me? What recourse do I have?”

 

“Have you tried not being a total asshole when you don’t get your way?” Ladybug asked. “Wouldn’t kill you.”

 

“No, but why risk it?” Gabriel said, taking his glasses off and cleaning them with the corner of his pocket square. “But, the past is the past. All that remains is to determine where we go from here.”

 

“There is no we ,” Ladybug growled. “I am not your friend, I am not your partner; don’t let the fact that your end lines up with my means fool you into thinking there’s any we here.”

 

“How you feel about me is completely immaterial,” Gabriel sniffed, catching a trickle of blood running down his nose with his handkerchief. “All that matters is if you’re still willing to work with me to come to an equitable solution.”

 

“Jury’s still out,” Ladybug said, flexing her fingers. “Chat’s solution to this is looking more and more tempting the longer I listen to you talk.”

 

“Please don’t waste my time with idle bluffs and empty threats,” Gabriel said, ignoring the look of irritation that darkened Ladybug’s features. “If you wanted to take me down, you wouldn’t have come alone and you wouldn’t be wasting time threatening me. Since I’m currently not being dragged to the police station by my ankles, I’m going to assume you’re still open to a win-win scenario.”

 

“I think there’s an English saying about assumptions and asses that you should probably be familiar with,” Ladybug grumbled, crossing her arms as she paced around the perimeter of the office. A dull, throbbing headache pulsed with each step she took, worsened by the harsh white light that reflected off Gabriel’s sterile office walls.

 

She had looked for Chat for almost an hour, but her partner’s talent for blending into the shadows was remarkable. When calling him didn’t work, she sent a string of almost illegible text messages as she walked the streets, grabbing every passerby she saw and asking them if they had seen her partner. Desperation gave way to frustration gave way to anger which led to Ladybug decking her friend’s father with all the strength she could muster.

 

...well, small portion of the strength she could muster. Her full strength would have likely popped Gabriel’s head clean off and sent it bouncing off the walls like a grisly pinball.

 

“I take it your partner was less than amicable to the idea of surrendering his ring to you?” Gabriel said.

 

“I have spent the last week trying day and night to convince him, but he won’t even entertain the idea,” Ladybug sighed, massaging her temples with the tips of her fingers. “I laid out your case as best I could-”

 

“Leaving pertinent details out, I would hope.”

 

“-yeah, he didn’t like that,” Ladybug said. “Secrecy has always been something of a sore spot with him.”

 

“Why?” Gabriel asked. “He must understand that parts of your personal life need remain secret.”

 

“You would think ,” Ladybug laughed. “No...he gave up even talking about our personal identities years ago.”

 

“You...don’t know who he is?” Gabriel seemed genuinely surprised. “Are you telling me that you’ve spent the last four years entrusting yourself to a complete stranger?”

 

“It’s safer that way,” Ladybug said, narrowing her eyes at Gabriel. “In case...in case one of us was compromised by you .”

 

“...prudent,” Gabriel admitted.

 

“You get a little paranoid when fighting someone whose M.O. involves brainwashing,” Ladybug replied coolly.

 

“If you say so…” Gabriel said, smoothing his hair out. “So...what are the next steps?”

 

“I don’t know,” Ladybug said, trying not to let her agitation show. “He’s...I don’t think I can get a hold of him anymore.”

 

“Explain,” Gabriel said, brow creasing.

 

“...we had a fight,” Ladybug said, rubbing her arm. “I tried to grab for his wrist...and I accidentally grabbed his ring.”

 

“You...you got your hands on his ring?” Gabriel asked, sitting up and leaning forward.

 

“I didn’t rip it off his finger if that’s what you’re asking!” Ladybug snapped.

 

“But you got your hands on it,” Gabriel said, stepping off his desk as he rubbed his bruising jaw. “You...you were able to get close enough to grab it.”

 

“Yeah, and now he thinks I’m trying to steal his Miraculous!” Ladybug groaned, throwing up her hands.

 

“...is that such a bad idea?”

 

Ladybug turned slowly to face Gabriel as he started to slowly pace back and forth.

 

“Granted, the element of surprise is no longer on our side, but with your skills-”

 

“You better not complete that thought old man,” Ladybug growled.

 

“Why not?” Gabriel asked, head snapping around to look at her. “You are the only reason I wasn’t able to get both of your Miraculouses-”

 

“Stop,” Ladybug said, holding a hand up and taking a step back.

 

“How many times have I managed to possess your partner?” Gabriel pressed on. “And how many times have you managed to get the better of him? We have proven again and again that when it comes down to a contest between the two of you-”

 

“This wasn’t our deal!”

 

“-that you consistently come out on top,” Gabriel continued, eyes widening as an idea slowly washed over him. “If he isn’t going to cooperate with us...yes, you could quite easily defeat him and when he was incapacitated-”

 

“That’s enough !” Ladybug shouted.

 

“-you...you could simply take his ring!”

 

Smack!

 

Gabriel staggered back as the back of Ladybug’s hand collided with the side of his face, sending him reeling and his glasses tumbling to the ground with a shattering crash. Ladybug took a step back from him, breathing heavily as she slowly backed towards the window.

 

“You are crazy,” Ladybug whispered, falling back out of the window and latching on to a lamp post as she swung away into the night.

 

Gabriel watched her go as he slowly pulled himself to his feet, readjusting his glasses as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. Calmly, he walked over to his bookcase, opened a compartment with a click of a hidden switch, and opened the small safe that contained his Miraculous and a dejected looking kwami.

 

“...what now?” Nooroo asked in a small, quiet voice.

 

“Now,” Gabriel said, reaffixing his pin to his tie. “If I’ve played my hand correctly, we shouldn’t have to do a thing…”

 

---

 

Chat Noir ran until the lights of Paris faded behind him.

 

He ran until the familiar city streets gave way to more winding, wooded roads that carried him further and further away from his city.

 

He ran with all the superhuman stamina his Miraculous afforded him, passing through town after town without slowing down or diverting his course.

 

He dropped his transformation, and he kept running until his legs ached and lungs burned and he was forced to duck into a rail station, leaning heavily on the cold walls as he tried to catch his breath.

 

“Easy, kid,” Plagg murmured in his ear. “Take a deep breath...hey, breathe! ”

 

“I can’t...I can’t…” Adrien put his hand against the wall, sucking great lungfuls of air through his nose as he tried to get control of his breath.

 

“This is gonna sound really weird coming from me, but you really need to calm down right now,” Plagg said as Adrien pulled his hoodie over his face so no one could see him talking to Plagg.

 

“How,” Adrien panted. “Am I supposed to be calm right now?!”

 

“You have to try ,” Plagg said, pinching Adrien’s ear. “Flipping out is not gonna help us right now?!”

 

“Then tell me what I’m supposed to do!” Adrien hissed, crouching down to avoid suspicion of the evening crowds. “Ladybug-”

 

“If she wanted to take it, she wouldn’t have let it go,” Plagg said.

 

“She still wants it though,” Adrien murmured, head resting against the cool tile wall of the train station. “She wants to use our powers for-”

 

Adrien trailed off, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes.

 

“I never... never in a thousand years thought I would be worried about my partner trying to steal my Miraculous sitting in a train station in-” Adrien lifted his head to read the sign above him.  “Oh god, I’m in Creil?”

 

“Listen,” Plagg said, squeezing Adrien’s earlobe with his paws. “We don’t know for sure if Ladybug’s gone off the deep end.”

 

“Don’t we?!” Adrien said. “She’s spent the whole week hitting me up for my ring and trying to convince me to buy into this hairbrained scheme of hers! If she hasn’t gone off the deep end, she’s certainly climbing the diving board!”

 

“Okay,” Plagg admitted. “It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when you’re the levelheaded one-”

 

“Hey!”

 

“-and I sure as Swiss don’t want to wind up on Hawkmoth’s finger,” Plagg said. “But before we jump to red alert, we need to really think about our options.”

 

“Okay,” Adrien said, pulling out his phone. “I think we can get a train as far as Normandy. From there we can probably book passage across the Channel and-”

 

“Let’s call going on the lam Plan Z,” Plagg sighed. “Best case scenario…”

 

“Best case scenario is...Ladybug’s been listening to bad advice and didn’t really mean to grab at my ring,” Adrien said, tilting his head back as he thought. “Worst case scenario…”

 

“Worst case scenario is that Ladybug has either been akumitized or is genuinely on board with fulfilling Hawky’s plan,” Plagg said, landing on Adrien’s shoulder. “Which, for all intents and purposes, is the same thing.”

 

“No...Ladybug willingly siding with Hawkmoth is worse,” Adrien said. “I can deal with an akuma easier than I can deal with trying to change Ladybug’s mind…”

 

Willpower had always been one of Ladybug’s stronger values; one did not fight against all manner of silly enemies for so long without developing a hard-nosed drive to win at all costs. Ladybug’s strength wasn’t in her supernatural abilities; it was in her cunning, quick thinking, and motivation.

 

If all that was turned on him...

 

“Worst case scenario is that Hawkmoth has one of the Miraculouses and Ladybug is going to be gunning for me,” Adrien sighed, leaning forward and resting his head on his forearms. “...I don’t think I could beat her if it came to that.”

 

“Doesn’t matter if you think you can or not,” Plagg sighed. “You cannot let Hawkmoth get both me and Tikki or that’s the ballgame. Even Ladybug holding both of us is bad news since we tend to get a little...tweaky when we’re used by the same person.”

 

“So even if Ladybug never gives Hawkmoth our Miraculouses…”

 

“There’s a pretty good chance that she’ll try and use both of us at the same time and...well, does the term psychofraculated mean anything to you?”

 

“No.”

 

“Well, it ain’t pretty,” Plagg chuckled. “One person’s successfully used us both at the same time...the rest-”

 

“Got fraculated?”

 

“ Psycho fraculated,” Plagg corrected. “See, Tikki’s ability to create anything and my ability to destroy anything aren’t easy to use. There’s a reason Chat Noir can only use it once before we need to recharge. It’s technically possible to use us both at the same time but...well, you need to be pretty strong willed and totally balanced, like, spiritually to pull it off...otherwise-”

 

“Fraculated,” Adrien nodded.

 

“ Psycho fraculated.”

 

“Still fraculated,” Adrien murmured. “So...wait, why don’t we just give them to Hawkmoth and watch him blow himself up?”

 

“Because he could blow up the city while he did it,” Plagg said. “And that’s the best case scenario. You ever hear of the Empire of ________?”

 

“...what?” Adrien frowned, wiggling his pinkie in his ear. “Sorry, I missed that last bit; mind running that by me again?”

 

“About, oh, sixty-five hundred years ago the sovereign Emperor of________got his hands on both the Ladybug and the Black Cat Miraculouses,” Plagg said. “The________believed that reality was an illusion, so the emperor wanted to use our powers to reject reality and create a new world for him and his followers to live in. Time came to use our powers and...well, things didn’t go the way he thought they would. Instead of rejecting reality, our powers rejected him. The emperor, the empire, all one hundred and fifty million citizens, and the land they lived on just disappeared. Erased from the world, from time, and from everybody’s memory in the blink of an eye. I can’t even say the word________anymore because even that got wiped out…in fact, as soon as I’m done talking about this, you’re going to totally forget we even had this conversation.”

 

“So you’re saying that whatever happened to the...the, uh…” Adrien’s eyes glazed over. “Sorry, I missed that last bit; mind running that by me again?”

 

“All you need to know is that neither Ladybug nor her new chum in the purple suit should get their hands on me,” Plagg said, patting Adrien’s confused looking face. “And hey, so far so good, right? Four years and Hawkmoth hasn’t got his grubby little paws on me yet, has he?”

 

“That was before Ladybug decided to help him out,” Adrien pointed out. “And let’s face it; my track record vs. Ladybug isn’t the best.”

 

“Let’s face it, Adrien,” Plagg said. “Have you ever really tried?”

 

“How many times has someone turned me against Ladybug?” Adrien laughed bitterly. “And how many times has Ladybug knocked me on my butt?”

 

“She’s got a steller track record against kooky akuma who like to use you as a puppet,” Plagg corrected, nudging Adrien in the cheek. “There’s more to Chat Noir than just the suit, kid. Ladybug’s never gone up against you when you wanted to fight her.”

 

“Yeah, but…” Adrien sighed. “I don’t even really want to now…”

 

When Plagg could think of nothing to say to that, Adrien slowly rose, wobbling over to the ticket booth to purchase a train ticket back home.

 

---

 

The after-dinner crowds pressed in around Marinette as she aimlessly walked the streets that led away from Adrien’s house. She needed to not be Ladybug for a moment; long enough to calm the pounding in her head caused by the neverending cavalcade of thoughts that threatened to drive her mad.

 

You could simply take his ring.

 

She had touched it; reached out and grabbed at it with barely any effort at all. Even if Chat were to put up a fight, she could easily overcome him; she’d done it in the past. It would be easy to just reach out, take it, and put an end to this-

 

Marinette let out a small sigh, pressing her fingertips against her forehead. She was not a common hoodlum, no matter what Adrien’s overpaid tailor of a father thought. She couldn’t ( she could) just take the ring off Chat’s hand without getting into a big fight ( that she would win) and alerting all of Paris to the fact that Ladybug and Chat Noir were on the outs.

 

And even if she wanted to ( she didn’t, she didn’t, she didn’t) there was no way of locating him. Marinette wasn’t just going to be walking along and bump into Chat in the middle of the-

 

“Oof!” Marinette stumbled back a few steps as she bumped into someone in a black hoodie. “Sorry, I didn’t see you ther....Adrien?”

 

Adrien pulled his hood down, expression flickering from confusion, to recognition, to brief panic as he jammed a small piece of paper into the pocket of his running pants. “Oh, h-hey Marinette! Fancy running into you running into me here!”

 

“Sorry; I had my head in the clouds,” Marinette chuckled, rubbing her arm. “Out for a night jog?”

 

“Hm?” Adrien glanced down at his clothes. “Oh...yeah I...I had to get out of the house for a little bit.”

 

Marinette didn’t fail to notice the way his face fell as he spoke, eyes dimming ever so slightly as he averted his gaze.

 

“Trouble with your father?” Marinette asked.

 

“...you could say that.”

 

“Sorry, I don’t mean to pry,” Marinette said, twirling the drawstrings on her hoodie.

 

“You’re not prying,” Adrien said, a small smile returning to his face. “We...we’re having something of a disagreement.”

 

“Join the club,” Marinette muttered.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Oh...I...just having some problems with my dad,” Marinette said, scratching the back of her arm.

 

“Really?” Adrien said, raising an eyebrow. “Wow...sorry, I just can’t remember you ever mentioning having problems at home before. I thought your dad was cool.”

 

“Me too,” Marinette sighed. “Sorry; you have your own problems to worry about. I shouldn’t-”

 

“You want to get some coffee?” Adrien asked, jerking his head towards a cafe across the street. “I could do with some caffeine right now; I’m buying.”

 

“I…” Marinette blinked. “...you know what, I’m not even going to pretend that doesn’t sound good right now.”

Notes:

Welcome back to Cafe Exposition folks!

Kind of a low action chapter but the next two are the last setup chapters before things get (imo) really really juicy. I'm introducing some homebrew worldbuilding here so please let me know how that's coming across.

Thank you for all the feedback! I know this concept is kind of a hard sell but I'm glad it's coming across well so far. Shit's about to get fairly real very soon so please put your seatback trays in the upright position, make sure your seatbelts are fastened, and keep in mind this will end well.

...mostly.

Chapter 8: Happy Endings

Notes:

T&C Singalong Version: Play this song when you read "Across the city" for the first time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIscL-Bjsq4

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

 

“It’s fine,” Marinette said, taking a sip of her latte as she watched Adrien stir sugar into his tea. “I’m just...reeling a little bit.”

 

“Would a cookie help?” Adrien said, pushing a biscotti across the table.

 

“Wouldn’t hurt,” Marinette chuckled, dunking the cookie in her coffee. “I just...never thought we’d be at the point where we were screaming at each other in public.”

 

“Yikes, that bad?” Adrien said with a small wince.

 

“We’ve just been having this...low level argument all week and it all just came to a head today,” Marinette said, fingers threading through her hair. “Back and forth until...he left.”

 

“He left?”

 

“Uh...just left the bakery,” Marinette said hastily. “Not my family or anything...I may have done something I didn’t mean to do and I think he took it the wrong way.”

 

“Ouch,” Adrien said. “No wonder you’re so blue.”

 

“...weird question,” Marinette said, taking a sip of her coffee. “If you...had an opportunity to do something, something you were so sure was the right thing to do, but...but if you did it, it would mean losing the confidence of someone for the rest of your life. Could you...do you think you could do it?”

 

“Marinette, I don’t think your dad is gonna hate you,” Adrien laughed. “You had an argument; that’s all. I don’t think anyone could really hate you for very long, no matter what you did.”

 

“Always nice to hear,” Marinette chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “But still...if you had to choose between doing something you felt was right and doing something your family wanted you to do, what would you do?”

 

“Have you met my family?” Adrien said, raising an eyebrow. “My raison d’etre is doing things that my father doesn’t want me to do.”

 

“...what if it was your mother?” Marinette asked quietly, carefully studying Adrien’s face as he stared into his tea. “If she was here-”

 

“If Mom was here, I wouldn’t need to fly in my father’s face all the time,” Adrien chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with a semi-wistful smile. “She would bat her eyelashes and he would melt and I could do whatever I wanted; she had him completely wrapped around her little finger.”

 

“Hard to imagine,” Marinette murmured. “I-I mean, it’s just hard to imagine your father as...well, anything other than your father .”

 

“He didn’t used to be as thorny as he is,” Adrien said, chewing on his bottom lip. “We both took Mom disappearing hard but...she took a big, big chunk of him when she disappeared.”

 

Marinette’s fingers twitched, acting on impulse as she reached across the table and lightly squeezed Adrien’s hand. “How do you even get over that?”

 

Adrien surprised her by flipping his palm over and squeezing her hand back. “You don’t,” Adrien said simply.

 

Their palms touched for a few moments before Adrien withdrew with a sheepish chuckle. “Sorry; didn’t mean to make it about me.”

 

“I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Marinette said, scratching her cheek.

 

“It’s fine,” Adrien shrugged. “Dad doesn’t talk about her much, so I take whatever opportunities I can.”

 

“...do you ever wonder if she’s still out there?” Marinette asked. “If...I don’t know...if she showed up one day out of the blue?”

 

“All the time,” Adrien said, taking a sip of his tea. “Not as much as I used to back when she first disappeared but usually around Christmas or her birthday I find myself wondering what would happen if she were to burst through the door like nothing had ever happened. I know dad would be happy; probably would get off me about going to Oxford and let me take a gap year with Nino. Wouldn’t have to worry about him working himself to death if Mom was there to threaten him to go out to dinner with her.”

 

Adrien trailed off, fingers steepling and green eyes gazing unfocused into the middle distance for a long moment.

 

“But,” Adrien said with a small laugh, shaking his head. “Nothing anyone can do about it, right? Can’t snap my fingers and make everything better, right?”

 

“You would if you could though,” Marinette said, chewing on her bottom lip. “If...you had a genie or something that could bring her back…”

 

“I mean, probably after I wished for world peace and your mother’s scone recipe,” Adrien chuckled. “I get three wishes in this scenario, right?”

 

“Sure,” Marinette chuckled. “Anything you want...except the scone recipe.”

 

“Not even a magic lamp can get me your family recipes, huh?” Adrien laughed, leaning in on his palms. “Will that still be included in your dowry if I marry you?”

 

“I-I would have to clear that with Mama first,” Marinette said, fidgeting with her belt loop. “No promises.”

 

“We can sort that out after the honeymoon then,” Adrien said, lightly prodding her shin with the tip of his shoe in a move that sent a small shiver running through her.  

 

“Depends on how big the ring is,” Marinette said, emboldened enough to brush the back of his calf with the top of her foot.

 

“I’ll get you the crown jewels if it means getting to eat your...parent’s scones every morning,” Adrien said, smile widening as Marinette choked on a sip of her coffee, leaning over and patting her on the back. “You okay?”

 

“Fine,” Marinette spluttered. “Something went down the wrong pipe.”

 

“Inhaling cookies is only good when you don’t actually inhale cookies,” Adrien said, hand lingering on her back for a moment before pulling away. “...you gonna be okay?”

 

“Are you?” Marinette asked. “You said your father was getting better?”

 

“Ups and downs,” Adrien said, scratching the back of his neck. “...pretty down today, though. He...tried to do something today that I didn’t think he was capable of…”

 

Adrien took sight of Marinette’s rapidly horrifying expression and quickly backpedaled. “H-He totally tried to forge my signature on an application acceptance! I...I managed to stop him before he actually sent it in, but...well, I think I know what he was trying to do.”

 

“Dick,” Marinette said before she could stop herself. “I-I just mean-”

 

“It’s fine,” Adrien laughed. “It was...kind of a dick thing to do, huh?”

 

“Majorly!” Marinette said, suddenly sitting up. “Wh-where does he get off trying to make a decision like that for you?!”

 

“Always been like that, I guess,” Adrien shrugged, idly scratching the worn wooden cafe table. “Just...seems like a big thing to do without even asking me. Maybe I let him get away with too much in the past; maybe I should have drawn a line somewhere when I was younger.”

 

“It’s not your fault that your father has no respect for your boundaries,” Marinette growled, shaking her head.

 

“He says he’s just trying to do what’s best for me…”

 

“Shouldn’t you get to decide that?” Marinette said. “Nobody knows what’s best for you better than you do, right?”

 

“I would hope so,” Adrien mumbled.

 

“You’re not wrong for taking charge of your future,” Marinette said softly. “And if he really wanted to do what was best for you, he’d respect that.”

 

“He won’t,” Adrien sighed. “Sh... he is the single most driven person I’ve ever met. When he wants something, he gets it and until now I’ve really never stood in his way. We’ve...fought in the past, but we usually go with what he wants to do.”

 

“And you don’t want to do that anymore?”

 

“...I can’t do that anymore,” Adrien said, clenching his fingers around his cooling tea cup. “It’s not that I want to; there’s just too much at stake now to not fight him on this. If he gets his way…”

 

Adrien trailed off, shaking his head as Marinette’s fingers lightly brushed against the back of his, wrapping his hands in a small embrace.

 

“Then he can’t get his way,” Marinette said with a small smile. “I know you don’t pick hills to die on as much as I do, but if there ever was one, I think this might be it.”

 

“And what if I’m wrong?” Adrien asked. “What if...what I really don’t know what’s best for myself?”

 

“Then you have the right to be wrong,” Marinette laughed. “You have the right to make mistakes, Adrien; especially when it comes to your own life. Your father may think he has you all figured out, but when all’s said and done, you have to chart your own course. You can’t just let yourself be dragged around by someone who thinks they’re doing the right thing. It’s not right ; you deserve to have the chance to live your own life without someone constantly taking decision making power away from you!”

 

It was moments like this, when her eyes shone with barely restrained passion as she spoke at length about what she loved, that Adrien found it hard to think about anything else. The miserable week he endured to get to this table was worth it to feel Marinette’s soft hands pressing into the back of his. It was worth being close to her warm, resolute optimism, even if only for a few moments.

 

“Sorry,” Marinette said a little sheepishly as someone craned their necks from a table over to see what the ruckus was about. “Got a little carried away.”

 

“Don’t be,” Adrien said, suppressing a disappointed cluck as Marinette pulled away. “I needed some clarity...glad I bumped into you.”

 

“I think we both got what we needed out of that,” Marinette said, rising to her feet. “You know what you’re going to do?”

 

Adrien nodded, jaw tight as he rose to stand with Marinette.

 

“I think so,” Adrien said. “I think I owe you something for the pep talk.”

 

“If you’re gonna try and tip me, I’m gonna be a little offended,” Marinette said, eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

 

“Would you be offended if I offered to buy you dinner?” Adrien asked, holding the door for her as they stepped out into the chilly evening. “Say...Friday?”

 

Marinette blinked, praying the encroaching darkness hid her warming cheeks. “I...y-yeah, I’m probably gonna need to eat on Friday.”

 

“Not gonna get photosynthesis down by then?” Adrien chuckled, rubbing the back of his arm. “So...it’s a date then?”

 

“Uh...s-sure?” Marinette said, unable to keep the smile from her face. “It’s a date...a date for us...this Friday...dinner…”

 

“You okay?” Adrien asked, lips curling into a small smile.

 

“Date!” Marinette said, shaking her head as she slowly started backing away from Adrien. “I mean late! I mean...w-wow I should be getting home! Thanks for the coffee; have a date night!”

 

Marinette took three steps down the sidewalk before turning back. “ Great night! Date night is Friday! And late night is...today! Tonight!”

 

Marinette laughed a little too loudly, inexplicably shooting Adrien a pair of fingerguns as she backed up and around the corner.

 

“...she’s adorable,” Adrien sighed, leaning against the lamp post as Plagg burrowed out from his hoodie.

 

“Wasn’t a total wash of a week, was it?”

 

---

 

“Like a date date?!”

 

“That’s what he said,” Marinette said, spinning around on her chair as she looked up at her ceiling. “I could be misreading it, but-”

 

“ Nah, it only figures that after four years of coming up with plans to get Adrien to like you, he’d just up and ask you out of the blue,” Alya snickered.

 

“My luck was bound to improve sooner or later,” Marinette chuckled, eyes drifting over to her computer blinking an unread email message up at her. “I’ll give you that scoop tomorrow.”

 

“ Speaking of scoop,” Alya said in a conspiratorial whisper. “I got a tip about that weird akuma attack this afternoon; check your email.”

 

Marinette’s good mood deflated like a week old birthday balloon as she opened an email from Alya, blood running cold as she saw a video attachment.

 

“ Sound quality is garbage,” Alya said as Marinette hit the play button and a shaky camera showed Ladybug and Chat Noir in mid argument. “ But looks like Paris’ it-couple is having a little lovers’ spat.”

 

“I-It’s probably nothing important,” Marinette laughed, watching her costumed self reach out for Chat’s wrist as he turned away. She paused the video, half of her not wanting to see what came next and half of her wanting to confirm a nagging suspicion that fluttered around her mind like an errant butterfly. There, in the middle of the frame, she could clearly see her fingers close around the cool metal ring around Chat’s finger and tug on it just a little.

 

“ Yeah, I’m not in the business of outing Ladybug’s dirty laundry,” Alya sighed. “ Just thought I’d share some juicy gossip in return for the dish about Adrien~”

 

“Th-Thanks,” Marinette coughed, leaning back in her chair. “I, uh...I gotta hang up. D-Dad needs me for something.”

 

“ Keep me posted,” Alya said, hanging up and leaving Marinette in total silence as she stared at the scene before her.

 

Could was no longer the question; she grabbed his ring once and she could do it again. She wouldn’t even need to (physically) hurt him. It would be as simple as-

 

Marinette pushed herself back from her computer, standing up as she slowly started to pace the room.

 

“Tikki,” Marinette called out. “What do I do?”

 

Silence greeted Marinette as she paced over to the little cabinet Tikki now called home. She opened the door to see her kwami perched on a little doll-chair she had found for her, nibbling on the corner of a store-bought cookie she fished out of Marinette’s dresser. Since Marinette had agreed to talk to Chat on Hawkmoth’s behalf, there was an unspoken tension between them that had never been there before. It was clear that there was quite a bit Tikki wanted to say, but for whatever reason she kept it to herself.

 

“Do you really want my advice?” Tikki asked, looking up at Marinette with a tired, vaguely disappointed look. “Or do you want me to tell you to just follow your heart and that everything will be alright in the end?”

 

“Tikki, please ,” Marinette said, kneeling down to face kwami at eye-level. “Try and see things from my point of view! I am trying to do what is best everyone involved-”

 

“Including yourself,” Tikki said, rolling a chocolate chip around on her paw idly.

 

“That’s not-”

 

“You think you have a way to beat Hawkmoth in such a way that you get to go to the school of your dreams, get the guy of your dreams, and make it so you never have to fight another Ladybug battle ever again,” Tikki surmised, popping the chocolate chip around in her mouth and chewing it thoughtfully. “When you say win-win, you’re talking about yourself and Hawkmoth-”

 

“-and Adrien!” Marinette added.

 

“-whose happiness is something you want,” Tikki said. “So when you say you want to do what’s best for everyone, you really just mean yourself and the Agrestes.”

 

Marinette bristled, sitting up on her heels and looking down at Tikki. “I’m sorry, but isn’t ending this fight the goal?! Do you want to subject Paris to a costly battle?!”

 

“A battle our power would fix,” Tikki countered.

 

“Not everything can be healed with a Miraculous Ladybug!” Marinette groaned, grabbing at her hair. “Why isn’t anyone seeing that?! Why am I the only one worried about the human cost of this?!”

 

“By human, you mean-”

 

“ Yes, I mean Adrien!” Marinette snapped. “ Sue me for wanting to help my friend out!”

 

“So Adrien’s happiness and well being matter more to you than Paris’?” Tikki asked.

 

“We don’t have to pick!” Marinette shouted, glancing down at the trapdoor before lowering her voice. “It doesn’t need to be either-or; we can come up with a solution where everybody gets exactly what they want!”

 

“...including yourself,” Tikki said, folding her legs and looking up at Marinette.

 

“...including myself,” Marinette said. “Yes, alright, fine ; I’m favoring the solution that gives me exactly what I want as well...is that wrong? ”

 

“You have a responsibility to more than just yourself !” Tikki snapped, fluttering out of her house and looking Marinette in the eye. “ Ladybug has a responsibility to more than just what Marinette Dupain-Cheng wants!”

 

“Don’t you think I know that?!” Marinette said. “Don’t you think I’m intimately aware of the needs-of-the-many crap?! My life has been ruled by responsibility since I was fourteen! I have always gone above and beyond to put the needs of total and complete strangers above my own for four years!”

 

“So this is, what, some kind of reward for all your hard work?” Tikki asked. “You think you’re owed a happy ending for all the work you’ve put in?!”

 

“Why not?!” Marinette asked. “Why does everybody get a happy ending except Ladybug?! Why am I the only one who had to struggle and fight and sacrifice ?!”

 

“...you’re not the only one,” Tikki said quietly, narrowing her eyes at Marinette. “You said that this deal with Hawkmoth is the best way to make sure everyone gets what they want, right? Seems to me you’re failing to take someone into account here.”

 

Marinette glanced back at the computer screen, eyes lingering on the look of confusion and fear on Chat’s face.

 

“Oh...yeah, forgot about that, didn’t you?” Tikki said, floating up onto Marinette’s shoulder. “What, exactly, does your partner get out of this?”

 

“His life back,” Marinette muttered.

 

“This is his life,” Tikki said.

 

“He can still be Chat if he wants to be,” Marinette argued. “Once I make the wish-”

 

“You think it’s that easy?” Tikki said, floating around to stand between Marinette and Ladybug on the screen. “You think you’re just going to give him the ring back when it’s all said and done? You think he’s even going to want to speak to you after this?”

 

Marinette’s lips pressed together into a silent scowl, blinking as she turned away from the screen.

 

“...okay,” Marinette admitted, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “So this isn’t a totally happy ending...but nothing’s perfect, right? And even if...even if he never wants to speak to me again, he’ll understand. Someday, I’m sure...I’m just...I’m trying to do what’s best for him.”

 

Tikki closed her eyes with a sad sigh, lightly laying a paw on Marinette’s shoulder.

 

“Then...you should follow your heart, Marinette,” Tikki said flatly, floating back into her cabinet. “I’m sure it will all work out in the end…”

 

The door shut behind Tikki, leaving Marinette alone with the image of Ladybug’s fingers on Chat’s ring.

 

“Alright,” Marinette sniffed, grabbing her jacket and kicking the latch open. “Plan B…”

 

---

 

Knock-knock-knock.

 

“Master?” Marinette called out softly, rubbing her arms as she craned her neck in to look Master Fu’s shop. “Master Fu?”

 

The lights were on as the creaking of footsteps on floorboards preluded a symphony of unlatching locks as the door opened, revealing her old friend and mentor.

 

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming-” Master Fu’s smile fell for a moment as he caught sight of Marinette. “Oh...Marinette, how lovely to see you.”

 

"Sorry," Marinette mumbled. "I would have called, but-" 

 

"You never need to apologize for visiting," Master Fu said, surriptitously craning his neck to look behind Marinette. "Are you...alone?" 

 

"Tikki isn't here, if that's what you're asking," Marinette said, rubbing her red, puffy eyes as she lingered on the threshold. “Is this a bad time?” 

 

“I sense it is a bad time for you ,” Master Fu said, stepping aside with a shaky little hop and sweeping her into the kitchen. “Would you like to tell me what is on your mind?”

 

“It’s...been kind of a bad day,” Marinette said with a small chuckle. “Well...ups and downs, really…”

 

Marinette took a seat at the table as Master Fu noting the pair of steaming teacups that sat on the table.

 

“Are you expecting someone?” Marinette asked.

 

“I was but...well, they seem to have gotten held up,” Master Fu chuckled, nudging the teacup towards her. “It happens from time to time; my friend makes appointments that frequently get derailed by family matters. Good thing that you came when you did; shincha green tea is not something one should throw out.”

 

“Feel free to kick me out if you have a date or something,” Marinette chuckled, taking a sip of the bitter green brew.

 

“I think the time for romance in my life is long past,” Master Fu chuckled, wincing suddenly and rubbing his temples.

 

“Are you doing okay?” Marinette asked.

 

“Oh...ups and downs…” Fu chuckled, wiping his sweaty brow with the corner of a tea rag. “Perils of getting old is that one tends to have more than a few aches and pains that tend to crop up at unexpected times…and I have been going without some very important medicine for far too long...”

 

Fu tried a shaky smile that didn’t quite look right for some reason.

 

“Is there anything I can do?” Marinette asked, only to be waved off by Fu.

 

“My physician shall be with me in due time,” Fu said, folding his hands in front of him. “But perhaps there is something I can do for you. I think this is the latest you’ve ever sought my company...what is the matter?”

 

“...very long story,” Marinette said, fidgeting in her seat. “Chat and I are...having a disagreement.”

 

“Ah,” Fu said simply. “Well...I’m afraid I won’t be able to offer much in the way of relationship advice, if that is what you need.”

 

“It’s a...professional disagreement,” Marinette murmured, glancing up at her master. “We...we may have a way to stop Hawkmoth. After all this time, we have a chance to make sure no one ever gets akumitized ever again.”

 

Fu leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at Marinette. “Is that so?”

 

“Yes, but...Chat doesn’t agree that it’s the right thing to do,” Marinette sighed, chewing on the inside of her lip. “He has a solution of his own, but it involves hurting people who don’t need to be hurt…”

 

“I cannot imagine Chat Noir would be the kind of person to endorse a course of action that leads to needless suffering,” Fu mused, stroking his chin. “What exactly is this plan of his?”

 

Marinette took a deep breath, looking the old man in the eye. “Master Fu...what happens if someone uses both the Ladybug and the Black Cat Miraculous?”

 

Fu seemed to stiffen in his seat, gaze focusing more intently on Ladybug. “...what has made you think of that?”

 

“Is it true that the Ladybug and Black Cat can accomplish anything if used together?” Marinette rambled on.

 

“Marinette, there is a reason I did not just give you both Miraculous when you were fourteen,” Fu said, leaning forward in his chair. “That kind of power is not one that can be used lightly and if you are thinking of using it to just banish Hawkmoth from existence or some such-”

 

“So it is possible?”

 

“Who have you been talking to?” Master Fu asked, leaning forward and sharing a curious look with Wayzz who floated out of his pocket. “Why the sudden interest?”

 

Marinette’s fingers twisted together under the table. Master Fu had the uncanny ability to make anyone feel like a schoolkid who lied about doing their homework without so much as raising his voice.

 

“I have an idea,” Marinette said. “An idea that I think will work...but I need both Miraculous-”

 

“Marinette, whatever you think you’re going to do-”

 

“I just need to know if it’s possible,” Marinette asked.  

 

“ Possible is not the thing you should be concerning yourself with,” Fu said, sweat glistening on his brow as he rose to his diminutive height with a half stern, half fearful look. “I did not name you my successor to use the Miraculous however you saw fit; a Guardian only seeks to protect the kwami entrusted to them...and to use these...these powers in conjunction with one another…”

 

Master Fu was breathing hard, one side of his face twisted in a concerned scowl and one unnaturally drooping despite his best efforts.

 

“Master?” Marinette said, slowly rising to her feet. Master Fu blinked, reaching up with a shaking arm to pat the side of his face as he looked at Marinette with a strange, fearful expression.

 

“To...to hangre….” Master Fu fell back, splintering his ancient chair as Marinette scrambled to catch him before he hit the ground.

 

“Master?!” Marinette said, holding the old man’s softly convulsing body. “Master Fu?!”

 

“What’s wrong with him?” Wayzz asked as Marinette fished her phone out with one hand while cradling Master Fu’s head with the other.

 

“I-I think he’s having a stroke,” Marinette said, frantically dialing emergency services. “ Yes, hello? I need an ambulance at 72 Rue de Merre, now! My friend is having a stroke!”

 

The phone slipped out of Marinette’s fingers as Fu’s hand reached up for hers, his eyes pleading even as his mouth struggled to form the words he wanted to say.

 

“Hang in there, Master Fu…” Marinette muttered, smoothing his hair. “Help is coming...help is coming…”

 

She pulled the smaller man towards the living room, careful not to jostle him too much as she laid him on the futon, covering him with a quilted afghan as he started to shiver. As the sound of ambulance sirens drew closer, her eyes landed on the bracelet around Fu’s wrist that dangled uselessly on the floor. Thinking quickly, she snapped his Miraculous off his wrist, tucking it in her pocket as Wayzz disappeared with a confused protest and a flash of light.

 

“I’ll keep this safe,” Marinette muttered, eyes now falling on the familiar octagonal box resting on the table. She glanced back at Fu for a moment, heart pounding as she cracked the box open, frantically grabbing the Fox, the Bee, the-

 

“ Hello?” Marinette shut the box as she stood up, staggering over towards the door as the paramedics knocked. “ Anyone home?”

 

---

 

“It would be unwise for me to speculate at this point,” Doctor Fandor said. “The fact that we were able to treat him as early as we were is promising but…”

 

Marinette nodded, watching the heartrate monitor blip in a slow, steady beat through the glass. She had never thought of Master Fu as “old” until now; not until he was hooked up to a dozen different machines keeping his unconscious body alive. He seemed to be shrinking into himself somehow, the lines on his face deepening with each passing breath.

 

“We’re still waiting on the results of his blood tests before we start any serious treatment,” Doctor Fandor continued. “We don’t want to inadvertently aggravate anything that might have caused his stroke.”

 

“He...said his personal physician was coming,” Marinette said, clutching on to the jewels in her pocket for a small source of comfort. “I’ll, uh...I’ll send her your way. Maybe she can tell you a little more about his condition.”

 

“Visiting hours are normally over by now, but…” Doctor Fandor coughed. “If you learn anything-”

 

“I’ll send him your way,” Marinette said with a weak smile. “I’ll be back with some blankets for him...thanks doctor.”

 

Doctor Fandor nodded, stepping away as Marinette lingered in the doorway for a brief moment, watching her master sleep for a few moments before stepping away, walking down the cold, sterile hospital hallways in a daze, letting her feet robotically carry her out into the night and onto the midnight streets of Paris.

 

Until Fu got better, she was, effectively, the last guardian of the Miraculous. Somehow in her quest to untangle herself from the chains of destiny, Marinette had found herself all the more entrenched in a fight that seemed to have no end. The Bee, Fox, and Turtle Miraculous clanked in her pocket with every step, inert, yet a constant reminder of her new responsibility.

 

What happened if he died?

 

Was she supposed to be a mentor to more teenagers barely younger than she was? Was she supposed to decide who was worthy enough to hold cosmic power in the palm of their hand? In all her training with Master Fu, he never prepared her for the possibility that she might need to take up the mantle before she was ready. Her head pounded with every step as an inescapable thought rose to the top of her beleaguered mind.

 

She had to get the others.

 

Even in her exhausted, emotionally battered state, her feet carried her towards Master Fu’s house, moving faster and faster through the darkening night until she stood at the back door to Master Fu’s house, wiggling the lock until she stood in the cold, dark kitchen she had been in only a few hours before.

 

The tea kettle sat alone and untended, steaming faintly as Marinette picked up her upturned kitchen chair. Her hands gripped the back of the chair for support, biting her lip to stem the wave of helplessness that threatened to overwhelm her. She took a few, shaking breaths, rubbing the backs of her eyes as she staggered into the living room.

 

The first thing she noticed was that the polished wooden box was open. The second thing she noticed was that each drawer was pulled out and each Miraculous slot was completely empty. Finally, she noticed a torn piece of paper folded on top of the box, neat black handwriting barely visible in the dim light of the apartment...

---

 Across the city, Adrien sat motionless on his bedroom floor, dried tear tracks glistening in the florescent light as he looked down on the twelve new Miraculous he had rescued from Master Fu's empty house...

---

 Two floors above him, Gabriel unlocked a hidden book safe, withdrawing a glittering blue peacock pin that had sat unused for almost ten years. He glanced up at the picture of Emilie cradling a newborn Adrien, took a deep breath and calmly returned the empty book safe to its place on the shelf...

---

A few miles away, Alya Cesaire sat staring at a Ladyblog post, finger hovering over the post button for a moment, before saving the article titled "Ladybug and Chat Noir on the outs?" as a draft. Reaching over to grab her coffee, her fingers accidentally nudged the cup off the desk, sending it to the floor with a wet, shattering crash...

---

"You lost little guy?" 

Down the road, Nino Lahiffe leaned down, reaching out a hand to a black cat that hissed as he approached, quickly running off into the night before Nino could catch him. 

"Fine," Nino said, tossing the kitchen garbage in the can and heading back inside. "No belly scratches for you then..." 

---

"Night dude!" 

Two streets over, Luka Couffaine raised a lazy hand over his shoulder as he stepped out of the back of the warehouse, under a ladder and onto the cold Parisian streets, humming a tune under his breath as he made his way home...

---

Above him, in the penthouse suite on the fourteenth floor of Le Grand Paris, Chloe Bourgeois woke suddenly, slowly sitting up and casting her eyes around her room. She got the strangest sensation that she was supposed to be doing something but quickly chalked it up to the product of too many sweets before bed and tried to settle down again...

---

Crack!

As she stepped out of the shower, Kagami Tsurugi's foot split a carelessly cast aside comb in half. She frowned, bending over to pick up the pieces and carefully toss them into the trash can...

---

 "I will handle things from here...thank you doctor." 

Doctor Fandor opened his mouth to protest but the look the tall, severe looking woman gave him told him they were done speaking. A pair of neatly dressed attendants in the room behind her unpacked their suitcases, attaching silvery looking monitors to Master Fu's fingers and unpacking vacuum sealed bags of powdered medicinal supplies. The woman slowly approached Master Fu's bedside, picking up his chart with a small laugh. 

"Chan Fu?" She mused, shaking her head. "Is that what you've been calling yourself, you old tortoise?" 

"Master He?"  Master He turned to see her assistant holding up a small flask with clear pink liquid swirling around. 

"Give him three drops, but he's too far gone for that to be enough," Master He said, taking off her white jacket and rolling her sleeves up. "We need to work fast if we're going to save this old fool's life." 

Reaching down to take his pulse, Master He frowned as she noticed his bare wrist. 

"Lost another one, have you?" She clucked, turning to one of her assistants. "Go to his home and retrieve the box; we can't afford to have any more Miraculous escape our clutches..." 

---

 

And back in Master Fu's house, Marinette's fingers clenched around the note, trembling in fear, frustration, and anger as she read it. 

Notre-Dame

Midnight

Tomorrow

-CN-  

Notes:

Thanks to Squabbler for reminding me I should probably deal with Master Fu :)

WHO'S READY FOR A GOOD OLD FASHIONED DONNYBROOK????

As always, feedback is much appreciated. This series is only going to be following canon through Anansi so anything that comes after it is not gonna be taken into account.

Just a note: I did change Chloe's ship plan because I couldn't naturally think of a good way to ingratiate her into DJWiFi much as I'm a fan of that triad. So I'm gonna pilot some Lukchlogami to see how that plays out because of a kinda cool idea I have for them.

NEXT TIME: Y'all ever seen that Naruto episode where Obito and Kakashi fight? It's gonna be kinda like that.

Chapter 9: Rift (i)

Notes:

Note: Italicized text blocks are flashbacks

The distant droning of the mass carrying on below his feet provided a dull, grim soundtrack to Chat Noir’s train of thought. He had given up pacing a tread on the rooftop of Notre Dame’s cathedral, standing with his back against the wall as he waited for Ladybug to arrive. Arms crossed and jaw set, he tried to wrest control of the storm of conflicting emotions that bubbled unpleasantly in his stomach.

 

The large clock struck nine, an echoing gong rattling Chat’s teeth as a familiar red figure swung into view. He passed his sheathed baton between his hands, stepping out from the shadows and into the moonlight as Ladybug landed in a low crouch on the edge of the roof.

 

“...hey,” Ladybug said a little warily, eyes drifting down towards the baton in Chat Noir’s grip.

 

“Hey there,” Chat echoed, noticing that she hadn’t respooled her yo-yo after landing. “Rough night?”

 

“You could say that,” Ladybug replied, glancing around at the shadows that loomed over her like the cathedral architecture. “Not exactly our usual haunt.”

 

“Felt like a change of scenery,” Chat shrugged, leaning on his baton. “Haven’t been up here in quite a long time, have we?”

 

“Not since we found a better local to spar,” Ladybug said with a weary chuckle that trailed off into a few moments of tense silence that hung like the bitter October chill in the air between them.

 

Ladybug was the first to break the silence. “...where are the other Miraculous, Chat?”

 

---

 

“Master Fu?”

 

Trust another longwinded “future of the company” speech from his father to derail Adrien’s plans of getting some better advice on the whole Ladybug situation. By the time Gabriel was done, Adrien was half an hour late, running down backstreets and staying detransformed in case Ladybug or Ladybug’s new friend were looking for him.

 

Adrien knocked on the back door, arching up on the balls of his feet as he peered into the dimly lit kitchen. “Plagg, can you see anything?”

 

Plagg floated out of Adrien’s hood, peering in the window over the door. “Other than the ugly rugs he hasn’t changed in a hundred years? Not much…”

 

Adrien reached out, trying the doorknob out of frustration more than anything else. He half expected it to be locked and Master Fu in his turtle-patterned jammies for the evening. He didn’t expect the door to swing open, revealing a dimly lit kitchen that looked like it had seen better days. A broken chair lay strewn on the floor next to a shattered mug of tea. A faintly steaming teapot sat unnoticed on the stove and perhaps most worrying of all, a mug of shincha green tea that Adrien had gave him last Christmas sat undrunk across the table.

 

Adrien opened his mouth to call out before Plagg quickly held his paw up to his mouth. Grabbing the leg of the broken chair, Adrien slowly crept through the house, wary of every creaking step he took in case whoever had shattered Master Fu’s chair was still lurking in the shadows. He stepped into the living room, brandishing the splintered piece of furniture like a knife as his eyes swept the mildly disheveled room.

 

The bitterness about being the last person to find out about Master Fu didn’t linger long as the kindly old guardian took a unique interest in Adrien. No longer was Adrien completely alone as a civilian; he had someone to talk to outside of Ladybug and Plagg about the challenges a Miraculous holder faced. When thoughts of his fight with Ladybug wouldn’t leave him alone, Adrien reached out...only to arrive too late to be of any help.

 

“Check upstairs,” Adrien said, nodding towards Fu’s bedroom as Adrien slowly made his way around the perimeter of the room, opening cabinets slowly and scanning for any clue as to Master Fu’s whereabouts. His eyes landed on a familiar wooden box that Adrien had never had the chance to look inside before. He had asked about it a few times only for it to be brushed off as an urn for a departed friend. Now it lay almost open, multicolored velvet tempting Adrien to look inside.

 

“Not upstairs,” Plagg said, floating down as Adrien knelt in front of the table, slowly raising the lid of the box. “What are you-”

 

“Did you know this was here?” Adrien asked quietly, fingers running over the empty grooves in the velvet where he could imagine a hair comb, a bracelet, and a necklace laying.

 

“We…” Plagg trailed off as Adrien tossed the broken chair leg to one side, lips trembling as he stared down in horror at the empty box in front of him.

 

“They’re...they’re gone,” Adrien murmured. “This is where they were supposed to be, right?”

 

Plagg hovered down to the open box, lifting the velvet up to look for any sign of his friends. “This can’t be happening...who could have taken them?! Nobody knew they were here except…”

 

Plagg trailed off, but it was clear by the look on Adrien’s face that he didn’t need to say it.

 

“...she was here,” Adrien said, voice trembling with barely constrained fear and anger. “She...she took them!”

 

“We don’t know if-”

 

“She was the only one Master Fu trusted with their location!” Adrien snapped. “Who else would have taken them?! She had to have known where they were! If I had just been here when I was supposed to have been here then-”

 

Adrien’s fingers clenched around the box, unknowingly springing a mechanism that caused twelve smaller drawers to shoot out the sides. Adrien fell backwards on his hands, head arching up and staring at twelve pristine jewels embedded into a variety of accessories and artifacts.

 

“...there’s more?” Adrien murmured, leaning forward and slowly picking up a black and red brooch.

 

“She must not have had time,” Plagg said, glancing around. “We must have just missed them…”

 

Adrien spun the box around, rifling through the open drawers to see if any more had gone missing.

 

“She just took three,” Adrien said, heart pounding as he stared into the open box. “The three she knows...the three who know and trust her more than they trust me.”

 

“Now you’re just-hey!” Plagg watched as Adrien started emptying the box, hastily jamming his pockets full of Miraculous. “What are you-”

 

“I don’t know where Fu is but something tells me he wouldn’t have given Ladybug carte blanche to make off with as many Miraculous as she wanted,” Adrien said, stuffing the Dog bracelet and the Snake charm into his pockets. “And it isn’t going to be long before she’s back to pick up another dozen Miraculous to either give to Hawkmoth or use to get you! Does that sound fun to you?”

 

“...you don’t think-”

 

“I don’t know what I think right now,” Adrien babbled, tucking the Ox and the Dragon into his coat pocket. “Right now, Ladybug is talking crazy and there’s a box full of Miraculous unguarded on Master Fu’s table; what do you want me to do?”

 

Plagg opened his mouth to argue but found his excuses coming up short in light of almost overwhelming evidence.

 

“If you have a better idea, I’d love to hear it,” Adrien said, ferreting the last of his Miraculous away in his back pocket. “Until we find out what happened to Master Fu…”

 

The thought of the small, kindly old man that had been a good friend and mentor to Adrien suddenly hurt or dead made Adrien’s stomach churn as he snatched a piece of notebook paper from the coffee table, hastily scribbling down a message and leaving it neatly folded on top of the now completely empty box.

 

“...we need to get these somewhere-”

 

---

 

“-safe,” Chat Noir said flatly, green eyes narrowing at his partner. “All but three anyway; wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

 

---

 

“I don’t know where I went wrong, really…” Tikki sighed, morosely nibbling on the corner of her cookie. “I always thought she had a good head on her shoulders. Not prone to jumping off rooftops like that Florentine Ladybug I had in the fifteenth century. Maybe that was the problem...maybe she’s too smart to know when she’s making a mistake…”

 

Marinette’s gigantic striped cat plushy stared unblinkingly back at Tikki.

 

“You always know just what to say,” Tikki said, patting the toy on the nose as the trapdoor banged open, startling her into peering over the edge of the bed as a tired, haggard looking Marinette stumbled into her loft. “And where have you been, missy?”

 

“He took them…” Marinette murmured, staring up at the ceiling as she rolled on to her fainting couch. “He...I was at Master Fu’s and then...stroke...hospital...Miraculous…”

 

“Did you hit your head on the trapdoor again?” Tikki asked, floating down from the bed. “Do you want me to fetch the-”

 

“Hey do we have to stay in your pocket all night or can we come out while you’re having another existential breakdown?” Tikki frowned as a small orange fox wriggled its way out of Marinette’s coat pocket.

 

“Trixx?” Tikki asked.

 

“What’s shakin’ Rikki Tikki Tavi?” Trixx said, floating up and lightly bumping Tikki’s head with their own. “Wayzz, Pollen, come say hi!”

 

“We hope it’s not a bad time to beg your hospitality,” Pollen said, floating up and lightly kissing Tikki on her cheeks. “We know it’s very late but…”

 

Tikki’s eyes trailed over to Wayzz’ downcast expression. “...Master Fu is hurt.”

 

“Hurt?” Tikki’s eyes drifted between Wayzz and Marinette who was staggering to her feet, rifling through her dresser as the sky on the horizon slowly started to pinken.

 

“He had a stroke…” Marinette grumbled, pulling a fresh blouse and jeans out of the dresser drawer as she shucked her coat off. “In the hospital...I had to take them in…”

 

“...please, go make yourselves at home,” Tikki said with a small, uncertain smile. “Beds and cookies are in the dollhouse.”

 

“Ever the gracious host,” Pollen said with a small curtsey as she and Trixx tugged a morose looking Wayzz towards the dollhouse. When she was sure they were out of earshot, Tikki floated down to Marinette, peeking over the divider as she changed.

 

“Explain.” Tikki hissed. “All of it. Now .”

 

“Master Fu. Stroke. Hospital. Had to rescue the kwami,” Marinette muttered, reapplying her deodorant.

 

“Is he going to be okay?!” Tikki asked.

 

“Don’t know,” Marinette shrugged. “Not a doctor.”

 

“Well what did the doctor say-”

 

“I don’t know !” Marinette snapped. “I wasn’t there for long! I had to get back to Master Fu’s place and pick up the Miraculous!”

 

Tikki’s jaw set as her eyes narrowed at Marinette. “So where are the rest?”

 

Marinette glared at her blouse as she picked little fuzzies off of it. “...Chat took them.”

 

“Chat...took them?” Tikki echoed.

 

“He was going to meet with Master Fu but something held him up,” Marinette said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she fought off a pounding headache. “He came back while we were gone...he took the rest of them out of the box when he saw Trixx, Wayzz, and Pollen missing from the box on the table.”

 

Tikki blinked, floating back a little as though struck. “...so...he must have thought-”

 

“I don’t... care what Chat thinks,” Marinette grumbled. “With Master Fu out of commission, I am the last Guardian. I am the one he trusted to take care of the Miraculous; not Chat .”

 

“Then this is just a misunderstanding,” Tikki said in an almost pleading tone. “Just talk to him! Tell him why you took the Miraculous!”

 

“I have done nothing but talk to him,” Marinette said in an eerily quiet voice. “I have talked and talked and talked and talked but he just doesn’t want to listen! He has it in his head that a stupid superhero fight is the best way to solve this! He isn’t even open to my solution; he talks a big game about trust, but when it comes down to it, he doesn’t trust me enough to realize that I’m right !”

 

“I know you’re not on my side,” Marinette muttered as Tikki opened her mouth to protest. “I know you think I’m wrong or crazy or too craaaaaaaaaaaaazy for Adrien to realize his father is a monster but I know who I’m dealing with. Hawkmoth is not in control of this deal; I am. Hawkmoth doesn’t get to use any Miraculous; I do. I’m the one in control of this runaway freight train and if Chat has a problem handing over the reigns, tough. I’m the Guardian until Master Fu gets better, and if he doesn’t want to use his ring to finish his mission, then I will.”

 

Marinette’s shoulders rose and fell as her breathing slowly returned to a normal pace. The sun crested over the city, spilling light into her room as Tikki watched her chosen grab her backpack and trudge down the stairs.

 

“Where are you going?” Tikki asked.

 

“It’s six on a Tuesday; I have to help Papa proof the bread before class,” Marinette mumbled, ignoring her kwami’s feeble tugs on her backpack straps.

 

“You need to sleep,” Tikki said. “You haven’t been sleeping well since-”

 

“ You need to sleep,” Marinette said, kicking the hatch to the ladder open. “We have a long night ahead of us…”

 

---

 

Ladybug’s jaw tightened. “They’re safe with me.”

 

“Are they safe or are they with you?” Chat asked. “Because that sounds like two pretty contradictory things.”

 

“I took them to keep them safe,” Ladybug said, eyes narrowing. “As their acting Guardian.”

 

“Speaking of which, I couldn’t help but notice their current caretaker is a little AWOL,” Chat said, noting the way Ladybug’s steely expression seemed to fall at Master Fu’s mention. “I was supposed to meet him last night, but wouldn’t you know it? He wasn’t home. Now...you wouldn’t happen to know where he ran off to, would you?”

 

Ladybug bit her lip, breaking Chat’s gaze with a sigh. “He’s...in the hospital.”

 

“Care to explain why? ” Chat asked in a low, eerily calm voice barely audible over the noise of the city below.

 

“You think I hurt him?!” Ladybug laughed bitterly.

 

“I think it’s very convenient that Master Fu ends up in the hospital and you just happen to come across three Miraculous whose wielders you know personally,” Chat said, glancing over her shoulder. “I’m actually surprised I’m not getting ambushed right now...or are you waiting for me to have my back turned before you stick a knife in it?”

 

“You think I took them to... use against you?!” Ladybug spat.

 

“Hey, that would get you what you wanted that much faster, right?” Chat asked. “Four heads are better than one after all...oh, sorry two. It would be remiss of me to exclude your new partner.”

 

“If I wanted to take your Miraculous, I would have done it already! ” Ladybug snapped, eyes wild and lower lip trembling with barely concealed anger. “I am so, so not in the mood to argue with you right now, Chat! Where...are...the Miraculous?!”

 

“You know, I would have brought them, but I thought I’d gift wrap them first so you can give Hawkmoth a nice early Christmas present!” Chat snapped. “Master Fu was gone ; I made a call to keep the Miraculous you didn’t make off with safe!”

 

“That wasn’t your call to make!” Ladybug shot back. “ I am the acting Guardian! I am the one Master Fu trusted to keep these Miraculous safe; not you!”

 

“Did he make that call before or after you told him that you wanted to use our powers to give Hawkmoth everything he wanted?” Chat spat, hair raising and tail-belt swishing back and forth irritably. “Hey, why don’t we wait for him to get out of the hospital to ask him? Let’s table this Hawkmoth Mercy Run debate until Master Fu adds his two cents?”

 

“Because he may never get out of the hospital!” Ladybug shouted, hoarse, trembling voice echoing off the cathedral walls. “H-He had a stroke and h-he’s sick and he could very well die leaving me in charge of a bunch of jewelry I never wanted to deal with in the first place!”

 

Ladybug’s voice echoed off the tall stone walls as she stared him down, jaw set and eyes brimming with unshed emotion.

“And as much as I would rather not spend the rest of my life babysitting kwami,” Ladybug said, blinking and shaking her head. “I am going to do my job as best I can...and for that...for that I need the Miraculous back... all of them.”

 

“...including mine?” Chat asked.

 

“...including yours.”

 

A chilly breeze rustled their hair as Ladybug felt a weight slide off her shoulders. She had spoken the terrible and unavoidable truth she had been avoiding all week and the world didn’t immediately end. Chat Noir didn’t even react like he thought he would.

 

“Until Master Fu gets better, I decide how to use the Miraculous and who to give them to,” Ladybug said, jaw tight as Chat just watched her with an unwaveringly sad gaze. “I gave you a chance to work with me. I gave you so many chances to work with me, but you’ve made it very clear that you don’t care to anymore...so until Master Fu recovers, I’m...taking back the ring.”

 

There was no impassioned plea to see his side of things, no stubborn refusal to part with his Miraculous. As the silence between them stretched on, Ladybug found herself wishing he would just yell like she expected him to. She could deal with Chat’s outbursts of anger when they were up front and grandiose like most of his emotional displays. The quiet, resigned look of sad, tired disappointment in Chat’s eyes was the only thing she got...and she didn’t quite know how to react to that.

 

Chat let out a deep sigh that seemed to deflate him a little as he looked down at his ring, turning it around his finger with the pad of his thumb. For a moment, she thought he was considering it. She could see the wheels in his head turn as he bit his lip, tossing the idea back and forth in his mind as she waited, fingers gripping the string of her yo-yo tightly.

 

“...just give it up,” Ladybug said, dropping her voice into a low, soothing tone. “We don’t have to fight...but I will if it comes to that.”

 

She could see his resolve start to crumble as he chewed the inside of his lip, avoiding her gaze. “I...don’t want to fight you,” Chat said in a small, soft voice. “It’s not right, you know? We...we were supposed to do things together...up to the end.”

 

Chat raised his hand, eyes turning up to meet Ladybug’s with a small, shaky smile. “You know...this week has really sucked.”

 

Ladybug found herself laughing in spite of herself, wiping her eyes with the back of her gloved hand. “Tell me about it…I think I maybe slept an hour total since last Friday…”

“Wow, a whole hour,” Chat chuckled, rubbing his nose with a small sniffle. “I’m actually jealous…”

 

Chat hesitantly reached his ring-hand out, palm up in an inviting gesture as he tossed his baton to one side.

 

“I don’t want to fight you,” Chat said, voice firm and resolute. “But I promised Master Fu to never give this to anyone...so to keep with the letter of that promise, you’re going to need to take it off yourself.”

 

Ladybug’s eyes drifted between Chat’s hand and his face, cautiously taking a step forward as her brows knit in confusion.

 

“I’ll go with you on this if you want it,” Chat said seriously, tossing his baton to one side and extending his hand. “But if you want it...you’re going to have to come get it.”

 

Ladybug took a deep breath, fastening her yo-yo to her hip as she slowly approached Chat. “I know this doesn’t seem fair...but I promise you, it’s for the best.”

 

“...you really believe that, don’t you?” Chat asked, head tilting to one side as Ladybug got closer.

 

“I do,” Ladybug said, tentatively reaching her fingers out towards his ring finger. “After all this is said and done...we’ll be able to go about our lives like normal...we’ll be able to just be friends…”

 

Ladybug’s fingers brushed the green face of Chat Noir’s ring, gently tugging it forward and slowly down his finger.

 

“You know…” Chat chuckled. “I really don’t see that happening anymore.”

 

Before she could register what was happening, Chat’s hand flipped over, snaking around her wrist and pulling her in while his free hand shot for her face. Out of instinct more than anything else, she threw her arm out, catching his elbow as his fingers hovered a hair’s breath over her left earring.

 

Ladybug’s breath caught in her chest as she looked up to see any trace of softness or sentimentality gone from Chat Noir’s eyes. Even the malicious glint they took when possessed by an akuma didn’t scare her as much as the look of tranquil focus that he fixed her with as his fingers reached for her Miraculous.

 

“Well...darn…” Chat chuckled, fingers wiggling as he struggled against Ladybug’s strength. “Worth a shot…”

Ladybug raised a leg, planting her foot against Chat Noir’s chest and kicking him backwards, breaking his grip as she just stared at him for a moment, watching him crouch to pick up his baton.

 

“You...you were going to-” Ladybug’s fingers reached up to touch her earrings, heart skipping a beat when she found they were ever so slightly out of their socket.

 

“I didn’t lie about not wanting to fight you,” Chat said almost sadly. “I didn’t...I don’t, really. Hell, if you had come to me with any other plan that involved my ring, I might have agreed to it by now. If you needed my ring to help quite literally anybody else in the world, I would have given it to you by now.”

 

Chat slid his Miraculous back down his finger as Ladybug unspooled her yo-yo, holding the impossibly strong string taunt in front of her like a shield. 

 

“But you were right when you said this was about more than what I want,” Chat conceded, extending his baton with a flick of his wrist. “This isn’t even about what you want. This is about the men, women, and children who have spent the last four years living in total fear of every brush of anger; in fear that one bad day is all it would take to turn them into a monster. This is about all the people who were forced to hurt their friends and family because one lunatic with a God complex wanted to make a wish! This is about the uncountable amount of suffering Hawkmoth has caused to his kwami, this city, and everyone living in it!”

 

Chat’s shoulders rose and fell as a familiar fire crept into his eyes.

 

“He...has...to pay !” Chat hissed, tears brimming in his eyes. “If we don’t make this right, then nobody will! He will just go on, free as a bird, with a pat on the back and a nice shiny prize for being a superpowered asshole! Everything we’ve done, everything we’ve fought for, all the times we got hurt will have been for nothing! And this has to all have been for something! ”

 

Chat Noir raised his baton, pointing it across the rooftop at Ladybug. “If you won’t make him pay...then I will.”

 

“You really don’t want to pick a fight with me right now, Chat Noir,” Ladybug said, yo-yo spinning as she slowly paced around him.

 

“Not particularly,” Chat said. “So why don’t make things easy and just give me your Miraculous?”  

Notes:

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

IT BEGINS

Hold on to your butts because this is gonna get wet and wild pretty quick. As always reactions/responses/politely worded death threats are always welcome and much appreciated.

Chapter 10: If You're Ready For A Battle...

Notes:

Author Note: This chapter switches back and forth between Ladybug/Chat Noir's first sparring match and their current battle. All past scenes are written in all italics while present scenes follow normal text.

“So you want me to just come at you?”

 

Chat Noir twirled his baton back and forth between his hands as Ladybug stretched out on the rooftop across from him. Full contact sparring was not Chat’s idea of a nice first date with his newly minted partner, but he supposed there would be time enough to ask Ladybug out for coffee later if he played his cards right.

 

“Obviously don’t use that black glowing hand thingie,” Ladybug chuckled, whipping her yo-yo out and twirling it around experimentally. “But otherwise, yeah, just come at me like you’re trying to steal my Miraculous.”

 

“You think Hawkmoth is gonna show up in person now that we put Stoneheart away?” Chat Noir asked.

 

“No...but I don’t think that’s the last time our butterfly friend is gonna gun for us,” Ladybug said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Besides...if one of us gets turned all evil by Hawkmoth-”

 

“You think he can do that?” Chat asked.

 

“I don’t know what he can do,” Ladybug shrugged. “I’d like to be ready for anything though.”

 

“Even if someone makes us fight?” Chat shuddered. “I don’t like the idea of hurting you…”

 

Ladybug gave her newly minted partner a challenging smirk. “Who says you’re the one who’s gonna hurt me ?”

 

Chat straightened up, raising his baton as his eyes narrowed. “You really think you’re gonna beat me that easily?”

 

“Let’s just say I think you’re gonna need to give it your all,” Ladybug said, sticking her tongue out at him. “Ready?”

 

“Want me to count it down?” Chat said, lowering himself into a fighting stance. “Three...two...one…”

 

---

 

Ladybug’s fingers tightened on her yo-yo string as it swung around her head, cautiously waiting for Chat to make the first move. He seemed to waiting for her to make a move; either to surrender her earrings or launch an attack. Baton raised like the blade of a sword, his eyes never left hers as she maneuvered herself around the edge of the rooftop.

 

“Fine...we’ll do things your way,” Ladybug said, glancing over Chat’s shoulder. “ Rena! Now!”

 

Chat whipped his head around, expecting an orange and black blur to come hurtling at him only to be greeted by the sight of an empty city behind him. By the time he realized what happened, Ladybug’s yo-yo had shot out, wrapping around his wrist and jerking him forward across the roof.

 

“You’re not the only one with dirty tricks up their sleeve!” Ladybug grunted, as Chat regained his footing. Instead of fighting her, he kicked off the roof, both of their strengths to catapult himself towards Ladybug’s face at full speed. At the last second she leaned back as Chat sailed over, tucking into a ball and bringing her feet up to kick hard against Chat’s chest.

 

He shot across the roof, bouncing off a stone column before rocketing back towards Ladybug as she yanked him by the cord still wrapped around his wrist. He spun like a top, leg shooting out as he approached and catching Ladybug in the back of the head with a kick that brought her to one knee. Ladybug rose with a snarl, pushing him back across the rooftop as she rubbed the back of her neck.

 

“Sorry,” Chat chuckled. “Did that-”

 

---

 

“-hurt?”

 

“Not really,” Ladybug muttered, rubbing the spot where Chat had bonked her with his baton a moment ago. She had barely felt the pressure through her suit despite the fact that Chat had given her a whack hard enough to send her back a few feet. “Huh...I guess that’s good to know.”

“Need a break?” Chat asked, a tense, hurt expression on his face. Ladybug simply snorted, shooting him a cocky smirk he was quickly falling in love with.

 

“You-”

 

---

 

“-wish,” Ladybug spat, bringing her leg around in an arc that swept Chat’s legs out from under his feet. With catlike grace, he deftly landed on his hand, springing back and landing on a gargoyle as Ladybug recovered.

 

“I’ve never wished you harm,” Chat said, unfurling himself and batting Ladybug’s yo-yo away with the haft of his staff.

 

“You have a funny way of showing it!” Ladybug snapped, yo-yo ricocheting off the stonework and wrapping around the haft of Chat Noir’s baton. He leapt back, using an archway as a simple pully to yank Ladybug off her feet and into the air above the cathedral’s roof. A grasping claw shot past her ear as she let her yo-yo go, arms wrapping around Chat’s waist as she threw her weight backwards, tossing Chat Noir over her head and on to the roof below.

 

Pivoting at the last moment, Chat tucked into a ball, rolling along the hard stonework and-

 

---

 

- coming to a stop just before he teetered over the ledge.

 

“D-Don’t you think you’re taking this a little too seriously?” Chat chuckled, ducking a wide, arcing yo-yo shot.

 

“Akuma aren’t going to go easy on you, kitty,” Ladybug laughed, shooting her yo-yo at his ankles. “You better step your game up or you’re not going to last long.”

 

Chat danced out of the way of the yo-yo, stepping on the disk to prevent Ladybug from taking it back.

 

“Well, wouldn’t want this to end too soon,” Chat chuckled, lunging at Ladybug with a staff attack that-

 

---

 

-sailed inches above Ladybug’s head. Her arms came up to trap the staff, wrenching it from Chat Noir’s grip as she drove her foot into his midsection with a grunt that echoed off the ancient masonwork. He flew backwards, bouncing off the wall as Ladybug swung his baton in a wide arc towards his stomach. Chat ducked in time to miss the stone-shattering swing of his baton, vaulting over Ladybug’s head and diving for the small, barely recognizable red earrings as he passed.

 

“ No! ” Ladybug roared, batting Chat Noir up and over the roof as his claw snagged her yo-yo latched to her hip. He soared high over the city for a moment before yanking at her with a sharp snap of his wrist, tugging her along, off, and into the mostly deserted streets below. In mid flight, his legs locked around her waist, hands frantically diving for the earrings as she struggled to keep him away.

 

“Let...me... go!” Ladybug hissed as his fingertips brushes the smooth, polished metal of her Miraculous just as they collided with the street below. They tumbled over and over in a tangle of limbs, rolling a quarter of a mile down the road and separating, each landing in a low crouch as they glared at each other warily.

 

Ladybug slowly rose as Chat Noir recovered his baton, extending it to the length of a broadsword and letting it dangle loosely from his hands.

 

“How do you think this is going to end, Chat?” Ladybug asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “How long do you think you can keep this up before I beat you?”

 

“You know, that confidence is gonna take you places,” Chat said, twirling his baton experimentally. “Unfortunately, it’s not enough to take my Miraculous.”

 

“How do you figure?” Ladybug laughed, shaking her head. “Chat, when have you ever been good enough to beat me? How many times have you been made to fight me now? And how many times did you actually win?”

 

“Well, you never know,” Chat shrugged with a dangerously lopsided grin. “My luck might be turning around.”

 

“Really?” Ladybug asked, yo-yo whipping around her head. “What exactly has changed since the last time you lost to me?”

 

Chat raised his baton like a sword ready to thrust, eyes narrowing as he tensed, ready to strike. “I’m actually gonna try this time.”

 

His hand twisted a split second before his baton extended, shooting past her face and embedding into the wall behind her as she twisted out of the way.

 

“Is this what you call trying?” Ladybug asked, turning back to see Chat Noir retracting his baton with him on the end of it, rocketing towards her face feet-first and ready to-

 

---

 

-knock her off her feet.

 

“Not bad!” Ladybug said, tumbling back on to the roof, kipping up, and leaping over the haft of Chat Noir’s staff as he swept it along the ground.

 

“You sure you’re not a gymnast?” Chat chuckled, lunging with the tip of his staff that Ladybug effortlessly batted to one side with a kick.

 

“I’m sure I would break my neck if I tried that without this suit on,” Ladybug giggled, backflipping away from a low claw strike and responding with a yo-yo shot that-

 

---

 

-wrapped around a nearby lamp post and allowed Ladybug to shoot herself towards Chat at full speed. He ducked, rising as she passed over him to flip her mid air and sent her tumbling down the street, knocking over a parked car as she skidded to a halt.

 

Heart pounding in her ears, Ladybug scrambled behind a parked van, looking for a moment to recollect her thoughts. Every time she seemed to gain the upper hand, Chat did something that put her on the back foot again. Getting to his ring finger proved harder than she thought as he wove a web of steel around himself with a constantly twirling baton, knocking away all her attempts to end the fight quickly.

 

“Alright, Plan B,” Ladybug said, opening her hand. “Lucky Charm!”

 

A small black and red ball appeared in her hands, heavy and hard enough to knock anything she threw it at for a loop. She bounced it experimentally off the ground once as she caught Chat’s reflection in the glass of the store.

 

“You know I can see you, right?” Chat asked, waving at Ladybug’s reflection as she eyeballed the wall next to the shop, the lamp post, and the side of Chat’s head. If she could ricochet the ball off both surfaces, she could strike him in his blind spot, incapacitating him long enough for her to take his ring.

 

“Bet you won’t see this,” Ladybug muttered, whipping the ball as hard as she could against the wall-

 

“Ooph!” Ladybug jerked backwards as the ball ricocheted off the wall and smacked her directly in the face, spinning her around and banging her head on the van as she heard Chat audibly wince behind her.

 

“That had to have stung,” Chat chuckled as Ladybug bent down to pick the ball up again. “Was that supposed to do something? I know you’re the one with all the brilliant plans, so you’re gonna have to explain it to the dumb cats in the audience.”

 

“You said it, not me,” Ladybug growled, stepping out from behind the van and whipping the ball at Chat Noir again...only for her foot to land on a patch of slick sidewalk and jerk out from underneath her as she released it, sending it flying into the night and out of reach.

 

"Am I supposed to fetch that?" Chat asked. "Because that's kind of a dog thing." 

 

Something’s wrong... Ladybug thought as Chat approached, baton extended and ready to strike.

 

“Looks like someone’s having an unlucky night,” Chat said, leaping into the air and diving straight for-

 

---

 

- Ladybug’s midsection, wrapping her in a bearhug and pulling her off her feet.

 

“Caught you!” Chat crowed, waving Ladybug back and forth as she struggled to wriggle out of his grip.

 

“This isn’t a game, Chat!” Ladybug squealed, kicking at her partner futilely as she tried to wriggle out of his super-hug.

 

“Not one you’re winning, anyway,” Chat sniggered, ignoring the way Ladybug-

 

---

 

-rained elbow after elbow on top of Chat Noir’s head as he drove her hard against the side of the shop wall, dislodging a few decorative bricks from the facade.

 

“Didn’t your father ever teach you not to hit a lady?” Ladybug grunted, smashing her elbow into the side of his head as Chat picked her up, spun her around, and slammed her back first into the hood of a nearby car.

 

“Didn’t yours ever teach you not to hit a cat?” Chat hissed as Ladybug struck him hard in the face with her palm, locking his arm in an armbar as she tried to reach for his ring. In response, he rammed her into the car again, knocking it over and sending them both-

 

---

 

- tumbling to the ground, laughing as Ladybug’s fingers mercilessly attacked his sides.

 

“L-Ladybug, stop!” Chat laughed, trying to wriggle away from the onslaught of tickles she rained down on him. “Not fair!”

 

“I don’t play fair, kitty,” Ladybug cackled, digging her fingers into his sides without mercy. “Should have never told me you were ticklish!”

 

“I can’t believe you’re using truth or dare questions against me!” Chat panted, grabbing onto a railing and sliding out from underneath her before she could tickle him again.

 

“All’s fair in love and war,” Ladybug said, readying another fighting stance.

 

“So is this love or war?” Chat asked, arching an eyebrow with a suggestive wink.

 

“Pretending to flirt with me isn’t going to make me go easy on you,” Ladybug snorted.

 

“Who’s pretending?” Chat asked, leaning back as Ladybug-

 

---

 

-shot her yo-yo at his legs, yanking him off his feet and dragging him down the street towards her as she reeled him in.

 

“You...just had ...to be stubborn ,” Ladybug growled as Chat grabbed at a lamp post, trying to catch himself before she pulled him in. “If you had just done what I said, we wouldn’t have to do it like this! But you just had to make this even harder, didn’t you?!”

 

“Yeah, because I totally put us on this batcrap crazy path to destruction!” Chat said, kicking at Ladybug with both feet as he wriggled his ankles out of her yo-yo. “At least I’m not giving up without a fight!”

 

“That’s just how you think, isn’t it?!” Ladybug snapped, ducking a staff thrust and countering with a series of elbows to Chat’s midsection. “Everything has to end in a big punchup, doesn’t it?!”

 

Ladybug grabbed Chat by the wrist, pulling him in as her forearm cut him across the throat and sent him tumbling to the ground at her feet.

 

“Well...you wanted a fight?! You got one!” Ladybug spat, leaping in the air and bringing her knee down-

 

---

 

- hard enough to crack the cement.

 

Ladybug’s jaw dropped as she shared a mortified look with Chat. “Did...did you just-”

 

“I didn’t know I was punching that hard!” Ladybug said, shooting him a horrified look. “Why didn’t you tell me I was punching that hard?!”

 

“I didn’t know!” Chat shrugged. “I thought you were going easy on me!”

 

“I...was,” Ladybug said, glancing at the hole her super strength had left in Notre Dame’s roof.

 

“...fix it later?” Chat said.

 

“I’ll do the ladybug thing before we-eep!” Ladybug squeaked as Chat pounced at her, landing in a low crouch at her feet with a smirk. “Hey, I wasn’t ready!”

 

“I think a wise bug once said that all was fair in love and war,” Chat said, examining his nails. “So if you’re not going to play by the rules, neither will I.”

 

“If that’s how you want to play it,” Ladybug shrugged, twirling her yo-yo a little faster. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you…”

 

The yo-yo sailed in an arc over Ladybug’s head, tip of it swinging around and-

 

---

 

-catching the side of Chat’s baton as he raised it in a block. He countered with a thrust that backed her up a few feet, parrying another yo-yo attack and-

 

---

 

- bringing his staff down in a wide slash that Ladybug avoided by nimbly leaning out the way at the last second. He shifted, bringing his staff across in a sweeping slash that-

 

---

 

-Ladybug leapt over, shooting a kick at Chat’s head that he barely got out of the way of. Ladybug landed, pivoted, and drove her elbow towards Chat’s midsection only for his-

 

---

 

- open hand to reach out and catch it, tugging her off balance and dipping her as he lunged for her-

 

---

 

- ears, barely missing them as Ladybug drove her forehead into his face, backing him up towards the bridge with a series of-

 

---

 

- punches and kicks that nearly overwhelmed him. While he was too busy defending his face, Ladybug made her move, sweeping his legs out from underneath his feet and-

 

---

 

-quickly pouncing on top of him, hands pinning his wrists to the bridge as he struggled to get out of her grasp.

 

“End of the road, kitty,” Ladybug said, inching her fingers up his wrists towards his ring. “Not a bad fight, but you really should have learned when to-

 

---

 

“ -give up!”

 

“What?” Ladybug said, glancing down at her partner as she held his wrist between her fingers. “Are you kidding?”

 

“I give up,” Chat said again, glancing up at Ladybug who was currently sitting on his chest. “You win; I lose.”

 

“Come on, Chat, you can’t give up that easily,” Ladybug clucked. “What if this was a real fight? Would you just give up and let Hawkmoth take your ring?”

 

“What else am I supposed to do?” Chat asked, trying to wriggle his way out from under Ladybug. “I’m out of options!”

 

“Come on, kitty; think,” Ladybug prompted. “What’s the one thing you can still do?”

 

Chat’s brow furrowed for a moment before a flash of insight went off behind his eyes. 

 

---

 

“-Cataclysm.”

 

He said it so softly that Ladybug almost didn’t catch it before his hand erupted in a writhing mass of dark energy. His hand lashed out, but instead of lunging at her, he clawed at the bridge beneath them, sending tendrils of black energy arcing out through the stone. The ancient footbridge creaked, groaned, and then with a mighty crack buckled and splintered into a hundred shards of stone and metal that cascaded down towards the inky black waters of the Seine below.

 

As she fell, Chat kicked off against her chest, falling with the splinters of ruined road and disappearing as icy black water engulfed her in one, freezing moment. She gasped, tried to keep her eyes open, but in the darkness Chat may as well have been invisible. Kicking hard against the broken stone, she struggled against the undertow, trying not to get swallowed as the bridge pieces nearly pulled her under.

 

---

 

“Phew...okay time out.”

 

Chat Noir sprawled back against the rooftop with a sigh of relief, anchoring himself between two buttresses as Ladybug perched on the railing beside him.

 

“Not bad for a first workout,” Ladybug panted, flexing her fingers experimentally. “I think that was more exercise than I got all year.”

 

“At least now we know what we can do,” Chat said, punching his hand with a satisfied smirk. “And this is a lot more fun when the bad guys aren’t breathing down your neck.”

 

“I’ll say,” Ladybug said, drawing her knees up against her chest. “...still, next time we fight, it isn’t going to be so easy, will it?”

 

“Doubt he’s going to go easier on us now that we publicly humiliated him,” Chat conceded, glancing up at his partner’s pensive expression. “Still, not like Hawkmoth’s hitting the gym like we are; a couple more workout sessions like this and you’ll probably be able to bench-press any akuma that swings at you.”

 

Ladybug’s tense expression melted as she let out a chuckle that made Chat’s heart skip a beat. “...thanks, by the way.”

 

“Hm?” Chat’s head cocked to one side as Ladybug turned and nearly ended his fourteen year old life with a beaming smile.

 

“It’s just...this is going to be really hard, you know?” Ladybug said, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “And...well...I’m just really happy that I don’t have to do this alone…”

 

---

 

Coughing, Ladybug hauled herself out of the river, retching freezing water onto the sidewalk as she turned around, scanning for any sign of Chat Noir. In the flickering street light on the far side of the river, she could see a pair of green eyes staring at her for a long moment, his face hidden by the shadows, his expression unreadable.

 

---

 

Chat blinked, hoping his burning cheeks weren’t totally obvious as he coughed, trying to look cool as he offered a fist for Ladybug to bump.

 

“I think as long as we have each other’s backs, Hawkmoth doesn’t stand a chance.”

 

---

 

Chat Noir held Ladybug’s gaze for a long moment. There was a time when he would have been the one to fish Ladybug out of the water himself; a time when even inconveniencing his Lady would have been unthinkable. But then again, there was a time when Ladybug looked at him with something other than hurt, betrayal, and cold, defiant anger.

 

He did his best not to flinch, refusing to be the first to look away.

Ladybug slowly rose to her feet as the sound of sirens approached, brushing wet hair out of her eyes as she watched Chat Noir’s green eyes blink...and then disappear as he was swallowed by shadows.

 

A wave of tremors wiggled their way up from her stomach, building strength in her chest, and barrelling out of her mouth in a long, frustrated, angry, anguished scream that rattled the windows of the houses and shops as Ladybug sank to her knees, fist driving into the concrete again and again and again until a small cloud of powdered stone hung in the air around her. She screamed until she couldn’t scream anymore; until the street in front of her had borne the brunt of her frustration as much as it could. Her head fell forward, hair hanging around her face as the water lapped uselessly against the banks below.

 

“... fine, ” Ladybug sniffed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. “That’s fine...I don’t need you...I can do this by myself...I don’t...I don’t…”

 

Ladybug curled in on herself, cradling her hand to her chest as she tried to stifle the sobs that fought their way out of her body.

 

“I don’t need you…I don’t need you...” Ladybug whispered again and again as thought the act of saying it would make it true.

 

---

 

Ladybug returned his smile, carefully brushing her knuckles across his for the first time, standing  up with a stretch. “Alright...you up for a quick lap around the city?”

 

“Sure,” Chat said, springing to his feet as he cracked his neck. “I know this great bakery downtown where we could maybe get a bite to eat?”

 

“I think I know a better one,” Ladybug said, latching on to a lamp post and leaping into the setting sun. Chat kept pace with her, bouncing from rooftop to rooftop, doing stupid stunts that made her laugh and almost lose her grip as they chased the setting sun over Paris’ shadowed streets.

 

---

 

Gabriel’s pencil paused it’s scratching on the paper as the creaking of a window opening drew his attention behind him. Ladybug leaned against the window frame, dried tear tracks betraying the quiet, resolute expression on her face.

 

“Chat Noir is not cooperating,” Ladybug said in a soft, distant voice. “I am going to have to take his Miraculous from him by force...but I am not going to do your dirty work for you while you sit back and do nothing .”

 

Gabriel turned around as Ladybug made no effort to come in out of the biting October air.

 

“You are going to help me get it from him,” Ladybug said quietly. “You are going to use whatever powers you have to help me recover the Black Cat Miraculous...and then I never... ever want to see you again.”

 

Before he could reply, Ladybug fell back into the night, swinging off as a breeze ruffled Gabriel’s latest drawing. He caught it before it flew away, admiring the blue and green peacock themed coat with a small, self-satisfied smile.

 

---

 

Two floors beneath him, Adrien stared at his tired, beleaguered expression in the bathroom mirror, watching the last of his tears run down cheeks as he leaned against the wall of the shower, fully clothed and letting the water soak through thousands of euros worth of fabric and design.

 

“...okay,” Adrien said with a heavy sigh, slowly standing up and peeling the wet fabric off his back. “...okay.”

 

Wrapping himself in a warm, freshly laundered towel, Adrien padded into his room, the sounds of hushed kwami whispers coming from the cabinet by his bed. He stopped in front of his desk, eyes lingering on a picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir that had hung over his desk since their very first akuma battle together. He stared at it for a long moment, until black and red blurred together as his vision blurred. With a soft tug the little picture came loose, revealing a perfectly square patch of fabric in the bulletin board where it had sat as he tucked the little picture in the top of his desk drawer and padded aimlessly towards his bed.

 

“You did good today, kid,” Plagg said, floating down from the Zodiac kwami party and lightly nuzzling into Adrien’s cheek. “Held your own against Ladybug going after you full tilt...you should be proud of yourself.”

 

“I’m not…” Adrien sighed, rolling over and clutching his pillow. “I’m really not.”

 

A soft weight pressed against his pillow as Plagg landed on it, curling up next to him.

 

“I’m proud of you,” Plagg muttered. “And I’ll be proud of you for you until you wake up and realize you should be proud of yourself too.”

 

Adrien let out a weak laugh, scratching the top of Plagg’s head with his fingertip. “Least I still have you…”

 

"Damn skippy, son," Plagg purred. 

 

---

 

Across town, Marinette sat at the foot of her bed, tired red eyes bouncing back and forth between the Bee, the Turtle, and the Fox as the gears in her mind turned and the beginnings of a plan started to take shape.

 

“What are we going to do?” Marinette muttered, glancing at Tikki who was staring out the window. “Why didn’t my Lucky Charm work?”

 

A sharp, almost mocking laugh came from Tikki’s throat as she refused to look at Marinette. “You went up against someone whose superpower is misfortune and you wonder why your Lucky Charm isn’t working like it used to?”

 

Marinette looked over as Tikki slowly turned to face her chosen. “For the last four years, you’ve had Plagg’s powers of bad luck affecting your enemies...now they’re going to affect you. And there’s really only so much I can do to stop it; I was never made to go against Plagg or him against me. To call this...unprecedented is putting it mildly.”

 

“So...what’s going to happen?” Marinette asked, a creeping sensation of dread crawling up her spine.

 

“I don’t know,” Tikki laughed, leaning back against the windowsill. “But I think it’s safe to say that your luck has finally run out.”

 

“Tikki-”

 

“I am bound to do what you command,” Tikki barreled on, refusing to meet Marinette’s gaze. “ I am literally incapable of opposing you in this...but you should know that as long as you insist on helping Hawkmoth, I will do exactly what is required of me and nothing more.”

 

Marinette watched as Tikki floated into the cabinet by her dresser without another word, leaving Marinette completely alone in her bedroom loft with her thoughts and the weight of the Miraculous pressing down on bed.

 

---

As the heartrate monitor steadily blip-blip-blipped into the night, Master He carefully opened her old friend's mouth, tipping a cup of thick, softly glowing green liquid into his mouth. 

 

"See what you get for being too proud to take your medicine?" Master He clucked, wiping the corner of his mouth as he stirred restlessly in his sleep. "Insufferable old goat..." 

 

Her phone on the table beside her buzzed, Jun's number blinking on the screen as she answered. "Did you find them?" 

 

"We've combed every inch of Master Fu's house," her apprentice said as the sound of opening drawers echoed in the background. "Lan is going once more around the house looking for hidden compartments but...the box is here. And it's empty. No sign of the Zodiac or any of the other Miraculous..."  

 

Master He sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Alright...come back to the hospital at your earliest convenience. I need you two to help with the next part of Qingfu's treatment." 

 

Master He closed the phone, fingering a white beaded bracelet that hung around her wrist. "Not again..." she muttered quietly to herself. 

 

---

 

Chapter 11: I'm Ready For A War

Notes:

Note: There's nothing wrong with the Peacock Miraculous

“You look like total crap.”

 

Adrien sighed, shooting Chloe a sidelong glance as she fell into step beside him.

 

“Good morning to you too, Chloe,” Adrien said flatly. “How lovely it is to see you, my dear friend. That’s how normal people say good morning.”

 

“Don’t get mad at me for being honest,” Chloe sniffed. “ Gabriel may be making handbags now but that’s no excuse for having bags under your eyes...unless this is some kind of really stupid viral marketing campaign.”

 

“Can you not see this boy has had a late night?” Nino sighed, tweaking Chloe’s ponytail as he walked alongside her. “Provide the coffee or keep your opinions to yourself, mkay?”

 

“Why would I start doing that?” Chloe asked, straightening her ponytail with a small pout sent Nino’s way. “I’ve got an eighteen year streak of never keeping my opinions to myself.”

 

“Keep it up and you’re bound to break some kind of record,” Nino said, lightly nudging Adrien in the shoulder. “...seriously though, are you okay dude?”

 

“Fine,” Adrien mumbled, tugging his jacket tighter around himself. “Just...late night is all.”

 

“I haven’t seen you this tired since your fencing club went out to Nice for that tournament,” Nino said, placing a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “Kagami make you do late night fencing drills again.”

 

“I hate to be the one to break it to you, but fencing was not what they were drilling when they went to Nice,” Chloe chuckled, bumping Adrien’s hip with her own. “Don’t tell me you’ve replaced a Kagami shaped hole in your life without telling us.”

 

“For once, I have not enjoyed staying up until the crack of dawn,” Adrien sighed, rubbing his pounding temples. “Just a bad night’s sleep.”

 

Adrien could feel Nino and Chloe sharing a look over his head. “Everything okay at home?”

 

“As much as it ever is,” Adrien sighed, jabbing the stopwalk light as he spied Alya and Marinette in deep conversation across the street. From across traffic, Alya seemed to be insistently drilling at some point that Marinette seemed to be evading with one-word answers, mutely nibbling the end of a croissant as she and Alya crossed the street towards them.  

 

“Morning,” Alya said, leaning up to peck Nino lightly on the cheek as Marinette gave a small wave with her croissant. A pink knit beanie covered messy dark curls, and her tired, red eyes could have given Adrien’s a run for their money.

 

“Hello friends…” Marinette said. “...and Chloe.”

 

“God, you look even worse than Adrien does,” Chloe sniffed, looking Marinette up and down. “Did you lose a fight with the sandman?”

 

“Bite me,” Marinette muttered without any real feeling.

 

“Just spreading the love around today, aren’t you Chlo?” Adrien chimed in.

 

“I’m just being honest!” Chloe huffed, stomping ahead in line with Nino and Alya. “Don’t bite my head off!”

 

“I don’t think anyone’s mouth is big enough to fit your head in it,” Adrien muttered, teasing a weak snort out of Marinette. “...you okay?”

 

Marinette nodded, fingers clenched the heavy metal brooch in her pocket.

 

---

 

“No?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

 

“There will be no more akuma in this city,” Ladybug said, folding her arms across her chest. “You’ve brainwashed enough people, don’t you think?”

 

“I’m curious to know how exactly you think I’ll be able to help you apprehend Chat Noir then,” Gabriel said. “Since creating akuma is my Miraculous’ sole capability.”

 

“Have you tried fighting for yourself?” Ladybug asked, rubbing her tired, red eyes. “Wouldn’t kill you, you know.”

 

“It very well might if Chat Noir has his druthers,” Gabriel said. “And I pay people to do my fighting for me.”

 

“You brainwash people to do that for you,” Ladybug pointed out.

 

“You act like the people you fought had no choice in the matter,” Gabriel said. “I offered them a deal they agreed to; not my fault there was fine print they weren’t aware of.”

 

“Spoken like a true businessman,” Ladybug muttered.

 

“Thank you,” Gabriel replied, leaning against the windowsill as he rubbed his chin. “I can’t very well go out there and fight him with you...I wouldn’t stand much of a chance, unfortunately.”

 

“What makes you say that?”

 

“Other than his skillset revolves around being able to take and deal massive amounts of damage?” Gabriel sniffed. “Your Miraculous are on an entirely different level than mine. You managed to fight him to a standstill, but I fear your erstwhile partner would flatten me like a crepe if it came to a fight between the pair of us.”

 

“You can’t seriously mean that,” Ladybug said. “You both have Miraculous; you should be on an even playing field.”

 

“It would take at least four other Miraculous to equal the Ladybug or the Black Cat,” Gabriel said, head jerking over to where the book that Marinette had returned to him so long ago sat on a shelf. “You’re talking about one-half of absolute power; the power to create champions is nothing compared to the power the pair of you wield.”

 

Ladybug touched her earrings absentmindedly.

 

“You think it’s coincidence that you’re incapable of being harmed while wearing your suit?” Gabriel continued. “Or that you have the power to fix and destroy almost anything? You think illusions or a simple shield or even the ability to create temporary champions is anything compared to that?”

 

“Make no mistake about it,” Gabriel said. “Chat Noir wields more destructive capabilities than even he realizes. And if he were to ever unlock his full potential, I doubt I would survive a single well-placed punch without shattering into a thousand pieces. Like it or not, we are going to need more support. If we had more Miraculous on our side maybe…”

 

Gabriel trailed off, raising an eyebrow in Ladybug’s direction.

 

“...I know where we can get three,” Ladybug said carefully.

 

“...you mean the others you deputize on occasion?” Gabriel asked. “I had hoped you were the one responsible for creating new heroes.”

 

“Heroes that I have to convince that Chat Noir, the literal spokesperson for Parisian homeless cat shelters, is now somehow evil and needs to be stopped,” Ladybug sighed, scowling at the floor. “They’re not just going to take me at face value when I say Chat needs to go down.”

 

“You sell yourself too short,” Gabriel clucked. “It’s your word against his, and you don’t seriously think this city would believe Chat Noir over Ladybug, do you?”  

 

“That’s not something I really want to find out,” Ladybug said tersely. “I’d like to keep the fact that our city’s superheroes are on the outs under wraps as long as possible; you’re not the only supervillain in the world, you know.”

 

“If you’re talking about the bank robbers and pickpockets those charlatans in New York stop, I hardly think you need to worry about them.” Gabriel said nothing for a moment, fidgeting with something in his pocket. “But I can respect the need for discretion...very well,” he murmured. “In that case…”

 

Gabriel withdrew his hand, tipping it open to reveal a blue and green brooch in the shape of a peacock tail.

 

“Is that-”

 

“Consider this a gesture of good will,” Gabriel said, laying the brooch on the table. “After all, the Miraculous should be in the custody of their new Guardian.”

 

Ladybug reached out for the brooch carefully, picking up and inspecting it. “Where did you get this?”

 

“It belonged to Adrien’s mother,” Gabriel said, meeting Ladybug’s stunned expression with a chuckle. “What? You didn’t seriously believe you were the only Miraculous users in the world, did you?”

 

“I didn’t know that my Master’s missing Miraculous was in your pocket this whole time,” Ladybug said, eyes narrowing. “Any more Miraculous you’d like to cough up?”

 

“Let’s start with this one and we can go from there,” Gabriel said, taking a seat behind his desk. “I would recommend that you use that to find someone who isn’t a fan of your previous partner and start a cat-catching task force. The Peacock’s unique ability to create, shall we say, disposable cannon fodder should come in handy.”

 

“Cannon fodder?” Ladybug asked.

 

“The kind you don’t need to fret over if Chat Noir kills a few...which he most assuredly will,” Gabriel said.

 

“You make it sound like I’m just going to run into Chat on the street,” Ladybug said. “If he was smart, he would never transform again.”

 

“You forget that he wants your Miraculous as much as you want his,” Gabriel said, steepling his fingers. “Besides...I think you know the best way to get the cat to come out and play, don’t you?”

 

---

 

“...Marinette?”

 

Marinette shook her head, shooting Adrien a weak smile. “Sorry...it’s nothing, really.”

 

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Adrien prodded. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

 

Marinette’s fingers brushed the Peacock in her pocket, turning it over this way and that in her palm as she walked alongside Adrien. It belonged to his mother...so why shouldn’t he have a chance to use it? He was admittedly a pretty big Chat Noir fan but if she put her case to him...if she explained why she was fighting his father, then-

 

“Hey, Marinette!”  

 

Marinette turned around to see Luka jogging up behind her, worn wool-lined denim jacket wrapped around his shoulders as he shot them a small wave. “And Adrien...long time no see.”

 

“Luka,” Adrien nodded, shooting him a small, closed-mouth smile. “How’s post- lycee life treating you?”

 

“Oh you know; living the glamorous life of a starving artist,” Luka chuckled. “Not exactly gonna sell out the Velodrome anytime soon, but we’re hanging in there.”

 

“Even The Beatles played strip-clubs at first,” Marinette chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll look back on this when you’re a millionaire and laugh.”

 

“If I can find a band to stick together long enough to sell out that is,” Luka chuckled, falling into step on Marinette’s other side. “You guys see the Ladyblog this morning?”

 

Marinette nodded. “I guess...there was some kind of fight last night?”

 

“Rumor has it that it was Ladybug and Chat Noir, but there wasn’t any akuma spotted nearby,” Luka said, glancing at Marinette out of the corner of his eye. “I know they’re fond of sparring every now and then, but there was apparently a bridge destroyed.”

 

“Well, I’m sure superhero spars get rough every now and then,” Adrien said tightly.

 

“Heard someone say that it got pretty rough,” Luka continued as Marinette just nodded mutely. “Cars flipped, street destroyed, the whole nine yards. One or two commenters suggested that-”

 

“Can’t always believe what you read on the internet,” Adrien interrupted, pulling ahead as he checked his phone. “I gotta talk with Nino about a project; catch up with you later, Marinette.”

 

Marinette watched his black jacketed back fall into step with Nino who glanced back at her and then leaned in to talk to Adrien.

 

“What do you think?” Luka asked quietly. “Do you think...I don’t know...that Ladybug and Chat Noir are on the outs or something?”

 

Marinette swallowed, gripping the peacock tighter in her fingers.

 

“If they were,” Marinette said. “That would be pretty bad news for Paris, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Be pretty bad news for Ladybug too,” Luka replied, tugging Marinette’s elbow to turn her around to face her. “I mean, she’s pretty incredible but...I get the impression that fighting her own partner wouldn’t be easy, would it?”

 

“I wouldn’t know,” Marinette shrugged, avoiding Luka’s questioning gaze.

 

“You sure about that?” Luka asked, snaking his head around to look her in the eye. “Because you know...you can talk to me about anything, right?”

 

Marinette bit her lip, clutching the brooch in her pocket for support as a distant school bell rang.

 

“I...I gotta go,” Marinette said, backing up towards the school gate.

 

“Okay,” Luka nodded. “But...if you need to talk to me about something... anything ...I mean, we’re still friends, right?”

 

Marinette nodded, shooting Luka a shaky smile as she darted after her friends, leaving Luka watching her go with a thoughtful frown.

 

---

 

“Dude, what was that about?”

 

“I don’t know,” Adrien grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets as they approached their lockers.

 

“Yeah you do,” Nino said, leaning against his locker.

 

“...yeah I do,” Adrien sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “...god, he was just talking to her about the Ladyblog; he wasn’t kissing her or anything.”

 

“He used to,” Nino pointed out.

 

“Don’t remind me,” Adrien grumbled.

 

“A lot,” Nino continued.

 

“Don’t remind me!” Adrien squawked.

 

“I’m pretty sure Alya saw him sneaking out of the bakery at like four in the morning once or twice,” Nino said, tapping his finger against his chin. “And I’m pretty sure she found his-”

 

“Oh my god stop talking!” Adrien hissed, rounding on Nino only to get lightly smacked on his cheek for his troubles.

 

“Jealousy is a disease, my friend,” Nino said, cupping Adrien's face and lightly slapping his other cheek. “If you want to make this thing with Mari work, you are going to have to deal with the fact that you are not her first man. And deal with the fact that Luka is still tight with her. She is not gonna fall into your arms if you throw a fit whenever she chats up her ex.”

 

Adrien sighed, rubbing his cheek with a small pout. “I know…”

 

“I mean, it’s not like you’re pure as the driven snow, right?” Nino chuckled, elbowing Adrien in the ribs. “You’d be an Olympic fencer if you actually practiced with Kagami as much as you claimed you were practicing with Kagami.”

 

“We practiced ,” Adrien insisted, following Nino up the stairs towards their classroom. “...just not fencing, most of the time.”

 

“Yeah, something tells me those Japanese classes you’ve been taking are a lot easier once you’re familiar with the native tongue ,” Nino chuckled, ignoring Adrien’s burning cheeks.

 

---

 

As much as she tried to focus on the lecture, Marinette’s attention was drawn to the brooch she kept turning over in her pocket, rubbing the smooth metal compulsively as her eyes scanned the familiar faces of classmates she had been in school with since she was a child. As they drifted from Ivan to Mylene, to Kim, to Max, she wondered if any of them would accept the opportunity to help her stop Chat Noir.

 

She wondered if any of them would even believe her if she told them Chat Noir needed to be stopped.

 

Marinette glanced over at Chloe, texting conspicuously on her phone, and Nino and Alya, passing small notes to each other behind their textbooks. All three of them were the most reliable choices, but they had all worked with Chat in the past. They knew him on a personal level; maybe not as intimately as she knew him, but enough to cast doubt on any lies she might throw their way. No, involving them would be a last resort; it was too risky to involve people that might side with Chat instead of her.

 

A quiet grumbling came from her stomach as the sickening sensation of anxiety flooded back into her stomach. In times like these, Tikki usually had the right answer. But her kwami was being uncharacteristically quiet; sullen even. She would answer Marinette’s questions in snippy, one word responses, making herself as scarce as possible whenever Marinette didn’t need her. It was amazing how fast her support system had completely crumbled around her; first Master Fu, then Chat Noir, then finally her own kwami. She was left with the enormity of dealing with Chat completely on her own...except for Gabriel, but she would rather eat her own beanie than open up to Hawkmoth.

 

Much as Marinette hated to admit it, she was completely and totally on her own.

 

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, breaking her out of her brooding and drawing her attention down as she opened her chat client.

 

Luka: hey got a late shift tonight but text me if you need a friendly ear

 

Luka: gives me something to do besides unload trucks all night lol

 

...well, maybe she didn’t have to be totally alone.

 

---

 

Careful to close the door without making a sound, Luka quietly locked the back door, hanging up his coat on the coat rack as the sound of a muted television caught his attention from the living room. He carefully stooped down to pick up the mail, singling out the letters with PAST DUE stamped on them for immediate attention in the morning once his paycheck cleared.

 

Making his way into the living room, he stopped to pull a blanket over his sleeping mother, carefully turning off the television and quietly making his way upstairs. He could hear Juleka quietly talking to someone on the phone, occasionally giggling quietly as he passed her bedroom towards the small, corner room he had slept in since his family moved to the small townhouse on the edge of the city when he was six.

 

Carefully sliding the door open, Luka stifled a yawn, dropping his keys in a bowl on a cluttered nightstand as he closed the door behind him. He paused as he tugged his shirt over his head, distantly aware of the sensation of being watched as he unbuckled his jeans. Then he smelled it; a warm, strawberry scented shampoo he had come to know very well.

 

“...hey there, Marinette,” Luka said, quietly turning around as he turned on the light, revealing Ladybug sitting in a worn leather armchair in the corner of his room.

 

“Actually, it’s me,” Ladybug said quietly, shooting him a shaky wave.

 

“Yeah...hi Marinette,” Luka said, leaning against his dresser, holding up a hand to forestall any questioning. “You want to skip the part where you deny it and get to the real reason you’re here?”

 

“You want to put your shirt on?” Ladybug asked.

 

“Not like it’s anything you haven’t already seen but, sure,” Luka chuckled, tugging a worn concert t-shirt out of his top drawer. “So, I’m guessing you’re not here to reignite our whirlwind romance.”

 

“If I was, I wouldn’t be telling you to put the shirt on,” Ladybug chuckled anxiously. “How did you-”

 

“You bailed on a lot of dates,” Luka chuckled, earning an indignant huff from Ladybug. “Like every week, you had to run off to take care of some imaginary problem... conveniently when a giant monster was tearing through the city.”

 

“...oh,” Ladybug sighed.

 

“Also, let’s be real, that suit leaves very little to the imagination,” Luka said with a small smirk. “You think I wouldn’t recognize my girlfriend’s butt on national television?”

 

“Why didn’t you say anything then?” Ladybug asked.

 

“Figured you’d say something first,” Luka shrugged, crossing his arms. “Then...you didn’t. Then...we broke up.”

 

“I wanted to tell you,” Ladybug said softly. “I...really did, but you know the kind of crazy situations I get involved in.”

 

“The kind where your partner powerbombs you onto the roof of a car and breaks a bridge over your head?” Luka asked, raising an eyebrow. “Were you two really sparring last night?”

 

“...not exactly,” Ladybug sighed. “I...have a way to end this fight against Hawkmoth. Chat Noir disagreed with my methods and it got to the point where he almost Cataclysm’d me.”

 

Luka’s frown deepened as Ladybug stood up, cupping something in her hand as she approached him.

 

“I need to get his Miraculous,” Ladybug said. “And I wish I didn’t have to ask you to do this, but all the other heroes I’ve recruited before have worked with Chat. They have reasons to trust over me but I was hoping…”

 

Ladybug pulled a small black leather box out from behind her back.

 

“I was hoping you’d see things my way,” Ladybug said, cracking the case open and revealing a blue, peacock shaped brooch.

 

“Is this…” Luka reached out for the brooch, only for Ladybug to pull it back.

 

“ This is a one way ticket to total disaster,” Ladybug explained. “If you accept this...you accept being my new partner. And that means that Chat is going to come gunning for you too sooner or later. I’m not going to pretend like this even begins to equip you for the dangers ahead but...I’m out of options. And I need someone to fight with me.”

 

One look at Ladybug’s large, pleading blue eyes was all it took for Luka to reach out and pluck the brooch from the case.

 

“So…” Luka asked. “How does this work?”

 

---

 

“I’m just saying this series has jumped the shark at this point,” Kagami muttered, tugging her jacket around her shoulders as she followed Adrien out of the movie theater and into the chilly evening air.

 

“When was Star Wars not jumping the shark?” Nino snorted, falling into step on the other side of Adrien.

 

“The new series had so much promise,” Kagami sighed. “But that final lightsaber fight between Rey and Kylo Ren’s giant fighting robot was just asinine .”

 

“I’m sure a hundred other nerds on the internet would agree with you,” Adrien chuckled, earning an elbow in his ribs as they passed a small crowd gathered outside an electronics store. “Wonder what that’s all about?”

 

“My guess is that Mayor Andre finally did something so stupid the news paid attention,” Nino chuckled, arching over the crowd to get a better look at the TV screens. “...hey, check this out.”

 

Adrien and Kagami elbowed their way through the crowd as Nadja Chamack finished addressing the camera.

 

“ That’s right,” Nadja said with a beaming smile. “ Paris has yet another hero to defend her! Joining me now is Ladybug with her new sidekick!”

 

The camera panned over, and Adrien’s stomach clenched at the sight of Ladybug standing next to a tall, dark haired young man in a form fitting blue, green, and purple suit. A feathered cloak fastened with a blue peacock brooch hung down to his calves, ending in the frills of a peacock, and in one hand, he could see a fan folded and tucked behind his back.

 

“Now, now, Nadja,” Ladybug laughed, patting the new superhero on the shoulder. “Paon here isn’t my sidekick; he’s my partner .”

 

“A partner you say?” Nadja said as Adrien let out a derisive snort, jaw clenched as he felt his heart pounding in his ears. “And how does Chat Noir feel about this new man in your life?”

 

“Well, when it comes down to it, I think Chat understands his place in our little team,” Ladybug laughed. “And while he’s pretty good at taking hits, sometimes you need a subtler approach, you know?”

 

Kagami glanced up at Adrien, noting the way his hands seemed to be shaking at his sides as his eyes bored holes into the television.

 

“Well, it looks like Team Ladybug has a new leading man,” Nadja chuckled, sticking a microphone in the blue stranger’s face. “And what can Paris call you?”

 

The blue costumed hero looked into the camera with a smile. “Call me...Mayura.”

 

---

 

“And with that, we’ll send it back to you!” Nadja said, smiling at the camera. “But you can expect more from this new mystery hero in the days to come!”

 

“Cut!” The camera man shouted as Nadja turned back to Ladybug. “Thank you again for this exclusive opportunity, Ladybug. I’m sure my viewers would love to know more about your new partner.”

 

“You’ll have plenty of chances to get to know him,” Ladybug said, resting a hand on Mayura’s shoulder. “I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon.”

 

Mayura gave a small thumbs up as Nadja turned to go. “You think that worked?” Mayura asked once Nadja was out of earshot.

 

“It should,” Ladybug sighed, crossing her arms. “Chat’s feelings get hurt at the drop of a hat and he’s always been insecure about our partnership. Calling it out like that is bound to get him seeing red.”

 

“Damn, remind me never to piss you off,” Mayura chuckled. “Or if I do, promise not to use my daddy issues and fears of abandonment as weapons against me.”

 

Ladybug gave a noncommittal grunt, staring after Nadja’s van as she drove off. The hurt, angry part of her that relished finally being able to vent her frustrations with Chat didn’t last long and a quiet, nagging, Tikki-esque voice of shame in the back of her mind soon took over.

 

“This is war,” Ladybug said, with a firm nod. “If the worst thing I end up hurting is his feelings, I’m fine with that...besides-”

 

Ladybug turned, offering her closed fist out to Mayura.

 

“-Chat and I are through,” Ladybug said with a small smile. “You and I are partners now.”

 

Mayura returned the smile, lightly brushing his knuckles against hers. “Partners.”

 

---

 

“Dude,” Nino breathed, as the television cut back to the news desk. “What was that about? I’ve never heard Ladybug diss Chat like that before...”

 

“I wouldn’t know,” Adrien said stiffly, turning and heading down the street.

 

“Adrien,” Kagami said, turning to stop him.

 

“I should really get home; catch up with you guys tomorrow.” Adrien made it a few steps before Kagami caught his wrist, forcing him to turn around and look at her.

 

“It would seem that Ladybug and Chat Noir are having some relationship troubles,” Kagami said, falling into Japanese and looking Adrien dead in the eye as she spoke. “ And if I were Chat Noir, I would be careful not to let any obvious attempts to antagonize me get under my skin.”

 

Adrien blinked frowning in confusion as Kagami squeezed his wrist. “Understand?”

 

“ I... yes ,” Adrien replied, stepping back with a confused look on his face as Kagami turned, walking back towards Nino and tugging him in the direction of their houses.

 

“She’s right, you know,” Plagg hissed in his ear. “Ladybug knows you’re too easily ruffled; that’s why she’s trying to ruffle you.”

 

“Well mission bloody accomplished,” Adrien snapped as he stomped off down the street. “I’m ruffled, I’m miffed, I’m downright nettled at this point! How could she-”

 

“Okay, be as nettled as you want to be,” Plagg whispered. “Just don’t fly off the handle and play right into Hawkmoth’s hands. Ladybug expects you to come at her swinging without any thought for your personal safety...mostly because that’s what you always do.”

 

“I do not !” Adrien insisted.

 

“You do too ,” Plagg shot back. “You did pretty good last time against Ladybug, but you can not start playing her game. She’s good at her game; she always wins her game.”

 

“Then how are we supposed to win?” Adrien asked.

 

“We change the game,” Plagg said. “Rewrite rules, put her Duusuu’s new partner on the back foot, and fight as dirty as she is until we get Tikki and Nooroo back! Come on; use that big brain of yours and come up with a plan for once!”

 

“I come up with plans,” Adrien protested.

 

“Good ones this time,” Plagg chuckled, smile falling as he caught the look on Adrien’s face. “...you okay?”

 

“Yeah...I just...I know we're supposed to be enemies, but hearing her say all that...” Adrien said with a hollow chuckle. "Guess I finally know how she felt about me, huh?"

 

Plagg nuzzled into the crook of Adrien’s neck as he walked on in silence towards his house, lost in thought as his feet wore the familiar path towards his mansion. A flutter of movement above him drew his attention to a red and black blur, swinging off a nearby lamp post with a blue feathery blur hot on her heels. The distant sound of laughter echoed over the streets as he watched Ladybug bounce off the rooftops, landing at the edge of a building as Mayura stepped beside her. He said something that made her laugh, open mouthed as she lightly punched his shoulder, free as a bird and apparently without a care in the world.

 

He turned away before she could spot him, melting into the crowd of gushing onlookers as he walked home.

 

“Cheer up, kid,” Plagg chirped. “When we get home, Uncle Plaggy is gonna let you in on a couple of secrets that should make plucking old bird brain over there a cakewalk.”

 

“Please never call yourself ‘Uncle Plaggy’ again,” Adrien said with a small shudder. “It’s creepy and makes it sound like you’re going to- ah!”

 

Adrien stepped onto what he felt was a shadow only to fall through empty space, tumbling down into a dark hole that seemingly opened up beneath his feet. He hardly had time to cry out before he fell out the other side of the hole, tumbling on to the sidewalk a few yards away from where Plagg was floating, a smug little grin on his face.

 

“What...what was that?” Adrien asked, patting the concrete where the hole had been a few seconds earlier. "Did you do that?" 

 

“A better question is," Plagg said with a toothy grin. "Do you want to do that?" 

 

---

 

Down the street, out of Adrien’s sight, Kagami Tsurugi glanced up at Ladybug and her new partner with a derisive sneer before turning and heading towards her townhouse a few blocks over.

 

---

 

“Kinda expected him to show up by now,” Mayura said, perched on the edge of the rooftop as Ladybug scanned the skyline for any sign of a black figure heading towards them. After three laps around the city, conspicuously posing wherever she was sure that cameras would pick them up, Chat Noir was still nowhere to be found.

 

“Yeah...me too,” Ladybug said, turning to face her new partner. “How’s the supersuit treating you?”

 

Mayura cracked his knuckles, flexing his fingers experimentally. “I feel...great. Like I could run a marathon and still not even be tired! I see why you guys spend your nights just running around the city.”

 

“No better view of Paris, that’s for sure,” Ladybug sighed, biting her lip as she sought out any sign of Chat Noir. Her plan to draw him out of hiding had been, so far, unsuccessful. He either hadn’t seen the broadcast, didn’t care that she had replaced him...or had and was being uncharacteristically reserved. She waited for the rush of anger and emotion; waited for him to get pissy and make a mistake out of spite.

 

But nothing came. And the thought of Chat Noir actually planning something unnerved her more than it should. 

 

Mayura laid a hand on Ladybug’s shoulder, offering her a small smile. “Hey...we’ll get him.”

 

“Not tonight though,” Ladybug sighed, looking back up at Mayura. “Want to go once more around the city?”

 

---

 

“Want to go once more around the city?”

 

Across the city, Hawkmoth watched through Mayura’s eyes as Ladybug smiled up at him.

 

“Not a bad idea,” Mayura’s voice said, watching Ladybug leap after him into the night. Mayura glanced down at the brooch attached to the cape around his shoulders, running his fingers over it almost reverently. He didn’t know that the Peacock brooch was darker than it should have been; didn’t know that there was far more purple in his attire than the Peacock usually had.

 

As far as Ladybug and her new partner knew, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Peacock Miraculous.

Notes:

NOTHING WRONG WITH THE PEACOCK MIRACULOUS!

I blame this fic for getting me finally liking Luka as a character. I'm also taking this opportunity to address Adrien's jealousy issues (whichtheshowisntdoing) so hopefully I can do that in a way that isn't too love-triangly.

Yeah that's a word.

Also, just to note, I am fully and 100% disregarding any canon I don't particularly care for because, hey, what is fanfic for if not creating intricate canon non-compliant AU's? I know Mayura is coming up so I may come back and integrate some of that into Mayluka but we'll see.

Either way, our little civil war is finally ramping up! Ladybug has a new partner! Chat Noir is getting special training! Kagami is still best girl! Nothing is wrong with the Peacock Miraculous! How will Chat Noir react? And will Kylo Ren's giant robot actually defeat the Resistance?

P.S. Thanks for the amazing Kudos/Comments ratio this fic has gotten. To see so much engagement is a continuous source of encouragement and keeps me amped and motivated to continue to break your hearts >:D

Chapter 12: A Wise Bird Too

Chat Noir extended his claws, grasping at nothing as he focused on an apple in the middle of the table in his bedroom. He closed his eyes, grunting in frustration as he retraced the steps Plagg showed him over and over in his mind. When nothing happened, he let out a frustrated snarl, slumping over onto his couch with a deep sigh.

 

“Okay...Claws In,” Adrien said, taking a sip of his water as Plagg rematerialized. “What am I doing wrong?”

 

“You’re treating it like a Cataclysm,” Plagg clucked, crossing his arms. “This is a lot more...subtle. Not as destructive, but since you can use it without me needing a cheese break, I’d say it’s pretty useful.”

 

Adrien leaned forward on the couch, glaring at the apple as though he could make it disappear through spite alone. “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

 

“Hey, giving a hormonal teenage boy the power to destroy everything he touches was bad enough,” Plagg said, crossing his arms. “Master Fu didn’t want us giving you everything because it takes a while to master even one of my powers. I didn’t want your head to explode from all the wicked knowledge I dropped on you...but seeing as how Ladybug is making new heroes to fight against you, I figured you would need all the help you could get.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Adrien muttered.

 

“You know...you have twelve unused Miraculous just hanging out upstairs,” Plagg pointed out. “I’m sure if you explained things to them, they’d be down to help you out.”

 

“And put them in Ladybug’s grasp?” Adrien shook his head. “I’m not getting anyone else involved, Plagg. The last thing we need is for Ladybug and her new bird friend to recover the few Miraculous we do have and turn them over to Hawkmoth...no, I have to do this myself.”

 

“That’s pretty objectively not true, dude,” Plagg sighed as Adrien sat up suddenly, head cocked to one side as he regarded the apple.

 

“Where does the portal go?”

 

“Wherever you put the second portal,” Plagg said, head tilting to one side as Adrien stood up.

 

“You’re telling me I have a ASHPD in my ring?!” Adrien said, a slow grin spreading on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

 

“A what now?”

 

“Claws out!” Adrien said, cracking his neck as he felt Chat Noir’s suit settle over him. He took a deep breath, reaching his hand out. “Black Hole!”

 

A swirling portal of dark energy materialized under the apple, sucking it in as Chat Noir’s other hand reached over his head, materializing another portal on the ceiling. The apple tumbled out of the portal above him, landing in his open palm as Chat Noir disappeared both portals with a snap of his fingers.

 

“This was a triumph~” Chat hummed to himself, taking a bite of his apple. “I’m making a note here, huge...oh...oh God, why does it taste like Camembert?!”

 

---

 

Mayura turned this way and that, examining his reflection in the mirror that hung over the back of his door. His fingers glided down the smooth, scaled fabric with a toothy grin, unfurling his fan and plucking a quill out to toss at the dart board pinned to the far wall. It sailed clean through the drywall, out the other side of the wall and on to the street below as Mayura winced, quickly vanishing his transformation as Luka ran to the window to look out.

 

“Guess I’m still getting used to my own strength,” Luka chuckled, looking down at his bare hands with a small frown. Turning back to his civilian self after being able to leap and glide between buildings in single bounds was disorienting to say the least. Compared to the power and agility Mayura had, Luka felt like a sluggish, flat footed drunk stumbling around the street without any real power.

 

“You up for a tour around the city, little guy?” Luka asked, turning around and facing Duusu as they calmly floated just over his shoulder. The little peacock kwami’s peaceful, serene smile and unblinking lavender eyes unnerved Luka ever so slightly, but he supposed that magical animal spirits didn’t have the best grasp on what was and wasn’t creepy for humans.

 

“If that is what my master wishes,” Duusu said with a small, slightly vacant smile. “It would be wise to familiarize yourself with your new abilities before you encounter our enemies.”

 

“Might not be a bad idea to take Mayura out for a test drive; see what he can really do,” Luka said, crossing his arms thoughtfully. “...hey, Duusu?”

 

“Yes, my master?” Duusu replied.

 

“...you know you don’t need to call me like that,” Luka chuckled a little nervously.

 

“Would you...prefer it if I called you something else?” Duusu said, cocking their head to one side.

 

“Just Luka would be fine,” Luka said.

 

“Very well...Luka,” Duusu said. “Was there something you required of me?”

 

“Just wanted to see if you knew what we were up against,” Luka said. “I know a little about Chat Noir from the Ladyblog and the scraps of what Ladybug has said, but I don’t really know what I’m getting myself into yet.”

 

“You needn’t worry yourself,” Duusu said in what they probably thought was a soothing tone of voice. “With my power, you will be able to overcome that treacherous alley cat without any problem.”

 

“You’re saying that like he doesn’t have an instakill attack that will pulverize me if he so much as touches me with it,” Luka pointed out.

 

Duusu chuckled. “All the more reason for you to get...comfortable with your pawns.”

 

“My what now?” Luka asked as Duusu gave another unnerving smile.

 

“You didn’t think a fan, some sharp quills, and short range flight were the sum of my abilities, did you?”

 

---

 

A soft knock on the cabinet door and the smell of freshly baked cookies drew Tikki out of her nap as Marinette slowly opened the door.

 

“Hey,” Marinette said with a small smile, placing a small plate of cookies on the table in front of the cabinet. “Papa made some of his caramel cookies if you want a few?”

 

Tikki glanced down at the plate with a small, noncommittal nod. “Thank you.”

 

“I...was thinking later we could go train with Mayura a little,” Marinette said, sitting on a stool by Tikki’s cabinet. “He still needs a little fine tuning to get control over his powers, but I think Luka is really taking to it! Your friend Duusu seems to like him too; couldn’t stop fawning over her new partner.”

 

Tikki rolled over with a small frown. “Duusu...fawned?”

 

“...yes?” Marinette said.

 

“Duusu...doesn’t fawn ,” Tikki said. “Unless it’s over their own reflection in the mirror.”

 

“I...I know it’s been a while since you two spoke,” Marinette said, scratching her arm nervously. “And...I probably should have brought you back to say hi before I gave her to Luka, but-”

 

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Marinette,” Tikki said flatly. “As my chosen wielder, I am obliged to obey your wishes in all things; you don’t need to explain your decisions to me after all.”

 

A frustrated sigh escaped Marinette’s nose. “You know, this would all go a lot quicker if you stopped dragging your feet.”

 

“I’m sure it would,” Tikki said airily, taking a nibble out of the offered cookie. “Things usually go much quicker when partners work together. I’m sure if you and Chat Noir were still on the same side, you could have accomplished anything...like, say-”

 

“Alright,” Marinette said, leaning in with a small scowl. “Let’s say we defeat Hawkmoth. Let’s say Chat is still willing to work with me after throwing him around the city and essentially calling him useless on national television. How does that make anyone’s life better?”

 

“Your job isn’t to make one family’s suffering go away,” Tikki said, floating out of her cabinet. “You’re not responsible for healing every broken heart that comes in your path.”

 

“Even if I had the power to?”

 

“Marinette, what do you think this is?!” Tikki laughed. “Do you think there’s no risk involved to this little plan?!”

 

“Hey, I understand the risk!” Marinette hissed, careful not to wake the other sleeping kwami. “I know doing this isn’t going to be easy-”

 

“It’s not just not going to be easy; it’s going to be the single most difficult thing you’ve ever had to do in your entire life,” Tikki said, eyes narrowing. “I wasn’t lying when I said it is possible, but the last person to successfully use us not only had an ironclad will, but understood creation and destruction enough to balance us evenly! It’s like walking a tightrope; one slip and-”

 

“And what?” Marinette said.

 

“And I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Tikki shrugged. “I honestly don’t know because no one has failed to use us the same way twice. One person got ripped apart the moment he mantled both of us, one person disappeared for seven months and then reappeared in a foreign country as a completely different person, one person turned into a flower pot, one person instantly transformed into a garden of roses, one person was flat out rejected by the pair of us and spent the rest of her life with shockingly orange hair-”

 

“Okay, point made ,” Marinette sighed. “What happened to the one person who did use you properly?”

 

Tikki sighed. “...if I told you...it would only encourage you.”

 

“It’s encouraging then,” Marinette said. “We wouldn’t be working so hard to stop Hawkmoth if there wasn’t a chance he could use it, right? And if Gabriel Agreste is a serious threat, then why not me?”

 

“What makes you think you’re even going to get the chance to use us?” Tikki said. “You think your friend in the tacky red pants is going to honor his side of the arrangement and not immediately screw you over the first chance he gets?”

 

“How?!” Marinette laughed. “Tikki, I have a small army of Miraculous on my side. I know who he is, I know his weaknesses, and the best part is that he knows it too! He knows I have him under my thumb and that if he so much as blinks at me the wrong way, I can take him out with Mayura’s help! What does he have other than the ability to make underpowered minions?!”

 

Tikki looked thoughtfully at Marinette for a second. “...you’re a fairly big fan of Gabriel’s, aren’t you?”

 

“I was ,” Marinette snorted. “The shine has come off that apple lately.”

 

“So...was he always a fashion mogul?” Tikki asked. “Did he come from a powerful family who afforded him every privilege in the world?”

 

“...no, he was actually born to a single parent who died when he was a boy,” Marinette said slowly. “He...put himself through school and started as a janitor for a men’s clothing company that let him work in the drafting rooms when he was done with work.”

 

“And from that, he built a fashion company that is known the world over,” Tikki said. “Is that the kind of man who has nothing?”

 

“So he has a lot of money.”

 

“He has drive ,” Tikki hissed. “Ambition, and the will to carry his plans out. Yes, he has a lot of money, and there is no way to get that much money without stepping on a lot of people in the process.”

 

“Maybe,” Marinette admitted, standing up and plucking a cookie off the plate. “But I’m not going to be one of them.”

 

Tikki watched Marinette as she disappeared down the ladder, trap door closing with a bang that startled Pollen awake.

 

“I hope you’re right,” Tikki said softly.

 

---

 

Mayura’s grin was almost infectious and after test-driving his new powers, even Ladybug’s dour mood seemed to lift.

 

“So that’s what Duusu meant by ‘pawns’,” Mayura said, eyes roaming the rooftop where he and Ladybug had sparred only a few moments earlier. "Good to know I can always call on back-up."

 

“Gotta admit, having more numbers on our side isn’t gonna hurt,” Ladybug chuckled, stretching her shoulder out as she watched Mayura throw a few experimental jabs. She remembered what it was like feeling the rush of otherworldly power for the first time, elevated from human to superhuman with only a few words. As much as the weight of being Ladybug had begun to wear on her over the years, there was no doubt that being a superhero was just cool .

 

“I doubt Chat Noir is gonna even know what hit him,” Mayura chuckled, pounding his fist into his palm with a toothy smirk. “We may even have his Miraculous before the week’s out.”

 

“...I wouldn’t get overconfident just yet,” Ladybug said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

 

“What do you mean?” Mayura laughed, gesturing to the roof behind him. “Did you...not see what I just did? That was awesome, right? We’ve got our own little army now; what does Chat Noir have other than a catnip addiction and a skewed sense of priorities?”

 

“Experience,” Ladybug said simply. “He’s had four years now to bond with his kwami and really start to get the full breadth of his powers. Not to mention he knows how I fight forwards and backwards by now; we learned how to fight together when we were kids and now…”

 

Ladybug shook her head, trailing off as she looked over the city. She thought that Chat would have surfaced by now, but he was being uncharacteristically quiet. He could be subtle when he wanted to be, but more often than not he was prone to more in-your-face displays of heroism. And yet, despite conspicuously flaunting her new partner at every turn, he seemed to be nowhere in sight.

 

...maybe she had gotten to him.

 

In the deafening silence, her own traitorous thoughts seemed louder than ever. Despite telling herself that hurting his feelings in the short term would save her from having to hurt him in the long term, and despite the fact that Chat had tried to take her Miraculous barely a week earlier, it still felt cheap publicly humiliating him on national television.

 

There was a difference between doing what you had to do to win and actually enjoying it.

 

“Hey, we got this,” Mayura chirped. “I know my suit isn’t the only thing that’s green about me, but with you backing me up I’m sure I can take him down sooner than you think!”

 

“I’m all for putting an end to this as soon as possible, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Ladybug said, patting Mayura on the shoulder. “You did good tonight; your friends did good too. But I think we need to run a few more practice sessions before we start hunting for Chat in earnest.”

 

Mayura nodded, biting his lip thoughtfully as Ladybug ambled towards the edge of the roof. “Taking off so soon?”

 

“I have a French paper to write,” Ladybug explained.

 

“Write it tomorrow,” Mayura suggested. “I could use a little more practice.”

 

“Can’t,” Ladybug said. “I...have a date.”

 

“...oh,” Mayura blinked. “Well, great! Awesome! Uh...yeah, no, by all means, go do your homework! Sorry for keeping you. I'll just do another pass around town and let you know if I find anything." 

 

“Thanks,” Ladybug said, shooting a small smile over her shoulder. “And, uh...thanks. Again, I know this is a tall order, but-”

 

“It’s no problem,” Mayura said, waving Ladybug off. “We’ll catch up later, okay?”

 

“Sure,” Ladybug said, raising her fist for him to bump but transitioning into an awkward, half-hearted wave at the last second. "And um...if you run into Chat-" 

 

"Go for the groin?" Mayura said, lips quirking as a genuine smile floated out of her lips. 

 

"Seriously though...if you run into Chat, don't fight him by yourself," Ladybug said. "I know you think you're doing well...and you are. But I don't think you're at his level quite yet." 

 

Mayura ignored the warm, prickling sensation of indignation as Ladybug latched onto the edge of the roof, swinging away into the city. It was strange that every time Ladybug even mentioned Chat a swell of sudden anger and aggression welled up inside him, stronger than he was used to feeling. Shaking his head, Mayura watched her go for a moment until her red dot disappeared into the city.

 

“Come on, man,” Mayura sighed, slapping his face lightly. “Get it together…”

 

---

 

Chat Noir sat with his legs crossed on the couch, a pad of paper in his lap as he tossed various objects through one Black Hole and out another.

 

“Looks like even kwami magic bows to Isaac Newton,” Chat muttered, making a note on the pad as he tossed a soda can through a portal on the floor and caught it as it came through a portal that opened up by his head. “No loss of velocity so I should be able to…”

 

Chat scratched his head with the back of the pen as the webcam positioned outside his window pinged on, drawing his attention to the monitor screen of his laptop. He was happy that Nino accepted “girl problems” as a reason for installing a few secret security systems around his window; in truth, the floor-to-ceiling windows that were currently drawn shut offered any passing superheroes a good look into his bedroom physics laboratory. Now that Ladybug and her new sidekick were out looking for him, it probably wasn’t a good idea to walk around his own bedroom in full costume without the shades drawn.

 

A flash of blue flitted across the screen as Chat Noir’s lip curled into an instinctive snarl, watching Mayura leap high into the air and glide, the edges of his cape fanning out as he floated lazily over the city. Of all the (many) things that Chat Noir envied about Mayura’s new position, the freedom to run around the rooftops without looking over his shoulder was one of them. Ladybug’s little press tour had made his usual nighttime stress relief runs impossible when he needed them the most.

 

Speaking of Ladybug…

 

Chat Noir frowned at the monitor, watching Mayura land on a rooftop nearby. When Ladybug didn’t join him, Chat Noir slowly stood up, pocketed the pen and reached his hand out towards the screen.

 

“Hm...wonder how far I can use this thing…”

 

---

 

Mayura touched down on the rooftop, hands lacing behind his head as he stopped his frenetic running long enough to catch his breath. He had been twice around the city already and still felt like he could run all night without getting seriously tired.

 

But it seemed that no matter how far he ran, he kept coming back to the same spot.

 

“Come on, it’s been a year,” Mayura muttered under his breath, pacing back and forth on the rooftop to try and release some of his anxious energy. “Of course she has a date; why wouldn’t she? Why shouldn’t she…”

 

Mayura sighed, leaning on the edge of the rooftop.

 

“Get over it…” Mayura muttered to himself. “You need to get over it…last thing you need is to over-complicate this with...ugh…”

 

“Let me guess; lady troubles?”

 

Mayura snapped around, fan unfurling as he scanned the rooftop for the low, purring voice that had just spoken.

 

“Who’s there?” Mayura called, cautiously backing up to the edge of the roof in case he needed to run. “Show yourself!”

 

“Alright, alright, no need to get your tailfeathers twisted,” a voice said from behind him. Mayura whipped around to come nose to nose with a pair of large, glowing green eyes.

 

“Hey there,” Chat Noir said, chuckling as Mayura let out a startled squawk, backpedaling and nearly tripping over his feet as Chat Noir climbed over the ledge of the roof. “You must be...sorry, I’m drawing a blank here. What was your name again? May...uvula? Feel like it started with an M…”

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Mayura asked, drawing a quil from his fan and holding it tensed between his fingers.

 

“I would actually!” Chat Noir said, casually walking along the rim of the rooftop as Mayura watched, heart thumping loudly in his ears. “I like to greet all the new heroes of Paris...after, of course, Ladybug has known everything about them for a few weeks at least. Don’t worry; as Ladybug’s partner, you’ll get used to finding out things secondhand.”

 

“Jealous?” Mayura asked. “I seem to be a lot chummier with Ladybug than you were.”

 

“Well of course you are; you’re her partner ,” Chat Noir said, leaping up onto the roof of the stairwell. “You’re ‘Team Ladybug’s new leading man!’ You woulda thought that Carapace would have beaten you out by seniority alone but you must’ve aced the interview.”

 

“Or maybe she just trusts me more than she trusted you?” Mayura said as Chat Noir hopped off the stairwell.

 

“Ladybug trusts you not to get in her way and to do your job without questioning her,” Chat Noir said cooly. “And that trust dries up the second you have a dissenting opinion. Don’t let her little publicity stunt fool you; you’re more puppet than partner, pal.”

 

“Are we on the roof of a winery?” Mayura laughed. “Because I smell a lot of sour grapes in the air tonight. What, are you sad she didn’t take time out of her day to kiss your head and make you feel special?”

 

“Joke all you want; I’m just offering some friendly advice,” Chat Noir said, examining his nails. “Ladybug is keeping things from you; including the underlying reason for this little spat between us.”

 

“Oh, I’m sure you have a very well thought out sob story to accompany the reason you tried to take her Miraculous,” Maura said, crossing his arms.

 

“It’s actually pretty short; wanna hear it?”

 

“Sure; why don’t you tell it to me while I’m bouncing your head off the pavement,” Mayura said, eyes narrowing as Chat Noir let out a bark of laughter.

 

“Oh, wait...are you serious?” Chat Noir chuckled. “You...actually think you can beat me, don’t you?”

 

“Why don’t we find out?” Mayura said, gesturing around the rooftop as that surge of anger swelled inside him again. “Fitting that a mangy alley cat should die on a roof, isn’t it?”

 

“You don’t want to wait for your partner ?” Chat Noir asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Oh don’t worry; I’m sure I can handle you all by myself,” Mayura chuckled, unfurling his fan.

 

Chat Noir let out a small, derisive snort, leaning back with his arms lazily draped over the ends of his baton. “Alright then, bluebird... handle me .”

 

Mayura tensed, waiting for Chat Noir to pounce on him, but he just stood there, casually stretching his back out by turning this way and that. Mayura spun his fan around with a flourish, hoping to provoke some kind of reaction from Chat Noir, only to be disappointed by the unphased look of half-bored amusement on his face.

 

Alright then, Mayura thought, springing into action as he spun in a wide arc, shooting a kick at Chat Noir’s head that he effortlessly ducked, lazily stepping out of the way as Mayura landed where he had just been standing. A flurry of blue feathers sailed out from the fan as he whipped around, bringing of the hard edge of the fan around in a slash at Chat’s head that he avoided by simply stepping back. The next three blows were similarly completely ineffective as Chat danced just out of reach of the fan’s range, teasing him with a pearly white grin that only served to irk Mayura as none of his attacks seemed to connect.

 

“Sorry, am I supposed to be feeling handled right now?” Chat laughed, parrying a thrown quill with his baton and sending it sailing into the streets below. Another flurry of quills sailed past his head as he leapt forwards, handspringing off Mayura’s head and landing in a crouch on the roof behind him.

 

“So, partner, I’m curious as to what Ladybug’s been telling you about me,” Chat said conversationally, catching a punch from Mayura and holding his fist fast in his palm as he tried to pull it back. “I’m guessing by the way you’re trying to spear me with those quills, it probably wasn’t great, was it?”

 

“Nothing but the truth,” Mayura grunted, planting his foot on Chat’s chest and kicking off, fluttering up in the air and coming down with a flipping kick that Chat caught. With a jerk of his hips, Chat sent Mayura flying over his shoulder, landing in a heap on the floor of the roof with a frustrated snarl.

 

“And what exactly is her version of the truth?” Chat asked, turning around in time to pluck a thrown quill out of the air. “That I’m some kind of evil mastermind conspiring to steal the Miraculous?”

 

“You tried to take hers! ” Mayura spat. “You stole twelve already!”

 

“Twelve that she would have likely just forked over to her new mystery partner,” Chat said, letting out a sharp bark of laughter as a confused expression crossed Mayura’s face. “Oh, she didn’t tell you about that, did she?”

 

“Can we skip the banter and meaningless chit-chat and get to the part where you stop running away from every attack I throw?” Mayura panted, rolling his shoulder.

 

“Man you are new at this,” Chat sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Banter and meaningless chit-chat are like the biggest part of being Ladybug’s partner.”

 

“I thought being Ladybug’s partner meant getting brainwashed or taken out of the fight,” Mayura said, lips curling into a smirk. “Or was that just you?”

 

“Hey, there you go!” Chat laughed. “Though, a little constructive criticism, a bit lacking in puns for my taste. You might want to go with a bird theme or-”

 

Mayura’s blue leathered boot silenced Chat’s train of thought by driving heel first into his face.

 

“Tweet tweet, fuck you,” Mayura said in a flat, emotionless voice. “How’s that?”

 

“Mediocre,” Chat said, spitting as he rubbed his jaw. “But I’ll give you a pass because I guess you were just winging it .”

 

“Please start punching me; it’s bound to be less painful than these puns,” Mayura growled, driving his elbow into the side of Chat’s head as he rolled with it, flipping into a cross-legged sitting position.

 

“Now why would I want to do something like that?” Chat asked, tapping his chin thoughtfully, falling back out of the way of another kick, and handspringing up back on to his feet. “I don’t particularly have any reason to dislike you, do I?”

 

“My little coming out party not get your fur ruffled?” Mayura panted, whipping a quill at Chat Noir’s head. “Come on; this is barely any fun without you fighting back!”

 

“Am I boring you, bluebird?” Chat asked with a small pout.

 

“I have new respect for Ladybug for having done so much with an anchor like you holding her back!” Mayura spat as another kick missed Chat by a scant few inches. “Face it; you’re not exactly on her level, are you?”

 

A rush of black, knocked the fan out of Mayura’s hands as a hand picked him up by the scruff of his cape and dangled him effortlessly in the air above his head. Mayura clawed at Chat’s hands, trying to pry them open or kick him away, but Chat held fast, not even flinching as Mayura tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

 

“Neither, it seems, are you,” Chat said, tossing Mayura across the roof with a flick of his wrist, sending him crashing into some patio furniture as he fell.

 

“I’m not the one you should be fighting,” Chat Noir said, bending down to pick up Mayura’s fan as he crawled out from under a broken lounge chair. “We should be working together!”

 

“Is this your join me and together we can rule Paris speech?” Mayura said, wiping his lip as he wobbled to his feet, reeling from the force with which Chat had flicked him. “Because it sucks .”

 

“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into,” Chat said, tossing the fan back across the roof. “Ladybug doesn’t want my Miraculous because I tried to take hers; she wants it so she can use it for Hawkmoth!”

 

Mayura blinked, catching his fan out of mid air. “Are you...are you serious?”

 

“Yes!” Chat Noir said. “She wants to use our Miraculous to make his wish so he stops supervillaining it up! She knows who he is and she just wants to give him what he wants.”

 

Mayura frowned, crossing his arms. “So...this whole time... Ladybug has been working for Hawkmoth...wow...”

 

“I know! That’s why we need to-” Chat trailed off as Mayura’s shoulders started shaking, his mask of shock and concern dissolving as he burst out laughing.

 

“That is...without a doubt...the stupidest lie I have ever heard,” Mayura chuckled, wiping the corner of his eye with his finger.

 

“I...I’m not lying!” Chat said. “I’m telling the truth! She really wants to use our powers to give Hawkmoth what he wants! She’s trying to sue for peace with the lunatic that’s held this city hostage for years!”

 

“Oh, please ,” Mayura snorted. “Ladybug working with Hawkmoth? What kind of dumb shit is that? Who would be stupid enough to believe that?”

 

“I don’t know; maybe the asshole who’s stupid enough to buy Ladybug’s lie!” Chat spat. “Who is, by the way, you! ”

 

“Nice comeback,” Mayura said, waving his hand over his brooch that started to glow a faint, blue and green light. “I’ve got a better one...Quill Guard!”

 

Plucking four feathers from his fan, Mayura whipped them at the rooftop around Chat’s feet as they started to faintly glow. Four black and blue circles slowly materialized around his feet, growing and glowing brighter as four armored figures slowly emerged. Each wore intricately crafted blue and green plate armor and each had an elegant peacock plume coming out of their helm. Two held shields; one with a broadsword and one with a long, feather tipped spear. One unsheathed two shimmering scimitars as it unfolded as the largest figure slammed a heavy, two-handed warhammer down on the roof at Chat Noir’s feet.

 

“Since we’re all about introductions tonight, let me introduce you to my band,” Mayura said as the four armored figures bore down on Chat Noir. “Hammet, Hetfield, Hendrix, and Van Halen. Boys? Say hi to Chat.”  

 

The four knights turned their glowing purple eyes towards Chat, raising their weapons as they started closing in around him.

 

“Alright which one of you is Hendrix because I gotta say I'm a big fan of your-,” Chat Noir dove out of the way as they charged with four echoing metallic roars that echoed throughout the city. 

Notes:

I was {} close to naming Luka's Quill Guard after the Midnight Crew

{} close.

I added another Tikki/Marinette scene that I cut from the last chapter because some of you pointed out (fairly) that Marinette hadn't been explained the potential repercussions of using both. That said, if it wasn't at least a possibility, then Hawkmoth getting a hold of them wouldn't be such a big threat. Hopefully that clears some things up; I'm writing at a breakneck pace so thanks for letting me know if I need to circle back and make myself clearer. Also starting to play around with some of Chat's cut powers so interested to see how this plays out.

Next Time! Strife! Dates! More classic rock references than you can shake a guitar pick at!

Chapter 13: Singing the Same Old Song

Notes:

Disclaimer: This chapter was written before Mayura dropped but after getting a quick synopsis, I'm gonna say this is compliant with S2! No more AUs (unless I feel like it)

“Papa?”

 

Gabriel looked up over the rim of his laptop, lightly whacking the side of the case to try and get the spotty internet connection to work. Adrien was holding up the pair of fishing rods while struggling to balance a tackle-box in his other hand.

 

“You didn’t think the fish were going to catch themselves, did you?” Emilie chuckled, lowering her sunglasses and raising herself up on the beach chair to look at her husband. “And you did promise earlier today, Gabriel.”

 

“That was before Marcel bungled the Milanese order,” Gabriel sighed, trying to avoid his five year old son’s beaming expression.

 

“There’s no one else who can handle it?” Emilie clucked, sitting up with a small frown. “Gabriel, you can’t spend all weekend working.”

 

“I know; I know...I just need a little bit more time,” Gabriel said, shooting his son an apologetic smile. “Raincheck?”

 

Adrien looked up at the mention of rain as his mother sighed, rising from her seat and leaving her book page-down on the chair. “Come on, sweetie. Papa needs to work.”

 

“I’ll...catch up with you later,” Gabriel said, not missing the look of disappointment that crossed his wife’s face as she took their son by the hand and led him down towards the water.

 

Gabriel sighed, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose as a calm breeze blew in over the water, taunting him with the promise of relaxation as he turned back to his laptop, quietly promising to murder his business partner at the first available opportunity.

 

“Sir?”

 

---

 

Gabriel opened his eyes, sitting up in his chair as Nathalie gently rocked his shoulder.

 

“What time is it?” Gabriel muttered, feeling around for his glasses.

 

“A little after nine,” Nathalie said, placing a cup of warm tea down on his desk.

 

“Must’ve drifted off,” Gabriel said, closing his eyes as the memory of the beach slowly slipped back out of his consciousness. “Anything to report?”

 

“Marcel wants your opinion on which brand of nylon we should use for our men’s underwear,” Nathalie said, placing the report on Gabriel’s desk. “Because he is pathologically incapable of having an independent thought, no matter how minor.”

 

“This is urgent I suppose,” Gabriel snorted, circling a choice at random and passing it back across the table to Nathalie.

 

“His lack of foresight is always your emergency, isn’t it?” Nathalie chuckled.

 

“Why break tradition now?” Gabriel said, leaning back in his chair. “Anything else?”

 

Nathalie tapped a few buttons on her tablet as the widescreen TV Gabriel used for conferencing lit up with a grainy picture of Chat Noir battling four peacock plumed knights. Frowning, Gabriel turned around, threw the curtains to his office open, and looked out the window at the battle taking place on the roof across the street.

 

“...Nathalie?”

 

“Yes, sir?”

 

“In the future, I would appreciate it if you informed me about superhero battles taking place outside my house before you asked me about my underwear.”

 

"I will take that to heart, sir." 

 

---

 

Chat Noir ducked as the tip of the knight’s sword sailed over his head, barely missing him as the glittering point of a spear stabbed itself into the roof at his feet. He recovered just in time to leap over a lumbering hammer smash, parrying a flurry of scimitar slices with the haft of his staff before backflipping out of the way of Mayura’s feather darts.

 

“Alright, I’m starting to feel handled,” Chat panted, leaping on to the roof of the stairwell as he looked down on Mayura and his Quill Guard. “Or at least I’m not bored anymore.”

 

“Come down here then; I’m sure Hammet could bore you plenty,” Mayura said as the spear wielding knight gripped their spear tighter.

 

“Nice pun...so Hammet’s the one with the spear and shield….that makes the sword and boarder over there Hetfield,” Chat Noir said aiming his finger at each knight in turn. “I’m guessing you named the flippy scimitar one Van Halen which would make the big guy Hendrix, right?”

 

“Good guess” Mayura said, patting the large, hammer wielding knight on the side of the shoulder.

 

“I also guess that your phone is full of nothing but Brittish dad-rock,” Chat Noir snickered.

 

“Nothing wrong with appreciating the classics! ” Mayura said, whipping another handful of feathers at Chat as he leapt into the air.

 

“You know they kept making music, right?” Chat laughed, blocking Hendrix’s hammer strike with his staff and kicking off the larger knight’s chest before Van Halen could come in with a sword strike. “Rock didn’t just die when the 80’s ended.”

 

“Might as well have!” Mayura snapped, watching Chat match Hetfield blow for blow before kicking his helmet off. It sailed through the air as the headless suit of armor staggered around, dropping his sword and shield and fumbling around on the ground for any sign of his head.

 

“Personally, I always found all that wailing and wanking to be kinda grating,” Chat sighed, kicking Hetfield’s head at Hammet and watching the spear wielding knight fumble, trying to grab it before it tumbled off the edge of the building. “Like, we get it; you’re an attention whore who needs the spotlight on them. Do we really need a guitar solo in every song?”

 

“If you’re trying to piss me off, you’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that,” Mayura scoffed.

 

“Jagged...Stone... sucks ,” Chat Noir said with a large, toothy white smile that widened with every word he said.

 

“...you son of a bitch! ” Mayura charged, unfortunately at the same moment that Hendrix, eyes glowing with purple fury, also charged, hammer swinging in a wild arc towards Chat Noir’s side. At the last second, Chat stepped back, barely missing the hammer blow that spun around and caught Mayura full in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him tumbling back into Hetfield and Hammet who had just righted their helmets. They fell into a pile with a sound like a cart full of pots falling down the stairs amid Mayura’s muffled curses.

 

By the time he righted himself, Chat Noir was nowhere in sight.

 

“Where’d he go?” Mayura muttered to himself. “ Come on o-”

 

Mayura’s vision suddenly went dark as a Quill Knight’s helmet was jammed over his head backwards.

 

“Gotta protect that fragile brain of yours,” Chat Noir snickered, dancing out of the reach of Mayura’s flailing arm swipes. “Can’t exactly afford to lose too many more cells, can you?”

 

Mayura wrenched the head off with a growl, chucking the helmet at Chat who ducked, picked up a second helmet, and promptly jammed it on Mayura’s head again.

 

---

 

Across the street, Gabriel watched Mayura struggle to pick himself up, fumbling and swinging wildly as Chat Noir held his palm against his forehead.

 

“...not the most impressive Mayura, is he?” Nathalie coughed as Gabriel sighed, taking his glasses off and squeezing the bridge of his nose.

 

“Nooroo,” Gabriel said, drawing the quivering little kwami out from his hiding spot in the desk. “Contact-.”

 

---

 

“-Marinette?”

 

Marinette’s head jerked up as her mother’s hand laid on her shoulder, startling her out of a murky train of thought.

 

“Sorry,” Marinette said, placing the roll of dough in a banneton and covering it with a clean towel. “This one’s ready to proof…”

 

Sabine watched her daughter as she grabbed another lump of dough from the machine, weighed it out on the small scale in front of her, then started kneading with the same distant look in her eyes as before.

 

“...I think we can handle it from here, dear,” Sabine said gently.

 

“We have twenty more loaves to proof before we meet the order,” Marinette sighed, wiping her forehead with the back of her arm. “You and papa-”

 

“Were kneading bread before you were even a bun in the oven,” Sabine said, taking the dough from her daughter. “We can manage without you...you look tired.”

 

Marinette caught her reflection in the window over the counter, tucking a strand of floury hair behind her ear. “...been a long week.”

 

“I can tell,” Sabine said, slowly kneading the dough as Marinette pulled her apron off. “...anything you’d like to talk about?”

 

Yes, Marinette thought. “Not really,” she said, hanging her apron up on the back of the door. “I should get some designing done anyway.”

 

“You should take a break,” Sabine clucked, turning to face her daughter. “Don’t think I don’t know how hard you’ve been working lately.”

 

“I’ll break when my schedule breaks,” Marinette grumbled.

 

“You’ll break much sooner than that if you don’t take time for yourself,” Sabine said, dropping the dough on the counter and making her way over to a stack of fresh raspberry pastries. “There will always be work to do, Marinette; you need to make sure you’re strong enough to do it.”

 

Sabine dropped two pastries on a plate, pushed the plate into Marinette’s hands, and gently pushed her out of the kitchen.

 

“Go get some rest,” Sabine said. “And by rest, I do not mean any portfolio work.”

 

Marinette was too tired to even consider arguing with her mother, and knew better than to linger in Sabine Cheng’s kitchen when her mother didn’t want her there. She wasn’t strict by any definition of the term; she simply demanded the same respect she extended to her daughter and Marinette never had reason to rebel.

 

Even as she padded upstairs, nibbling on the corner of her favorite pastry, Marinette didn’t feel any less tense or unhappy than she had been in the kitchen; the only difference was that now she had no dough to take her frustrations out on. And despite the swirling medley of emotions making her hair turn prematurely grey, frustration was the one that made every minor setback seem like an insurmountable obstacle.

 

The worst part was that she had almost nobody to talk to.

 

She liked Luka; trusted him to keep her secrets and stand by her side. But the truth of the matter was that he wasn’t Chat Noir. And as much as she was angry with him, a small corner of her still held out the smallest bit of hope that he would come to his senses; that he would see things her way and agree to let her mitigate the damage that Hawkmoth had already done. For all Gabriel Agreste had done to Paris, he had inflicted the same kind of suffering on his family, and while she doubted he would turn over a new leaf, at least Adrien would have one parent he could rely on instead of no parents at all. And despite the growing revulsion she felt towards Adrien’s father, she wasn’t going to cause harm to someone who had been harmed enough already.

 

Not if she had the power to do something different.

 

Marinette was barely through the door to her room when her earrings started vibrating a faint, pulsing beat that made her heart drop into her stomach. Her earrings only buzzed like that when someone was trying to call her Miraculous communicator, and the only person who ever called her communicator was-

 

“Tikki! Tikki transform me!” Marinette said quickly, pulling her yo-yo out the moment Ladybug’s suit settled over her. Her fingers trembled as she popped the lid to the communicator open, fumbling with the lid until a dark video screen came into view. “...Chat?”

 

“ Afraid not,” Hawkmoth said as his picture filled the screen. “You don’t look happy to see me.”

 

“No, I'm t hrilled  to have random old men calling me at odd hours of the night, ” Ladybug said, feeling her lip curl into a snarl. “Tell me you have a good reason for interrupting my evening.”

 

“ Oh I just called to see how you were doing,” Hawkmoth said airily. “ Catch up and dish the goss as the kids say....since I clearly have nothing better to do with my life than talk to an adolescent girl in a ladybug costume.”

 

“For someone who doesn’t like to chit-chat, you sure are wasting a lot of oxygen with your words,” Ladybug sighed. “Is there a point to this call?”

 

“ I just thought you should know that there’s a cat fighting with a bird on the roof outside my home,” Hawkmoth said, angling his communicator towards a large screen television. A grainy image showed Chat Noir wrenching the hammer out of the hands of one of Mayura’s knights and smacking it across the roof with it. She watched in horror as Mayura lunged, swinging a peacock-patterned sword that Chat caught in an open palm as his free hand grabbed Mayura by the scruff of his collar, tossing him aside as he kicked the helmet off another knight.

 

“ Oh, and to the surprise of no one...the cat is winning,” Hawkmoth said. “ Thought you might want to do something about th-”

 

Ladybug snapped her communicator closed with a growl, kicking her window open and leaping out into the night.

 

---

 

Hawkmoth blinked as his communicator went dim.

 

“Well...that was rude,” Hawkmoth said, turning his attention back to the fight outside.

 

“You think he would be doing better with a five to one numbers advantage,” Nathalie sighed, leaning on the windowsill as she watched two of Mayura’s knights run headlong into each other as Chat leapt out of the way.

 

“I think he’s doing quite well for someone with literally a thousandth of the experience as Chat Noir,” Hawkmoth mused, watching as Chat hurled another knight off the roof and on to the street below. “He should have drilled with his knights more so they weren’t tripping over each other in battle.”

 

“Shouldn’t have goaded Chat Noir into a fight,” Nathalie sighed.

 

“Yes, well, you know how young men are,” Hawkmoth said, folding his hands on his cane. “If anything is going to provoke Chat Noir into an act of foolhardy bravado, it’s going to be another young gun trying to take his spot.”

 

“But what happens if Mayura slips out of our reach?” Nathalie asked.

 

“We shall just have to hope Ladybug gets here in time to save her new sidekick,” Hawkmoth shrugged.

 

“...I know I’ve brought this up before-”

 

“I sense you’re about to bring it up again,” Hawkmoth sighed.

 

“Can we really trust Ladybug to see this through to the end?” Nathalie asked, wincing as Mayura tripped over Chat Noir’s baton and crashed into one of the two remaining knights.

 

“We can trust that she’ll deliver what we want,” Hawkmoth said evasively. “Beyond that...well, that’s what our little insurance policy is for, isn’t it?”

 

“Still...a bit much to expect from a teenager, isn’t it?” Nathalie said, watching Chat lift Mayura off the ground and press him back against the wall of the stairwell.

 

“Any other teenager and I would agree,” Hakwmoth said, eyes trailing to a security camera that showed a familiar red spot swinging across the city. “But if there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that Ladybug will always find a way to come out on top…”

 

---

 

Mayura grunted, kicking feebly against Chat’s stomach as he held him fast against the brick wall of the stairwell. The Quill Guard was in a pile of armored pieces on the rooftop, feebly trying to piece themselves back together and frequently attaching the wrong limbs to wrong torsos. His fan lay on the ground at Chat’s feet, just out of reach of Mayura’s grasping fingers.

 

“You had enough?” Chat asked, head rolling with a punch that Mayura managed to land on the side of his head. “...ow.”

 

“Just getting warmed up,” Mayura grunted, despite the fact that his blow didn’t even seem to phase Chat or slacken his grip enough for him to wiggle out.

 

“You can cut the bravado; you have nobody here to impress but me,” Chat said, fingers brushing over the Miraculous that held his cape up. “This is a new one, isn’t it?”

 

Mayura’s heart fell into his stomach as Chat began to unclasp it...before seemingly thinking better of it and simply straightening it as he let Mayura fall back to his feet.

 

“I don’t know where you got it or what Ladybug has been telling you, but you’re not helping who you think you’re helping,” Chat said as Mayura straightened up.

 

“I think I know Ladybug better than you do,” Mayura said, reaching for the fan only for Chat to carelessly pin him against the wall with one hand.

 

“After two days?” Chat snorted. “Unlikely.”

 

“Oh, so you’ve also seen her without her mask on?” Mayura said, lips curling into a smirk.

 

“You…” Chat blinked. “She told you who she was?”

 

“I guess I’m just the trustworthy kind of guy,” Mayura sighed, watching Chat’s eyes narrow ever so slightly. “Aw, what’s wrong? Feeling left out?”

 

“She told you who she was…”

 

“That’s right, though the mask wasn't the only thing she took off when she was with-”

 

“...and you just told me ?!” Chat snarled.

 

“Yeah, that’s...wait, I feel like you’re mad at me for different reasons than I want you to be mad at me,” Mayura said as Chat released him from the wall.

 

“What kind of dumbass are you?!” Chat groaned. “You don’t just go telling people stuff like that!”

 

“I...okay, this is definitely not the reason I wanted you to be mad at me,” Mayura said, watching Chat Noir, squeeze his temples with his fingers.

 

“Didn’t Ladybug tell you to keep this stuff close to your chest?!” Chat sighed. “God, this is superhero 101! No secret identity talk ever and especially not to someone you’re fighting against! Because guess what? Now I know that you know who Ladybug really is!”

 

“You w hat?!” Mayura and Chat turned to see Ladybug land on the roof a few meters away, glaring at both of them, but saving a special kind of ire for Mayura.

 

“...I feel like I may have fucked up,” Mayura said.

 

“No shit,” Chat snorted.

 

“I…” Mayura glanced back and forth between Ladybug’s indignant glare and Chat Noir’s smug, shit-eating grin. “H-He started it!”

 

“Go pick up your toys, junior; the grown ups need to talk,” Chat said with a dismissive hand wave as his eyes settled on Ladybug. “You know that’s the one downside of owning a bird; they always find a way to sing when you don’t want them to.”

 

“Look, I-” Mayura stopped as Ladybug held up a hand and sent him a look that said I’ll deal with you later before turning her attention back to Chat Noir.

 

“I see you two are getting acquainted,” Ladybug said, placing her hands on her hips.

 

“Why wouldn’t I take the time to get to know my replacement? ” Chat Noir sniffed. “Didn’t take long for you to replace me and let the whole city know about it, did you?”

 

“Didn’t leave me much of a choice, did you?” Ladybug replied. “Thought that little publicity stunt would grab your attention.”

 

“Well, you got it,” Chat said, folding his hands on top of his baton. “Didn’t need to go and hurt my feelings to do it.”

 

“I’ve done nothing in the past, and your feelings got hurt,” Ladybug said, feeling her irritation at Chat prickle. “At least this time I seem to have gotten what I wanted out of it.”

 

“Sorry, were you expecting a temper tantrum?”

 

“Given your history of throwing a fit when you don’t get what you want?”

 

“You mean like you did when I didn’t fork over my Miraculous on demand?”

 

Mayura’s eyes ping-ponged between Ladybug and Chat Noir as he tried to piece his knights back together, his initial indignation at being forgotten giving way to relief that he wasn’t being used as a prop in this superpowered marital spat.

 

“My god, are we in a time warp?” Ladybug laughed bitterly. “I swear we just had this conversation a few days ago!”

 

“Before, during, or after you pitched The Dumbest Idea Ever?!”

 

“Uh...are we still fighting?” Mayura asked, screwing Hammet’s head back on and helping the suit of armor back on its feet.

 

“ We’re fighting; you’ve had enough for one night, M. Loose Lips,” Chat Noir sneered.

 

“Hey, don’t get him involved in this!” Ladybug countered.

 

“ You got him involved in this!” Chat Noir cried, jabbing his finger at Laybug. “He was probably writing Gorillaz fanfiction in his underwear before you had to pull him into our fight!”

 

“Hey, who told you about that?!” Mayura cried as Ladybug and Chat Noir both turned to look at him incredulously. “...I mean...I...I don’t… ”

 

“Dude, I was kidding ,” Chat Noir sighed

 

“ Shut up!”

 

“Can we all focus on why we’re here?!” Ladybug groaned, rounding on Chat. “Look...I’m willing to be the bigger person here-”

 

“You haven’t been bigger than me since I hit puberty, short-stack.”

 

“- and give you another chance to end this peacefully, ” Ladybug continued, breathing hard through her nose.

 

“Wait, what?!” Mayura interjected. “He tossed me across the roof for half an hour and he gets a second chance?!”

 

“Mayura, please-”

 

“No, by all means; your partner should have an equal say in decisions you make regarding the pair of you,” Chat shot back.

 

“Wait, are you on my side now?!” Mayura asked.

 

“This does not need to be any more complicated than it needs to be!” Ladybug snapped. “You cannot seriously think that this little rebellion of yours is going to turn out the way you think it will! You’re outnumbered, Chat! You got away last time, but I have backup this time; there’s two of us and only one of you! And what exactly has changed since the last time we fought that makes you think you can handle the both of us?”

 

Chat was silent for a moment, green eyes trailing back and forth between Ladybug and Mayura. “...you guys ever see that cartoon based on that MMO that came out a while ago?”

 

Mayura and Ladybug shared a confused glance. “Oh, wait, I think my sister watched that when it was on TV,” Mayura said, snapping his fingers. “Yeah, wasn’t it called Wak- FUCK!”

 

Mayura’s shadow expanded into a large, swirling black hole that sucked him into the roof. Before Ladybug could react to her partner suddenly disappearing, Mayura tumbled out of another hole several meters above her head. Ladybug skirted out of the way just as Mayura crashed into the roof at her feet.

 

Ladybug glanced between her discombobulated partner and an infuriatingly smug looking Chat Noir. “What was that?” She squeaked, voice cracking up a whole octave in pure confusion. “What the hell was that?!”

 

“ACME Portable Black hole,” Chat said, fingers twisting and sending Mayura tumbling through another portal that deposited him across the street, depositing him into a hot tub and startling a trio of elderly bathers. Ladybug watched dark energy crackle around his hands, opening a portal beneath Mayura’s feet as he stepped out of the hot tub that sent him tumbling back into the frothy jacuzzi.

 

“ You think this is funny?!” Mayura called from across the road, climbing out of the hot tub. “ Is this all some kind of joke to you?!”

 

“A little bit!” Chat called back, meeting Ladybug’s baffled expression with a hapless shrug. “My kwami is very interested in not getting himself captured, so we’ve been, shall we say, expanding my moveset a little bit...hasn’t Tikki done the same for you?”

 

The sound of her kwami’s name coming from Chat’s mouth momentarily stunned Ladybug, long enough for her not to notice the shadow that opened up beside her. As Chat’s hand reached through another shadowy portal, she barely leaned back and out of the way of a claw that brushed the smooth, metal surface of her earings. She jumped backwards, as the first portal disappeared and another opened beneath her feet where she landed, sending her tumbling back into inky blackness and depositing her at Chat’s feet. Before he could grab a hold of her, she aimed a kick at his shins, creating enough space for her to slide back across the roof, one eye behind her to watch out for any more surprise portals.

 

“Don’t pretend like you’re doing this because you’re concerned about my kwami!” Ladybug snapped, shooting her yo-yo at Chat’s head as he opened another portal, redirecting it so it shot out of a portal and bonked Ladybug in the head.

 

“I’m not; I’m concerned for mine ,” Chat Noir replied, jumping into another shadow and appearing behind Ladybug. She ducked, rising with an uppercut that sent Chat staggering a few steps backwards as she rounded on him. Her yo-yo snapped out again as two teal armored figures rushed past her, lunging for Chat Noir with a pair of scimitars and a spear. The yo-yo wrapped around the haft of the spear as Hammett thrust at Chat Noir, yanking it back out of the knight’s grasp and embedding it in the rooftop a few meters away.

 

“Just how many kwami are you gonna press-gang into this little crusade of yours?” Chat spat, ducking as Van Halen’s scimitars ripped into Hammett, scattering the armor pieces across the rooftop.

 

“That’s something for their Guardian to worry about; not you! ” Ladybug fired back, untangling her yo-yo and sending another strike at Chat Noir. Again, a staggering, uncoordinated knight stumbled into Ladybug’s attack path as Chat Noir moved out of the way, getting tangled in the yo-yo string.

 

“What do you think is gonna happen when Master Fu wakes up and realizes you’ve been working to undo everything he’s been working towards for the last four years!” Chat Noir demanded, lunging with a staff strike that Ladybug sidestepped as she drove the heel of her palm into Chat’s nose.

 

“He’s going to wake up to all the kwami back where they belong and Hawkmoth defeated forever!” Ladybug growled, wrapping her yo-yo around Chat’s staff. “The only difference between our plans is that mine sees a family reunited and yours is just revenge for revenge sake!”

 

“You’re honestly okay with giving this prick what he wants?!” Chat Noir hissed, grabbing on to either end of his staff and holding fast as Ladybug tried to rip it from his hands. “ Vichy Ladybug, just handing over the keys to the city and collaborating with the psychopath who’s been using Paris as his playground?!”

 

“This isn’t about Hawkmoth!” Ladybug grunted, fingers twisting tightly in the string of her yo-yo. “And it isn’t just him who gets what he wants!”

 

Chat’s brow furrowed. “What do you-”

 

“ I got him!”

 

“Mayura, no!” Ladybug cried out as Mayura dove at Chat feet-first, descending from a high-dive behind Chat. Chat turned as Mayura cried out, dropping his staff and stretching his hands out beneath him. As she watched Chat form a portal to disappear, Ladybug was suddenly struck with the realization that, for whatever reason, Chat couldn’t use his new power without the use of both hands.

 

She was then struck by Mayura’s boots as Chat vanished, leaving her face the only thing stopping Mayura’s descent.

 

Mayura collided headlong into his partner, sending them both tumbling along the rooftop and rolling to a stop just before spilling over the edge.They righted with Mayura on top of her, shaking his head in confusion as he looked down.

 

“Got... you?” Mayura chuckled as Ladybug closed her eyes with a deep sigh. “Uh...hi?”

 

Wordlessly, Ladybug turned Mayura’s head towards Chat Noir who was currently miming taking a picture.

 

“You two make a cute couple,” Chat said, kicking his staff up off the ground as Ladybug and Mayura rose to their feet, brushing off the dust and untangling themselves from each other. “Is it...MayLady? Ladyura? Doesn’t have quite the ring as Ladynoir, does it?”

 

“What’s the plan?” Mayura whispered.

 

“Featherstich him,” Ladybug said without thinking. “Might confuse him.”

 

“...featherstitch?” Mayura said, unfortunately loud enough for Chat to hear him.  

 

“Oh, wait, I know that one!” Chat called out. “Yeah, that’s where you trade off attacking from the left to the right to throw your opponent off balance...of course, if that doesn’t work you can always try backstitching—you told him about that, right?”

 

“I feel like i’m missing some context here,” Mayura mumbled as Ladybug’s jaw tensed, fingers balling into fists out of pure frustration.

 

“Man...you haven’t even shown him the playbook yet, have you?” Chat Noir sighed, shaking his head. “It’s almost not even fair fighting you like this…”

 

“Try tying one hand behind your back then; I’m sure you could take us,” Mayura said as the Quill Guard slowly rose, retrieved their weapons, and began completing a circle around Chat. Ladybug could see the gears in Chat’s head turning as his eyes bounced between the knights, Mayura, and finally back to hers.

 

Rush me, she silently begged. Come on; I’m right here. Just come swinging at me.

 

For a moment, she thought he was going to strike. She could see him tense, hands gripping on his staff as he seemed to be weighing his options.

 

“Alright...time to bring in some backup,” Chat said, lips curling into a smirk as Ladybug’s eyes widened. “ Now!”

 

Ladybug’s instincts caused her to whip around at the same second that her brain quietly reminded her that she had used the same gag on Chat only a few nights earlier. By the time she turned back around, Chat had disappeared over the edge of the rooftop, leaping through the city with a wave and a toothy grin over his shoulder.

 

“Where are they coming from?!” Mayura asked, glancing around as Ladybug followed Chat, leaping off the building and latching on to a nearby rooftop. She was dimly aware of Mayura yelling at her to wait as he leapt after her, but she could focus on nothing but the blood pulsing in her ears and the sight of Chat Noir running just a few hundred feet out of her reach.

 

He glanced over his shoulder, waiting to see if Ladybug was following him before diving off the edge of a rooftop, plunging into the murky alleyways below. Ladybug followed from the ledge above him as far as she could before leaping down into the alleyway after him. The distant echoing of Mayura’s Quill Guard as she followed Chat, ducking delivery drivers and vaulting over parked cars as she pursued him straight towards a brick wall.

 

“End of the road!” Ladybug cried as Chat looked left, looked right, then disappeared into a portal he created in the ground at his feet. Ladybug skidded to a halt as the portal closed, glancing down two distinct side-paths as Mayura caught up with her.

 

“Which way did he go?” Mayura asked, stopping to adjust the helmet of a Quill Guard who had reassembled himself too quickly.

 

“I don’t know,” Ladybug said, glancing around.

 

“Split up?”

 

“That’s what he wants ,” Ladybug groaned, tugging at her hair.

 

“Don’t got much of a choice, do we?” Mayura said, nodding at two of his henchmen. “Hammett, Hetfield, go with Ladybug and-”

 

“No, he’ll hear them coming a mile off,” Ladybug said, pointing down the left path. “Go that way; try and flush him towards me and we’ll try and grab him in the middle.

 

“Sure this is a good idea?” Mayura asked.

 

“Don’t got much of a choice, do we?” Ladybug echoed, tearing off down the left path as Mayura headed right.

 

---

 

Chat Noir heard the sound of clanging bootsteps as he ran, leaping up, over the rim of a rooftop as he spied an open window on the far side of a row of stately, expensive looking townhouses that felt vaguely familiar, even in the dim light of the streetlamps. As much as he enjoyed nettling Ladybug’s new sidekick, he didn’t fancy taking on the pair of them so early in the game. Mayura was a wildcard that he didn’t have a full grip on yet. He knew that his knights were strong, but still uncoordinated. They could gang up on him, but they couldn’t move like he could.

 

They were only going to get better, and his fight wasn’t with Mayura.

 

“I found him!”

 

Chat swore as Mayura called out behind him, chasing him down a sidestreet as he ran without thought or plan as to where he was going. He needed to get away long enough to get back home; get somewhere where they wouldn’t see him portal back into his room. But with Mayura breathing down his neck, he couldn’t see an easy path of escape.

 

Rounding the corner and breaking Mayura’s line of sight, Chat spied an open window on a balcony two stories off the ground. Without thinking, he leapt up onto the balcony, stealing into the dimly lit master bedroom and slamming the window shut as a flash of blue came around the corner behind him.

 

As he landed on the plush, Persian rug, debating his next move, he noticed that the swirling blue patterns on the carpet.

 

That looks familiar, he mused, glancing up at the elegantly forged Persian saber hanging off a rack on the wall.

 

...that looks familiar too, Chat thought, frowning as the door at the far side of the room opened as Kagami Tsurugi stepped out of the bathroom, humming a small tune under her breath and dropping her towel at the exact moment Chat turned to look at her.

 

...okay, now that definitely looks familiar, Chat thought.

 

“Uh...h-hi?” Chat Noir said, waving and averting his gaze as Kagami’s eyes slowly widened as she glanced between Chat and the open window. “I-I’m sorry to disturb you, miss, but I-”

 

BANG BANG BANG

 

Before Kagami could process the fact that she was currently standing naked in front of one of Paris’ oldest heroes, the sound of an insistent pounding on the door downstairs drew her attention. Grabbing her towel back to her chest, Kagami headed to the window, peeking behind the curtain as she saw four large, blue, heavily armored knights running down the street.

 

“Friends of yours?” Kagami asked, brushing a wet strand of hair out of her face as Chat mentally cursed at himself for being careless enough to get tracked back to his ex-girlfriend’s house. Mayura had either got lucky or saw the tip of his tail disappear into Kagami’s room.

 

“He must’ve seen me...,” Chat said, eyes still buried in his hands as Kagami grabbed a fluffy pink bathrobe off the corner of the vanity. “I’ll be out the skylight...a-assuming you have one, that is! I-I wouldn’t know; I’ve never been here in my life!”

 

“I boarded the skylight up when mother passed,” Kagami said, sliding into a pair of fluffy bunny slippers. “Putting in a home theater. Only way out is that window or the front door...neither of which sounds like a good option for you at the moment.”

 

“I’ll-” Chat Noir made to head for the window only to have Kagami press hard on his chest back towards the bathroom.

 

“Stay,” Kagami commanded, cinching the bathrobe around her waist as the knocking at the door became more insistent.

 

“But-”

 

“You can explain to me why you’re galavanting through my window at eleven o’clock at night when I’ve seen our guests off,” Kagami said, glancing over her shoulder as Chat Noir grabbed her by the elbow. “...is Ladybug looking for you too?”

 

The way Chat’s eyes averted in an all too familiar way told Kagami all she needed to know.

 

“Get comfortable,” she commanded, pushing him back into her bedroom as another thundering series of knocks came

 

“Hello?! Hey, whoever’s in there, open up! We need to talk!”

 

“What are you going to do?” Chat asked.

 

“...act like my mother,” Kagami said, smirking at the visible chill that ran down Chat’s spine. “Cruel, I know, but they interrupted my evening relaxation routine so I’ll be raising the specter of Tsurugi Umeko for one last fright.”

 

BANG BANG BANG

 

“ Coming !” Kagami called, taking a deep, steadying breath as she plucked a Polish saber off the wall, weighing it in her hands as she descended the stairs. The steel in her hand would be useless against a superhero, but just holding it made Kagami feel a little surer of herself. Contrary to popular belief, Kagami was not made from ice and the idea of facing down Ladybug and her garishly dressed new partner in nothing but a bathrobe and slippers was enough to put the smallest wobble her step as she quietly placed the sword in the umbrella stand by the door.

 

But like in all trying times, Kagami quelled her anxiety by focusing on the facts of the situation. Chat Noir was Adrien, Adrien was her friend, and Ladybug needed to get into her house to get to Chat Noir.

 

To do so, she would have to go through Kagami.

 

---

 

Hendrix stepped up to the door, hefting his hammer as he prepared to break it down

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, cool it! ” Mayura hissed, pushing Hendrix back. “We can’t just go caving in people’s doors left and right-”

 

Behind him, the front door opened to an irritated pair of amber brown eyes as the owner of the house, a young woman about his age, stepped out in a fluffy pink bathrobe.

 

“Yes?” Kagami said, pulling her bathrobe tighter around herself as she closed the door behind her. “May I help you?”

 

“Sorry for, uh...disturbing you ma’am...miss...pal...,” Mayura said, offering a sheepish wave, eyes bouncing up and down and lingering just a little too long on the cute, button-nosed slippers on her feet. “But I need to get into your house. Official superhero business.”

 

“...I see,” Kagami said, eyes drifting to the small cadre of armored knights that clustered behind Mayura. “And you would be?”

 

“Sorry, hi, I’m Ladybug’s partner-”

 

“I thought that was Chat Noir,” Kagami said, looking the blue-feathered stranger up and down with an appraising raise of her eyebrow. “Mmm...yes, I’m fairly certain that you’re not her usual better half, unless you traded the catsuit for...whatever this is.”

 

“I...we’ve been all over the news all week,” Mayura said, deflating a little as Kagami seemed to be unphased by the superhero standing in front of her. “...Mayura? The peacock? Ring a bell?”

 

“I find the news to be depressing, so I try not to watch it too much,” Kagami said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. “And you’ll excuse me if I don’t let random costumed strangers into my home.”

 

“Okay, look, I know this is weird, but you need to trust me,” Mayura said, stepping up onto Kagami’s step. “Someone just ran into your house; someone Ladybug and I have been fighting with all night-”

 

“So you’d like to fight with them in my living room?” Kagami sniffed, looking up as Ladybug came tearing down the street. “I don’t think so; that brute with the hammer looks a little too smash-happy to be let near my furniture, thank you very much.”

 

“What’s going on?” Ladybug asked. “Did you find him?”

 

“Ch... he’s in there,” Mayura said, jabbing his head towards Kagami’s house. “Saw him go in the open window.”

 

“So you claim ,” Kagami said, turning her attention to Ladybug. “Is this renaissance faire reject here with you?”

 

Ladybug’s lips pursed, a familiar and uncanny jealousy kindling as Adrien’s ex-girlfriend looked impassively at her. There was no real reason to dislike the woman other than the fact that she made good on her promise of wooing Adrien before she could come up with a perfect way to ask him out. Still, it wasn’t easy watching Adrien walk around with his arm wrapped around her waist or watch Kagami lean in and whisper something that made Adrien blush while they were on double dates.

 

It didn’t help that Kagami was the only person in the world that could manage to look intimidating while wearing a pink fluffy bathrobe and bunny slippers.

 

“Sorry to disturb you, miss,” Ladybug said, falling behind her shield of professionalism. “But my partner and I need to search your home...for your own safety.”

 

“For my own safety?” Kagami echoed with a small laugh, jerking her head up at the cameras stationed at the corners of her home. “My personal security system would have tipped me off to anyone breaking and entering without my knowledge. Since I received no such alert and since my retainers are currently not pouring out of their home right now, I assume your...partner, was mistaken.”

 

“He went in through the window!” Mayura protested. “I saw him go-”

 

“Please keep your voice down; people are sleeping,” Kagami said, earning an icy glare from Mayura.

 

“We won’t be long,” Ladybug said, stepping in front of Mayura with a small smile. “Just a quick look around and we’ll be out of your hair.”

 

“...just a quick look around?” Kagami asked.

 

“Ten minutes or less,” Ladybug promised.

 

“Oh, well in that case...no,” Kagami said, watching Ladybug’s smile crack and brow crease. 

 

“...no?” Ladybug echoed. “But-”

 

“My home is not a museum for people to wander in and out of as they please,” Kagami said coolly. “Even if the finest security system euros could by were to fail me, I am a silver-medalist fencer in a house full of swords. I daresay anyone who did break in would find me more than capable of tossing them out into the gutter.”

 

“We just need to-”

 

“I’m sorry, but it’s very late and I have university classes in the morning,” Kagami sighed, looking down on Ladybug with a tired, dismissive look in her eye. “So if there’s nothing else, I’d like to get back to bed.”

 

Ladybug gaped incredulously at Kagami, genuinely at a loss for words. “I’m...I’m trying to protect you here!”

 

“So you claim ,” Kagami repeated, eyes narrowing. “But it is well within my rights to decline any offer of protection from a vigilante .”

 

“V-Vigilante?” Mayura squeaked, gesturing to Ladybug as her fingers balled into fists at her side. “Th-this is Ladybug we’re talking about here!”

 

“And what branch of the police does Ladybug work for?” Kagami asked. “Does she have any official power to compel me to follow her orders? Or am I expected to comply with every girl in patterned spandex who wants entry into my home simply because she saved the city once or twice?”

 

“I saved you once or twice!” Ladybug snapped.

 

“And so I am to surrender my right to privacy to you because you saved me, what was it, four years ago?” Kagam asked, refusing to melt under the volcanic glare Ladybug leveled at her. "Does every person you assist owe you their unquestioning obedience?" 

 

"If you would just-" 

 

“I thought as much,” Kagami said, watching Mayura tense up as she cut Ladybug off with a small wave of her hand. “Now, if there’s nothing else, I’d like you and your friends to clear off my doorstep. Thank you for your service, but I do not require your assistance tonight.”

 

“Look, we’re being nice here, but you know we can just walk past you, right?” Mayura said, crossing his arms. "There's not a hell of a lot to do to stop us, is there?" 

 

“By all means; let my security system catch Ladybug and her new sidekick strong arming a woman in her bathrobe when she refused to let them in her home,” Kagami said, lips curling into an infuriatingly smug smile that made Ladybug's blood boil. “I’m sure the press would be very interested in footage of Paris’ greatest heroine breaking and entering like a common hoodlum . The social backlash from that should be enough to keep you busy while my attorneys are suing those ridiculous costumes off your backsides.”

 

“Now, unless there’s anything important to discuss,” Kagami said, opening the door without breaking Ladybug’s gaze. “Have a pleasant evening.”

 

“You’re making a mis-” Ladybug blinked as the door slammed in her face and the sound of latching locks echoed in the small entranceway. For a moment, Ladybug just stood there, breathing hard, glaring at the peephole, and fighting the urge to rip the door off its hinges and barrel into the house after Chat.

 

“You sure he went in there?” Ladybug asked.

 

“Definitely,” Mayura said, glaring up at the windows above their heads. “So either she doesn’t know he’s in there and just being difficult…”

 

“...or she absolutely does and doesn’t want us to find him,” Ladybug said, glancing up at the security camera before turning away with a small sigh.

 

---

 

Kagami watched through the peephole, heart pounding in her ears as she gripped the hilt of the sword she had carried downstairs. For a moment, it looked like Ladybug was going to break her door down and come after her...but the moment passed and Ladybug slunk away, yo-yo carrying her up into the night as her partner followed.

 

Kagami let out a breath as the sword clattered to the ground at her feet, head pressed against the door as she fought to regain control of her breathing. She closed her eyes, slowly counting backwards from ten until the terror of talking down Ladybug in a bathrobe dissipated a little and she could stand unassisted. She carefully placed the sword to the umbrella rack, smoothed her bathrobe, and headed up the stairs.

 

“They’re gone,” Kagami called into the empty house, kicking off her slippers as she entered her bedroom. “You can come out now, Adrien.”

 

Silence greeted her as she looked around the shadowy room. Rolling her eyes, she shucked the bathrobe off her body as she heard an embarrassed cough coming from the shadows in the corner of the room.

 

“Thought you were still there,” Kagami said, shooting a small glance in Chat Noir’s direction.

 

“I should probably-”

 

“Stay,” Kagami said, tossing a pair of running shorts and a tank-top on her dresser. “Not like there’s anything you haven’t already seen, is there?”

 

“...the butterfly tattoo is new,” Chat Noir chuckled, averting his gaze as his ex-girlfriend got dressed as though he weren’t even there.

 

“I went out with some cousins one night and a tattoo parlor in Roppongi was having a sale,” Kagami chuckled, tugging her shirt over her head as she flicked the light on. The sight of Chat Noir, savior of Paris, conspicuously averting his eyes left her little doubt as to his identity; nobody else had looking bashful down to an art form like Adrien Agreste. “Glad you aren’t insulting my intelligence by denying it at least.”

 

“How long have you known?”

 

“A year or so,” Kagami shrugged. “It would have been hard not to notice that the only time you ever cancelled plans with me coincided with magical mayhem...that and you were always uncannily good at sneaking out of my room. Goto-san never even realized you were in the house, and he’s ex JSDF.”

 

“Had a couple close calls; really miss that skylight I used to sneak in through,” Chat Noir chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry I never told you…”

 

“It was smart not to confide in someone Hawkmoth had compromised at least twice,” Kagami said, holding up her hand to forestall a protest. “I don’t blame you for anything...I assumed you had your reasons and decided not to pry.”

 

“Ladybug’s idea, ironically enough,” Chat Noir chuckled.

 

“And a good one; if you had shared your identity with her, I’m guessing you would be in her clutches instead of hiding out in my house,” Kagami said, looking him over. “Are you going to tell me what this is all about? I take it you didn’t jump through my window to have another post-breakup sleepover.”

 

“Not exactly,” Chat Noir coughed, biting his lip. “I’m not sure if you should even be involved.”

 

“I just spent ten minutes staring down a superhero in my bathrobe with only the threat of legal action protecting me,” Kagami said, eyes narrowing. “I’m involved; the least you can do is let me know what I’m involved in.”

 

“...long story,” Chat Noir sighed.

 

“I’ll put the kettle on then,” Kagami sighed, heading down the stairs. “But if you’re on the run from the police as well, I’d like some notice in case the constable comes battering my door down.”

 

---

 

Mayura had barely landed behind Ladybug on the roof overlooking her parents’ bakery when a red and black fist socked him hard in the shoulder.

 

“Ow!” Mayura squawked, rubbing his arm. “What the-”

 

“What was the one thing I told you not to do?!” Ladybug hissed, brandishing her finger in Mayura's face.

 

“Look, I didn’t go looking for a fight-”

 

“Well you found one!” Ladybug snapped. “What were you gonna do if I didn’t show up?!”

 

“I...I would have thought of something…” Mayura mumbled sheepishly, wincing as Ladybug socked him in the shoulder again. “Okay, that doesn’t actually hurt, but-”

 

“And you told him you knew who I was?!” Ladybug rambled. “At what point did you think that was a good idea?!”

 

“I thought we were trying to get under his skin!” Mayura protested. “Get him to make a mistake or something; I thought if I told him how close we were-”

 

“Tell me you didn’t tell him we used to date,” Ladybug said, grabbing either side of Mayura’s face and tilting his head down. “Look me in the eye and tell me-”

 

“I didn’t!” Mayura said, cupping the backs of Ladybug’s hands. “Look Mar-”

 

“ Ladybug ,” Ladybug cut across. “I am Ladybug. And while I am Ladybug, I need you to forget the fact that you know my name or anything about me! Do you understand?!”

 

“What’s the big deal?!” Mayura laughed. “So I told him I knew who you were! I could be anybody ! You could be anybody! He was your partner for four years and he never figured out who you were, right?!”

 

“He never figured out who I was because I gave him nothing that would lead him back to me,” Ladybug said vehemently. “Not a side of town I lived on, not a favorite restaurant, not the route I walked to school; nothing. And in the span of two days, he knows that you know my secret identity!”

 

“So what?” Mayura asked. “He doesn’t know a thing about me!”

 

“He knows you’re the kind of person who names their minions after classic rock guitarists,” Ladybug said, ticking her fingers off as she went. “He knows you have a sister who likes to watch cartoons. He only met you tonight and somehow managed to figure out a way to use his new Aperture Science skills to pit us against each other! I mean, we were tripping over each other out there because you wanted to finish your little cock fight!”

 

“Alright, not my finest hour, I admit,” Mayura said, holding his hands up. “I was just trying to help...I swear…”

 

Ladybug shook her head, turning away from him and walking to the edge of the roof as Mayura waited for her to say something. Seconds dripped into minutes before Mayura spoke again.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked, walking across the rooftop as Ladybug sat on the edge of the roof. He had known Marinette for almost four years; dated her for almost two. He had seen her at her happiest and at her most devastated, but he had never seen her look so tired in all the years he knew her.

 

“I’m just...I’m scared,” Ladybug said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself as she leaned off the edge of the building. “I’ve had to do this for four years, you know? I’ve had to fight poor brainwashed civilians almost every week of my life...I haven’t even been out of the city since I was fifteen. But...as rough as it’s been...as hard as it is to fight, I’ve always had Chat with me...since day one…”

 

Ladybug stared down at the people milling about on the street below with glassy, unfocused eyes.

 

“I know I said he was useless...and that he just gets himself brainwashed…” Ladybug muttered. “But the truth is...all those times he got himself in trouble...all the times an akuma took control of him...that could have been me. It was going to be me, but Chat...stepped in the way.”

 

Mayura said nothing, simply settling down by Ladybug’s side and watching her out of the corner of his eye.

 

“...that’s the kind of person he is,” Ladybug said slowly. “That’s the kind of person we’re up against...someone who will die to protect something he cares about…”

 

“I’m sure you’d do the same for the people you loved,” Mayura said, lightly nudging her shoulder.

 

“That’s the thing though...I wouldn’t,” Ladybug said, shaking her head. “I would try and find a better solution...one where no one had to get hurt. One where everyone could get what they wanted and we didn’t have to choose between what we needed to do and what we wanted to do…Chat will just throw himself into a fight no matter what the cost is...and now that fight is with me.”

 

“Well...I think I prefer your solution,” Mayura said. “And maybe Chat will still wake up and realize he doesn’t want to fight you anymore.”  

 

Ladybug sighed, leaning against Mayura’s shoulder as he tentatively wrapped an arm around her. “...just because he doesn’t want to, doesn’t mean he won’t.”

 

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, broken only by the sound of cars and chattering civilians below as Mayura idly wondered what kind of person would willingly fight someone like Marinette; someone he had fought alongside since he was a kid. He didn’t even know the half of the argument, didn’t even know why Chat was upset with his partner, except-

 

“Hey...you’re not really working with Hawkmoth, are you?” Ladybug stiffened as Mayura looked down at her with a dark, serious expression.

 

“...who told you that?” Ladybug asked.

“Chat...before you showed up...he said you wanted to use his ring to help Hawkmoth,” Mayura said softly. “...just level with me...is it true?”

Ladybug blinked, brain scrambling for an answer. Part of her wanted nothing more than to let Luka know exactly what he was getting himself into; screamed that it was the right thing to do while another part of her coolly reminded her that telling her partner the truth had led to this situation in the first place. But before she could lie or come up with an answer to satisfy Luka’s curiosity, Mayura burst out laughing.

 

“Oh man, like anyone would buy that,” Mayura said, lightly rustling Ladybug’s hair. “You working for Hawkmoth…”

 

“Y-Yeah,” Ladybug laughed, smoothing her hair with trembling fingers. “Crazy, huh...not Gorillaz fanfiction crazy, but-”

 

“Hey, when they release Murdoc from prison, I can stop filling in the holes,” Mayura said, steadying Ladybug as she slowly rose to her feet. “You gonna be okay?”

 

“...eventually,” Ladybug sighed, trying a shaky smile. “Just gotta keep...looking on the bright side.”

 

“Every cloud has one, or so I’m told,” Mayura said, holding out his fist for Ladybug to bump. She raised her fist for a moment before thinking better of it, slipping inside his guard and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

 

“Thank you,” she murmured, breath tickling his ear as she spoke. “I know this is a lot to handle, but...I’m really glad I don’t have to handle it alone.”

 

Tentatively, his arms wrapped around her waist as he resisted the urge to inhale the warm, strawberry scented hair that tickled his nose. After an all-too-short moment, she pulled back, wiping the corners of her eyes with her palms and shot him a somewhat surer smile.

 

“Of course,” Mayura said. “Anything you need, I got you.”

 

“I need a nap,” Ladybug chuckled, turning and heading towards the bakery. “...sorry for losing my temper earlier, I-”

 

“You’re under a lot of stress; I get it,” Mayura said, holding his hand up. “We’ll do better next time...or I will at least.”

 

“You usually do,” Ladybug giggled, shooting him a wave over her shoulder. “Night, partner.”

 

Mayura watched as she hopped across the roof, through the skylight, and transformed back into Marinette. His eyes lingered on her for a long moment as she laced her fingers behind her head, taking a deep breath as her eyes closed. He watched her sit on the edge of her fainting couch, head buried in her hands as her shoulders started to hitch and shake, wanting desperately to break through the skylight and throw his cloak over her shoulders and pull her close like he used to.

 

Instead, he turned away, quietly stoking the angry voice inside his head that demanded that he thrash the daylights out of Chat Noir for upsetting Marinette so much.

---

 

Across town, Gabriel Agreste leaned back in his chair, swirling a tumbler of old, oily scotch in one hand and regarding a picture of a much younger, much happier family with the other. 

"I'm going to fix this..." Gabriel murmured to himself, like a prayer, as he had so many times in the past four years. "I'm going to fix this..." 

Notes:

So ends Mayura's first battle.

If anyone thought I jobbed Mayura out here...I did, but I had my reasons. 1) He's been a superhero for only a handful of days while Chat has had literal years to master his abilities 2) Ladybug hasn't trained enough with him yet and 3) I've always seen LB/CN on a different tier than the rest of the Miraculous, something I'll expand on in the future. To use an Exalted reference no one will get, Ladybug and Chat are Solars, Mayura/Hawkmoth/Rena/Carapace/Queen Bee are Celestials, the Zodiac are Terrestrials.

Confused? I hope so!

As always, feedback keeps the writer engine going. I'd especially like to know how I'm writing Marinette since I feel like I need to keep some sympathy with her since 1) she's the main character and 2) I need to try and piece this back together after shattering it with an Angst Hammer. So reviews are greatly appreciated!

NEXT TIME: Finally getting to that Adrinette Date as Mayura does a little sleuthing of his own and Kagami screws Adrien

 

'...s head on straight.

Tune into my writing blog (siderealscribblings on tumblr) for outtakes/WIPS! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 14: Make Her A Member...

Kagami slowly stirred a generous dollop of honey into her tea as she glanced between Adrien and the small floating cat-shaped spirit currently gnawing on a wheel of cheese she fished out from the crisper.

 

“So, let me see if I have this right,” Kagami said, taking a sip of her tea. “The source of your unfathomable powers of destruction is a cat that is powered by cheese, you and Ladybug working together could grant any wish, Ladybug knows who Hawkmoth is and instead of immediately binning him like she should , she has decided that the maniac in a butterfly costume deserves to have his fondest wish granted and promised to give Hawkmoth your ring. When you refused to surrender your Miraculous, you went to your mentor only to find him hospitalized and three Miraculous, which only Ladybug knew about, gone. You then seized the rest of the Miraculous, Ladybug took issue with that and your erstwhile lady friend demanded your Miraculous at swordpoint...or yo-yo point as the case may be. You fought once to a standstill before she enlisted the help of some sap who apparently knows her secret identity. So...not only does she have Hawkmoth and Birdboy on her side, but she has the ability to create three more heroes and potentially oppose you with a full half-dozen, experienced superheroes.”

 

“There’s also the chance that Ladybug could be too weak to use both of us and accidentally break reality when trying to make her wish,” Plagg added before attempting to jam the rest of the cheese wheel into his mouth.

 

“...I see,” Kagami said, taking a bite of her tea biscuit. “We're a bit fucked, aren’t we?”

 

“Royally,” Adrien sighed. “Or rather, I am. You’ve already done enough for me by stonewalling Ladybug like that.”

 

“I did learn how to be arrogant and condescending from a grandmaster, after all,” Kagami said with a weak chuckle. “If I did it like mother did, they should be feeling impotent and insecure for at least a few days.”

 

“I can’t see Ladybug wallowing in powerlessness for long,” Adrien said, patting Plagg on the back as he started to gag on his cheese wheel. “She’s a take-action kind of person.”

 

“You should take a page from her book then,” Kagami said, leaning in with her chin on her palms. “I’m interested to know why you didn’t disarm...what was his name? Meduka?”

 

“Mayura.”

 

“Yes...why didn’t you take his Miraculous when you had the chance?” Kagami asked.

 

“Because Ladybug has me painted as some kind of Miraculous thief,” Adrien said, running his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t want to prove her right. Besides, she could just replace whatever I take off him with another Miraculous and I’d be back to square one.”

 

“You took twelve other Miraculous already; what’s one more?”

 

“I took those to keep them safe,” Adrien insisted.

 

“I doubt that’s how Ladybug sees it,” Kagami said. “Much as your intentions were good, I’m afraid encroaching on her Guardianship pushed her into a corner.”

 

“Wait, so this is my fault now?” Adrien spluttered.

 

“I’m not blaming you Adrien ,” Kagami sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. “Just assessing the facts; you had good reason to keep the Miraculous out of Ladybug’s hands, but in doing so you may have escalated it to the point of conflict between the two of you...in any case, you two seem to be at war now. Do you think there’s any chance Ladybug will see reason and come over to your side of things?”

 

“...maybe, but-” Adrien sighed, taking a sip of his tea. “I’ve known her for four years; when she sets her mind to something, she sees it through. And she really believes this is the right thing to do which...I mean, for all I know, it might be.”

 

“Having second thoughts?” Kagami asked.

 

“I’ve been having second thoughts since I tried to take her Miraculous for the first time,” Adrien admitted, watching the steam rise off his mug. “This all happened so fast, I’ve barely had time to process it. Two weeks ago we were still friends, still fighting goofy looking monsters together...then Ladybug springs this plan on me and I don’t even have time to get two words in before she’s asking for my ring and saying that making peace with Hawkmoth is the best way to end this. I don’t even know if that’s such a crazy idea at this point-”

 

“It is,” Plagg chimed in.

 

“Is it?” Adrien said. “Ladybug isn’t the type of person who makes decisions without thinking them through first.”

 

“Well, first time for everything, huh?” Plagg sniffed. “The only way this is going to end without tears is if we bag Hawkmoth before Ladybug gets her hands on me!”

 

“...there’s a chance though, right?” Adrien said. “A chance that Ladybug could use both Miraculous and this all comes to a peaceful end before Christmas?”

 

“A chance, sure, but-”

 

“Let’s say there’s a chance,” Kagami interrupted, drawing Plagg and Adrien’s attention. “Let’s say Ladybug is the kind of uniquely gifted individual she’s proven herself to be and she resurrects Hawkmoth’s wife. Let’s remove the question of can from this discussion for a second and pretend that Ladybug will have no problem granting Hawkmoth’s wish without any complications.”

 

Kagami dunked the corner of a biscuit in her tea, letting the dark liquid soak the cookie as she contemplated what she wanted to say. “...how many?”

 

“How many what?” Adrien asked.

 

“How many people has Hawkmoth possessed over the years?”

 

“I...I don’t know,” Adrien shrugged, avoiding Kagami’s probing eyes. “Let’s say...once a week for four years...two hundred and eight? Not counting the people who got affected by something the akuma did.”

 

“So it’s safe to say that if you’ve lived in Paris in the past four years, you’ve been affected by an akuma in one way or another,” Kagami said, chewing on the corner of her lip. “I forget...you’ve never been akumatized, have you?”

 

“No...guess you know why now, huh?” Adrien chuckled, trying to diffuse some of the tension in the room as Kagami continued to stir her tea with her cookie.

 

“It’s not an experience you forget,” Kagami said quietly. “I mean...you do, but it sticks around in the corners of your subconscious...the thought that you could be made to hurt someone you cared about without your knowledge or approval…and that it could happen more than once...well, you start to really dread your own bad moods. People in your life look at you differently...mother was always demanding of me, but after Riposte-”

 

Kagami blinked as she glanced down into a cup full of floating chunks of cookie crumbs, quietly pushing it aside as she looked back at Adrien. He reached across the table, gently taking Kagami’s hand with a reassuring squeeze.

 

“The thought of him out there, free after what he did to me...I almost killed you, Adrien,” Kagami whispered. “He can’t get away with this...I don’t care who gets hurt. I’m sorry if that makes me sound heartless, but too many of us have suffered because of that lunatic for him to just walk away after this is all said and done….makes me sick to even think about it.”

 

“He needs to pay,” Kagami nodded, locking eyes with Adrien as she squeezed his hand. “Ladybug may be doing right by Hawkmoth’s family, but Hawkmoth’s family aren’t the only ones who deserve justice... we deserve to have closure. This city deserves to have closure. And if you don’t, I’m going to find out who he is, hunt him down, and drag him back to Paris by his ankles myself.”

 

“I don’t doubt that you would,” Adrien laughed, smile dropping as Kagami locked eyes with him. He had known her a long time; gotten to know her better than most people could claim. Which is why the look of desperation floating behind her burning gaze made him sit up a little straighter in his chair.

 

“Promise me that you’ll make him pay, Adrien,” Kagami said. “ Promise me.”

 

Adrien nodded, lightly squeezing Kagami’s hand a little harder. “I promise. Hawkmoth is going to answer for what he’s done to this city...no matter what the cost.”

 

“Good,” Kagami nodded with a small smile, wiping the corners of her eyes as she got up to dump her tea slurry in the sink. “If you’re sure, then I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

 

Adrien shared a brief glance with Plagg. “I mean...I do have about a dozen Miraculous you could probably pick from.”

 

“Even if the Zodiac doesn’t exactly stack up in terms of power compared to the Inner Circle,” Plagg said.

 

“Inner Circle?”

 

“Peacock, Butterfly, Turtle, Fox, Bee,” Plagg said, ticking his paws off.

 

“Still an upgrade from bathrobes though,” Adrien countered as Kagami leaned against the counter, brows knit in concentration.

 

“Much as I’d like to beat the wings off Hawkmoth myself, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Kagami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

 

“Why not?” Plagg said, floating up to Kagami’s eye level. “Come on! You’re like the coolest friend Adrien has!”

 

“Thank you,” Kagami chuckled.

 

“And you’re a world class swordfighter to boot!” Plagg said, making thrusting motions with his empty paw. “You’d be perfect!”

 

“I appreciate your confidence in me,” Kagami said, lightly rubbing the top of Plagg’s head with her fingertip. “There’s just one problem.”

 

“What’s Ladybug going to think when a dark haired, brown eyed woman shows up fighting by Chat’s side?” Adrien sighed, leaning back in his chair.

 

“Ladybug has good reasons to distrust me already,” Kagami said. “I fully expect that either she or her new pet are going to have their eyes on my house in the near future, so it’s best if you don’t come here in costume anymore. And if I show up on the battlefield-”

 

“Someone’s going to put it together sooner or later,” Adrien said, chewing on his lower lip. “Would have been nice to have someone watching my back though…”

 

“It’s not a bad idea, but I don’t think it can be me,” Kagami said, rubbing her chin. “You need to find someone else; twelve, if you can.”

 

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Adrien sighed. “Who’s going to believe that Ladybug is actually working with Hawkmoth? Mayura literally laughed in my face when I told him.”

 

“Only because he’s already been poisoned by Ladybug’s idea already,” Kagami said. “You wouldn’t have any proof, would you? Something that confirms Ladybug is actually working with Hawkmoth?”

 

“Nothing but my word,” Adrien muttered. “However much that’s worth against Ladybug’s.”

 

“Getting down on yourself helps no one but Hawkmoth,” Kagami clucked, pulling her chair around the side of the table and sitting in front of Adrien, lifting his chin up with her hand. “You’ve fought tooth and nail for this city since you were a skinny little fourteen year old; that has to be worth something.”

 

“I would hope so,” Adrien said, patting the back of Kagami’s hand as he slowly stood up. “...you know, I’m glad I accidentally jumped through your bedroom window tonight.”

 

“ Accidentally,” Kagami chuckled. “A likely story; just admit you’re still madly in love with me and couldn’t resist being away from me for another moment.”

 

“If that were true, I wouldn’t be leaving,” Adrien laughed, meandering through the empty house with Kagami as they headed towards the front door. “I should probably get going.”

 

“Late for a date?” Kagami teased.

 

“Tomorrow, but not tonight,” Adrien said, avoiding the curious glint in Kagami’s eyes.

 

“Is that so?” Kagami asked, a teasing lilt creeping into her voice. “Anyone I know?”

 

“Mayyyyyyybe,” Adrien said.

 

“Plagg?”

 

“It’s that Marinette girl who lives in the bakery,” Plagg said simply, spinning in mid air as Adrien flicked him in the back of the head.

 

“Traitor,” Adrien hissed.

 

“No need to be so cagey; I’m not going to give her the shovel talk or anything,” Kagami chuckled. “Though it seems you have something of a type.”

 

“Brunettes?”

 

“Ambition, artistry, and a magnetic personality seem to be prerequisites, don’t they?” Kagami said, tapping her chin. “In any case, I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself...as long as you don’t come on too strongly.”

 

“When have I ever done that?” Adrien snorted, opening the front door and letting a chilly midnight breeze blow into the foyer.

 

“Our second date was a horsedrawn carriage ride through the park accompanied by a string quartet,” Kagami said flatly. “This was after the rooftop dinner and tickets to the opera.”

 

“...I see your point,” Adrien chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“Just...try not to go over the top too quickly; maybe save the marriage talk for date five or so, hm?” Kagami said.

 

“I may have already proposed marriage twice,” Adrien said.

 

“Of course you have.”

 

“Jokingly, of course.”

 

“Of course it was,” Kagami said, pulling Adrien into a tight hug as he turned to walk away. “Be safe.”

 

“No promises,” Adrien said, kissing her briefly on the cheek. “Thank you...for all of this.”

 

“Oh please; if Ladybug captures you, my social circle dries up faster than the punchbowl at a Bourgeois Christmas party,” Kagami chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Let me know how I can help.”

 

“I’m sure I’ll think of something,” Adrien said, shooting a wave over his shoulder as Plagg burrowed into Adrien’s jacket collar. Kagami watched from her doorstep until Adrien rounded the corner and disappeared down a side street before stealing back into her house, locking the door and leaning against it with a sigh.

 

“Why couldn’t I have normal, boring friends like Mother wanted?” Kagami sighed, turning the lights off as she trudged upstairs.

 

---

 

“You’re getting in rather late.”

 

Adrien resisted the urge to sigh, privately rolling his eyes as he hung up his coat. His father didn’t look up from his sketchbook, pencil scrtch-scrtch-scrtching non stop as Adrien stuck his head in his study.

 

“Sorry,” Adrien said. “I was out; lost track of time.”

 

“I can see that,” Gabriel murmured. “Take care you don’t sacrifice your sleep schedule for a few hours with your friends.”

 

“Yes, father,” Adrien sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I’ll be back before midnight tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow?”

 

“I...have a date, actually,” Adrien said, studying his father’s facial expressions for any sign of disapproval.

 

“...is that so?” Gabriel asked, frowning at his sheet of paper. “Is it Mme. Tsurugi again or have you finally caved to Chloe’s advances?”

 

“Neither,” Adrien chuckled, biting his lip. “It’s...it’s Marinette, actually.”

 

Gabriel’s pencil stopped moving as his eyes snapped away from the page to look at his son. “...Mme. Dupain?”

 

"Mme. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien said, jaw tightening. “Yes...is there a problem with that?”

 

Gabriel opened his mouth, but to Adrien’s surprise, he seemed to be at a loss for words. Adrien braced himself for a wave of fatherly disapproval, already mentally running through the list of comebacks he had been working on all week.

 

But to Adrien’s surprise, Gabriel just nodded. “None at all,” Gabriel said, clearing his throat. “Do you need reservations?”

 

“...I-I’ve made them already, thank you,” Adrien said, a little bewildered at the lack of parental overbearance.

 

“Of course you have,” Gabriel said, offering his son a small smile. “Thoughtful, as always. Enjoy your evening; let me know if you require anything.”

 

“....thank you,” Adrien said, frowning in confusion as he backed out of the study and started heading up the stairs. “...that was weird.”

 

“What was weird; he didn’t seem to have a problem with you and Marinette, did he?” Plagg whispered into Adrien’s ear.

 

“That’s what was weird ,” Adrien said, closing and locking the door to his room as he stepped through it. “When has my father ever passed up an opportunity to micromanage my social life?”

 

“Maybe he’s finally warming up to the idea that you’re not a kid anymore?” Plagg suggested.

 

“That’s even weirder,” Adrien laughed, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe he just likes me dating someone ‘in the industry’ as it were…”

 

“I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth on this one,” Plagg said, lightly punching Adrien in the shoulder. “You deserve to have a nice night out after the crazy week you had. Kick back, have a nice dinner, play your cards right and get invited back to Marinette’s room after-”

 

“First date, Plagg,” Adrien said, flopping down on his couch. “First date.”

 

“That means less than nothing to me,” Plagg said, landing on Adrien’s shoulder with a sigh. “Long night…”

 

“Feels longer than it was,” Adrien yawned, checking his watch. “Not a total wash though.”

 

“Even if Kagami can’t fight with you, she’s a good source of good ideas,” Plagg pointed out. “And her best one is that we need more backup than we currently have.”

 

“Maybe we can put an ad out on the Ladyblog,” Adrien chuckled, paging through his phone. “ Help wanted; Chat Noir needs YOUR help to defeat Hawkmoth since his partner is being a total butt…”

 

A bright picture of Ladybug and Mayura greeted him when he opened the Ladyblog, eliciting a small growl of disgust from Adrien who quickly paged away, thumbing back a few weeks to where stories of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s latest akuma battles were still front page news. He paused as he came to a picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir standing with a formerly akumitized eight year old, holding him up on their shoulders while his mother took a picture with her phone.

 

They had gone out for ice cream after that; spent the afternoon talking and joking with the kid until he felt a little bit better. Ladybug had laughed when the kid innocently asked if Chat Noir was scared of vacuum cleaners like his cat was, almost running into a lamp post as they took him on a quick rooftop tour of Paris. It was moments like that, divorced from the superpowered battle they found themselves in, that Adrien cherished more than anything else.

 

Letting out a small sigh, Adrien wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, scrolling until he hit the bottom of the Ladyblog. As he was about to turn his phone off for the night, three words in scrawling red font caught his attention at the bottom of the page.

 

GOT A TIP?

 

Adrien’s thumb hovered over the button, wondering if an anonymous tip that Ladybug had sided with Hawkmoth would be taken seriously. If only he had some kind of tangible evidence; some kind of proof that would tie Ladybug back to-

 

Adrien sat up, staring at his phone for a long minute. “Plagg...transform me.”

 

Plagg vanished into his ring before he could say anything and Chat Noir fumbled for his communicator at his belt, flicking it open as a wide, disbelieving smile stretched across his face.

 

"Jackpot." 

 

---

 

“Hey...sorry I haven’t been by to check on you lately.”

 

Master Fu’s only response was the slow rise and fall of his chest as the heart-rate monitor blipped faintly in the background. Even unconscious, Master Fu still had a way of making Marinette feel uneasy; as though he would wake up at any moment and start berating her for colluding with their enemy. A bag of pastries sat cooling in her lap as she tore strips off the crumpled white paper, rolling them up as she spoke to him.

 

“I’ve, uh...been busy,” Marinette laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wish I could say it was doing something that made you proud but...well, who knows? Maybe you would be...maybe you’d understand.”

 

Part of Marinette wondered if Master Fu might be persuaded to come over to her side; that he’d see sense in saving Hawkmoth’s family, if only for his wife and son’s sakes. A word or two from Master Fu might convince Chat to stop his one-man war and help her put an end to years of pointless suffering.

 

“I don’t know how to make him listen to me,” Marinette muttered, shaking her head. “I’m still trying to get through to him and make him see that we have a chance to make this all...mean something without creating more heartache in the process...why doesn’t he get that? Why is he being so…”

 

Marinette trailed off with a deep, weary sigh, head dropping as she tossed another shred of pastry bag on the floor.

 

“I hope you’ll understand why I have to do this,” Marinette said, placing the bag of pastries on the nightstand. “If not...I hope you’ll forgive me someday.”

 

Marinette stood up, tucking the blankets up around Master Fu’s chest as a tall, slender woman with shockingly white hair stepped into the room, looking over the rim of a medical chart as she noticed Marinette there. “Can I help you?”

 

Marinette started a bit, dropping the blanket as the woman looked down on her with a hard, suspicious glint in her eye. “I-I was just tucking him in! He looked...well, it’s kinda chilly in here and-”

 

“You must be Mme. Cheng,” the woman said, looking Marinette over briefly. “You brought him in a few days ago, yes?”

 

“I...did everything I could for him,” Marinette said, hesitantly offering her hand to shake. “You must be his personal physician.”

 

The doctor let out a dry laugh through her nose, gripping Marinette’s outstretched hand with a soft, almost regal shake as two assistants in pale blue lab coats craned their necks around the corner of the door. “I am, despite the old tortoises best efforts to refuse to take his medicine. Dr. He, at your service. These are Jun and Lan, my associates and proteges.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you,” Jun said in English with a small nod her companion mirrored.

 

“You as well,” Marinette said with a shaky smile as she turned back to the only other French speaker in the room. “...how is he?”

 

“You may have saved his life by acting as quickly as you did, but it’s frankly too early to tell,” Dr. He said as her assistants followed her into the room, Lan quietly noting Master Fu’s vital signs as Jun started opening vacuum sealed bags of what appeared to be freshly shorn leaves. “Our friend has a...very rare condition that requires special medication to combat. Medication that he has neglected to stock up on for some time.”

 

“Is that what you’re making there?” Marinette said,watching Jun mince the plant leaves and add them to a stainless steel mortar.

 

“He’s not yet strong enough to handle the...side effects of the medicine quite yet,” Dr. He said. “We need to build him up a bit first before administering the dose to minimize the risk of complications.”

 

Marinette’s brow furrowed, opening her mouth to say something as Jun poured a vial of strange green liquid into the mortar and began to grind it with the chopped leaf.

 

“It’s perfectly safe, I assure you,” Dr. He said, cutting Marinette’s protest off before she could vocalize it. “Something he’s been taking for quite some time, actually. Not exactly something one stores in a pharmacy, so my associates and I need to brew it in small batches.”

 

“I’ll...leave you to it then,” Marinette said with a slightly nervous chuckle as she turned to leave.

 

“Before you go,” Dr. He said, glancing up from Master Fu’s medical chart. “Do you happen to know where that silly bracelet of his is?”

 

Marinette stopped cold, as a chill washed over her, turning back to look at Dr. He looking at her curiously.

 

“Bracelet?” Marinette echoed, taking note of the way Jun had slowed the grinding of herbs and the way Lan’s eyes seemed to be trained on the monitor that dimly reflected Marinette standing in the doorway. “O-Oh, the one he used to wear, right?”

 

“A trinket he can’t seem to let go of,” Dr. He chuckled, folding her hands in front of her. “Still, I’ve never seen him without it; it didn’t fall off his wrist when you moved him, did it?”

 

“Must have,” Marinette shrugged, heart thumping insistently in her ears. “I-I can go look for it back at his house, if you want?”

 

“I sent Jun and Lan there already; they couldn’t seem to find it,” Dr. He sighed. “Couldn’t seem to find the rest of his collection either.”

 

“A collection?” Marinette echoed, praying that Dr. He didn’t notice her hands fidgeting with the buttons of her coat.

 

“A box of accessories; not very valuable, but they have some sentimental meaning to him,” Dr. He said, chewing on a pencil as she stared blankly into space. “I hate to think someone who didn’t realize their worth might have stolen them…”

 

“I...can’t imagine…” Marinette said, chewing her lower lip. “I mean, he never showed it to me but-”

 

Frowning, Dr. He crossed the room to Marinette in two fluid steps, gently raising the back of her hand to press against Marinette’s forehead before she could get away. “My dear...you look very pale.”

 

Marinette dared not to breathe, worried that the slightest hitch in her breath would be enough to give her away. Dr. He’s hand lingered for only a handful of seconds that seemed to stretch on for eternity, before saying something to Jun in Chinese. Jun nodded, reaching into an open leather carrying case and producing a small dark glass bottle with a white cap.

 

“Take this,” Dr. He said, offering the bottle to Marinette. “A concoction of my own design to boost energy and fortify against sickness. Two drops in any warm beverage should ward off the common cold and perk you up a little bit.”

 

Marinette glanced between the bottle, Jun, and Dr. He for a split second before hesitantly reaching out a hand to take it. “Thank you,” Marinette said. “I should probably...I mean, I don’t want to get in your way or-”

 

“Yes, by all means,” Dr. He said with a small nod. “Don’t want to interrupt the rest of your day. Please feel free to visit our friend anytime you’d like...I’m sure he’d appreciate your company.”

 

Marinette nodded, turned and accidentally knocked into a rolling metal cart on her way out of the room. She tried not to look like she was rushing away and didn’t even dare to look over her shoulder at the eyes she felt on her back as she made her way down the clean, sterilized hospital hallways.

 

She didn’t start breathing again until she reached elevator, taking shaky, unsteady gasps of air as she leaned against the wall for support.

 

“Who is that?” Marinette whispered to Tikki who poked her head out of Marinette’s coin purse.

 

“I...I don’t know,” Tikki said.

 

“Tikki I swear if you’re holding out on me-”

 

“I didn’t see who you were talking to!” Tikki hissed.  “And I wasn’t exactly invited to every single social gathering Master Fu went to!”

 

“She knew about his Miraculous,” Marinette muttered, fidgeting with the buttons on her coat. “She knew about all of them.”

 

“She knew he had a collection -”

 

“-that he never showed to anyone but me ,” Marinette said, holding her deactivated phone up to her ear so she could talk to Tikki without looking like an idiot. “How does she know that? I thought Master Fu was the last Guardian of the Miraculous!”

 

Tikki was silent for a long moment. “...I can’t say anything else about that.”

 

“Tikki-”

 

“I wouldn’t if I could but I literally can’t,” Tikki snapped. “Does the word geas mean anything to you?”

 

“Should it?”

 

“To make a long story very short, there are certain things I can and cannot talk about,” Tikki said. “It’s part of being a kwami; I am literally incapable of revealing certain information to you. I can’t even hint at it any more than you could breathe fire.”

 

“You told me who Master Fu was,” Marinette said, turning the bottle of mystery liquid over and over in her pocket as she walked out of the hospital.

 

“I was given permission to do so under very specific circumstances,” Tikki explained. “You had learned enough about the Miraculous on your own to break the geas and allow me to talk about him again. But there are some things I can’t actually help you with; the Miraculous, the forces that protect them-”

 

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Marinette asked, stepping out of the hospital and glancing up at the windows looking out on the street.

 

“You can compel me to do certain things,” Tikki said, a sneer creeping into her voice. “I’m compelled to help you transform; compelled to let you access my powers of creation. This is one thing you can’t compel me to do.”

 

Marinette stopped as she caught sight of Lan and Jun glancing out the window a few stories above her. They watched her for a few seconds, held her gaze as they offered a small wave before turning and disappearing back into Master Fu’s room.

 

“Fine,” Marinette said, turning and heading down the street into a dark alleyway. “Didn't want to have to do this, but I guess I have no choice, do I?" 

 

---

 

“Dr. He?”

 

The sight of Gabriel Agreste in an apron, chopping onions as he tried to read a recipe over the rim of his glasses would have been comical if there wasn’t something so deeply unsettling about it. It was easy to forget that he was responsible for so much pain and suffering when he looked so ordinary; just an average Parisian father preparing lunch for himself as though he had never enslaved people to do his dirty work against their will. It had only been a handful of days since she had gone to war with her partner, and Ladybug hadn’t slept a full night since. She would rise in the middle of the night, pace her room, write a hundred messages to Chat and delete them all before flopping fruitlessly back onto bed, avoiding the judgmental stare of her giant cat plushie.

 

Gabriel didn’t seem to have lost a wink of sleep over what he had done, humming under his breath as he added the onions to a pan on the stove.

 

“Name sounds vaguely familiar, but I can’t place it,” Gabriel said, wiping his hands on a dish towel and turning to face Ladybug. “Why do you ask?”

 

“She…” Ladybug bit her lip as she set the glass bottle of medicine down on the counter. “I...encountered her today. In civilian form. She started asking questions about Master...my Master. About the Miraculous.”

 

Gabriel paused in the middle of slicing a chicken breast, glancing up with a look of cold, wary fear that reminded Ladybug exactly who she was dealing with. “Did she mention them by name?”

 

“No,” Ladybug said, crossing her arms. “Just that she was looking for the box of ‘trinkets’ my Master had with him...I swear she knew something. I felt like she was...interrogating me.”

 

“I’ll see what I can find out,” Gabriel said, sprinkling some salt over his chicken as he reached for a bell pepper. “In any case, you need to stay away from her.”

 

“No kidding,” Ladybug snorted. “Just thought you should know we might have more than one Guardian...even though my Master told me that they were the last one.”

 

“He probably lied to you,” Gabriel said casually. “Don’t take it personally; we all lie to people we care about every now and then.”

 

“Speak for yourself,” Ladybug muttered.

 

“You lied to your partner for four years about who you were and who the other heroes he fought beside were,” Gabriel pointed out.

 

“To keep us safe !” Ladybug snapped.

 

“Then it was a very good reason to lie,” Gabriel said, holding his hands up defensively. “Honesty isn’t always better than a little deception every now and then.”

 

“Is that how you sleep at night?” Ladybug scoffed.

 

“It’s how my son sleeps at night,” Gabriel said, adding the bell pepper to the onions and stirring them around. “Surprised he slept at all last night given the ruckus your former partner caused on the roofs across the street.”

 

“He just wanted to flex his muscles and toss Mayura around for a bit,” Ladybug muttered. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

 

“Unlike his new skill set,” Gabriel said, flipping the sizzling vegetables in the pan. “That little disappearing act he pulled seems to have caught you off guard.”

 

“We just need to iron out some kinks; he won’t get away from us next time,” Ladybug said, leaning on the counter. “...does the name Tsurugi mean anything to you?”

 

In response, Gabriel flicked the tip of his knife into the cutting board with a loud thunk , tapping the emblem laser etched into the blade of the knife.

 

“Nearly every professional kitchen in the world uses Tsurugi cutlery, cookware, or kitchen appliances,” Gabriel said. “But I’m guessing you’re not in the market for a new skillet.”

 

“Chat...got away from us last night,” Ladybug said, staring at the kanji on the knife blade. “Mayura thinks he ran into the house of Kagami Tsurugi, but when we asked to search for him, she wouldn’t let us in.”

 

“Can’t imagine she would,” Gabriel said, brow furrowing. “I know the girl; Adrien was involved with her for a few years and we ran in similar circles as her late mother. You don’t suppose that she’s in league with our friend in black, do you?”

 

“Certainly didn’t have a high opinion of me or Mayura,” Ladybug said. “Didn’t make any secret of letting us know it either...if we could have just gone into her house-”

 

“Be glad you didn’t force the matter,” Gabriel said, adding the chicken to the pan. “The Tsurugi family isn’t one to make an enemy of. They’re rich, influential, powerful-”

 

“And you aren’t?” Ladybug said, earning a sharp bark of laughter from Gabriel that made her skin crawl.

 

“Let’s just say there’s wealthy and then there’s wealthy,” Gabriel chuckled. “I’m nouveau riche; self-made people like myself aren’t always highly regarded by more ‘established’ families like the Tsurugis. My ancestors were pig farmers; theirs were nobility. They’ve had wealth and power longer than a great many nations and I would not advise you to start rooting around in that girl’s personal business without good cause.”

 

“She’s one woman; I think I can handle her.”

 

“A woman who’s won Olympic silver and survived a childhood with a crucible of a mother breathing down her neck,” Gabriel pointed out, stirring his lunch around the skillet. “By all means, do whatever you need to in order to get Chat Noir’s ring; just be careful you don’t get your spots sued off in the process.”

 

“Thank you for the sage advice,” Ladybug said, tensing as the front door opened.

 

”Relax, it’s not Adrien; he’s preparing for a date with some friends of his,” Gabriel said.

 

“Is that so?” Ladybug said, trying to sound casual.

 

“Yes, seems an ambitious young designer caught his eye,” Gabriel mused, turning his lunch around in the pan as he regarded Ladybug’s reflection in the polished chrome backsplash behind the stove. “Interesting girl; reminds me a lot of myself at that age.”

 

Three weeks ago, Marinette would have been on cloud nine if someone had compared her to a young Gabriel Agreste; now the comparison made her suppress a shudder of revulsion.

 

“Sounds like quite a girl,” Ladybug said, crossing her arms.

 

“Disappointed that someone beat you to Adrien’s affections?” Gabriel said, popping a piece of chicken in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully as he tipped the contents of the skillet onto a plate. “You wouldn’t be the first young lady taken with my son.”

 

“My...interest in your son is completely professional,” Ladybug said with a small cough. “Hope he and this lady friend enjoy their evening.”

 

“I’m sure they will,” Gabriel said, picking up the bottle of medicine and turning it over in his hands. “I’ll see what I can find out about this; I have some contacts in the forensics department who owe me a few favors.”

 

“Thanks,” Ladybug said, turning to head out the kitchen window.

 

“You should try and get some rest,” Gabriel called after her. “Forgive me for saying so, but you look like an absolute wreck. ”

 

“You just ooze charm, don’t you?” Ladybug grumbled, latching on to a nearby roof and swinging away. Gabriel watched her go for a moment, thoughtfully chewing a piece of chicken as Nathalie quietly entered from the side door.

 

“...for future reference, sir, young women don’t particularly like it when you comment on how tired they look,” Nathalie said, adjusting her glasses.

 

“Duly noted,” Gabriel said, rolling the medicine bottle across the counter towards Nathalie. “See what you can find out about this Dr. He person. Last thing we need is another self-important old fool making a mess of things when we’re so close to the finish line…”

 

---

 

Alya crossed her arms, staring at the blank Ladyblog queue with a small frown on her face.

 

For the first time in four years, there was no akuma attacks to report. No Ladybug and Chat Noir sightings outside the little press tour Ladybug had done with her new partner. It was as though Chat Noir had disappeared after their little sparring match the week before, melting into the shadows and vanishing without a trace.

 

Which was odd, given the fact that Chat rarely missed the chance to pose for pictures with tourists or mug for cameras while on a midnight stroll.

 

With nothing to post, Alya closed her laptop with a small sigh, turning around in her chair to close the window as a sudden breeze blew in-

 

“Hey there!”

 

Alya screamed, tumbling backwards and falling out of her chair as she caught sight of a pair of pretty green eyes staring at her from the windowsil.

 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Chat Noir said, twirling his communicator anxiously between his fingers as Alya righted herself. “Is this a bad time?”

 

“Depends,” Alya chuckled, brushing her pajama pants off. “Bad time for what?”

 

“Noticed that the Ladyblog was drying up with content and I thought I’d let you in on a little scoop,” Chat said, flicking open his communicator and turning it to show a log of text messages between him and Ladybug. “I was thinking ‘Ladybug Betrays Paris; Sides with Hawkmoth’ would a snappy headline, don't you?”

Notes:

Am I going to name all my chapters after lines from the Midnight Crew?

A better question is who is going to stop me?

So I was going to get to the date in this chapter but I figured Chat's chat (ha) with Alya was a good place to leave it (the fact that it's also 6500 words meant that it was a good place to stop as well. Kinda feel like a decompression chapter or two where nobody is fighting would be helpful to bring the pace back down a little bit. Next time we'll have the date and the fallout from Chat Noir going to Ms. Ladyblog with the receipts.

Thanks as always for the reviews/feedback! Pointing out questions you have with the story is helpful when writing the next chapter to see if there's anything I need to go back and explain better.

Prompt for this week; how are you feeling about our protagonists? Anything bugging (ha) you or anything you'd like addressed in future chapters?

Chapter 15: Drive the Wedge, Torch the Bridge

Notes:

Chapter title comes from this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MtnwN32ioo

 

Alya thought her Friday evening was going to be a boring one. She fully expected to spend it cleaning out the Ladyblog’s inbox and making a half-hearted attempt to organize her workspace before working on her essay for Monday morning.

 

She didn’t expect to be pulled into a national conspiracy with Ladybug at the center of it all.

 

“I...I don’t understand,” Alya said, paging through log of texts as Chat perched on the edge of her bed. “This doesn’t make any sense; why would Ladybug side with Hawkmoth?!”

 

“She’s not so much siding with him as she is working to achieve the same goal,” Chat Noir said. “Though, for all intents and purposes, that seems to be the same thing.”

 

"And what goal is that?" Alya asked, eyes gliding over page after page of heated text conversations she was never meant to see.

 

"Apparently he's been giving this city grief for the last four years because he wants to bring his family back," Chat Noir sniffed. "Ladybug seems to have taken his side and got a little put-out when I didn't instantly agree to help her. 

 

“Is that why…” Alya closed his communicator, passing it back to Chat with a curious frown. “Is that why you two were fighting last week? Is that why Ladybug’s been looking to replace you?”

 

“She more or less demanded my Miraculous and I had to destroy that bridge to just keep her from taking it,” Chat continued, running a hand through his hair. “She...Hawkmoth must have given her that peacock brooch to help her steal the ring off my finger.”

 

“...I see,” Alya said, jotting something down on her notepad as Chat talked. “So...why tell me this? Why not go to the police or the mayor or-”

 

“I need your help,” Chat said as he stood up. “Paris needs to know what’s really going on; they need to know that Ladybug and Hawkmoth are working together and I need to use the Ladyblog to get the message out before she lies to anyone else.”

 

“Local news shut you out, huh?” Alya chuckled, mostly as a way to break the tension a little bit.

 

“Local news doesn’t have your cred when it comes to Ladybug,” Chat said. “If it came from the Ladyblog, people might be more inclined to believe it. I mean, let’s face it; nobody else in this town has as much credibility when it comes to Ladybug other than...well, Ladybug.”

 

Alya nodded, still too stunned to do anything but frantically scribble notes on her pad. “...alright, I...something like this, I need time to work on it.”

 

“I took pictures of my communicator’s text log,” Chat said, rifling through his pockets and pulling out a thick manilla envelope. “This is everything starting from the conversation after our first argument. I don’t know if you need a statement or anything-”

 

“I’m going to start with this,” Alya said, weighing the packet of photos in her hand. “I’ll let you know if I have any questions...I mean, I probably will...God, I’m still trying to even wrap my head around this.”

 

“You and me both, sister,” Chat Noir chuckled. “It’s, uh...it’s been a tough week.”

 

“Well...enjoy your evening,” Alya said. “If what you’re saying is true-”

 

“It is ,” Chat insisted.

 

“-then you should probably take the night off,” Alya said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I’ll message your Ladyblog profile if I need anything.”

 

“Alright...and, uh...thanks,” Chat said, offering her a small smile. “Glad to have Paris’ number one superhero reporter on my side.”

 

Chat offered her a short two-fingered salute as he climbed out her window, leaving Alya staring at the packet of evidence and two pages of clumsily handwritten notes on her desk.

 

“So much for working on that essay,” Alya sighed, burying her face in her hands. "What have you gotten yourself into, girl..." 

 

---

 

He was watching her.

 

The camera’s grainy blue image caught sight of the garishly dressed peacock pacing back and forth on the roof across from Kagami’s townhouse, glancing around as though he were waiting for someone to arrive. Kagami kept an eye on the screen out of the corner of one eye while she quietly worked on a history essay in her favorite armchair.

 

“And I thought my Friday evening plans were dull,” Kagami clucked, putting the finishing touches on a paragraph as she watched Mayura keep his vigil silently. His arms were folded in around himself and every step he took seemed to brim with impatience and annoyance. Twice, he disappeared from the camera’s eye only to reappear a few seconds later, sighing and resuming his watch on her home.

 

His fingers fidgeted against his forearm, dancing up and down the blue material of his suit as though he were playing a piano scale...or fretting a guitar chord. Kagami distinctly remembered watching Adrien fidget in a similar way when he was bored, mentally running through finger exercises to keep his mind occupied.

 

Kagami quietly opened a moleskin notebook next to her laptop and scribbled “Musician?” under Mayura’s name before returning to her essay, humming under her breath as she typed.

 

---

 

There was something almost surreal about getting dressed for a date.

 

It was so painfully ordinary, Marinette could scarcely believe that it was actually happening still. A week before, when Adrien invited her out, she was still holding on to hope that she could make peace with Chat and bring their war against Hawkmoth to a close without any more hurt caused.

 

Now, she was just praying this would end sooner rather than later.

 

With Central St. Martin’s breathing down her neck to accept their offer, Chat’s insurrection couldn’t have come at a worse time. They had been fighting Hawkmoth for four years and now, she had less than nine months to put an end to it before she lost the chance to go to her dream school.

 

If she couldn’t figure out a way to draw Chat into the open, then…

 

Marinette shook her head, cinching the belt around the waist of her dress and stepping into her open toed heels. She could worry herself into a hole in the ground tomorrow morning; Mayura was keeping an eye on Kagami’s house and she doubted Chat would surface again so soon. Tonight, all she needed to worry about was what to order for dinner. Tonight, she could just pretend to be a normal person with normal problems that didn’t involve superpowered drama.

 

I’m going to need the practice, Marinette thought, nodding at her reflection in the mirror. Because someday I will be.

 

The promise of an ordinary life where she could pursue her ambitions unhindered by duty dangled just out of reach. In the quiet moments of doubt when she wondered if she was really doing the right thing, Marinette closed her eyes and pictured London. She pictured herself making friends with up and coming fashionistas and building the foundation of what would one day be her brand. She envisioned taking weekend trips to the mainland, coming and going from Paris without worrying whether or not the city would fall down without her holding it up.

 

It was that promise of a simple life of her own choosing that steeled Marinette against uncertainty.

 

“I’ll be back in a little bit,” Marinette said, shooting a small smile at Tikki which the bug kwami didn’t return. “Buzz me if you need anything.”

 

“I’m sure I won’t,” Tikki said, waving over her shoulder as Marinette disappeared through the trap door with a small sigh. She was going to need to do something about Tikki sooner or later; something to at least make peace with her increasingly surly kwami. Maybe she could steal into the kitchen before Adrien arrived and grab a plate of peace offering cookies…

 

The sound of shattering glass and her mother’s minced oath floated through the door as she nudged the door to the kitchen open. A plate of filled macarons lay scattered on the kitchen floor, shattered beyond any hope of salvation. The counters were lined to the ceiling with folded white boxes, half of them filled while her father frantically tried to mold the delicate pastries as quickly as he could.

 

“I’m...stepping out,” Marinette said, sticking her head in the kitchen. “Are you two alright?”

 

Tom and Sabine shared a brief glance. “Perfectly fine!” Tom said, waving at his daughter.

 

“Right on track!” Sabine added, sweeping up the macaron disaster with a slightly forced smile. “Have fun on your date, dear!”

 

“Are you sure you don’t need any-”

 

“No!” Tom and Sabine said forcefully, making Marinette jump a little.

 

“We have everything taken care of, honey,” Tom insisted.

 

“Take the night off,” Sabine added. “We’ll take care of this by the time you get back.”

 

Marinette lingered in the doorway, glancing between the pile of unfilled pastries and the boxes that still needed to be filled just as the front doorbell rang, drawing her attention away from the minor meltdown in the kitchen.

 

“I’ll be right back,” Marinette said, ignoring her parents’ cries of protest as she clacked down the hallway, throwing open the door and letting the cool autumn breeze.

 

“Hey, I-” Marinette paused as Adrien turned around, taking in the sight of Adrien in a tailored black blazer, his hair tousled by the wind. There was a limit to how cute a guy could be and Adrien seemed to find new ways to completely disregard that with just a look and a smile.

 

“Hey,” Adrien said, leaning on the door frame, eyes wandering over the lines of her dress in a way that made her stomach flip. “This a Dupain-Cheng original?”

 

“Modification, actually,” Marinette chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. “Look, I-”

 

“Adrien!” Tom cried, filling the door behind her as Sabine slid alongside her. “How nice to see you!”

 

“Nice to see you…too...” Adrien trailed off, tapping his left cheek as he noticed a glob of raspberry jam on Tom’s cheek. “Did you get into a fight with a fruit merchant or something?”

 

“Just a little overzealous with the pastry bag,” Tom chuckled, wiping the jam off his cheek and hastily wiping it on his apron. “Big order to fill-”

 

“A very big order,” Marinette said, shooting her father a glance. “Called in at the last minute too-”

 

“ But nothing we can’t handle,” Sabine added, nudging Marinette forward.

 

“Five hundred jelly pastries are hard to fill with two people,” Marinette said, nudging her mother back.

 

“Hard, but not impossible,” Tom added, patting Marinette on the shoulder as Adrien’s eyes bounced from Dupain to Dupain. “Which means-”

 

“Which means-” Marinette interjected.

 

“Which means...you want to stay here and help your family fill their order,” Adrien surmised, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

 

“No!” Tom and Sabine insisted.

 

“Yes!” Marinette replied at the same time.

 

“Absolutely not, young lady,” Sabine said, crossing her arms. “You are not going to waste another Friday night slaving over a cookie sheet!”

 

“But-”

 

“In fact, you’re reverse-grounded,” Tom said, lightly nudging his daughter forward. “No house chores or family business until you hang out with your friends, miss.”

 

“I’m sure Adrien will understand that I can’t just walk out on my parents when they’re up to their eyeballs in berry jam with a deadline creeping up on them,” Marinette insisted, glancing back at Adrien who frowned, deep in thought. “Three sets of hands are just a lot faster than two-”

 

“And four would be a lot faster than three, right?” Adrien interjected before Tom or Sabine could respond. Adrien was treated to the sight of the combined Dupain-Cheng family blinking in unison before they all started talking at once.

 

“Oh, we couldn’t ask you to-”

 

“I’m sure you have better places to be than-”

 

“It’s Friday night, dear-”

 

“Marinette wants to stay and help, right?” Adrien asked, turning to his date who nodded with a small, apologetic smile. “And the more people help, the faster it would get done, right?”

 

“Well...of course, but-”

 

“Adrien, it’s fine,” Marinette assured him. “You don’t have to stick around, really.”

 

“Yeah, but…” Adrien scratched the back of his head, offering a smile that never failed to make her pulse spike. “I wanted to spend time with you...and if this is where you’re going to be…”

 

Tom and Sabine shared a glance over Marinette’s head as a chilly breeze washed over her pinkening cheeks.

 

“...I think we have a spare apron in the cabinet?”

 

---

 

The door swung open before Nino could ring the doorbell again, and Alya’s tired, slightly nervous looking smile greeting him.

 

“Come in,” Alya said, taking Nino by the hand and tugging him through the darkened kitchen.

 

“I got your text, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Nino said, letting Alya drag him upstairs towards her bedroom. “Usually your booty call texts are a lot flirtier...”

 

“Wish I could say I was in the mood, but I’m really not, babe,” Alya sighed, closing and locking the bedroom door behind them.

 

“Is everything...okay?” Nino asked, frowning as his eyes roamed over the pile of papers spread out on the comforter of Alya’s bed.

 

“Hard to say,” Alya laughed, running a hand through her hair. “I’ve...I’ve been looking at this for hours now and I’m going crazy; I think I need your help something.”

 

“Is this normal something or super something?” Nino asked, scowling at what appeared to be a picture of printed out text messages. “Are these-”

 

“Chat Noir came to my room a few hours ago,” Alya rambled on, flopping into her office chair with a sigh. “You know that Ladynoir sparring match that totaled the bridge?”

 

“Sure,” Nino shrugged. “Figured they were just playing rough with each other.”

 

“Yeah, well…Chat says that wasn’t a sparring match,” Alya said. “He says that...they were fighting. For real this time...because Ladybug is apparently working with Hawkmoth.”

 

Nino’s first response was an involuntary laugh that echoed in the empty house. “...you’re joking, right?”

 

“ He wasn’t,” Alya said, rubbing her arm anxiously. “He was stone serious...he said that they’re working together to try and bring someone back to life and that they need the Ladybug and Black Cat to do it. Ladybug asked him to help her and when he refused...he said she stole the our Miraculous.”

 

“Stole them? Weren’t they hers to begin with?”

 

“I guess there’s a master nobody told us about?” Alya shrugged. “And that she was borrowing them from him but...something happened to him and Ladybug made off with the Miraculous, presumably to give to Hawkmoth.”

 

Nino shook his head, eyes scanning the sheafs of printed out text messages with a deepening frown. “This doesn’t make any sense…”

 

“He wants me to run an article on the Ladyblog,” Alya laughed, burying her face in her hands. “He wants me to go public with this information. I’ve somehow gone from being a part-time superhero and fanblogger to being at the center of a superpowered marital spat...what am I supposed to do?”

 

“You’re the journalist here; not me,” Nino said, walking around the side of Alya’s chair and sliding his hands along her shoulders. “I mean...this is wild; we can agree on that much, right?”

 

“Right…”

 

“So...when you have a lead on the story, what do you do?” Nino asked.

 

“I don’t know...follow up...fact check...make sure I’m printing the right information before I post anything,” Alya said, gesturing to the text logs spread out on her bed. “I mean, isn’t this proof enough?”

 

“I’m looking at cell-phone pictures of a Miraculous text chain,” Nino shrugged. “It doesn’t look good for Ladybug, but...hell, who’s to say these are even legit?”

 

“You think Chat Noir is lying?”

 

“Well either he’s lying or…” Nino sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Man, I don’t even want to think about or …”

 

“Either way, it’s bad news,” Alya muttered, chewing on her lower lip. Her eyes drifted between the pile of text messages on her bed and the open laptop on her desk. “But...I think I know what we need to do…or what I need to do anyway. You probably don’t need to be involved in this.”

 

“Yeah I do,” Nino said, kissing the top of her head. “Like I’m gonna let you walk into this without backup.”

 

“Have I told you lately you’re the best?” Alya chuckled, punching a number into her phone as she held it up to her ear. “Chloe? Hey, it’s Alya...listen, we gotta talk…”

 

---

 

Mayura’s foot tapped an uneasy rhythm as he sat on the edge of the roof across from Kagami Tsurugi’s house, eyes scanning the darkened horizon for any sign of Chat Noir. Much as he hated bailing on band practice, Marinette would be out of commission for most of the night and somebody needed to keep watch on the off chance that Chat Noir returned to his hiding spot.

 

Unlikely as it was, Mayura almost wanted Chat to show himself.

 

He was almost reluctant to detransform the night before, fighting the urge to go back and wait for Chat Noir to show himself so he ambush him properly. But despite his grand fantasies of kicking Chat Noir’s ass, the fact of the matter was that Mayura was punching far above his weight class when it came to Ladybug’s former partner. The ease with which Chat Noir tossed him around was frankly frightening, and a quiet part of Mayura’s mind wondered if there was even any hope of fighting him by himself.

 

Still, if he could get a picture of him coming out of Kagami’s house, then-

 

“Are you going to be there all night?”

 

Mayura’s train of thought slid off the rails as a voice called up to him from across the street. Kagami had come out onto the balcony outside her bedroom, setting down a tray of tea as she settled into a chair looking out over the street. Out of instinct more than anything else, Mayura ducked behind an air conditioning unit.

 

“I know you’re up there,” Kagami called. “My cameras have been on you since you arrived; I’ve been watching you watch me all night now.”

 

“How many cameras does this girl have?” Mayura muttered to himself, straightening up and stepping out from his hiding spot and hopping up onto the ledge of the roof.

 

“I’m just enjoying a night out on the town,” Mayura said with a small shrug. “It’s a free country; not like you own this building too.”

 

“I do, actually,” Kagami said as a window below Mayura slid open and a tall, burly Japanese man in a floral apron stuck his head out, craning his neck up to see what the commotion was. “Ojama shite sumimasen, Goto-san!”

 

Mayura shot the man a shaky wave as he stuck his head back in, closing the window behind him with a lingering glare in Mayura’s direction. “Goto-san used to work for my mother before he retired, and naturally I didn’t kick him out of his home when he stopped working for me,” Kagami explained as Mayura skipped off the roof he had lurked on, landing on the neighboring house with a flutter of blue feathers and a triumphant smirk.

 

“Okay, well...you don’t own this building do-”

 

“I’m going to save you a lot of time and trouble; my mother bought every house on this street when we moved here as an investment opportunity, so technically -”

 

“You gotta be kidding me,” Mayura muttered, hopping off the roof and landing on the street below Kagami’s balcony. “Look, I swear I’m not trying to spy on you or anything.”

 

“Exactly what someone who was trying to spy on me would say,” Kagami pointed out.

 

“It’s just...we ran into a scary guy last night and I wanted to make sure you were safe,” Mayura explained.

 

“Is this part of the standard superhero service?” Kagami chuckled, leaning over the railing. “Do you check in on everyone who has a brush with danger?”

 

“Well, I’m one for one so far,” Mayura chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “Second night on the real job, so thought I’d get off to a good start.”

 

“I’m sure this will reflect well on your performance review,” Kagami said, carefully regarding Mayura over the rim of her balcony. “I’m sorry if I was a touch curt with you and your lady friend last night; you had interrupted some much needed personal time and I feel I may have taken that out on you more than I should have.”

 

“Oh, uh...n-no need to apologize, madam,” Mayura said, coughing awkwardly into his hand, suddenly wishing he had Marinette’s knack for acting so effortlessly heroic. “All in a day’s work...or night’s work...you know what I mean.”

 

“I’m not sure if I should be flattered that I’m worth the attention or offended that you decided to call me madam ,” Kagami said, eyes narrowing. “Just how old do you think I am?”

 

“...I would answer that if I thought there was a right way to do so,” Mayura chuckled nervously. “Look...Ladybug wanted me to keep an eye on the place for the next few days in case anyone came by. I swear, we just wanted to make sure the...person we’re chasing isn’t going to come back and hurt you.”

 

“Must be quite the scary person if one of Paris’ heroes is permanently stationed outside my bedroom window,” Kagami said, head tilting back and forth as she thoughtfully regarded him.

 

“You could say that,” Mayura replied. Something about the way she looked at him made Mayura feel on edge; like she was deciding whether or not to pounce on him from the balcony above.

 

“Hard to be on the watch for someone when I don’t know what they look like,” Kagami said. “Who exactly is this person you’re worried about?”

 

“Someone you don’t want to get on the bad side of,” Mayura said. “Can’t exactly say anymore than that; sorry, for your own-”

 

“-protection, yes,” Kagami sighed, turning her attention back to her laptop. “Well, do whatever you feel is necessary, but I imagine you’re in for a rather dull evening.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Mayura muttered, backing up towards the middle of the avenue. “So I’ll just-”

 

“You can resume your perch across the street,” Kagami said. “Just try not to make too much noise; Goto-san gets peevish when you interrupt his evening soaps.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Mayura said, casting a glance across the street and nearly falling over when he saw Goto glaring out the window of his living room, the frilly apron stretched across his massive frame doing little to diminish the cold, wary suspicion in his eyes.

 

“Of course I get stuck watching the girl with an attack bear in an apron,” Mayura muttered, fluttering up off the street as Kagami watched him over the rim of her laptop.

 

---

 

“Well that was...something,” Adrien laughed, brushing the flour off his pants as Marinette passed him a warm washcloth to take some of the jam off his cheeks. “Got a little I Love Lucy there towards the end, but I think we made it.”

 

Marinette didn’t quite know why she found the image of Adrien covered in pastry residue so attractive; maybe it was the fact his shirt sleeves were rolled up and his collar was popped down to his collarbone. Maybe being attracted to bakers was one of those things she picked up from her mother.

 

“Thank you again for all this,” Marinette said, shooting her parents a wave as they loaded their delivery van with the last of the pastries. “I doubt this was the evening you had planned.”

 

“Hey, some people would pay a lot of money to have a date at a French bakery,” Adrien said, scrubbing his cheeks down as Marinette hung their aprons up. “Your folks could probably run a side business teaching Americans how to make bread.”

 

“The fact that my mother even let you in her kitchen is a small miracle,” Marinette chuckled. “I doubt she’d open the doors to her bakery to any tourist who wanted to play baker for a day.”

 

“I’ll take that as a compliment then,” Adrien said, rubbing his forearms with a small wince. “Man, baking really takes it out of you, doesn’t it?”

 

“In more ways than one,” Marinette said, fetching Adrien a bottle of water from the fridge. “I don’t know if I could handle the kind of dawn to dusk schedule my parents operate under.”

 

“Early bird gene must’ve skipped a generation then,” Adrien chuckled, leaning on the counter as he checked his watch. “Shoot...I think our restaurant just shut its doors.”

 

“Sorry,” Marinette said.

 

“For what?”

 

“You...went and planned this night out and my parents’ pastry predicament put a pin in it,” Marinette sighed. “I was...really looking forward to hanging out with you tonight.”

 

“We hung out,” Adrien said. “Just did it over a pile of pastries instead of a table at Le Grand Paris.”

 

“Ugh, I missed out on Marlena’s cooking too?!” Marinette moaned, morosely taking a bite out of a pastry. “It’s seriously been weeks since I’ve eaten anything that wasn’t baked and stuffed with some kind of filling…”

 

“Remind me to bring you a salad or something on Monday,” Adrien said. “Seriously though...I had fun tonight.”

 

“Glad one of us did,” Marinette muttered a little louder than intended. “N-Not that I didn’t like spending time with you, because I did! It’s just…”

 

Marinette shrugged, stuffing her mouth with another bite of pastry as Adrien frowned thoughtfully at her.

 

“You work...three jobs?” Adrien said, cocking his head.

 

“Feels like four,” Marinette chuckled. Feels like a lot more lately.

 

“On top of applying to design schools and graduating lycee?” Adrien snorted, shaking his head. “And I thought I was the one with the crazy schedule.”

 

“Certainly surpassed you there,” Marinette said, avoiding Adrien’s almost paternal look of concern. “I’m not biting off more than I can chew, I promise.”

 

“You’re not doing a hell of a lot for yourself either,” Adrien pointed out.

 

“Life of a young designer is not the most glamorous,” Marinette sighed. “Look at your father; how many jobs did he work to get Gabriel off the ground?”

 

“My father isn’t the kind of person I would recommend looking up to,” Adrien countered. “I mean, I love him in a ‘he’s my father so I have to’ kind of way, but look at where all that hustle got him; three different hypertension medications and a fractured home life.”

 

“Okay, bad example,” Marinette admitted. “I just...no one else is going to fight for the kind of life I want except me. A much help as I get from my friends and family, it’s...it’s just always going to come down to me doing what I need to do to...I don’t want to be stuck making pastries for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be stuck in this city for the rest of my life…”

 

“I didn’t realize you felt so trapped,” Adrien muttered.

 

“Selfish of me, I know-”

 

“Who says being selfish is always bad?” Adrien countered, leaning against the counter next to Marinette. “Who says you have to always drop everything you’re doing and take care of someone else’s needs?”

 

“That’s the ‘right’ thing to do, isn’t it?” Marinette chuckled.

 

“It’s not right that you feel like no one else cares about your dreams except you,” Adrien said, lightly bumping her hip with his. “You don’t have to sacrifice the things you want just because you think you have some responsibility to the people around you. With all you do for your friends and family, I’d say...maybe it’s high time you acted a little selfish.”

 

“I’ll...try to remember that,” Marinette said.

 

“It’s that or I start kidnapping you before you work yourself to death,” Adrien chuckled, shooting her a small wink. “Still owe you that dinner you know.”

 

“Still bummed I had to miss out on it tonight,” Marinette said, offering him a small smile. “I think I’m free next week...barring another pastry disaster.”

 

“Tell your parents if they want my help again, they’re gonna need to start paying me,” Adrien chuckled, plucking his jacket off a coathook on the back door. “Cash, check, or croissant delivery only.”

 

“I’ll let them know,” Marinette said, plucking a few pastries off the counter and stuffing them into a bag as she followed Adrien out the back door. “Thanks again, by the way. For the help and...well, for the advice.”

 

“Thanks for the crash course in pastry making,” Adrien said, immediately cracking the bag open and stuffing an apricot pastry in his mouth. “Next time I’ll pack a change of clothes in case something comes up and we have to avert another baked goods catastrophe.”

 

“I’ll let you know if there are any massive croissant orders coming down the pipeline,” Marinette said, offering him a small wave as he backed down the street. “Careful walking home; holler for Ladybug if you need any help.”

 

Adrien passed through a streetlight only long enough to catch the tail end of a sad, sour expression before shooting her a small smile. “Yeah...I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Adrien headed down the sidewalk, humming under his breath as Marinette watched him chew on the pastry. “Well...not exactly how I thought my first date with Adrien would go,” Marinette chuckled to herself, locking the door behind her and turning off the lights in the kitchen. Still, covered in flour, pastry crumbs, and no small amount of fruit filling, she allowed herself to relish the small moment of peace that had come at the end of such a chaotic week.

 

Breaking through the trapdoor with a sigh, Marinette walked over to her laptop, idly browsing her social media accounts and checking her email. Amid a follow-up email from Central Saint Martins and a few emails from Alya about the project she was working on, a blinking notification in the Social tab of her email client caught her attention.

 

Ladyblog Admin: [1] Unread Message!

 

Marinette let out a fond sigh, shaking her head as she clicked on the email. Having an official presence on the Ladyblog as Ladybug was awkward at first, but in the more trying times of her career as a superhero, letters from grateful citizens always managed to lift her spirits.

 

Only this time, the message was a little less encouraging.

 

A chill washed through Marinette as she opened the email, a sickening, gnawing pit of fear growing in her stomach as she read the message. Her fingers shook as she scanned the contents of the message, breath hitching and catching in her chest as her head swam.

 

“No…” Marinette muttered, fingers pressed against her lips. “No, no, no...oh, God, Chat, what did you do?!”

 

---

 

“What?!”

 

Kagami glanced over the rim of her laptop at Mayura’s outburst echoed down the street. He seemed to be talking into a communicator, clearly agitated as he started pacing the roof.

 

“How did he...no...no, just stay there...I’m on my way.”

 

Closing the communicator with a dark oath, Mayura took off, building up speed on the rooftops before leaping off and gliding across the city.

 

Frowning, Kagami fished her phone out of her pocket and punched Adrien’s number in, wrapping her jacket around her shoulders as a chill set in.

 

“Hello?” Adrien answered after a moment, a cheery lilt in his voice.

 

“That bird I saw the other night was back again,” Kagami said, slipping into Japanese in case anyone was still listening. “ Something must have startled him.”

 

“I wonder what it could have been,” Adrien replied, a smug smirk evident even in his voice.

 

“Did you get into any mischief while I wasn’t looking?” Kagami asked.

 

“Wait and see; I’m sure it will all be clear tomorrow morning,” Adrien said.

 

“If you say so…” Kagami sighed. “ Just...wanted to make sure you were safe.”

 

“Apart from covered in flour, I think I’m okay,” Adrien chuckled.

 

“What exactly did you two get up to?” Kagami said.

 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” Adrien said. “ Let’s just say I think things are looking up for us.”

 

“Don’t jinx it,” Kagami clucked. “I'll talk to you in the morning.”

 

“We can get a celebratory breakfast,” Adrien said. “If I played my hand correctly, I think I found a way to handle our bug problem.”

 

Kagami set her phone down with a small sigh, leg shaking as she tried to shake the sneaking sensation that something was amiss.

 

---

 

Adrien woke the next morning to the sound of his phone buzzing next to his ear, shaking off the cobwebs of sleep as he rolled over, flicking the television on as he rose with an exceptionally feline stretch.

 

Glancing at his screen, he noticed the red light on top flashing and a message that informed him that he had missed thirteen calls in the past half hour, all from Kagami. Frowning, Adrien started calling her number, dimly aware of a special news bulletin going on in the background on his television.

 

“Couldn’t wait to talk to me, could you?” Adrien chuckled as he picked up the phone.

 

“Where are you?!” Kagami panted, panic creeping into her voice. “ I-I’ve been trying you all morning, I’ve been-”

 

“Hey, slow down, I just woke up,” Adrien said, frowning as he sat back down on his bed. “Is everything okay?”

 

Kagami’s end was silent for a long moment. “ You haven’t seen the Ladyblog, have you?”

 

“Just woke up,” Adrien said, rubbing Plagg’s head as he burrowed out of the covers next to him. “Anything interesting posted?”

 

“Adrien,” Kagami said, voice quavering as she tried to keep it level. “I need you to be calm right now...no matter what happens, I need you to be calm right now.”

 

“You’re scaring me, Kagami,” Adrien said, switching his phone to speaker mode as he opened his browser. “What’s going on, what’s-”

 

The front page of the Ladyblog opened to a brand new headline. Adrien frowned in confusion for a moment, reading it once, twice, three times as a slow wave of dread washed over him.

 

“I...I don’t understand…” Adrien panted, heart throbbing in his ears. “This isn’t...this isn’t…”

 

"Was this part of your plan?" Kagami asked. "Because if it was-" 

 

"No, this...this isn't what I wanted," Adrien said, teeth gritting together. "This isn't what I wanted at all..." 

 

“Adrien, please,” Kagami begged through the phone. “ I know you’re upset, I know you’re scared, but you have to be smart right now! This is clearly some kind of trap! You can’t-”

 

The rest of Kagami’s warning was swallowed by an angry scream as Adrien transformed, leapt out the window, and started barreling towards Mayor Andre’s residence across the rooftops as fast as he could.

---

Chat Noir Betrays Paris; Sides with Hawkmoth

 

In an exclusive interview with the Ladyblog, Ladybug confirmed that last week’s battle between her and Chat Noir was far more serious than an ordinary sparring match.

 

“It pains me to say this,” Ladybug told Ladyblog reporter Alya Cesaire late last night in an exclusive interview. “But Chat Noir tried to steal my Miraculous a little more than a week ago with the intent of supporting Hawkmoth. When I refused to surrender my earrings, he attacked me and we fought throughout the streets of Paris. I managed to drive him off, but he’s made it clear that he and I are enemies now.”

 

“I know this may be shocking to hear,” Ladybug continued. “But Chat Noir made his choice. And I’m asking Paris to help me bring him to justice before anyone gets hurt.”

 

A special press conference with more information will be held Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in front of the Mayor’s residence. This story is still breaking, so please stay tuned to the Ladyblog for more details. 

 

When asked if she had any words for her former partner, Ladybug had only this to say. "You brought this on yourself." 

Notes:

I mean, did you really expect Adrien to have good luck?

Happy Thanksgiving American readers ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Chapter 16: Don't Want to Die In Here

Summary:

Chapter title once again comes from Heel Turn 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MtnwN32ioo) by the Mountain Goats which is now required listening for the press conference scene in this fic.

I expect a full 250 word essay on how this song about bad guy wrestlers relates to Marinette's feelings of helplessness in the face of the crushing responsibility she's lived with since she was a child.

Extra Credit: Explain how Unmasked! from the same album relates to Chat Noir's perspective.

Notes:

HEY GANG, I realize you have strong feelings about characters in this fic and I appreciate that, but if you could please tone down the vitriol in the comment section I would appreciate it greatly. Without naming names, some of the comments have gotten a little more heated than I'm comfortable with and they're honestly a little upsetting to read.

 “You ready?”

 

Ladybug nodded, taking a deep breath to quell the rising tide of nerves that threatened to drown her where she stood. Mayura laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving her a small squeeze as they headed up the wooden stairs and onto the podium Mayor Andre erected in front of his house. Carapace, Queen Bee, and Rena Rouge stood off to one side as she passed, eyes not leaving her as she stepped out of the curtain and into a sea of flashing lights.

 

“Ladybug, are the rumors true?!”

 

“Did Chat Noir really betray you?”

 

“Why is he working with Hawkmoth?”

 

“How long has he been working against the city?”

 

“How does this betrayal affect your secret love-child?”

 

“Are he and Hawkmoth romantically involved?”

 

“One at a time, people,” Mayura said, holding up a hand to quell the stream of questioning. “Ladybug has something she needs to say, and then we’ll do a quick Q&A session after she’s done.”

 

Silence fell over the crowd of reporters and onlookers. Mayor Andre stood off to one side, his secretary whispering frantically in his ear. Two kids in black and green cat-print shirts caught her eye as she swept the crowd, looking up at her as though they were waiting for her to deny the allegations she put out the night before.

No turning back now...

“Good morning,” Ladybug said, clearing her throat. “I’ve called this press conference to confirm the rumors that Chat Noir has turned on Paris and sided with Hawkmoth in order to steal our Miraculous.”

 

Silence lingered for another moment before the crowd erupted in a wave of panicked, angry cries.

 

---

Twelve Hours Earlier...

---

 

 

From: Ladyblog Admin

To: Ladybug

Message:

We need to talk. Le Grand Paris. Rooftop. Midnight.

 

“No…” Marinette muttered, fingers pressed against her lips. “No, no, no...oh, God, Chat, what did you do?!”

 

A picture of a pile of screenshotted text messages was attached to the message from the Ladyblog, each showing page after page of Ladybug begging her partner to help Hawkmoth and give up his ring. Alya Cesaire—her best friend, Rena Rouge, and most importantly, editor of the Ladyblog—had been hand delivered piles of evidence that tied Ladybug to Paris’ greatest terrorist.

 

It was a full minute and a half before Marinette composed herself long enough to look at the screen again which only brought a fresh wave of panic coursing through her.

 

“Oh God, what do I do?” Marinette moaned, grateful her parents weren’t around to hear what she imagined was a very loud, protracted nervous breakdown. “What do I do...what do I do...what do I do…”

 

Her head swam as her mind cycled through a myriad of increasingly catastrophic scenarios, scrambling for some kind of foothold she could grasp onto as Tikki poked her head out of the cabinet, scanning the screen as Marinette paced the floor of her bedroom.

 

“Marinette,” Tikki said in a soft, gentle tone she hadn’t used with Marinette in a while. “Marinette, please, just breathe...breathe…”

 

Marinette sank to her fainting couch, head dipping between her knees as she forced each breath to be slower than the one that came before it. Tikki landed on her shoulder, nuzzling into the corner of her neck with a small sigh. “It’s over.”

 

“What am I supposed to do?” Marinette said, fingers bunching in the fabric of her flour-stained dress.

 

“You know what you’re supposed to do,” Tikki said gently. “This doesn’t have to break badly for you...this can all still be over tonight. You can call Chat; you can take Hawkmoth down together.”

 And then Adrien loses his father.

 “And then Adrien loses his father,” Marinette laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. “Great; back to square flipping one.”

 

“Adrien’s father is a horrible person-”

 

“And the last family Adrien has,” Marinette sighed, fingers running through her hair. “I’m supposed to just orphan him then? And then look him in the eye tomorrow? I can’t be responsible for that, Tikki, I can’t-”

 

“You are Ladybug, ” Tikki said sternly. “You are responsible for the safety of an entire city. I am sorry that Adrien is going to be the one suffering for something he has no role in, but there is no other way to end this. You cannot be blinded by the well-being of one person.”

 

Marinette stared blankly at the floor for a long moment. “...so, this has nothing to do with Nooroo then?”

 

Tikki blinked, floating back to look at the angry, bitter look of defeat on Marinette’s face. “That isn’t the same thing.”

 

“You want me to defeat Hawkmoth because you want me to rescue your friend,” Marinette said, chewing the inside of her lip. “Doesn’t matter who gets hurt as long as Nooroo is safe, right?”

 

“This is about more than just Nooroo, this is about-”

 

“The fate of the city, I know,” Marinette said. “A fate I have not stopped fighting for, by the way. Just because I’m trying to mitigate the fallout a little doesn’t mean I’ve stopped caring.”

 

“You’ve just stopped fighting the enemy you’re supposed to be fighting!” Tikki snapped.

 

“How many akuma attacks have there been besides Warning Shot who was only akumatized because Chat was being a brat?” Marinette asked. “I thought I was supposed to put a stop to akuma attacks; seems to me like I’ve done that. After four years of pointless fighting, I did that.”

 

“You’re really counting on Hawkmoth to hold up his end of the bargain?” Tikki sniffed.

 

“Hey, so far so good,” Marinette said, slowly standing up. “I am under no delusion that Gabriel is a good person, or even an honorable one. But the fact of the matter is that as long as this deal keeps going, we have no more akuma attacks. We move this war out of the streets of Paris and only involve people who know what they’re doing!”

 

“And how long do you expect this little ceasefire of yours to last?!”

 

“Long as I can help it,” Marinette said, slowly rising to her feet as she pushed panic aside and began formulating a plan. “Transform me.”

---

“Where the hell have you been?!”

 

Gabriel opened the door to his study to find his window open and an irate Ladybug wearing a track in his carpet.

 

“Making toast ,” Gabriel said, setting his dinner down on a table and closing and locking a door behind him. “Adrien is coming home from his date soon, so whatever this is about-”

 

“We have a problem,” Ladybug said, tapping her foot against the floor.

 

“Clearly; we don’t communicate unless there is one,” Gabriel sighed, rubbing his eyes. “What is it this time? Is Kagami causing more problems than we thought she would?”

 

“Worse,” Ladybug said, flipping a phone around and showing Gabriel the image of the chat logs on Alya’s bed. “Chat went to the press with the text logs showing us arguing about whether to help you or not. Tomorrow, all of Paris is gonna know that we’re in cahoots.”

 

“...I see,” Gabriel said, taking a small bite of his toast. “Bit fucked then, aren’t we?”

 

“Unless I figure out some way to stop this before it leaks,” Ladybug sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I have two hours to come up with a plan before I have to meet the Ladyblog’s editor. Ideas; now.”

 

“She called a meeting?” Gabriel said, raising an eyebrow. “She wants to meet with you before she posts the story?”

 

“Yeah, I guess she wants to get the facts of the case before she goes ahead with publishing it,” Ladybug said, folding her arms. “And I’m kinda blanking on what I’m supposed to tell her to stop the story from running.”

 

“Really?” Gabriel chuckled. “I thought the answer was obvious.”

 

“Enlighten me then,” Ladybug said, watching Gabriel pace over to the window, rubbing his chin.

 

“If Ms. Cesaire wants to meet, I say you meet with her,” Gabriel continued. “I say you take Mayura with you and try and group the rest of your allies together in once place at one time. Sit them down, buy them coffee, and confirm their suspicions.”

 

“That’s exactly what we’re trying to stop from happening,” Ladybug sighed.

 

“Let me finish,” Gabriel said, turning back to face Ladybug. “You tell them that you and Chat have been fighting, which is true. You tell them that he tried to steal your Miraculous, which is true. You tell them that he stole a box of Miraculous out from under your nose, which is true.”

 

“Where are you going with this?” Ladybug said, brow knitting.

 

“Then...you tell Ms. Cesaire that it is Chat Noir, not you, that has thrown his lot in with Hawkmoth,” Gabriel concluded.

 

Ladybug blinked, shaking her head as she turned away. “That’s insane…”

 

“Is it?” Gabriel asked. “History has shown that Paris is more inclined to believe you over Chat. That incident with Copycat a while ago sticks out, but-”

 

“You want me to publicly slander Chat Noir?” Ladybug scoffed. “That’s your solution?”

 

“...technically, since it’s in print, it’s considered libel, but-”

 

“I take it back. Your plan isn’t insane; you are.”

 

“I don’t understand what the problem is here,” Gabriel laughed somewhat incredulously. “You are being gifted an opportunity to decisively tip the scales in your favor-”

 

“By spreading lies about my partner...ex-partner,” Ladybug muttered.

 

“By allowing the Ladyblog to spread one, ” Gabriel said, holding his finger up. “Chat Noir tried to steal your Miraculous, right or wrong?”

 

“Right, but-”

 

“Chat Noir made off with twelve other Miraculous, correct?”

 

“Again, true, but-”

 

“He is holding up a deal that will secure peace for Paris because his feelings got hurt, true?”

 

“But he still doesn’t deserve to…to…” Ladybug trailed off. “This isn’t right.”

 

“I must say, you are being remarkably considerate about someone who is behaving so inconsiderately towards you,” Gabriel said, folding his arms. “Noble, to be sure, but it appears your erstwhile partner lacks your sense of fair play...do you really think he’d extend you the same courtesy?”

 

Ladybug opened her mouth, brow knitting as she crossed her arms, lips pursing as Gabriel stepped off his perch on the wall

 

“You have done nothing but give him chances to cooperate with you,” Gabriel continued. “You’re still trying to get him to cooperate with you. And how does he respond? He steals what’s rightfully yours and tries to undo the years of good work you’ve done with a blog post. He continues to harass and attack your allies and tries to undermine you and still you give him the chance to work with you. How many chances does Chat Noir get? What does he have to do to convince you that he isn’t interested in cooperating? That he’s intent on taking your Miraculous and using it in a misguided crusade for revenge?”

 

Ladybug was silent as Gabriel stood in front of her, hands tucked in his pockets as he looked her over. “The alternative is that you are cast out of Parisian society; that you are hounded by police and government officials and a score of other Miraculous users. It means that our goal becomes infinitely harder to achieve and every good work you’ve done over the last four years gets immediately and irrevocably erased from the memory of this city.”

 

“So Chat Noir deserves to be totally smeared then?” Ladybug asked, cold blue eyes glaring up at Gabriel.

 

“You didn’t make the choice to bring your spat public,” Gabriel pointed out. “ He did. He chose to involve the press; he chose to drag your name through the mud. He seems to have no qualms about ruining your reputation; why should you have qualms about flipping his little tactic back on him?”

 

“Because it’s...cheap,” Ladybug said, somewhat lamely.

 

“It was cheap to involve the press in the first place,” Gabriel countered. “Cheap and desperate; he must be so short of allies that he feels the need to discredit you to even have a fighting chance.”

 

“Do we really want to push him if he’s that desperate?” Ladybug asked, massaging her temples with her fingertips.

 

“Desperate people make mistakes,” Gabriel said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Tarnishing his reputation is the quickest way to get him out in the open and making stupid mistakes and with the rest of your team on your side, you could set a trap for him that he would run gladly into. This could be over tomorrow if you play your cards right tonight.”

 

“You’re not hurting him,” Gabriel said as the silence between them stretched on longer than he felt comfortable. “You’re not torturing him, you’re not putting his life in danger. You are cutting him off from his cherished celebrity and giving him yet another chance to surrender himself. Do you really think he’ll fight so fiercely when people are no longer chanting his name?”

 

“There has to be an alternative…” Ladybug muttered.

 

“The alternative is that you find the entire city aligned against you,” Gabriel said, voice taking on a steely quality. “And let me remind you that it’s taken me four years to make any progress because I’ve been unable to act openly due to pending charges of domestic terrorism. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly want to waste the rest of my life fighting for my family’s future; do you?”

 

Ladybug said nothing as Gabriel sat down at his desk, organizing his sketches as Ladybug stared aimlessly into space. “The choice, of course, is yours...but I insist you think about pursuing this course of action and ask yourself just how much longer you want to do this. 

 

Ladybug said nothing, lips pursed as she stared at the smooth marble tile for a long moment as Gabriel wordlessly went about his work. He didn’t look up as she walked towards the window, only turning around when she was gone to watch her swing away over the darkening streets until she was long out of sight.

 

---

 

Ladybug touched down on a blank and seemingly empty rooftop a few blocks from Le Grand Paris, coming to a stop as she feared the weight of her decision would eventually snap the fragile yo-yo string that kept her aloft. Silence pressed in around her as she paced the roof, head swimming as she searched for some answer, some alternative that would give her the results she wanted without crossing a line she never believed she would even reach.

 

As she paced, she became increasingly aware of the chill in the air and the dark corners of the city that hadn’t seemed so frightening before. At times when Chat Noir was being exceptionally flippant or childish, she had felt like the fate of the city rested solely on her shoulders. A small part of her took pride in being the one with the plan; the one who always came up with a strategy to solve whatever stood in their way.

 

Now Ladybug found herself wishing it wasn’t all up to her.

 Just how much longer do you want to do this?

She had a choice; lie and tell the whole city that Chat Noir was working for Hawkmoth or allow him to completely destroy her reputation and make ending the fight in her favor all but impossible. The first choice rankled the steely sense of justice her parents had instilled in her since she was a child; the second choice made Marinette Dupain-Cheng blanch, though not because she was worried about her action figure line.

 

If Chat’s story ran unedited, her escape from the endless akuma cycle only got further and further away. He would drag the city into a civil war rather than allow one terrible person to live in quiet anonymity with his family. As much as she wanted to see Gabriel punished for what he had subjected her to, it was almost worth letting him go if it meant a normal Christmas and a chance at a normal life after school.

 Just how much longer do you want to do this?

 But to do that, she needed to-

 

Her anxious spiral was interrupted by a set of boots landing on the far side of the roof. Ladybug whipped around, yo-yo snapping out in pure instinct and smashing into the brickwork next to Mayura’s head.

 

“Whoa, whoa, easy!” Mayura said, holding his hands up. “It’s me, it’s me!”

 

Ladybug let her yo-yo fall to the roof as she leaned on a nearby air conditioning unit, taking weak, shaky breaths as Mayura tentatively approached.

 

“I got your call...” Mayura said, reaching a hand out gently as Ladybug pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

 

“No…” Ladybug sighed, fighting the almost uncontrollable wave of sobs that bubbled up in her chest. “No...I’m...I can’t…”

 

“Hey, breathe,” Mayura said, cape wrapping around Ladybug’s shaking shoulders. “Breathe...deep breaths now, come on…”

 

It was such a familiar motion; one that Luka had done to Marinette so often in the past when the stress of her own brilliance threatened to collapse around her. His arms wrapped around her shoulders (just tight enough to make her feel secure), his cape hid her from view (to protect her from any possibility of embarrassment) and his voice hummed a low, shushing sound that seemed to stem the oncoming panic before it could take hold of her.

 

“You okay?” Mayura repeated.

 

“...I’m tired,” Ladybug said in a small, quiet voice that Mayura almost didn’t capture. “Four years of this...four years of this and now I…”

 

Ladybug pressed her forehead into the feathered shoulder of Mayura’s cloak. “Alya wants to meet...she wants my side of the story before she runs the story Chat told her.”

 

“Smart woman,” Mayura said, trying not to indulge too heavily in the strawberry scented locks of hair just under his nose.

 

“...I have the chance to totally flip this around on Chat,” Ladybug said. “To...to out him in front of the whole city as the one working with Hawkmoth…”

 

“That’s...that’s great, isn’t it?” Mayura asked, a strange surge of savage thrill rushing through him. “We could have the whole city looking for him! Who’s gonna team up with him once we show the city his true colors?”

 

Ladybug stared aimlessly into the rows of woven blue and purple feathers on Mayura’s chest. “They’re going to hate him…”

 

“So?”

 

“He...we used to be friends,” Ladybug sighed, disentangling from the hug and ambling aimlessly towards the edge of the roof. “We were more than that, really…”

 

A sudden and altogether unwarranted sense of jealousy bubbled up inside Mayura. “Were you two...close?”

 

“Yes...and no,” Ladybug laughed, shaking her head. “We probably spent a grand total of a few months’ worth of hours together in the last four years...but you can’t help being attached to someone who you go through so much weird stuff with.”

 

A sad, almost wistful smile crossed Ladybug’s face. “You ever...did you ever see that movie about the guy who gets trapped between two rocks?”

 

“Is that the one where he has to cut off his arm to get away?” Mayura asked with a small shudder.

 

“Yeah...gross, right?” Ladybug said, staring into the city below. “I remember watching that and thinking to myself...I couldn’t do that. I need my arms to draw and sew and do all sorts of things; how could I cut it off? Would it even be worth surviving with just one arm?”

 

Ladybug’s smile slowly slipped off her face. “But then...you’re stuck. You’re trapped...there’s no way out except to just...hack off your arm. And even if it’s messy and even if it hurts and even if there’s no way to get that arm back...at least a one-armed life is still a life, right? You look up at your arm and think...I’m going to miss you, but I don’t want to die in here.”

 

“Especially if that arm tries to stab you in the back when you aren’t looking,” Mayura added, brow knitting. “...we’re talking about Chat, right?”

 

“Something like that,” Ladybug said, turning to Mayura with a small, sad smile that just about broke his heart. “You know...I think I’ve done a good job for this city for a long time...haven’t always been perfect, but I’ve given it my all…”

 

“I’d say more than that,” Mayura said, leaning on the edge of the roof next to her. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how tired you always were.”

 

“Still am,” Ladybug said with a deep, almost resolute sigh. “Tired of being tired...tired of being tired of being tired... but I guess I’m just tired of being Ladybug. I think I just want to be...Marinette for a while. Just an ordinary person with an ordinary life...”

 

Ladybug shook her head, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Can you do something for me?”

 

“Anything,” Mayura said, almost as soon as she had spoken. “Absolutely anything.”

 

---

 

“This is still such bullshit .”

 

Alya sighed through her nose, watching her breath condense in front of her as Chloe stood shivering and pouting between her and Nino.

 

“Unbelievable,” Chloe huffed. “I’m nice enough to be honest about my cool secret identity and you dweebs don’t tell me for four years! And then it’s not even to do anything cool! It’s just ‘oh hey Chloe, I’m a furry, my boyfriend is a Ninja Turtle, Ladybug might be evil, and we need to use your rooftop to confront her in case she is crazy! No buildup; no courtesy! Just a superhero booty call out of nowhere-”

 

“Nino, could you do the thing?”

 

“-and now here I am, freezing my cute little butt off on top of my own roof so that you can- ow!” Chloe yelped as Nino reached up and lightly yanked on her ponytail, slapping him in the arm.

 

“She’s like a lamp; just tug on her and she turns off,” Nino snickered, ignoring the glare and stuck out tongue from Chloe as he huddled closer to Alya. “...you okay?”

 

“Peachy,” Alya said, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “My childhood heroine might be insane and I’m meeting her on a rooftop thirteen stories over the streets of Paris...babe, if Ladybug kills me, please delete my internet history.”

 

“Ladybug isn’t going to kill you unless she’s already killed me,” Nino said, wrapping a protective arm around Alya’s waist. “Chloe is going to have to delete both of our internet histories.”

 

“Not after going through them first,” Chloe said, eyeing Nino and Alya. “I’m a little curious now…”

 

Things were truly looking dire when Chloe’s incessant whining proved to be a calming influence for Alya who still felt like she was making a mistake. Perhaps it was four solid years of barely restrained Ladybug worship screaming at her to trust Ladybug and forget about whatever nonsense Chat was on about. But something about the way Chat had come to her coupled with the piles of evidence he produced gave her enough pause to orchestrate this little meeting.

 

Something wasn’t quite adding up for Alya…

 

A flash of red appeared on the horizon just after the clock started chiming midnight, and for the first time in her life, Alya wasn’t looking forward to Ladybug’s arrival.

 

“Alright,” Alya said, taking a deep breath and disentangling herself from Nino’s grasp. “We clear on the plan?”

 

Nino and Chloe shared an uneasy look before nodding.

 

“Good,” Alya said, straightening her jacket. “Follow my lead…”

 

Ladybug touched down on the far side of Le Grand Paris’ roof taking note of Nino and Chloe with a small look of surprise. “Wow, gang’s all here, aren’t the-”

 

“That’s close enough for now,” Alya said, one hand clutching her phone as Ladybug stopped in her tracks, looking a little wounded. “We can talk fine like this, for now…”

 

“Okay,” Ladybug said in a smooth, even voice like she was trying to calm a startled horse. “Alright...I’m not going to hurt you, Alya.”

 

“Good,” Alya said, quavering voice barely noticeable over the hum of the air conditioning units. “Because we have about twenty security cameras-”

 

“Twenty-seven,” Chloe chimed in.

 

“- twenty-seven cameras ready to record you if you try anything funny,” Alya said, fishing Chat Noir’s packet of photographs out from her coat and tossing them across the roof at Ladybug’s feet. “You got my email?”

 

“Wouldn’t be here otherwise,” Ladybug said, picking up the parcel and turning it over in her hands. “I’m just wondering what it is Chat Noir told you.”

 

“Pretty juicy scoop,” Alya said, crossing her arms. “He said you betrayed Paris and are working with Hawkmoth. He said you’re trying to bring Hawkmoth’s wife back to life and that there’s no plans on you bringing Hawkmoth in when everything’s said and done.”

 

Alya studied Ladybug’s guarded expression carefully. “He said you took our Miraculous.”

 

Ladybug fingered the envelope in her hands for a moment, turning it over as she seemed to be avoiding Alya’s gaze.

 

“Well...that part is true,” Ladybug said, looking back up at Alya. “Our Master fell ill and I took them for safekeeping.”

 

“That’s what Chat said about the Miraculous he took,” Alya countered.

 

“I’m sure he did,” Ladybug said, putting two fingers in her mouth and whistling loudly. Before Alya could look around to see what Ladybug was whistling for, something floated overhead, dropping three things on the ground in front of her before landing behind Ladybug in a low crouch.

 

“Hey, what the hell is he doing here?” Nino said, tugging his jacket up his face in a feeble attempt to hide his identity.

 

“What happened to nobody knowing who we are?!” Chloe said, eyes narrowing at Mayura as he unfolded behind Ladybug. “And what runway nightmare did you walk off?”

 

“M. Mayura, I presume?” Alya said, bending down and picking up a familiar looking brown wooden box that landed at her feet.

 

“Nice to meet you,” Mayura said with a small wave, ignoring the withering looks that Nino and Chloe leveled at him. “Sorry I’m late; Ladybug wanted me to grab something before I showed up…”

 

Alya cracked open the box, Trixx’s glittering orange pendant laying flush against the plush red velvet inside.

 

“I took your Miraculous because I knew I was going to need your help,” Ladybug said, watching Nino and Chloe secure their Miraculous with a curious frown. “I didn’t want to have to involve you; I know you’ve worked with Chat in the past and I…”

 

Ladybug trailed off under Alya’s curious glare, jaw setting as she resisted the urge to break her gaze. There was still a chance to end this; a chance to confess that she was in over her head and desperately needed some kind of help. Maybe she hadn’t thought of every possible solution; maybe there was some clever strategy that she could come up with if she took the time to…

 

Time.

 

That’s what it came down to; time. Time she didn’t have; time that was slowly dripping away. She didn’t have enough time to end the fight the way she wanted to, she didn’t have enough time to do all the things she always wanted, she didn’t have enough time to figure out a way to save herself and Chat…

 Just how much longer do you want to do this?

 “...I’m not the one working with Hawkmoth; Chat is.”

 

Ladybug was surprised at how quickly the words tumbled out of her mouth; how easy it was to damn her partner without even tripping over her tongue. It was out of her mouth before she even had time to process it; an ugly secret bare for the whole world to see.

 

She waited for the indignant gasps of shock and disbelief; waited for the barrage of questions she wasn’t entirely prepared to answer. But something had shifted between the three of them when she wasn’t looking, and instead of looking at her for answers, Nino and Chloe simply turned to Alya.

 

She would have made a good Ladybug, Ladybug mused as Alya closed her eyes with a sigh.

 

“You’re sure?” Alya asked, gesturing to the photos. “Those pictures…”

 

“Never seen them before in my life,” Ladybug said. “I don’t think this kind of thing is hard to fake; I’m no artist, but I’d wager that’s a pretty easy thing to photoshop, isn’t it?”

 

“It is,” Alya said unevenly, turning the box over in her hands as she regarded Ladybug. “You don’t happen to have any proof of that, do you?”

 

“Proof?” Mayura echoed incredulously, gesturing to Ladybug. “This is Ladybug; what proof do you-”

 

“It’s fine,” Ladybug said, holding her hand up to silence any further protest from Mayura. “And as it turns out...I don’t...but why would I lie to you?”

 

“You’d lie if you were working with Hawkmoth like Chat said you were,” Alya pointed out, absentmindedly fastening Trixx’s necklace around her neck.

 

“If Ladybug was working with Hawkmoth, why would she give you your Miraculous back?” Mayura butted in. “Why wouldn’t she just ask him to akumitize you or something?”

 

“He’s got a point,” Nino chimed in. “Brainwashed lackeys are always more reliable, aren’t they?”

 

“Too true,” Alya said, narrowing her eyes at Ladybug. “...and what do you want us to do?”

 

“I don’t want this to blow up into a full scale war,” Ladybug said, chewing on her lower lip. “Chat and I are...well, whatever we are, we were friends once. And if we can end this fight without hurting him, I would like that.”

 

“But that’s not totally necessary,” Mayura chuckled, earning a sharp glare from Ladybug. “...sorry.”

 

“We just need his ring,” Ladybug continued, looking at each of her allies in turn. “If we draw him out into the open, we can team up and capture him before he can cause any more destruction...I mean, you saw what he did to that bridge a few weeks ago…”

 

Alya seemed to chew this over for a moment, rubbing her chin. “And how are we supposed to draw him out?”

 

“He expects that you’re just going to take his word at face value,” Ladybug said. “But, if you tell the city that Chat Noir is working with Hawkmoth instead of me, he’ll come running; probably be too angry to think straight. If he comes at us hot, we have the chance to catch him making a mistake. We set up a press conference, lure him somewhere enclosed, and bring him down tomorrow if we play our cards right.”

 

“So, you want me to use the Ladyblog as bait?” Alya asked, raising an eyebrow. “And then lay a trap for Chat Noir at some kind of press stunt?”

 

“That’s the cleanest way I can think to stop this madness,” Ladybug said.

 

“And how are we supposed to know that Chat Noir isn’t the one telling the truth here?” Alya asked.

 She wants to believe you; just give her the chance.

 Ladybug bit her lip. “Why would I lie to you, Alya? After everything, why would I lie to you?”

 

For a moment, she wondered if Alya sensed her treachery; wondered if she had prematurely handed over the few Miraculous as an empty gesture of good will. Silence lingered between the two for only a handful of moments, but under Alya’s piercing brown eyes, it felt like an eternity.

 

“...I know,” Alya sighed, rubbing her temples. “I know you wouldn’t lie to me like that, it’s just...hard for me to believe, you know?”

 

“Not any easier for me, believe me,” Ladybug chuckled, somehow elated and dismayed that Alya didn’t see through her ruse. All the arguments and contingencies her frazzled brain had concocted in the last hour evaporated, and all Ladybug was left with was the aftermath of having looked her best friend in the eye and completely lied to her.

You can make it up to her when this is over. 

“After all the times we fought with him...doesn’t make sense that Chat would just turn his back on the city like that,” Nino said, crossing his arms with a thoughtful frown down at his bracelet.

 

“...maybe he’s just tired of fighting,” Ladybug sighed, glancing at Chloe. “And you?”

 

“As if you even need to ask,” Chloe scoffed, flashing Ladybug a small wink. “You know I’m your biggest fan, right?”

 

“I don’t need fans right now,” Ladybug said, affording Chloe a small smile. “I need teammates; people I can trust to help me bring Chat Noir in and end this stupid superhero fight once and for all.”

 

“What we do tomorrow secures peace in Paris,” Ladybug said, setting her jaw as she took a hesitant step forward. “No matter how much it hurts or how much we don’t want to do it, we have a responsibility to ensure that no one is akumatized ever again. We have a responsibility to the people of this city, our neighbors, and...I think we have a responsibility to ourselves. Because, I don’t know about you, but fighting an endless war is not what I wanted to do with my life.”

 

“I hear that,” Chloe chipped in.

 

“So...can I count on you?” Ladybug asked, eyes landing on Alya.

 

“Wouldn’t be much of a Ladyblogger if I ditched you now, would I?” Alya chuckled, smiling at Ladybug for the first time. “You’ve always had our backs; always managed to put this city back together after Hawkmoth gets on his nonsense. Doesn’t really make sense that you’d totally turn your backs on us now, right?”

You haven’t. You’re still fighting for Paris’ best interests.

“Thank you,” Ladybug said. “Alya and I should probably work on the article...if we could get this started tonight, we could probably work on a plan to trap Chat and still have time for lunch tomorrow.”

 

“Let’s meet at my place in about thirty,” Alya said, jerking her head in Nino’s direction. “Gonna make sure Nino gets home safe.”

 

“I get scared of the dark,” Nino chuckled.

 

“I’ll have the security footage of tonight deleted too,” Chloe said with a sharp, toothy smile. “Oooh, can’t wait to see the look on Chat Noir’s face.”

 

“I can,” Ladybug muttered to herself as she shot them a small wave. “Alright; Mayura and I will work on the battle plan and let Alya know what the score is.”

 

“And I’ll let these two know when we’re ready to catch a stray,” Alya said, waving back. “See you in thirty.”

 

“Sure...and thanks again, everyone,” Ladybug said, latching on to a nearby rooftop and swinging off the roof into the city below.

 

“Nice to meet you guys,” Mayura said, shooting them a sharp, two-fingered salute before leaping after Ladybug, soaring behind her as they disappeared into the night.

 

"...noice tuh meet u gais!" Chloe sneered, shooting off three salutes in rapid succession towards Mayura's retreating rear. "What a tool..." 

 

“Hard to believe that Chat Noir just suddenly started to work with Hawkmoth,” Nino mused.

 

“Harder to believe that Ladybug suddenly decided to join the Mothsquad,” Chloe countered. 

 

“You’re right,” Alya muttered, palming her Miraculous. “That is pretty hard to believe.”

 

---

 

“I’ve called this press conference to confirm the rumors that Chat Noir has turned on Paris and sided with Hawkmoth in order to steal our Miraculous.”

 

Ladybug allowed the crowd’s cries of horror and betrayal to carry on a few moments, staring blankly into the sea of shocked and terrified faces that could have just as easily been turned towards her. A child in the front row let the Chat Noir action figure slip from his fingers, the cheap plastic toy shattering on the flagstones in front of the Mayor’s residence and snapping Ladybug back to reality.

 No going back now. Just get it over with. 

“I know this is shocking,” Ladybug continued. “And no one is shocked more than I am. To call this a betrayal would put it too lightly; I counted on Chat Noir more than anyone else to stand by my side. I trusted that he would always have my back; that we would do everything in our power to do what was best for everyone in Paris. But when it came to it...when it came to it, Chat Noir chose a path that would leave a trail of destruction running through this city.”

 

The eyes of Paris on her, Ladybug steeled herself, looking straight into the camera.

 

“I am calling on all citizens, public agencies, and law enforcement officers to help us bring Chat Noir to justice,” Ladybug continued, eyes scanning the rooftops for any flicker of black. “Every minute that Chat Noir walks free is another minute this city is in jeopardy. So, with heavy heart, I ask Paris to-”

 

A flicker of movement caught her attention seconds before something slammed into the ground between the crowd and the podium, scattering flagstones and kicking up dust as onlookers leapt backwards, falling over each other to get out of the way. Mayura instinctively flung an arm out in front of Ladybug as the dust slowly cleared, and a tall, black clad figure slowly stepped out of the haze.

 

Some small, optimistic part of Ladybug held on to the hope that she could one day make things right with her partner; she didn’t know how much she relied on that hope until one icy glare from Chat Noir killed it dead.

 

“Hey there, partner ,” Chat Noir growled.

Notes:

So now you have Ladybug's side of the story leading up to the press conference.

I was a little unprepared for how, ah, passionate some of you were regarding this pivotal moment in the story. I hope you always feel free to express your thoughts and feelings in the comments section; they let me know how people are receiving these characters and how I need to course correct to get the reaction I want.

Next time! Will Chat Noir survive his ill-conceived confrontation with Ladybug? What is Alya's plan? Will Kagami save her ex-bf before he gets his furry ass kicked? Will someone FINALLY put Chat Noir over clean????

All these questions and more will be answered in Chapter Sixteen: Aristeia!

In the mean time, go listen to Beat the Champ and be sad with me

Chapter 17: The Last Hero(es) in Paris

Nadja Chamack slowly wobbled to her feet, hacking up the lungful of dust that had erupted only moments before. Through the ringing in her ears, she could hear people screaming in terror and police rushing past her towards the tall, black clad figure stepping out of the small crater he had landed in.

 

“Theo...Theo, are you alright?!” Nadja stammered, hauling her cameraman to her feet and angling him towards the clearing dust. Ladybug stepped out from behind Mayura’s protective arm despite the latter’s protest, walking down the steps of Mayor Andre’s house with Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Mayura in tow.

 

“Just keep rolling,” Nadja said, taking a deep breath as she straightened her hair out. Something Albert Londres worthy was coming and Nadja was going to survive long enough to record it.

 

“ Nadja, we lost you for a second,” her anchor chirped in her ear. “ Are you alright?”

 

“Y-Yes, Arthur,” Nadja said, clearing her throat as the camera panned over Ladybug and Chat Noir. “Moments...after Ladybug announced Chat Noir’s betrayal, the former hero arrived on the scene, apparently to confront his former partner-”

 

---

 

“-and the crowd of onlookers.”

 

Master He sighed through her nose as the television showed Ladybug approach Chat Noir, smacking the unconscious Master Fu on top of his head.

 

“ Wake up, you old goat,” Master He hissed. “ Or your pupils are going to tear each other apart!”

 

“Should we do something, Master?” Jun asked, chewing on her lower lip.

 

“ Yes; prep Quingfu’s latest infusion,” Master He sighed, fingering her bracelet absentmindedly. “ I will step in if this gets out of hand…”

 

---

 

“Mayura is now saying something to Ladybug, but her attention appears to be on Hawkmoth’s newest pawn!”

 

Gabriel took a small sip out of his mimosa with a satisfied sigh, kicking his feet up on his desk as the TV’s in his office showed Ladybug advancing on Chat Noir as her allies formed a semi-circle between Chat and the Mayor’s residence.

 

“Good girl,” Gabriel said, fingers running over his pin. “Now close the deal.”

 

---

 

“Police are evacuating Mayor Andre away from his residence and we are being told that we have to move back out of the-”

 

“Idiot!” Kagami hissed, turning off the television as she pulled her other boot on. “ Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid boy!”

 

Bounding down the stairs two at a time, Kagami snagged a pair of keys off the foyer table and flung the door open to reveal Goto, a plate of cookies balanced in one hand and the other raised to knock on her door.

 

“ Everything alright, miss?” Goto asked in his deep, quiet voice. “You seemed out of sorts, so I brought some-”

 

“I need to borrow the Maserati!” Kagami panted. “Please, my friend, Adrien, he’s....”

 

“Slow down, miss,” Goto said, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “ What is wrong?”

 

“No time! Please, Goto, just-”

 

“Miss, I may no longer enjoy the pleasure of serving your family, but do not think I do not care about you anymore,” Goto said softly, laying the cookes on the table just inside the front door. “ If there is something I can do to help you, I will...but I can’t protect you from what I don’t know about.”

 

Kagami took a deep breath, eyeing her longtime friend for a moment as she debated what to tell him. “ Ladybug is in league with Hawkmoth and intends to sell out the city, Chat Noir is the last hero opposing him, and I need to rescue him before his damned pride gets him captured or killed by Ladybug or her lackeys!”

 

“ ...I will drive,” Goto said, wrapping an arm around Kagami and ushering her towards the garage under his home.

 

---

 

Nobody said anything until the last of the civilians had evacuated the area.

 

Chat Noir just stood with his hands folded on top of his baton, glowering green eyes silently locked on Ladybug while people scrambled out of the square in front of Mayor Andre’s house. Ladybug kept her eyes on him, studying the relaxed, reserved way he just stood there. He looked almost calm, only a burning glare and dried tear stains on his cheeks betraying his anger.

 

“Quite the party, isn’t it?” Chat Noir said when he was sure they were alone, voice barely quavering above a dull monotone. “Gang’s... all here, aren’t they...well, almost. Guess your new chum didn’t make the invite list, did he?”

 

Ladybug set her jaw, stepping forward a few steps out of rank as she refused resolutely to break Chat’s stare. “It’s over, Chat. Alya didn’t buy that story you sold her for a second; she came to me last night and told me what you told her...really, those photographs were such low quality.”

 

“You don’t say?” Chat Noir said, eyes drifting over Carapace, Queen Bee, and Rena Rouge. “I suppose if I told you three that Ladybug was working with Hawkmoth and planned to deliver the city to him on a silver platter, you wouldn’t believe me, would you?”

 

Queen Bee and Carapace glanced at Rena as she straightened up a bit under Chat’s gaze. “Is there a reason we should?”

 

“...why would you?” Chat Noir sighed, eyes returning to Ladybug’s. “I’m just a shmuck in a catsuit; not like I’ve saved half the city’s lives a hundred times over, right?”

 

“You want a fucking medal for that?” Mayura scoffed. “You’re just mad that your little smear campaign blew up in your face.”

 

“Oh, I’m mad,” Chat Noir said in a soft, quiet voice that made the hair on the back of Ladybug’s neck stand up. “Positively... furious , actually…but not because of that...”

 

Chat Noir trailed off, eyes boring a hole in Ladybug’s as the silence between them stretched torturously on. Carapace glanced between Ladybug and Rena Rouge, Queen Bee spun her top anxiously on the tip of her finger, and Mayura fingered a handful of quills, ready to toss them at Chat given the slightest twitch of movement.

 

“...so?” Chat Noir asked Ladybug. “Anything you’d like to say to me?”

 

Ladybug took a deep breath through her nostrils, chin definitely lifting as she fought an onrush of engineered guilt. “I am very sorry that it came to this, Chat. I am sorry that we couldn’t solve our differences without dragging the whole city into our fight, but since you insisted-”

 

“This is all...my fault then,” Chat Noir said, nodding as though considering Ladybug’s words.

 

“...I didn’t go to the press,” Ladybug said quietly. “You wanted this public? It’s public now...and you really should have brought more than a handful of crummy photographs if you wanted to turn the city against me.”

 

“Thought I had more credit than I did,” Chat Noir chuckled weakly. “Guess I shouldn’t have tried to turn the Ladyblog against Ladybug without a videotaped confession from you, huh?”

 

“I don’t plan on confessing to anything ,” Ladybug said, fingers tightening around her yo-yo string. “You are out of options, Chat. You have no one to turn to, no one to rely on, and no hope of defeating all five of us...I don’t want to fight you, Chat, but if you continue to resist, I will do whatever it takes to protect my Miraculous.”

 

Chat Noir said nothing, lip quivering as his eyes continued to roam between Mayura, Queen Bee, Rena, Carapace, and Ladybug.

 

Ladybug sighed. “I am giving you a chance to-”

 

“ No !” Chat snapped, jabbing his finger at Ladybug as his eyes brimmed with angry tears. “ I...I am giving you a chance now! I am giving you a chance to come clean; I am giving you a chance to tell me where our enemy lives! I am giving you a chance to put this stupid truce of yours aside; I am giving you one...last...chance to help me put a stop to all this!”

 

Ladybug took a step back, mouth falling open as Chat Noir’s outburst nearly knocked her off her feet. She had always been dimly aware of the kind of person that bubbled behind his usually flippant exterior but to see Chat Noir in such a raw, emotionally vulnerable state was something entirely new and unsettling. In the four years of chaos they had endured together, she had never seen him shed so much as a single tear. But any restraint, any pride he had was gone, washed away by the almost palpable tide of anger that radiated off him.

 

“You can tell the whole world that I brought this on myself, but you and I both know that you have a choice!” Chat Noir spat. “ You chose this; not me! I didn’t make a deal with a lunatic for our Miraculous; I didn’t cut you out of a decision that affects the rest of your life. I didn’t decide to start working with-”

 

“Hey, that’s enough!” Mayura snapped, stepping in front of Ladybug as he pulled a fresh handful of quills from his fan. “You know, I’ve just about had it with temper tantrums, pal!”

 

“Oh, please keep talking,” Chat Noir snarled, green eyes narrowing at Mayura. “ Please give me an excuse to use your head like a football again; I’m begging you.”

 

“Good; get used to begging,” Mayura snapped, tossing his quills down in on the broken flagstones as his knights materialized out of the ground. “You’re gonna be doing a lot of it in a minute.”

 

“Dude, chill out!” Carapace interjected, holding his hands up. “Ladybug’s trying to stop this from getting crazier than it needs to be! She doesn’t need your hotheaded ass making things worse!”

 

“She can try all she wants; her sidekick over here is done listening,” Mayura spat, glancing at Queen Bee and Rena Rouge. “Are you just gonna stand there and let him talk to her like that?!”

 

“Mayura, wait!”

 

“Come on; he’s right here!” Mayura spat, gesturing to Chat Noir who made no attempt to escape despite Mayura’s knights closing in on him. “We outnumber him nine to one! Let’s go! Let’s get him! ”

 

“Mayura, stick to the plan!” Ladybug demanded as Mayura’s knight slowly closed the circle around Chat Noir. Rena watched as Ladybug turned Mayura around to face her, noting the way the knight with the spear maneuvered itself behind Chat Noir who only seemed to have eyes for Ladybug’s earrings.

 

Before Rena could say anything, the knight with the spear lunged, driving the glittering silver tip towards the center of Chat’s back. Chat turned a second too late, tip of the spear grazing his throat and unhooking the bell that dangled around his neck. Ladybug watched in horror as the bell dropped to the ground, bouncing once with an echoing ring that seemed all the louder given the fact that everyone seemed to be holding their breath. The bell rolled along the flagstones, coming to a rest at Ladybug’s feet as Chat stumbled backwards, grasping at the place where the bell used to be.

 

Silence.

 

“Dude, what the fuck!” Carapace shouted.

 

“I...I didn’t…” Mayura stammered, glancing between the knight with the spear and Ladybug who covered her mouth in shock. “Hammet...he moved on his own, I don’t know what-”

 

Mayura’s head jerked back as Chat lunged faster than anyone could track him; faster than Ladybug had ever seen him move in her life. His fist collided with Mayura’s face and a sickening smack echoed throughout the empty plaza. Flagstones underneath Mayura’s feet shattered as the blow connected, glass in the windows behind him splintered as Chat Noir threw his whole weight into the blow.

 

---

 

Nathalie bounded up the stairs two-by-two, flinging the door to Gabriel’s office open to find Hawkmoth sprawled out on the floor, clutching his shocked face in pain.

 

“Are you alright?!” Nathalie asked, bending down and helping Hawkmoth back to his feet and kicking aside the pieces of a chair he had crashed through. “I heard a crash downstairs, what-”

 

Nathalie trailed off as Hawkmoth rubbed the dark, purplish bruise that started forming under his mask.

 

---

 

Mayura flew backwards like he had been struck by a car, bouncing off an ornate marble column and tumbling down the steps in front of Mayor Andre’s house.

 

Mayura slowly staggered to his feet, clutching his face in shock as real, definite pain pulsed in his cheek. His eyes were wide and fearful as his hand came away, revealing a darkening purple bruise blossoming on his right cheek.

 

“...that hurt,” Mayura said quietly, looking helplessly at Ladybug who seemed rooted to the spot in fear. “I thought...I thought you said our suits protected us…”

 

Ladybug could come up with no explanation and surprisingly, Chat looked as shocked as the rest of them. His eyes bounced between Mayura’s bruise, his trembling hand, the shattered flagstones at his feet, the broken windows in Mayor Andre’s house, and finally, Ladybug herself. Silence hung in the air for a long, painful moment before Queen Bee eloquently summarized what everyone seemed to be thinking.

 

“...oh shit.”

 

---

 

“We are now receiving reports that a scuffle has broken out among the gathered superheroes! We are unable to get a better view due to police presence, but it looks like...yes, it sounds like there’s a fight going on just inside the plaza! I hear shattering glass...someone just-”

 

The crackling sound of a small explosion followed by panicked screaming echoed through the car radio as Kagami sat drumming her fingers against the back seat, peering through the tinted windows as onlookers rushed past on the sidewalk. News helicopters whirled overhead, jockeying to get a good view of the battle going on just on the other side of the wall.

 

“ Police blockade up ahead,” Goto muttered as the car approached the Mayoral residence. “ Shall I find another way around?”

 

“ If you can,” Kagami sighed, chewing on her lower lip as the distant sound of a pitched battle echoed over the rooftops. “ Keep your distance; we don’t want to get too close to the-”

 

A large, heavily armored figure fell from the sky a few feet in front of the car, impaled by a feathery spear that jutted out of its chest. A few seconds later, two more crumpled balls of metal only vaguely recognizable as suits of armor crashed through the walls of the mayoral mansion, splintering the street in front of the car as they landed.

 

“... this is too close,” Goto mused, flinching as the fourth knight landed on an empty police car, neatly bending it in half.

 

“ Far too close,” Kagami agreed, buckling her seatbelt as Goto threw the car in reverse.

 

---

 

Carapace was no stranger to pitched battles.

 

A year before, a Nutcracker akuma had raised an army of giant rats and tried to kill Mayor Andre. Carapace had spent his Christmas bludgeoning monster rats with the blunt end of his shield, deflecting canon balls and doing battle with toy soldiers.

 

The year before that, the dreaded Sharkhands nearly bit his head off with the massive Great Whites that hung from each shoulder. And just the summer before, he and Chat Noir had saved the city from the baffling Chai-mera that shot scalding hot tea from its mouth.

 

Those fights were crazy; this was fucking bedlam.

 

In all the years Carapace had fought alongside Chat Noir, he had never seen him like this. Shoulders hunched, claws outstretched, and green eyes wild with fury, Chat was a jet black force of nature that fought like a wild animal caged. Staff forgotten on the sidewalk, he lashed out with punches, kicks, and wild, flailing limb strikes that shattered stone with every failed hit.

 

Worse than any of that was the pained, terrified look in Ladybug’s eyes as she scrambled to get some distance between herself and a wild, raving monster that nobody could seem to stop.

 

Carapace barely raised his shield in time to deflect a stray piece of concrete that Chat Noir flung at Mayura. Queen Bee’s top lashed out, wrapping around Chat Noir’s wrist before he could drive it forward into Ladybug’s face. With an almost feral snarl, Chat Noir yanked Queen Bee off her feet, tossing her across the courtyard in Carapace’s direction.

 

“ Coming in hot!” Queen Bee squealed as Carapace tossed his shield at Chat Noir, freeing up both hands to pluck Queen Bee out of the air. “Oof...kitty’s mad. Kitty’s really mad.”

 

“No kidding,” Carapace said, dropping Queen Bee back on the ground as he charged into the action. Chat’s claw lashed out, seemingly driving through Ladybug’s stomach until the illusion shattered, disappearing into a cloud of orange smoke as Ladybug and Mayura lunged at Chat Noir from behind.

 

“Grab his legs!” Mayura shouted as Carapace picked up his shield from the ground mid stride. Chat whipped around, claw crackling with some kind of dark energy as he lunged for Ladybug’s earrings. Mayura threw himself in front of Ladybug, but Carapace was quicker, catching the claw attack on his shield. He braced, shield rattling as the force of Chat’s blow drove him backwards into Mayura’s chest.

 

“You’re making a mistake! ” Chat hissed, driving claw strike after claw strike against the flat of Carapace’s shield. “She’s working with Hawkmoth ! She’s trying to steal my Miraculous! Why won’t you listen to me?!”

 

“Come on,” Carapace grunted, weathering blow after blow from Chat Noir. “You gotta give me more than that, dude!”

 

Chat’s fist smashed against the center of Carapace’s shield with an echoing ring, driving him back as Chat Noir disengaged, refocusing his attention on Ladybug. The warm, beating heart of Adrien Agreste broke just a little when he saw the fear in Ladybug’s eyes; the last remnants of his feelings towards her bemoaning the fact that his friend and partner now looked at him like he was some kind of monster.

 

But the rest of Adrien only reveled in each bruise and stone broken under his feet.

 

“ You wanted me?!” Chat Noir hissed, hauling a hunk of broken cement off the ground and whipping it like a frisbee at Ladybug’s head. “ Here I am!”

 

Ladybug flattened herself as three hundred pounds of stone sailed through the wall above her head, scrambling out of the way as Chat Noir pounced, clearing the courtyard and smashing into the ground where she lay with reckless abandon.

 

“You wanted an end to this?!!” Chat Noir snarled, swiping at her ears with wild, reckless abandon as she backed into the mansion foyer. “Let’s end it! ”

 

His claw tore a chunk out of a stone column as Ladybug ducked his blow, hammering into his side with her elbow as she tried to create space. She needed time to back off; if she could just come up with some kind of plan, she could-

 

Chat’s palm collided with her cheek, derailing her train of thought as another dull, throbbing shock of pain spread throughout her cheek. It didn’t hurt any more than accidentally running into a door or column, but the fact that she had felt anything— the fact that she was no longer completely invulnerable—was cause for concern.

 

And by concern, she meant mind-blanking terror that turned her guts to jelly.  

 

Mayura crashed through a window from the courtyard as they fought, tackling Chat against a column. Before Ladybug could capitalize, Chat slammed both fists into Mayura’s back, knocking him flat to the the floor as the wind left his chest with a sudden gasp.

 

“What’s wrong?” Chat Noir snarled, stomping on Mayura’s wrist as he scrambled for his fan. “Come on; you’re Ladybug’s partner! That means getting your ass kicked while Ladybug watches!”

 

Chat Noir kicked Mayura in the stomach with all the force he could muster, sending him rolling down the hallway with a series of grunts and barely muffled curses as he scrambled to stop himself. Chat turned to pursue him, stopping as Ladybug’s yo-yo snaked around his wrist.

 

“Leave him out of this !” Ladybug demanded, yanking Chat Noir towards her with a grunt.

 

“Hey, good news, rookie!” Chat Noir laughed as Ladybug’s fist slammed into the side of his head. “Ladybug likes you better than me! I can’t remember the last time she got so nettled when something happened to me.”

 

Ladybug drove blow after blow into the side of Chat’s face, but his smooth, pale skin remained unblemished as her attacks seemed to have no effect on him. His hand snatched hers out of the air mid blow, yanking her in with a wide, almost manic smile.

 

“Don’t get used to it, though,” Chat Noir called over his shoulder as Mayura. “Soon as she’s done with you, you’ll find yourself Public Enemy Number One! Kicked to the curb and traded in for a good little stooge who won’t question her!”

 

“Don’t say that!” Ladybug hissed, kicking Chat Noir away. “How dare...how dare you act like I just used you?! We were friends! We were partners!”

 

“Oh don’t make me laugh !” Chat Noir snarled, backing Ladybug down the hall as she threw anything she could get her hands on at him. “If I was your partner then why did you wait a whole year before telling me about Master Fu! If I was your partner, why did I never get a say in who joined our team?! If I was your partner, why did you pull rank on me when I questioned this stupid plan of yours!”

 

Chat Noir’s plucked a chair out of the air as Ladybug threw it, turning around and breaking it over Mayura’s head as he tried to lunge at him from behind. He caught Mayura by the throat, hoisted him off his feet, and punted him down the hallway like a football.”

 

“I was only your partner as long as I shut up and took hits for you,” Chat Noir said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. “Least I’m taking hits better than Junior over there...how you holding up, bluebird?”

 

“ Peachy ,” Mayura spat, staggering to his feet as he held his side with a small wince.

 

“Hey, he makes for a good punching bag,” Chat Noir said, eyes narrowing at Ladybug. “You might want to keep this one around for a while; maybe he can die for you a few times before you ditch him...”

 

Ladybug swallowed, jaw setting as she refused to give into the impulse to look away from Chat Noir; refused to be cowardly on top of treacherous.

 

“Forgot about that, didn’t you?” Chat Noir murmured.

 

“I didn’t...I didn’t forget,” Ladybug said, shaking her head. “If you thought I did...or if you thought I just used you...I’m sorry.”

 

“...then it just didn’t mean anything to you,” Chat Noir said, shaking his head.

 

“It can still-” Ladybug trailed off with a frustrated growl. “It can still mean something! You can still help me, Chat! I can undo this whole mess if you just helped me!”

 

“Oh, so Miraculous Ladybug is gonna erase a whole press conference then?!” Chat Noir spat. “This city and everyone in it is gonna be calling for my head on a plate by nightfall! You think you can just snap your fingers and make it all go away?!”

 

“I can tell them Hawkmoth brainwashed you or something,” Ladybug said, running her hands through her hair.

 

“Ooh I can see the headlines now; Chat Noir Gets His Stupid Ass Brainwashed Again; Ladybug Has to Save Incompetent Doofus From Himself,” Chat Noir sneered.

 

“Or...or that you were acting as a double agent!” Ladybug suggested “Th-that this whole mess was just a publicity stunt to get Hawkmoth to trust you! That we—Ladybug and Chat Noir—worked together to bring Hawkmoth down!”

 

“I never wanted to fight you!” Ladybug continued. “ You threw the first punch! You attacked me, first! You suckered me in and tried to steal my Miraculous! But I will still do everything in my power to help you and restore your reputation after Hawkmoth is dealt with!”

 

“But only if I’m a good boy and give you my Miraculous first,” Chat Noir sneered. “Only if I endorse this stupid plan of yours and help that costumed creep get away!”

 

“...would that be so bad?” Ladybug asked quietly. “It’s one person...you can’t let one person go if it meant the whole rest of the world could finally be at peace?”

 

“...not this one,” Chat said, pacing out of the front door of the mansion as Ladybug followed through a hole in the wall. He was dimly aware of Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, and Carapace forming a small circle as Mayura stumbled through the wall behind him. “Not him. Your commitment to this little ‘win-win’ situation is admirable, but I’m not playing that game. It’s him or me…and you’ve made it clear which one you want.”

 

“I wanted both !” Ladybug said, snapping her yo-yo out at Chat Noir’s face. He raised a hand just in time, plucking her yo-yo out of the air before it struck and holding it tight in his ring hand. A snap of black energy sizzled from the ring, flowed down his fingers, and zig-zagged over the case of the red and black yo-yo as he clenched his fist.

 

Ladybug felt the weight at the end of the string suddenly go slack as the yo-yo shattered, crumbling between Chat Noir’s fingers and scattering on the ground at his feet.

 

“We don’t always get what we want,” Chat Noir snarled, wrapping the string around his hand and yanking Ladybug off her feet.  Ladybug lurched forward, allowing Chat’s strength to pull her in feet first. Her kick connected with his face, sending him reeling backwards and tumbling on the pavement in a heap. Mayura was on him before he could get up, driving his knee into the middle of Chat’s back and pinning him to the flagstones as he reached for his ring.

 

“How you holding up there, alley cat ,” Mayura said, grabbing for Chat Noir’s ring.

 

“ Peachy,” Chat Noir hissed, hand crackling with black energy. “Positively Cataclysmic .”

 

Ladybug stopped dead in her tracks as tendrils of black energy coursed from Chat’s hand through the courtyard, arcing out and snaking up the columns of the mayor’s house. A symphony of splintering cracks filled the courtyard as the ground beneath them and the house behind them shifted...then shattered.

 

“Get some cover!” Carapace cried, throwing his shield over Ladybug’s head as he, Rena, and Queen Bee ducked under it. Mayura scrambled out of the crumbling hole in the ground, barely grabbing onto Ladybug’s yo-yo before the flagstones beneath their feet shattered. Stone, steel, and glass fell in a shower as they all sank into the ground, born down by the weight of Chat’s destructive power. Snapping power lines snaked back and forth above them as they fell, broken sewer pipes spilled water into the deepening hole, and under twenty seconds, a pristine, marble hole was all that remained of Mayor Andre’s house.

 

As the world fell around her, Ladybug wondered whether or not even Chat knew exactly what he was capable of. A thick cloud of dust and debris settled over the wreckage of the mayoral residence as Ladybug slowly wobbled to her feet, careful not to step on any crumbling patches of ground.

 

“Everyone okay?” Ladybug called.

 

“Define okay ,” Queen Bee huffed, crawling out from under Carapace as Rena hauled him to his feet. “My childhood home just fell down around my ears!”

 

“At least no one was in it,” Mayura coughed, scanning the haze with his back to Ladybug.

 

“And at least my hair’s not on fire!” Queen Bee sneered. “Just because it’s not worse, doesn’t mean it’s-”  

 

“ Quiet!” Ladybug snapped, fingers wrapping around the remnants yo-yo string as she scanned the wreckage around her. “ Chat?! Are you alright?!”

 

Nothing answered her, save for the sound of crumbing stone and the distant screech of emergency sirens.

 

“We have five minutes until his ring wears off; somebody find him!” Ladybug whispered, gesturing for her team to spread out and pick through the crater. As the smoke cleared, Rena Rouge climbed over the broken suite of luxury cars that Mayor Andre kept in the garage under his house, scanning for any sign of movement in the wreckage.

 

Total devastation would have been an understatement. Rena couldn’t even compare it to a bomb blast because even bomb blasts spared the toughest of materials. Cataclysm ripped, rendered, and ruined steel, stone, and support structures without any prejudice. Everything he touched was destroyed in one form or another.

 

Rena dropped down off a crumbling ledge into a large sewer drain, readying her flute and holding her nose as she followed the metal pipe that ran under Mayor Andre’s house. In the distance, she could hear what sounded like footsteps on metal growing further and further away. Glancing over her shoulder, Rena delved further and further into the sewers.

 

Her vulpine eyes adjusted to the darkness relatively quickly as she walked, carefully following the sounds of splashing, muffled curses, and footsteps down one access pipe after another. Deeper and deeper she went into the sewers, until the sound of Ladybug crying for Chat could no longer be heard...and for that matter, neither could Chat Noir’s footsteps.

 

Rena was about to turn around when she felt him behind her, his low, frenetic breath registering on her ears and the back of her neck. Before she could turn around, she felt his hands on her wrists, twisting and pinning them against the wall before she could raise her flute.

 

“You know this is why people prefer cats with bells on,” Rena muttered, heart beating as Chat Noir’s wide, glowing green eyes looked down at her from the darkness.

 

“Seem to have lost mine,” Chat Noir croaked, glancing over his shoulder nervously as though he expected the rest of Ladybug’s team to follow. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

 

“Looking for you,” Rena said, glancing down the access pipe. “You better get gone before he finds us like this...then again, he’s always been a big fan of yours, so this is probably one of his top ten fantas-”

 

“What are you doing?” Chat Noir hissed.

 

“What are you doing?” Rena countered. “You need to get out of here before Ladybug finds you.”

 

Chat released her wrists, head tilting in an almost feline expression of confusion. “You...wait…”

 

“Whatever is going on between you and Ladybug, all I’m getting is a lot of hearsay,” Rena explained, crossing her arms. “I don’t necessarily believe you...but I sure as hell don’t believe Ladybug either. And if you get binned today, I get the feeling that the truth behind this clusterfuck gets locked up with you.”

 

“I told you the truth,” Chat Noir said as Rena grabbed his wrist, leading him down a side tunnel away from the main canal. “If you have doubts about Ladybug, then why not help me?!”

 

“Because Ladybug knows who I am, where I live, and how to get to me,” Rena said, scanning the sides of the tunnel for any kind of door. “She knows how to get to all of us and as of last night, Mayura does too.”

 

“What?” Chat Noir hissed. “Ladybug told Mayura who you guys are and she didn’t tell me?!”

 

“You don’t know ?” Rena Rouge asked. “She never told you who we were?”

 

“Why would she; I’m just the shmuck who fought for her until Mayura showed up,” Chat Noir spat bitterly. Being kept in the dark on the identities of his partners was a bitter pill Chat had learned to swallow because he believed it to be necessary; believed it was just a way to keep everyone safe.

 

“Guess it was never about safety,” Chat laughed. “Just another way for Ladybug to lord herself over me…”

 

“Save it for couples counseling; you need to get to the surface before you detransform,” Rena Rouge said, kicking the lock off a ladder that led to a manhole above their heads. “Look, even if I wanted to help you fight Ladybug, I can’t risk my civilian self getting exposed; not while Ladybug has her foot on my neck. If you get me proof-”

 

“I got proof!” Chat Noir said. “Ask Alya Cesaire of the Ladyblog; I showed her my text logs and-”

 

“Alright,” Rena Rouge shushed. “I will follow up with this...Alya person and see what I can figure out. In the meantime...if you can get me undeniable proof that Ladybug sold this city out, we’ll help you out. In the meantime-”

 

“ Hey Rena!” Chat Noir froze as Mayura’s voice called down into the sewer. “ Any luck?”

 

For a hair of a moment, Chat thought Rena might betray him before she turned and shouted. “ Nothing! I’ll be up in a second!”

 

“Alright, well, hurry it up; Ladybug wants to take to the rooftops,” Mayura called, footsteps disappearing back up the access tunnel.

 

“...jackass,” Rena Rouge muttered as soon as she was sure Mayura was gone.

 

“You know, this may be the adrenaline talking, but I could just about kiss you right now,” Chat Noir breathed.

 

“Please don’t; you’re kinda snotty,” Rena chuckled, wiping the corner of Chat’s sooty, tearstained cheek. “Ladybug may or may not have gone off the deep end, but some of us remember that you saved our bacon and hers enough times to get a little credit. But I’m gonna need something a hell of a lot more solid than text messages if you want me to fight Ladybug for you.”

 

“So what are you going to do?” Chat asked.

 

“Help Ladybug look for Chat Noir,” Rena said, backing down the tunnel. “Shame I always sucked at hide-and-seek.”

 

Before Chat could ask anything else, Rena was gone, melting into the shadows and leaving him slightly dumbstruck in her absence.

 

---

 

“ Come on…” Kagami muttered, eyes scanning the rooftops and the sidestreets from the backseat of her car. “Where are you…”

 

“We should go home, miss,” Goto said, turning into a sidestreet as the crowds became too thick to move in. “ He isn’t going to just spring out of the ground in front of-”

 

Goto slammed on the brakes, causing Kagami to lurch forward enough to see Chat Noir crawling out of the manhole in front of them, almost running him over as he whipped around and looked at them with wide, fearful eyes.

 

“ ...then again, I’ve been wrong before,” Goto muttered as Kagami kicked the passenger door open.

 

“Get in,” Kagami commanded.

 

“I...Kagami?” Chat asked, tilting his head to one side. “What are you-”

 

“Get in ,” Kagami repeated cooly.

 

“Kagami, I don’t have time for this right now,” Chat hissed, crouching down as a shadow passed overhead. “Get out of here before Ladybug-”

 

“Get in the car,” Kagami repeated, eyes narrowing at Chat Noir. “Or you’re on your own.”

 

Before he even had the chance to respond, Kagami’s hard, steely glare informed him that she was, in fact, completely serious. Casting a quick glance around the alley, Chat let out a deep sigh, crawling into the back of Kagami’s car as the door closed behind him.

 

“Take us home, please,” Kagami called up to Goto who wordlessly took them out of the alley and down a side street. From behind tinted glass, Chat could see Rena Rouge and Queen Bee scouring the streets from the rooftops above him. Carapace jogged past the car, talking into a communicator as two of Mayura’s knights ducked into a shop on the street. The giant television above the street replayed the press conference, blowing up the moment when all Paris turned on Chat Noir and replaying it over and over again with the words Chat Noir Betrays Paris, Destroys Mayor’s House, Sides with Hawkmoth repeating on a tickertape at the bottom of the screen.

 

“How could she do this to me?!” Chat growled, punching the leather backed seat in front of him. “After all the time we fought together, after everything I’ve done for this city, she just smears me like none of it meant anything! And let’s face it, it might as well not have! I saved her life over and over and over again and now she just...”

 

The words caught in Chat Noir’s throat as Kagami simply watched him impassively, letting the anger and frustration billow off him like great clouds of steam. “…are you finished?”

 

“I just might be,” Chat Noir sighed, head jerking to one side as the back of Kagami’s hand collided with his cheek. “Hey, what the hell?!”

 

“What part of that little stunt out there helped your cause?” Kagami asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Chat who just sat there, rubbing his cheek. “What part of causing a scene and attacking Ladybug in broad daylight was a good decision? What part of destroying the mayor’s house was supposed to disprove Ladybug’s lies?! What, pray tell, the fuck were you thinking?!”

 

“I don’t know…” Chat Noir mumbled. “I…I was just...I hoped…”

 

“Wrong... answer ,” Kagami seethed. “I understand that you’re feeling slighted and betrayed and hurt-“

 

“You don’t ,” Chat Noir snapped.

 

“Oh cut the woe-is-me shit, Adrien,” Kagami spat. “It doesn’t help anyone; least of all yourself.”

 

“What was I supposed to do then?!” Chat Noir countered. “Just let her lie to the whole city and stir them up against me?!”

 

“Well you did a fine job of helping her drive your reputation into the bloody catacombs,” Kagami said, flipping her phone out and bringing up the news footage of Chat Noir confronting Ladybug. “Does this look like the behavior of a person who’s been wrongfully accused? Or does this look like a crazed, unhinged maniac who wants to steal poor innocent Ladybug’s Miraculous?”

 

Watching Mayor Andre’s house crumble under a wave of black energy, Chat’s defensiveness slowly melted away. From the helicopter, he could see himself tossing Carapace and Queen Bee around, lunging and slashing at Ladybug like some kind of wild animal as she fearfully retreated from every swipe of his claws.

 

He looked positively terrifying.

 

“You have always helped Ladybug and your outbursts are still helping Ladybug,” Kagami said. “You want to throw a fit? Go rent a room where you can pay to break plates. Don’t do it when fate of the city is in jeopardy; more importantly, when your fate is in jeopardy.”

 

The car pulled into the garage under Kagami’s house, plunging the cabin into darkness as Chat Noir stared blankly out the window.

 

“You are the last hero in Paris,” Kagami said, lightly squeezing his shoulder as Goto got out of the car. “You need to start acting like it. I promised I would help you, but I can’t help someone who isn’t going to help themselves. I can’t help someone who will run headlong into danger without a thought for their own safety.”

 

“Ladybug-”

 

“Ladybug isn’t coming to save you this time,” Kagami said emphatically. “No one is going to save you if you get kidnapped or brainwashed or killed again. The people of Paris aren’t going to rise up and help you take out Ladybug.”

 

“I hoped they would,” Chat said, voice heavy and thick with emotion as he leaned forward, resting his forehead on his knees. “…no one believed me, Kagami. Even with a whole pile of evidence…I thought after all these years…”

 

Chat trailed off as Kagami wrapped her arms around his chest, squeezing him gently as his green, glowing eyes lit up the darkness.

 

“...it didn’t mean anything,” Chat Noir said quietly. “Nothing I did mattered…”

 

The weight of being a hero never really registered for Kagami until that moment; all the long, tiresome, dangerous work that went into keeping the city safe. Chat Noir had spent four years keeping the city from falling down and at the end of the day, all it took was one blog post to turn the entire city against him. It was enough to make Kagami want to chuck her Olympic medal in the river; enough to make her wish she had never fenced for France in the first place.  

 

“I know…you frog-eaters are a faithless bunch, aren’t you?” Kagami muttered, satisfied with the traitorous laugh that bubbled out of Chat Noir’s chest. “And that Ladyblog fangirl just lost herself a premium subscriber.”

 

“Two,” Chat chuckled, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. “…I kinda screwed up, didn’t I?”

 

“Let this be your last screw up then,” Kagami said, kissing the top of Chat Noir’s head. “You are more than enough to beat her; you just need to stop being reckless and start being smart.”

 

“I’m really not sure I can though,” Chat Noir sighed. “She’s…I mean, for some reason I can hurt them now but...Ladybug...she’s-“

 

“She’s a person,” Kagami said. “Flesh and blood; just like you. She’s not smarter than you, she’s not stronger than you. She isn’t some glowing golden goddess without any weaknesses or vulnerabilities. The fact that you bruised her pretty little face is evidence enough of that. You just need to find her weaknesses and dig at them until she begs for mercy.”

 

“She’s tired of fighting? Show her the real meaning of tired,” Kagami continued, running her hands through Chat Noir’s unruly hair. “Exhaust her; run her into the ground. Drag this out as long as you possibly can and create friction between Ladybug and her new partners. If she wants to fight dirty, fight dirtier. Fight positively filthy until she wishes she never picked a fight with you in the first place.

 

“You know, you’re scary sometimes,” Chat Noir laughed.

 

“I didn’t destroy a city block~” Kagami chuckled. “Between the two of us, I think Ladybug’s in for a scare of her life. So why don’t we put the kettle on and figure out a way we can win this?”

 

“Yeah...” Chat Noir said, frowning down at his ring. “You can...go ahead..I’ll be in in a second…”

 

Kagami simply nodded, retreating out of the back of the car and closing the door behind her. Chat leaned back in the seat, staring at his ring for a long moment as he listened to the clock on the garage wall tick.

 

“I suppose you’re wondering why you haven’t transformed back, hm?”

 

Chat Noir yelped, sat bolt upright, and grabbed at his staff as the woman in the front passenger seat of the car turned around to look at him. He hadn’t seen anyone come in; the door hadn’t opened since he had crawled into the back seat. But judging by the way the tall, white haired woman sat in the front seat, hands folded across the coat in her lap, she hadn’t snuck in when he wasn’t looking.

 

“Rather curious...though it ties into my theory of spontaneous emotional development,” the woman mused, stroking her chin. “Tell me, is this your first instance of retaining your Mantle after using Cataclysm?”

 

“How...who...why…” Chat Noir stammered uselessly, pointing between the woman and the door.

 

“Oh, forgive me,” the woman said, adjusting her glasses. “I so rarely have an opportunity to see the Black Cat in all its brutality, I seem to have taken leave of my courtesy. My name is He Qiong; Dr. He to my peers and Master He to my apprentices.”

 

“I am sorry for barging in uninvited,” Master He continued, taking Chat Noir’s flabbergasted silence as an invitation to keep talking. “I’m sure you have quite a few questions; I might be able to answer them if you’re willing to answer just one of mine...where are the other Miraculous Master Fu was protecting?”

 

---

The cold night air whipped against Ladybug’s cheeks as she watched Mayura, Queen Bee, Carapace, and Rena Rouge converge on her location.

 

“Anything?” Ladybug asked as they touched down on the rooftop

 

“Nothing on my end,” Carapace shrugged.

 

“Ran the edge of town; no sign of him,” Mayura said.

 

“I think he split,” Queen Bee said, earning a tired, defeated sigh from Ladybug.

 

“Come on; we can do another pass around the city,” Mayura said.

 

“How is looking for a black cat at night going to be easier ?” Rena Rouge countered.

 

“Nobody said this was going to be easy ,” Mayura sniffed. “If you’re not up for a double patrol, then-“

 

“Hey, she never said she wasn’t up to it, pal,” Carapace butted in.

 

“If memory serves, she’s been up to it longer than you have,” Queen Bee said, examining her nails. “We all have, actually. Doesn’t change the fact that Kitty Noir probably went to ground after destroying that building.”

 

“So we’re just gonna quit because it got dark out?” Mayura said. “We should-“

 

“No…” Ladybug sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “No…it’s too late; we’re not going to catch him today.”

 

Shaking her head, Ladybug turned back over the city, head swimming as she tried to imagine the myriad of places Chat Noir could have been hiding.

 

This was supposed to be the end of it.

 

“Alright, well…we’ll try again another day,” Ladybug said, turning back to the team of assembled superheroes with a small smile. “Thanks…all of you. You did really well today-“

 

“Not well enough,” Mayura muttered, so quietly only Rena heard him.

 

“I’ll get in touch with you when it’s time to search for Chat again,” Ladybug said.

 

“Actually, I was thinking…maybe we could hang on to the Miraculous and do a little solo patrolling?” Rena suggested, gesturing to Queen Bee and Carapace. “I mean…are you really going to have time to track us down one by one and distribute our Miraculous when Chat sticks his head up again?”

 

Ladybug glanced between Mayura and Rena, a detail that wasn’t lost on Queen Bee whose eyes narrowed as Ladybug looked to Mayura for support.

 

“I don’t know…” Ladybug said, scratching the back of her neck.

 

“I mean, you don’t take mine back,” Mayura said, earning a small, curious scowl from Carapace behind his cowl. “Would make responding to Chat a lot easier if they were able to get in the action quicker, wouldn’t it?”

 

“I guess…” Ladybug sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It’s not…I mean, I trust you; all of you. It’s just-“

 

“Not how we’ve done things in the past,” Rena conceded. “But…I think it’s safe to say the way we’ve done things isn’t gonna cut it anymore.”

 

“No, you’re right,” Ladybug nodded. “Okay…until Chat Noir is captured, you can each hang on to your Miraculous. I don’t think I need to stress how important it is to keep them secure; we’ve worked together long enough that you should know the score by now, right?”

 

“Like I’d ever let anyone lay hands on my sweet little honey bee,” Queen Bee cooed, petting the pin with Pollen in it.

 

“We’ll take good care of them,” Carapace nodded, fingering his bracelet.

 

“I just…want you all to know how much I appreciate the support,” Ladybug said, smiling a small, shaky smile. “Last few weeks haven’t been easy for me but…”

 

Ladybug took a deep, steadying breath. “I’m just glad you trust me on this…I wish Chat could have done the same, but-“

 

Ladybug trailed off as Carapace and Queen Bee shared a look behind Rena’s back.

 

“We got your back, girl,” Rena said, shooting Ladybug a warm, beaming smile. “Always and forever.”

 

Rena extended a fist for Ladybug to bump, and for a moment, Ladybug looked like she was going to reciprocate. But as her hand raised, she just offered Rena, Queen Bee, and Carapace a small wave as she backed towards the edge of the building.

 

“Get home safe,” Ladybug said, yo-yo latching on to a nearby rooftop and swinging away, followed closely by Mayura who shot them a crisp two-fingered salute before flying after Ladybug.

 

Rena’s smile slowly dropped as she watched Ladybug and Mayura fly away until she could no longer make out their colored silhouettes against the skyline. “Twenty minutes,” she said to Carapace and Queen Bee as soon as she was sure Ladybug and Mayura were out of earshot. “Take the long way. Make sure you’re not followed.”

 

Rena leapt off the roof without looking backwards, flipping once and landing in a low crouch behind a dumpster as she detransformed. Casting a quick look around, she turned the collar of her jacket up, sticking her hands in her pocket and lightly stroking the top of Trixx’s head as she walked.

 

“Gonna have to let me know what to feed you,” Alya mused, turning down a sidestreet with a quick glance over her shoulder.

 

“I may have picked up a coffee addiction in Morocco I never managed to shake,” Trixx yipped, slithering up Alya’s coat and nestling in her hair.

 

“Girl after my own heart...or are you a boy kwami?” Alya asked, turning into an alleyway.

 

“It would take at least a month to explain why that question doesn’t even make sense,” Trixx chuckled.

 

“Fair enough...serves me right for assigning a gender to a floating fox spirit,” Alya chuckled. “You know, I think this is the most we’ve ever talked. Ladybug tends to just chuck my necklace at my head and take it back when we’re done.”

 

“Does that mean we get that sleepover you’ve been promising since you were a kid?” Trixx asked.

 

"Probably less of a pajama party than I hoped, but I’m sure we can have some girl time in,” Alya said. “Or...girl/boy time in...or-”

 

“Fox Talks?”

 

“Yeah, we’ll have a lot of Fox Talks,” Alya said, stepping through a door as it swung open, ducking out of the way of a man in a white apron carrying a bag full of lobster shells.

 

“Evening Marc,” Alya said, patting the chef on the shoulder as she pushed into the kitchen, picking up a completed plate of food and depositing on the serving counter as she passed. “Hey Mama.”

 

“Hey honey,” Marlena said, burning the alcohol off a pan of flambe with a fireball that sent Trixx scurrying back into her pocket. “Hanging out here tonight?”

 

“Just meeting some friends,” Alya said, eyeballing a towering stack of chocolate and caramel the pastry chef was drizzling with white chocolate. “Is that even on the menu?”

 

“It is for Her Highness ,” Marlena sighed, rolling her eyes. “Honey, could you take that over to the Peach Garden Room? It’s for-”

 

“Yeah, I think I know who it’s for,” Alya said, plucking the wobbling dessert and a fresh pot of coffee off the counter and elbowing her way through the swinging doors. A low hubbub of chatter, mostly concerning Ladybug and Chat Noir’s most recent battle, floated through the air of Le Grand Paris’ restaurant as Alya passed, weaving her way through tables of patrons towards the doors at the far end of the main restaurant.

 

Stepping through the doors, the artificial smell of peaches wafted through the air as she stepped under the boughs of silver and gold artificial peach trees. The television over the bar showed the same footage that had been rolling all day, but Alya’s attention was drawn to a table at the center of the room that looked ready to snap under the weight of every dessert the restaurant served.

 

“What the hell is this?” Alya asked, sitting down at the table as Chloe shoveled a spoonful of chocolate cake into her mouth.

 

“What does it look like?!” Chloe hissed, washing the bite of cake down with a sip from a root beer float. “I’m eating my feelings! Join me, won’t you?!”

 

“Those are some ugly looking feelings,” Alya said, picking up a spoon and tearing into the marshmallow cream on top of a tart with a small moan. “But they taste sooooooo pretty…”

 

“I didn’t sign up for this shit!” Chloe babbled, chocolate crumbs flying from her mouth. “I thought we were in for a fun superhero romp against one of Hawkmoth’s stupidly dressed cronies! I did not sign up to fight Chat Noir in full psycho mode!”

 

“Hey, this wasn’t on anybody’s job description,” Alya said, gingerly touching Chloe’s root beer float against a darkening bruise on her collarbone. “But it’s part of the job now.”

 

“Should I have brought insulin to this little party?” Nino asked as he walked up to the table, struggling to find a place to set his jacket down that wasn’t covered in pastries. “Or something not covered in chocolate?”

 

“Why would you want something not covered in chocolate?” Chloe asked, pushing a wobbling croquembouche towards Nino. “Why would I?”

 

“Weren’t you on a diet though?” Nino asked, prodding a cream puff monstrosity with a fork.

 

“ Fuck my diet!” Chloe whimpered through a mouthful of jelly doughnut. “We got bigger things to fry right now and the only way I’m gonna make it through this is if some of them are covered in sugar and filled with jam!”

 

“Okay, can we take a step back from the diabetic ledge we’re poised on for a second?” Alya said, pouring herself a cup of coffee as she surreptitiously scooted her chair closer to the table. “Kinda have a lot to unpack here…”

 

“Fuck unpacking; let’s just chuck it in the river,” Nino sighed, popping a cream puff in his mouth, rubbing his shoulder with a small groan. “What a total shitshow…”

 

“Absolute clusterfuck,” Chloe added.

 

“As much as I agree with you, we gotta keep our heads on straight,” Alya said, taking a sip of her coffee. “So...what do you guys think?”

 

Chloe and Nino shared a look. “Can’t believe I’m saying this,” Chloe sighed, dunking a raspberry in whipped cream and popping it in her mouth. “Really, really, really wish I didn’t have to say it, but…ugh...I don’t trust Ladybug.”

 

“Ditto,” Nino said, scratching the back of his neck. “I mean...whole thing seems really shifty for some reason; unnecessarily shifty too.”

 

“Like she’s keeping us at arms length while getting all cuddly-cuddly with Mayura ,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

 

“Yeah, I don’t like that guy either,” Nino said, leaning back and crossing his arms. “He is like... super intense and never shuts up about Ladybug.”

 

“Like he’s her lapdog or something,” Chloe chimed in. “And he totally thinks he’s number two in this outfit, doesn’t he?”

 

“Right?” Nino huffed. “Fucking barking out orders like his feathered ass isn’t greener than goose shit.”

 

“You’re just mad because the press called him ‘Team Ladybug’s New Leading Man’,” Chloe snickered.

 

“I mean that’s the thing, isn’t it?” Nino asked, turning to Alya. “Are we Team Ladybug?”

 

Alya steepled her fingers in front of her as she thoughtfully gazed into the sea of sugary excess in front of her. “I’m not,” she said after a long moment.

 

“So we’re for Chat then?” Chloe asked, sharing an uneasy look with Nino.

 

“I mean he tore through that building like it was made of styrofoam,” Nino said. “He was a fucking maniac out there. I’ve got bruises on my bruises and I’m pretty sure I sprained my shoulder trying to stop just one of those palm strikes. I have never seen him that pissed...and Ladybug looked really scared of him.”

 

“ I’m a little scared of him,” Chloe said, poking a piece of cake with her fork. “I mean...we got hurt. He hurt us.”

 

“Doesn’t mean he’s lying though,” Alya said, chewing on her thumbnail. “Of course that doesn’t mean he’s telling the truth either. Much as I don’t trust Ladybug, I don’t know if Chat’s evidence can be completely believed either…”

 

“So either Ladybug’s lying about Chat or Chat’s lying about Ladybug?” Nino asked.

 

“Or they’re both lying about something,” Chloe chimed in. “Maybe Hawkmoth doesn’t even factor into whatever’s going on between them?”

 

“Yeah, but...we don’t know for sure, do we?” Nino said. “I mean, that’s the rub, right? I’m not down to support either of them at this point until we get more information.”

 

“I agree,” Alya nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. “We played along with Ladybug and got our kwamis out of her hands; if Chat’s telling the truth, we rescued three Miraculous from Hawkmoth’s grip.”

 

Alya’s eyes drifted up to a television hanging over the bar as the image flashed to a scene from the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue in the park. A small crowd had gathered to watch as a construction worker started taking a powersaw to Chat Noir’s neck, cutting through the brass until it toppled off his shoulders and landed on the grass in front of a cheering mob.

 

“If Chat’s telling the truth…we just helped Hawkmoth smear the last hero left in this city,” Nino said with a small shivver.

 

“Hey, what about us?” Chloe huffed. “We’re heroes!”

 

“She’s right,” Alya said, tearing her gaze away from the television. “No matter what’s going on with Ladybug and Chat Noir, we’re three independent heroes now. Teaming up with Ladybug today got us our kwami back, but I say this is the last time we really help her until we’re sure she’s telling the truth.”

 

“She’s gonna get suspicious if we don’t turn up to Chat hunting parties,” Chloe pointed out.

 

“Not to mention she knows everything about us already,” Nino added. “Where we live, who we talk to; if we go against her, she’s gonna...well, shit, I don’t know what she’s gonna do, but-”

 

“So we pretend to be good little soldiers for her,” Alya continued, twirling a lock of hair anxiously. “Show up, make a show of looking for Chat Noir, pretend to be one hundred percent invested in her cause to get close to her. We just...slow things down a little. Look for Chat but don’t look too hard. And none of this ‘attack on sight’ bullshit Mayura’s on about. The fact that he’s Team Ladybug without even questioning it makes me a little leery of him.”

 

“Birdo knows too much already,” Nino agreed, scooping a pile of whipped cream off one of Chloe’s desserts and dropping it in his coffee.

 

“Yeah, where does Ladybug get off letting him know who we are?” Chloe huffed.

 

“ Everyone knows who you are,” Nino said dryly.

 

“It’s the principle!” Chloe said, slamming her fist on the table so hard it toppled the croquembouche, sending cream puffs rolling across the table.

 

“So, we’re agreed then?” Alya asked. “We don’t move until we know more. Whatever Ladybug and Chat Noir are up to, we stay out of the thick of it, get more information, and only throw our lot in with the one we’re sure is in the right.”

 

“If Chat’s right, is he really going to accept our help after the Ladyblog served his metaphorical head to the Parisian populace?” Nino asked, gesturing at the crowd dumping the dismembered Chat Noir statue in the river.

 

“The Ladyblog is my responsibility,” Alya said, with a nod to reassure herself. “Let me worry about rectifying this situation if Chat Noir is telling the truth. I hate to think I slandered an innocent person, but-”

 

“It’s libel if it’s in print,” Chloe said. “And it’s not like you did it to dump on Neko Noir because you hate him or anything; we had to get Ladybug to trust us enough to let us accessorize whenever we wanted to. Strictly business.”

 

“Hope he sees it that way,” Alya said, chewing her bottom lip.

 

“After the treatment this city has given him, I’m sure he’ll accept whatever help he can get,” Chloe chuckled, earning a sharp glare from Nino. “...not helping; got it.”

 

“We did what we had to for the power to protect this city,” Nino said, laying a hand on Alya’s shoulder with a small squeeze. “And we will until Hawkmoth rips our Miraculous off of us.”

 

“Long as he doesn’t touch my hair that is,” Chloe said, wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “So on the topic of team names, how does the Miraculous Bee Team sound?”

 

“Hey, if it’s Team Anyone, it’s Team Rena,” Nino said. “Alya’s been handling all the legwork so far and pretty much secured our Miraculous out from under Ladybug’s nose.”

 

“So that means the whole team gets to be named after her?” Chloe pouted. “I’m putting us up here in a safehouse! If Ladybug and her blueberry boy-toy show up, it’s my black and yellow ass they’re going to kick!”

 

“Well why don’t we put it to a vote?” Nino asked, raising a hand. “Alya, what team are we?”

 

“Cheater,” Chloe said, sticking her tongue out.

 

“Not Team Rena,” Alya said with a fond chuckle, fishing a piece of chocolate cake off the table and feeding it to Trixx in her pocket. “We’re not electing a leader here or appointing one of us as the mascot of this little splinter cell. In fact, officially, this team doesn’t exist. We’re not a team, and somehow...somehow we’re the only team left with Paris’ best interests at heart.”

 

As Alya spoke, she noticed how Nino and Chloe seemed to sit up a little straighter, all playful bickering immediately put on hold as they both turned to give her their undivided attention.

 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir are obsessed with each other,” Alya continued. “Even when they’re battering each other through buildings. But while they’re focused on whatever lover’s spat they’re having, Hawkmoth is still out there somewhere. And sooner or later, he’s gonna take advantage of this split between Team Ladynoir and make his play for the Miraculous. That’s what he’s always wanted, and until he has them or he gets captured, we can’t count him out of the fight just yet.”

 

“Through all this superpowered nonsense, we have to keep our heads cool,” Alya said, insistently poking her finger on the tabletop. “We have to get to the bottom of this, we have to do our own research, we have to see through this Miraculous shell game and find out which cup Hawkmoth is hiding under so we can put him on the shelf for good.”

 

Chloe nodded as Alya spoke, sharing a glance with Nino as the television screen behind the bar showed a city gripped by fear, mistrust, and betrayal. Mayor Andre and Chief Raincomprix were making a joint statement, no doubt calling for Chat Noir’s arrest, but Alya was oblivious to the opinions of anyone not currently seated at the table.

 

“We’re not Team Ladybug and we’re not Team Chat,” Alya said. “We are first, foremost, and forever Team Paris. We are for this city and the people in it; right or wrong, good or bad, and regardless of whatever Miraculous bullshit gets thrown their way...or at least I am.”

 

Alya leaned back, glancing between her two unlikely partners as a pregnant silence lingered between them. A kind of static electricity hung in the air; years later, Alya would look back on that moment with a kind of clarity that only came from hindsight.

 

Nino was the first to act, plucking a dessert fork off the table and holding out like a sword towards the middle of the table. “Alright...guess I'm Team Paris.”

 

“Team Paris,” Chloe said, lips curling into a small, slightly savage smirk as she crossed her spoon with Nino’s fork.

 

“Team Paris,” Alya said, folding her fork over her new partners’ cutlery, forming a small silver triangle of cutlery in the middle of the table.

Notes:

So why am I being so mean to Adrien?

Part of what I want to do with this fic (other than rip the still-beating hearts out of Ladynoir shippers) is “fix” some of the things that irk me about Miraculous Ladybug’s canon (what else is fanfiction for if not venting your grievances with canon in story format?)

One of the biggest gripes I have is that Adrien/Chat is a very static/helpless character.

He doesn’t ask questions, he doesn’t follow up on leads (like the BOOK OF MIRACULOUS IN HIS FATHER’S OFFICE) and he spends a lot of the show pining after Ladybug and just waiting to be saved. He relies on Ladybug to save him if his reckless fighting style gets him hurt, he wants Ladybug to save him from his loneliness, he wants his father to save him from his lousy family situation. Ladynoir, in show, is a pretty unequal partnership, mostly because Ladybug more often than not has to do all the work. She has to plan, she has to fight Chat or fight alone or worry about recruiting someone in the thick of battle, and at the end of the day, Ladybug has to carry the day in a way that Chat Noir just doesn’t need to do.

Chat doesn’t need to rely on himself in the same ways Ladybug does.

I like Adrien more than I’ve liked a cartoon character in a long time, but I realized that I like his potential more than I like the way he’s presented in the show. So if (by my subjective interpretation you’re encouraged to disagree with) Adrien is a character that relies on Ladybug for practically everything, the best way to get him to develop would be to put him at odds with his former idol and force him to save himself. He has support from Kagami, but that support isn’t going to come in the form of placating his wounded ego or excusing his mistakes. No one is going to bring him back if he gets killed again; no one is going to Miraculous Ladybug his problems away. If he gets kidnapped, caught, or brainwashed just once, that’s the ballgame. He needs to either rise to Ladybug’s exceedingly competent level, or get his Miraculous snatched. No more hiding, no more waiting for his knight in spotted armor to rescue him; it’s sink or swim from here on out.

Whether he does or not is something you’ll have to wait and see~

Thank you again for making this the second-most commented on story I have (behind SBIB’s thousands of comments). It really means a lot to me that people take time out of their day to respond/yell at me. Next part is in the works and then we can get into the bulk of the cold war proper~

Until next time!

Chapter 18: Love, Love, Love

Summary:

Required listening for this chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv3-vANWwcU

 

“You have a lovely home.”

 

Kagami said nothing, arms crossed across her chest as Master He sat across the table from her, cup of tea growing cold in front of her.

 

“Interesting decoration,” Master He remarked, looking over the rim of her glasses at a polished silver scimitar that hung on the wall. “Is that a Persian shamshir?”

 

“...a tulwar, actually,” Kagami said tersely, glancing at the clock on the wall that taunted her with every tick.

 

“Are they not similar though?”

 

“...at a glance, perhaps.”

 

“I see,” Master He said, non committedly. “...forgive me for prying, but are you and Chat Noir-”

 

“We don’t need to talk,” Kagami sighed.

 

“Just trying to make conversation,” Master He shrugged.

 

“Though I am curious as to how you entered my car without my knowledge,” Kagami said, eyes narrowing at her unexpected guest.

 

“I used the door,” Master He said simply.

 

“...you expect me to believe that?”

 

“How else does one enter a car?” Master He asked, raising an eyebrow as Kagami suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

 

“I would have noticed if you came in through the bloody door,” Kagami muttered.

 

“Not, unless, I didn’t want you to,” Master He said with a thin smile as the garage door swung open again.

 

“Were you followed?” Kagami asked as Chat Noir sat down at the table, placing a long, slender wooden box in front of him.

 

“Took the extra-extra long way around to make sure I wasn’t,” Chat Noir said, unlatching the box and opening it in front of Master He. Twelve polished, metallic pieces of jewelry sat glittering in the dim light of the kitchen, pressed into plush red velvet. Master He couldn’t suppress the small gasp of surprise that slipped through her lips, leaning forward as she scrutinized each Miraculous in turn.

 

“...you were telling the truth then,” Master He said, leaning back in her chair. “Thank you for being so...forthcoming.”

 

“I have nothing to hide,” Chat Noir said, folding his arms across his chest. “If you are a friend of Master Fu, that is.”

 

“I have nothing to hide either,” Master He said, producing a faded, yellowing photograph with a flick of a wrist and holding it up for Chat Noir to see. A group of eight, elderly Chinese people sat posed around a table in what appeared to be early 1900’s fashion. The small, hunched figure of Master Fu sat off to one side, no different than when Adrien had seen him only a few weeks before. Next to him, Master He sat, arms folded and glaring at the camera with a kind of judgemental suspicion.

 

“I am a woman who values honesty above all else,” Master He said, leaning in and steepling her fingers as the photo disappeared back up her sleeve with another flick of her wrist. “Secrets and subterfuge are Master Fu’s purview; mine is the spread and dissemination of knowledge, so I will be perfectly candid with you. I am here because I believe that Ladybug and the Ladybug Miraculous are in grave danger.”

 

---

 

“So he got away?”

 

“We spent all day looking for him; couldn’t find him,” Ladybug sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she stared at Hawkmoth’s back across the room. “He must have scurried off in the wreckage after that Cataclysm destroyed the Mayor’s house.”

 

“Were you planning on fixing that?” Hawkmoth asked, staring out the window at the pile of smoking rubble in the near distance. “I don’t mean to be a bother, but that was the home of one of our family friends-”

 

“Haven’t had time; looking for Chat has kinda been at the forefront of my priority list,” Ladybug said, waving a hand dismissively.

 

“Yes, and leaving a smoking hole that Chat Noir created only gives credence to our version of events,” Hawkmoth said, nodding thoughtfully. “Still, I would see to that before too long. Maybe get a nice press shot of Ladybug saving the day once again.”

 

“I don’t need to jockey in front of the cameras for attention,” Ladybug said coolly. “I don’t need public acclaim in order to do the right thing.”

 

“Of course you don’t,” Hawkmoth said, turning around and frowning at the bruise Chat Noir left on Ladybug’s cheek. “Seems our friend is finally realizing his destructive potential.”

 

Ladybug scowled, touching her bruised skin unconsciously with the tips of her fingers. “Any theories as to why that might be?”

 

“You picked a fight with a physical avatar of destruction and you’re surprised that he can destroy things?” Hawkmoth said, raising an eyebrow. “No offense, but-”

 

“Choose your next words carefully,” Ladybug said. “I have had a very rough day.”

 

“You and Chat Noir have been relatively stagnant over the past couple of years,” Hawkmoth said, holding his hands up defensively. “You have each only scratched the surface of what you’re individually capable of.”

 

“Not like you ever gave us a reason to step up our game,” Ladybug scoffed.

 

“ Perhaps, but what happened today was a result of Chat Noir evolving,” Hawkmoth explained, rubbing his chin. “He is rising in power in opposition to you, and he’s made it clear that he has no qualms about hurting you to get what he wants...I understand you two were friends, but...I’m afraid you’ve been too lenient with him.”

 

“Too...lenient?” Ladybug echoed, gesturing out the window. “Mayor Andre just declared Chat Noir Public Enemy Number One! They are dismembering the Chat Noir statue in the park and calling for his head on a stick! He is being hunted like an animal and you think I’m being too lenient?! ”

 

“You are still giving him opportunities to join you when he’s made it clear that he has no intention of ever coming around to our side of things,” Hawkmoth said, hands folding on top of his cane. “You are still hanging on to the hope that Chat Noir will not be harmed in any of this when he seems to bear no such feelings towards you. This is not going to end well for Chat Noir, and if you don’t realize that-”

 

“Hey, I realize that,” Ladybug shot back. “Nobody realizes how bad this is going to be for Chat Noir more than I do, okay? Just because I’m not out for his blood yet doesn’t mean I don’t know that he…”

 

Ladybug swallowed heavily, biting her bottom lip as she forced herself to remain calm in Hawkmoth’s presence. The place for tears was not standing in front of Paris’ greatest exploiter of emotional vulnerability.

 

“I know he’s not going to get that happy ending your family will,” Ladybug said. “I know he...I know we’re effectively enemies now…”

 

“Then you need to start treating him like the enemy he is,” Hawkmoth said. “Because that is how he will be treating you the next time you meet.”

 

“If we can just pin him down after a Cataclysm-”

 

“Cataclysm may be the least of your worries,” Hawkmoth said walking over to a table and picking up a manilla folder. “You’ve done well to isolate him from most sources of support and get the remaining Miraculous holders on your side, but-”

 

Hawkmoth tossed the folder to Ladybug who plucked it out of the air with one hand. Inside, a picture of a white bracelet on Dr. He’s wrist sat superimposed next to a copy of a page from the Miraculous book, detailing a figure clad in white and standing next to an elegant crane.

 

“It seems you missed a spot.”

 

---

 

“Wait...you mean working with a deranged brainwashing lunatic is putting Ladybug in danger ?!” Chat Noir gasped facetiously. “You don’t say!”

 

“This must be the kind of genius insight that awards you the title of master ,” Kagami said dryly.

 

“Scoff all you’d like,” Master He sniffed. “But do not underestimate the fact that Hawkmoth has his talons wrapped around one of the most powerful forces in the universe.”

 

“You seem awfully sure of that,” Chat Noir said evasively. “Who’s to say Ladybug’s not telling the truth and I’m the one who’s really working for Hawkmoth?”

 

“I had my suspicions,” Master He said, stirring her tea slowly. “But the fact that we’re sitting here talking to each other means that you’re not the one that Hawkmoth is manipulating.”

 

“I thought you would have sought out Ladybug at first,” Kagami said, tapping her finger to her cheek thoughtfully.

 

“I did,” Master He said, taking a sip of her tea. “But there is something...or some one preventing me from finding her…”

 

---

 

“Dr. He...is a Miraculous user?”

 

“Yes, it would see that your master’s doctor runs in the same circles as he does,” Hawkmoth said as Ladybug studied the image of Dr. He’s bracelet. “I wish I could say that was the worst of it, but I had my personal assistant do some digging and...well...I have reason to believe that the old bat is much older than she appears.”

 

Ladybug turned the page, scowling at the identical image of Dr. He posing for an early photograph, the same cold, analytical look turned on the camera.

 

“I suspect she’s a sorceress of some kind,” Hawkmoth said, frowning as Ladybug let out a derisive snort. “Something funny?”

 

“A sorceress?” Ladybug sniggered. “You have to be kidding me.”

 

“Do I look like the kind of man who indulges in kidding ?”

 

“Being a Miraculous user wasn’t enough?”

 

“As I’m sure you’re well aware, each Miraculous has a very limited purview of abilities,” Hawkmoth sniffed. “You could no more destroy a city block than Chat Noir could heal a broken bone. To stray outside one’s purview of expertise requires study of forces beyond the scope of human abilities. I hesitate to call them ‘supernatural’ since they seem to be baked into the very fabric of the world we live in, but-”

 

“You’re talking like you’re...familiar with these forces,” Ladybug said, narrowing her eyes at Hawkmoth.

 

“Like I said, Miraculous have limitations ,” Hawkmoth said, running his fingers over his brooch. “The Butterfly allows me to make a gift of power to someone, but tragically does not allow me to compel them to do my bidding. To do that, I needed to...broaden my horizons.”

 

“Gabriel Agreste; fashionista, C.E.O. and amateur warlock,” Ladybug said, crossing her arms. “You’re a regular triple threat, aren’t you?”

 

“Quadruple if you count my gardening skills,” Hawkmoth said, regarding Ladybug with a strange, appraising look for a moment.

 

“You garden?”

 

“You haven’t seen my flowers, have you?”

 

“Must’ve missed it on the way in,” Ladybug said, turning to leave. “I really should be getting going…”

 

“Please...I insist,” Hawkmoth said, pressing a button on the wall that opened what appeared to be an elevator door on the far side of the room. “I feel as though we need to...understand each other.”

 

“...if that is some kind of euphemism, I swear to God- ”

 

“Don’t be perverse ,” Hawkmoth groaned as he headed into the elevator. “You must half my age...what kind of monster do you take me for?”

 

“What kind of monster are you?” Ladybug asked, narrowing her eyes at Hawkmoth.

 

“I’d like to show you,” Hawkmoth said, rubbing the back of his masked head. “I feel it’s...important that you understand just what kind of monster I am.”

 

---

 

“...a warlock is shielding Ladybug from your sight?” Kagami asked, deadpan incredulity dripping from every syllable.

 

“What you call them is irrelevant,” Master He said, folding her hands in her lap. “Hawkmoth or someone working for him is versed in magic that-”

 

Kagami’s giggle interrupted Master He’s monologue.

 

“I’m sorry, but seriously ,” Kagami said, looking between Chat Noir and Master He. “Magic? Warlocks? You really believe this woman?”

 

“A thumb-sized talking cat powered by stinky cheese lives in my ring and gives me unfathomable powers of destruction,” Chat Noir said blankly. “And you’re having trouble buying the fact that Hawkmoth might have gone to Beauxbatons?”

 

“...forgive the interruption,” Kagami said, sitting back in her chair with a thoughtful nod.

 

“As I was saying,” Master He said, eyes narrowing at Kagami. “There is a haze of dark power surrounding Ladybug that prevents me from getting an accurate idea of her location. I was able to find you largely because my divination abilities weren’’t hampered, and even then it was only because you hadn’t detransformed yet.”

 

“Could Hawkmoth do the same?” Chat Noir asked, unconsciously fingering his ring.

 

“If he could, he would have already,” Kagami countered.

 

“I doubt he has the same...experience as I do,” Master He said with a small smile.

 

“Though enough experience to thwart your efforts to locate him and Ladybug,” Chat Noir said.

 

“Master Fu long suspected that there was something more to Hawkmoth than just the Butterfly Miraculous,” Master He said. “The fact of the matter is that Nooroo does not confer upon his user the ability to influence people’s minds. Whatever he’s done to create these akuma lies outside of Nooroo’s purview...and given their insidious nature, it’s not a stretch to assume that Hawkmoth is employing some heinous sorcery to coerce his victims into complying with his goals.”

 

Kagami nodded, brow knit and mouth pursed in concentration as she stared into the swirling woodgrain of her tabletop.

 

“Make no mistake; Hawkmoth has not showed the full breadth of his abilities,” Master He continued. “It takes a special kind of person to learn sorcery...one willing to sacrifice and endure a great deal of hardship. And any person like that is not one you’d like to make an enemy of.”

 

---

 

“...too cheap to spring for music, huh?”

 

Of all the strange things Ladybug had done in her tenure as a superhero, riding in a cramped elevator with Hawkmoth ranked among the strangest.

 

“Wings in,” Hawkmoth said as elevator descended, taking a deep breath as Hawkmoth’s suit disappeared and revealed a very tired looking Gabriel Agreste. For a moment, Ladybug eyed the brooch around his neck only a scant yard or so in front of her. She mused at how easy it would be to take it from him; how simple disarming Hawkmoth once and for all would be...but at this point, would Chat really be satisfied with that? After demolishing an entire block, how much more would he be willing to destroy until his thirst for revenge was satisfied?

 

The elevator landed on the bottom floor before Ladybug could follow that train of thought any further as Gabriel fished a ring of keys out of his pocket.

 

“I don’t like to come down here as Hawkmoth,” Gabriel muttered, producing a silver key that fit into a lock on the side of the elevator door. “Seems...indecent somehow.”

 

“Because being Hawkmoth is so decent above ground?” Ladybug asked, stepping away from the doors in case they opened into the eighth circle of hell. Instead of fire and brimstone, she was struck with a sickeningly sweet floral aroma as the elevator doors opened into an eerily serene setting. At the end of a long, empty cathedral looking setting was a lush, extravagant floral setting at odds with the rest of the stark environment.

 

“What...what is this?” Ladybug asked as Gabriel started walking down the cold steel gangplank, each step echoing as he headed towards the far side of the room.

 

“Emilie...Adrien’s mother loved flowers,” Gabriel said somewhat haltingly, running a hand through his hair and smoothing his suit jacket out. “Had a knack for bringing the most hopelessly lost plants back from the brink of death. I...I tried to keep some of her plants alive after we declared her missing, but...well, this is all that remains.”

 

Ladybug’s confusion only worsened as she approached the little garden on the far side of the room and took notice of the smooth, glassy cylinder under the towering butterfly shaped glass window overlooking the room. Inside lay a woman with smooth, fair skin, soft blond hair, and delicate, refined features that reminded her all too much of Adrien.

 

“What...what the hell is happening?” Ladybug asked, head swimming as Gabriel plucked a handkerchief out of his breast pocket, methodically wiping a corner of the glass window that accumulated dust in his absence. “Is that...you said she…”

 

“I...am grateful that you have come this far to help my family,” Gabriel said, eyes never leaving his wife’s face even as he spoke to Ladybug. “But if we are to go further...I need you to understand what it is you are fighting for.”

 

---

 

“Sorry if I’m not feeling too concerned about my former partner’s well-being at the moment.”

 

“I understand that you’re upset with her right now-”

 

“ Upset doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface,” Chat Noir hissed, standing up from the table and pacing around the edge of the kitchen. “ Upset is the understatement of the whole goddamned year! For four years I risked my life to protect this city and Ladybug and she just throws it all away because I wasn’t a good little boy who did what he was told! I told her working with Hawkmoth was a bad idea, so why should I care if Mme. Know-It-All gets her spotted butt in trouble?!”

 

“Ladybug is not going to get away with this,” Master He said sternly. “If she has promised the services of her kwami to a deranged lunatic, there will be consequences for the girl under the mask; make no mistake about that. I am not asking you to help me save Ladybug; I am asking you to help me recover the Ladybug Miraculous before she or Hawkmoth use it for some nefarious purpose.”

 

“Forgive what might be an ignorant question,” Kagami interjected. “But how can the power of creation be used nefariously?”

 

“It is when it’s used to create nefarious things,” Master He said simply. “And whatever Hawkmoth’s plans for it are, I doubt they factor in the best interests of Paris. Wresting control of the Ladybug Miraculous away from Hawkmoth is our number one priority.”

 

“That’s all well and good, but our situation just got a lot dicier,” Chat Noir said, flicking the television mounted on the wall on with a button.

 

---

 

“Emilie and I were...well, I can’t say childhood sweethearts because I spent most of college pining after her from afar,” Gabriel chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “I spent so much time thinking she was just...unattainable, that I didn’t work up the courage to ask her out until graduation threatened to seperate us forever.”

 

“Why would she be unattainable?” Ladybug asked, leaning against the railing that separated the small garden from the rest of the room. “She’s a person; not an object.”

 

“She was... is the daughter of a Austrian banker and a child actress to boot,” Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head. “Never mind the fact that she was as beautiful then as she is now and I was a skinny fourteen year old nobody who could barely say two words to her without making a total fool of myself...still honestly a bit surprised that she gave me the time of day.”

 

“Punching above your weight class, huh?” Ladybug said.

 

“Emilie is above everyone’s weight class,” Gabriel said, fingertips lingering over the glass lid of the casket. “The fact that she chose me... picked me is nothing short of miraculous .”

 

Ladybug said nothing as Gabriel trailed off, eyes going slightly unfocused as he stared up at his wife’s face.

 

“I knew I was never going to be worthy of her,” Gabriel continued. “Her family made it clear what they thought of their daughter marrying below her station...but I tried. I fought and I struggled and I worked around the clock to build my business into something not even her father could look down on. I made Gabriel into the company it is today so that my wife would want for nothing....that she would never have cause to regret the choice she made.”

 

“Something tells me your wife wouldn’t be thrilled with your behavior since her disappearance,” Ladybug said, studying Emilie’s serene expression. “...but she didn’t disappear, did she?”

 

“No...she didn’t,” Gabriel muttered, almost under her breath. “She went to the doctor for help with a phantom pain in her stomach...they handed her a death sentence. A disease so rare the impossible fraud who diagnosed her named it after himself...called it Licter’s Syndrome. As if he had invented the damned thing…”

 

Gabriel’s mouth twisted into a bitter snarl as he turned away, taking off his glasses with a shaky sigh.

 

“She was thirty six years old,” Gabriel said. “Thirty six and already preparing herself for death...can you imagine that? Watching someone you love fill out her will while nursing your infant son? Watching the...only source of light and happiness in your life dim as it prepared go out forever?”

 

Gabriel turned to face her for the first time, a quiet anger brimming behind his eyes.

 

“Could you accept that?” Gabriel asked. “Would you just...lie down and let death come for the person you loved more than anything in the entire world? Or would you do something about it? Do anything to save the life of the person you loved?”

 

“That’s what you did then?” Ladybug asked, raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t try...conventional medicine first?”

 

“I tried everything ,” Gabriel laughed, shaking his head. “Poured millions into medical research, flew in experts in rare diseases from around the world, paid for expensive herbal compounds that swore they would ease her pain...every time, I was disappointed. Every...single...time, they let me down. Conventional medicine failed my wife...so I turned to more unconventional medicine.”

 

---

 

“-shocked more than anyone else at this tragic and unfortunate turn of events,” Mayor Andre said as photographers snapped pictures of him in front of the rubble of his house. “To have someone this city nurtured as a hero betray us is truly saddening, but the renegade Chat Noir has made his lack of care for this city apparent today. It is fortunate that no one was harmed in today’s battle, but I fear next time we may not be so lucky. Therefore, the City of Paris stands with Ladybug and formally issues a warrant for the capture of Chat Noir on grounds of property destruction, terrorism, and attempted murder!”

 

“Hear that? I’m a terrorist now,” Chat Noir spat, turning the television off.

 

“People who blow up buildings tend to garner that label,” Master He sniffed.

 

“Okay, master , what would you have done in that situation?” Chat Noir asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

 

“Would have made myself scarce; stayed out of the public eye until the chaos Ladybug was trying to create died down,” Master He said simply. “Attacking Ladybug erased any doubt there might have been in the minds of Parisians or your fellow heroes. Now I don’t see any way forward that doesn’t involve a great deal of chaos and destruction.”

 

“Destruction Ladybug is responsible for,” Chat Noir countered.

 

“Does Ladybug hold the Black Cat?” Master He said. “Does she control you like a puppet? Does she decide what is and isn’t destroyed with a cataclysm?”

 

Chat Noir opened his mouth to respond but found himself coming up short, averting his gaze from Master He’s firm, unwavering stare.

 

“No one is responsible for your actions except you , Chat Noir,” Master He said. “The course you chart going forward is entirely your own; it is up to you to determine how to use the power Master Fu trained you how to use.”

 

“Master Fu didn’t train me in anything ,” Chat Noir said, fingering his ring as he stared off into space. “He was... is my friend, but he was never my mentor. All that sage wisdom and Miraculous hero training was saved for Ladybug who seems to be putting it to great use.”

 

Master He frowned, sitting up in her chair. “He...at least trained you how to fight, correct?”

 

“I took karate until I was sixteen and have fenced since I was eight,” Chat Noir said. “I learned more from fighting Kagami here than I did from Master Fu.”

 

“He told you about Sanctuary though, right?” Master He said, glancing between Kagami and Chat Noir who looked equally nonplussed. “You’ve...you’ve used environmental transformations in the past, so he must have taught you how to brew different elixirs, right?”

 

“He would give me a wheel of cheese with the different powers I needed,” Chat Noir shrugged, ancient indignation bubbling up inside him. “Once I ran out of underwater cheese so Ladybug just recruited Carapace while I sat on the rooftop and watched the water battle from a distance.”

 

Master He blinked, shook her head and stared off into space for a few moments.

 

“Well...that’s...,” she said. “I...it’s not unusual for Master Fu to play favorites, but to... completely neglect the training of the most dangerous Miraculous of all is just...gods...what was he thinking?”

 

“You received no training from this supposed mentor of yours?” Kagami asked, turning back to Master He. “Tell me; will he be well enough once he recovers to weather a slap to the face?”

 

“He will have to weather more than that,” Master He sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Overcautious old fool !”

 

“Ladybug said he was training her to be the next Guardian,” Chat Noir said, watching Master He’s normally composed expression crumble into a hodgepodge of confusion, disbelief, and anger. “And again; doing a great job with that!”

 

“Guardians are the most secretive of our orders, to be sure, but this...gods, he’s making you pay for his mistakes!” Master He hissed, shaking her head.

 

“I sense we’re missing some context here,” Kagami said, sharing a look with Chat Noir.

 

“Welcome to Team Chat,” Chat Noir snorted. “You get used to missing context after a while.”

 

“Okay...okay,” Master He sighed, shaking her head. “Never send a Guardian to do a Vizier’s job...okay, here’s what’s going to happen. You are going to keep your head down for a few weeks at the least. You are not going to make any public appearances or antagonize Ladybug in any way. If Ladybug is as desperate to end things as you say she is, she will try and provoke you; try and fill the silence you leave in your wake. The longer we can prolong this, the more we can force tension between her and her new partner.”

 

“So, what, just take a vacation?” Chat Noir asked. “I thought you said we needed to move on Ladybug?”

 

“We do, but you need to catch up on the training Master Fu should have been giving you,” Master He said, slowly standing up. “When you’re ready to have some real instruction, you know where to find me. Until then-”

 

Chat Noir blinked as the image of Master He evaporated, leaving Kagami and him staring at a blank patch in the kitchen where she used to be.

 

“...am I going mad,” Kagami asked, head slowly tilting to one side. “Or did a strange Chinese woman just break into my house, lecture you, and disappear into thin air?”

 

“That or I hit my head harder than I thought I did,” Chat Noir sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This is a weird question, but-”

 

A pop split the silence as Kagami tore the cork out of a bottle of white wine with her teeth as she fished another out of a cupboard by the sink.

 

“Read my mind,” Chat Noir said, clinking the necks of the wine bottles together as he tipped the moscato straight down his throat.

 

---

 

Master He’s eyes opened to the sight of her apprentices looking at her curiously over the rim of Master Fu’s bed.

 

“ Everything alright?” Jun asked as Master He slowly stood up from her chair, shaking her head as she came back to her senses.

 

“ Lovely ,” Master He said, straightening her tie. “ Jun, please prepare the Sanctuary for Chat Noir’s use. Lan, please prevent me from strangling Quingfu before he has recovered.”

 

Master He stared at her unconscious friend’s sleeping face with a small sigh. “ We have a lot of ground to make up…”

 

---

 

“...magic?”

 

“It sounds silly when you refer to it as such-”

 

“So what would be a better term for it?” Ladybug asked.

 

“...I prefer the study of supernatural forces,” Gabriel muttered, adjusting his glasses.

 

“Sure you do,” Ladybug said. “So...you started researching the occult for a way to cure your wife?”

 

“Some men might have prayed for a miracle; I’m more of a do-it-yourself sort of person,” Gabriel said, leaning on the railing a few yards away from Ladybug. “I admit, I got a little desperate; Emilie’s health only worsened as Adrien grew older. I spent the better part of two years indulging every charlatan and witch doctor I could find...I was disappointed by most of them.”

 

“Not all?” Ladybug asked.

 

Gabriel scratched the back of his neck somewhat uneasily. “...let’s just say I finally found someone with more power than money; someone who was willing to sell a secret or two for a few hundred euros.”

 

“Didn’t realize Hogwarts tuition was that cheap,” Ladybug chuckled, more of out nervousness than anything else. “Is that how you learned of the Miraculous?”

 

“Every road I went down mentioned them in some capacity,” Gabriel shrugged. “Or hinted at them. Four thousand years of secret history is shaped by a set of strange objects; two that are rumored to guarantee their wielders absolute power. So...naturally I sought them out; paid people to make inquiries and go places I couldn’t. I spent another two years looking for any sign of them and then…”

 

Gabriel trailed off eyes losing focus as he stared into the inky black glass that stretched out over the back wall of the cathedral.

 

“I got an offer,” Gabriel said. “From a...curiosities dealer. Two Miraculous and a whole book detailing their secret history...sounded too good to be true…”

 

---

 

Gabriel closed the car door behind him, wrapping his jacket tightly around his shoulders as Gorilla eyed the dilapidated warehouse with a curious frown.

 

“This seems...unsafe,” Gorilla said as Gabriel forged ahead, boots crunching on the gravel road leading up to the entrance of the building. “Sir, we should-”

 

“Wait outside, Gorilla,” Gabriel said, lightly patting his assistant on the shoulder. “They wanted me to come alone.”

 

“I’m aware of that, but-”

 

“If I’m not back in half an hour, take the car, and go home,” Gabriel said, pulling the front door open with a wrenching creak of rusted iron hinges. “And take care of Emilie for me.”

 

Gorilla nodded somewhat uneasily, watching Gabriel disappear into the old warehouse with a worried frown. A lone glimmer of light shone down from the ceiling, illuminating half of a long wooden table that sat in the direct center of the facility. Glancing around the abandoned maze of metal shelves and forgotten forklifts, Gabriel walked towards the chair table as the email had instructed, pulled  it out and took a seat. His breath came out in great clouds of steam, but a cold sweat still ran down the back of Gabriel’s neck as he waited, eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement.

 

“Mr. Agreste.”

 

Gabriel nearly fell out of his chair as a disembodied voice came across the table. Through the darkness, he could vaguely make out the figure sitting in the chair opposite him; a tall, featureless figure that seemed to have been waiting for him since he entered the building.

 

“Good of you to come,” the voice said in perfect French.

 

“Good of you to meet me,” Gabriel said, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. “I confess, I thought I was coming out here on another wild goose chase.”

 

“Chase enough geese, and you’re bound to catch one eventually,” the voice said, laying something heavy on the table just out of the circle of light. “I understand that you’ve been asking around about the Miraculous...I hope it’s not for some garish runway display.”

 

“I have an accessory department for that kind of thing,” Gabriel said, leaning in with his fingers pressed together. “...my wife is sick; incurably so. I need something, well, miraculous in order to save her life...and I’m willing to pay the rest of my fortune in order to get the miracle I need.”

 

The purple eyes regarded him unblinkingly from the darkness, fingers tapping rhythmically on the table in consideration.

 

“You’re no ordinary warlock,” the voice murmured. “Here I thought we were dealing with just another power hungry little charlatan.”

 

“We?” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” the voice said, sliding a metal briefcase across the table as Gabriel fumbled to catch it before it fell. Fingers trembling, he cracked the briefcase open as the flickering fluorescent light bulb shone down on a purple butterfly shaped pin and a blue Peacock shaped pin. Between them was an old, dusty book with an intricately carved gold symbol pressed into the leather.

 

“Two Miraculous and the grimoire,” the voice said as Gabriel lifted the butterfly out of the box almost reverently. “As promised.”

 

“And these...will help my wife?” Gabriel asked.

 

“Possibly,” the voice said. “The Butterfly is capable of bestowing...unique capabilities on its Champions. You might be able to create a Champion capable of healing your ailing wife but...well....it’s not exactly the Ladybug.”

 

“The Ladybug?” Gabriel asked, opening the book and landing on a page featuring a red and black clad figure.

 

“Power of absolute creation,” the voice mused. “Paired with the Black Cat, the power of absolute destruction...well, you could even bring someone back from the grave with that kind of power.”

 

“My wife isn’t dead yet,” Gabriel snapped, closing the case with a thoughtful frown. “Who has the Ladybug and Black Cat?”

 

“Really wish I knew,” the voice said. “Whoever has them isn’t going to reveal them without good cause...but as you said, you don’t need to bring your wife back from the dead yet .”

 

Gabriel nodded. “I see...I don’t believe we discussed terms, did we?”

 

“We have not,” the voice said.

 

“What is this going to cost me?” Gabriel asked. “I have money put away, if that’s what you’e looking for-”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“I...beg your pardon?” Gabriel asked.

 

“That’s what this is going to cost you,” the voice said. “Nothing.”

 

“You would part with two artifacts of immense power for...nothing?”

 

“There is nothing you have that I want...yet,” the voice said. “And as I said, my partner and I aren’t getting much use out of these at the moment. Better to...pass them on to someone who might do some good with them. See if you can’t heal your wife.”

 

“I don’t accept charity,” Gabriel said, stiffening as the voice let out a low, throaty chuckle.

 

“A man in your position doesn’t need it,” the voice said. “So consider this a...gift. Friends give each other gifts now and then, don’t they?”

 

“We’re friends?” Gabriel asked.

 

“I’d like to be,” the voice said. “And if there comes a day when you have something that I need-”

 

“I see,” Gabriel said, adjusting his glasses thoughtfully. “...as long as it has nothing to do with my son or my wife, I suppose I owe you and your partner a favor down the road...to repay the friendship you showed me today.”

 

“I’m glad we understand each other,” the voice said, slowly rising from their seat. “There is...just one more thing I’d like to request.”

 

“And that is?” Gabriel asked, stiffening as the figure stepped into the light for the first time. A smooth, solid, featureless black helmet covered their head. A long, black, military coat swept the ground a scant few inches above the polished black boots that clacked audibly on the floor with every step. Gabriel’s breath seized in his throat as the figure stopped by his chair, leaning down until he could see his terrified reflection in the polished metal of the helmet.

 

“...take good care of your son,” the figure said in an oddly cheerful voice that made Gabriel’s blood freeze in his veins. “You only get one chance to be a father...would be a shame if you squandered it, hm?

 

A heavy, gloved hand patted Gabriel on the shoulder as the figure padded away, leaving Gabriel sitting alone in the warehouse, trembling hands clutching the briefcase to his chest.

 

---

 

Ladybug’s heart thrummed in her ears as Gabriel finished, slowly taking a handkerchief out and wiping his sweating brow.

 

“...who were they?” Ladybug asked.

 

“I was hoping you knew,” Gabriel chuckled weakly. “I never saw them again after that...and I suppose you know the rest of the story, don’t you?”

 

Gabriel walked back towards Emilie’s pod, laying a hand almost yearningly on the glass as he looked up at her.

 

“The Peacock didn’t help her,” Gabriel said. “And none of my akuma helped her either. She was running out of time and I was running out of options...so I took a gamble and drew out the Ladybug and Black Cat.”

 

“Is that what she would have wanted?” Ladybug asked, looking up at Emilie. “Would she have wanted you to tear your way across the city trying to save her life?”

 

“No,” Gabriel said, shaking his head. “She would have rather died than allow anyone else to suffer on her behalf...but if she survives long enough to hate me, then I’ll have done my job.”

 

Gabriel pulled his hand away, meticulously wiping his palm print from the glass until it was clean again.

 

“I managed to put her in an engineered sleep,” Gabriel said, glancing back over the empty room. “I froze her in time along with her beloved garden and built my mansion on top of it to hide her from the rest of the world. This...whole room used to be filled with flowers, but I’m not strong enough to keep time from running its course...it seems again that I am in danger of failing my wife.”

 

He seemed diminished in a way; tired, haggard, and at the end of his rope as he looked at her with an almost pleading expression.

 

“You asked me what kind of monster I was,” Gabriel said. “I am the kind of monster who loves his family. I am the kind of monster who would burn the world down if my loved ones could thrive in the ashes. And for four years, I’ve done just that; left nothing but bitterness and destruction in my wake until you showed up. Until you gave me another path forward.”

 

Ladybug said nothing, eyes quietly drifting between Gabriel and Adrien’s sleeping mother.

 

“I don’t expect you to like me or forgive me,” Gabriel said quietly. “When this is done, I will gladly subject myself to whatever punishment you feel I’ve earned...as long as Emilie and Adrien can live together in peace and happiness, I’ll be content.”

 

“I appreciate the great personal toll this war with Chat Noir must be exacting from you,” Gabriel continued, bending down and retrieving . “And I am more than capable of compensating you for your time and hardship-”

 

“Keep your money,” Ladybug sighed, shaking her head as she turned around, heading back towards the elevator. “I’m not doing this for a reward; I’m doing this because…”

 

Ladybug paused at the elevator door, glancing back at the woman who reminded her so much of Adrien.

 

“It’s just the right thing to do,” Ladybug said, stepping back into the elevator and leaving Gabriel alone with his wife.

 

---

 

Marinette kicked the hatch to her room open, staggering in with a sigh as she fished her phone out of her pocket. A series of missed calls flashed on screen that confused Marinette for a split second until she recognized the number.

 

“Shit,” Marinette swore, frantically mashing redial. “ Shitshitshitshitshitshit…. hello, Victor?! Y-Yes, I got your calls...yes, I know I was supposed to work this afternoon but I….no, it was just a family emergency! Yes my...my aunt Stefanie tripped and fell down some stairs and I had to...really?...I...I-I know I’ve missed a few shifts lately, but if you could just...is there anything I can do to...no...no, I understand...I’ll drop my apron off tomorrow...sorry…”

 

“...so much for my career as a barista,” Marinette sighed hanging up her phone with a sigh as her face fell into her hands. She pressed her palms into her eyes as warm, wet tears leaked down her cheeks, struggling to maintain composure as she flicked on the television.

 

“ -scene in the park where a mob of concerned citizens have taken to the streets, dismantling Chat Noir’s statue in the park,” the reporter explained as a small mob tore into Chat Noir’s statue, dismembering it with chisels and saws and shattering his limbs with sledgehammers on the sidewalk. “ Only hours after Ladybug was brazenly attacked by her former partner, Paris has moved quickly to erase the legacy of the once stalwart protector of this city, turned diabolical-”

 

Marinette’s finger pressed the mute button, watching the silent scene of posters, billboards, and any image of Chat Noir being torn down and burned in makeshift bonfires in the street. She watched in silence as grinning, winking images of her former partner were consumed by fire, crowds of her friends and neighbors coming out in unanimous support of Ladybug.

 

Marinette never knew having the whole city on her side could feel so rotten.

 

“What’s wrong?” Tikki asked softly from her perch on the couch next to her. “Why are you crying? The whole city is on your side. No one is going to believe that you’re working with Hawkmoth now...isn’t this is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

 

“This is what he wanted,” Marinette sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. “ I never wanted to make this city pick between us because I knew this was going to be the outcome...not my fault he was so eager to enlist the press.”

 

“Of course...you were just doing the right thing,” Tikki said, glaring up at Marinette with hard blue eyes.

 

“...the right...thing,” Marinette said, aimlessly staring at the mayhem taking place on the television screen. “You know...I’ve done the right thing. I think I’m pretty good at knowing what the right thing is and doing it. For four years, I’ve done nothing but the right thing; nothing but put the needs of everyone in this city over my own...and maybe that’s why I’ve been so hellbent on convincing myself that I’m doing the right thing. Because...maybe that’s all I’ve been told I can do. Maybe that’s...just what I’m good at.”

 

“When akuma attack during my job or my classes or my free time? I do the right thing and drop everything in order to stop them,” Marinette chuckled, shaking her head. “My...handmade birthday gift to Adrien is hijacked by his father? I do the right thing and let Adrien’s dipstick dad take the credit for it. When my classmates have a problem, I do the right thing and drop what I’m doing to help them. When mean Italian girls try and turn my friends against me with lies, I do the right thing and just let her go. When the guy I am actually in love with wants me to plan a double date for me and his new girlfriend, I do the right thing and help him out!”

 

“When my partner acts like being a superhero is some kind of game and shows up to every fight flirting and cracking jokes, I gently remind him that people’s lives are on the line,” Marinette rambled, shoulders shaking and tears streaming down her face. “Because that’s the right thing to do, right?! Constantly babying someone and cajoling them into doing their job no matter how frustrated you are because that’s the right thing to do! Being solely responsible for the safety of this city is the right thing! Managing a team of superheroes all by myself is the right thing! I have lived and breathed the right thing for four years and where has it gotten me?!”

 

Marinette was all but incandescent as four years of pent up anger, frustration, and bitterness wafted off her like great waves of heat.

 

“I have done so much for everyone around me,” Marinette spat. “And when I ask for one thing for myself; just one simple wish that would make the life of the person I care about better, you act like I’m some kind of monster! Like nothing I’ve done up until now has earned me a little credit! Like I haven’t bled and fought and suffered for this city over and over and over again, day after day, week after week, every single month for four years!

 

“So, no, Tikki,” Marinette said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. “No, I don’t think I’m doing the ‘right’ thing. I don’t think I’m being just or righteous or pure or selfless; I’m not going to lie and say this is objectively the right thing to do because it isn’t! But you know what? It’s the right thing for me ...just once...this one time, we’re doing the right thing for me.. .even if I’m the only one who will...”

 

There were times when Tikki forgot that her charge was just scraping eighteen years old, and Marinette never looked younger than she did standing there, cheeks bruised, and shawl dropping off her shoulders like a cape. Ladybug had been stripped away, and all that remained was Marinette; tired, angry, frustrated Marinette screaming at the top of her lungs for some small bit of solace.

 

Sighing, Tikki floated over to Marinette, placing her little paws on the back of Marinette’s hand and gently guiding them up to her face. “Close your eyes and think about...grass growing.”

 

“What?” Marinette asked.

 

“Think about...spring,” Tikki continued. “Renewal...rebirth. Think about the warm sun and flowers blooming and baby birds hatching. Focus on creation...on life. Imagine...life flowing through your fingertips.”

 

Marinette did as she was told, closing her eyes and imagining the countrysides outside of Paris in full bloom. She imagined picking flowers with her mother; back when she could safely leave the city without worrying about an akuma invasion. She thought about baby birds poking out of their nests; of little baby sea turtles fighting to reach the sea. And as she thought of this, her bruised cheek started tingling; like a thousand little ants were walking across the surface.

 

Marinette opened her eyes, looking in the mirror to find that her formerly bruised skin had faded back to soft, pink skin and the remnants of a warm, pink light disappeared from her fingertips.

 

“What...did I...did you?” Marinette, pressing her fingertips into her cheek and feeling no pain. She looked down at Tikki who fixed her with a warm, almost maternal look that nearly made her heart break.

 

“I don’t say this to all my Ladybugs,” Tikki said, lifting a lock of black hair away from Marinette’s face. “But I think you’re my favorite. No one has partnered with me longer or more faithfully. Even now; despite all of this, you have been a good friend to Paris. You have given so much...and while I still don’t agree with you...I am with you.”

 

“Really?” Marinette whispered, almost afraid to believe it.

 

“If your plan to use Plagg and I is to succeed, you are going to need all the help you can get,” Tikki said, shaking her head. “And even if that toad of a man doesn’t deserve any happiness...Adrien does. You do. And if Plagg is going to help his chosen as much as possible...I can at least do the same for you. But...I hope you know what you’re getting into.”

 

“If this is about Hawkmoth, then-”

 

“I’m talking about Chat Noir,” Tikki said seriously. “What he did today—the fact that he could hurt you in a way that your suit couldn’t protect you from—means that he’s learning how to use his Miraculous powers more and more efficiently. Plagg is opening the doors to a whole armory of destructive power...and there is a very real danger that you might be seriously harmed unless I do something to help you.”

 

“I hate Hawkmoth,” Tikki said. “I hate this plan, I hate that you’re pitting me against my other half...but I love you more than I hate any of that. Now I won’t...I won’t approve of the things you do or encourage you to do them. I will never stop trying to convince you to mend things with Chat Noir...but I will heal you. And I will protect you. I don’t have grave, reality bending powers that Plagg has; I can’t make you punch harder or fight better or destroy a building...all I can do is heal. Protect...and heal.”   

 

Tikki guided Marinette’s hand down to the bruise on her waist.

 

“Think of spring,” Tikki said. “Just...think of spring.”

 

Marinette closed her eyes as warm, pink light flowed from her fingertips, propelled by thoughts of flower fields in spring, grass shooting up out of the ground, and Adrien’s warm, gentle smile.

 

 

 

Notes:

I know a lot of this chapter was a full mess of expository dumping, but we gotta move this plot forward because I don't really want to get sucked into padding to meet that three month timeframe I so foolishly bragged about in the opening chapter.

 

I wanted to end on an emotional beat for Marinette who turns heel in the middle of a heated motive rant. I hesitate to call her a villain since I still feel like she’s acting out of a desire to do good for Adrien but she’s 100% turned heel. Full bore AJ Styles at the top of Bullet Club’s popularity. She’s not quite at the point where she’s raking eyes and hitting people with chairs, but she is definitely going to hold the tights and pull her opponents off the apron before they can tag in. I'd say on the scale of heels with one side being full chickenshit Kevin Owens and the other being diabolical sadist Minoru Suzuki, she's probably Becky Lynch back when WWE was trying to sell Becky Lynch as a hell; just kinda rude and kinda dirty fighter, but she's not putting Young Lions in chokeholds just yet.

 

Have I alienated my readerbase yet?

 

Shoutout to @ladybeug on Tumblr for the chapter name. Song link in the header is definitely reflective of both Gabriel and Marinette and the idea that things like creation, healing, and love might not be inherently good things. I’m also fully aware that I’m taking a jigsaw to canon at this point and the things I say may/may not be in line with Thomas Astruc’s story. At this point if I deviate from the canon backstory of Fu and Gabriel, I just ask that you go with it. It’s not so much that I don’t know how Fu lost the Butterfly or how Gabriel gained it...I just don’t really care for the purposes of this story.

 

Follow @siderealscribblings on Tumblr for updates (or if my blogs are purged in the Great Tumblr Fire, @siderealsandman on Twitter/Pillowfort)

Chapter 19: The Legend Never Dies

Notes:

Tw: Character Death...kinda.

Smoke and blood clogged Adrien’s nostrils as his spear plunged through the shield of the man in front of him.

 

His horses bore him forward, faster and faster as his chariot cut a bloody swathe through the crowds, black flames bellowing from his shield as he rode.

 

The lucky were trampled under the silvery hooves of his mares; the unlucky were pierced and burned as he turned his baleful gaze on them.

 

There was a flash of light, and a beautiful naked woman appeared before him, red hair wrapped around her like a robe as she held a hand up to shield a cowering archer from his wrath. His spear drove into her side as a pained, ear-splitting wail ripped through the chaos of battle all around him.

 

Another flash of light, and a tall, armored figure bore down on him, spear ready to cleave him in half.

 

To Adrien’s savage glee, he screamed louder than the woman did.

 

Adrien jerked awake, kicking the blanket off as he sat bolt upright. His t-shirt clung to his chest, pillow drenched with sweat as the nightmare faded from his mind.

 

What the hell was that? Adrien thought, looking down at his shaking hands. No stranger to nightmares, he had never woken up remembering the sensation of a spear punching through the armor with such clear distinction; as though he could still feel the weight of metal in his hands.

 

Sunlight streamed through his open blinds as he looked down at his ring that seemed to faintly pulse against his skin with each panicked beat of his heart.

---

 “What the fuck happened to you?”

 

“Nice to see you too, Jules,” Luka mumbled, grabbing a packet of peas from the fridge.

 

“No, seriously, what the literal, actual fuck happened to you?” Juleka said, cereal spoon dropping back into her bowl as Luka tugged his jacket on. “You were out all weekend, you didn’t come back until, like, three last night and you come downstairs looking like a truck hit you...wait, did a truck hit you?! Is that why-”

 

“Hey, say that louder, I don’t think Mom heard you,” Luka hissed, tucking his ice pack against his side as he headed out the back door. “Off to work; text me what you want for dinner.”

 

“I'm going to group tonight so-”

 

The door closing behind him cut Juleka off as Luka stepped down the back steps of their townhouse, trudging down the street with his hands stuffed into his pockets. His head still throbbed from the thrashing Chat Noir had given him only a few days before and the cold November sun was just a little too bright to bear.

 

Luka’s fingertips, brushed over the cool metal of Duusuu’s pin as it currently sat holding his belt together around his waist. Even the simple act of walking to his job at the warehouse with a hundred other Parisians all gossiping about events they had no hand in was almost painfully mundane. He wondered if it came with the territory; the yearning to take off in flight to cover even the shortest of distances. Maybe Marinette could relate to the almost crushing sense of loss that came every time he took off Mayura’s suit; the sensation of being reduced back to the plain, ordinary person he was without all encompassing power propelling every beat of his heart.

 

Then again, Marinette had never been plain or ordinary.

 

The only satisfaction he got came from walking past newspaper stands with Chat Noir’s stupid face framed by a wanted poster and watching talking heads on televisions cry for his head on a plate. As much as Saturday’s battle had been a shitshow on par with a Van Halen reunion show, the world finally saw Chat Noir for the two-timing traitor that he was. It was only a matter of time before his luck ran out; Luka just hoped to be there when it was.

 

Keep running, Luka thought, lip unconsciously curling as a smiling, winking image of Chat Noir flashed across a nearby television screen. That’s about all you can do, isn’t it?  

 

“Luka!”

 

Luka glanced up as a bright, uncharacteristically beaming Marinette came running down the sidewalk, weaving through crowds of Monday commuters.

 

“Hey, don’t you have- ow!” Luka winced as Marinette tugged him into a nearby alley. “Hey, still sore from Saturday, what are you-”

 

Luka trailed off as Marinette shoved her hand under his shirt, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay...flowers, flowers...grass, grass...baby turtles, baby turtles…”

 

“Okay, starting to freak me out a little, Mari,” Luka chuckled, biting his lip as her fingertips traced the bruise on his side. After a few seconds, a warm, pink light flowed from the tips of her fingers, shining through his shirt as the pain from Chat Noir’s kick slowly started to fade under her touch. After a few seconds, Marinette pulled Luka’s shirt up so he could see the perfectly healed patch of skin where his bruise used to be.

 

“...could you always do that?” Luka asked as Marinette puffed up under Luka’s look of awestruck confusion.

 

“My kwami and I worked on it the other night,” Marinette said with a sharp smile. “Seems like anything Chat Noir can break, I can put back together again, including my partners.”

 

“You need to seriously reel back on the cool-factor before someone else realizes you’re Ladybug,” Luka chuckled, biting his lip as Marinette withdrew her touch from his side. “We still on for tonight?”

 

“Rena, Carapace, and Queen Bee all signed on so I think we’re good to go,” Marinette nodded, adjusting her backpack. “I think between the five of us, we can cover the whole city; do at least a couple sweeps before the night is over...unless you have plans.”

 

“I can move stuff around,” Luka shrugged. “Just need to swing by Jules’ support group to make sure she’s getting home safe.”

 

“Always the concerned older brother,” Marinette chuckled. “If there’s somewhere you need to be, then-”

 

“I’ll be there,” Luka said, lightly bumping Marinette’s shoulder with his fist. “Come on; I’m Team Ladybug’s leading man, remember?”

 

Marinette rolled her eyes, but the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth was worth mentioning it. “I owe you one,” Marinette said.

 

“Keep healing my bruises and I think we’ll be square,” Luka said with a small frown. “Is school out today or something?”

 

“Hm?” Marinette said, glancing down at her watch with a mortified look. “Shit!”

 

Marinette dashed out of the alleyway, pivoting around to shoot Luka an apologetic look. “I-I’ll call you later!”

 

“If you can,” Luka replied, fingers, touching the spot where the bruise had been only a few moments earlier. The faint touch of her skin on his had been enough to make his head swim as he stumbled out of the alley.

 

“Of course Marinette has a magical healing touch now,” Luka sighed, shaking his head with an almost wistful smile.

---

 “Cutting it a little close there, aren’t you?”

 

The last bell tolled as Marinette slid into the seat next to Alya, sitting up straight as Mme. Mercer walked in, trying to act like she had been there the whole time.

 

“Overslept,” Marinette lied, pulling her calculus notebook out as Mme. Mercer started writing on the board. Her eyes drifted over to the row across from her that was empty except Nino at the far end of the bench.

 

“Are M. Agreste and Mme. Bourgeois not joining us today?” Mme. Mercer asked.

 

“Adrien has a family thing he’s gotta take care of,” Nino said, clearing his throat. “And Chloe is, uh-”

 

The door on the far side of the classroom opened as Chloe stepped through the door with a tired, sad smile.

 

“I am very sorry that I’m late, Mme. Mercer,” Chloe said, tugging a black and yellow scarf tighter around her shoulders. “I had...well...something of a rough weekend.”

 

“Of course, Mme. Bourgeois,” Mme. Mercer nodded with a small, sympathetic smile. “I’m sure we’re all aware of the difficulties you’ve had this weekend and we thank you for the lengths you went to to protect this city.”

 

“You have to be fucking kidding me,” Marinette grumbled as Alya just shook her head.

 

“Oh...thank you,” Chloe said, pressing a hand against her chest. “It means...so much to me that my family home wasn’t destroyed in vain.”

 

“Ladybug fixed it,” Marinette muttered.

 

“Ten hours later,” Alya shrugged.

 

“Still got fixed ,” Marinette said as Chloe floated down the aisle, offering their classmates a soft, serene smile as she slid into her seat next to Nino who looked on the verge of cracking up. Her eyes landed on the seat next to Chloe with a small frown as Mme. Mercer began lecturing.

---

 

Master He glanced over the rim of her clipboard as she sensed someone enter the room. “May I help you?”

 

A tall, blond young man lingered at the doorway, a bouquet of flowers dangling from one hand as he stared at the prone, slumbering figure of Master Fu.

 

“I hope so,” the young man said in accented but otherwise perfect Mandarin, placing his flowers in a vase on a nearby table. “ I’m looking for my teacher.”

 

Master He put her clipboard down, frowning at the young man. “Was he your teacher?”

 

“My friend,” the young man said, meeting Master He’s eyes. “But never my teacher.”

 

Master He nodded slowly, glancing at the silvery ring on the young man’s finger. “So you’re still in need of a teacher?”

 

“I hope I’ve found one,” the young man said, holding his hand out. “Adrien Agreste.”

 

“Good to formally meet you,” Master He said, shaking his hand. “I think I saw your face on a bus advertisement the other day.”

 

“Gotta build that Gabriel brand,” Adrien chuckled, eyes drifting down to Master Fu’s sleeping face. “Is he...do you think he’s going to be-”

 

“He’s weathered worse than this,” Master He sighed, rubbing her eyes as she tapped an IV tube that was feeding Master Fu a thick, viscous pink liquid that seemed to be faintly glowing. “After a...certain age, it becomes more important to take one’s medicine.”

 

“And what age would that be?” Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Old enough to require some very unique medicine,” Master He said, looking over the rim of her glasses. “But, I take it you didn’t come here looking for a pharmaceutical lesson.”

 

“I was hoping you could help out with something else,” Adrien said with a sharp look. “Something more practical.”

 

“Nothing in this world is more practical than the study of medicine,” Master He sniffed, motioning Adrien to follow her as she crossed the room towards a narrow closet stuffed with overcoats and lumpy pillows. “The preservation of human life is the single most valuable vocation one can pursue.”

 

“My vocation is a little more...destructive,” Adrien said, frowning in confusion as Master He withdrew what appeared to be a smooth, black key from her coat pocket.

 

“Of course it is,” Master He sighed, rolling her eyes as she shut the closet door and pressed the tip of the key against the lockless doorknob. “But if you came here expecting a clear-cut path to power, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.”

 

Adrien watched as the doorknob shimmered, bending around the key as it slid in with the sound of metal scraping on metal and locks disengaging in an almost musical way. Master He waited for a moment before turning the key, a shuddering thunk of a final deadbolt unlatching echoing from beyond the door.

 

“I will be with you momentarily; mind the stairs, won’t you?” Master He said as Adrien opened the door, wincing as a blinding flash of multicolored light spilled into the room. Shielding his eyes, Adrien stepped forward, heedless of Master He’s warning as his foot fell through empty space. With a yelp, he started tumbling down a set of smooth, translucent stairs, flipping end over end until he came to a stop in a pile at the bottom of an excessively long staircase.

 

“She did warn you about the stairs, bro,” Plagg snickered as Adrien hauled himself to his feet brushing himself off as he looked around the cavernous room he saw before him.

 

A field of endless, shimmering stars swirled high above his head as he stumbled further into the room. Each footstep on the featureless stone floor echoed off the smooth, black marble walls. As he walked closer, Adrien could make out intricate carvings of armored figures doing battle etched in silver. He could see Greek soldiers, Roman legionaries, and modern day army grunts all battled in an intricate tableau of destruction and chaos. Above the scene were large, towering figures, some wielding spears, others carrying swords, all staring down at Adrien with cold silver eyes that glimmered like stars.

 

“Plagg...where are-” Adrien stopped in his tracks as he stared up at a towering, thirty foot tall engraving of Chat Noir, baton balanced over his shoulders.

 

“This is the Sanctuary,” Master He’s voice called from behind him. “Or rather...it’s your sanctuary.”

 

Adrien turned to see Master He clad in an elegant white suit, hair held in a bun fastened with a pair of white feathers, and face concealed by a pale porcelain mask that jutted out from her nose to give her the appearance of a beak.

 

“Master He I presume?” Adrien asked.

 

“It’s Master Crane now; I thought it would be best if we were perfectly transparent with one another,” Master Crane said, offering a small nod of her head to Plagg. “ Saa’aathanek, Suul’Kumath. Kar’Rotha che’theo kara u’tana keliik.”

 

Without missing a beat Plagg replied, “ Kel’tha aa’ranaka, Kreto tethyeas. Llemastro uu’thiinik qua keo methras.”

 

“Am I having a stroke?” Adrien asked, eyes glancing back and forth between Master Crane and Plagg.

 

“Forgive me; I get so few opportunities to practice my Primordial, I couldn’t resist greeting your friend in the Old Tongue,” Master Crane chuckled.

 

“You should keep practicing, Master,” Plagg snickered. “Unless you meant to say that my humble serpent welcomes me to my Sanctuary.”

 

“Yes...well, Duolingo doesn’t exactly have a master class on the language of spirits,” Master Crane sniffed, turning back to Adrien. “I’m sure you have questions.”

 

“Only a few thousand,” Adrien chuckled, glancing up at Chat Noir’s towering effigy. “Namely who I should talk to about updating my portrait…”

---

 

“Ow!” Chloe slapped Nino’s shoulder as he shepherded her out of the hallway and into an empty classroom. “Do I need to start wearing my hair up around you?!”

 

“What part of ‘let’s not make things worse’ was hard for you to understand?” Alya sighed, hopping off the teacher’s desk as Nino locked the door behind him.

 

“How am I making things worse?!” Chloe huffed.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t do my homework, M. LaChance, but you see, my favorite teddy bear was so cruelly buried by Chat Noir’s thoughtless destruction of my childhood home,” Alya crooned. “How long are you gonna milk this?”

 

“Long as I can,” Chloe snorted. “People are being nice to me for the first time in my school life.”

 

“God, wonder why that could be,” Nino snorted, earning another slap from Chloe.

 

“Just cool it on the Chat Noir hate; we don’t need this city getting more up in arms than it needs to be,” Alya sighed.

 

“Says the girl who penned an article accusing him of terrorism,” Chloe said, sticking her tongue out.

 

“Speaking of which,” Nino said, stepping between Chloe and Alya before the situation could bubble over. “You guys got the text, right?”

 

“Nine tonight; Ladybug wants us to do a sweep of the city,” Alya said with a small shrug. “I don’t think Chat is gonna stick his head up though.”

 

“Cops all over the city are looking for him; I don’t think we’re gonna see one hair on his furry head until the New Year,” Chloe agreed.

 

“Might be a good chance to do some digging on Ladybug though,” Nino said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked at Alya. “She’d probably open up to you more, right?”

 

“She’s not being super open with us, but I guess I’ll take a shot at it,” Alya shrugged. “You want to handle Birdo? We still know nothing about this guy other than the fact that he’s got a classic rock fetish and a serious hate-boner for Chat Noir.”

 

“I’m sure we can get to know each other a little better,” Nino said, glancing over his shoulder. “We good on the plan?”

 

“Guess we got dinner plans,” Chloe nodded. “Much as I’d rather spend the evening with anyone besides Mayura.”

 

“I think by the time we’re done with him, the feeling will be mutual,” Nino chuckled, cracking his knuckles.

---

Kagami stole into the back of the room as quietly as she could, softly closing the door behind her as she entered the almost unearthly calm auditorium. A small circle of chairs was arranged in the center of the room, and plump, bearded man in his mid-50’s waved Kagami in with a warm, beaming smile.

 

“Hello Kagami,” Dr. Berger said, nodding to a seat between Ivan Bruel and Alix Kubdel. “Nice to see you again.”

 

“Forgive me for being late,” Kagami apologized, offering Ivan and Alix a small smile as she slipped into the cheap plastic folding chair. “Not interrupting anything, am I?”

 

“Not at all; Marc was just about to share something with the group,” Dr. Berger said, turning his soft, accepting smile to the nervous looking black haired boy opposite Kagami in the circle.

 

“Oh...no, that’s fine,” Marc chuckled, fidgeting with a loose strand of his multicolored gloves. “I was just gonna…I mean I...I don’t want to bother anyone...”

 

“Nothing you say here is a bother to anyone, Marc,” Dr. Berger said, accompanied by small murmurs of encouragement from the assembled group. “If you have something you’d like to share, we are more than happy to hear it.”

 

Marc trailed off as Nathaniel slipped a hand into his, squeezing it gently as Marc took a moment to steady himself.

 

“It’s just...all this Chat Noir stuff is putting me on edge again,” Marc said, chewing on his lip. “I know there hasn’t been any akuma attacks in a month now but...it’s almost scarier that Chat Noir is working for him now.”

 

“I know I’m certainly taking Chat Noir’s betrayal very personally,” Dr. Berger said with a small nod. “I think it’s very natural to be afraid now that one of Paris’ greatest heroes has seemingly abandoned the city.”

 

“Seems strange that Chat Noir would turn on this city after years of faithfully defending it, doesn’t it?” Kagami said, crossing her arms over her chest as all eyes turned to look at her. “The boy fights tooth and nail for every akuma victim for four years and then throws his lot in with the monster who creates them?”

 

Kagami watched the assembly shared uneasy glances with one another. “I’m just having a hard time understanding why Chat Noir would do such a thing.”

 

“Yeah, well, I mean,” Kim coughed into his hand. “He was always kinda...you know...dark?”

 

“Yes, those homeless kitten PSA’s he did for the animal shelter were positively terrifying ,” Kagami said as a smattering of nervous chuckles filtered through the auditorium. “I’m just saying I’m having trouble coming up with a reason as to why Chat Noir would turn on Paris overnight.”

 

“Denial is a very natural part of grief,” Dr. Berger said. “It’s hard to accept the fact that someone you trust and admire is capable of hurting you; it’s...natural to try and deny that truth for as long as possible.”

 

Kagami glanced around the circle. “So...all of you believe Ladybug at face value then? Despite the fact that she’s presented no evidence that Chat Noir is working with Hawkmoth?”

 

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as everyone shared uneasy glances with their neighbors.

 

“I mean, come on,” Mylene chuckled. “It’s Ladybug.”

 

“Yeah, Ladybug wouldn’t lie to us,” Rose said, glancing up at Juleka who said nothing, staring across the room at Kagami with a thoughtful expression. “That’s just...crazy, right?”

 

“We are not trying to invalidate your grief, Kagami,” Dr. Berger said diplomatically. “It’s important to remember that everyone has different reactions to trying situations.”

 

Kagami fought the urge to roll her eyes, just nodding as she studied the faces of the assembled support group as the session wound on. A large chunk of Adrien’s class was present along with one or two random akuma victims who drifted in and out depending on the week. She felt a little cheap coming back here after so long; like she was just using this group to work through her own trauma and offering little in return. That guilt had driven her to leave a few months back, but her curiosity demanded that she find out how Hawkmoth’s most affected victims reacted to the news.

 

“Thank you all for joining us today,” Dr. Berger said, snapping Kagami out of her meditative musing. “In these...trying times, it’s important to remember the value of community. Our next meeting will be next Sunday at two o’clock, but you all have my number; please don’t hesitate to call about anything .”

 

Dr. Berger aimed that last line at Kagami who pretended not to notice as the congregation rose with a shuffle of chairs scraping on linoleum.

 

A light nudge against Kagami’s shoulder drew her attention as she stood to leave. “Haven’t seen you in a bit,” Juleka said.

 

“Lot on my plate at the moment,” Kagami said, quietly wondering if that was the biggest understatement of the year. “School’s...keeping me busy, but I needed to come back after what happened on Saturday.”

 

“I hear you,” Juleka muttered, glancing at Rose who was deep in conversation with Mylene before turning back to Kagami. “Does seem...kinda odd that Chat Noir would just up and turn on Ladybug without any provocation, doesn’t it?”

 

“I’d be more convinced if Ladybug offered any kind of evidence to support her claim,” Kagami said.

 

“Right?” Juleka said, voice dropping a little as she glanced over her shoulder. “I mean...I know the whole city is ready to pull Chat Noir limb from limb but...I don’t know...it’s hard to think that that goofy guy just suddenly-”

 

“You good, Jules?”

 

Kagami turned in time to see Juleka’s older brother slide through the back doors, hair tousled from the wind.

 

“I gotta run somewhere, so you’re on your own for-” Luka trailed off as he spotted Kagami, face losing color and mouth falling open slightly.

 

“You okay?” Juleka said, glancing between Kagami and her brother. “You remember Kagami, right?”

 

“Been a little while, hasn’t it?” Kagami asked with a polite smile.

 

“Has it?” Luka shook his head. “I-I just mean that it doesn’t seem that long since you stopped coming to these things?”

 

“Time certainly has a way of getting away from us,” Kagami chuckled. “Your mother, is she-”

 

“She’s doing better,” Luka said, nodding a little too much. “Doctors are pretty optimistic, actually.”

 

“That’s a relief,” Kagami sighed, offering a sympathetic smile to Juleka. “I understand things were fairly rocky for a bit.”

 

“Apparently everything’s in remission, so just a matter of building her strength back up,” Juleka nodded, glancing at Luka for confirmation.

 

“Not out of the woods by any means, but we’re pretty-”

 

“Luka? Everything o-” The door opened again and Kagami turned to see Marinette Dupain-Cheng take two steps into the auditorium before freezing in her tracks, staring at Kagami with the same stunned look of silence that Luka wore a few moments earlier.

 

“Goodness, quite a reunion, isn’t it?” Kagami said, shooting a small smile in Marinette’s direction. “How have you been, Marinette?”

 

Marinette shared a quick, uneasy glance with Luka before returning Kagami’s smile somewhat warily. “G-Good. Just, uh...busy with school, you know?”

 

“University doesn’t get any easier, I’m afraid,” Kagami said, eyes drifting between Marinette and Luka. “Adrien says that you’ve been accepted into Central Saint Martins?”

 

“Accepted, but I-I’m still weighing my options,” Marinette laughed, scratching the back of her neck. “Lots of good schools out there, you know?”

 

“Tons,” Luka chimed in. “Not that Marinette needs much schooling, right?”

 

“Always something to learn,” Marinette said, teetering on her heels as though she were waiting to bolt at the first available opportunity.

 

“Quite,” Kagami said, glancing between Luka and Marinette. “Am I keeping you from something?”

 

“No!” Luka blurted out

 

“Yes!” Marinette blurted out at the exact same time.

 

“W-We were just gonna get some coffee!” Luka said

 

“Luka got off a long shift and we’re gonna catch up!” Marinette added.

 

“I’m always game for some coffee,” Juleka said, wrapping her arm around Rose’s waist as her girlfriend saddled up next to her. “Mind if we-”

 

“I-It’s a school night,” Luka said. “I’m sure you two have a lot of homework.”

 

“Marinette’s got a lot of homework,” Rose chirped. “She’s in more advanced classes than we are so-”

 

“Y-You’d actually be surprised,” Marinette laughed. “It’s less homework but more...uh...schoolwork.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Juleka said. “Look, if you two don’t want us cutting in on your date-”

 

“Not a date!” Marinette said, turning to Kagami with an intense look in her eyes. “ Not a date; Luka and I are not dating. Do not tell Adrien we are dating because this is definitely-”

 

“I think she’s got it,” Luka said somewhat tersely as Kagami’s eyes roamed over their shifty, uncomfortable looking faces. “Just...old friends catching up.”

 

“Of course,” Kagami said, eyes locking with Marinette’s. “Well, don’t let us keep you; have fun with your...not-date.”

 

“We will,” Marinette nodded, backing towards the door and towing Luka along with her by the elbow. “N-Nice to see you again!”

 

“Be-” Kagami blinked as they disappeared through the door. “...safe?”

---

 “Smooth.”

 

“Thank you, Mme. Not-A-Date,” Luka muttered. “I didn’t expect her to be there; she threw me off.”

 

“She’s really good at that,” Marinette sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Come on; I’d like to get some searching in so I can get to my homework.”

 

“Thought you said it was more classwork than homework?”

 

“Seems I’m getting better at lying then,” Marinette muttered to herself as they ducked into an alley to transform.

---

 “Okay, so...pretend for a second my former Master told me about nothing even remotely related to Miraculous secrets...and then stop pretending because that’s exactly what happened.”

 

Master Crane sighed through her nose as she paced around the perimeter of the enormous chamber. “When humans and kwamis first formed partnerships, we realized that we needed a place to train without causing catastrophic destruction. The best minds of the time, human and spirit, pooled their collective intelligence and came up with...this. This Sanctuary, for lack of a better term, is a place to grow and train in power; a place where the Black Cat can harness their full destructive potential without needlessly risking life to do so.”

 

“So it’s like some kind of...Hyperbolic Time Chamber?” Adrien asked, eyeing the carved effigies of ancient warriors with a curious frown.

 

“Do I look like I have any idea what that means?”

 

“Sorry; continue,” Adrien coughed, scratching the back of his neck.

 

“Each Miraculous has a designated space where time ceases to have meaning,” Master Crane continued as Adrien mouthed Hyperbolic Time Chamber to Plagg behind her back. “Past and present collide in this space with the goal of creating a crucible to temper the steel of the Black Cat. Discovering Ladybug or Hawkmoth’s identities will do no good if you are not strong enough to stop them.”

 

“Not exactly like there’s anyone we can talk to about Ladybug,” Plagg shrugged. “Besides me of course, but-”

 

Adrien and Master Crane turned to Plagg with identical looks of confusion.

 

“Plagg?” Adrien said. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”

 

“Yep,” Plagg nodded.

 

“Is it about Ladybug?” Master Crane asked.

 

“Mmhmm,” Plagg responded.

 

“Do you…know who Ladybug is?” Adrien asked.

 

“Yeppers,” Plagg chirped.

 

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?!” Adrien spluttered.

 

“Can’t,” Plagg said simply.

 

“...you can’t ?” Adrien said, squinting in disbelief.

 

“I... really wish I could help you out, but I can’t,” Plagg shrugged. “Sorry.”

 

Adrien stared at his kwami for a long moments, hoping that he would spontaneously develop eye laser powers and roast his kwami where he floated.

 

“Plagg,” Adrien said quietly. “Ladybug is hell bent on using your power to fuel her misguided Christmas gift for Hawkmoth, remember?”

 

“Mmhmm,” Plagg nodded.

 

“And we need to stop her,” Adrien said slowly.

 

“Yeah, we really need to get on that,” Plagg nodded.

 

“And it would be easier to stop her if I could bushwack her civilian persona while she was getting coffee,” Adrien said, eyebrow twitching.

 

“Yeah, probably-”

 

“So why in God’s name aren’t you telling me who she is?!” Adrien fumed.

 

Plagg sighed, shaking his head. “Ladybug’s true identity is-”

 

Plagg mouth opened, but all that came out was a deep, pained retching noise from the pits of his throat.

 

“Ladybug’s name is-” Plagg started gagging again, a dry, rattling cough slipping out of his mouth.

 

“You go to-” Plagg started retching before he could get any words out. “She lives-”

 

“Oh you must be kidding me,” Master Crane sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose through her mask.

 

“What’s happening to him?” Adrien asked, glancing between his choking kwami and Master Crane.

 

“Master Fu,” Plagg coughed. “Made me promise to not reveal Ladybug’s identity to you or anyone else. And I don’t think you understand how much I can’t break that promise.”

 

“Spirits live and die by treaties, contracts, and promises,” Master Crane said. “If Plagg swore to never reveal Ladybug’s identity, then Plagg literally can’t tell you who Ladybug is; anymore than you could turn into a chipmunk or photosynthesize at will.”

 

“Is there any way you can like...hint at it?” Adrien said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a crumpled up sheet of paper and pen. “Could you write it?”

 

“I wouldn’t waste your time,” Master Crane sighed, watching Plagg start to write out Ladybug’s name only to snap the pen and eat the wad of paper in one bite. “Master Fu has had quite a long time to figure out how to make an airtight contract that would prevent Plagg from revealing anything even if pressed. As inconvenient as it is for us, these kinds of oaths are what prevent Hawkmoth from pumping Nooroo for information.”

 

“Once again, Master Fu helps Ladybug more than he helps me,” Adrien muttered.

 

“Pouting is not part of your training regimine,” Master Crane said, eyes narrowing at Adrien through her mask. “Regrettable as it is that Master Fu has neglected your training, sulking over it will not help you now. You need to take responsibility for your own development as a Black Cat if you are to succeed in rescuing the Ladybug Miraculous.”

 

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Adrien asked, glancing up at the stars that turned overhead. “Practice katas in outer space until I reach Super Chat Noir Level Two?”

 

“You certainly could, but for our purposes, I think you need a little more martial and a little less art,” Master Crane said, producing the black key that she used to unlock the Sanctuary. “I’ll let you get acquainted with your new...training program for a while. See what you make of what the Sanctuary has to offer you.”

 

Adrien accepted the key with a frown as Master Crane turned, walking up the staircase and back towards the shimmering door at the top.

 

“Any advice?” Adrien called up after her.

 

“I would transform, if I were you,” Master Crane called back as she disappeared through the door. 

 

Before Adrien could ask what she meant, a rustle of motion behind him drew his attention. The carvings of fighters on the wall started rustling as smooth, inky black shadows pulled themselves out of the obsidian surface. Four tall, lightly armored Greecian warriors stepped out of the wall, each brandishing a long silvery spear and a broad silvery shield that glowed faintly with crackling green runes.

 

“...hi, my name’s Adrien,” Adrien said, causing the figures’ heads to snap in his direction, their pale silver eyes glaring at him from beneath their helmets. “You guys must be part of the training program Master He talked about.”

 

The figures silently regarded him with curiosity as Adrien shucked his jacket and started stretching.

 

“Four on one is hardly a fair fight, isn't it?” Adrien said, cracking his neck. "You do know who you're dealing with, right?" 

 

"Oh...I think I have some idea," a low, haughty voice called from the other side of the room. The phantom hoplites parted revealing a tall, lean, athletic figure striding out of the darkness and into the light of the shining stars. Unlike the other phantoms, this one appeared to be mostly human, clad in smooth black leather armor and wielding a long, silver spear that reminded Adrien a little too much of his own staff. A heavy black shield in the shape of a roaring lion's head dangled from one arm and the man's cold, glittering green eyes glared at him from the mouth of a black lion shaped helmet. 

 

Most striking of all was the glimmering silver ring on the man's right hand; one that was identical to the trembling, pulsing ring around Adrien's own finger. 

 

"I'm dealing with housecat that likes to play at being a predator," the figure chuckled, hand resting lazily on the haft of his spear as the hoplites circled around Adrien. "

 

"Black cat aesthetic and an over inflated ego?" Adrien snorted. "You must be Chat Noir." 

 

"What I call myself is none of your concern," the figure laughed. "A mouse needn't concern himself with the name of the cat that eats him." 

 

"I can't tell if you're threatening me or flirting with me at this point," Adrien said, glancing at Plagg who seemed to be staring at the figure with a kind of aching recognition that made Adrien's heart hurt just a little. "You know this guy?" 

 

"Adrien," Plagg said in a hard, serious tone Adrien had never heard him use before. "You need to transform...now." 

 

"Calm down, Plagg; this is just a training exercise, right?" Adrien chuckled. "What's the worst thing that could happen to-" 

 

Adrien staggered backwards as the blow struck him, ears ringing as he felt something sharp, hard, and cold jam into his chest. He blinked in surprise, glancing down to see the silvery haft of the figure's spear sticking out of chest as a faint blossom started soaking his shirt. He had thrown the weapon so quickly that Adrien only realized he had been stabbed when his vision started to blur. 

 

"...Plagg?" Adrien croaked, blood leaking out of the corner of his mouth. "What is...what's..." 

 

"You really should have transformed, boy," the figure chuckled as Adrien sank to his knees, feebly clawing at the spear sticking out of his chest. He looked to Plagg for help, but the kwami just sighed, shaking his head as Adrien's heart feebly beat its last. "Is this really the youth of today...no honor...no valor...no soul..."

 

"Let's just say we got our work cut out for us, Diomedes old pal," Plagg said, voice strangely distant as Adrien's vision went black. 

 

Notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_nV2jcTFvA

And that's all we have for Adrien's story. A character that struggled and fought against forces out of his control only to perish in a meaningless way that GRRM would just gush over.

Merry Christmas!

...okay, at the risk of spoiling myself, Adrien is not actually dead. But did you really expect the Black Cat's training regimen to be pleasant? Especially given Adrien's mythological dancestor (Shitty Homestuck Reference Count: 2) at the helm?

This was going to be a downtime chapter but I couldn't risk ending 2018 without hitting you in the gut one last time!

RE: Why Can't Kwami's Just Tell Their Wielder Who The Other Is. I hope I cleared up some confusion that I addressed in the comments of last chapter. Dark Owl is a deathbell for Enemies!AU's so I needed to come up with a reason that prevents Tikki and Plagg from spilling the beans. So from here on out, I'm just going to ask you to accept the fact that there is no way for Tikki or Plagg to directly reveal the identity of the other person any more than Nooroo could reveal Master Fu's identity.

That said, hope everyone has a good holiday/day!

Chapter 20: Simple Physics

Notes:

Alternate Title: Into the Chatverse (how good was that movie??)

“Alright...I know the last few days have been hectic, but I think it’s important that we keep things in perspective.”

 

“Even though Chat Noir got away from us, we were able to work together, as a team, to shut him down and force him to flee. If anything, this just proves that Hawkmoth’s latest lackey isn’t the unstoppable force of destruction he seems to think he is. He knows that he doesn’t stand a chance of beating all five of us, so all we need to do is pin him down one more time and force him to use his Cataclysm. Once he plays that card, all we need to do is trap him and this whole shitshow will be over.”

 

“I know we’re asking a lot of you, but we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t think you were capable of the challenges we face. And I know that, if we work together, we can stop Hawkmoth and Chat Noir once and for all!”

 

Silence resonated over the rooftops as Queen Bee, Carapace, and Rena Rouge just stared at Mayura for a long, painfully uncomfortable moment.

 

“Yeah, uh...Ladybug usually gives the rousing speeches around here, dude,” Carapace coughed into his hand.

 

“I was...pretty much going to say the same thing,” Ladybug said, patting a slightly deflated looking Mayura on the arm. “Okay, let’s spread out in groups of two or three; Mayura? You’re with Queen Bee and Carapace for the evening. Take everything north of the Seine and radio in if you run into anything suspicious. Rena and I will take everything south of the Seine; meetup at Square d’Alleray around midnight if you don’t find anything.”

 

“Do you really think he’s going to be out here?” Queen Bee asked, raising an eyebrow. “If I blew up someone’s house, I wouldn’t be crawling the streets in the middle of the night.”

 

“We have to at least try and look for him,” Ladybug sighed. “God only knows what he’s up to right now…”

 

“Wouldn’t it be better if, uh, we went together?” Mayura asked. “I mean no offense to you two, it’s just...I’m still a little green at this and I’ve never worked with anybody other than you-”

 

“Perfect night to start,” Ladybug shrugged. “You guys are gonna be working close together from here on in; might as well start learning each other’s rhythms.”

 

“We have an uneven number anyway and seeing as how Rena is the most experienced, it makes sense to group her and Ladybug together on the two-person squad,” Carapace interjected.

 

“Yeah...it’s just that-”

 

“Relax, rookie,” Queen Bee said, draping an arm over Mayura’s shoulder. “We’ll get you a nice hot cocoa to celebrate your first ass-kicking and make a night out of it, hm?”

 

Mayura shot Ladybug an uneasy glance. “...if you think that’s what’s best.”

 

“You’ll be in good hands,” Ladybug said with a reassuring smile. “Carapace and Queen Bee will take care of you, right?”

 

“Of course,” Carapace said, draping his arm over Mayura’s shoulder. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun, aren’t we partner ?”

 

“Uh…” Mayura glanced back and forth between Queen Bee and Carapace, each smiling just a little too widely for his comfort. “Sure?”

 

"Whatever you three do, just make sure finding Chat is a priority," Ladybug sighed, glancing over the shadowy rooftops. "Who knows what he's doing now..." 

 

---

 

Adrien Agreste returned to life with a pained gasp of air, hacking up a lungful of dust as he rolled over onto his hands and knees. His hand plunged through something cracked and brittle and as his eyes adjusted to the dim, green light, he found himself kneeling on a mountain of smooth, dry, pearly white bones illuminated by a sickly green light hanging above him. Bird skulls bounced around inside of human skulls as Adrien jerked back, sending a small avalanche of assorted bones sliding down the hill as he sat up, looking around for any sign of life.

 

“Plagg?” Adrien called out, staring down into the shadowy valley beneath him. Piles upon piles of broken buildings, ruined architecture, and shattered piles of rubble stretched as far as the eye could see, all heaped together and piled on top of one another in an indecipherable mess.

 

“Told you you should have transformed, dude,” Plagg’s voice snickered from behind him.

 

“Next time a crazy Greek dude wants to stab me in the chest, warn me !” Adrien said, turning around and nearly falling over as he was confronted with the sight of a skinny, fourteen year old Chat Noir reclining on top of an elephant’s skull.

 

“Next time a crazy Greek dude wants to stab you in the chest, dodge,” Chat Noir said in Plagg’s voice, smiling a large, impossibly toothy grin.

 

“...do I want to know why you look like my fourteen year old self?” Adrien asked.

 

“Don’t you know better than to ask why I do anything at this point?” Plagg chuckled, looking himself over appraisingly. “I was feeling nostalgic for a time when you were just a squirt with more guts than brains...which technically only ended like a month ago, but-”

 

“Some part of me is still hoping that someone spiked my water at the gym and this is a strange, drug induced hallucination,” Adrien sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Was getting stabbed in the chest part of your brilliant training regime?”

 

“...in all fairness, you were supposed to-.”

 

“Transform,” Adrien sighed. “Yeah...got it.”

 

---

 

Master He glanced at her watch, tapping her foot against the linoleum floor of Master Fu’s hospital room as she stared at the closet door.

 

“It’s been several hours now,” Jun said softly, replacing the vial in Master Fu’s IV device. “Shouldn’t Chat Noir have come back by now?”

 

“He may be receiving some...intensive training,” Master He coughed. “He has quite a bit of ground to make up so I’m sure he’s just...training a little harder than usual this first time out.”

 

“...or?”

 

“Or he’s been totally destroyed—body, mind, and spirit—and consumed by the endless black hole of energy that is the Black Cat Miraculous,” Master He sighed. “ In which case, we may need to interview new Black Cat candidates." 

 

---

 

“So where the hell am I?”

 

“Where do you think things that get Cataclysmed go?” Plagg chuckled, twirling Chat Noir’s baton between his fingertips as Adrien passed through a small glade of petrified trees, long dead leaves crunching under their feet as they walked. “Everybody’s got a garbage can; this just happens to be mine.”

 

“Explains the smell,” Adrien said, wrinkling his nose as a dry breeze intensified the general smell of decay that infested the air around them. “Lovely as your backyard is, I was kinda hoping to get out of here before Achilles stabs me in the chest again.”

 

“Ooh, do not say the A-word around Diomedes,” Plagg said with a wince. “Always rankled him that Achilles got most of the credit for winning the Trojan war. He spent the better part of ten years pouting in a tent when we were out killing men by the literal boatload, and who does everyone remember?”

 

“To be fair, he didn’t come up with the horse idea.”

 

“To be fair, Odysseus didn’t stab two gods in under half an hour,” Plagg countered. “Underworld has a whole city full of the people Diomedes killed and most people just draw blanks when you mention him.”

 

“You got a type, don’t you?” Adrien chuckled. “Are all Black Cats destructive rich kids with fragile egos?”

 

“They tend to take to the power of Destruction the easiest,” Plagg said with an almost wistful smile. “He was your age when we pulled down the walls of Thebes together; not much older when we started cutting through Princes of Troy like they were watermelons.”

 

“Arson, murder, and destruction of property?” Adrien muttered. “Sounds like a peach of a guy.”

 

“You get used to him,” Plagg said, draping an arm over Adrien’s shoulder as the glen gave way to a wide, barren field littered with broken chariots, bent spears, and shattered shields. “He was one of the better kittens I’ve had so naturally I thought he could give you some pointers.”

 

“Did one of those pointers need to be the point of a spear?” Adrien asked, touching the bare, unblemished patch of skin on his chest where the spear had pierced him.

 

“Oh don’t be such a party pooper,” Plagg huffed. “Death is a slap on the wrist over here; it’s not unusual for Black Cats to die a couple hundred times while training.”

 

“I knew I should have swapped with Ladybug a while ago,” Adrien muttered as they approached the high, ruined walls of an ancient looking city.

 

“You and I both know you’re not giving up the black ensemble for anything in the world,” Plagg chuckled, tugging at Adrien’s cheek as he stepped through a gaping hole in the wall. “Ahh, Troy. Been a long time since a city has been properly sacked like this one. Bombs and cannonfire just lack that personal touch, you know?”

 

“Is this little walk through Chat Noir’s Greatest Hits leading me back to the entrance?” Adrien asked, feeling around in his pockets. “Did you happen to see the key that Master He gave me?”

 

“Uh...ha...a-about that,” Plagg chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “You see-”

 

Clink.

 

A pearly metallic clink drew Adrien and Plagg’s attention down a ruined street towards an open city square. A tall wooden horse stood forgotten at the far corner of the square, and at the foot of it, a tall, dark figure held the black metal key aloft on one hand, clinking it against his shield as it swung from a leather strap.

 

“Drop something?” Diomedes called, voice echoing down the empty streets.

 

“...okay,” Plagg said, holding his hands up. “But in my defense-”

 

“Claws out!” Adrien hissed, watching a rush of dark power flow out of his ring and surround him. He felt Chat Noir’s suit settle over him with a familiar rush of energy even as Plagg’s strange new body didn’t seem to dissipate. Chat Noir’s gloved hand rose to pluck the spear Diomedes threw at him out of the air, spinning it around and leveling it at him with an icy glare.

 

“Looks like someone’s learning their lesson,” Diomedes chuckled. “You may not be as thickheaded as I originally took you for.”

 

“Let me assure you, he is absolutely as thickheaded as you think he is,” Plagg said.

 

---

 

“So are you like Ladybug’s boyfriend or something?”

 

The jet of hot chocolate that spurted out of Mayura’s nose was the only confirmation that Queen Bee needed.

 

“B-Boyfriend?” Mayura spluttered, laughing weakly as he glanced between Queen Bee and Carapace. “Wh-What makes you think I’m her boyfriend?”

 

“Stab in the dark,” Carapace shrugged. “You two seem pretty close; close enough for her to trust you with Chat Noir’s job after they split up anyway.”

 

“She went to you before she went to any of us,” Queen Bee said, leaning against the railing of the rooftop. “So we figured you two were-”

 

“No,” Mayura said quickly, shaking his head. “No we’re...just friends. I mean...I don’t even think Ladybug would have time for a boyfriend, right?”

 

Carapace shared a look with Queen Bee behind Mayura’s back.

 

“She had one,” Carapace said. “For a while, right?”

 

“She told you about that?” Mayura asked. “I thought...she would be pretty tight lipped about that kind of thing.”

 

“She wasn’t specific, but she told Chat there was a guy in her life a while back,” Carapace said casually, leaning on Mayura’s other side. “Think it lasted, what, a year or so?”

 

“Little longer than it should have, according to her,” Queen Bee snorted.

 

“...I see,” Mayura said, feathers rustling as he stared down into the city lights below. “Can’t imagine anyone would breakup with Ladybug though.”

 

“She broke it off with him, according to Rena,” Carapace shrugged, glancing at Mayura’s expression. “Guess she liked the guy just fine...just never fully loved him like he loved her, I guess. Better off as friends, in her opinion.”

 

“Kind of a shumck, if you ask me,” Queen Bee snorted. “If Ladybug wanted to break up with me I wouldn’t have let her go without a fight.”

 

“Maybe he was trying to respect her feelings,” Mayura muttered. “Isn’t that important?”

 

“Sure, but-" 

 

“We should probably keep going,” Mayura said a little too hastily, dumping out the rest of of his cocoa and leaping up on the edge of the roof. “Lots of ground to cover, you know?”

 

With a flutter of feathers, Mayura took off, gliding across the street as Carapace and Queen Bee watched him for a moment.

 

“Came on a touch strong there, Queenie,” Carapace sighed.

 

“I thought we were trying to get answers out of him,” Queen Bee huffed, pulling out a black and yellow notebook and scribbling ‘Ladybug’s Boyfriend???’ on the front page. “At least we’re getting some answers out of him.”

 

---

 

A cold, dusty wind blew through the streets of the ruined city as Chat Noir stared across the courtyard at Diomedes and the skeletal, hollow-looking soldiers that seemed to melt out of the shadows that stretched out of every ruined building. They shambled forward with janky, uneven steps, hollow green eyes staring daggers at Chat Noir and Plagg as they converged.

 

“Friends of yours?” Chat Noir asked, twirling Diomedes’ spear between his hands.

 

“Seem to be the bodies of unfortunate wretches that ran afoul of a Cataclysm,” Diomedes said, twirling the black key by its lanyard as his eyes slowly swept the courtyard. “I’ve never seen them in such numbers before...the two of us here must’ve called them out of their holes; drawn to the power that slew them in the first place.”

 

“They’re not with you?” Chat Noir asked, glancing over his shoulder as shadowy archers stumbled out of a house behind him.

 

“I thought they were your revenge for that little knick I gave you earlier,” Diomedes chuckled, stepping away from the Trojan horse as the circle of soldiers closed around them. “Plagg must’ve risen them to give you some target practice but he seems to have overdone things, haven’t they?”

 

“You call a spear in the chest a knick?” Chat Noir snorted.

 

“You live, don’t you?” Diomedes sniffed, eyeing Plagg’s form with suspicion. “I would ask why you’ve taken to dressing like a feline fool, but I know better than to question your insanity by this point.”

 

“Oh like you didn’t pick that lion shaped helmet yourself,” Plagg said, sticking his tongue out as Chat Noir backed up against the encroaching hoard, dancing out of the way of a haphazardly fired arrow that shattered on the cobblestones at his feet.

 

“Okay, okay, we’re all weird furries here,” Chat Noir said, raising the spear in a defensive stance in front of his face. “You gonna give me my key back, Percy Jackson, or am I gonna have to take it from you?”

“That was my original plan, but these creatures seem to have other ideas for us,” Diomedes chuckled, raising his lion-head shield in front of him. “Up for a little sport?”

 

“My idea of sport has a lower body count.”

 

“You were right about this one, Plagg; all talk and no teeth.”

 

“You gossiped about me?!” Chat Noir snapped.

 

“Kids, kids, please, I love you both equally,” Plagg chuckled, raising his baton in front of his face as he backed into Chat Noir and Diomedes’ back. “Can we talk about this after you two re-kill these guys? Keeping Adrien from dying takes a lot out of me so if we could keep the kid alive-”

 

“Hey, I can handle myself!” Chat Noir insisted.

 

“The spear-wound in your chest begs to differ,” Diomedes sniffed as dozens of phantom Trojans poured out of neighboring alleys in a steady, consistent stream of wobbling wrecks all bearing down on them with single minded malice in their eyes. “Can’t talk your way out of this one, boy .”

 

“You’ve never heard me talk before," Chat Noir said, batting another arrow aside with the haft of the spear. "Though these guys seem saltier than usual." 

 

“They’re miffed that someone ripped their bodies apart with magic,” Plagg said, shooting Diomedes a dirty look. “They’re pissed at you, not Adrien!”

 

“It was war; at least I granted them a painless death,” Diomedes muttered, head ducking behind his shield. “A courtesy I won’t extend a second time!”

 

The smell of spice and charcoal filled the air as a gout of black and green fire erupted from the mouth of Diomedes’ shield, arcing out and engulfing the encroaching wall of soldiers as they struggled to raise their shields in time. Faint, disembodied screams filled the air as the fire washed over them, leaving cinders and blackened weaponry in its wake. The blistering heat prickled Chat Noir’s exposed skin as he took a step backwards, getting behind Diomedes as he swept the flaming arc over the crowd.

 

“And here I thought I was the most needlessly dramatic Black Cat,” Chat Noir sighed as the wall of dead soldiers charged as one.

 

“Trust me, you’re not even in the top ten,” Plagg snickered, ducking out of the way of an arrow shot and braining a charging soldier in the face with the staff. “When you’ve burned down a city in a fit of anger you can talk.”

 

“One time that happened!” Diomedes snapped, catching a sword strike in his shield’s mouth and melting it in another wave of flame.

 

“Troy, Corinth, Olynthus, Sybaris, Thebes-”

 

“Thebes had it coming!” Diomedes roared, lion’s shield expelling another gout of flame into his attacker’s face.

 

“Next time Ladybug says I’m immature, I’m introducing her to you,” Chat Noir muttered, deflecting an arrow attack with the haft of the spear. “ After I take her Miraculous!”

 

“Are you at odds with that black and red spotted witch?” Diomedes laughed, braining an oncoming soldier with the thin end of his shield and sending them crumbling to dust at his feet. “Marvelous; Plagg wouldn’t let me throttle that Amazon Ladybug in my day!”

 

“Suffice to say, you aren’t the first Cat to have Lady problems,” Plagg muttered as Chat Noir ducked under a spear strike, kicking his attacker hard in the chest and sending them tumbling away. “I thought he’d be the most sympathetic?”

 

“Just to be clear, I’m not looking to throttle Ladybug!” Chat Noir grunted, hurling his spear through the chest of an archer that dissolved as though it were made of ash.

 

“Then you’ve already lost,” Diomedes grunted, loosing another blast of fire from his shield that engulfed another dozen soldiers. “Victory goes to the warrior who perfectly embodies killer instinct and you, dear boy, do not strike me as a killer.”

 

“You know, that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me all day!” Chat Noir chuckled, ducking out of the way of a sword strike and uppercutting a phantom soldier’s head clean off its shoulders as another rose to take its place. “God, how many of these guys are there?”

 

“How many people did you end up killing again?” Plagg asked.

 

“Eight thousand, six hundred, and thirty two,” Diomedes said somewhat proudly, punching another soldier clean in half with his shield. “Not counting deer, horses, elephants, lions-”

 

A distant roar caught their attention from the far side of the mob.

 

“...and if we’re counting lions?!”

 

---

 

“Been awhile since we had just a girl’s night, hasn’t it?”

 

“Mm,” Ladybug grunted non-committedly, eyes scanning the horizon for any motion of black on the rooftops.

 

“Heh...who would have known that Chat Noir needed to turn evil for us to finally do a solo patrol, huh?” Rena chuckled.

 

“Yeah...weird how that worked out,” Ladybug said, voice distant and detached as she fruitlessly searched for any sign of her former partner. Silence lingered in the cold night air for several long, painful moments as Rena studied the face of someone she had fought alongside since she was a girl; someone who toed the line between idol and comrade. Even though she was technically still under suspicion, Rena wasn’t blind to the way Ladybug’s posture seemed a little tighter than usual; as though she were a spring one wind away from splintering under the pressure.

 

She had never seen Ladybug looking anything less than perfectly polished and at the top of her game and even the smallest visual cracks in her armor made Rena’s stomach turn.

 

“Look…” Ladybug tensed a little as Rena laid a hand on her shoulder. “I know I’m just a part-time hero and I know I wasn’t as close to Chat as you were, but...I just want you to know that I know what you’re going through. We all trusted Chat and he let us all down. He was our partner and...well, I can understand if you’re feeling a little wonky about all of this still.”

 

Ladybug nodded, fingers running over the splintered cracks in the yo-yo Chat Noir had destroyed. The fact that Tikki’s power had been insufficient to completely erase the damage he had done worried her; a testament to the fact that there were some wounds that were still beyond her healing abilities.

 

“I…” Ladybug swallowed, laying a hand on Rena’s with a small squeeze. “...I’m glad you’re on my side, Alya. I don’t think I could do this if you weren’t on my side.”

 

Rena offered Ladybug the warmest smile she could, hoping some of it would melt the wall of silence that Ladybug had built up around her.

 

“You know you can talk to me about anything...right?” Rena said, squeezing Ladybug’s shoulder. “Anytime you need a friendly ear, I’m here for you, m’kay?”

 

“Thanks,” Ladybug muttered, returning Rena’s smile somewhat unsteadily as she cracked open her communicator to check on the time. “We should probably call Carapace and see how they’re getting on.”

 

Ladybug’s fingers scrolled through the scant list of heroes on her communicator’s roster, pausing as she noticed a bright green light next to Chat Noir’s name.

 

Glancing at Rena out of the corner of her eye, Ladybug bit her lip, typing out a quick message and hitting send before she could talk herself out of it.

 

Ladybug: Are you there?

 

---

 

Chat Noir’s communicator buzzed on his waist as he drove his foot through another shadowy soldier’s head, dispelling it with a grunt as another soldier took a swipe at his shoulder. He smashed his spear haft into another’s stomach, turned around and skewered another through the eye socket, dodged out of the way of an arrow attack, and narrowly avoided a javelin tossed at his head.

 

“Keep the pressure up!” Diomedes roared, green flames swirling around his hands as he clapped his palms around a phantom soldier’s head, immolating it and sending it to the ground with a pained scream. The body of the soldier disappeared, but the flames lingered, floating to the ground like leaves on the wind and burning even though there wasn’t anything to consume. The battlefield was awash in flickering green light as great patches of flame sent beads of sweat running down Chat Noir’s neck.

 

Chat Noir howled in in pain as a sword strike glanced off his shoulder. Anger, fear, and frustration started to bubble up inside him, erupting from his mouth in a pained scream as the flames around him seemed to grow in intensity. He was deaf to the roaring of the flames as he lashed out with his claw, driving through the attacking soldier’s breastplate as green and black flames suddenly erupted from the wound. The soldier screamed in pain, flames spewing from his mouth in an emerald jet as he fell to the ground, disintegrating into cinders in front of him.

 

“That’s new…” Chat Noir muttered, gazing down at his claw still wreathed in green and black fire as a low snarl came from behind him. He ducked in time for the wispy, emaciated lion to sail over his head, taking out a small cadre of soldiers before turning and rounding on him. Its hollow, glowing green eyes glared daggers at Chat Noir as it charged, a distant roar echoing out of its mouth as it ran. Chat grit his teeth, hefting the spear and throwing it as hard as he could into the lion’s open mouth.

 

The silvery spear cleaved the lion in half as it passed through it, catching fire and sailing through the last remaining archer’s head and exploding in a small fireball that quickly ate through the last remaining soldiers. A brilliant, green light ended the battle and left the three Black Cats standing alone among the flaming wreckage.

 

“Not bad,” Diomedes chuckled. “Almost as fun as it was to kill them the first time...how many did you bag?”

 

“Didn’t count,” Chat Noir muttered, staring at the flames dancing around his fingers. “How do you turn this off?”

 

“You turned it on; figure it out,” Plagg shrugged.

 

“Helpful as ever, aren’t you?” Diomedes chuckled weakly as Chat Noir stared at the flames around him.

 

“Green Flame differs between Black Cats,” Plagg huffed. “Diomedes liked to shoot fireballs out of his shield and helmet. Adrien seems to have taken a more hands-on approach; whatever mnemonic device he thinks will work will-”

 

Chat Noir raised a flaming hand, concentrated on it for a moment, then extinguished it with a snap of his fingers.

 

“There you go,” Plagg said, golf-claps echoing off the walls of the city. “One flaming kitten, ready to go.”

 

“Couldn’t have just told me how to do it, could you?” Chat sighed, snapping his fingers and illuminating his hand in green flame again. “You had to have me murdered and dragged to the city of Troy to fight a legion of hellspawn with a psycho for backup, didn’t you?”

 

“Yep!" Plagg chirped cheerfully.

 

“Our power is not won without struggle,” Diomedes said, crossing his arms across his chest. “To know Destruction, one must destroy and be destroyed.”

 

“That was deep; did you get that from a fortune cookie?” Chat Noir sighed, wrenching the still flaming spear out of the wall and snapping his fingers to put it out. “Not exactly the Spartan type so you’ll forgive me if I’m not exactly jazzed about spending my night fighting all the unfortunate chumps you ended back in Greece.”

 

“For someone who isn’t the Spartan type, you took to my spear well enough,” Diomedes countered.

 

“It’s just a staff with a pointy end,” Plagg snickered, as Chat Noir offered the spear to Diomedes haft first. “Not that hard to use.”

 

“Minute to learn; lifetime to master,” Diomedes said, accepting the spear from Chat Noir and twirling it around in his hands. “And yet this staff with a pointy end spilled the blood of Ares. I doubt there’s anything in this world that it cannot pierce…”

 

Diomedes pressed a small emerald in the middle of his spear. With a faint click, the spear shrunk in on itself, collapsing until it was a little more than a foot and a half long. He looked at it almost fondly for a long moment before he snapped into action again, whipping it at Chat Noir faster than he could react. The glimmering silver tip sank into his chest, but to his surprise, there was no pain like there was last time. The short-spear simply passed through his body as a weight settled on his back.

 

“I don’t exactly have much use for it anymore, seeing as how the afterlife is so tediously pleasant, ” Diomedes sighed as Chat Noir reached back to feel the spear hanging from a holster across his costumed back. “And I’m glad to lend my support to anyone who opposes that witch of life, so I’m happy to hand it over to you. Cut her treacherous heart out and roast it on the flames of your own fury. Should make for a fine treat to celebrate your victory”

 

“Okay, listen pal,” Chat Noir sighed, closing his eyes to still the pounding headache in his skull. “There will be no heart cutting, no heart roasting, and certainly no heart-”

 

Chat Noir opened his eyes to find Diomedes gone, the city gone, and himself standing in the Sanctuary where Diomedes had stabbed him.

 

“...eating?” Chat Noir said, eyes sweeping the empty Sanctuary, looking up at the tall, carved effigy of Diomedes staring down at him.

 

“...that was weird,” Chat Noir muttered, snapping his fingers and illuminating the dark room with crackling green flame. He reached back, retrieving two smooth metal staffs that were crossed across his back, duplicates of his original weapon/communicator that rested on his right hip. Frowning, Adrien pushed the buttons in the middle of each staff, flinching as a bright, glittering spearhead materialized on the end of either of them.

 

“Not that I’m not a sucker for medieval weaponry, but I don’t see how this is supposed to help me stop Ladybug without putting a hole in her chest,” Chat sighed.

 

“Nobody said this was gonna be easy,” Plagg said, floating out from behind his ear in his usual cat form with the black key dangling between his teeth. “My whole schtick is causing death, destruction, and decay on astronomical levels; you are trying to fight without too much collateral damage. As much as Kagami and Master He poke at you for blowing up the mayor’s house, that’s what we do, Adrien. We destroy things.”

 

“So I should just shank Ladybug the next time I see her?” Chat Noir growled, flinging both of his spears across the room with a sigh. “Destroy her and pick the Ladybug Miraculous out of the ash pile?”

 

“Oh gods no,” Plagg said. “I’m not saying restraint is a bad thing; Diomedes was a great Black Cat but he was a pretty rotten person, if you couldn’t tell. Guy took a little too well to the power to destroy anything his heart desired. You have the power to destroy the city with a flick of your wrist, but that doesn’t mean you should . Things would be a lot easier for you if you stopped holding back and stopped caring about who you hurt.”

 

“That wouldn’t be right though,” Chat Noir countered.

 

“That wouldn’t,” Plagg agreed.

 

“For all Ladybug’s done, she doesn’t deserve to be destroyed by me,” Chat Noir sighed, looking down at his hands. “But destruction is all I got, huh?”

 

“Lucky you got a brain between those ears, huh?” Plagg snickered, rubbing the top of Adrien’s head. “If anyone can find a way to make wanton chaos and destruction non-lethal, it’s you.”

 

“Don’t suppose anyone else has some less destructive tricks, do they?” Chat asked, eyes passing over the rows and rows of Black Cats that came before him.

 

“See how you do with the new kit and we can talk about getting you a less intense mentor,” Plagg said, patting Chat Noir on the head.

 

“I’m beginning to think this whole place is crazy,” Chat Noir muttered. “Especially seeing as how you don’t seem to disappear when I transform.”

 

“Yeah, I can kinda do whatever I want in here and nobody can really stop me,” Plagg chuckled, smiling a wide, toothy grin at Chat Noir. “Want to fight ninjas riding a giant t-rex? I can make that happen for you. Want to use undead Nazis as target practice for your fireballs? Say the word and we can light em up! We’re here to make you a better, leaner, more capable Chat Noir, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun along the way.”

 

“Was that fun?” Chat Noir snorted.

 

“You didn’t think fighting undead elephants in the ruined city of Troy was fun ?” Plagg said, tilting his head to one side. “Do I even know you anymore?”

 

“Did you ever ?” 

 

---

 

“Anything from your end?”

 

“Nothing but some rubbernecking tourists at the cafe,” Queen Bee sighed, slurping the last of her iced coffee in one long noisy slurp. “We got some cute selfies for the Instagram account, but other than that, no sign of Tall Dark and Furry.”

 

“Nothing on our end either,” Ladybug sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I mean...it was a long shot anyway. We’ll just have to keep at it; maybe patrol once a week to keep our presence out there.”

 

“Might be a good idea to do smaller patrols too,” Rena added, glancing at Mayura. “If we expose our newest member without a full squad to protect him, Chat might pounce on him like he did last time.”

 

“He got lucky last time,” Mayura bristled. “He’s not gonna catch me flat-footed again.”

 

“Chat doesn’t get lucky,” Queen Bee snickered. “Unless you have shittier luck than he does, I think he’s just better than you, bluebird.”

 

“Hey, who’s side are you on?!” Mayura snapped, rounding on Queen Bee with an unusually sharp glare.

 

“Don’t get your tailfeathers twisted, honey,” Queen Bee sniffed. “I’m just stating facts; Chat Noir’s got miles more experience than you do. Everytime you two go head to head, you get stomped on-”

 

“Well maybe I wouldn’t get stomped on if we spent more time training instead of posing for pictures!”

 

“Hey, I am building connections with the people we protect!” Queen Bee snapped, poking Mayura in the middle of his chest. “The people of this city need to be reassured that their heroes are still out there defending them!”

 

“Oh yeah, the people of Paris really need to see Queen Bee making duck-lips with her Starbucks order!” Mayura barked, swatting Queen Bee’s finger away. “Real morale boost that is!”

 

“Enough!” Ladybug and Rena snapped at the same time, glancing at each other as Ladybug put a hand on Mayura’s shoulder.

 

“Look...we’ve had a rough couple of days,” Ladybug said diplomatically as Rena pulled Queen Bee back a little. “Maybe we should take five and train a little; get Mayura caught up to the rest of us.”

 

“Gonna take more than five,” Queen Bee muttered under her breath, earning a sharp glare from Mayura.

 

“Only a matter of time before Chat makes his presence known again,” Rena said, glancing at Ladybug.

 

“If he survived a city block falling on his head, that is,” Mayura said, crossing his arms. “How do we know he’s even still alive.”

 

“He’s alive,” Ladybug said quickly, avoiding Mayura’s questioning gaze. “He’s just...lying low. Won’t be long before he sticks his head up again.”

 

Ladybug’s fingers brushed across her communicator subconsciously as she shot her team what she hoped was a confident smile. “Good first patrol, everyone. We’ll be in touch for some training exercises soon but for now, lay low and keep an eye out for our friend in black.”

 

“Sounds good,” Carapace said, backing towards the edge of the roof. “Man...iced coffee would hit the spot right now.”

 

“I could go for another,” Queen Bee said, glancing at Rena. “Anyone else want to come?”

 

“I’m good,” Mayura said quickly. “I got...family stuff I should be doing.”

 

“I’m gonna clear my head,” Ladybug said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. “Swing around town for a bit. Thanks for the invite though.”

 

“I won’t say no to free coffee,” Rena said, bumping Queen Bee in the shoulder as the three of them headed towards the rooftop.

 

“Wait, I’m buying?!” Queen Bee squeaked.

 

“You can afford it,” Carapace chuckled as they dove off the rooftop, swinging over the rooftops and into the cold evening. Ladybug stood next to Mayura for a moment, watching them go before turning to leave.

 

“Hey,” Mayura said as she got ready to swing off the rooftop. She turned around to see him scratching the back of his head, feet shifting as he seemed to be searching for the right words to say.

 

“Something wrong?” Ladybug asked.

 

Mayura opened his mouth a few times before trailing off with a shaky laugh. “You know what, never mind.”

 

“You sure?” Ladybug asked, head tilting to one side. “You've been acting kind of...angry lately." 

 

"I get angry when people I care about get hurt," Mayura said, heading towards the edge of the roof. “I gotta go check up on Mom; let me know when you have some time to spar with me a little.”

 

Before Ladybug could follow up, Mayura leapt off the rooftop, gliding down through the streets and out of sight. She thought of following him for a moment, stepping to the edge of the roof as she palmed her communicator in one hand.

 

Chat Noir’s notification light shone green up at her, her message from before unanswered even if she was sure he had seen it. She sat down on the edge of the roof, biting her lip as she typed out another response.

 

Ladybug: I looked for you all night

 

Ladybug: I wondered if you were out and about like you usually were…

 

Ladybug: Didn’t seem to be in any of your favorite spots.

 

Ladybug: Almost wanted to see if leaving any croissants as bait would work.

 

---

 

Chat Noir sat with his back pressed up against the obsidian wall of the Sanctuary, watching Ladybug’s messages scroll past on his screen with little pings that echoed across the smooth, featureless black stone.

 

Ladybug: I patrolled with everyone for the first time today.

 

Ladybug: Everybody gave it their all but...just not the same, you know?

 

Of course it’s not the same, Chat Noir thought, chewing on his lower lip as Ladybug continued to type.

 

---

 

Ladybug: I don’t know what you’re doing.

 

Ladybug: Or if you’re even still alive.

 

Ladybug: Though I guess a building falling on your head wouldn’t be enough to do you in, huh?”

 

Silence. Nothing but the blinking red letters on her communicator screen looked back at her.

 

Ladybug: I just...I just need to know you're okay.

 

Ladybug: In spite of everything, I

 

Ladybug stared at the communicator, desperately trying to complete the sentence that hung unfinished on the screen.

 

Ladybug: In spite of everything, I still care about you.

 

Chat Noir: you got a real funny way of showing it

 

His reply nearly knocked her off the roof as she read it, scrambling to keep her footing as she stared down at the black text floating on the screen. 

 

Ladybug: Police are still looking for you.

 

Ladybug: Mayor Andre is calling in a special task force to take you in.

 

Chat Noir: five superheroes, one super villain, and the whole damn country against me, huh?

 

Chat Noir: guess i should feel honored

 

Chat Noir: though your press conference probably helped my "popularity" 

 

Ladybug: And the small fact that you destroyed a building

 

Chat Noir: you fixed it, didn’t you?

 

Chat Noir: you fix your boyfriend's broken nose too? 

 

Ladybug: He's not my boyfriend, but any bruises you left behind, I healed. 

 

Chat Noir: wow, you're talented

 

Chat Noir: seems to me the only one who lost something permanently is me, huh?

 

Ladybug sighed through her teeth, gazing down at the park where Ladybug’s statue stood alone next to a broken pedestal where her partner’s effigy once stood.

 

---

 

Ladybug: I can still fix this if you give me a chance.

 

Ladybug: We're not too far gone, Chat. 

 

Chat Noir: the Parisian mob clearly disagrees

 

Ladybug: We can come up with a story to make them trust you again. 

 

Ladybug: If we work together, we can still put this behind us. 

 

Chat Noir snorted, shaking his head as he gazed up at the dozens of Black Cat carvings that surrounded him. 

 

Chat Noir: you’d like that, wouldn’t you?

 

Chat Noir: quietly fix everything before people find out the truth?

 

Chat Noir: before rena and the others learn you're lying to them

 

Chat Noir: well

 

Chat Noir: i’m not interested in fixing anything anymore

 

Chat Noir: see

 

Chat Noir: i just spent my day getting fireballs shot at me and fighting the legions of hell that my kwami raised just for me to practice on

 

Ladybug: What????

 

Chat Noir: and if i’ve learned anything from my psychotic tutor it’s that

 

Chat Noir: sometimes, peace isn’t the answer

 

Chat Noir: sometimes, the only way to cure an infection is to burn it out at its source

 

Ladybug: Even if it means burning me too?

 

---

 

Ladybug watched the screen for a long, tense moment as the question hung in the air between them. 

 

Across the city and in another dimension, Chat Noir did the same thing, scowling down at the keypad as he struggled to come up with a response. 

 

---

 

Chat Noir: fire doesn't care about what it destroys

 

Chat Noir: anything that's too close to the blaze is likely to get burned up as well

 

Ladybug: Is that a threat?

 

Chat Noir: no; that's simple physics

---

 

Ladybug watched Chat's communicator blink off, leaving her alone with her thoughts as the first drop of a cold autumn storm landed on her head. 

 

Notes:

Happy 2019!

I know I threw a lot of lore at your faces so feel free to speak up if things get confusing. I wanted to introduce the Sanctuary here so I could have Adrien passively working on his Chat Noir skills while more character driven stories are happening in the foreground. Still have to flesh out Luka's situation a little bit better so next chapter may focus on the side characters a little bit more.

As some of you correctly guessed, Diomedes is the Greecian hero Homer wrote about and incidentally the flamethrower shield was Homer's idea, not mine! Even ancient Greeks could appreciate the beauty of big fuck-off fireballs shot from badass shields.

Chapter 21: Caught In A Web

“Someone’s been busy.”

 

Kagami stepped back from the corkboard, tying one last red string around a pin stuck in the center of Hawkmoth’s police sketch. The wall of Kagami’s office had transformed into a red web of connected images, each akuma victim staring down at Adrien as he set his coat down on a nearby chair.

 

“I was thinking about what you said the other day,” Kagami said, running a hand through her hair and taking a sip of her cold tea with a grimace. “Ladybug isn’t the enemy we need to be focusing on; defeating Ladybug doesn’t solve the Hawkmoth problem-”

 

“Only defeating Hawkmoth does,” Adrien said, folding his arms over his chest as his eyes roamed over the faces of friends, loved ones, and complete strangers Hawkmoth had ensnared in his web over the years. His best friend, his classmates, even his own father had fallen prey to Hawkmoth’s single minded pursuit of the ring around his finger. Seeing hundreds of victims, all laid out in a web of lies only stoked the glowing coals of anger that flickered almost constantly these days.

 

“Ladybug’s still the best lead we have, unfortunately,” Adrien sighed. “We have to count on her making a mistake and letting something slip to Rena or the others.”

 

“About that,” Kagami said, glancing at Adrien out of the corner of her eye. “Isn’t there an ally we haven’t reached out to yet?”

 

“You’re talking about Chloe,” Adrien said with a tight smile.

 

“I’m just wondering why you haven’t reached out to Queen Bee yet,” Kagami said. “It would seem that she’d be the most...enthusiastic supporter if she found out that you were Chat Noir.”

 

“She’s working very close to Hawkmoth’s lackeys right now; that’s not information I want to put in his reach,” Adrien said. “If Rena’s right and the others are working with her to expose the truth, she’s already doing as much as she can for me without risking her or my safety.”

 

“That’s...surprisingly well thought out,” Kagami said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Believe me; if I could pull someone else in, I would,” Adrien said, leaning on the table as he stared up at the red, tangled web above him. “But for now, it looks like it’s you and me against the world.”

 

“A- hem .”

 

Plagg glared up at him from the table, hands on his hips and cheeks bulging with stuffed Camembert.

 

“You, me, and a cheese addicted cat against the world,” Kagami chuckled. “That might just be enough.”

 

"It's gonna have to be," Adrien said, leaning on the back of a chair as he looked up at the web of Hawkmoth's victims. "Okay...where do we start?" 

 

---

 

“Hey, Marco?”

 

Luka hovered in the doorway of his manager’s office, hands wringing the corner of his apron as he rocked back and forth on the heels of his shoes.

 

“Can I ask about that checker position you put out today?” Luka asked.

 

“Think you just did,” Marco chuckled. “You know that would be kind of a step down from backroom, right?”

 

“Not for me,” Luka said, scratching the back of his head. “See...my friend needs a job and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to put a good word in for her.”

 

“Is this friend like the last friend you put a good word in for?” Marco asked, narrowing his eyes. “Because I just got the smell out of the employee lounge and-”

 

“No, no, no!” Luka said, holding his hands up. “No, she’s nothing like Leo; she’s super sharp, really dependable, no interest in magic cigarettes...also going off to college next year and really needs some cash.”

 

“I bet,” Marco said, rubbing his stubbled chin thoughtfully. “But after the last guy you recommended-”

 

“I’ll take the after-closing shift for the next month if you push her application to the front of the line,” Luka said quickly, smirking as he saw Marco’s eyebrows clear his glasses frames. "Me and Simon will handle everything." 

 

“Well, if you feel that strongly about it, I suppose I can help you out,” Marco sighed. “But I’m gonna hold you to that promise.”

 

“You won’t regret this!” Luka promised, tapping twice on the doorframe as he headed towards the back with a little spring in his step.

 

“That was very gallant of you,” Duusuu whispered in his ear as he stepped into the cool, refrigerated section at the back of the store.

 

“Just helping out a friend,” Luka muttered, grunting as he lifted a cardboard box onto the table and started unloading it. The thought of handling closing shifts every day for the next month made his stomach turn a little, but it would be worth it if it meant helping Marinette achieve her dreams.

 

Dreams that no longer included him.

 

---

 

Rena Rouge: You good?

 

Chat Noir: just peachy, thanks for checking in

 

Chat Noir: thanks also for those patrol details you sent

 

Chat Noir: i was occupied at the time but good to know when people are looking for me

 

Rena Rouge: Whole city is looking for you.

 

Rena Rouge: I would limit my nightly excursions if I were you.

 

Chat Noir: duly noted

 

Chat Noir: anything else?

 

Rena Rouge: Queen Bee thinks that Mayura might have been Ladybug’s former fling.

 

Chat Noir: i guessed as much

 

Chat Noir: still carries the torch for her, doesn’t he?

 

Rena Rouge: I guess so.

 

Rena Rouge: Got all touchy with Bee after she brought it up.

 

Chat Noir: hm

 

Chat Noir: might be able to get something out of that

 

Rena Rouge: Like what?

 

Chat Noir: idk i’m still planning

 

Rena Rouge: Lol you plan now?

 

Chat Noir: i thought i’d give it a try since it works so well for lb

 

Chat Noir: did she hint at anything when you patrolled together?

 

Rena Rouge: No, she was pretty buttoned up.

 

Rena Rouge: Seemed kinda

 

Rena Rouge: Sad, I guess.

 

Rena Rouge: I think she misses you.

 

Chat Noir: misses hiding behind me while our enemies beat me to a pulp maybe

 

Rena Rouge: Is that really fair to say?

 

Rena Rouge: You weren’t just a human shield to her.

 

Chat Noir: she never seemed to have a problem using me as one

 

Rena Rouge: IIRC, you were the one who was always jumping in front of attacks meant for her.

 

Chat Noir: yeah and that makes me a shmuck, doesn’t it?

 

Rena Rouge: Your words not mine.

 

Chat Noir: >:P

 

Rena Rouge: Anything good on your end?

 

Chat Noir: i’m getting ready to possibly fight ladybug again

 

Chat Noir: i want you to know that i’m not looking for a fight

 

Chat Noir: but if she gets in my way, i have no problem fighting her to get to hawkmoth

 

Rena Rouge: Damn, you got frosty, didn’t you?

 

Chat Noir: november gets frosty

 

Rena Rouge: Alright, well, keep me in the loop.

 

Rena Rouge: And if you get your ass nabbed, we never talked.

 

Chat Noir: of course we didn’t

 

---

 

Rena snapped her communicator shut, de-transforming as she stepped back out of the bathroom and into Chloe’s garishly decorated living room. If she hadn’t outed herself as Queen Bee within hours of getting her Miraculous, the black and yellow patterned throw pillows, honeycomb artwork, and tiny golden bees hanging from each lamp string would have been enough to give her away.

 

“Did you fall in?” Chloe snorted, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth as Alya took her seat at the table.

 

“You know if being an heiress gets old, you can always go into standup with material like that,” Alya said, pulling a soda out of a nearby ice chest and cracking it open.

 

“And miss my chance to become a hotel baroness like my father would have been if he didn’t get into local government ,” Chloe said, wrinkling her nose. “Pass. What’s the cat doing?”

 

“Preparing to take Ladybug on again if she gets in his way,” Alya said as Chloe let out a low whistle.

 

“Dang, the golden lovers really fell out hard, didn’t they?” Chloe clucked, shaking her head.

 

“Ladybug’s taking it pretty hard,” Alya muttered, chewing on her lower lip.

 

“If Chat’s right, then she’s got nobody to blame for her unhappiness but herself,” Chloe said.

 

“I know...but-”

 

“Don’t get soft on me now, Cesaire,” Chloe said sternly, eyes narrowing across the table. “We said we were gonna get to the truth behind this come hell, high-water, or teary-eyed bug girls. Did that stupid cutlery cross we did in the restaurant mean literally nothing to you?”

 

“I’m not saying I trust her,” Alya said, holding her hands up. “Just...I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ladybug look so down before. She’s always so...energetic and upbeat. But she just looked so tense last night; like she was one step away from snapping.”

 

“You wanna switch next time?” Chloe asked. “Maybe she’ll be more open with me.”

 

“Somehow I doubt that,” Alya chuckled.

 

“Well, if that fails, I can always-”

 

“You are not seducing Ladybug,” Alya said, glancing over the rim of her glasses.

 

“You’re just saying that because you want to be the one to seduce her,” Chloe muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

 

“I’m in a relationship.”

 

“So? Nobody said you have to date her ,” Chloe said as the door to her flat opened. “Just tell Nino you need the night off to throw yourself at Ladybug with reckless romantic abandon and get her to tell you her darkest secrets.”

 

“I miss out on the coolest conversations,” Nino sighed, pecking Alya on the cheek as he settled into the chair between her and Chloe. “You guys get started without me?”

 

“Chloe wants one of us to seduce Ladybug,” Alya said offhandedly.

 

“That’d be one way to see who’s under the mask,” Nino said, rubbing his chin. “Either that or Mayura but he seems to be too Ladybugsexual to bite.”

 

“After last night, I would really rather seduce Hawkmoth than Mayura,” Chloe said, mouth wrinkling in disgust. “Ew, ew, ew, why did I say that?!”

 

“Haha, you’re gross,” Nino sing-songed, catching a pretzel Chloe whipped at his head.

 

“Any ideas that don’t involve getting naked?” Alya asked, leaning in on her palm. “I don’t think the femme fatale routine is gonna be super successful.”

 

“Shouldn’t we be working just as hard to see what Chat Noir is up to?” Nino said. “We’re digging pretty deep into LB’s dirty laundry, but there’s still a chance she’s telling the truth.”

 

“Letting Chat Noir go went a long way towards getting him to trust me,” Alya said. “He’s not exactly telling me everything, but he’s at least saying more than ten words at a time to me.”

 

“With all the pressure Daddy is putting on him, he’s bound to reach out for some help sometime soon,” Chloe muttered, twirling her ponytail anxiously. “That security company he hired to help the cops out gives me the heebee jeebees.”

 

“Given Stigma International’s reputation, those jeebees are pretty justified,” Alya said, frowning down at the black-clad security personnel that flanked Mayor Andre on the cover of the newspaper.

 

“They've been roughing up people around the neighborhood for no good reason,” Nino huffed. “Is it true they can’t even run contracts in the States anymore?”

 

“When America kicks you out for being overzealous fascist dickheads, you know you’re a real piece of work,” Alya sniffed, shaking her head. “Somebody’s gonna get desperate sooner or later; we just gotta keep our eyes on both targets and see who tips their hand first.”

 

“It’s that or seduce Chat Noir,” Chloe muttered, straightening up as Alya and Nino both raised their eyebrows at her. “Oh so Paris’ it-couple breaks up and I can’t make out with the remnants?!”

 

---

 

“Come on, focus !”

 

Chat Noir bit his lower lip as his claw outstretched, green flickering flame dancing on the end of a candle. He focused on moving the flame down the wick, struggling to keep the ambient heat from melting the wax that surrounded it. He watched the flame slip down the wick, watched the smooth, featureless wax give way and start to bubble with a frustrated sigh, igniting the candle and immolating it in a flash of green flame.

 

“Take three hundred and thirty three,” Chat Noir muttered as Plagg conjured another inky black candle from the floor of the sanctuary. “Is there a point to all this?”

 

“The point is teaching you how to use your powers without destroying everything ,” Plagg sighed, rubbing his forehead. “That fire is like Cataclysm; it destroys what you want it to destroy. You have to keep it in check to keep collateral damage to a minimum.”

 

“Couldn’t have started with an easier task?” Chat Noir panted, wiping his brow. “What was that about using phantom Nazis as target practice? Can we go back to doing that?”

 

“You got that part down,” Plagg said. “But unless you want to burn the city down every time you use it, you need to get a better hold on your abilities.”

 

“I’ll get a hold on my abilities after I eat,” Chat Noir sighed, turning around and heading back up the stairs that led to the door out of the Sanctuary. “I’m burned out.”

 

“Nice pun,” Plagg snickered as Adrien detransformed, stepping back through the door and into his bedroom. “First one I’ve heard from you in a long time.”

 

“Not feeling especially punny these days,” Adrien muttered, stepping out of his bedroom and into the hall in time to see his father step out of his office.

 

“-tell him I’ll handle it before tomorrow afternoon,” Gabriel sighed, deactivating his earpiece. “Idiot.”

 

“You would think you would have fired all the idiots that seem to work for you by now,” Adrien chuckled, patting his father on the shoulder as he passed him. “Unless one of the perks of the job is muttering darkly to yourself about how you’re surrounded by idiots.”

 

“It’s remarkably gratifying, even if it means dealing with Marcel’s latest breed of incompetence,” Gabriel sighed, following his son down the stairs. “Promise me that when I’m gone and you inherit the company that you’ll fire him at the first opportunity.”

 

“I don’t think he’s gonna outlive you, but sure,” Adrien chuckled, grabbing his scarf off the coatrack. “You gonna try cooking again or wait until the new smoke detectors are installed?”

 

“I was actually wondering if you wanted to get dinner somewhere,” Gabriel said, lingering on the bottom step somewhat awkwardly as Adrien slowly turned around, looking at his father like his head had turned into a talking pumpkin. “The two of us, I mean.”

 

Frowning, Adrien walked up to his father, pressing the back of his hand against his forehead. “Are you sick?”

 

“I’m perfectly well, thank you-”

 

“Are you in debt to the mob and this is the last night before they whack you?”

 

“Why would I be in debt to the mob?”

 

“Because I can count on one finger the number of times we’ve been out to dinner together,” Adrien said. “So you’re either dying or going to die or-”

 

“Can a man have dinner with his family without being interrogated about it?” Gabriel sniffed, straightening his tie uncomfortably. “If you have other plans-”

 

“No, no, no, we’re good,” Adrien said, cinching his scarf around his throat. “I take it takeout from the Thai place down the road is out of the question?”

 

“You’re talking to someone who survived on cheap noodles from the ages of eighteen to twenty nine,” Gabriel sniffed, pulling his coat off the rack. “If I never eat pasta again, it will be too soon.”

 

---

 

“What did Chat Noir mean when he said that he had “ just spent his day getting fireballs shot at him and fighting the legions of hell that his kwami raised just for him to practice on?”

 

“What part of that sentence was unclear?”

 

“You’re saying that Plagg has some way of...what, raising the dead for him to beat up?” Marinette sighed, closing the help wanted section of the local newspaper to look at her kwami.

 

“It’s very likely that Chat Noir got in touch with another Master,” Tikki said, taking a bite of her cookie. “One that allowed him to access his Sanctuary.”

 

“No chance of accessing that for myself, is there?” Marinette asked.

 

“Not unless we somehow stumble on the Key that lets you go there,” Tikki said. “And if Hawkmoth’s research is to be believed-”

 

“Dr. He is the one that sent him there,” Marinette sighed, rubbing her temples. “...what’s the worst case scenario for me?”

 

“Worst case scenario is that Hawkmoth gets what he wants, but I assume you’re talking about the scenario involving Chat,” Tikki sniffed. “The longer he’s allowed to train, the stronger he is going to become. And with Plagg and another Master fully behind him, he’s going to be a better Chat Noir than he’s ever been.”

 

“Shame he didn’t show this much gusto for his responsibility when we were partners,” Marinette muttered, ignoring the sharp look Tikki shot her. “What? He jokes his way through four years of akuma attacks, lets me do all the heavy lifting, and now he suddenly wants to take things seriously? How am I supposed to feel about that?”

 

“Maybe he finally feels has a reason to give his all.”

 

“Shame he didn’t give his all sooner; we could have ended this years ago,” Marinette said.

 

“We can still end this-”

 

“I intend to,” Marinette said, flexing her fingers. “He can get as many power-ups as he wants; I’ve spent four years figuring out ways to beat akuma with all kinds of stupid power-ups.”

 

“There’s a pretty big gap between an akuma and a fully realized Black Cat,” TIkki said, tapping the cheek Chat Noir had bruised.

 

“Is there anything you can do to prepare me for that?” Marinette asked, cupping Tikki in her hands. “I know you only said you were going to help protect me, but-”

 

“I only awakened your healing abilities to heal you and your friends,” Tikki said, worming out of her grip. “I can’t in good conscience give you access to anything that could be used against Chat Noir.”

 

“So that’s a no on Ladybug eyebeams then?”

 

“I don’t even have eyebeams to teach you,” Tikki sighed.

 

“Anything to protect me at least?” Marinette asked. “Chat’s gonna be hurling fireballs at my head; can you give me anything to prevent me from being burned alive?”

 

Tikki almost flinched, tensing as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose.

 

“...I’ll see what I can do,” Tikki said, grabbing a cookie and floating towards her dollhouse. 

 

“...thanks?” Marinette said, watching Tikki slip into the dollhouse. “O...kay, we’ll unpack that later, I guess...be nice if she could Miraculous Ladybug me a new job while she was at it…”

 

---

 

“So...how are things at school?”

 

“Same as usual,” Adrien said, leaning back in his chair so the waitress could set the creaking plate of meat, potatoes, and roasted vegetables in front of him. His father raised an eyebrow as Adrien immediately tore into his porterhouse, rending the filet in half with his knife and taking an enormous bite out of it.

 

“Getting a little bored of it, to be honest,” Adrien said, juice running down his chin as Gabriel neatly tucked into his roast duck.

 

“I keep telling you you should test out already,” Gabriel said. “Take an early graduation and get a head-start on your life.”

 

“I’m starting to come around to it,” Adrien said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Would be nice to have some free time to focus on...other pursuits.”

 

“You certainly have your pick of them,” Gabriel said, taking a sip of his wine. “Your date with Mme. Dupain-Cheng went well, I take it?”

 

“As well as a date making pastries with her parents could have gone,” Adrien said with a somewhat wistful smile. “Better than I thought, actually.”

 

“Better at least than the first time I took your mother out,” Gabriel chuckled. “Baking pastries beats getting attacked by a rogue duck while walking in the park.”

 

“She married you, so it couldn’t have been that bad, right?” Adrien laughed.

 

“I still order the duck whenever I go out,” Gabriel said, teeth glinting as he popped another piece of duck meat in his mouth. “My symbolic revenge. Made your mother mad, but she could never convince me to give up meat.”

 

“It almost worked with me until we went to Spain and I had chorizo for the first time,” Adrien said, mopping up his steak juice with a potato.

 

“We never went to Spain,” Gabriel said, brow furrowing.

 

“ We went to Spain,” Adrien clarified. “That was when you had to prepare for the-”

 

“-Vogue shoot,” Gabriel said, nodding. “I remember that...your mother didn’t speak to me for a week after I cancelled that trip.”

 

“I seem to remember her referring to you exclusively as your father and that man ,” Adrien laughed. “I also remember the floral display you bought for her at the airport.”

 

“Only because I killed her hydrangeas while she was away,” Gabriel chuckled. “She used to joke that I was her second most beloved living thing after her bonsai trees.”

 

“I don’t know how much of that was a joke,” Adrien snickered, taking a sip of water as a comfortable silence lapsed between them. “You know...I don’t ever remember you talking about Mom this much.”

 

“I suppose I’ve been thinking a lot about her lately,” Gabriel said, fingering his wedding ring as he stared into his wine glass. “Just wondering what she would say if she were here with us...every time I’m with you there’s just this...space I’m waiting to be filled. Half of me still thinks that she’s going to walk in at any moment…”

 

Gabriel trailed off, swirling his wine glass absentmindedly.

 

“I haven’t...I know I haven’t always been the father you needed,” Gabriels said.

 

“You did the best you could,” Adrien said.

 

“No I didn’t,” Gabriel said, shaking his head. “I...did what I always do when confronted with hardship; I reacted out of fear. I wanted you close and under supervision in case...anything happened to you.”

 

“Well with Hawkmoth running around, it wasn’t like you didn’t have good reason,” Adrien chuckled.

 

“That maniac certainly didn’t make things easier, did he?” Gabriel clucked, shaking his head. “It’s just...you’re going to be out and on your own soon and I don’t...I don’t want to lose you because I was too harsh or too controlling when you were a boy.”

 

“Dad,” Adrien sighed, shaking his head with a smile. “I’m not going anywhere; you’re not gonna lose me. I’ll admit we’ve never been close but I still love you, you know.”

 

Gabriel managed a small smile, clearing his throat and taking a bite of his duck. “Thank you...I love you too.”

 

“Didn’t need to say that over a hundred euro dinner, did you?” Adrien chuckled, trying to break the tension a little.

 

“Everything is better over fine food,” Gabriel said, clinking his wine glass against Adrien’s. “I just...I want you to know that I”ll support you no matter what you do. If you don’t want to go to Cambridge, I can’t very well stop you. It’s just…”

 

Gabriel looked out the window as a few police officers accompanied by Stigma security personnel walked past the window on the sidewalk outside.

 

“This city is going to the dogs,” Gabriel muttered. “Might be a good idea to get away for a few months.”

 

“Are you planning on taking that vacation you always threaten you’re going to take?” Adrien chuckled.

 

“My home is where your mother is,” Gabriel said. “You on the other hand-”

 

“Have a life here,” Adrien said, taking another monstrous bite of his steak. “HEC is as good a school as Cambridge.”

 

“Even if Mme. Dupain-Cheng is also planning on heading across the pond?” Gabriel said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well...I mean, not like I can’t take the train to see her, right?” Adrien said, scratching the back of his head. “And she can train back whenever she wants so...and we’ll both be really busy, so not like we can hang out every day anyway.”

 

“You’ve really thought this through,” Gabriel said with a small smile. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to help with that-”

 

“Thanks,” Adrien said, thoughtfully chewing his steak with a frown. “Actually...I can think of one thing you could do for me.”

 

---

 

Anarka jerked awake in time to see Luka step back from her, a handknit blanket draped over her shoulders.

 

“Go back to sleep,” Luka murmured as she slowly stirred, sitting up against her pillows.

 

“How long have I been asleep?” Anarka muttered, tugging her beanie off and running her hand over her stubbled scalp.

 

“Not long enough,” Luka chided, pushing his mother gently back against the bed.

 

“I’m not an invalid yet, honey,” Anarka chuckled, pounding on her chest as a wet, phlegmy cough rocked her chest. “Just a walking anti-smoking ad.”

 

“Not walking; sleeping,” Luka said, kissing her on the forehead. “I got a shift at the store; Juleka will bring some food in a bit.”  

 

“At this hour?” Anarka muttered, flopping back against the bed as Luka stepped out of her room, heading down the hallway towards the kitchen where Juleka stirred a pot of soup.

 

“How’d the doctor’s appointment go?” Luka asked, grabbing a canteen of water from the fridge.

 

“Better than usual,” Juleka said, wincing as a fresh fit of coughing drew their attention from upstairs. “Apparently the coughing is a good sign and besides being cranky from the meds, she’s been in good spirits.”

 

“I’ll relieve you tomorrow,” Luka promised. “I gotta run something over to Marinette’s place before my shift.”

 

“Is that a euphemism for-”

 

“It’s a euphemism for a job application,” Luka said, narrowing his eyes at Juleka.

 

“Suuuuuuure,” Juleka said, rolling her eyes. “Would be nice if you could get me a job, but-”

 

“ But you gotta worry about graduating so you don’t end up taking midnight shifts at grocery stores like your lunkhead older brother,” Luka said, scraping some of the soup off the back of the ladle and sampling it with an appreciative nod. “Do your homework; I’ll tell Rose if you don’t.”

 

“You wouldn’t .”

 

“I won’t unless you make me,” Luka chuckled, ruffling Juleka’s hair and snatching the job application off the table. “See you in the morning.”

 

“Power bill’s due tomorrow,” Juleka said as Luka hovered in the doorway.

 

“I’ll...take care of it,” Luka said.

 

“You know…we could always see if Dad can-”

 

“ I’ll take care of it,” Luka insisted, stepping out the back door and into the night before Juleka could reply, clutching the application to his chest to protect it from the wind as he walked down the street.

 

---

 

Ladybug stood in front of the mirror, looking down at the two identical yo-yo’s in her hands.

 

“Okay...so...Tikki said I just place one yo-yo here,” Ladybug said, placing one yo-yo over her left wrist. The string of the yo-yo snaked out from both sides, wrapping around her wrist and securely holding it in place. One spot on the face of the yo-yo started to glow and as Ladybug tapped it, a pink circle light sprang out of the sides. The circle expanded until it was a solid, shimmering circle of energy, lightly humming around the nucleus of the yo-yo. The light slowly started to cloud, solidifying into a round red metal shield that sank onto Ladybug’s arm with a noticeable weight.

 

“Past Ladybugs got the coolest stuff,” Ladybug said, swinging the shield around experimentally. “Would have been nice to get this instead of a yo-yo from the start, but we’ll just count this as a victory for good old Team LB.”

 

Glancing down, she noticed that the wire from the yo-yo remained attached around her wrist and to the back of the shield. Acting on a hunch informed by 18 years of superhero media, Ladybug tossed her shield onto the fainting couch, watching the yo-yo string unspool and hang in the air between her wrist and the shield. She jerked her hand back and the shield retracted along the string, cinching back onto her wrist as her reflection smiled back at her.

 

“Eat your heart out, Carapace,” Ladybug said, snapping her shield out a little harder than she intended and knocking over a mannequin next to her desk. “...alright, so this is more of an outdoor toy-”

 

A sharp knock on her bedroom hatch made Ladybug’s heart stop.

 

“ Marinette?” Her mother’s voice called through the hatch as Ladybug transformed back quickly, stuffing Tikki back into her dollhouse. “ Can I get some help at the register?”

 

Coming!” Marinette called, straightening her hair as she slid down the ladder out of her room, snagging her apron off a coat rack as she headed from her flat down into the bakery shop proper. “Sorry about the wait, how can I help-”

 

Marinette could feel the color drain out of her face as Gabriel Agreste looked up from the pastry case, his thin, polite smile catching her off guard even as Adrien beamed over his father’s shoulder.

 

“M. Agreste,” Marinette managed to stammer, keeping the waver out of her voice with all the willpower she could muster. “What a...surprise!”

 

“Adrien and I were coming home from dinner and he suggested that we stop by for some quick dessert,” Gabriel said, looking over the rims of his glasses at the case. “I confess, I’m not much for sweets, but Adrien says a few of your lemon bars might be right up my alley.”

 

“Papa makes them on the tart side,” Marinette chuckled, unconsciously tucking her hair over her earrings as she dove under the counter. “Did you, uh, have a good dinner?”

 

“Dad had the night off so we decided to take advantage of it,” Adrien chuckled, leaning on the counter as Marinette tucked some lemon bars into a paper bag. “He’s been pretty busy lately, haven’t you?”

 

“Nathalie is taking more of an executive role at the office, so she’s having some trouble staying on top of some of the day-to-day responsibilities she handled,” Gabriel said.

 

“Sounds like you need a new assistant,” Marinette said, wondering if there was a BAFTA category for Acting Normal While Talking To Your Arch-Enemy.

 

“Yes, well...Adrien said that you were currently looking for a job, so I thought I would-”

 

Thunk!

 

Marinette banged her head on the inside of the glass case, nearly falling backwards as she jerked upright, looking between Gabriel, Adrien, and her parents not-so-secretly eavesdropping from the kitchen doorway.

 

“You...are you…” Marinette said, head tilting to one side as she tried to find the words to say.

 

“I know this is somewhat unorthodox,” Gabriel said. “Usually, this would be something we would address back at the main office, but-”

 

“You’re...offering me a job?” Marinette said, glancing between Adrien and Gabriel.

 

“Dad told me that Nathalie’s position was opening up,” Adrien chimed in. “I let slip that you were looking for some weekend and after school work.”

 

“I...well, I am , but…” Marinette trailed off with a laugh. “Sorry, this is just...I mean, isn’t this a little sudden? Aren’t there other people more qualified for the role than me?”

 

“With Nathalie managing more things at the office, her old role has been reorganized,” Gabriel said. “Just some clerical work, really; nothing an enterprising fashion designer shouldn’t be able to handle.”

 

“An enterprising designer that’s still a student,” Sabine said.

 

“It wouldn’t cut into class time either,” Adrien said. “Just a few nights a week and Saturdays. With an opportunity to work for our London office while she’s in school.”

 

Marinette’s heart throbbed in her ears as she looked between Adrien and his father for a long moment. Her hesitance must’ve been written on her face because Gabriel cleared his throat.

 

“Would you mind if we had a private word,” Gabriel said, gesturing between Marinette and himself. “One designer to another?”

 

Sabine shared a glance with Tom and Adrien for a moment. “It’s fine,” Marinette said, shooting her mother a reassuring smile. “We’ll just stay out here; I’ll holler if we have customers.”

 

“Well...we’ll be in the kitchen, then,” Sabine said, stepping through the swinging doors and shooting Gabriel a firm look before disappearing into the back with her husband and Adrien.

 

Marinette had never been alone in a room with Gabriel out of her Ladybug costume and his sudden presence in her parents’ bakery made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was unnerving how ordinary he managed to look; more a stodgy tax accountant than a brainwashing megalomaniac. Seeing him in her own home made her feel cornered, despite the fact that she was armed with her Miraculous and the Butterfly pin was nowhere to be found.

 

“You know I’ve heard good things about this place but...I’ve never actually been here,” Gabriel said, turning around a curious nod. “Your parents’ reputation precedes them.”

 

“They’ve certainly worked for it,” Marinette said, swallowing past the painfully dry lump in her throat.

 

“I can appreciate that,” Gabriel mused. “I can also appreciate an artist at the top of their field; it’s apparent where you get it from now.”

 

“I don’t know if I’m at the top of my field just yet.”

 

“I think you will be,” Gabriel said. “One day. You’re on the right track, Mme. Dupain-Cheng. Just need a little nudge to put you over the finish line.”

 

“And interning for you is the nudge you think I need?” Marinette asked.

 

“Something tells me that someone with your credentials is going to make it whether I nudge you or not,” Gabriel chuckled. “But Adrien mentioned that you were looking for work, so I thought I’d offer you the position first...and if I may be so bold, a reference from the head of a major fashion label would go a long way towards whatever career you had in mind.”

 

“I...appreciate it,” Marinette said slowly, trying to choose her words carefully. “And I appreciate Adrien sticking his neck out for me, but…”

 

“You...think I’m just offering you this position because of your relationship with my son?” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do you think you’re not qualified to intern for a fashion company?”

 

“Well...I am, but-”

 

“Does the schedule I proposed not work for you?”

 

“It does, but-”

 

“Is there any particular reason you don’t want to intern for my label in particular?”

 

You’re fucking Hawkmoth, that’s why, Marinette thought.

 

“I just...I’d rather make it without my friends calling in favors,” Marinette said diplomatically. “If that makes sense.”

 

“I understand,” Gabriel said, nodding thoughtfully. “I was much the same way when I was your age. Wanted to build Gabriel with my own two hands and tips saved from waiting tables. I turned down quite a few investment opportunities early in my career because I wanted to make it under my own steam...but nobody makes it under their own steam. Even the smallest boutiques need investors and business connections to ensure their designs leave the mannequins they’re pinned on.”

 

“I’m not offering you this position because my son is taken with you,” Gabriel continued. “I’m offering it to you because, from what I’ve seen of your work, you’re going to be the kind of designer that’s worth paying attention to; the kind that’s going to put me out of business if I’m not careful.”

 

Marinette couldn’t keep the self-satisfied smirk off her face. “So by offering me this job, you’re hoping I’ll spare your multi-million euro fashion label my terrible wrath?”

 

“I would appreciate it,” Gabriel chuckled. “You don’t have to give me an answer tonight; I know this is all very sudden but Adrien is...well, Adrien.”

 

“He certainly is,” Marinette said, eyes drifting over to the kitchen door in time to see Adrien’s face in the crack of the door. He caught her eye, simply raising an eyebrow and tilting his head as if to say Well?

 

“At least give me a day to make my case,” Gabriel said, leaning on the counter. “Come by the offices on Saturday; I insist.”

 

“Well...I guess I can give it a shot,” Marinette said, chewing on her lower lip as Adrien let out a near silent yes in the kitchen behind her.

 

Already working with him, Marinette mused. Might as well get some money and career help out of it.  

 

“Very good,” Gabriel said, nodding with a small smile as he checked his watch. “I will have Nathalie email you the details later this week. Feel free to reach out to her with any questions you may have.”

 

“I will,” Marinette nodded, passing the bag of lemon squares across the counter and accepting a note from her future employer. “And, uh...thanks.”

 

“I wouldn’t thank me just yet, Mme. Dupain,” Gabriel chuckled, taking his change and his bag as he turned to leave the shop. “But I look forward to working with you as well.”

 

The bell above the door jingled as Gabriel stepped back into the night, leaving Marinette alone with her thoughts for a split second before Adrien cleared his throat from the doorway to the kitchen.

 

“I...feel like I may have overstepped my bounds,” Adrien said, awkwardly waddling back into the shop.

 

“For eavesdropping?” Marinette asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

 

“No, I have no regrets about that,” Adrien chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “I mean, it’s a public shop open to anyone, so technically-”

 

“Adrien.”

 

“I...know you were looking to get a new job,” Adrien said, leaning against the counter. “It was a spur of the moment thing; I should have called before coming over but...I got excited.”

 

“I would have liked more time to prepare,” Marinette chuckled. “But I really appreciate it.”

 

“Hey, he had the job open; I just-”

 

“-introduced me formally to a world-famous fashion mogul who wants to take me under his wing,” Marinette said with a small smile. “It was that or intern for Style Queen and Audrey is-”

 

“-the actual worst person in the world,” Adrien nodded. “Is this...good?”

 

Marinette responded by throwing her arms around Adrien’s neck, pulling him into a tight hug as his arms slipped around her waist. She stayed like that for a moment, breathing in the smell of Adrien’s cologne.

 

“This is great,” Marinette said, pulling back without completely disengaging, eyes tracing the curve of Adrien’s lips as she leaned in a little closer. “This is-”

 

“Marinette!”

 

The front door to the shop opened as a windswept Luka stumbled through the door, clutching something close to his chest. He stopped when he saw them embracing behind the counter, hovering in the middle of the shop a little awkwardly.

 

“Am...I interrupting something?” Luka asked as they stepped apart.

 

“Just a little celebration hug,” Adrien said, coughing into his hand.

 

“Oh...cool, cool,” Luka said, nodding just a little too much. “What, uh...what are we celebrating?”

 

“Adrien hooked me up with a gig in the fashion industry,” Marinette said, shooting Adrien a beaming smile.

 

“...oh,” Luka said, fingers clutching at his jacket a little. “That’s uh-”

 

“Marinette’s portfolio hooked her up with a gig in the fashion industry,” Adrien said. “My father was really impressed with the stuff she put out so she’s interning for him.”

 

“I’m still not sure what the pay is, but it’s bound to be a hell of a lot better than working retail,” Marinette chuckled.

 

“Yeah, no kidding!” Luka said, laughing just a little too loudly. “Anything's better than working retail, right? Well, yeah, congrats! Adrien...to the rescue, right?”

 

“I just floated the idea to my dad-”

 

“Yeah, bet you did,” Luka said, cheeks hurting a little from smiling too much. “Adrien’s dad, to the rescue, huh?!”

 

“Sorry, you wanted to say something?” Marinette prompted, eyes drifting down to the white piece of paper sticking out of Luka’s jacket.

 

“Oh, no, uh, just saying hi,” Luka chuckled, stepping back as he zipped his jacket up. “Should probably get going; got a late shift at the grocery store I need to get to so...uh...congrats on the new job! Thanks again, Adrien!”

 

Before Marinette could say anything else, Luka was back out into the cold night air, cold wind biting at his burning cheeks as he took the job application out of his jacket and crammed it in the nearest garbage can as he headed down the street.

 

---

 

Luka stormed through the swinging doors at the back of the shop, plucking his apron off the rack a little harder than necessary and cinching it around his waist with knot that cut into his stomach just a little too much.

 

Breathing through his nose, he grabbed a box off the floor, slamming it down on the table with clash that echoed throughout the otherwise empty backroom as he started to unpack the box, pen practically slicing through the inventory sheet as he took stock.

 

He emptied the box as quickly as he could before grabbing another, burning through it with the same singleminded drive to finish as his heart pulsed painfully in his ears. His face burned despite the chilly nature of the back of the warehouse, unloading box after box until he realized the stock wasn’t getting taken to the front of the store.

 

“Simon!” Luka called out, sticking his head out into the dimly lit grocery store. “Simon?!”

 

After a moment of silence, Luka sighed through his nose, pulling out his phone and punching Simon’s number in.

 

“Pick up you lazy prick ,” Luka muttered under his breath. “Hello? Hey, did you forget you were supposed to help me stock tonight...you have a thing? What thing? Okay so...so I’m just supposed to unload, take inventory, and stock by myself?! And you didn’t think of telling me until now ?! No...no, that’s fine . Have fun.”

 

Luka hung up with a frustrated snarl, shoving his phone back into his pocket as he headed back into the back of the store, grabbing the stack of magazines he had just unloaded and carrying them to the front of the store without stopping to look at the cover. Muttering under his breath, he jammed them into their proper spots, stepping back to make sure he had done a good job.

 

Luka’s lip curled as Adrien Agreste smiled up at him from the cover of the magazine, lip caught in the corner of his mouth as though he were teasing him.

 

“Well look who it is,” Luka muttered, grabbing a magazine off the rack and paging through to the vapid, meaningless interview towards the middle. “Paris’ Teen Heartthrob of the Year. Guess that’s an easy title to come by when your face is on every billboard in the city, huh?”

 

A picture of Adrien standing father sitting at a desk made Luka’s pulse spike; the smug, opulent looking Gabriel only aggravating him even more.

 

“You just got it so...easy, don’t you?” Luka muttered, glaring daggers down at the happy looking father-son pair that graced the center of the page. “Daddy just snaps his fingers and gives you whatever you want, huh? You want a job in the family business? Done. You want to be on the cover of a magazine? Done. You want to show up your girl’s ex by offering her a cushy, high-paying job? Done, son! Can I get you a pony to go along with that?!”

 

Luka crammed the magazine back into the rack with a frustrated snarl, stomping into the backroom as he struggled to control his breathing. He glanced around at the pile of boxes that seemed to never get any smaller, breathing through his nose as his fingers brushed over his belt-buckle where Duusuu slept. Anger ebbed out of him, leaving him drained, frustrated, and defeated as he padded over to the worn, moth eaten break couch off to one side of the room.

 

“Not her fault...better gig, all things considered,” Luka muttered to himself as he sank down on the couch, leaning back and closing his eyes. He just needed a moment to rest; a moment to collect his thoughts and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mayura’s eyes snapped open, jerking awake and knocking a pillow off the edge of the couch. He looked around wildly, feeling around at his costumed chest as he wobbled to his feet. The back room was empty, and for a moment Luka wondered if someone had come in and robbed their inventory as he slept or worse, seen him in his costume that he had no memory of donning.

 

The sound of clinking metal drew Mayura’s attention back to the front of the store. He stuck his head out, fan gripped in one hand only to see his knights delicately stacking canned beans, mopping the floors, and restocking the fridges.

 

“Did...when did you guys start doing this?” Mayura asked, waving to catch their attention. Four identical, silent shrugs greeted him as Mayura stepped back into the back room, staring at his reflection in the distorted metal of the walk-in freezer. His fingers reached up, brushing across the bottom of his mask as he tried—really, truly tried—to remember when he had transformed.

 

I just wanted to help you.

 

Mayura flinched, looking around as a soft, familiar voice spoke in his ear. “Duusuu?”

 

You had such a hard day. You do so much for the people in your life. You deserve to have someone take care of you for a change.

 

Mayura nodded, head tilting to one side as he watched his knights work. “...maybe I do.”

 

Of course you do...such a sweet, caring young man deserves to have all the things his heart desires.

 

Mayura let out a small chuckle, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t know about all the things…”

 

Why not?

 

“Some things are just...out of my reach, I guess,” Mayura muttered.

 

Who’s to say they have to be? Marinette just needs another chance to fall in love with you, doesn’t she?

 

“I doubt that it’ll take this time if it didn’t last time,” Mayura sighed.

 

I think when she sees the kind, generous person that you really are, she might have a change of heart.

 

“Yeah she’s...she’s dating Adrien though,” Mayura protested.

 

She isn’t married to him, is she?

 

“I don’t know...I don’t want to ruin our friendship,” Mayura said, gesturing to the fridge as Hammett held up a crate of orange juice for him to see. “And Adrien’s...he’s a good guy, right?”

 

As good as you are?

 

“That’s a really weird question to ask,” Mayura said.

 

All I’m saying is that you already know how to make Marinette happy.

 

“Can we...change the subject?” Mayura said, a chill running down his neck.

 

I just don’t understand why you’re so unwilling to seize the happiness in front of you.

 

“Seriously, I’d like to talk about something else,” Mayura said. “Or, you know what, no talking is also good. I should-”

 

Tell me you don’t still think about her.

 

“Duusuu, that’s enough ,” Mayura said sternly. “You’re really-”

 

You can’t even smell strawberries without thinking of her shampoo; can’t even unpack lipgloss without remembering the kind she likes. You can still feel her lips on yours if you close your eyes, can’t you?

 

“Wings in!” Mayura’s cry echoed throughout the store as his costume disappeared and his knights with it. The crate of juice Hammett held fell to the floor as he vanished, shattering in a tide of sticky orange syrup that pooled on the linoleum lit by the sickly fluorescent lights that flickered overhead.  

 

Luka took short, shaky breaths, back pressed against the refrigerator case as he sank to the floor. His heart thundered in his ears as he closed his eyes, pressing his palms against his eyelids as he tried to forget Duusuu’s words and the sensations they brought to mind. His hand on Marinette’s. The smell of her shampoo as he buried his face in her hair. Her giggling into every kiss as his arms wound around her waist.

 

Luka wrapped his arms around himself. “Wings out…”

 

Mayura took a deep breath, blinking as he put his head between his legs and fought the sad, self-pitying surge that rose up around him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you..." 

 

I just want what’s best for you, Luka. I want you to be happy.

 

Mayura curled into a tight ball as his knights surrounded him, wordlessly and clumsily offering their master comfort as the lights flickered dimly overhead.

Notes:

Mostly de-powered episode but I think we need one after all the superhero bullshit we've endured so far (except Luka; he's due for some super(hero?) bullshit)

People have raised issue with Tikki helping Marinette and while I'm going into more detail later, I think it's very telling that she helped out Marinette in this chapter after the "burned alive" line.

Thanks again for all the great feedback you guys have been leaving! Really helpful in determining how my fic is coming across and keeping my motivation to write flowing.

Chapter 22: A Lesson in Manners

Marinette straightened her blazer, heel tapping anxiously against the cool marble tile until Gabriel’s secretary glared at her over the rims of his glasses. Marinette shot him an apologetic smile, twiddling her thumbs as she hummed under her breath until another glare silenced her.

 

“Sorry,” she said, her voice echoing off the pristine black and white walls. Gabriel’s smooth, minimalist design aesthetic permeated every floor of Gabriel’s Parisian headquarters, surrounding Marinette in a fortress of polished stone, tinted glass, and pale overhead lighting. The amount of light reflecting off white surfaces made her feel like she was waiting in a hospital waiting room for surgery rather than waiting for Gabriel’s meeting to end.

 

She wondered if Gabriel had designed this place to be as intimidating as possible on purpose.

 

The heavy black doors opened with a creaking groan as Marinette all but snapped to her feet, smoothing her skirt out as a small crowd trickled out of Gabriel’s office.

 

“We’ll touch bases again on Monday; have the spread ready for my review by then,” Gabriel called to a general chorus of ‘yes M. Agreste’ as he stepped out of his office.

 

“I’ll schedule a meeting with Casper to go through the runway number one more time,” Nathalie said, peeling away from the crowd. She took notice of Marinette with a simple, unreadable nod as she passed, leaving Marinette alone with Gabriel.

 

“Mme. Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel said with something approaching a warm smile. “Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

 

“Not at all, M. Agreste,” Marinette replied with a smile. “Just...getting to know your assistant.”

 

The man behind the desk didn’t look up at her as she mentioned his name, typing away with an almost inaudible clack of keys.

 

“If you did, you would be the first one,” Gabriel muttered gesturing into his office. “If you’re ready to begin, I’ll introduce you to your fellow intern and we can get started on the day’s events.”

 

“Fellow...intern?” Marinette asked. “Another fashion designer?”

 

“Someone who’s more interested in the business side of fashion business,” a familiar voice came from behind her. A crisp white button down shirt slightly unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows might have looked sloppy on other men but Adrien managed to pull the casual end of business casual off remarkably well.

 

“I don’t believe we’ve met, mademoiselle,” Adrien said with a crooked smile that made her heart skip a beat. “Adrien Agreste.”

 

---

 

“You’re surprised I’m working for my father?”

 

“I just...didn’t think you were super interested in fashion,” Marinette admitted somewhat sheepishly.

 

“I’m not super interested in modelling ,” Adrien clarified. “I’m not the biggest fan of some of the people my Dad works with, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in taking over the business side of things someday.”

 

“Is that what you were doing today when you split off from your father and me?” Marinette asked, chewing her bottom lip.

 

“Had a meeting with the head of the accounting department,” Adrien said, miming falling asleep in his chair and making Marinette’s soda spurt out of her nose as she laughed. “Nice guy but he introduced me to the preferred brand of paper clip we use.”

 

“Maybe that’s a key element of Gabriel’s brand,” Marinette said with a challenging raise of her eyebrow.

 

“Tell me you had a more interesting day than I did,” Adrien sighed, leaning in on his palm as he watched a spark flicker in Marinette’s eye.

 

“I don’t even know where to start,” Marinette laughed, shaking her head. “I spent the morning pressing flesh with the senior designers, then we toured the fitting rooms, met some of the models, sat in on a brand strategy meeting and shadowed your father as he picked out items for the winter show! Did you know every designer on staff contributes one piece to the show?!”

 

“Some people spend all year working on their number,” Adrien nodded.

 

“It was like...everything I could have wanted to know about running my own fashion label,” Marinette sighed. “I cannot thank you enough for setting me up with this.”

 

“If it makes you feel better, I wasn’t entirely selfless when I put your name forward for the job,” Adrien said with a sharp, almost familiar smile. “I thought my internship would be a lot more entertaining if I got to take you out to lunch every day.”

 

“Do you usually take out your father’s assistants?” Marinette asked, head cocking to one side.

 

“Just the pretty ones,” Adrien said, teeth catching the light in a way that made Marinette’s stomach flutter.

 

“And here I thought I got this position with my design skill and love of the industry,” Marinette chuckled, crossing her legs under the table. “Am I going to have to tell your father his protegee is distracting me from my duties?”

 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Adrien said, tip of his shoe bumping into her shin under the table. “I’m almost disappointed we have to go to work after this; our dates seem to be pretty irregular, don’t they?”

 

“Circumstances seem to stack against us,” Marinette chuckled. “...this is a date then?”

 

“I thought I made it clear that I wanted to date you,” Adrien chuckled, fingers tangling with hers as he leaned in across the table.

 

“You did, just...life has been crazy for me lately,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “I’ve got school and this job and getting ready for design school and…I want to date you too, but are you ready to date my crazy schedule?”

 

“I think some people are worth working with a crazy schedule for,” Adrien said, picking her hand up and lightly brushing his lips across her knuckles. A complex swirl of nostalgia, longing, and jubilation took hold of her all at once, leaving her sitting there dumbstruck at the simple gesture. Here she was, on a date the person she had wanted since she was fourteen, and the only thing she could think of was Chat Noir and the clumsy displays of affection he used to show her. Her hand hadn’t been kissed in almost two years and yet a small, traitorous part of her heart was disappointed that it wasn’t Chat that had kissed her like that again.

 

“I…” Marinette’s phone buzzed on the table, thankfully saving her from having to confront the emotional quagmire that snuck up on her. “That’s your father; I should probably-”

 

“Oh, yeah, sure!” Adrien said brightly as Marinette collected her bag. “I’ll grab the check.”

 

“Thanks,” Marinette said, turning to leave before leaning down, clumsily cupping Adrien’s cheek and kissing it briefly. “...maybe I can get lunch next time?”

 

“...looking forward to it,” Adrien said, turning in his chair as she bustled out of the restaurant with a warm, beaming smile. “Wow...she is really making that blazer ensemble work , isn’t she?”

 

---

 

What is wrong with you?

 

Marinette sat hunched over in the stalls of the ladies’ bathroom, fingers twisted in her hair as she stared blankly down at the polished tile floor in front of her.

 

You have the job you always wanted...on the career path you always wanted...you have the guy you always wanted...why are you thinking about him ?

 

It seemed that now they were...adversaries ( Not enemies, Marinette reminded herself.) Marinette thought of Chat more than ever; more than she even thought about Adrien or any of her other friends. She thought about where he was, what he was doing, and what he was thinking. She thought of new ways to sway him back to her side, new strategies to counteract his new abilities, and ways to salvage his reputation once this was all over with.

 

Does he even think of me? Marinette thought bitterly. Or am I just the Ladybug shaped hurdle he has to vault on the way to Hawkmoth?

 

Did he and Master He stay up all night like she did, coming up with plans to defeat her? Was he trying to save her like she was trying to save him? Did he even care about making things right after this spat between them was over? Or would he just step over her de-powered body without a look back?

 

Can you really blame him if he does?

 

Marinette shook her head. He threw the first punch; he escalated this war of words into something more. Everything she had done up to that point had been retaliating against a move Chat made against her. And every move he made seemed to be laser-focused on taking her support structure away, cutting her off from people who could help her, and getting ready to take her Miraculous from her.

 

So why can’t I stop thinking about him?

 

Marinette stood up with a sigh, fingers raking through her hair until she looked somewhat normal again.

 

Maybe it’s time to make a move of my own.

---

 

"Everything go alright today?" 

 

Gabriel looked up from his notebook to see his son leaning against the door frame, an expectant smile on his face. 

 

"I think maybe you were the one who did me the favor by getting Mme. Dupain-Cheng to accept this position," Gabriel chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "I could tell from her designs that she was talented but...I didn't expect her to show such insight. She's curious...eager to learn...I think your friend will fit in quite well." 

 

"Of course she will," Adrien nodded. 

 

"I know she has ambitions of starting her own label but is it too much to hope that she'll take over as Chief Creative Officer when I retire?" Gabriel said, idly scribbling in his notebook. "Your vision and her creativity would make for a formidable team, you know." 

 

"I think you're right," Adrien said with a devious smirk. "Maybe we'll start our own company and start competing with yours." 

 

"That would make Christmases awkward to say the least," Gabriel said, glancing at the coat in Adrien's hand. "Going out for the night?" 

 

"Just gonna hang out with Nino for a bit," Adrien said, waving over his shoulder. "I'll be home before midnight." 

 

"Check in with Nathalie before you turn in," Gabriel said, watching his son walk away with an almost wistful smile on his face. 

 

Everything's turning out just how I wanted... 

---

 

“Keep your hands up!”

 

Mayura danced out of the way of another kick as Carapace bounced his shield off Hammett’s head, skirting away from a spear strike with a level of grace that was quite frankly depressing. Such a tall, sturdily built young man shouldn’t have moved like a trained ballerina; it honestly wasn’t fair that Carapace seemed to be as agile as he was and nearly twice as durable.

 

“Keep backing up like that and you’re gonna run out of roof!” Carapace cried, catching Hendrix’s hammer blow on the flat of his shield without so much as budging. Mayura tossed a trio of quills at Carapace, grunting in frustration as Carapace swung Hendrix around to absorb the strike. Pressing his advantage, Mayura leapt over his knight’s fallen body, gliding up into the air and-

 

“Sneak attack!”

 

“Wait, wha-” Queen Bee’s boot collided with the side of his head, spiking him down to the rooftop. The four knights turned, glancing between Carapace and Queen Bee in confusion as Mayura pulled himself up with a groan. “What...the fuck ?!”

 

“Did you not hear me yell ‘sneak attack’ just now?” Queen Bee sighed, leaning on Carapace’s shoulder. “That was a sneak attack; an attack done sneakily.”

 

“You shouted,” Carapace said.

 

“He clearly needed the warning,” Queen Bee sniffed, ignoring the scowl Mayura shot her way.

 

“I didn’t know it was going to be two on one,” Mayura muttered.

 

“Two on five, but go off I guess,” Queen Bee sniffed.

 

“They’re a team,” Rena Rouge called down from the chimney she was perched on. “Why wouldn’t they fight you together?”   

 

“I thought we were just sparring ,” Mayura grumbled.

 

“Which is like fighting but non-lethal,” Queen Bee said slowly.

 

“You would do well to take a page out of Queen Bee’s book,” Rena Rouge said, hopping off the rooftop and landing in front of Mayura. “You have the numbers advantage, but you and your knights don’t work as a team. You guys fight like Power Rangers villains; all queuing up one at a time to take a swing at Carapace. All he really had to do was move and your guys wound up hitting each other more than they hit him.”

 

Mayura’s knights looked as sheepish as four seven foot tall suits of armor could look as Mayura just scowled, cheeks burning with embarrassment. “You couldn’t have said that without someone kicking me in the back of the head?”

 

“Kicks to the back of the head are among the greatest teaching tools known to man,” Queen Bee said, pirouetting and aiming a kick at Carapace’s head which he instinctively caught on his shield. “And you’re not gonna take your eyes off me the next time we practice.”

 

“You wish ,” Mayura muttered.

 

“Oh honey, don’t even act like I’d give you the chance to turn me down,” Queen Bee sniffed.

 

“Aaaaaand that’s our cue to call it a night!” Rena Rouge said brightly as Carapace got between Mayura and Queen Bee. “You did good tonight; I’ll catch up with Ladybug and let her know how training went.”

 

“I can update her myself, thanks,” Mayura said, turning to leave as Rena laid a hand on his arm.

 

“Look, Queen Bee can be prickly,” Rena said as Queen Bee stuck her tongue out behind her. “But you’ll get used to her. We’re all on the same team here, right?”

 

“...right,” Mayura said with a nod. “As long as that team is Ladybug’s team, that is…”

 

Mayura turned, foot braced on the edge of the roof and ready to take off-

 

“Sneak attack!”

 

Mayura whipped around, throwing a quill that ricocheted off Carapace’s shield as Queen Bee stood motionless behind him.

 

“Look at that; you’re learning ,” Queen Bee said, waving from behind Carapace’s shoulder. “Bye bye birdie.”

 

Mayura quietly flipped her off, backflipping off the roof and gliding down over the city.

 

“We should train him wrong on purpose,” Queen Bee said, watching him fly away. “As a joke.”

 

“You know, it might not kill you two to go easy on him for a night,” Rena Rouge sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.  

 

“It miiiiiight though,” Carapace said with a wince.

 

“I wouldn’t chance it,” Queen Bee said. “Might be allergic.”

 

“He’s not gonna let anything slip if he doesn’t trust us ,” Rena Rouge said.

 

“I’m working a good cop, bad cop routine,” Queen Bee said, lightly smacking Rena Rouge on the shoulder. “I’m pushing him right into your persuasive little paws, so just keep pretending to be nice to him and we’re golden.”

 

“I am being nice to him.”

 

“Good; get into the role,” Queen Bee said.

 

“I’m serious!” Rena said. “If Chat’s lying, then he’s actually working to protect this city; if Chat’s not, then there’s a chance he could just be Ladybug’s tool.”

 

“Or he’s fully in on the scheme and knows he’s working for Hawkmoth,” Carapace pointed out. "Did you hear that bit about Ladybug's team?"

 

"I think if he had any doubts about us, he would have jumped us foaming at the mouth by now," Queen Bee sniffed. "He doesn't suspect dick."

 

“Still don’t know for sure,” Rena Rouge said. “So please try and be nice to him; or at least try not to haze him like you are.”

 

“Who’s hazing him?” Queen Bee huffed.

 

“Oh please; Ladybug and I ran the sneak attack play on you during your first training session.”

 

“You bitches were hazing me ?!”

 

---

 

“ Vital signs seem normal...blood pressure has stabilized...patient is still in medically induced coma pending further healing…”

 

Jun trailed off as she looked up to see Master He staring out the window, eyes focused on something on the rooftop across the way.

 

“ Master?”

 

Master He took off her glasses, tucking them neatly into her breast pocket as she looked at her apprentices. “ You’ve done very well today; you should go get something to eat.”

 

“We’ll stay as long as you stay, Master,” Jun said with a small smile.

 

“ I’ll be fine by myself for a little while,” Master He assured them. “Master Fu is through the worst of it...I can handle him for a little while. You should sample some of this supposedly fine French food while we’re in the city.”

 

Jun and Lan shared a look and a shrug. “Anything you’d like us to get for you?”

 

“Nothing; just take the night off,” Master He said with a small smile. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

 

Jun and Lan wasted little time getting their coats on, shooting Master He a few more thank yous before slipping out the door, chattering amongst themselves as they went down the hallway. Master He waited until she could no longer hear them before slipping out of the hospital room, making her way down the hallway towards the stairwell that led to the rooftop.

 

The first blast of night air hit her like a sledgehammer in the face as she wrapped her coat tighter around her chest, fumbling for a pack of cigarettes in her breast pocket. She lit one with trembling fingers, allowing the cool rush of nicotine to wash over her tongue with a deep sigh as a pair of footsteps landed on the roof behind her.

 

“I know doctors really shouldn’t be smoking,” Master He chuckled, turning around to face Ladybug as she stood across the rooftop, warily keeping an eye on Master He. “I’ve tried to quit about a hundred times now...always seem to keep coming back to them. Then again, being effectively immortal mitigates any risk of cancer, so do as I say, not as I do.”

 

“Never really wanted to,” Ladybug said, taking an awkward step towards Master He. “I’m-”

 

“I know who you are,” Master He chuckled. “Everyone in the world knows who you are, Mme. Ladybug...and I assume you know who I am.”

 

“Do you prefer Master or Doctor He?” Ladybug asked.

 

“That depends; do you want to be my student?” Master He said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I have a Master already,” Ladybug said, eyes drifting down to the rooftop beneath their feet. “I should have come earlier, but I was...well, I was busy.”

 

“I know,” Master He said. “You’ve had quite the hard time lately, haven’t you?”

 

“You don’t know the half of it,” Ladybug chuckled, rubbing her arm anxiously. “...I need your help.”

 

“You need my help a lot more than you think,” Master He said, taking a long drag out of her cigarette.

 

“I know you and Chat talked,” Ladybug said, taking another step forward. “Tikki mentioned that you helped him awaken some of his powers, but you should know that I’m not the one you should be fighting. He and Hawkmoth are working together, and if we don’t stop them, this city could go up in smoke like the Mayor’s house did. I know you’re trying to do what’s right, but I need you to believe me on this; Chat Noir is not to be trusted.”

 

Master He cocked her head to one side, regarding Ladybug through curiously squinted eyes. “You know...that was very convincing. You have a very natural kind of charisma that makes people want to trust you, you know. It's a rare talent; I’d almost be inclined to help you, if it weren’t for the fact that you’re lying right to my face.”

 

Ladybug’s warm, pleading expression fell as she took a step back, licking her lips. “I don’t know what he told you, but-”

 

“I will not lie to you,” Master He said. “So please do not lie to me; not with that warlock’s foul stench polluting your aura.”

 

“Warlock?”

 

“Do you not know?” Master He chuckled. “That Butterfly’s influence surrounds you like a shroud; it’s what prompted me to believe Chat Noir in the first place. I tried to reach out to you, but that sorcerer’s power prevented me from even finding you. I knew who you were and who you were working for before I even set eyes on you so, please, spare me the lies you fed this city.”

 

Ladybug straightened up, taking a step closer to Master He. “...okay,” Ladybug said. “So you’re not going to help me, are you?”

 

“I will help you however I can,” Master He said. “As I am helping Chat; it’s my duty to assist those who are Chosen...all you need to do is forsake that wretched master of yours and join your partner in his quest to bring him down.”

 

“It’s not that simple,” Ladybug said, rubbing her temples. “Imprisoning Hawkmoth would cause more damage than you realize. People would be hurt .”

 

“People are always hurt,” Master He said. “You cannot go through life without hurting people and any pain that comes from Hawkmoth’s defeat is not your responsibility.”

 

“It is if I don’t stop it,” Ladybug said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are we gonna have a problem?”

 

“I’m a doctor; I’m only here to heal our mutual friend, Master Fu,” Master He said, holding her hands up defensively. “And assist the forces arrayed against Hawkmoth, which you still have an opportunity to join.”

 

“Yeah, we’ve had that conversation before,” Ladybug muttered. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to stop helping Chat, can I?”

 

“Stronger people than you have all tried and failed to dissuade me from my duty,” Master He said with a sharp, mirthless smile. “You are welcome to try though.”

 

Ladybug looked the aging doctor up and down, eyes lingering on the bracelet around her wrist. “...are you teaching him?”

 

“Only what Master Fu ought to have taught him by now,” Master He said, taking another drag off her cigarette. “I’m actually quite surprised; Quingfu always spoke very highly of you but I never heard much about Chat Noir. Didn’t know what to expect but penchant for the impulsive notwithstanding, I’m quite impressed with his progress. He’s taking to his training with an unusual degree of gusto.”

 

“Funny; he never struck me as the kind to take his training very seriously,” Ladybug said.

 

“It helps when one has a master that’s actually willing to train them,” Master He said. “It’s no wonder you’ve surpassed Chat by such a wide margin; between your innate skill and Master Fu’s favoritism-”

 

“Favoritism?” Ladybug scoffed. “So it’s my fault that Chat Noir wasn’t included more?”

 

“Not at all,” Master He said soothingly. “Quingfu was always more comfortable focusing on one student at a time...to the detriment of his other pupils, unfortunately.”

 

“If Chat wanted to get better, he would have found a way to do it under his own steam,” Ladybug sniffed. “The fact of the matter is he was more than happy to let me shoulder most of the burden for our whole partnership.”

 

“If I remember correctly, he sacrificed himself quite a few times for your-”

 

“Yes, Chat Noir sacrificed himself plenty of times!” Ladybug snapped. “But who had to figure out a way to carry on without him?! Who had to come up with strategies to fight the akuma and her partner at the same time?! Whose responsibility was it to recruit new heroes when Chat Noir didn’t show up?! Me! Always me! I needed a partner that pulled his own weight; not a lovestruck sap that turned into a liability more often than not!”

 

Ladybug’s fingers trembled as her fists clenched at her side, her last word echoing off the rooftops that surrounded them.

 

“Do you think I liked being responsible for saving my partner every damn week?!” Ladybug spat. “Do you think that was fun for me?! Do you think I just loved having the whole city live or die based on my actions?! Don’t you think I would have loved it if Chat Noir had contributed his fair share instead of disappearing and leaving me to fight Hawkmoth’s flunkies all by myself?!”

 

Master He said nothing as Ladybug’s last cry echoed off the rooftops, looking the young woman up and down with a sad look in her eye.

 

“That must have been hard,” Master He said softly.

 

“Yeah,” Ladybug muttered, turning away and wiping the corner of her eye with the heel of her palm. “Yeah, that was hard. ”

 

“Is this your revenge then? Payback for an unequal partnership?”

 

“This has nothing to do with Chat,” Ladybug said insistently, glaring at Master He across the rooftop. “Tell your student that it doesn’t matter how hard he trains, how much he tries, or how long he fights. Because I’ll beat him. I’ll beat him like I’ve beaten everything else that’s been thrown my way since I was fourteen; I’ll beat him like I’ve beaten him so many times before. Remind him that four weeks of training doesn’t make up for four years of slacking off and that given the first chance, I’ll be the one to take his Miraculous.”

 

Smoke billowed out of Master He’s nostrils as she exhaled, eyes narrowing at the younger woman across the roof.

 

“How many chances did you need to beat him before?” Master He asked, extinguishing her cigarette on the rooftop and crushing it under her heel. “Because you’ve had three already, including a five on one fight where you chose the battlefield. You lured him into a bloody trap and he outfought you.”

 

“He ran away,” Ladybug said.

 

“After he pounded you, your partners, and the city block into rubble,” Master He said. “I saw the footage; you got yourselves soundly thrashed by a—what did you call him? Lovestruck sap who turned into a liability more often than not?”

 

Ladybug said nothing, lips pressed together in a tight line as her brow knit in anger.

 

“It really is amazing what a person can accomplish in a handful of weeks,” Master He said, coolly walking past Ladybug on her way to the door. “Who knows how many more of his abilities he’ll master the next time you meet..”

 

Master He stopped as Ladybug’s hand reached out, clamping down on her shoulder as she reached for the door.

 

“Tell me how I can unlock more of my powers,” Ladybug pleaded. “Please...this will all be over sooner if you just let me catch him.”

 

Master He stared at Ladybug for a long moment, cool grey eyes regarding her with unblinking focus as the air between them hung silent and still.

 

“You really want to know?” Master He asked, holding Ladybug’s gaze for a long moment. Her free hand reached into her coat, producing a glittering red key that dangled at the end of a long, braided green string. “I gave Chat Noir a key much like this one; one that allowed him to access Plagg's power more fully. I suspect that he's using it as we speak to practice." 

 

“That’s it?” Ladybug asked, watching the key swing back and forth at the end of the cord.

 

“By all rights, I should give you your key as well…”  Ladybug reached out, fingers hesitantly trying for the key. As Ladybug's fingertips touched it, Master He stepped back, sank into a crouch and drove her fist into Ladybug's stomach faster than Ladybug could react. Instead of pain, a warm, tingling sensation passed through her as an invisible force shot her across the roof as though she had been struck by a car. Ladybug landed in a crouch, watching the air around Master He’s palm shimmer as she cinched the key's lanyard around her belt.

 

“I should give you your key, but seeing as how you’re not acting like Ladybug at the moment, I think I'm going to have to shirk my sacred duty for the first time in almost a hundred years,” Master He said, flexing her fingers. "Oh well...nobody's perfect." 

 

“That was cheap,” Ladybug said, slowly getting to her feet. The tall, slender woman didn’t strike Ladybug as particularly strong. But the dull, almost ticklish sensation where Master He had struck her was a testament to the fact that she clearly wasn’t the old doctor she took her for.

 

“You should have been watching my other hand,” Master He said. “Lesson one; never take your eyes of an opponent or get close to them without landing a telling blow.”

 

“We’re opponents now?” Ladybug chuckled weakly. “What happened to being sworn to help me?”

 

“Sometimes the most helpful thing you can do for someone is give them a swift slap to the head when they’re stepping out of line,” Master He mused. “I intend to help you quite a bit." 

 

“We should be working together! As the acting Guardian of the Miraculous-” Ladybug stopped as Master He let out a impressive snort of laughter.

 

“And that makes you Queen of all Kwami, does it?” Master He chuckled, shaking her head as a small, fluffy white kwami poke its head out of her jacket. “The acting Guardian is still very much alive downstairs and I don’t even answer to him. If you thought you could pull rank on me, I'm very sorry to disappoint you.”

 

“Do you need me, QiQi?” The kwami chirped as Master He shucked her doctor’s coat, rolling the sleeves of her dress shirt up to her elbows.

 

“I think you can sit this one out, Kiicii,” Master He said, watching as Ladybug unlatched her yo-yo’s from her hips. “I’m more than capable of handling Ladybug myself.”

 

“Shall I notify Chat Noir at least?” Kiicii asked.

 

“...tell you what,” Master He said, meeting Ladybug’s wide, apprehensive eyes. “Wait fifteen minutes, and then reach out to him.”

 

“Have it your way,” Kiicii chirped, tucking her head under her wing. “Let me know if you need me.”

 

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Master He said, fingers flexing and shimmering with power as Ladybug began twirling her yo-yo’s. “Fifteen minutes is more than enough time to teach Mme. Ladybug a lesson in underestimating her elders.”

 

“Don't you think you’re the one who’s underestimating me ?” Ladybug asked, eyeing the swinging red key hanging from Master He’s belt.

 

“Maybe I am,” Master He admitted, settling into a fighting stance. “Could be getting cocky in my old age. But I'll tell you what...if you can take this key from me in fifteen minutes, it’s all yours." 

 

“You know I’ve spent four years snatching akumatized objects off people who are trying to kill me, right?” Ladybug asked, lips curling into a challenging smirk. “I'm not even going to need five." 

 

“Funny...I was thinking the same thing,” Master He said, outstretched hand beckoning Ladybug forward.

Notes:

Shorter chapter this time but I thought it was better to keep the drama tight rather than try and pad it out with filler scenes. A neat 5k is better than an overlong 7k is what I always say...starting today.

Next time! Master He throws down with Ladybug! Mayura begins to suspect things! Gabriel draws a suit or some shit idk he's not in the next one so much!

Chapter 23: The Ticking Clock

Ladybug’s yo-yo’s sat in her outstretched hands, coiled and ready to lash out. Across the rooftop, Master He stood stock-still, one hand held out in front of her as though frozen in mid-wave. The air around her palm shimmered with some kind of barely visible energy as her kwami watched from the edge of the roof.

 

“Now remember girls,” Kiicii said airily. “No hair pulling, no eye gouging, and no hits below the belt.”

 

“ Thank you, Kiicii,” Master He chuckled, shaking her head. Ladybug’s yo-yo’s slipped from her hands, twirling in opposing spirals as Master He just watched, calmly anticipating the attack to come. She looked perfectly relaxed, eyes tracking Ladybug’s movements as she started to circle around her.

 

“Fifteen minutes and counting, Ladybug,” Master He said. “Unless you’re keen on fighting Chat Noir and myself, I would do something if I were-”

 

Master He leaned out of the way, letting Ladybug’s yo-yo sail past her head and ricochet off the wall behind her.

 

“...you,” Master He finished, parrying the second yo-yo shot and wrapping her fingers around the yo-yo’s string. With a flick of her wrist, Master He yanked Ladybug across the rooftop like a fish at the end of a line, foot surrounded by translucent energy as it collided with Ladybug’s head. Ladybug bounced off the rooftop with a yelp, grabbing at Master He’s belt as she passed. Spinning on her heel, Master He kicked Ladybug away, sending her bouncing off the roof tiles and tumbling towards the edge.

 

Ladybug’s stomach plummeted for a moment as she fell over the lip of the building, then shot back up into her throat as Master He yanked her back up onto the roof by the yo-yo string she still held in her hand.

 

“The only drawback of having such a long weapon is that there’s quite a lot of string for your opponent to grab on to,” Master He said idly, examining the cracks in one of Ladybug’s yo-yo’s as she hauled herself to her feet. “Interesting...seems that Chat Noir’s destruction isn’t as easy to heal as I-”

 

Master He sighed in disappointment as Ladybug yanked her yo-yo back, snapping it out into a shield and ripping it at Master He’s head.

 

“I wasn’t done studying that,” Master He muttered, deflecting the shield attack and bringing her free hand around to intercept a punch Ladybug threw at her head. “Feint with the yo-yo and follow up with a more up close and personal attack...clever.”

 

“Thank you,” Ladybug said, grabbing Master He’s arms and hip tossing her over her head. Master He landed with a thunk , rolling over and springing back to her feet as Ladybug lunged for the key. They eyed each other for a moment, panting and pushing their hair out of their eyes as they waited for the other to make a move.

 

“...you have no style,” Master He said after a moment.

 

“Oh, so we’re just name calling now?” Ladybug asked.

 

“That was a compliment ,” Master He said, looking Ladybug over. “You have a natural fighting style that makes you highly unpredictable in combat and very hard to plan around…”

 

“Never took karate lessons as a kid,” Ladybug shrugged, shouldering her shield as she twirled her yo-yo behind her.

 

“Don’t start,” Master He said, raising her hands again. “Come on; show me what else you’ve learned.”

 

---

 

“How long did it take to find someone to print a map this big?”

 

“Three days and three hundred euro,” Kagami said, gazing up at the towering map of Paris that took up most of her office wall. “I had them note major akuma attacks over the last four years in purple.”

 

“I can see that,” Adrien said, looking up at the sea of purple dots that littered the map. “...why does anyone even live in this city anymore?”

 

“The locale is pretty,” Kagami chuckled. “Beats London by a country mile.”

 

“The British would disagree,” Adrien said, eyes drifting to a stack of envelopes sitting on the table in the middle of the room. “These the profiles on akuma victims?”

 

“I thought we could start paging through them to see if there’s any commonality or leads we could follow,” Kagami said, picking up Alix Kubdel’s folder and idly paging through it. “See if we can make some kind of connection.”

 

“Nice work,” Adrien said, picking up a folder and flopping down in an overstuffed armchair in the corner of the room. “How many of these do we have to pick through?”

 

“Two hundred and three,” Kagami said, plucking a folder off the table with a wrinkled frown. “Who was Count Killigard?”

 

“...that was a pro-gamer who got pissed his team lost the finals of their tournament,” Adrien said slowly as the memory came back to him. “Spawned waves of enemies down streets from these big glowing towers; think I got targeted from that one and Ladybug needed to call Queen Bee and Carapace in to help.”

 

“And Vice Ice?”

 

“Hockey team vice president who was kicked off the team for roughhousing,” Adrien said. “Froze me solid in a block of ice; Ladybug needed to take it on solo.”

 

“Rear Admiral Roccoco?”

 

“Old navy geek that press-ganged me into his crew,” Adrien said. “Rena Rouge and Ladybug picked him off in a battle on the high seas…”

 

Adrien got out of his chair, dropping the file in his seat as he started paging through files, dropping them in two piles on the table one at a time as Kagami looked on with a raised brow.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Just...counting something,” Adrien muttered, dropping files on top of one another with a rhythmic thwap of cardboard on cardboard.

 

---

 

Fighting a nigh immortal sorceress/kickboxer was difficult enough without Master He trying to teach her while she bounced her head off the pavement.

 

“Move your feet more!” Master He chirped, sweeping at Ladybug’s legs with a low kick that nearly bowled her over. The narrow rooftop that marked the boundaries of the battlefield presented a persistent threat to Ladybug who seemed to be doing nothing but back up out of reach of the old master’s blows.

 

“Look-” Ladybug grunted as Master He’s fist smashed into her shield, causing a pearly ringing sound to echo across the rooftops. “This is a waste of time! We should be working together!”

 

“Glad we agree,” Master He said, knocking Ladybug backwards with a well placed kick to the shield. “So when are we going to take Hawkmoth down?”

 

“I already took him down!” Ladybug grunted, yo-yo lashing out and snaring Master He by the foot. “This city is akuma free and will stay that way so long as we keep working together; what else do you want?”

 

“Justice,” Master He said, stepping on Ladybug’s yo-yo string.

 

“You mean vengeance ,” Ladybug growled, yanking on her yo-yo string and flipping Master He over her head.

 

“Sometimes justice is vengeance,” Master He said icily. “And there’s the small matter of a missing Miraculous he stole from us.”

 

“Nooroo isn’t being forced to akumatize people anymore!”

 

“What mercy your master has,” Master He sneered, slapping the end of a yo-yo strike out of the air as it whipped at her face. “Tell me, what exactly did he promise you in exchange for being his patsy? Fame? Fortune? Or did he skip the bribery and get straight to the part where he brainwashed you?”

 

“I am not his patsy!” Ladybug snapped, snaring Master He’s wrist and zipping towards her fist first. “And I’m not brainwashed!”

 

Master He raised her hand, catching Ladybug’s fist and holding her firm as the two locked eyes.

 

“You think you’d be able to tell if you were?” Master He grunted, struggling under Ladybug’s raw strength. “You think his victims knew that their thoughts weren't their own?!" 

 

“He is working with me!” Ladybug growled. “Is it so hard to believe that we found some common ground to work towards?!”

 

“From where I’m standing you’re working very hard towards his goal,” Master He said, planting her foot against Ladybug’s chest and kicking her away. “What exactly are you getting out of this?”

 

Safety. Security. A city that isn’t at war with itself.

 

“A clear way to end this fight once and for all,” Ladybug said, snapping her yo-yo’s around her wrists. 

 

“And all you have to do is fight Chat Noir,” Master He laughed, shaking her head. “Funny that Hawkmoth’s two greatest adversaries are now fighting one another.”

 

“I gave Chat a chance to work with me; he chose not to,” Ladybug snapped.

 

“That’s how you deal with your teammates?” Master He said. “They either do what you say or you destroy them?”

 

“I’m not the one destroying things,” Ladybug said. “I’m trying to heal this city after years of pointless fighting; Chat doesn’t even want to entertain the idea of using our powers to actually do some permanent good!”

 

“You think it’s that easy?” Master He asked. “You think you are that one in a million person to unite the two most powerful forces in the universe without destroying the world in the process? The only two to successfully try needed years of training and the support of every other Miraculous on this plane of existence!”

 

“Then train me!” Ladybug cried. “Help me! Help me get everyone on my side and we can come to some kind of peaceful end to this nightmare!”

 

“Peace?” Master He spat. "That...animal turns your home into a warzone, and you want to sue for peace?!  Your master pushed my friend past his breaking point for years and you want to sue for peace?!  The amount of pain and suffering he’s caused to our organization is incalculable ; the fact that he kidnapped a kwami is deplorable enough, but the fact that he’s ruined the reputation of the most selfless Miraculous with his greed is disgusting... and you talk of making peace?!”

 

Master He's lip trembled with barely concealed anger, eyes alight with fury as she spat at Ladybug's feet. 

 

“Well, I spit on your peace,” Master He said, palms glowing with shimmering translucent energy. “I spit on your mercy and I spit on a world in which Hawkmoth gets to live after what he’s done!”

 

Well...you tried.

 

“...fine,” Ladybug muttered, whipping her shield out. “I tried. You and Chat can wallow in bitter self-righteousness all you want, but I’m taking what belongs to me!”

 

“Speaking of which,” Kiicii mused, sticking her head over the roof ledge. “Fifteen minutes are up, gals. Shall I let the cat in?”

 

“Might as well,” Master He shrugged. “I think we’ve both said all we need to say.”

 

Kiicii nodded, fluttering away as Ladybug’s yo-yo lashed out, desperately attempting to snare the kwami before she got too far. Her world spun as Master He’s foot lashed out, colliding with her cheek and sending her tumbling into the side of the stairwell in a heap as Master He coldly looked down on her.

 

“You’ll take this key out of my cold, dead fingers,” Master He said, crossing her arms. “And judging by your performance thus far, I don’t think you’ll be taking it anywhere any time soon.”

 

---

 

Adrien dropped the final folder on top of a wobbling pile, stepping back and staring at the two piles before him.

 

“Alright...I’ll bite,” Kagami sighed, closing her file and handing it to Adrien. “What are the piles for, Adrien?”

 

“One for the akuma fights I helped with the entire time,” Adrien said, pointing to the smaller of the two piles. “And the other for instances when I’ve been brainwashed, taken out of the fight, or otherwise incapacitated...oh look, Puppeteer. Ladybug took on me and a whole slew of akuma by herself .”

 

Adrien tossed the final file on top of the larger pile with a sigh, running his hands through his hair as he scowled down at the table in front of him.

 

“One hundred and twenty-six akuma where I’ve spent the fight possessed, depowered, or taken out of the fight,” Chat Noir muttered. “More than half .”

 

Kagami said nothing, watching Adrien glare at the larger pile for a long moment.

 

“All those times I let myself get in harm’s way,” Adrien chuckled, patting the larger stack bitterly. “All those times Ladybug had to replace me or carry on without me...and now I have to somehow come up with a way to win all on my own.”

 

“Where’s the pile for the times Ladybug was out of commission?” Kagami asked.

 

“There are none,” Adrien muttered. “Ladybug never got captured, brainwashed, or in any kind of trouble...just me.”

 

“Have you ever considered why that is?” Kagami asked.

 

“Because she’s just better than me?” Adrien suggested, gesturing at the blank spot on the table where Ladybug's pile might have gone. “Look at that; perfectly Miraculous track record.”

 

“Because you protected her,” Kagami said. “You got hurt trying to keep her out of danger, you got possessed so she wouldn’t get possessed, and you got incapacitated and she didn’t have to suffer the consequences.”

 

“You were her shield for four years,” Kagami continued, laying a hand on Adrien’s arm. “Shields get battered; shields get broken. She hid behind you and let you soak up all the misfortune thrown her way.”

 

“So?”

 

“ So, look at what she’s done without you,” Kagami said. “Or rather, what she hasn't done. She's failed, three times to capture your Miraculous. Failed to capture you or keep you isolated. Failed to cut you off from your allies. Failed to secure all the Miraculous. The first thing she did when you broke with her was surround herself with more pawns to help her, and even then, she failed to convince your core teammates that she’s right. Her operation has been compromised and she has nothing to show for it.”

 

“As much as this city loves to kiss Ladybug’s spotted feet, she wouldn’t have accomplished any of this without help,” Kagami said. “So you’re frustrated that you didn’t have as many victories as Ladybug? Her victories are built on the sacrifices of others; built on the help of others. She is not a one person army and the fact that you fell in battle before is only a testament to how much she needs someone to be willing to sacrifice themselves for her. Her whole strategy relies on it.”

 

“She's got people to sacrifice themselves for her though," Adrien countered. 

 

"You think Mayura is going to be as instrumental to Ladybug's plan as you were?" 

 

"Point," Adrien said, leaning on the table. "I guess...I don't know...it's unsettling to think that maybe I could have done more. Maybe I could have...helped more or fought better." 

 

"You were fighting without any real training or mentorship for four years," Kagami said. "You just needed someone to take more than a passing interest in you; if your erstwhile master had done as much for you as he did for Ladybug, you might have been able to do more." 

 

"Can I really put everything on Master Fu though?" Adrien asked. "I feel like I should have...I don't know...I feel like I should have been better..."  

 

"You are better," Kagami said, squeezing Adrien's hand lightly. "If there was ever any question as to who was the better hero, that's been soundly put to bed."  

  

“My, you’re good at giving pep-talks aren’t you?”

 

Adrien and Kagami jumped, looking at the source of the small, airy voice sitting on the stack of folders.

 

“Kiicii?” Adrien said, kneeling down to look the little crane kwami in the eye. “What are you doing here? Is Master He alright?”

 

“She’s fine,” Kiicii chirped. “Just fighting Ladybug but she wanted me to wait a few minutes before coming to get-”

 

“What?!” Adrien squeaked, leaping to his feet so quickly his knee banged on the table. “Wh-where are they?!”

 

“On the rooftop of the hospital,” Kiicii said. “But I wouldn’t worry; she’s doing-”

 

Adrien was already out of the room, transforming as he leapt over the balcony and crash landing on Kagami’s floor below.

 

“-fine.” Kiicii cheeped to a mostly empty room as Kagami just sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

 

---

 

Something snapped in Master He.

 

The cool, collected demeanor melted into a brutal, vicious fighting style that left Ladybug gasping for breath as she battered blow after blow away with the flat of her shield. A cold flame burned in the old woman’s eyes as she drove Ladybug back with each advancing strike and the quiet ticking of a clock in the back of Ladybug’s mind only worsened the fear that crept over her.

 

How long did she have until Chat Noir arrived?

 

“You think you’re going to win?!” Master He squawked in between blows that shook Ladybug’s teeth as they rattled against her shield. “You think this is all going to end well for you?!”

 

“It would if people would just listen to me!” Ladybug grunted, watching the dangling, swaying of the key at Master He’s belt.

 

“I’ll listen to you when you have something useful to say!” Master He said, clashing with Ladybug's shield as she tried to overpower her. 

 

"You're not even going to be Ladybug when this is all said and done," Master He grunted, driving her knee into Ladybug's shield. "You think Master Fu is going to let you keep Tikki after this?! You think he's not going to just strip you of your Miraculous the first chance he gets?!" 

 

"He can try," Ladybug growled, leaning out of the way of a frenzied attack. 

 

"Oh, you're not the first mad dog we've had to put down," Master He chuckled and a devilishly sharp grin. "We've gotten very good at it over the years; we used to have a whole division dedicated to subduing rogue heroes. Who knows; Chat Noir might rebuild it just to come after you!" 

 

Master He lashed out, sweeping her leg beneath Ladybug’s. In a moment of perfect clarity, she leapt in the air in time, knees tucking up against her stomach. She saw a flash of fear in Master He's eyes as she realized the attack had left her all too open for a counter attack, but before she could react, Ladybug lashed out, kicking Master He as hard as she could in the chest. To Ladybug’s great surprise, Master He crumpled, flying backwards and landing in a heap at the doorway to the stairs. The first telling blow Ladybug had landed seemed to have taken the wind out of Master He as she struggled to push herself back up to her feet, panting and holding her chest with a pained whine.

 

A single blow was apparently all Master He could take. 

 

“I...I didn’t want to have to do that,” Ladybug muttered, a cold chill of shame washing over her as she walked over to the old woman, untying the key from her belt as her hand feebly raised to tried to stop her. “You..if you had just...you started it! I-I was just talking to you and...you just…”

 

Master He said nothing, chest rising and falling with a slow, painful rhythm as her eyes stared up at Ladybug, burning with an untold amount of hatred as Ladybug stepped back, looking at the key in her hand.

 

“I'm sorry,” Ladybug said quietly. “I’ll...I'll make this up to you...once I’m done, I’ll...I’ll…”

 

Ladybug felt the heat before she noticed the flash of green light that seemed to illuminate the night sky. She pivoted, shield raising in time to catch a spinning ball of green fire on her shield. The fireball exploded, sending a shower of individual flames raining down around her in a circle of fire that spread across the rooftop. Out of the shadows, Chat Noir prowled, landing in a crouch at the edge of the circle as he slowly looked between Ladybug and Master He. She couldn't tell if the venomous glow in his eyes came from the fire, but the dancing shadows that fell across his incensed snarl of rage made him look positively monstrous as he looked at her. 

 

“What...did you... do?!” Chat Noir snarled, claws crackling with green flame. The heat and stench of the fire that surrounded her was almost as acrid as the anger that wafted off of Chat Noir in waves. He seemed to rise with his rising anger, shadows swirling around him as the flames flickered on all sides. A palpable sense of terror seized Ladybug and as she faced the threat of immolation from two fronts, Ladybug made the only smart choice. 

 

Her yo-yo shot out, latching on to a nearby building and zipping her away with the key before Chat could follow. Chat turned to chase her, flames building in intensity until a soft, almost inaudible cry caught his attention.

 

“Wait…”

 

Chat turned as Master He slowly pushed herself to a sitting position, beckoning him over as the flames disappeared in a flash of light.

 

“Master!” Chat Noir said, scampering over and supporting Master He’s head with his hand. “What happened?! Are you alright?! Why didn’t you call me sooner?!”

 

Master He said nothing, just smiling as her eyes watched Ladybug disappear into the night. 

 

 

"Just wait," Master He said, pushing herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her chest with a small wince. "You'll see..." 

 

---

 

Racing through the city, heart thundering in her ears, Ladybug tried to put as much distance between herself and Chat Noir as possible. The further she ran, the calmer she felt, but nothing could shake the sensation of flames licking at her cheeks. The heat still lingered on her skin and despite the frigid evening air, sweat ran down the back of her neck as she weaved a confusing escape route in the hopes of throwing off pursuers that didn’t seem to come.

 

When she was certain Chat Noir wasn’t behind her, Ladybug snaked towards Gabriel’s mansion, landing on the roof as she struggled to catch her breath. In the span of twenty minutes, she had picked a fight with Master Fu's doctor, kicked an old woman in the chest, and robbed her as Chat Noir tried to put a stop to her. 

 

She started it.

 

“She started it,” Ladybug repeated to herself out loud, trying to convince herself more than anything. Ladybug shook her head, looking down at the ornately crafted red and black key in her palm. Was this it? Was this little key really worth it? Or had she just clobbered someone for a shallow attempt to get stronger? 

 

You need this; you need to be stronger than Chat. 

 

"That's right..." Ladybug muttered to herself. "I...just need to keep up..." 

 

Ladybug paced the rooftop, slowly regaining control of her breathing. She didn't think it was possible for someone to be so single-focused on revenge, but Master He's wild fighting style told her all she needed to know about the old woman. Her former partner was now under the tutelage of someone who apparently prized revenge for herself and her organization over a safe, expedient solution to the problem. So what if Hawkmoth walked away? Wasn't that worth it if it meant Paris could finally be at peace? But of course she didn't see it that way; even suggesting it caused Master He to accuse her of being-

 

No. You are in control of this situation. Gabriel is under your thumb; not the other way around.

 

Ladybug let out a shaky sigh, slapping her face lightly to try and steady herself before she entered Gabriel’s study.

 

You can still fix this.

 

“I can fix this,” Ladybug muttered to herself, twisting the cord tied around the string between her fingers. “I will fix this...if it takes me the rest of my life I’ll…”

 

Ladybug leaned against the rooftop railing, squeezing her eyes shut as she fought the wave of guilt and uncertainty that rose around her.

 

“I’m going to fix this...I’m going to fix this...I’m going to fix this…”

 

She repeated this over and over for a few moments, reassuring herself that she still had the capacity to salvage some kind of peace after this was all said and done. She would come up with a brilliant plan, as she always did, to put right this mess when everything was said and done. If it took ten or fifteen or twenty years, she would fix this; she would get partner back and make the whole city forget they were even at odds. She would; she had to.

 

Everything was going to be fine someday; it was that kernal of optimism that made stomaching what she had to do bearable.

 

---

 

Gabriel examined the key that sat before him, head tilting back and forth as he looked up at Ladybug.

 

“I can’t even begin to tell you how dangerous it was to engage that woman all on your own,” Gabriel began.

 

“Spare me the lecture; you’re not my father,” Ladybug muttered, even as a part of her knew Gabriel had a point. “I saw an opportunity to get the upper hand on Chat Noir and I took it; I didn’t know if it would come around again-”

 

“Fair point,” Gabriel said, fingers wandering over the key as he muttered something under his breath. A faint, musical chime echoed throughout the room as the key vibrated ever so slightly. “What did she say this was? Something to unlock your true potential?”

 

“I’ve been wondering how Chat’s been able to train without anyone finding him,” Ladybug said, rubbing her chin. “She said a key like this was what allowed Chat to develop his powers more.”

 

"Powers that include caustic flames he thought were a good idea to use on the rooftop of a hospital," Gabriel said. 

 

A small shiver ran up Ladybug's back as she nodded, remembering the way Chat Noir had looked at her. His blazing, twisted look of rage seemed to be burned into the back of her eyelids; an accusatory glare that awaited her every time she closed her eyes. 

 

“Interesting,” Gabriel muttered, frowning down at the key as a small circle of purple light started to glow around it. “Yes...there’s definitely something supernatural about this...I don’t quite know what though.”

 

“Your book doesn’t say anything about it?” Ladybug asked, nodding at the Miraculous book that lay on his shelf.

 

“It mentions ‘keys to power’ but I assumed they were referring to metaphorical keys,” Gabriel said. “I don’t know how to use it, but even if I did…I don’t know...something isn’t right here...”

 

“What are you talking about?” Ladybug asked, watching as Gabriel sat up, spinning the key around as he squinted at it over the rim of his glasses.

 

“Let me get this straight...this old, powerful, intensely capable woman has these artifacts of unfathomable power...artifacts that could prove dangerous if in the wrong hands...and yet when you made off with this...she just let you go ?”

 

“I...I beat her,” Ladybug said somewhat lamely. “I got the upper hand...I think I hurt her before Chat showed up-”

 

“Did he follow you?”

 

“...well, no , but-”

 

“And that doesn’t strike you as odd?” Gabriel said, licking his lips. “Something so rare and so powerful falls into your possession, and you don’t question why they didn’t try and take it back before it slips through their fingers?”

 

Ladybug’s warm, jubilant sense of triumph started to deflate like a pricked balloon as Gabriel’s fingers began plucking at something around the key. Thin, shimmering strips of purple energy clung to the key as it slowly began to pulse a kind of clear purple energy. Ladybug and Gabriel leaned closer to the key, frowning as it slowly started to vibrate.

 

Then all at once, an ear-piercing scream rent the air; a loud, wailing bird's screech that seemed to be coming from the key itself.

 

“It’s a trap!” Gabriel hissed, dropping the key and clamping his hands over his ears as the wailing grew louder and a bright, flashing purple light illuminated the room

 

“Turn it off!” Ladybug screamed over the siren, shielding her eyes from the blinding light that spilled out of the windows of Gabriel's office. 

 

“They’re going to see this across the city; get this thing out of my home!”

 

Ladybug swooped down, picking it by the lurching, screaming key and bolting for the window, deaf to whatever Gabriel was yelling at her as she fled.

 

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

 

Heart pounding in her ears, she carried the key over the rooftops, eyes scanning the horizon for a good place to dump it.  

 

Why the hell didn’t you think this through first?!

 

A few blocks away, she could see a pair of figures making their way towards her location, darting over the rooftops as she fled trailed by a bright purple light and a desperate wailing sound.

 

You put this whole operation in jeopardy to flex your superhero muscles!

 

As she sailed over the Seine, Ladybug let the key fall from her grip. She landed on the far side, ducking into an alleyway and throwing herself into a dumpster as quietly as she could. Her hands clamped over her mouth, stifling her labored breathing and protecting her nose from the putrid smell as she waited for her pursuers to catch up with her, accompanied only by the sound of a watery wailing sound from the river.

 

"Down here!" 

 

The dumpster lid trembled as someone landed on it, leaping off with a creaking crunch of steel. Through the thin crack between the lid and the edge of the dumpster, she saw Chat Noir and Master He walk to the edge of the river, staring into the water for a long moment as Chat Noir extended his baton into the dark waters below. Master He, snapped her fingers, ending the noise and extinguishing the light as Chat Noir fished the key out of the river.

 

“I think we may have been discovered,” Master He sighed.

 

“Unless the tabloids are right and Hawkmoth is a river monster,” Chat Noir said, shaking his head. “Gotta say, that was a nice idea.”

 

“I’m just glad she took the fake key as bait,” Master He said. “And glad we could hear and see her across town.”

 

Of course it was a fake. 

 

“You sure it was Hawkmoth that set it off?”

 

“That, or Ladybug is acquainted with another scholar of the arcane arts that tripped the trap,” Master He shrugged. “Either way, they’re no friends of ours.”

 

“Too bad she moved before we could find out where she was holed up,” Chat Noir sighed.

 

“Good ideas rarely survive contact with the enemy,” Master He said, pocketing the key. “But I think a silver lining can be salvaged from all this. After all...I think I understand Ladybug a little better now.”

 

“Kicking her ass led you to that realization?” Chat Noir laughed.

 

“You don’t really know someone until you fight them,” Master He said.

 

“Is that a Vizier saying?”

 

“From The Matrix Reloaded , actually,” Master He said, glancing over her shoulder, looking into the alleyway where Ladybug hid. Her gaze lingered a little too long on the dumpster for Ladybug’s comfort.

 

“Seriously?”

 

“You think I spent the last eight hundred years sitting in a study and sipping tea?” Master He said, turning to head down the street. “I go to the movies, you know.”

 

“Good films or just cheap action movie sequels?”

 

“Rich coming from an addict to cheap Japanese animation.”

 

“Did Kagami tell you that?”

 

 

Kagami. 

 

A passing car cut off Master He’s response and by the time it was gone, the street was once again quiet save for the cacophonous pounding of Ladybug's heart in her ears. Ladybug lay on top of an overstuffed garbage bag for a few moments, waiting until the threat of being discovered paled in comparison to the stench that overwhelmed her.

 

She tumbled out of the dumpster, landing on all fours as a single name rang out in her mind like a clear, crystal bell.

 

Kagami.

 

---

 

“If we had known about your little plan beforehand, we might have been able to help more…”

 

“It wasn’t so much a plan as it was a contingency,” Master He said, taking a sip of her tea. “I created the decoy on the off chance that Ladybug would confront me and spying her across the street gave me the chance to put my plan into action.”

 

“I’m sure the fireball or two I threw at her head helped sell the act,” Adrien said, hands on his hips as he stared up at the map of Paris that hung on the wall of Kagami’s office.

 

“And you’re sure you don’t know where Ladybug stopped before throwing it in the river?” Kagami asked.

 

“She started moving before we could get a good read on her location, unfortunately,” Master He said, holding the tea-cup up for Kiicii to dip her beak in. “We know Ladybug headed to a secondary location, but by the time we were on her heels, she doubled back and threw the key into the river. I wrongfully assumed Hawkmoth would try and defuse my trap which would have given us enough time to find him...perhaps he doesn’t even know how to counteract enchantments.”

 

“So we’re back to square one,” Kagami muttered darkly. “Knowing nothing and fumbling around in the dark.”

 

“Not quite,” Adrien said, wandering over to a decorative wall rack and pulling a rapier out of its sheath. “We know she crossed the river.”

 

“And what does that do for us?” Master He said, watching Adrien stab the rapier into the map, slicing and sawing until the city below the Seine fell to the floor in a wide paper ribbon.

 

“It cuts our search area down,” Adrien said, frowning up at the map as he laid the flat of the sword between two points like a measuring stick. “We...we used to run sprints from the Arc du Triomphe to the Louvre for fun. Her record for crossing that stretch was just a hair over five minutes, last we tried…”

 

“And from the time she started moving again to the time the key landed in the river...that was definitely only two or three minutes,” Master He said, watching Adrien trim the top third of the map off. “So judging by her time-”

 

“That rules out the 17th...18th...19th...and the 20th arrondissements,” Adrien said, kicking the pieces of the map out of his way as they fell to the floor. “That just leaves the 8th...9th...10th...11th...and-”

 

The tip of the rapier landed on the first arrondissement, inches away from Adrien’s home.

 

“...my neighborhood,” Adrien muttered, staring at the pared down map of Paris. Somewhere in the shredded map was his enemy’s home base; spitting distance from where he lived and went to school. “That’s something." 

 

“This is more than something,” Kagami said with a toothy grin. “This is...well, forgive me for saying so, but-”

 

“This is more than Ladybug and I managed to do together,” Adrien chuckled, shooting Master He and Kagami a friendly smile. “Maybe we should have brought you two in years ago.”

 

“Tell that to Master Fu when he wakes up,” Master He chuckled. “I have an I told you so banner printed for such an occasion.”

 

“We have something to work with now,” Kagami said, gathering up the pieces of the map and chucking them into the fire. “I’ll start looking for anything out of the ordinary and we can start crossing off locations based on known akuma victims.”

 

Adrien nodded, plucking his father’s photograph from the nearby corkboard and pinning it to the square plot of land where his home was.

 

“One spot down,” Adrien said, running a hand through his hair. “I’m going to let our friends on the inside know what we found...be back in a minute.”

 

Master He waved him off as Kagami began organizing the list of akuma victims, moving with a kind of bright eyed frenetic energy that told Adrien that she wasn’t likely to even notice him slip out. He made his way through the empty halls of the house, stepping out onto the balcony as he punched a number into his phone.

 

“...Dad?” Adrien said. “Hey, it’s me...no, nothing...no, I’m good, I just...just checking to see if you got home okay...heh…yeah, I know Gorilla has you covered...I know...okay...I’ll see you in a bit…”

 

Adrien’s eyes caught a flash of blue on the rooftops across the street, spying a tall feathered figure perched on the ledge of the roof. Mayura silently watched him, unmoving and unblinking as Adrien pretended not to notice him.

 

“...I love you too, Dad,” Adrien said, quietly stuffing his phone in his pocket and backing back into the house.

 

---

 

Gabriel stared at his phone in bemused confusion, stowing it and turning back to Ladybug who appeared to be trying to wear a hole in the floor of his office.

 

“If they knew where we were, they would be here by now,” Gabriel sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I think we’re in the clear.”

 

“And if they’re just waiting?”

 

“Waiting for what?” Gabriel said. “You chucked the key in the river, yes?”

 

“Yes, but-”

 

“And they didn’t see you when you spied on them?”

 

“I don’t think so-”

 

“If they were going to come back and attack us, they would have done it already,” Gabriel concluded, sighing as he slumped in his chair. “I think we’re safe for the moment...still, I insist that you have nothing more to do with that woman.

 

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Ladybug sniffed, scratching the back of her head. “...Chat Noir mentioned the name Kagami to Master He before they left.”

 

“You think he’s referring to Mme. Tsurugi?”

 

“Do you know of any other Kagamis that have ties to Chat Noir?”

 

“No...but if you’re thinking of going after her, you need to be very careful,” Gabriel said. “That girl has more resources at her fingertips than anyone else in this city; even Andre doesn’t have as many lawyers on retainer as her mother did.”

 

“What is she going to do; sue me?” Ladybug snorted.

 

“She is going to use her hundreds of millions of dollars, euros, and yen to help Chat Noir and keep us from finding him,” Gabriel said.

 

“But we know where she is,” Ladybug said. “We could go there now with the police and-”

 

“And what? Arrest her under suspicion of harboring a terrorist?”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because the world doesn’t spin based on Ladybug’s word!” Gabriel snapped. “If you swing at her and miss she is going to armor up and make life very difficult for us. The last thing we need is a fleet of Tsurugi attorneys, private investigators, and personal bodyguards buzzing around the city.”

 

“But the longer she helps him, the more Chat Noir can train!” Ladybug said. “He’s gone from punching a little harder than usual to throwing fireballs at my head in the span of two weeks!”  

 

“Which is why you need to be careful,” Gabriel said. “Or allow me to send an akuma in to-”

 

“I thought I was very clear about how I feel about akuma,” Ladybug said, narrowing her eyes at Gabriel.

 

“Then do it the old fashioned way,” Gabriel said, waving his hand. “Just don’t let her know you even suspect her until you’re ready to eliminate her from the equation.”

 

“I’ll take that under advisement,” Ladybug said. “...Master He said that she couldn’t reach out to me because you had somehow shielded me from her sight.”

 

“I took precautions to make sure no one meddled in our affairs,” Gabriel said. "It was that or she would have found you the minute she set foot in the city." 

 

“Any other precautions I need to know about?”

 

“If we’re lucky, none that will come up,” Gabriel said smoothly.

 

“And if we’re not?”

 

“You’re just going to have to trust that I’ve taken all proper precautions,” Gabriel said with a thin smile. 

 

"I thought trust wasn't necessary for business relationships," Ladybug said. 

 

"Have I done anything to betray our deal?" Gabriel asked. "I've held up my end of the bargain and I will continue to hold up my end of the bargain as long as you honor yours. Trust me or don't...you have nothing to fear from me." 

 

Ladybug nodded somewhat uncertainly, turning to leave before a thought stopped her.

 

“When you akumitize someone,” Ladybug asked, choosing her words slowly. “Do they know what’s happening?”

 

Gabriel regarded her for a long moment, face impassive as he shook his head. “No...the people I enlisted had no recollection of what happened after the deal was struck; they are blameless...well, almost.”

 

"Almost?" 

 

"The person's feelings, wants, and desires still fuel the akuma," Gabriel said. "They're just...amplified beyond a person's capacity to control them. Anger becomes rage; attraction becomes all-consuming love. They're the same person, you see...just-" 

 

"Amplified," Ladybug said. "And beholden to your will." 

 

"That's a very simplistic way to put it, but I suppose you could put it that way," Gabriel shrugged. "Why do you ask?" 

 

“Master He...she...” Ladybug trailed off, shaking her head with a small laugh. "You know what; it's nothing. Just something a bitter old woman said. I’ll let you know if Mayura finds anything on Kagami." 

 

Gabriel watched Ladybug swing out his window, eyes following her until she disappeared from sight. 

 

---

 

Ladybug: You learned a new trick. 

 

Chat Noir: i'm full of surprises these days

 

Chat Noir: all from that training Master He and my key gave me

 

Chat Noir: how's your key working out for you btw? 

 

Chat Noir: ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh wait

 

Ladybug: Your little ploy didn't work. 

 

Chat Noir: neither did yours

 

 

Ladybug: That key wasn't my only plan. 

 

Chat Noir: mmhmm

 

Chat Noir: and how's your plan working out? 

 

Chat Noir: because from where i'm sitting, you and your #miracusquad are on a losing streak

 

Ladybug: Only a matter of time before you make a mistake we can take advantage of. 

 

Ladybug: How much longer do you think you can stay hidden from us?

 

Chat Noir: long as i need to

 

Chat Noir: might just leave town for a little bit; take plagg with me on a riviera vacation 

 

Chat Noir: give you a few years to cool off and come to your senses 

 

Ladybug: You expect me to believe that you're just gonna give up and leave while your real enemy is still kicking around? 

 

Ladybug: That's not like you. 

 

Chat Noir: yeah, well, I thought working with a lunatic wasn't like you but i guess i was wrong 

 

Chat Noir: how's hawky doing?

 

Ladybug: Chat

 

Chat Noir: give him my best and let him know that the bottom of my boot has his ass' name written on it

 

Ladybug: Is Master He alright? 

 

Chat Noir: oh you care? 

 

Ladybug: I never wanted to hurt anyone.

 

Ladybug: Especially not a friend of Master Fu...if she is a friend of Master Fu that is. 

 

Chat Noir: master he is fine

 

Chat Noir: she's been keeping fu alive this whole time 

 

Ladybug: You trust her?

 

Chat Noir: well there's the small fact that she's been nothing but totally honest with me 

 

Chat Noir: which is a hell of a lot more than i can say for you and fu

 

Ladybug: You're still hung up on that, aren't you? 

 

Chat Noir: you're not because you've been in the loop since day one

 

Chat Noir: i did my job totally blind for a whole year before master fu revealed himself to me

 

Chat Noir: inb4 "it was safer that way" 

 

Ladybug: It was safer that way.

 

Chat Noir: HA

 

Chat Noir: called it

 

Ladybug: We had to keep information in as few hands as possible. 

 

Chat Noir: yeah, and what was the plan for when one of those hands started working for hawkmoth?

 

Ladybug: With

 

Ladybug: Not for. 

 

Ladybug: And truth be told, he's not even working right now. 

 

Ladybug: He's been effectively benched; he isn't going to be a threat anymore. 

 

Chat Noir: nah, you're all the threat he needs these days, aren't you?

 

Chat Noir: who needs an akuma when you have a trained attack ladybug, right? 

 

Ladybug: I'm only a threat as long as you want me to be. 

 

Ladybug: The sooner you start cooperating the sooner we can fix this mess. 

 

Ladybug: Unless you like people burning Chat Noir dolls in public bonfires? 

 

Chat Noir: please

 

Chat Noir: you haven't made it as a superhero until people start burning effigys of you in the street

 

Chat Noir: what would spiderman be without j. jonah jameson calling him a menace all day? 

 

Ladybug: ...seriously? 

 

Chat Noir: more of a DC girl?

 

Ladybug: What needs to happen for you to start taking this seriously? 

 

Ladybug: At what point are you going to stop seeing this thing we're part of as some kind of cool adventure?!

 

Ladybug: The fate of this city and our futures is on the line and you can't stop dropping fucking comic book references!

 

Ladybug: You are a wanted criminal, Chat! 

 

Ladybug: If the police or those Stigma goons get their hands on you you're going to prison!

 

Ladybug: Your life is at stake here!

 

Ladybug: Don't you get that?!!

 

Chat Noir: i get that just fine

 

Ladybug: Then why aren't you acting like it?!

 

Chat Noir: ...man

 

Chat Noir: you are really not used to people not doing what you tell them to do

 

Chat Noir: you don't even know how to act right now, do you? 

 

Chat Noir: you got nothing left to threaten me with, ladybug

 

Chat Noir: nothing to hold over my head now that the city is against me

 

Chat Noir: hell, all i need to do is wait you out until hawkdaddy loses his patience with you

 

Chat Noir: how long do you think he'll be a good boy?

 

Chat Noir: how many times are you going to fail to take my miraculous before he gets fed up and turns on you? 

 

Chat Noir: i mean...i'm not the one with the ticking clock here

 

Chat Noir: you and hawkaboo are really keen on ending this NOW so

 

Chat Noir: it's really just in my best interests to just wait you out seeing as you have nothing to scare me with anymore

 

Ladybug: Are you sure about that? 

 

Chat Noir: oooh what's that supposed to mean? 

 

Ladybug: It means you should be careful about the people you choose to bring into our fight. 

 

Chat Noir: is that supposed to be a threat? 

 

Ladybug: No, of course not. 

 

Ladybug: After all; I have nothing to threaten you with. 

 

Ladybug: Right? 

Notes:

So He v Ladybug went as well as everyone thought it would, right?

If you haven't noticed, we're about 16 chapters away from the end, but words wise we're about halfway through. I'm getting to the stuff I've wanted to write since I came up with the idea for this story, so it's going to be a lot longer in some parts as we get closer to the end.

As always, reviews fuel my writer furnace and I appreciate all the reviews I've gotten so far! It's amazing to see a story with almost as many comments as kudos and it's part of the reason I've been so regular with this fic.

Next time we're gonna do some character building! Let me know in the comments who you think I need to develop more and I'll block some time off for them. I've got a Mayura/Kagami scene and a Team Paris bonding/ship tease scene in the works but if there's others you'd like to see let me know!

As always, follow me at siderealscribblings.tumblr.com for writing updates/memes.

Chapter 24: Pride (i)

Mayura: listen asshole

Mayura: i don’t know who the fuck you think you are but Ladybug doesn’t need you harassing her online

Mayura: so why don’t you just do everyone a favor and leave her alone

Mayura: or better yet, just turn yourself in so we don’t have to drag you through the streets after taking your ring

Chat Noir: new magical interdimensional communicator, who dis?

Mayura: haha

Mayura: funny

Chat Noir: no i’m serious, are you a new Miraculous holder?

Chat Noir: if you are, we need to talk about ladybug and her gaudy new sidekick

Chat Noir: meduka i think his name is?

Chat Noir: complete tool; does what he’s told without thinking for himself

Mayura: god you’re a regular chucklefuck, aren’t you?

Chat Noir: i’ve been known to chuckle a few fucks in my day, yes

Chat Noir: you been spying on ladybug’s texts?

Mayura: no

Chat Noir: then how did you know we’ve been texting?

Mayura: i

Chat Noir: >:3c

Mayura: the screen was open and i saw your name in the log!

Chat Noir: spied my name in the log more like it

Chat Noir: that why ladybug broke up with you?

Chat Noir: she catch you going through her phone?

Mayura: none of your fucking business

Mayura: just a friendly reminder; you’re chuckling days are going to come to an end pretty soon here

Chat Noir: *your

Mayura: wow you never turn the asshole spigot off, do you?

Chat Noir: could say the same for you tweety

Mayura: at least i didn't stab my partner in the back

Chat Noir: i tried to stab her in the front, tyvm

Chat Noir: and i didn’t want to but mme. bossyspots tried to pull rank and take my miraculous

Chat Noir: so i made an executive decision

Mayura: to help a monster

Chat Noir: i thought we had this conversation already, junior

Chat Noir: why would i help someone that’s made regular attempts on my life since i was a kid?

Chat Noir: does that make sense to you?

Mayura: makes more sense than your crock of shit about ladybug

Chat Noir: what makes you believe her more than me?

Chat Noir: other than the fact that you’re obviously still in love with her?

Mayura: lol, who said i’m still in love with her?

Chat Noir: nobody

Chat Noir: but you act like it

Chat Noir: you act like i used to act before i finally took the hint and decided to stop chasing love that didn’t want me back

Mayura: and who says she doesn’t want me back?

Chat Noir: ha

Chat Noir: buddy

Chat Noir: lemme let you in on a little secret

Chat Noir: the reason she broke up with you is because she’s been in love with one guy since she was fourteen

Chat Noir: that guy isn’t me

Chat Noir: and he sure as swiss isn’t you

Chat Noir: i’m sure she gave you a shot because her one-sided crush wasn’t working out for her but she left you when she realized that you weren’t the person she was in love with

Mayura: bull

Mayura: and i cannot stress this enough

Mayura: shit

Chat Noir: you broke up mid-july of last year, yes?

Chat Noir: day before bastille day

Chat Noir: i'll take your long silence as confirmation of what i already knew

Chat Noir: you forget lb and i used to be close

Chat Noir: i remember that day because we watched the fireworks while she cried on my shoulder

Chat Noir: you want to know what she said to me?

Mayura: why do i get the feeling you’re gonna tell me no matter what i say?

Chat Noir: ‘i didn’t love him, chat’

Mayura: shut up

Chat Noir: ‘i tried and i tried and i tried and i don’t know why i didn’t feel anything for him’

Chat Noir: ‘because on paper we should have worked out! he's so sweet and funny and cute and i really think we could have been happy together’

Mayura: you’re so full of shit it isn’t even funny

Chat Noir: ‘but i don’t love him like he loves me’

Chat Noir: ‘and i don’t think i ever will’

Chat Noir: ‘so i thought it was best that we just part as friends’

Chat Noir: and i’m guessing she kept you close, didn’t she?

Chat Noir: close enough so that she could get what she needed out of you without letting you too close?

Mayura: don’t fucking talk like you know me or what our relationship is like

Chat Noir: oh, but i do

Chat Noir: you know why i don’t like you, mayura?

Chat Noir: other than the fact that you’re a spineless piece of tofu in the service of a super-villain?

Chat Noir: it’s because when I look at you, i see me

Chat Noir: and not the sexy feline predator we know and love today

Chat Noir: no, when i look at you, i see a younger, sadder version of myself

Chat Noir: i see a sad, desperate, infatuated idiot who would throw himself in front of a speeding train if meant ladybug would love him back

Chat Noir: i see someone who thinks being with ladybug and being a superhero is the answer to the miserable shitshow that is his life

Chat Noir: and that if buggy just gave him the time of day, whatever personal shit he was going through would just disappear and he would be happy as a clam

Mayura: man you are crazier than i thought if you think you have the first idea about who i am or what i want

Chat Noir: tell me i’m wrong

Chat Noir: tell me there’s not a part of you that’s still holding out hope that ladybug is going to fall back into your arms if you’re just cool enough or fast enough or willing to take enough damage for her

Mayura: fuck you

Chat Noir: she won’t though

Chat Noir: there’s nothing you can do

Mayura: jesus do you ever stop talking?!?

Chat Noir: being mayura; being her sidekick? being her “”””””””””””””partner”””””””””””””””?

Chat Noir: that isn’t going to make her love you again

Mayura: go to hell

Chat Noir: you know what, i'm sorry, i shouldn't have said that

Chat Noir: because, uh, technically, she never actually loved you to begin with

Mayura: you know what???

Mayura: at this point, i hope you don’t turn yourself in!!

Mayura: because i really want a chance to get my hands on you after ladybug takes your ring off!!1!!

Mayura: see how much shit you talk when you’re not chat noir anymore!!

Chat Noir: mayura

Chat Noir: my guy

Chat Noir: even without my ring

Chat Noir: i will always talk shit

Chat Noir: and i will always be chat noir

---

Mayura glared at the blinking communicator he hurled across the room through angry tears that streamed his cheeks as his teeth ground together.

“I hate him...,” Mayura muttered. “I hate him...I hate him….”

---

“What a dickhead ,” Chat Noir muttered, closing his communicator and picking up the apple Plagg had placed before him.

“You think you got it?” Plagg called from the far side of the Sanctuary.

“You wanna watch?” Chat Noir asked, frowning as he stared at the apple in his hands. “Cataclysm!”

Chat Noir held his breath as a crackle of black energy arced out from his fingers, slipping through the core of the apple. Plagg examined the apple critically, looking for any blemish in the skin for a long moment before slicing it open, letting a trickle of black, decaying apple pulp ooze out of the perfectly unblemished apple skin.

“Not bad,” Plagg murmured, poofing another apple into existence. “Now Cataclysm the seeds without damaging the rest of it.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Chat Noir groaned. “Look, I did the stupid candle trick; I Cataclysmed the skin off of an apple. I Cataclysmed through the skin of an apple! What’s the point of all this?!”

“The point , junior, is for you to get to a point when you can destroy anything you want and nothing you don’t,” Plagg said. “You’re the lens through which my phenomenal cosmic power of destruction gets focused, and the more focused you are, the less collateral damage you do. The point is to turn you from a thermonuclear warhead into a razor sharp engine of destruction.”

“We can’t go back to target practice on skeletons in ancient Troy?”

“Maybe once you get your destructive impulses under control,” Plagg said, curling up on a pillow he conjured out of black smoke. “Now get cracking; Plaggy likes his apples without seeds.”

---

Every nerve in Alya’s body burned.

Her legs like jelly; her lungs protested every pained breath of air. Whatever parts of her mind that had not gone blank from agony were devoted to devising creative ways to kill the bouncy blonde on the treadmill next to her.

“Come on, Cesaire; two minutes to go!” Chloe chirped, clapping her hands as Alya tried to vaporize Chloe’s hair with her mind.

“You... suck …” Alya panted, holding on to the rails of her treadmill for support.

“You were the one who said we should start meeting somewhere inconspicuous,” Chloe said. “Somewhere in public; somewhere where people wouldn’t look twice at us hanging out together.”

“Shut... up!”

“And Nino and I have been hitting this gym for years, so-”

“One more word...and I’m going to kill you!”

The sound of the treadmill beeping was a blessed relief to Alya who immediately hopped off the treadmill, still holding on to the railings as her legs wobbled like a newborn faun.

“Hey we still have our cooldown jog!”

“I’m going to cool down by dunking my head in a bowl of ice water,” Alya panted, upending her water bottle on her head with a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the fitness club Nino and Chloe had frequented for a while was deserted enough that nobody noticed Alya leaning on an exercise machine as she struggled to catch her breath again. She still felt a little out of place, especially next to Chloe in her matching black and yellow striped top and running shorts.

“Don’t be such a baby,” Chloe huffed, hopping off the treadmill.

“You know the point of this was to have somewhere to talk, right?” Alya said, wiping her brow with the corner of her shirt as they walked past rows of identical cardio machines towards the weight room.

“So talk,” Chloe said. “Not like we got a lot to talk about; other than the fact that apparently Hawkmoth lives in my neighborhood, if Chat’s to be believed.”

“Did you hear the trap Hawkmoth was supposed to have triggered?”

“Yeah, but so did half the city,” Chloe shrugged. “And that’s assuming Chat didn’t just fire an airhorn out the window and claim it was Hawkmoth that set it off.”

“Fair point,” Alya nodded.

“There is just one other thing you should probably see,” Chloe said nudging the door to the weight room open as a grunt and clang of weights on the rubberized floor caught their attention. Nino stood in a weight rack in the corner of the room, staring down at a creaking barbell loaded with heavy steel plates on each side.

“What is that, a hundred kilos?” Alya asked, admiring the way Nino’s tank top rode up on his stomach as he stretched, staring down at the barbell with a somewhat bewildered smile. “Didn’t know it was leg day for you.”

“It’s not…” Nino said, glancing around for a moment before bending down, grabbing the barbell in the center and tugging it up and over his head in one, fluid motion.

“Wow, someone set a new personal-” Chloe trailed off as Nino let his left hand drop from the barbell, holding it high over his head with only one arm for a long moment before returning it to the floor with a heavy clang.

“Is...that normal?” Alya asked, eyes lingering on Nino’s exposed arm as he just stepped back, shaking his head with a beaming smile on his face.

“It’s about twice what I usually do with both arms,” Nino said. “I was cranking away at it this morning but I felt like it was still too light so...I just kept adding weight.”

“More than last time, right?” Chloe said with a toothy grin, leaning against the weight cage as Alya glanced between the two of them.

“Have you guys been measuring this?” Alya said, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Not formally, but we’ve been noticing that our old workouts have been getting pretty easy lately,” Chloe said. “I went from a ten minute mile two weeks ago to a six minute mile yesterday. We thought there was something funny going on but we weren’t sure until...just now.”

“What do you mean?” Alya asked.

“How far do you think you ran on the treadmill today?” Nino asked.

“I dunno...we ran for like, thirty minutes so I figure it was something like a mile or two?” Alya chuckled. “I was never the sporty type, but I kept pace with Chloe-”

“The biggest cardio bunny in the world besides Kim,” Nino chuckled. “Chloe?”

“Wasn’t that long; just a quick six kilometers,” Chloe said, smile widening as Alya’s glasses slipped from the arch of her nose.

“I...you said we...wait... what?!” Alya stammered, glancing down at her watch and tapping furiously until the kilometer tracker blinked an eight up at her. “But I was heaving and dying the whole time!”

“Still ran six kilometers in under thirty minutes,” Chloe pointed out. “After being a total couch potato for years.”

“Hey!”

“Your shirt has a carton of fries sitting on a sofa,” Chloe said, nodding down at the anthropomorphic potato on Alya’s stomach. “Nino and I thought there was some metaphysical bullcrap afoot, so we wanted to be sure.”

Alya glanced around the empty weight room for a moment. “Trixx?”

“Yes ma’am?” Trixx chirped, sticking their head out of the corner of Alya’s workout bag. “Y’all talking metaphysical bullcrap without me?”

“You wanna explain why my boyfriend can pick me up with one hand and why I can run like I actually like it?” Alya asked.

“Oh, is that happening already?” Trixx asked, nodding slowly. “Should have just asked me; you’re Bleeding.”

“What, where?!”

“Capital B Bleeding, dear,” Trixx snorted, watching Alya flail around, looking for blood. “Actually, it’s more accurate to say we’re Bleeding together; we all are.”

“Okay, ominous choice of wording aside, what is that supposed to mean?” Nino asked, glancing at his gym bag as Wayzz floated out.

“It means that aspects of your alter egos are bleeding into your true selves,” Wayzz explained. “Increased durability, vitality, stamina, and potency, to name a few. You’re never going to reach superhuman, but it won’t be long before the three of you reach peak human potential outside of your costumes.”

“I’m guessing Ladybug and Chat Noir are the same?” Chloe asked, glancing at Pollen who floated out of her hairpin.

“It doesn’t quite work that way,” Pollen said, glancing at Alya and Nino. “Ladybug and Chat have one destined partner; each of you has two. The three of us together form a special triad within the Inner Circle; one that was designed to work together as a unit. This Bleeding effect is the product of your newfound partnership; coming together as friends and allies under the auspices of protecting this city has formed...well, not to over-romanticize it, but it’s a special bond that affords you certain privileges.”

“Up to and including a training regime that would make Charles Atlas blush,” Nino said.

"Would it be gauche if we just swept the Paris marathon this year?" Chloe asked, eyes glinting with devilish glee. "Like hung back for the first part and then zipped our way to the podium?"

"Fuck the marathon; I'm taking the Tour de France back," Nino grinned. "On foot."

“Make no mistake, chickadees; this is not a good sign,” Trixx said, wagging their finger in a display of uncharacteristic seriousness. “The fact that our powers are Bleeding together means that something is seriously wrong with the world right now; wrong enough that empowering three teenagers beyond their limits is somehow the best solution to the problem the universe faces right now.”

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are not supposed to be at odds with one another," Trixx continued, looking each of them in the eye as they spoke. "Their lil' lovers spat goes beyond whatever stupid shit they think is worth fighting over. This is bigger than Paris and it's bigger than Hawkmoth; they are tearing apart two cosmic forces that are supposed to be in perfect harmony. So whatever it takes to put a stop to this fight and get Tikki and Plagg under the same banner again, we need to do it. If not-"

“The shit is gonna hit the fan?” Nino asked, sharing an uneasy glance with Chloe.

“The shit will hit the fan, blow up the fan, burn down the house the fan lives in, kill the fan’s extended family, and probably burn the city down in the process,” Trixx surmised, patting Alya on the shoulder. “No pressure, or anything, but you three might wanna start making gym dates part of your usual schedule.”

---

“How’d recon go?”

Luka shrugged, making his way down the street at Marinette’s side. “It went. Nothing really of note. She eats leftover Chinese takeout alone, she watches Downton Abbey in her pajamas, she reads until like two in the morning...honestly, it’s like she’s an old woman in a twenty year old Olympic fencer’s body.”

“You haven’t seen Chat or Master He at all?”

“No...not like she hasn’t had her share of nocturnal visitors though,” Luka said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Is that a tactful way of saying ‘booty calls’?” Marinette snorted.

“You tell me,” Luka shrugged. “The other night I saw...well, I saw Adrien step out of her bedroom to make a phone call.”

Marinette blinked, heart thumping uncomfortably in her chest. “...oh. Are you-”

“It was a full moon and I was maybe fifty yards from the guy,” Luka added. “He was talking on the phone with his dad...I don’t know what the deal is with you two, if it’s like a casual thing but-”

“I’m...sure they were just hanging out as friends,” Marinette chuckled, chewing on her lower lip as she clutched her binder to her chest.

“Exes don’t just hang out with friends, Mari,” Luka said.

“We do.”

“Yeah, but…” Luka trailed off with a shrug. “Different with us, isn’t it? We’re more than just exes, we’re...partners.”

“Well unless you see him with his tongue down her throat, I think we’re gonna err on the side of giving him the benefit of the doubt,” Marinette said a little sharply. “It’s that or working with his father is going to get a lot more complicated.”

“Still can’t believe you turned into a suit on me,” Luka chuckled, flipping the collar of Marinette’s blazer. “I thought you hated that guy.”

“I do.”

“All those times you said he was such an asshole .”

“He is ...well, was. He’s mellowed out-”

“And you’re still working for him?”

“Okay, so Gabriel Agreste is a grade-A prick with a stick so far up his ass he can’t even bend over properly,” Marinette admitted, adjusting her collar. “He’s also one of the top designers in the world and offered me an internship; prick or not, I couldn’t turn that down.”

“Guess not,” Luka muttered, running a hand through his hair as they walked down the street, giving a pair of black-clad Stigma personnel a wide berth as they passed.

“Would you turn down a gig with Axl Rose if he offered?” Marinette asked, slowing as a small crowd blocked their path.

“If Axl Rose offered me a gig, then-”

“Touch me again, and I’ll have you fired!”

Chloe’s shrill, imperative voice cut above the chatter of the crowd as Marinette and Luka shared a quick look. Elbowing past a wall of rubbernecking citizens, they made their way to the front of the crowd to see Chloe standing between a terrified looking old couple, glaring at a tall, somewhat embarrassed looking police officer accompanied by two Stigma security personnel. Marinette spied a rather sickly looking Alya at the far side of the crowd, shuffling next to her as her shoes crunched on broken glass as she walked.

“What’s going on?” Marinette asked, glancing at the broken window behind the couple and recognizing the small enclosure full of pet cages she had visited with Chat Noir on a couple of occasions. “Alya?”

Alya blinked, shaking her head as she took sight of Marinette and Luka for the first time. “The, uh...the cops wanted to take the shelter owners in for questioning. Chat Noir was always fond of them in the past so-”

“So they think they know where he is?!” Marinette hissed, turning pale as Chloe stared the officer down.

“Mme. Bourgeois-”

“That’s Mme. Queen Bee to you!” Chloe snapped, transforming in a flash of yellow light that nearly blinded Marinette. The Stigma guards noticeably unclasped the latches that held collapsible batons as Queen Bee crossed her arms. “As I’ve said already, the Abels have been cleared of any suspicion already; Ladybug and I have already checked all the shelters, charities, and organizations Chat Noir supported and none of them have been proven to have any knowledge of Chat Noir’s whereabouts!”

“You did?” Luka muttered as Marinette just shook her heads. She hadn’t even considered the civilian contacts Chat Noir had made as potential threats.

“We are under strict orders from Captain van der Meer-”

“Who is here at the pleasure of the Mayor who happens to be my father ,” Queen Bee said. “And I swear, if you lay a finger on these people, you and your little henchmen here won’t even be able to work mall security after I’m done with you!”

The police officer glanced at the Stigma guards who just scowled at Queen Bee, muttering something under their breaths as they backed away from the increasingly angry looking crowd.

“I’ll have to report this to the chief,” the police officer mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m having dinner with his family tomorrow; I’ll tell him myself,” Queen Bee said, making a dismissive little wave with her hand as the crowd started to break up. “Alright, show’s over people; back to work!”

“Chloe to the rescue...never thought I’d see the day,” Marinette chuckled weakly, fighting down a rising sense of nausea as her eyes roamed over the shattered glass window that once hosted cute pictures of playing kittens; one of which Ladybug had helped to paint during an adoption drive she and Chat Noir had done a year or two back. Of course he had decided to champion stray cats; he never managed to adopt any but mysteriously came up with money to cover adoption fees, vaccinations, and other essentials so people could have just walked away with any cat they liked.

If Alya heard Marinette, she didn’t respond, blankly staring at the broken window and the teary couple being consoled by Queen Bee of all people.

“Send the bill to the Mayor’s office; it’ll get taken care of,” Queen Bee said with a small smile, patting the older couple on the shoulder as she turned to face Marinette with a small frown. “Oi, bread-girl! You want to move it along? Uncle Gabriel isn’t going to accept rubbernecking as an excuse as to why you’re late for work.”

Marinette shot Queen Bee a scowl as she passed, collecting herself and marching past the animal shelter.

“Let it never be said Queen Bee is without her charm,” Luka snorted, shaking his head as he fell into step beside Marinette. “Girl goes from Mme. Congeniality to her old venomous self at the drop of a hat.”

Luka glanced at Marinette’s dour expression with a worried frown. “You okay?”

“...those people were targeted because-” Marinette let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “They were targeted because-”

“Hey,” Luka said, laying a hand on her shoulder and turning her until she faced him. “Those people were targeted because Chat Noir made a bad series of choices; this is not your fault, Marinette.”

“But if I-”

“The only reason this stupid fight is still happening is because Chat Noir is too fucking proud to hand himself in,” Luka continued, tucking a strand of hair behind Marinette’s ear. “You didn’t start this; any collateral damage is on his head, not yours.”

Marinette shook her head, blinking quickly as she let out a shaky breath. “I wish I believed that...I really do...I just...I just-”

This was always going to have a cost…

“It’s just...not fair other people have to pay the price for this fight,” Marinette said, leaning into a hug as Luka wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “It’s not fair...none of this is-”

“It’s okay,” Luka murmured, resisting the urge to run his fingers through her hair. “It’s gonna be over soon...it’s gonna be-”

“Marinette?”

Marinette pulled away from Luka as though a jolt of electricity had suddenly coursed through him, turning around as Adrien stood in the middle of the sidewalk, glancing between them with a small frown of confusion.

“Everything okay?” Adrien asked, frown deepening as he noticed the smudges in Marinette’s mascara.

“F-Fine!” Marinette said, wiping her eyes and stepping into Adrien’s embrace as Luka hovered somewhat awkwardly next to her. “I just...the, uh, shelter up the street was being harassed by some of those security goons and-”

“I know the one,” Adrien said, wiping a tear off Marinette’s cheek with a warm, reassuring smile. “You wanna stop by the makeup room before your shift starts?”

“Your father-”

“Can wait a little bit,” Adrien said, slipping his hand into Marinette’s as he shot Luka a somewhat apologetic smile. “Sorry, we should-”

“Yeah, no, by all means,” Luka said. “I should probably be on the clock now anyway.”

“I’ll talk to you later,” Marinette said, waving as she turned, walking hand in hand with Adrien down the street. Luka’s lips twisted into an unhappy scowl as Adrien leaned in, saying something that made Marinette let out a snort of laughter audible even from where he was standing. Adrien’s arm disengaged from Marinette’s hand, slipping around her waist in a gesture that made Luka’s blood boil as Chat Noir’s words echoed in his mind.

She’s been in love with one person since she was fourteen...and it isn’t you.

---

Marinette ignored the exasperated glare Gabriel’s new assistant shot her as she snuck past him, quietly knocking on the door to Gabriel’s office.

“M. Agreste,” Marinette called, nudging the door open as she stepped into the office to see Gabriel standing at his drafting board, eyes scrutinizing every sweep of his pencil as his hand moved in a blur across the page.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Marinette muttered, making her way over to the small desk she occupied in the corner of the office. “I-”

“Adrien called up and explained,” Gabriel said almost distractedly. “Seems you’ve had quite the morning.”

“Won’t happen again,” Marinette promised, dropping her purse in the chair as she began rifling through the stack of mail addressed to Gabriel.

“I’m afraid it will,” Gabriel muttered, frowning at his sketch for a long moment. “As long as those jackbooted thugs Andre hired are skulking about the city.”

“Not the nicest of people, are they?” Marinette asked, earning a distracted hm from Gabriel in response. Marinette took this as a cue that the pleasantries were over for the moment as Marinette carefully weeded through the small pile of mail in front of her. A neatly folded piece of parchment stood out from the stack of fashion magazines and invoices, the bright gilded words on the front reading “You’re Invited”.

“Anything that requires my attention?” Gabriel asked.

“Expecting an invitation to something?” Marinette asked, holding the card up for Gabriel to see. One look at it and Gabriel groaned, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

“Andre’s bloody soiree,” Gabriel muttered darkly. “That man gets less and less tolerable the closer he gets to election season…”

“Shall I decline?”

“Afraid I’m rather obligated to go,” Gabriel said. “Can’t exactly stand up Ladybug and her entourage, can I?”

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat as she was painfully reminded she was currently sorting Hawkmoth’s mail. “Ladybug?”

“Andre wants to throw a ‘thank you’ gala for the heroes of Paris,” Gabriel explained, tilting his head as he looked at his sketch through squinted eyes. “For all they’ve done to stop Hawkmoth and Chat Noir…old sport’s trying to glean a little of their credibility since his Stigma security personnel have been quietly lowering his ratings since he invited them here.”

“I see,” Marinette said, dropping the invitation on the keyboard on her laptop.

“It’s rather garish if you ask me,” Gabriel muttered. “He’s becoming more like a lamprey with every passing election cycle; clinging to whatever will keep him in office and feeding on their scraps.”

“And that’s Ladybug?”

“No...that’s Chat Noir,” Gabriel said, leaning back with a sigh. “It’s easier to unite the populace against something rather than behind something. Boogeymen keep voters scared and seeking stability.”

“I thought Hawkmoth would have been that boogeyman,” Marinette said, glancing at Gabriel out of the corner of her eye.

“Chat Noir’s proven to be a more effective cudgel to threaten the people of Paris with,” Gabriel said. “Given his penchant for theatrics. Andre’s going to bang his anti-Chat Noir drum as long as it keeps making noise...part of the reason this gala’s being thrown, really.”

“Fun,” Marinette said, prompting a dry snort from Gabriel.

“Andre wouldn’t know fun if it slapped him in the face,” Gabriel said, glancing up at Marinette for the first time since she entered. “Never mind the invitation; I need your opinion on something.”

Marinette blinked, slightly dazed by the fact that one of her former fashion role models had asked her for advice. “Me?”

“I can’t tell what’s wrong with this design,” Gabriel muttered, stepping back as Marinette walked around the side of his drafting table. Even with what she knew about him, Marinette couldn’t help but be mildly dumbstruck by the clean, precise sketch Gabriel had etched in graphite. The faceless, perfectly poised model wore a sweeping, ankle length dress, exquisitely sketched, but somehow…

“Any thoughts?” Gabriel prompted, leaning back and watching as Marinette squinted at the design.

“It’s gorgeous...but…” Marinette trailed off with a small chuckle. “I don’t know if I should-”

“I insist,” Gabriel said, folding his arms as Marinette squared up with the sketch.

“It hides too much,” Marinette said, tilting her head to one side. “Especially the legs...I’m not saying put a slit up the side, but-”

Gabriel held out his pencil for Marinette to take, prompting her with a nod as she took the chipped, worn old pencil like it was the hilt of Excalibur, turning back to the design as she bit her lip.

“If you just...take it in here,” Marinette said, making a few lines of her own. “Raise the hem line, slim the straps, and-”

Marinette stepped back, glancing at Gabriel’s expression out of the corner of her eye. His stony, impassible face betrayed nothing as he stared at the drawing for the longest moment of Marinette’s life...and then he nodded, picking up the sketch with an approving glance.

“Yes...just what it needed,” Gabriel sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Thank you, Mme. Dupain, I...seem to be falling out of touch.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Marinette chuckled, scratching the back of her neck. “Your design was-”

“Something I would have come up with ten years ago,” Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head. “I get worried that I’m running out of good ideas; just rehashing the same designs over and over with different spins on them.”

“Only so many variations on a piece of cloth hanging off the shoulders,” Marinette said.

“And yet you managed to take this design into the modern era with a few strokes of a pencil after I stared at it all morning,” Gabriel said, raising his eyebrow with the barest hint of a smile. “You shouldn’t discount that out of hand.”

Gabriel’s eyes wandered back to the sketch with a thoughtful tilt of his head.

“You know, I think I’m going to have Michel file the mail from now on...I think I have another project for you to work on.”

Notes:

Had to break this chapter up because it was getting toothy and I wanted each mini scene to have its day in the spotlight. Wanted to do a little character development and start to set up the next major story points (the fashion show and the party) while doing some character work (namely Luka's life circling the drain). Next chapter will move into some more character building (namely Luka's life circling the drain) and some more setup before the big party.

We only have a few more character building chapters before this roller coaster peaks at the top of the first drop so please let me know if there's anything you want to see/character questions you want answered before I kick into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.

Chapter 25: Pride (ii)

“He wants me...to design a dress...for the show...in London!”

 

“You can’t seriously be surprised,” Adrien said, watching Marinette practically bounce down the street beside him. “I knew it was only a matter of time before he moved you from note taking to doing actual design work.”

 

“It’s still a Gabriel show in London,” Marinette repeated as though she were trying to convince herself she wasn’t dreaming. “It’s going to be filmed ; my designs are going to appear on television... oh my God, my designs are going to be on television…oh my God, what have I gotten myself into?!”

 

“The opportunity of a lifetime?” Adrien said, arm sliding around her waist as he tried to get out in front of a freak-out. “You’re gonna do fine; Dad wouldn’t put you on the London show if he didn’t think you had the chops for it.”

 

“Still, this is…” Marinette let out a shaky laugh. “I feel like it’s kinda my debut, right? This is my introduction to the world of fashion. I go through with this and I suddenly drop the ‘aspiring’ part of being an aspiring fashion designer….and I only have two weeks to go from sketch to full design!”

 

“I’m guessing that means you’re gonna be busy next Saturday?” Adrien chuckled.

 

“Oh...yeah, probably not gonna be able to accompany you to this Ladybug shindig the mayor is throwing,” Marinette said, quietly grateful that she had a built in excuse to explain why she couldn’t go to Mayor Andre’s ball as herself. “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t be; not like I’m super jazzed about having to go and rep the family name,” Adrien sighed.

 

“High society gigs not your thing?” Marinette chuckled.

 

“Especially not when they’re glorified political rallies for Chloe’s dad,” Adrien said, glancing at Marinette out of the corner of his eye. “I’m surprised that Ladybug’s team is so open to being used like this.”

 

“Well...Ladybug’s never been one to shy away from a good cause,” Marinette said diplomatically. “Though I don’t know if Mayor Andre’s reelection campaign qualifies…”

 

“Ladybug loves the spotlight,” Adrien muttered.

 

“What’s...that supposed to mean?” Marinette chuckled, smiling a little uncertainty.

 

“Just that Paris’ number one hero isn't shy about posing for the camera,” Adrien said. “Gone on quite a press tour since splitting with Chat Noir.”

 

“I guess she thinks people need to be kept abreast of the situation,” Marinette said somewhat evasively.

 

“Guess so,” Adrien said. “What do you...what do you think of all this? This Ladybug and Chat Noir stuff I mean.”

 

A cold shudder washed over her as she fought to keep her expression neutral. “It’s...terrible, isn’t it? Sad that Chat Noir turned on Ladybug after all those years of partnership.”

 

“You believe her then?”

 

“You don’t?” Marinette asked, looking up at Adrien with a frown.

 

“I’m...just a little confused as to Chat Noir's motives,” Adrien shrugged. “A guy puts his life on the line for four years and he suddenly decides to side with Hawkmoth?”

 

“Maybe he got akumitized.”

 

“Would Ladybug really hold a press conference calling him out if he was?” Adrien said, carefully studying Marinette’s neutral expression. “I mean, if that was the case, wouldn’t she just say he was akumitized rather than making it out like he joined Hawkmoth voluntarily?”

 

“Don’t know,” Marinette shrugged. 

 

"I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but he saved your life a couple of times, right?" 

 

"I mean, it was a while ago, but-" 

 

“And then there’s this Mayura guy, I mean, he comes out of nowhere and Ladybug acts like she’s know him for years-”

 

“Well, maybe she has!” Marinette said a little sharply. “I’m sorry, I just...this whole situation is making me nervous and these thugs are roaming the streets and because of all this-”

 

“Okay, okay,” Adrien said soothingly. “I’m sorry; I won’t bring it up again.”

 

“Thanks…” Marinette said, forcing a small laugh to break the tension as they saddled up to the back door of her parent’s. “I just really want to fast forward to next spring, you know? We’ll be out of school, I'll be on my way to the career of my dreams, and we’ll be…”

 

Marinette trailed off as Adrien’s eyebrow raised. “Go on.”

 

“I...well, I-I haven’t really thought about it much,” Marinette lied, twirling the end of her hair as she avoided Adrien’s increasingly widening smirk. “I thought that if...well, if things were still going well between us, we could...I-I mean, Paris and London aren’t that far apart, so we could...keep in touch.”

 

“Keep in...touch?” Adrien prodded, fingers running over the back of her knuckles. He had a habit of playing with her hands when she wasn’t paying attention, drawing her focus back to the way his fingers laced through hers.

 

“Well...I mean if things are going the way they’re going now—and crazy schedules aside, I think they’re going great!—I was thinking...I don’t know, I know long distance is tough on the strongest relationships-”

 

Marinette had barely registered the fact that Adrien was leaning in before he kissed her, neatly derailing her train of thought with a press of his lips against hers. Her breath left her mouth in a small, shocked squeak as she instinctively gripped his forearms, pulling him closer as she backed up against the back wall of her parent’s bakery. It was sudden, sweet, and over much too soon for Marinette’s liking as Adrien pulled away, licking his lips with a smile plucked fresh out of her fondest First Kiss With Adrien fantasy collection.

 

“I think that no matter what happens, we should keep in very close touch,” Adrien murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind Marinette’s ear.

 

“Yeah...yeah, touching you sounds good,” Marinette said, blinking as Adrien’s smirk only widened. “ Keeping in touch with you sounds good! Y-Yeah, that’s what I meant! I-I mean, not that I, uh...don’t want to touch you I just...uh...c-can you shut me up again?”

 

Adrien thankfully obliged, fingers lacing through her hair as his free hand snaked around the side of her waist. It was almost a relief to be held like this; to be touched and kissed and caressed in a way that made the chaos and confusion of her superpowered existence seem to melt away. There was no war with Chat; no city on the verge of splitting apart. Just the cold November wind and Adrien’s warm lips on hers.

 

“Thanks,” Marinette murmured, pulling back with a small laugh.

 

“Anytime,” Adrien said as a soft buzzing drew his attention to his pocket. “I should...probably let you get to work.”

 

“Please tell your father that next time he wants me to design something, I need at least a month or so lead-time,” Marinette chuckled, stepping back with a small twinge of regret. Duty once again called and Marinette found herself unable to spend her time as she wanted.

 

“Let it never be said that Gabriel Agreste has reasonable expectations of anyone,” Adrien chuckled, leaning in for a brief peck on the lips. “I’ll call you tonight?”

 

“Sure,” Marinette said, arching up and stealing one last kiss before fumbling with the doorknob behind her. Against all inclination, Marinette managed to stop herself from dragging Adrien indoors with her, letting him go with a smile and a wave as her heart thumped noticeably against her chest with each beat. She managed to contain the bubbling squeal of joy until Adrien was out of sight, almost floating upstairs on a wave of giddiness that she hadn’t experienced in weeks.

 

“That boy is mine~ That boy is miiiiii~ne!” Marinette sang as she stepped through her trapdoor, spinning around and drawing a fresh sheet of drafting paper from under her desk. “What do you think, Tikki? Put the tablet aside and go back to basics?”

 

“If you think that’s best,” Tikki said quietly, floating out of Marinette’s clutch and perching on the edge of the drafting table as Marinette went to work, scratching out a design as she hummed a jaunty tune under her breath.

 

“You know, the alley behind my house was not at the top of my list for places to have my first kiss with Adrien, but honestly I’ll take it,” Marinette chuckled, pencil rhythmically scratching on the page as she drew.

 

“As long as you’re happy,” Tikki said softly.

 

“And I know it’s going to be a rough go of things until December, but God, I have a shot ,” Marinette said with a fierce laugh. “I have a shot to show the world what I can really do, you know? I mean, M. Agreste could have given me a little more lead time, but-”

 

“He’s...M. Agreste now?” Tikki asked, raising her eyebrow.

 

“To my knowledge, he’s always been M. Agreste,” Marinette said.

 

“You’ve just never referred to him like that,” Tikki said.

 

Marinette felt her elation start to slowly ebb away like air out of a worn balloon. “Well, he is my boss now.”

 

“I thought you weren’t working for Hawkmoth,” Tikki said. “Isn’t that what you told Chat? That you weren’t-”

 

“I’m not working for Hawkmoth,” Marinette said, frowning as a low, pounding headache began to creep up on her. “I’m working for Gabriel Agreste.”

 

“Who is Hawkmoth.”

 

“Who is occasionally Hawkmoth,” Marinette said, ripping the design off the drafting board and tossing it in the trash. “Ladybug is still not working for Hawkmoth.”

 

“And you’re not Ladybug?”

 

“Not when I’m on the clock at Gabriel,” Marinette said, avoiding Tikki’s probing gaze as she tried to focus on her drawing. “Tikki, if we could save the lecture for another time, that would be peachy; I need to get an idea going so I can start putting something into production.”

 

“Of course,” Tikki sniffed, floating away as Marinette’s pencil flowed across the page, cutting sharp corners and weaving wide lines as she struggled to ignore the headache she could feel coming on. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint your new master, now would we?”

 

Marinette’s pencil snapped the second before her patience did as she whipped around, with a frustrated snarl. “God why can’t you just...why can’t you just be happy for me right now?! Why can’t you just be happy that my hard work and dedication is finally starting to pay off?!”

 

“How am I supposed to be happy that you’re working for-”

 

“Gabriel Agreste; a man with the contacts and clout I need to succeed in the fashion industry which, by the way, is the career I’ve wanted for myself since I was four !” Marinette sighed, shaking her head. “I have worked, and struggled, and perfected my craft, but that doesn’t mean anything if I can’t get my foot in the door. And for all his faults, Gabriel Agreste is that foot in the door.”

 

“His faults don’t worry me as much as the fact that you’re working too closely with Hawkmoth,” Tikki said. “He is pulling you under his wing! The closer you two work together, the more chances he has to-”

 

“To what?” Marinette laughed. “To find out I’m Ladybug? Tikki, I’ve given him nothing to go on; no reason to suspect that his future protege is his reluctant business partner! He doesn’t know anything except exactly what I want him to know.”

 

“I know, but...I have a bad feeling about this,” Tikki said, rubbing her temples with a sigh. “Working so close to him sets my teeth on edge...if you let anything slip-”

 

“Give me some credit; I was partners with Chat Noir for four years and he never suspected anything,” Marinette said, turning back to her drawing with a shake of her head. “You need to have a little faith in me Tikki; we are on track to end this once and for all!”

 

“How?!” Tikki demanded. “Chat has done nothing but give you the slip for almost two months now. You ran the last time he stared you down and nearly got yourself caught in the process! You have nothing to go on!”

 

“Nothing except one of Chat’s confidants,” Marinette reminded Tikki, turning away from her kwami as she defiantly tried to sketch.

 

“...what are you planning on doing to her?”

 

“What am I planning on...doing to her?!” Marinette said, turning to Tikki. “Doing to her?! Tikki, who do you think I am? You think I’m going to kidnap her in the middle of the night and make her tell me where Chat Noir is? You think I'm going to squeeze her for information or hold her hostage to draw Chat Noir out?! No, I am not going to do anything to Kagami; we are just going to wait until Chat Noir shows up again and then we are going to bag him!”

 

“And if Kagami gets caught in the middle-”

 

“Then hopefully Chat Noir has the wherewithal to be concerned for her safety,” Marinette said, the pounding in the back of her head increasing in tempo. “He brought her into this; she’s his responsibility, not mine.”

 

“So Chat’s responsible for everything now?” Tikki challenged. “Responsible for Kagami, responsible for this fight, responsible for-?”

 

“Would be a nice change of pace, wouldn’t it?” Marinette grumbled. “About time he started showing some damn responsibility after flitting around like a Comic-Con refugee for our entire partnership.”

 

Tikki glared at Marinette for a long moment. “Is he responsible for that business at the shelter as well?”

 

Marinette’s pencil stopped scratching as she just glared at the page, lip trembling and nose scrunched in defiance. “...I intend to fix that.”

 

“So it is your responsibility after all-”

 

“You just love scolding me, don’t you?” Marinette laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “Everybody just loves slapping my hands the second I’m not completely perfect, don’t they? The second I’m not a pure, selfless paragon of all that is good and holy, you and Master He and Chat all start wagging your fingers at me like I’m a naughty child! Because everybody else gets to have fun and make mistakes but not Marinette. No, it’s just duty and sacrifice and responsibility for me, isn’t it?!”

 

“Marinette, I’m only saying this because I’m getting worried about you!” Tikki cried, gently touching Marinette’s shoulder. “You’re not acting like yourself; you’re angry and-”

 

“Yes, I’m angry!” Marinette snapped. “I’m angry that I am the only one in this city who has to put her life on hold! I’m angry that my partner of four years is being a spoiled brat and waging a pointless war just to hurt me! I’m angry because I have this little nagging voice in my ear that has to undercut my every decision and question my choices! I thought you were on my side!”

 

“I am, but-”

 

“You would just rather I go back to being the doormat who put the whole world’s needs before her own!” Marinette said, brandishing her pencil at Tikki. “You would rather I just continue to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders with a happy-go-lucky smile on my face! You would rather I go on being Ladybug without a grumble or complaint because fuck what Marinette wants, right?! Did it ever occur to you, TIkki, that I have other wants and needs and desires besides being a superhero?! Did you ever think that being Ladybug isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life?!”

 

Marinette’s lips trembled from the force of her words as Tikki just stared at her, as though she was properly seeing Marinette for the first time.

 

“...I didn’t know this was such a pain for you,” Tikki said, eyes turning flinty as she turned away. “Fine...once this is all over and done with we can talk with Master Fu. I’m sure with Hawkmoth out of the way, you’ll be free to find someone else to take your place.”

 

Marinette said nothing as Tikki turned and floated into the dollhouse with a light slam of the small plastic door. She glared stubbornly at the sketch in front of her, pencil weaving lines around the small drops of water that landed on the page.

 

---

 

Ladybug: Hey can I ask a favor?

 

Alya: Shoot

 

Ladybug: Chloe told me about the pet shop today

 

Alya: Shelter

 

Ladybug: Right right the pet shelter

 

Ladybug: I was hoping you could put a post up on the Ladyblog clearing the air around the charities and businesses Chat Noir supported.

 

Ladybug: We want to try and avoid misunderstandings like that in the future.

 

Alya: Yeah, I was actually thinking of doing a piece on the Abels.

 

Alya: You know their shelter was open during the occupation in the forties?

 

Alya: I just think it would be helpful to remind people that their fellow citizens don’t deserve the blame for whatever is going on between you two.

 

Ladybug: Right right.

 

Ladybug: Send it over before you post it and I’ll check it over.

 

Alya: Oh, you don’t need to do that.

 

Alya: The Ladyblog is sorta my deal so you don’t really need to worry about it.

 

Ladybug: Right, no, sure.

 

Ladybug: I just thought that with certain high-profile communications, I should really stamp it to give it some more credibility.

 

Ladybug: Not that the Ladyblog isn’t credible!!!

 

Ladybug: It’s just...you know.

 

Alya: I don’t lol.

 

Alya: Do you not trust me to print the right story?

 

Alya: Because that’s sorta what I do.

 

Ladybug: Nononono!

 

Ladybug: I totally trust you!

 

Alya: So why would you need to “check it over” before I post it?

 

Ladybug: No, you’re right

 

Ladybug: I’m sorry if I implied I didn’t trust you

 

Ladybug: Go ahead and post whatever you’d like

 

---

 

Ladybug: Heyyyyyy there ace reporter!

 

Alya: Hey ya.

 

Alya: You see the post?

 

Ladybug: I did, I did.

 

Ladybug: GREAT work as always, Alya.

 

Ladybug: Just had a teeny tiny suggestion.

 

Alya: Yes?

 

Ladybug: Well, in the second paragraph you say

 

Ladybug: “The Paw-n Shop was one of six homeless animal shelters endorsed by Chat Noir who helped raise more than fifty-thousand euro for animal charities last year alone.”

 

Alya: Were those numbers off?

 

Alya: That’s what we reported the same time last year, isn’t it?

 

Ladybug: It is, it’s just...well, it’s a little flattering towards Chat Noir, isn’t it?

 

Alya: The truth is the truth whether it’s flattering or not.

 

Ladybug: I’m just wondering if we need to include it here.

 

Ladybug: We’re trying to unite the city and I feel like lines like these might give the Chat Noir fans on the forums fuel for their arguments.

 

Alya: Lines like those are in every back-issue of the Ladyblog.

 

Alya: What do you want me to do; archive every article that even remotely praises Chat Noir?

 

Ladybug: I don’t think we need to go that far.

 

Ladybug: But don’t see how bringing up Chat Noir’s past good deeds is relevant here.

 

Ladybug: He’s lost the right to glowing editorial when he did what he did.

 

Alya: I’m just trying to tell a complete story.

 

Alya: People will connect with these shelters better if I bring up what Chat’s done for them in the past.

 

Alya: It’s relevant because it creates an emotional connection in the minds of the readers.

 

Ladybug: An emotional connection that puts our enemy in the limelight.

 

Alya: So you’re saying, what, I need to take it down?

 

Ladybug: I’m just asking you to show a little more tact when it comes to bringing up Chat Noir in the future.

 

Ladybug: And maybe consider limiting Chat Noir’s presence on the Ladyblog to just the facts.

 

Ladybug: That’s all

 

---

 

“Is it just me or is Ladybug getting...snippier than usual lately?” Nino muttered, reading Alya’s texts as she paced back and forth across the length of Chloe’s penthouse.

 

“Snippy isn’t the adjective I would use,” Chloe said, leaning on Nino’s shoulder as she read the texts. “She is really scolding you, isn’t she?”

 

“Maybe consider limiting Chat Noir’s presence to just the facts!” Alya chirped in a high-pitched, overly saccharine mockery of Ladybug’s voice. “Like who the fuck died and appointed her editor and chief of the Ladyblog?! I don’t see her name anywhere on the staff-roll!”

 

“It is on the header, the page title, most of the forum names-” Chloe trailed off as Alya shot her a venomous glare. “What?! You’re the one who erected a digital shrine to the woman. You’re surprised she’s acting like she owns it?”

 

“Yeah, well, if she thinks my website exists just to glorify her spotted ass, she’s got another thing coming,” Alya muttered.

 

“I thought we were playing the smart game here,” Nino said, leaning back in his chair. “You already posted one story Ladybug had a hand in creating; what’s the harm in taking out one line about Chat?”

 

“Because look what happened the last time I posted something Ladybug wanted in print!” Alya snapped. “This city devolved into a fucking police state complete with foreign mercenaries breaking windows and dragging eighty year olds in for questioning!”

 

“That isn’t your fault though,” Nino said, gently reaching out to lay a hand on Alya’s shoulder.

 

“But it is my responsibility,” Alya said, brushing Nino off as she paced over to the window. “Everything I post is my responsibility and if what I post leads to people getting hurt, then…then I don’t know if I should be posting it.”

 

“If you don’t, someone else will,” Nino countered. “Someone with less journalistic scruples than you.”

 

“Scruples,” Alya laughed bitterly. “I thought I traded those in for my Miraculous weeks ago.”

 

“Oh please, you think Nadja Chamack hasn't done some questionable things in pursuit of a story?” Chloe sniffed. “You don’t have to fix this now, Foxy.”

 

“She’s got a point,” Nino said, snaking around the side of Alya’s resolutely turned back. “We’re trying to fix this; we’re trying to get to the bottom of this-”

 

“And fat lot of good we’re doing so far,” Alya sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “People are getting hurt and for all the shit we talk about being ‘Team Paris’, we can’t seem to keep this city from falling apart.”

 

“Give us a little credit; we never expected shit to get so sideways,” Chloe said, fidgeting with the tip of her ponytail as Nino tried to console Alya. “We agreed to slow things down, right?”

 

“Yeah, but-”

 

“So the rest of the city didn’t get the message,” Chloe said. “If anything, this is gonna make Buggy and Kitty more nervous; nervous enough that maybe they’ll let something slip.”

 

“In the meantime, we do what we can to keep the people of Paris out of the line of fire,” Nino said, wiping a tear off Alya’s cheek. “We keep an eye on our friends and when we figure out who’s really working with Hawkmoth-”

 

“We pull their hair out by the root and put them in jail,” Chloe said with a toothy smile that Alya found oddly comforting. “And the Ladyblog can plaster it all over Paris.”

 

“I know, it’s just…” Alya let out a shaky sigh as she leaned against Nino’s shoulder. “I hate fumbling around like this...I hate not knowing if the next step I’m taking is the right one.”

 

“Isn’t that what we’ve always been doing as heroes?” Nino murmured into her hair. “We’ve never known what we were doing; we just-”

 

“Followed Ladybug’s orders,” Alya said. “And for all we know-”

 

“-she could be following Hawkmoth’s,” Chloe said. A still, awkward silence filled the apartment, punctured by the occasional sniffle from Alya as the three of them looked down at the city beneath them.

 

“Great, thanks for bumming us out Alya, ” Chloe sniffed, drawing a watery chuckle from Alya.

 

“I don’t see you making with the good news,” Nino snorted.

 

“Oh, ho, ho, funny you should say that, Shelly,” Chloe said, drawing three identical envelopes from her handbag. “Because guess who’s about to make you two popular .”

 

---

 

“Luka, can I have a minute?”

 

Luka’s eyebrow twitched, shoulders instinctively tightening as a white hot jolt of irritation crawled through him.

 

“Yes, Marco?” Luka said, closing the door to the back alley as he turned to face his manager.

 

“Look, you’ve been doing great handling the graveyard shift solo,” Marco said. “Everything’s set up fine and unpacked properly-”

 

“Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?” Luka sighed.

 

“I can’t pay you for four hours if you clock out after one,” Marco said, crossing his arms.

 

Luka's frown deepened. “What are you talking about; I’m here all night and I hand off to Stephan in the morning.”

 

“The card reader has your badge leaving just after one,” Marco said. “The cameras in the loading bay show you walking down the street. Now, if this is something to do with your mom, I understand, but-”

 

“Marco, I have been working graveyard for weeks now and I haven’t so much as ducked out for a cheeseburger mid-shift,” Luka said, agitation bubbling up inside him like molten metal. “Even if I was, what difference does it make?! You said yourself that you didn’t have any complaints on how I closed up, right?!”

 

“Luka-”

 

“I just don’t get why my balls are the only ones being busted over this!” Luka snapped. “Simon can’t be bothered to show up half the time and I don’t see you riding him!”

 

“I don’t rely on Simon like I rely on you,” Marco said, eyes narrowing. “I don’t want to micromanage you, Luka-”

 

“Could have fooled me,” Luka muttered, snagging his jacket as he turned to leave. “I’ll be here for my shift tonight; my whole shift, thank you.”

 

Marco’s reply was cut short by the sound of the door slamming behind him as Luka stepped into the chilly night air, fists balled in his pockets as he shot the security camera outside the loading bay a dirty look.

 

“Fucking idiot,” Luka muttered under his breath. “Moron acting like I don’t know where I’ve been...trying to tell me I’ve been sneaking out...prick…”

 

Blood pounded in his ears as he ducked into an alleyway, glancing around before brushing his fingers across his belt buckle. In a flash of light, Mayura’s power settled over him and Luka immediately felt more at ease. The weight and banality of his life seemed to melt away, leaving nothing but pure, perfect peace that seemed to lift him with every step he took. There was a simplicity to being Mayura; as though all the doubt and stress that plagued his daily life was taken away and all he was left with was power and purpose.

 

It was that purpose that got him endless surveillance; purpose that got him through every failed battle and protected him from Queen Bee’s barbs.

 

Fuck em, Mayura thought as he floated above the rooftops. I’m not doing this for them...I’m doing this for-

 

Mayura paused as he always did across the street from Marinette’s bakery, glancing in her bedroom window to see her hard at work, pinning periwinkle blue fabric to the back of a mannequin. He wondered if he should stop in for a moment but she had a look on her face told him that she was deep in the middle of a design streak he didn’t feel like interrupting. Some of his favorite Sunday afternoons had been spent idly plucking away on his electric guitar while Marinette drafted or stitched in the corner. There was something so peacefully domestic about it; the sound of pencil on paper broken only by the occasional guitar lick and a smattering of conversation. In the early days of his mother’s diagnosis, Marinette’s loft had been an oasis of peace; a place where he could just escape for a few hours and spend time with someone he looked forward to spending the rest of his life with.

 

A cold, sick sensation trickled down throat as he imagined Adrien occupying his spot on Marinette’s fainting couch, sneaking up on Marinette and kissing the top of her head, tickling her as she laughed and playfully slapped his hands away-

 

Mayura turned away with a low, primal snarl, leaping into the night towards Kagami’s house to start his evening surveillance.

 

---

 

Mayura hadn’t moved in a little over an hour.

 

At first Kagami thought her security system had shorted out, displaying the same image as she pretended to watch TV. But the more she looked at him, the more she noticed the lack of any noticeable fidgeting or pacing like Mayura usually did when he watched her apartment. Instead, he just stood there, almost unblinking as he watched her front door with an almost single minded focus.

 

To be honest, it was more than a little unnerving.

 

Kagami made a show of stretching in front of the window, cracking her neck as she feigned a yawn and turned the television off. Keeping an eye on the figure across the street, Kagami made her way upstairs, knocking twice on the door to her office with a glance over her shoulder.

 

“Is that the pizza guy?”

 

“Ha ha,” Kagami said, wincing as the door to her office opened to a dark, chilly black oubliette. Kagami ducked in, tugging her cardigan around her shoulders as she descended the steps into Chat Noir’s Sanctuary.

 

“Hey, where’s my gorgonzola and ricotta calzone?” Plagg called from the far side of the Sanctuary.

 

“The pizza store refused to make it and called me a monster for ordering it,” Kagami said, sliding next to Chat Noir as he scowled at an apple on a pillar made of obsidian.

 

“Our friend still up there?” Chat Noir asked, growling in frustration as his Cataclysm peeled the skin off the apple.

 

“He’s just...staring at me,” Kagami said, glancing at the map and case files they had moved into the Sanctuary. “Hasn’t moved in an hour so...it’s very weird.”

 

“Yeah, well, he’s a weirdo,” Chat Noir muttered. “A big spineless weirdo who does whatever Ladybug tells him to do, including standing in the freezing wind for hours on end.”

 

“He does seem to have stepped up his patrols recently,” Kagami said with a shudder. “It was lucky that Ladybug let you know she was taking more of an interest in me; I shudder to think what would happen if Mayura found our files in my office.”

 

“Either I got lucky or Ladybug’s getting sloppy,” Chat Noir sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Both are probably signs the world is coming to an end.”

 

“I have to admit that I was surprised she texted you like that,” Kagami said. “It was almost...careless.”

 

“Too careless,” Chat Noir chuckled, biting his bottom lip. “The fact that she tipped her hand like that means we’re either getting to her or she’s losing control of the situation.”

 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Kagami asked. “If Ladybug’s off balance then she’s more likely to make a mistake, right?”

 

“We need Ladybug to be off-balance but not think she’s off-balance,” Chat Noir said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “If I really wanted to screw Ladybug-”

 

“And I’m sure you have,” Plagg snickered.

 

“-I would make her think she was in control of the situation until i was ready to make my move,” Chat Noir said, shooting a sharp glare at Plagg. “Once she knows she’s backed into a corner, she can start planning her way out. No, if we want to beat Ladybug, we need to convince her that she has the upper hand; let her think she's got me pinned down at your place while we work on figuring out a way to stop her. As long as she thinks her plans are working, she’s got no reason to alter her course of action.”

 

“So that's our plan for now?” Kagami asked. “Run the clock out?”

 

“I don’t believe for a second that Ladybug and Hawkmoth actually get along,” Chat Noir said, folding his arms as he looked up at the map. “As much as she's willing to hold her nose and work with him, I don't think they're having slumber parties at the Hawklair. They want this all over fast and the longer we make them wait for their neat and quick ending, the more friction we can create between them. All we need to do is frustrate them until they start fighting amongst themselves and swoop in once their war spills out into public.”

 

“And while we’re waiting, Andre’s security goons are starting to pick apart people who were close to you,” Kagami countered. “The longer you go without showing yourself, the more room people have to imagine you as some kind of boogeyman.”

 

“So what; start pulling cats out of trees and hope it improves my cred?” Chat Noir snorted. “I doubt the Ladyblog is gonna run a fluff piece on my sweeter side after that business with the shelter.”

 

“No, but just waiting for Ladybug and Hawkmoth to turn on each other doesn’t strike me as much of a plan,” Kagami sighed. “If you had the others on your side...could you take Ladybug and Mayura?”

 

Chat Noir frowned at the map for a long moment, saying nothing as his eyes scanned over little purple push-pins embedded in the paper.

 

“Maybe,” Chat Noir said, shooting a sidelong glance at Plagg. “Not sure yet...might need a few more tricks up my sleeve.”

 

“I’ll see what other kinds of toys I can rustle up for you, but you still need to get the other three on board somehow,” Plagg said. “Which means you need to prove Ladybug and Hawkmoth are working together.”

 

“It’s that, or find Hawkmoth’s hidden base ourselves and cut the snake off at its head,” Chat Noir sighed, rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers. “So we have three ways forward; wait for Hawkmoth and Ladybug's partnership to dissolve, get the others on my side to fight Ladybug and make her tell me where Hawkmoth is, or find Hawkmoth’s base and nab him with his pants down.”

 

“We can start pursuing them all at the same time and see which bears fruit first,” Kagami said, rubbing her chin. “I wonder if there’s a way to talk with them without drawing Ladybug’s eye…”

 

Chat Noir glanced at Kagami as a thoughtful smile spread across his face. “You up for one more date?"  

Notes:

I'll be real, this chapter was really hard to write for some reason. I think because it's in the way of five chapters I REALLY want to write which are coming up very shortly. Hopefully this wasn't as boring for you to read as this was for me to write!

Next time we have high society intrigue! Plots! Secrets! Charcuterie!

Chapter 26: Dance Dance

“Oh...you just wore your suit?”

 

After almost three months of partnering with her, Mayura had come to appreciate the way Queen Bee managed to be effortlessly condescending. It was a real talent to be able to piss someone off with only a glance and an inflection of tone; if he ever wanted to become a professional asshole, Mayura knew the perfect mentor. 

 

“Not everybody has a hundred euro to spend on a new dress,” Mayura muttered, glancing at the black and yellow ensemble Queen Bee wore over her superhero costume.

 

“Honey, the underwear I’m wearing costs more than a hundred euro,” Queen Bee said, adjusting her glittering topaz earrings with a patronizing look. “A tie would have been nice at least. This is a high-class event, after all.”

 

“How am I supposed to accessorize this ?” Mayura asked, gesturing to his purple and blue feathered cape. "I'm dressed like David Bowie and Elton John abandoned their lovechild in Freddie Mercury's closet."

 

“If Carapace can accessorize with a car tire of a shield hanging out on his back, you could have at least made an effort,” Queen Bee said, gesturing to Rena who was straightening the black and green tortoise shell tie Carapace wore. “Look at Rena; just a black dress, heels, and some jewelry. Something to look like you didn’t just walk in off an Avengers set.”

 

“Come on; we’re superheroes. We don’t need to dress up to impress that lot,” Mayura said, gesturing through the curtain where Mayor Andre’s speech could be vaguely heard.

 

“ That lot is paying for your drinks tonight, Tweety, so you might want to stow the holier-than-thou attitude before you start shmoozing,” Queen Bee sniffed.

 

“Can you save the charm for after the party, Chloe?” Ladybug said as she stepped in through the back door, glancing at her stylized teammates with a frown. “Were we...supposed to dress up?”

 

“Oh, look who’s suddenly overdressed!” Mayura crowed.

 

“ Enough! ” Ladybug hissed, shooting Mayura a warning glare. “Let’s...let's just get through this night in one piece and then you two can kill each other.”

 

“Looking forward to it,” Queen Bee sniffed, sliding between Carapace and Rena Rouge and linking her arms through theirs. “Our cue’s coming up; don’t trip on your ego on the way out the door.”

 

“More likely to trip all over yours,” Mayura muttered, ignoring the playful elbow from Ladybug as he offered his arm for her to take. “Ready?”

 

“As I’ll ever be,” Ladybug said, lacing her arm through his with a small smile. “Let’s get this over with.”

 

“ Ladies and gentlemen,” Mayor Andre’s voice came through the curtain. “ It is my privilege and honor to welcome the Heroes of Paris!”

 

Ladybug stepped through the curtains into a storm of flashing lights and thunderous applause that echoed off the walls of the massive, domed ballroom decorated with banners of red and black. A sea of well dressed, beaming faces looked up at her as she waved back, her own smile feeling a little too forced for the occasion.

 

“I could get used to this,” Mayura muttered, waving at the audience as they ascended the podium, each pausing for a perfunctory handshake shot with Mayor Andre who looked almost beside himself with glee.

 

“I hope you won’t mind saying a few words,” Mayor Andre muttered, gesturing to the microphone podium that looked out over the crowd.

 

“Figured you’d ask,” Ladybug said, holding up a small, folded strip of paper as she approached the mic stand. The applause died down as she cleared her throat, all eyes watching Ladybug as she prepared to speak.

 

“Good evening,” Ladybug said. “Thank you, Mayor Andre, for inviting us here tonight. I know I speak for my team when I say we are thrilled and honored to be a part of tonight’s festivities.”

 

Ladybug allowed a small break for the applause that followed, shooting a sidelong glance at her team who were all watching her intently. Mayura was an unabashed beacon of pride, shooting her a warm smile an an encouraging nod when she met his eyes. The puzzling threesome of Queen Bee, Carapace, and Rena Rouge were harder to read; each intently watching her with a neutral expression of interest that made Ladybug somewhat uneasy.

 

“These past few months have been trying for all of us,” Ladybug continued, glancing out over the crowd. “Chat Noir’s betrayal has hurt me tremendously, but I have found strength in a new team of heroes dedicated to bringing peace and prosperity to Paris once and for all.”

 

Another applause break, punctuated by another storm of flashing lights from the cameras that seemed to snap from every corner of the ballroom.

 

The applause died down into a comfortable silence, punctuated only by the sound of heels on cold marble. “Tonight, we-”

 

Ladybug’s voice caught in her throat as her eyes followed the source of the sound. Descending the ornate staircase at the back of the ballroom, dressed in a lavender gown that flattered every dangerous curve of her body, was Kagami Tsurugi. And on her arm, dressed in a sharp black suit and emerald tie that caught her eye from across the room, was her boyfriend.

 

---

 

“She is looking at me,” Kagami muttered under her breath as they descended the stairs, the silence stretching out for a few uncomfortable seconds.

 

“You’re a beautiful woman in a backless dress; everyone is looking at you,” Adrien said, keeping his eyes on Ladybug as she stared openly at him and Kagami. The fact that Kagami's presence so quickly unnerved Ladybug was a point in their favor and there was something supremely satisfying about watching Ladybug lose her carefully guarded composure. 

 

“Um...tonight we come together to...to stand in the spirit of unity and...and peace!” Ladybug said, clearing her throat with a somewhat uneasy smile.

 

“Seems we’ve nettled her,” Kagami muttered, eyeing Mayura whose expression had notably darkened as his eyes fell on her. “You sure this is a good idea?”

 

“We’re just here for a party,” Adrien said, smiling as Ladybug met his eyes yet again. He hadn’t seen her since the battle on the rooftops and hadn’t had a proper face-to-face conversation with her since the business at the mayor’s residence. Being in the same room as her put him on edge, but he wasn’t nervous; this might have been Ladybug’s soiree, but this was Adrien Agreste’s arena. A place of power and privilege and polish he had been born into and raised in. He may not have always been comfortable with his father’s peers, but he knew how to talk to them; knew how to be charming and witty and so posh that no one would suspect him of a thing.

 

Ladybug didn’t have such advantages.  She stood too tall, puffed out her chest too much, and looked like she was trying too hard to impress herself on the people that surrounded her. Being a superhero granted her entry into the great game of Parisian high society without a rulebook on how to play it.

 

“So on behalf of the Heroes of Paris,” Ladybug said, raising a glass of champagne a waiter placed on the podium beside her. “Thank you for your support!”

 

The audience around Adrien erupted into applause, cheers, and whistles as Adrien just stood there, staring Ladybug dead in the eyes as she turned back to look at him.

 

---

 

“Un...fucking...believable,” Mayura muttered under the roar of applause as he stared at Kagami and Adrien. “You turn your back for one night and model-boy steps out with his ex.”

 

“I’m...sure it’s just a friends thing,” Ladybug muttered, feigning a smile as Mayor Andre pulled them into picture.

 

“Ladybug-”

 

“Can we not talk about this right now?” Ladybug hissed, descending the stairs behind Queen Bee as she watched Adrien and Kagami make their way through the crowd. “Keep an eye on her; see if you can send a knight to her house in case Chat Noir is using this gala to do something at her place.”

 

“ You should keep an eye on her,” Mayura muttered, glancing at Kagami as she kissed Queen Bee on the cheek. “She’s got her hands all over your-”

 

“Adrikins!” Queen Bee cooed, pecking Adrien lightly on each cheek. “I didn’t think you were coming!”

 

“Who else is supposed to make apologies for my father?” Adrien chuckled. “Dad’s working late, but he promised to stop by as soon as he was free.”

 

“I should hope so!” Mayor Andre said, pulling Adrien into a tight hug. “Man his age needs to be thinking about stepping down; spending more time with his family.”

 

“Maybe if you say it, he’ll listen to you,” Adrien said, turning to Kagami. “I believe you know my date for the evening.”

 

“Of course,” Mayor Andre said, kissing the hand Kagami offered. “We don’t forget our Olympic heroes in this city….but let’s bring home gold next time, eh Mme. Tsurugi?”

 

“Of course,” Kagami chuckled, meeting Mayura’s glare with an expression of feigned surprise. “But we are in the presence of true heroes tonight.”

 

“Forgive me; I’m being rude,” Mayor Andre said, turning to the assembled heroes behind him. “This is-”

 

“No introductions needed, Uncle Andre,” Adrien said with a toothy smile, grasping Carapace by the hand with a firm shake. “I’m well acquainted with our city’s finest.”

 

“I’m sure the cops would disagree with you there,” Carapace chuckled.

 

“Let them,” Kagami said, taking Rena Rouge’s offered hand. “Kagami Tsurugi; pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Likewise,” Rena said, eyes drifting between Adrien and Kagami. “I must be behind on my celebrity gossip; I heard a rumor that Adrien was spotted hand in hand with an up and coming designer.”

 

“An up and coming designer that unfortunately had to skip out to design a dress for the Gabriel London show,” Adrien said with no small amount of pride.

 

“Gabriel finally found someone to take under his wing then?” Andre said with a coy smirk.

 

“Someone to put him out of business some day,” Adrien chuckled, glancing at Mayura as though noticing him for the first time. “Don’t believe we’ve been introduced; you’re May...uka?”

 

“...May ura ,” Mayura corrected with a tight smile, squeezing Adrien’s hand a little longer than strictly necessary.

 

“Yes...Team Ladybug’s new leading man,” Adrien said, eyes finally falling on Ladybug who lingered uncomfortably at the edge of the group. “Though I thought Carapace would have beaten you out for seniority’s sake alone.”

 

“ Thank you!” Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, and Carapace said in shocking unison as Adrien brushed past Mayura, taking Ladybug’s hands in his own with a warm smile.

 

“Lady of the year,” Adrien said, bringing one of Ladybug’s hands up and kissing the back of her knuckles. “We meet again.”

 

“M.Adrien,” Ladybug stammered with a small, shaky smile. “How nice to see you again after so long.”

 

“Don’t seem to be in need of rescuing as often these days,” Adrien chuckled, ignoring the scowl Mayura made no effort to hide. “Doesn’t seem to be that many opportunities; hasn’t been an akuma attack in, what, two months?”

 

“Yes...seems Hawkmoth’s newest pawn has taken the akuma’s place,” Mayor Andre sniffed.

 

“But you don’t need to worry your pretty little head about that,” Mayura said, clapping Adrien hard on the shoulder. “Team Ladybug won’t let Chat Noir get to you.”

 

“I don’t think you will; especially after the four-star security service my friend has been getting from you,” Adrien said, turning to Mayor Andre. “Ladybug and Mayura have been keeping an eye on Kagami ever since they thought she had a brush with Chat Noir.”

 

“For her safety,” Ladybug butted in, shooting Kagami a smile she hoped was convincing. “And with her permission, of course.”

 

“Yes, Mayura’s been like a second security system for weeks now,” Kagami said, locking eyes with Mayura. “It’s...comforting to know Ladybug could spare someone to make sure I’m safe.”

 

“All part of the job,” Mayura said.

 

“A job you seem to take very seriously,” Kagami said, glancing at Rena Rouge who had one ear cocked to the conversation as she chatted with the Dutch ambassador. “Can’t imagine watching me all night is an easy job.”

 

“ All night?” Queen Bee asked, glancing at Mayura with a thinly disguised sneer.

 

“In a completely professional capacity,” Mayura clarified.

 

“Mayura is very thorough,” Ladybug laughed somewhat awkwardly. "And very committed to his post." 

 

“Proper replacement for Chat Noir then,” Adrien said, keeping one eye on Ladybug as he clapped Mayura on the shoulder.

 

“More than just a replacement, right Ladybug?” Mayura said, turning to Ladybug who downed the rest of her champagne with one fluid gulp.

 

“Mayura’s...well, he’s been great,” Ladybug said, plucking another flute of champagne off a tray as a waiter came around. “A real credit to the team.”

 

“Well, that calls for a toast then,” Adrien said, raising his own glass and lightly rapping his knuckle against the side of the flute as he locked eyes with a rather pale looking Ladybug. “Excuse me! Can I have everyone’s attention?”

 

“That’s really not necessary,” Ladybug said as a series of musical pings drew the small crowd’s attention to Adrien and Ladybug.

 

“I’ll make it quick,” Adrien muttered, turning to the crowd with his best model’s smile. “Sorry to interrupt, everyone. I promise I won’t take up too much of your time.”

 

“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Adrien Agreste,” Adrien continued, ignoring the mortified look of confusion Kagami shot him. “You may recognize me from the godawful bus ads my father’s marketing division cooked up.”

 

Adrien waited for the smattering of polite laughter to die down, silently drinking in the way Ladybug seemed to shift uncomfortably under everyone’s attention.

 

“What you may not know is that I’m also a part-time damsel in distress,” Adrien continued. “In fact, I think my school's yearbook committee is going to vote me Most Likely to Get Attacked by Akuma. These last few months are probably the longest I’ve gone without being targeted by one of Hawkmoth’s superfreaks.”

 

“Now, most sane people would have just up and moved,” Adrien said, eyes roaming over his costumed former comrades. “But as anyone who has lived here recently can tell you, you can always count on the Heroes of Paris to do the right thing. Every one of us, in some way or another, has been saved by the efforts of Ladybug and her team at some point. Whether that’s being protected from direct akumitization or being protected from all the...frankly silly ways Hawkmoth has attacked our city, we can always count on Ladybug to step up and do the right thing.”

 

With no small amount of satisfaction, Adrien turned to Ladybug, meeting her pale, sickly complexion with the most genuine smile he could muster.

 

“Even with the...unfortunate business involving Chat Noir, I know we can rely on Ladybug and her new team to bring Hawkmoth to justice and avenge the thousands of innocent people he’s harmed over the years,” Adrien continued, sweeping the crowd that ate out of the palm of his hand. “I believe now, more than ever, we are on the road to a future without Hawkmoth and whatever cronies choose to support him!”

 

Oh, does that make you uncomfortable? Adrien thought as clamors of support rang out through the crowd and seemed to unsettle Ladybug more and more with each passing cheer.

 

“To Ladybug,” Adrien toasted. “The most honest, faithful, and truest friend this city has.”

 

“ Ladybug!” The crowd toasted, clinking their glasses together as Ladybug fought to keep her smile from faltering.

 

Smile all you want, Adrien thought. I can tell when you’re faking.

 

---

 

Get a hold of yourself.

 

Ladybug pressed her temples against the sides of her head, taking deep breaths through her nose as the cold autumn air lashed against her cheeks. She didn’t know how a toast in her favor could feel like a slap in the face until hundreds of people were applauding her for something she wasn’t doing, hadn’t done, and had no intention of doing. Every beaming smile, every shake of the hand pricked her conscience until she had to flee the ballroom, stealing away and sequestering herself on a balcony away from prying eyes and grateful civilians.

 

Get a hold of yourself.

 

She didn’t know if the champagne was to blame for the churning, gnawing sense of nausea that lingered in the back of her throat or if facing the public for the first time in weeks was exposing the cracks in her barricade of justification. To hear Adrien so warmly and so openly praise her, innocent of the things she had done to keep him safe and happy, was almost more than she could bear. It made her want to run from him; not even look him in the eye on the off-chance she saw a glimmer of respect or admiration-

 

“Will you get a hold of yourself?”

 

Ladybug whipped around to see Gabriel Agreste staring down at her, a glass of champagne in his hands and a barely concealed sneer on his face.

 

“How long have you been here?” Ladybug asked, quickly wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

 

“Long enough to see that display Adrien put on and watch you slink out of the ballroom like a wounded puppy,” Gabriel sniffed, taking a sip of his drink.

 

“Wow, I’m surprised you actually showed up to one of your son’s presentations,” Ladybug scoffed.

 

“Spare me the guilt trip,” Gabriel said. “Your absence is being noted; it’s only a matter of time before your feathered friend comes poking around for you.”

 

“Let him poke,” Ladybug muttered. “I needed a minute to myself.”

 

“You’ve taken more than one-”

 

“Oh, go to hell,” Ladybug grumbled.

 

“I’m trying to leave, actually,” Gabriel said, turning to head back inside. “Moping in the cold doesn’t make things better; it’s just a balm for hurt feelings that goes away before you know it.”

 

“This coming from a guy who disappeared from the world after his wife went missing?” Ladybug muttered, following him back into the ballroom.

 

“When you have lost as I’ve lost, you can talk to me about coping strategies,” Gabriel sniffed. “Until then-”

 

Gabriel stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowing as he looked into the crowd. “What...is she doing here?”

 

“Adrien brought her as a date,” Ladybug said with a shrug, eyes catching Kagami’s purple gown in a sea of black and white. “Didn’t you know that?”

 

“Not her ,” Gabriel said, palming the top of Ladybug’s head and tilting her gaze over to a tall, white haired woman in a crisp white suit that looked oddly like-

 

“Oh you must be fucking kidding me,” Ladybug muttered as Master He turned, catching her eye with a small, secretive smile. “Did you know she was coming?!”

 

“If I knew she was coming I would not be here,” Gabriel said, backing up as Mayor Andre took notice of them. “I shouldn’t be here; I-”

 

“Gabriel!” Mayor Andre called, parting the crowd and making his way through the crowd, trailed by a woman whose smile seemed less like a greeting a threat.  “I was just about to go looking for you, I’d like you to meet-”

 

“Dr. He Quiong,” Master He said, taking Gabriel’s free hand and shaking it before he could fully extract himself from the situation. “Director of Medical Research and Chairman of the Lotus Medical Group.”

 

“I...uh...Gabriel Agreste,” Gabriel muttered, pulling his hand away as soon as courtesy allowed him to and shooting her a shaky smile. Ladybug was aware on some level that Gabriel was a black hole of charisma, but seeing him interacting with his peers really drove home the fact that her ex-mentor had lived as a shut-in sorcerer for the last few years. It was honestly astonishing that Adrien had anything even remotely resembling a personality, considering the stoic, charmless adults he had to model himself after.

 

“And you must be Mme. Ladybug,” Master He said, holding out her hand for Ladybug to shake. “The lady of the evening; a great pleasure to meet you.”

 

Still nonplussed by the appearance of a woman who had kicked her around like football and came within inches of unraveling her whole scheme, Ladybug just stared at Master He for a long second until Mayor Andre interrupted with a polite clearing of his throat.

 

“Dr. He just made a surprisingly generous donation to expand the research division Paris Central’s children’s hospital,” Mayor Andre said. “The oncology department in particular is looking to get a full overhaul.”

 

“There’s a number of cutting-edge treatments that have been making my patients’ lives in Hong Kong remarkably easier,” Master He said, hand still hovering in mid-air for Ladybug to shake.

 

“That’s...yeah, that’s generous,” Ladybug managed to choke out, shaking Master He’s hand as quickly as humanly possible and retreating just as quickly. “Very generous...thank you for your support.”

 

“I was actually wondering if I could pick your brain on some outreach efforts,” Master He said, taking a sip of her drink. “I understand you and your partner did quite a few sick kid visits and-”

 

“I was actually in the middle of talking to M. Agreste about doing some promotional work for him,” Ladybug said, shooting a glance at Gabriel who looked mortified at the suggestion. “We were maybe thinking about running some ads where-”

 

“Excuse me, M. Agreste?” A waiter hovered on the edge of the circle, waving to get Gabriel’s attention. “We have a call for you at the front.”

 

“Oh thank god,” Gabriel sighed, shooting Master He and Mayor Andre a shaky smile. “If you’ll excuse me-”

 

“But-” Ladybug reached out for Gabriel as he slipped through the crowd, silently glaring daggers at his retreating back. “You lousy, good for nothing-”

 

“Quite the party, isn’t it?” Ladybug tensed, turning back to see that Mayor Andre had slipped away, leaving Ladybug and Master He standing relatively alone off to one side of the ballroom.

 

“What are you doing here?” Ladybug hissed.

 

“Mingling with Paris’ high society and drinking the mayor’s wine,” Master He shrugged, smacking her lips thoughtfully as she regarded the glass in her hand. “I expected...more out of wine served at the Mayor of Paris’ party. I mean, I am partial to Californian vineyards but this is honestly just grape juice-”

 

“If you came here looking for a fight-”

 

“My girl, if I wanted to fight, we would be fighting right now,” Master He chuckled. “You have nothing to worry about tonight; you should enjoy the party. It is in honor of all the hard work you do protecting this city, isn’t it?”

 

“Oh spare me the guilt trip,” Ladybug said, glancing around to see if anyone was listening. “What do you want?”

 

“A decent glass of  Gewurztraminer  to start with-”

 

“With me ,” Ladybug said through gritted teeth, catching Carapace’s eye from across the ballroom.

 

“What I’ve always wanted, Mademoiselle,” Master He said. “For you to live up to the trust Master Fu put in you. Even after this...bad business with your partner, there’s still time for you to do the right thing .”

 

“And you’re an expert on this, Mme. Cloak and Dagger?” Ladybug asked.

 

“Well, I’m always open to a second opinion,” Master He said, looking at Rena Rouge across the hall over her glasses. “Why don’t we ask your team; see if they have anything to contribute-”

 

Ladybug’s hand lashed out, catching Master He on the elbow with a hard squeeze and a sharp glare. “Stay...away...from them .”

 

“Or what?” Master He said, leaning in with a challenging smirk. “You’re going to attack a frail old woman in front of the Mayor? Tell his goons that someone who builds hospitals for children with cancer is working with a terrorist?”

 

“I’m not above that-”

 

“Yes you are,” Master He said. “Much as you pretend you aren’t, you are still very much above that. There is still quite a ways for you to fall, Ladybug; the bad news is that the longer you fall, the more damage you’re going to do to yourself when you finally hit rock bottom.”

 

Ladybug set her lips in a thin line, flinching a little as Master He lightly patted her on the shoulder on the way past.

 

“I’ll let you get back to your well-wishers,” Master He said. “Try the meatballs next time they come around; they were very juicy.”

 

Ladybug watched Master He go, fists clenched and shoulders tense as Carapace slid up beside her.

 

“Who was that?”

 

“No one,” Ladybug muttered, snatching a plate of meatballs off a passing plate. “No one at all.”

 

Carapace frowned, glancing at the tall woman in white who shot him a friendly wave as she disappeared into the crowd.

 

---

 

“Gentleman on line two for you, M. Agreste,” the concierge said as Gabriel stepped into the reception hall.

 

“Did he say who he was?” Gabriel asked, relieved that he could get away from the prying eyes of that wrinkled old witch.

 

“A...business associate of yours,” the concierge said with a helpless shrug. “Said that you had missed the last few meetings and he was calling to check up on you.”

 

“What meetings? I’ve never missed a meeting a day in my-” Gabriel trailed off, looking down at the receiver with sudden dread. “...leave us.”

 

The concierge bowed, slipping away as Gabriel slowly lifted the phone to his ear, handling it like it was an angry rattlesnake ready to strike. “...hello?”

 

“ Having fun, Gabriel?" 

 

Gabriel tensed, stomach dropping as a low, familiar voice came across the other end of the line.

 

“What do you want?” Gabriel said, glancing around to see if anyone was listening in.

 

“Is that any way to talk to a friend?” The voice chuckled. “I’m just calling to see how you’re holding up; it’s been a few months since we talked and I-”

 

“I am doing fine, thank you,” Gabriel snapped. “How did you even know I was here?”

 

“ An exclusive gala thrown by the Mayor of Paris seemed like the best place to catch you at this time of night,” the voice continued. “ You missed our last check-in; I wanted to make sure our little project was moving forward smoothly.”

 

Gabriel’s stomach turned, leaning on the desk for support as he glared daggers into open air. “...the...the specimens are doing fine. I’m...I’m feeding them tonight, actually-”

 

“ You know, you’re more nurturing than I took you for.”

 

“Do not patronize me,” Gabriel said, fidgeting with his tie clip. “...I had to put one into play.”

 

“...is that right?”

 

“Consider it a test drive,” Gabriel said, straightening up as a couple walked past the front desk. “I saw an opportunity to bid for the... antiques I wanted and I took it.”

 

“ Ah, so that schism between Ladybug and Chat Noir was your doing?” The voice laughed. “I saw something about Chat Noir working with Hawkmoth on the evening news; I would be very interested to meet him when I come to town.”

 

“You’re...you’re coming to Paris?” Gabriel asked, feeling a cold chill run down his spine even as music and laughter floated down from upstairs.

 

“ We are coming to Paris,” the voice clarified. “ We’d like to see how our investment is developing...and see if we can’t help you speed the process along.”

 

“I told you, I have everything-”

 

-handled, yes,” the voice said dismissively. “ I’m sure you think you do.”

 

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

 

“Just a friendly warning not to count your Miraculous before they hatch,” the voice said. “Enjoy the party, M. Agreste.”

 

“Wait, what are you-” Gabriel trailed off as the line went dead with a snap, the dial tone purring in his ear as he quietly put the phone down.

 

He’s coming to Paris, Gabriel thought, a cold, sickening dread washing down his back. They’re coming to Paris... she is-

 

“Everything okay, Uncle Gabriel?” Gabriel flinched, whipping around to see Queen Bee hovering behind him, hand outstretched and a concerned look on her face. “You look a little pale.”

 

“I’m fine,” Gabriel coughed, straightening his tie. “Bad meatballs; that’s all.”

 

Queen Bee frowned as Gabriel brushed past her, tilting her head as she her attention to the phone behind the desk. 

Notes:

SO this was originally supposed to be much longer but the second half of this is getting toothy and the conversation between Gabriel and the Enigmatic Man seemed like an ominous enough note to end on.

NEXT TIME: Omnious Ladrien, more ship-tease than a sex shop for tugboats, and Gabriel's mystery project gets unveiled! Will Master He get a decent glass of wine?! Which one of our heroes will get food poisoning from the meatballs?! Tune in next week/later this week to find out!

Chapter 27: Putting on the Ritz

 “Ow!” Adrien rubbed the spot on his shoulder where Kagami’s fist struck. “What gives?”

 

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Kagami said, crossing her arms. “What was that little display about?”

 

“Can’t a guy show a little gratitude?” Adrien said, leaning against an ornate pillar as he watched Ladybug mingle with the crowd below. Master He’s tall, pale figure orbited her ever so slightly, keeping one eye on her as Ladybug did her best to avoid the older woman’s gaze.  “I thought this was supposed to be Ladybug appreciation night.”

 

“You wanted to hurt her,” Kagami said, narrowing her eyes at him.

 

“By saying nice things about her?”

 

“Adrien-”

 

“Fine; so I twisted the knife a little,” Adrien huffed. “So what?”

 

“I don’t have any issue with fighting Ladybug when we need to, but being unnecessarily cruel-”

 

“Who said it was unnecessary?” Adrien said, catching Ladybug’s eye with a small wave. “Ladybug was always one to feel guilty when she inadvertently harmed someone; this is a girl who apologizes to akuma victims she thinks she had a hand in creating. That speech proves she’s still got a nugget of good left in her that may make turning her on Hawkmoth easier.”

 

“That, or she’s just worried the world is catching on to her,” Kagami said.

 

“Either way suits our endgame,” Adrien shrugged, glancing down at Ladybug. “Which is to unsettle Ladybug and make her question the path she’s on.”

 

“Was that Master He’s idea or yours?”

 

“Hey, I’m capable of coming up with plots on my own,” Adrien sniffed, locking eyes with his mentor for a brief moment before they poignantly looked away, neither wanting to give Ladybug any reason to suspect a connection between them.

 

“Well warn me next time you’re planning on coming up with a plot on your own,” Kagami muttered.

 

“It was a spur of the moment play; won’t happen again,” Adrien muttered scowling at the crowd beneath him. “Ready to get back to mingling with the Chat Noir Hate Club?”

 

“You didn’t really expect this to be a sympathetic crowd, did you?”

 

“No...but there’s a difference between knowing the whole city hates you and having people tell you how much they hate you to your face,” Adrien sighed, running a hand through his hair. “The American ambassador literally called for my head on a plate.”

 

“He’s an American politician; of course he’s calling for wanton and unnecessary violence,” Kagami said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll have your chance to prove them wrong.”

 

“The thing is...I won’t,” Adrien chuckled ruefully. “See...if I bin Ladybug and I take out Hawkmoth, there’s no one left to clear Chat Noir’s name when all is said and done. Paris is never going to know what happened; it’ll be like Ladybug, Hawkmoth, and Chat Noir all disappeared overnight.”

 

“The other three-”

 

“Don’t have the kind of clout that Ladybug has,” Adrien said, watching his former partner make her way through the crowd, shaking hands with ambassadors and business leaders. “Her word is gold and if we strip her Miraculous away from her, she’s not going to be in any position to retract her smear campaign. Chat Noir will always be the traitor who sold his partner out and teamed with Hawkmoth.”

 

“Maybe there’s a way to get to Hawkmoth without going through Ladybug?” Kagami suggested. “If we take him out first...”

 

Kagami trailed off as she fumbled to come up with a solution that didn't involve eliminating Ladybug. 

 

“You think she’ll be any more likely to help me after I take out her meal ticket?” Adrien said, shaking his head. “My reputation can’t be a deciding factor in our plans going forward; bigger things are going on than the fact I've dropped off Paris' top hero poll completely.”

 

Adrien’s eyes drifted towards the banner detailing the heroes of Paris, silently mourning the absence of Chat Noir’s green and black symbol next to Ladybug’s.

 

“No...stopping Hawkmoth is the only thing that matters anymore,” Adrien said with a resigned sigh. “No matter what happens, Chat Noir’s days as a public hero are over. Just gonna have to get used to that.”

 

“...well, if it means anything,” Kagami said, leaning in and kissing Adrien’s cheek. “You’re the only hero I still respect.”

 

"Really?" Adrien said with a weak smile. "Not even Carapace?" 

 

"He's fine, I guess," Kagami shrugged. "But I have to wonder if-" 

 

“A- hem .”

 

Adrien turned around as he felt a figure approach them from behind, stepping out of the shadows and approaching them with a suspicious glint in his eye. 

 

“You’re making the rounds tonight, aren’t ya?” Mayura said. “Superheroes...up and coming fashion designers...Olympic athletes; you’re a popular guy, huh?”

 

“One of the perks of being the mayor’s godson,” Adrien said, trying not to look too tense as Mayura approached. “Enjoying the party?”

 

“Not as much as you are, clearly,” Mayura said, glancing at Kagami. “Not interrupting anything, am I?”

 

“Well, we were just about to make passionate love on the balcony,” Adrien said dryly. “I’d ask you to go, but you seem to have a thing for watching my friend-”

 

“Oh, I’ve watched more than just your friend,” Mayura said, eyes narrowing as Adrien’s fists tightened in his pocket, fingering his ring as Mayura spoke. “I’ve actually watched you come and go a few times, now that I think about it.”

 

“Sadly, the teleporter I’ve been working on isn’t functional, so we have to use doors like common street-people,” Kagami said, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have a point?”

 

“I’m just curious if M. Agreste’s girlfriend knows he’s sneaking out of your house at all hours of the night,” Mayura asked, leveling his gaze on Kagami.

 

“Of course she does; we are part of Adrien’s fawning harem of wildly obsessed love slaves,” Kagami said dryly, earning a chuckle from Adrien. “We have a rotating schedule, you see; we pass him around depending on the night of the week.”

 

“I think we may have an opening,” Adrien said, standing up straight and locking eyes with Mayura. “If M. Mayura can keep up with our wild physical exploits, that is.”

 

“Oh, I think you’ll find I’m more than either of you could handle,” Mayura said, tensing as Adrien drew up to his full height.

 

“Maybe I can be the judge of that,” Kagami said, stepping between them, laying a hand on Mayura’s chest to stop his advance. Before he could react, she grasped Mayura by the wrist and started tugging him down the staircase.

 

“Wait, where are we going?” Mayura said, glancing back to see Adrien had vanished from the corner he was standing in.

 

“I think I owe you a dance for all you’ve done to keep me safe,” Kagami said, catching Adrien’s eye as he melted into the shadows behind her.

 

---

 

“Y-You know, I’m technically, still on the clock!” Mayura stammered as Ladybug watched him get all but dragged onto the dance floor by Kagami. “Ladybug probably wants me to run security or-”

 

“This doesn’t seem like your friend’s type of party.”

 

The soft voice in her ear made Ladybug jump, spinning around to find Adrien at her shoulder, watching Kagami awkwardly position Mayura’s hands as she guided him through a rather frenetic waltz.

 

“Not all of us are on Paris’ seasonal gala invite list,” Ladybug said, feeling unnaturally exposed even behind a suit of impenetrable fabric. Interacting with Adrien as Ladybug only seemed to heighten her anxiety; just being around him meant that she had to put up more and more of a front to avoid directly lying to him. “Your girlfriend seems to be showing him the ropes.”

 

“Good thing she knows how to lead,” Adrien said. “And an ex-girlfriend actually; my girlfriend got hung up with work and couldn’t make it.”

 

“That’s...too bad,” Ladybug said.

 

“It’s fine; I’m used to my loved ones bailing on me to work on clothes at this point,” Adrien chuckled, thankfully oblivious to the way Ladybug winced almost audibly. “Being Gabriel Agreste’s son has conditioned me to accept ‘design time’ as an excuse for pretty much anything.”

 

“I’m sure she’ll find a way to make it up to you,” Ladybug said. “...I think. Probably.”

 

“I’m not too concerned about it,” Adrien said, offering a hand to Ladybug. “Care to dance?”

 

“I would make Mayura look graceful by comparison,” Ladybug chuckled, rubbing her arm somewhat self-consciously.

 

“Somehow, I doubt that,” Adrien chuckled, jerking his head towards the dancefloor. “Come on; let’s give the Ladyblog something to print tomorrow.”  

 

“Your girlfriend won’t mind seeing you out with another lady?” Ladybug asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Last I checked, a dance wasn’t a wedding invitation,” Adrien said, leaving the invitation lingering in the air as Ladybug looked at his hand. Part of her (the rational, fearful part of her that wanted to put as much distance between herself and Adrien as humanly possible) wanted to come up with another excuse; wanted to slip back into the comforting tedium of entertaining the elite of Paris.

 

A larger part said, fuck it; I want to dance with my boyfriend.

 

“Alright, but if I step on your toes, you can’t sue me,” Ladybug said, taking Adrien’s hand.

 

“Believe me, Ladybug, suing you is the last thing I want to do,” Adrien said, gripping her hand tightly as he wheeled her onto the ballroom dance floor.

 

---

 

“Did she tell you she had Mayura watching Kagami?”

 

Rena Rouge shook her head, hair tumbling down as Carapace dipped her backwards.

 

“Not a clue,” Rena Rouge hissed, spinning into Queen Bee’s waiting embrace as the small crowd watched them dance. “Did she tell you anything about her little nightly survey routines?”

 

“Okay, first of all, hand on my back like you’re doing a proper tango-”

 

“Chloe, focus! ”

 

“Fine; guess I’m leading,” Queen Bee sighed, grabbing Rena Rouge’s hand and tugging her close as they danced back across the ballroom floor. After fruitlessly trying to slip away from the crowd for half an hour, Queen Bee tugged them both on the dance floor. Now everyone in the room was watching the three of them trade partners, but no one could hear their conversation over the band’s music.

 

“Shock of shocks, Ladybug didn’t loop me in to her pervert voyeur gameplan,” Queen Bee said, twirling Rena Rouge around and wrapping her arms around her waist as she watched Kagami and Mayura dance on the other side of the ballroom. “Which means we’re slipping further and further out of Ladybug’s inner circle.”

 

---

 

“You know, it’s rude to ignore your dance partner.”

 

Mayura’s gaze snapped back to Kagami’s less than impressed expression as she wheeled him around the dance floor.

 

“It’s rude to not dance with the one that brought you too,” Mayura sighed, shooting a shaky smile to the crowd of onlookers. “We’re breaking all kinds of etiquette in front of all these fancy people, aren’t we?”

 

“The only thing fancy about these people are their clothes,” Kagami muttered under her breath. “So I think some breaches in protocol can be excused.”

 

“Does that include stepping out with someone else’s boyfriend?” Mayura asked.

 

“You know, going to a party with someone doesn’t count as dating,” Kagami sighed, arm sliding around Mayura’s waist as the music slowed. “Dancing with someone doesn’t either; otherwise your date would be an accomplice to adultery right now.”

 

Mayura stiffened, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Ladybug wasn’t watching. To his relief and slight disappointment, Ladybug didn’t seem to be paying any mind to him at all. She was wrapped up, physically and emotionally, with Adrien who guided her across the dance floor like a fish through water. Every now and then, he would say something that would draw an audible laugh from Ladybug, a beaming, genuine smile crossing her face for the first time since they got there.

 

“Green around the gills?” Mayura looked down to see Kagami had followed his gaze to the happy couple across the room.

 

“You wouldn’t...be interested in running away with Adrien Agreste, would you?” Mayura asked, earning a dry laugh from Kagami. “It would really help me out a lot if pretty-boy was off the market...permanently.”

 

“So I should kidnap him and taken him to America for a casino wedding?”

 

“I will sing at your wedding if you do,” Mayura promised. “Hell, I’ll pay for your wedding if you do.”

 

“If you knew what kind of weddings my family throws, you wouldn’t be so quick to offer,” Kagami chuckled.

 

“How much would it cost me to get you to publicly make out with him somewhere where Ladybug could see him?”

 

“More than I think you could afford,” Kagami said, watching Adrien and Ladybug cut their way through the crowd. “We’ve agreed not to kiss each other like that anymore.”

 

“You...used to be an item?” Mayura said, pretending he and Marinette hadn’t gone on more than one double date with Adrien and Kagami.

 

“For a while,” Kagami said with a fond, somewhat distant smile. “For as long as we needed each other like that.”

 

“No chance of rekindling an old flame?” Mayura asked.

 

“Not so long as we want to burn different things,” Kagami said, shaking her head as though to clear a thought or a memory from her mind. “Sorry; I’m not the one to distract Mme. Ladybug from her affections. Mme. Dupain-Cheng has done that already, so you have nothing to worry about.”

 

“Yeah...that’d be nice,” Mayura sighed, looking down at Kagami with a curious frown. It was strange to think that this woman that had Ladybug so on edge was shorter than even Marinette was; that for all her supposed strength and cunning, she looked and felt like just another woman his age; another college student who liked BBC dramas from the 70's and salt and pepper chicken from the takeout place down the street. 

 

Did she even know that she was helping a monster?

 

---

 

“No dress tonight?”

 

“Thought the suit would be enough,” Ladybug chuckled, setting into an even rhythm as Adrien led her around the dance floor. “You’re not the first person to roast me on it either.”

 

“Let it never be said that the second most fashionable person I know will miss a chance to make snarky comments about someone else’s clothes,” Adrien chuckled.

 

“After your father?”

 

“After my girlfriend,” Adrien said, privately wondering if exposing that much about Marinette was a good idea. There was nothing to suggest that Ladybug had any inkling that he was Chat Noir but the ominous way she ended their last conversation had put Adrien on edge.

 

“Really?” Ladybug said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“You would think the head of a multi-billion dollar fashion empire would have a better sense of personal style,” Adrien sighed, earning a bubbly giggle from Ladybug. It had been so long since he had heard Ladybug laugh that the sound of it almost stopped Adrien in his tracks. It was a sudden, stark reminder that at one point, they would have probably attended this function as friends.

 

As far as she knew, they still were. 

 

"Don't let him hear you say that," Ladybug chuckled. 

 

"I've said it to his face on more than one occasion," Adrien said, glancing at Rena Rouge as they wheeled past her and Queen Bee. 

 

---

 

“You think she’s onto us?” Rena Rouge asked as they waltzed past Adrien and Ladybug.

 

“If she was, would we be able to do anything about it?” Queen Bee asked, noting the tall, white haired woman who seemed to be watching them from the balcony. “Wanna see if you can figure out who Grandma is and why Ladybug doesn’t want to get within fifty meters of her?”

 

“I’m sure I can think of something,” Rena Rouge said, twirling Queen Bee into Carapace’s waiting grasp. “Cover for me!”

 

“So what’s our gameplan?” Carapace muttered, catching Queen Bee mid-twirl.

 

“Make a scene,” Queen Bee said, twirling her fingers in Carepace’s tie. “Keep their eyes on us so your girlfriend can sneak away.”

 

“If I wanted to turn heads, I’d have Alya wear that dress you bought her without her suit,” Carapace said, watching the flat of Queen Bee’s gloved hand slide up his chest and wrap around his shoulders.

 

“What can I say; I know how to flatter a pretty figure,” Queen Bee said, squeaking as Carapace hoisted her off her feet and over his head to a smattering of applause from the onlookers.

 

“Does that extend to the hundred euro undies you told Mayura about?” Carapace asked, falling backwards as Queen Bee dipped him low.

 

“If you’re lucky, you’ll find out,” she said, tugging him back up.

 

“Fingers crossed we all have a little luck on our side tonight,” Carapace said, watching as Rena Rouge ducked behind a pillar and a sharply dressed waiter stepped out the other side.

 

---

Mayura waited until Carapace and Queen Bee had whirled past them before he spoke. 

 

“He’s dangerous,” Mayura blurted out before he could stop himself, drawing Kagami’s curious frown.

 

“Adrien?” Kagami laughed.

 

“Your other blonde friend,” Mayura said quietly, watching Kagami’s expression retreat behind a barricade of cool, collected composure. “The one you’re meeting with.”

 

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Kagami said, glancing away with a confused chuckle.

 

“I’m sure you do,” Mayura said. “You know he’s working with Hawkmoth, right? The whole city knows it.”

 

“By he I would assume you mean Chat Noir?” Kagami sighed. "Look, I don't know what Ladybug's told you, but-" 

 

“I don't know what he's told you, but it isn’t true,” Mayura rambled on, pausing on the outskirts of the dance floor to command Kagami’s full attention. “Please...help us take him in. You don’t want to help someone who’s in bed with someone who’s...who’s akumitized you before, do you?”

 

Kagami flinched as though Mayura struck her, eyes hardening as she instinctively pulled away from him. “...I would never assist someone who I thought was working with Hawkmoth.”

 

Kagami pulled away, turning to leave before glancing back at Mayura, a strange, pleading look in her eyes. “And neither should you .”

 

"Wait! I'm-" Mayura watched her go with a sigh, the pale, purple butterfly tattoo on Kagami’s shoulder catching his eye as she disappeared through the crowd.

 

"Smooth, Luka," Mayura muttered. "Real smooth." 

 

---

 

“Do you ever get used to it?”

 

“Getting stared at like you’re a circus freak?” Adrien asked, carefully avoiding the gazes and snapping camera phones of the audience surrounding the dance floor. “You tune them out after a while; just a faceless mass of eyes and camera lenses.”

 

“That’s...worse somehow,” Ladybug chuckled, tightening her grip around Adrien’s waist. “Reminds me of an akuma Chat Noir and I fought back in the day-”

 

“Papa Razzi,” Adrien chuckled.

 

“You...remember?” Ladybug said with a curious smile.

 

“I remember the artsy, high maintenance photographer my father fired for back-sassing him about shot composition one too many times,” Adrien said, shooting Kagami a glance as she disappeared into the crowd, leaving Mayura standing somewhat dumbstruck on the corner of the dance floor. “I also remember the blob of flesh and camera equipment that terrorized the city until you stopped him.”

 

“I’m not even going to pretend like that one didn’t give me nightmares,” Ladybug said with a small shudder. “Especially after what he did to-”

 

Ladybug trailed off, clearing her throat as an unbidden memory seemed to bubble to the surface.

 

“Turned him into a photograph, didn’t he?” Adrien said.

 

“Mmhmm,” Ladybug murmured non-committedly.

 

“Must be nice having a unified team for the first time in your career,” Adrien mused, eyes roaming over Carapace and Queen Bee. “Gotta be rough, not being able to rely on your partner to keep himself out of trouble.”

 

“I mean...it kinda was,” Ladybug sighed, shaking her head. “Seemed like every other week Chat was getting himself captured or brainwashed or turned against me...of course, it was always to protect me or one of my teammates or some poor bystander that got caught up in it. Papa Razzi only got himself caught because he was protecting Chloe of all people.”

 

“Chloe doesn’t deserve to be protected?” Adrien asked, bristling through his facade of nonchalance.

 

“That came out harsher than I meant it to,” Ladybug said with an apologetic chuckle. “The point is that Chat Noir was... is someone who only ever got himself in trouble to keep someone else out of it.”

 

“You’re speaking pretty warmly of someone who stabbed you in the back,” Adrien said quietly.

 

“Yeah...well, it’s hard to cut someone off after four years of partnership, you know?” Ladybug sighed, laying her head on Adrien’s shoulder.

 

“Even if that partner is working with Hawkmoth?”

 

“Three months of working with Hawkmoth doesn’t erase four years of fighting against him,” Ladybug said. “Doesn’t...doesn’t the good Chat Noir did for this city outweigh the bad?”

 

“I don’t think it works like that,” Adrien said, catching Master He’s eye as she looked down at the dance floor from the balcony above them. “It’s not a scale where every bad deed can be balanced with a good one; killing one person and saving a hundred still makes you a murderer.”

 

“But if he...if he turned things around,” Ladybug said, a worried edge creeping into her voice. “If he...if he stopped working with Hawkmoth and helped me take him down in the end-”

 

“Doesn’t erase three months supporting a megalomaniac in a butterfly suit,” Adrien said, jaw setting as his eyes swept over the black-clad Stigma personnel that lined the walls of the ballroom. “I couldn’t forgive someone for doing something like that; I don’t think this city would either.”

 

A tense, uncomfortable silence slipped between them for a long moment, the magic of the evening broken as Adrien was once again forced to confront the reality that the small, sad-looking girl in his arms was responsible for empowering Hawkmoth, alienating his allies, and turning the entire city against him.

 

He hadn’t realized that a small part of him was clinging to the hope that he and Ladybug could be friends again until that hope crumbled to the tune of smooth jazz and idle conversation.

 

“This is a mistake,” Adrien suddenly blurted out, dropping Ladybug’s hand as he pulled away. “I...I have a girlfriend; I shouldn’t be-”

 

Adrien turned away before Ladybug’s confused, teary expression could weaken his resolve, fighting his way through the crowd even as Ladybug called after him from the dance floor.

 

---

 

Where is he?

 

Master He’s eyes wandered from face to face, muttering under her breath as she tried to hone in on the overpowering sense of wrong that pressed in on all sides of her. He was here; she could feel him here, and yet every time she tried to hone in on his location-

 

“Excuse me, Madame, would you like another glass of champagne?”

 

Master He turned her attention away from the dance floor with a disappointed sigh, glancing at the smartly dressed held a tray of champagne out with a beaming smile. “...that’s very good, actually.”

 

“Yes, the ‘96 is particularly ripe and-”

 

“I meant the disguise,” Master He said, glancing back at the dance floor. “Most people might have just imitated one of the waiters on staff, but it looks like you created one wholecloth. Very smart; reduces the chance of running into a duplicate.”

 

“I...I’m sorry, Madame, I’m afraid I don’t follow," the waiter said with a confused smile. 

 

“It’s the shadow that gives you away though,” Master He said, nodding at the shadow that trailed behind the waiter. A pair of long, vulpine ears trailed behind waiter’s shadow, a stark contrast to the suddenly uncomfortable young man that stood before her. “Nothing a little training won’t fix though; no one masters the secrets of a Miraculous by themselves.”

 

The waiter said nothing, quietly looking Master He over as she watched Adrien pull back from Ladybug.  

 

“I’m happy you came up here, you know,” Master He continued. “I wanted us to meet sooner; in the past, Master Fu would have passed you off to me or another Vizier for training after you had been selected. We had a whole training regime built out; martial arts, sorcery, spiritual diplomacy. We were always supposed to be...more than just fighters battling brainwashed civilians…but I suppose things have changed quite a bit.”

  

“I’m sure Master Fu and Ladybug have told you all you need to know,” Master He said, turning her attention back to the waiter as she fished a business card out of her pocket. “But if there are any questions you have while Master Fu is in the hospital, feel free to look me up. In times like these, us Chosen need to stick together.”

 

The waiter looked a the card, swallowing heavily as his features clouded with confusion. Once or twice, he opened his mouth, but whatever it is he wanted to ask seemed to get lost on its way to his mouth.

 

“Are you...is Chat Noir…” The waiter swallowed, accepting the card with a small nod. “Thank you, Madame...please enjoy the rest of the evening.”

 

“Of course,” Master He said as a small, puffy ball of feathers poked its head out of Master He’s collar.

 

“When you next talk to Trixxy...tell them that they still owe me fifteen drachmae,” the kwami said, narrowing their eyes at the waiter. “They know why.”

 

Frowning in confusion, the waiter just turned to head down the stairs, holding on to the rail to keep their legs from shaking.

 

"Oh Quingfu...you're really in for an earful this time," Master He sighed, turning her attention back to the crowd. 

 

---

 

“Adrien!” Ladybug elbowed her way through the crowd, making her way to the far door that Adrien disappeared through. “Adrien, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to make you-”

 

Ladybug stepped out on to a deserted balcony, glancing around for any sign of her boyfriend.

 

“-uncomfortable,” Ladybug sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. The warm, glowing faith Adrien had in her should have made her feel better, but his sharp, almost cold dismissal of Chat Noir for ‘working’ with Hawkmoth just made her precarious position that much more uncomfortable. If it ever got out that she and Hawkmoth had worked together-

 

No one is going to find out.

 

Maybe he would understand; if Gabriel could convince her that his goals were worth pursuing, then surely Adrien would come around-

 

He is never going to find out.

 

Ladybug sighed, leaning on the balcony as she watched the first of the party guests trickle out of the opera hall and towards their waiting cars. She had spent all night in the company of people who thought the world of her; who tripped over themselves to praise her for all the good she had done for the city. But the more the night wore on, the more they seemed to be mocking her with their beaming smiles and their overly flattering tones.

 

They believed her; they bought her lie hook line and sinker...and yet, there was a gnawing sense of dread that crept up on her every time she had to lie or avoid the subject to keep from lying.

 

Isn’t Adrien worth all this? Doesn’t he deserve to be happy?

 

“Bee in your bonnet, bugaboo?”

 

A chill ran down Ladybug’s spine as a snide, familiar voice she hadn’t heard in years chirped over her shoulder.

 

“...Plagg?” Ladybug whispered, turning around and spying a small black figure perched on the railing.

 

“Long time no see, Marinette ,” Plagg sneered. “You seem like you got a lot on your mind...but I guess helping the bad guys takes its toll on you, huh? Don't worry though; I couldn't tell Chat Noir your identity even if I wanted to...and boy have I wanted to." 

 

“Then what are you doing here?” Ladybug hissed, glancing around for any figures in black lurking in the shadows.

 

“Just here to deliver a message,” Plagg said, patting a small black envelope at his side. “The kid sends his regards; pretty cheesed that he couldn’t make it tonight, but he wanted to give you his best.”

 

“Texting got old?” Ladybug said, warily looking at the envelope with Chat Noir’s signature green symbol on it. “He had to graduate to ominous notes?”

 

“Well being a drama queen is a Chat Noir prerequisite,” Plagg chuckled, passing the card to Ladybug. “Spent most of last night writing it, so I’m sure he’d appreciate your attention.”

 

“I’m sure,” Ladybug said, carefully taking the envelope as she eyed the kwami. “How is he?”

 

“You care?” Plagg snorted bitterly.

 

“I never stopped ,” Ladybug insisted. “He was the one who-”

 

“Oh, stow the poor wounded Ladybug routine; you’re the only one who buys it,” Plagg said, examining his claws with a bored expression. “Chat Noir is doing just fine without you, Princess. I won’t lie; he spent a fair few nights crying over you back at the start, but after the whole Ladyblog debacle? Something...harder took its place. Bout time if you ask me; the sadboy routine gets so tiresome after a while. I'm happy he's getting in touch with his uglier side, frankly." 

 

“It’s going to get a lot uglier, the longer it goes on,” Ladybug said, kneeling down in front of Plagg. “Help me; please! If we work together, we can all come out on top. Chat Noir included!”

 

“Yeah, I’m sure you really care about Chat’s impending treason charges,” Plagg sniffed. “You really think I’d sell my kid out like that? You think I’d sell my partner out?”

 

“Why am I the only one who is willing to bend on this?!” Ladybug groaned. “Nobody is happy about this deal; least of all me! I am working with someone I personally despise, but I can swallow my disgust for him long enough to work towards a goal we both want! You’re telling me that Chat would rather be reviled as a traitor than give up his Miraculous for half an hour tops ?”

 

“You know how he is; he’s got a spiteful streak in him a mile wide,” Plagg said. “He’s given up on being a celebrity; seeing Hawkmoth behind bars and you without your earrings is the only thing he cares about anymore.”

 

“Does he think it’ll be that easy?” Ladybug said, narrowing her eyes at Plagg. “Does you really think I’ll just let him ruin my plans without a fight?”

 

“So if it came to it...you’d really fight us to protect Hawkmoth?” Plagg responded. Ladybug said nothing, holding Plagg’s gaze for a long moment. “Man...you know, I’d almost prefer it if Master Fu just didn’t wake up at this point. It’d be better than seeing what you’ve turned into because if the coma doesn’t kill him...finding out you were working with Hawkmoth would.”

 

Ladybug’s hand lashed out, fingers wrapping around Plagg before he could fly away. 

 

“What are you doing?!” Plagg hissed, squirming between her fingers as she tucked him close to her chest. “Let me go!”

 

“I’m sorry,” Ladybug said, holding Plagg tight as he tried to get away from her. “This fight needs to end before someone gets actually hurt; if you’re not going to help me...then you’re staying out of it. Sorry; Guardian’s orders.”

 

“You’re... not the Guardian!” Plagg hissed, biting at Ladybug’s hands ineffectually.

 

“I don’t see anyone else who’s up to the task,” Ladybug said, clutching Plagg tightly against her chest. “Take it up with Master Fu when he wakes up; feel free to wreck me on my performance evaluation." 

 

“You...don’t know...what you’re doing!” Plagg whimpered. “You...really...think...you can... grab a kwami?!”

 

Ladybug blinked as Plagg phased through her hand with a cackle, turning in mid air and sticking his tongue out at her as he floated back out of reach.

 

“Oh, I can’t believe you actually tried that!” Plagg laughed, carelessly phasing through her hands as she grabbed for him again. “You actually thought you caught me, didn’t you?! You’ve never tried to grab a cat that doesn’t want to be grabbed, have you?”

 

“Wait!” Ladybug pleaded as Plagg extended his middle claw, twirling away over the edge of the balcony. “Wait, come back! I-I don’t know what came over me, I-”

 

“Nice try, Traitorbug,” Plagg taunted, extending his middle claw as he twirled away. “Tell Tikki I’m coming for her! And a pissed off, hormonal teenager with a magic flamethrower and karate skills is coming with me!”

 

Ladybug grabbed for Plagg as he flew away, disappearing against the black of the night sky before she could give chase.

 

“Agh!” Ladybug spat, kicking the railing with a frustrated snarl. “Stupid, stupid, stupid, god, you’re stupid!”

 

Why did she do that? What made her think she could actually pocket a kwami like it was a stuffed animal? Mentally swearing at herself, Ladybug picked up the card Plagg had left behind, carefully prying open the seal and tugging the letter out.

 

---

 

 Dear Ladybug,

 

Sorry I couldn’t make the party; it was a black tie affair and the only suit I own has a tail for a belt. Something tells me I wouldn’t have made it through the door without tripping a hundred security alarms anyway. I’d make it up to you, but I think by now we’ve danced our last dance at a charity gala.

 

I’ve been hitting the gym pretty hard lately; I hope you haven’t been slacking off because the next time we meet, I’m coming for you claws out and teeth bared. It’s amazing the things a guy can accomplish when he has a proper tutor, though I can’t really say that bit is all your fault. The old man never took much interest in me beyond making sure I didn’t slip the leash and when he gets better, I doubt I’m going to be calling him ‘Master’ anymore.

 

Don’t worry; Master He is taking good care of him. I know you two got off to a rocky start, but she’s been working round the clock to make sure Fu comes through this no worse for wear. Granted, I don’t think he’ll be pleased to hear that his special favorite has taken up butterfly watching as a hobby, but other than that he should make a full recovery.

 

I really do hope you enjoyed the party; I hope it reminded you of the kind of person we both know you’re capable of being. Even the fact that the whole city took your word over mine is a testament to the work you’ve done to keep it safe over the years. People look up to you, and until recently, that’s always been for a good reason.

 

This city is never going to remember me as anything other than Hawkmoth’s goon even if when I get those earrings off you. I’m making peace with that (bit by bit and with no small amount of plate smashing) but that’s nothing compared to what’s gonna happen to you if things go sour.

 

Tell me; what more are you willing to do for this guy?

 

I’ve never taken you for one to cheapen yourself to impress a guy, but you’ve lied, cheated, and turned on your partner in the last three months. So is he worth it? Is Hawkmoth’s family worth your integrity? God knows you weren’t perfect, but you were absolutely the best of us. And maybe you think that entitles you to a little misbehavior; I just wish you would have taken up vaping or something. At least that isn’t as douchey as what you’re doing right now.

 

What am I trying to say here? You’re the one who’s good with words here.

 

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I miss Ladybug; I miss my friend and I miss my hero. I miss the person who slapped me in the face and taught me what being a hero was all about. I miss the person you used to be and I guess, in spite of everything, I’m still waiting on Ladybug to save the day.

 

But I’m not going to wait forever.

 

I’m not looking for a fight, but something tells me a fight is the only way this is going to end; against each other or against Hawkmoth. And if it comes to that, I’m won’t hold back; I’ll beat you and take your Miraculous to stop you from becoming a monster like Hawkmoth. I’ll beat you in memory of the hero who taught me how to fight for what I believe in. I’ll beat you so that Paris never has to find out that their beloved hero turned on them after years of faithful service.

 

Ladybug will be fondly remembered as Paris’ best hero; whether you’re still the one wearing the spots is your call.

 

Love From Best Wishes

 

Chat Noir

 

P.S. You might want to destroy this before our friends find it; I can imagine this would make for an aaaaaaaaaaawkward conversation if Rena or Carapace got their hands on it.

---

Ladybug stared down at the note for a long moment, rereading a few key lines long enough to commit them to memory before quietly shredding the letter and scattering it to the wind. There was no room for tender words between old friends in this new Paris she found herself in.

 

Tell me; what more are you willing to do for this guy?

 

“Everything going okay?”

 

Ladybug didn’t even look up as Mayura slid alongside her, leaning on the railing as she stared out over the crowd.

 

“...I’ve had better nights,” Ladybug chuckled weakly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “You?”

 

“Just spent the night being forced to dance against my will by our prime suspect,” Mayura sighed. “That girl is an aggressive lead, I tell you what.”

 

“You attract a certain type, don’t you?” Ladybug mused, looking up at Mayura through red, watery eyes. Unbidden and acting on an old instinct he ought to have suppressed by now, Mayura raised his hand, cupping Ladybug’s cheek and brushing a tear away.

 

“Don’t waste your tears over him,” Mayura said.

 

“How did you know I was thinking about Chat?” Ladybug asked.

 

“I was actually talking about Adrien,” Mayura said. “I saw him run off and you run after him; I just thought-”

 

“No...it’s not Adrien I’m upset about,” Ladybug sighed, turning away from Luka’s touch. “...I tried to reason with him. I tried to reason with him so many times and he’s just...not listening to me. After four years of trusting me with his life he doesn’t trust me with this...and I don’t know how many more times I can ask him.”

 

“So stop asking him,” Mayura said, shaking his head. “...how many chances is this guy supposed to get? What does he have to do to prove that he isn’t interested in your mercy anymore? What more are you prepared to do for this guy?”

 

Ladybug said nothing for a long moment, just chewing her lip and watching people come and go. Seeing her so sad, so defeated sparked something irrationally defensive in Mayura. He wanted to bundle her up and kiss her forehead and tell her everything was going to be okay; that the disappointing guys in her life weren't worth the energy it took to cry over them. She didn't deserve this; she didn't deserve to be let down and mistreated all because she wanted to do the right thing. 

 

It wasn't fair. 

 

“You deserve better than this,” Mayura said, laying a hand on her shoulder and turning her to look at him. “I’m just...sick of watching you waste your life waiting for this guy to turn around and respect you. If he hasn’t by now, then he just won’t ...you’ve got...you’ve got too many people who want to see you happy to waste time on the ones who’re working against you, you know?”

 

“I wish it was as simple as that,” Ladybug murmured. “I wish I could just...close my heart off to him and completely forget about all the good times we had together...but I can’t. I can’t stop holding out hope that there’s going to be a moment when he finally...gets it. Like if I’m just...talk at him long enough or find the right words to say...I can bring him back around…”

 

“Your words aren’t the problem,” Mayura said, hand sliding down her shoulder and lightly squeezing her hand. “Maybe you should stop waiting for him to come around and start...start paying attention to what’s right in front of you.”

 

Over Mayura’s shoulder, a flutter of purple in the crowd below drew Ladybug’s attention to the distant figures of Adrien and Kagami, making their way out of the building. Even from her perch high above him, his bright, beaming smile lit up the sea of dull black and white around him as he said goodnight to everyone who crossed his path. It was that smile—warm, open, and inviting—that had snared her all those years ago. It was that smile that was worth all the uncertainty and friction she suffered through; that smile that made stomaching his father worthwhile.

 

She wouldn’t cross the road to protect Gabriel’s interests but she would walk through fire to protect Adrien’s smile.

 

“Thanks,” Ladybug said, brushing past Mayura as she headed towards a nearby staircase. “I needed that.”

 

Mayura fumbled for her arm as she left, fingers meaninglessly grasping at the air where she once was as he watched her leave.

 

It doesn’t matter what you do. Her eyes have only ever been on his.

 

Mayura’s mouth twisted into an ugly grimace as he turned, glaring down at Adrien as he made small talk with Kagami outside the opera house.

 

It makes sense, you know. He has everything his heart desires; why wouldn’t Marinette also be his?

 

“Tell me about it,” Mayura muttered, shaking his head as a dull, throbbing headache slowly started to creep into the back of his mind.

 

Some people are just born lucky, I suppose.

 

“Yeah,” Mayura said, watching Gabriel approach Adrien with a bitter frown. “Lucky.”

 

---

 

Rena Rouge had only been hit by a truck three times during her stint as a superhero, but as she stumbled back into the opera hall, Dr. He’s business card clutched in her wobbly fingers, she felt as though she had been run over a fourth time.

 

Who the hell is Dr. He? Who the hell is Master Fu? What the hell is a Vizier? Why did that woman talk like we should have met at some point?

 

A flash of black and red caught her eye as Ladybug bounded down the stairs, disappearing in the crowd that headed out the front door. Blood pounding in her ears, Rena Rouge followed, weaving between tipsy National Assemblymen as she chased Ladybug’s back.

 

“Ladybug!” Rena called, grabbing for Ladybug’s elbow as she peeled away from the crowd. “Ladybug...we need to talk”

 

“Can it wait?” Ladybug sighed, glancing at someone in the crowd with an impatient whine. “I’m late for an important-”

 

“This is important,” Rena said earnestly, trailing behind Ladybug as she headed down a staircase that wound around the outside of the building.

 

“Okay, well…” Ladybug arched her neck at the crowd with a small wince. “Shoot me an email and I’ll get back to you tonight, okay?”

 

“Does the name Dr. He mean anything to you?” Rena blurted out. Ladybug stopped in mid step, slowly turning around to look at Rena with what passed for a confused frown

“She’s...that doctor the mayor invited, right?" Ladybug said slowly. "Yeah, she wanted to work with me on some sick kid visits...why do you ask?”

 

“Uh...no reason," Rena lied, using every ounce of her willpower to force her voice to stop shaking. "She asked me to do something similar, actually.”

 

“...really?” Ladybug asked, glancing Rena up and down. “She didn’t talk to you about...anything else?”

 

“Is there something else she should be talking to me about?” Rena Rouge asked, fighting to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice as she locked eyes with her hero. Ladybug was silent for a long moment, slowly shaking her head.

 

“No...just the hospital thing,”  Ladybug said, turning to go. “I’m...I’m sorry if I was a little curt with you the other day; about the Chat Noir story, that is. I don’t mean to tell you how to do your job or anything, but-”

 

“It’s fine,” Rena said with a small wave of her hand. “Have a safe walk home.”

 

Ladybug offered her a wave and a friendly smile that would have put Alya at ease only a few months ago as she zipped into the night, over a building and into the cold November evening. Rena Rouge quietly watched her go, stealing away from the crowd until she was sure she could de-transform without anyone spotting her.

 

As Trixx’s power washed away from her Alya felt her resolve break, slumping down on the staircase as a chill that had nothing to do with the weather washed over her. She tucked her head into her hands, taking great, heaving, sobbing breaths of air, not even caring that her gown was getting soaked as she sat on the cold, wet staircase.

 

“Al?” Alya glanced up as Carapace and Queen Bee came down the stairs behind her, settling on either side of her as Carapace whipped his coat off and draped it over her bare, shaking shoulders. “Hey, what’s the matter?”

 

“Does…” Alya took a deep breath. “Do either of you know who Master Fu is?”

 

Queen Bee and Carapace shared a glance, shaking their heads in confusion. “Should we?”

 

Alya shook her head, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands as she stared in the direction that Ladybug disappeared. “Guys...Ladybug isn’t being honest with us.”

 

---

 

"You enjoy your dance?" 

 

"My partner was a little...forward," Kagami said, arm looped through Adrien's as they made their way out of the auditorium and into the chilly night air. 

 

"Well I know he didn't try and cop a feel because I'm pretty sure you would have evaporated him by now," Adrien snorted. 

 

"He tried to warn me about Chat Noir," Kagami continued. 

 

"Did he now?" Adrien said, smiling and waving at a friend of his father's as he passed. 

 

"Said that he was dangerous to be around." 

 

"He's right, you know," Adrien said through a fake smile. 

 

"Not as dangerous as he thinks he is," Kagami said dismissively. 

 

"Kagami, if they're looking at you-" 

 

"I am fine, Adrien," Kagami said, shooting Adrien a look that dared him to argue with her. "Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of hapless fool who doesn't know what she's getting herself into." 

 

"If you insist," Adrien muttered as he felt Plagg wriggle back into his pocket. “You make the delivery?”

 

“Went off without a hitch,” Plagg said, sliding up and nestling in Adrien’s collar as Kagami glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Whatever sweet nothings you wrote your ex-bugaboo have been delivered.”

 

Adrien just nodded, tucking his hands in his pockets as he leaned against a railing overlooking the carport beneath them.

 

“What did you say to her?” Kagami asked softly.

 

“Something between former friends,” Adrien sighed, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t know...I figured I’d try to reach her one more time. Give her another chance to...stop all this.”

 

“You think she’ll take it to heart?” Kagami asked.

 

“...no,” Adrien chuckled, shaking his head. “When Ladybug gets it in her head to do something, she goes after it with everything she has. I just...I had to try, you know?”

 

Kagami nodded, laying a hand on his arm with a somewhat useless shrug. She made peace with the fact that she would never fully understand the kind of relationship Adrien and Ladybug used to have, but she still found it odd that they were both fighting so hard to stay on the same side. It was a breed of stubbornness; just as they refused to give ground, they refused to let the other go, resulting in a tense, tug-of-war with Paris in the center.

 

“I’m sure you did everything you could,” Kagami said, bitterly wishing she had something to offer Adrien besides empty words of comfort. “...you think it’s too cold for ice cream?”

 

“Maybe, but that still doesn’t mean I won’t plough through a bucket of mint chocolate chip right now,” Adrien chuckled, looping is arm around Kagami’s shoulder. “Come on, I think Andre’s place is still-”

 

“Adrien!”

 

Adrien’s head whipped around to see a pair of black pigtails bobbing their way through the crowd, followed by string of excuse-me’s. Her pink, floral raincoat stood out like a beacon cutting through a crowd of people with more cars than personality traits as she bounded up to him, nearly slipping on a wet patch of stone as Adrien fell forward to catch her.

 

“Tell me you didn’t run here,” Adrien laughed.

 

“Two busses and a....you know what, it’s not important,” Marinette said, waving her hand dismissively.

 

"It's almost midnight; what are you doing here?" Adrien said, looking Marinette up and down in disbelief. 

 

“I was just...I wanted to see you tonight," Marinette said, chewing on her lower lip.

 

“Don’t you have a deadline you have to-”

 

“It can wait,” Marinette said. “I...feel bad about standing you up-”

 

“You had something more important to work on,” Adrien insisted, glancing at Kagami. “Ask Kagami; this party was a snorefest.”

 

“I know...but I want to have at least half a date with you before this thing with the fashion show ruins my life,” Marinette said, turning to Kagami. “Do you mind if I steal him away?”

 

“Can’t exactly steal the willing, can you?” Kagami chuckled. “I should probably be getting home, anyway; I’ve had enough culture for one night.”

 

“You sure?” Adrien said, glancing at Marinette. “I’m sure Marinette wouldn’t mind if you tagged along.”

 

“Thank you, but I’m actually feeling a little unwell,” Kagami said, holding her stomach for effect as she shot Marinette a pointed look. “Bad meatballs, I think; you two go on without me.”

 

“If you say so, feel better, thanks for keeping Adrien company!” Marinette said quickly, grabbing Adrien by the hand before Adrien could interject.

 

“You attract a certain type, don’t you?” Kagami chuckled to herself, watching Marinette tugging Adrien down the street, arms swinging as they skipped past a line of luxury sedans waiting to reach the valet stand. A strange, gnawing fondness tugged at her heartstrings as she watched Adrien walk away, part of her yearning for a world where they wanted the same things out of life. Kagami sighed quietly to herself, shaking her head as she leaned on the railing. When it came to Adrien, what-if would always be the hardest question to deal with. 

 

“...he was here.”

 

Kagami jumped a little as Master He’s voice came from beside her, her sharp gaze scanning the crowd of people that slowly trickled out of the building.

 

“... he was here?” Kagami asked, tugging her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she picked up on Master He's meaning. “How can you tell?”

 

“His stench was everywhere tonight,” Master He said, nose wrinkling. “A...putrid odor that follows those who practice vile arts. It was much stronger than I thought it would be; nearly overwhelmed me once or twice. But every time I thought I knew who it was coming from, I got...confused. Distracted long enough that I felt him slip away from me...he was right here, and he completely hid himself from me.”

 

“I didn’t know he could do that,” Kagami said, eyes lingering on the faces of the men who passed her.

 

“Neither did I,” Master He chuckled, fingering her Miraculous somewhat self-consciously. “I took him for a talented amateur toying with powers far outside his ability to control, but now...now I think we’re really dealing with someone...some thing dangerous.”

 

“How dangerous?” Kagami asked, dreading the answer as the old woman leaned against the balcony, glaring out into the sea of people that stretched out in front of them.

 

“I don’t know,” Master He said. “I’ve battled some of the worst people this world has ever seen; crossed paths with necromancers and demonologists and bloodthirsty warlocks who powered their art with the blood of the innocent. All of them had a noxious odor about them but this...this Hawkmoth is the worst thing I’ve sensed in quite a long time…and gods only know what he’s done to earn such a stench.”

 

---

 

Of all the things Gabriel Agreste despised about being Hawkmoth, Feeding Night was far and away the worst.

 

Nooroo’s biggest strength was a crippling weakness when he could feel the fear of the akuma that shrunk away from his touch. It always took him longer than he thought it would to corral five fluttering butterflies and seal them in a specially prepared container. And all the while, he had to deal with the gripping, soul-crushing fear coming from creatures that knew their lives were coming to an end.

 

Kung Food...Mr. Pigeon...Prime Queen...Despair Bear...Befana. Five more assets he had to sacrifice and five less akuma he could call upon were things with Ladybug to deteriorate. He had done his best to keep his most stalwart pawns safe, but he had lost a fair few along the way he had hoped to keep in his back pocket for later.

 

And there was no getting out of Feeding Night.

 

Hawkmoth approached the sealed, valuted door that lay at the far end of his lair, muttering an incantation under his breath as he keyed in a passcode. Even by his paranoid standards, the security measures he used to keep his patron’s project safe were extreme. A state of the art security system used by most Swiss banks was backed up by almost every ward and protective spell Gabriel had committed to memory. But even through two and a half feet of magically reinforced steel, Hawkmoth could feel gnawing, roiling anger seeping out in waves. The sensation only grew stronger as he disentangled the security wards, nearly bowling him over as the heavy door slid open, slow enough to give both Hawkmoth and his victims time to dread what lay beyond.

 

Five large, black butterflies beat against the clear, magically strengthened glass that stretched from floor to ceiling of the vault, banging against the screen as Hawkmoth approached, fighting down his fear and revulsion. He placed the jar of terrified akuma in a cylinder outside the glass, sealing it and pressing a button that sucked the akuma up and into the enclosure. Almost immediately, the black butterflies stopped trying to escape, turning in sync to fix their gaze on the quivering akuma.

 

The sensation of being devoured, body and spirit, was not one that Hawkmoth found any easier to endure with the passing of time and the heightened empathy Nooroo afforded him forced him to endure every second as the black butterflies descended on the akuma. He felt their wings being torn by sharp, piercing teeth; felt their fear and horror as their essences were drained from their trembling bodies in ribbons of purple light, flowing into the black butterflies that shuddered and grew ever so slightly.

 

It was over in a matter of moments as five mangled, shredded akuma carcasses tumbled through the air like falling leaves, landing on a pile of grey, drained akuma that covered every inch of the floor inside the enclosure.

 

Hawkmoth stumbled backwards as the black butterflies, now sated, leveled their rage against him once again, straining against the glass as Hawkmoth fumbled to reapply the spells that kept them sealed. The heavy vault door groaned closed behind him as he frantically slammed it shut, locking the black butterflies away and cutting off the tide of hate, anger, and ravenous, neverending hunger he felt wafting off them.

 

Hawkmoth leaned against the vault door, taking deep, steadying breaths as he detransformed, straightened his tie, and walked out of his lair through a crowd of fluttering akuma.

 

The only solace he took was that as long as Mayura was active, there was one less to feed.

Notes:

Call this chapter cornstarch because this plot just got t h i c c.

So this fic is about to head into the events leading up to the prologue pretty soon here so, suffice to say, shit is gonna get real. We got one more decompression chapter before we're on track for the prologue so prepare thine butts.

Prepare them I say.

I may be taking next week off completely to do Adrigami Week (and you should too) but after that we're back on track. Thanks for all the amazing comments so far; I read every one of them (and mentally note who's correctly picking up on my breadcrumb trails.

Chapter 28: It Goes On Forever

Summary:

"Once an evil deed is done, then it never ends. It goes on, and it will go on forever."

Five Deadly Venoms (1978)

“I said we have it covered.”

 

“You said that almost three months ago,” Gabriel spat, fidgeting with the band of his watch. “I want to know what it is you’re doing to bring Chat Noir’s ring to me.”

 

“ Firstly, I’m not bring Chat Noir’s ring to you ,” Ladybug said, narrowing her eyes at Gabriel. “I am using it to help your wife and son; you can fall into a ditch and die for all I care.”

 

“You know, I have new respect for Chat Noir, and not just because he's proving to be a bigger threat than we took him for,” Gabriel sneered. “Because anyone who’s had to deal with your sunny personality and what you consider wit ought to be given some kind of national award.”

 

“And any woman who tolerated you long enough to marry you needs to be evaluated for brain damage!” Ladybug spat. "Might want to book the CAT scan before you thaw Emilie out!" 

 

“You shut your- ” Gabriel stopped short, taking a deep breath as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Okay... okay ...what’s the plan, Ladybug? How are you going to move this project forward? Because for the last three months we’ve done nothing but spin wheels while Chat Noir has continued to gain strength.”

 

“What happened to ‘I need to proceed carefully’?” Ladybug sniffed. “I am working as hard as I can to draw Chat Noir out-”

 

“And yet you haven’t moved against Kagami Tsurugi,” Gabriel said.

 

“I thought that wasn’t someone I could go after without being sure,” Ladybug asked. “What’s with the sudden rush? You never seemed to be in too much of a hurry before.”

 

“Do not mistake my prudence for lack of care,” Gabriel said, narrowing his glare at Ladybug. “My wife’s safety and my family’s happiness have always been at the forefront of my mind and if you aren’t going to take this seriously, then the least you can do is let me send an akuma to-”

 

“No...more... akuma ,” Ladybug said, ice dipping off every word. “I thought I made that clear by now.”

 

“One discreet agent could find out what Kagami knows and have Chat Noir’s identity under an hour!” Gabriel insisted. “No one would even know that you and the akuma were connected!”

 

“You think that’s why I don’t want to use akuma?” Ladybug laughed, shaking her head. “I can’t tell if you’re delusional or you’re just willfully ignorant of the suffering you’ve caused.”

 

“No one is more aware of the suffering I’ve caused than I am,” Gabriel said, palming the spot where the Butterfly Miraculous would have been. “And no one is willing to pay the price more than I am.”

 

“Make other people pay the price more like it,” Ladybug snorted. “The answer is no, Gabriel.”

 

“Then you are just going to have to hurry,” Gabriel said. “Or-”

 

“Or what, Gabe?” Ladybug said, crossing her arms. “You forget that the only reason you’re not rotting in jail right now is because I decided to have mercy on the unfortunate people who care about you. Keep running your mouth and I might just change my mind about letting you walk free after this.”

 

Gabriel’s lips pressed into a thin line, glaring at Ladybug as she turned to leave. “You just sit tight and let me handle this my way. You’ll get what’s coming to you...you’re just going to have to be a little patient.”

 

Gabriel waited a few seconds after Ladybug left before grabbing a glass off his desk and hurling it at the wall with a frustrated snarl.

 

---

 

Queen Bee paced around Rena Rouge, looking her up and down with a curious frown as she did. A pair of brown eyes followed her every movement as she poked Rena Rouge in the shoulder, studying the way the suit flexed around the tip of her gloves.

 

“Not bad,” Queen Bee admitted as Rena Rouge just crossed her arms with a self-satisfied smile. “Certainly feels real enough...though I have to wonder…”

 

Queen Bee’s fingers threaded through Rena Rouge’s hair as she leaned in, kissing her full on the mouth. Rena Rouge tensed in surprise for a brief moment, stumbling back a few steps as her hands snaked around Queen Bee’s waist with a soft sigh of contentment.

 

Queen Bee broke the kiss after a long moment, glancing at Carapace as he leaned against a nearby wall. “Sorry, does this bother you?”

 

“Why would it?” Carapace shrugged, glancing at the dazed, slightly giddy looking Rena Rouge as she wound her finger through Queen Bee’s hair. “This is purely...scientific, isn’t it?”

 

“My favorite kind of experiment, in fact,” Queen Bee purred, stealing another quick series of kisses as Carapace sauntered over to them. “Care to give an expert opinion?”

 

“Sure,” Carapace said, tilting Rena Rouge’s head back and kissing her as his hand trailed down her back. Rena Rouge squeaked as Carapace lightly squeezed her bottom, breaking the kiss with an appraising tilt of his head. “Hm...almost. Obviously she lacks Alya’s stellar personality but-”

 

“A hem .”

 

Carapace, Queen Bee, and Rena Rouge looked up to see...Rena Rouge standing in the doorway, tapping her foot against the floor.

 

“Care to explain yourselves?” Rena Rouge asked as her doppleganger waved cheerfully at her.

 

“What? After poofing her all morning, I figured she deserves a little break from being repeatedly destroyed,” Queen Bee said, twirling a strand of auburn hair between her fingertips. "She's had a rough day." 

 

“And you’re just too cute to poof,” Carapace pouted, squeezing the doppleganger’s cheeks. “Look at this face; how can you not want to kiss this-”

 

Rena Rouge snapped her fingers as the doppleganger disappeared in a poof of orange colored smoke. The second she did, Rena Rouge let out a small gasp, stumbling back against the doorframe as her hand came up to her mouth. Even after the duplicate had disappeared, she could remember, with crystal clarity, the taste of Chloe’s lipgloss and the feeling of her fingers running through her hair despite the fact that she had been two rooms away when her partners had kissed her duplicate.

 

Well that answers that question, Rena Rouge thought to herself. 

 

“Something wrong?” Queen Bee asked.

 

“Nothing,” Rena Rouge coughed into her hand. “J-Just heartburn, that’s all. Your turn; how’s training going?”

 

“Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve graduated from two-pump chump to five- pump chump,” Queen Bee said, brushing her shoulder off. “And that’s five Venom stings without losing any potency or being forced to break transformation, thank you very much.”

 

"Thank me very much for being your guinea pig," Carapace mumbled. 

 

"Well, that'll help if we go up against five easily freezable enemies," Rena Rouge said. "Nino?" 

 

“Wayzz and I managed to improve my barrier ability,” Carapace said, pulling his shield out. With a flick of his wrist, a rim of energy expanded from the shield, broadening it as Carapace poked his head around the side. “Not exactly a perfect defense, but should be enough to shrug off some of Chat Noir’s tamer attacks...or Ladybug’s for that matter.”

 

Rena Rouge nodded, chewing her lip thoughtfully. “...if it came to it, do you think we could take either one of them?”

 

“Is that where we’re headed?” Carapace asked, sharing an uneasy look with Queen Bee.

 

“I don’t know; after that ballroom thing , I don’t know much of anything anymore,” Rena Rouge laughed ruefully. “So best to be prepared for anything, hm?”

 

“Well, if Ladybug needs to make out with a clone, we know yours are up to the task,” Carapace chuckled.

 

“Not really sure I’d be up for that anymore,” Rena Rouge muttered, running a hand through her hair with a sigh. “Alright...let’s hook up tomorrow night-”

 

“Forward, but I won’t say no,” Queen Bee shrugged.

 

“-for some extra combat training,” Rena Rouge said, rolling her eyes as she stepped out onto the balcony. “I’m gonna follow up with some akuma victims; see if we can wring a little more information out of them."

 

“You need some backup?”

 

“Thanks, but...I just need some space to clear my head,” Rena Rouge said with a shaky smile. “I’ll call you if anything comes up.”

 

“Okay, if you’re-” Carapace trailed off as Rena Rouge springboarded off the balcony, tumbling off Le Grand Paris and into the cold December morning.

 

“Man...she could have at least left us a clone to play with,” Queen Bee muttered to herself, smacking her lips thoughtfully. “...Alya wears raspberry lip gloss?”

 

“You know what the weird thing is?” Carapace chuckled, rubbing his own lips. “She hates raspberry.”

 

---

 

“Hey...would you be mad at me if I left school?”

 

Marinette turned around, spitting out the pin she held between her teeth as she frowned at Adrien? “Like drop out?”

 

“Nothing like that,” Adrien said, picking at a loose thread in the afgan draped over Marinette’s fainting couch. “I mean...I have the credits to graduate already; at this point, I’m just spinning wheels until spring, you know?”

 

“I kinda wondered why you were taking a History class you passed already,” Marinette said, biting her lip. “I mean...I thought you liked school?”

 

“I do,” Adrien shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just...well, I feel like I have a lot of other stuff I could be doing with my time besides sitting through class and doing meaningless assignments. I mean, last week M. Lecourt just put an old science video on…”

 

“Most people would consider that a good lesson,” Marinette chuckled.

 

“Not to someone who doesn’t need to take it…” Adrien grumbled, flopping back against the couch. “I just...I have things I want to do, you know?”

 

“Things for your father?”

 

“You could say that,” Adrien said, staring at the ceiling. “Don’t you ever feel like we’re...just wasting time? I mean, I know you could probably take equivalency exams and start preparing more for design school, right?”

 

“I could,” Marinette said, glancing at the nearly finished gown she was preparing for the London show. “But...Alya and I promised we’d walk together at graduation...I know that sounds silly, but it would mean a lot to me.”

 

“Well, then it’s not silly at all,” Adrien chuckled, rolling over on one elbow to look up at her. “I just...I don’t care anymore. I don’t care if I walk or not and early graduation could give me some more time to prepare for college...or work...or run a marathon. Anything besides just killing time five days a week.”

 

“Well...if you feel that strongly about it,” Marinette shrugged. “You should do it.”

 

“You wouldn’t be upset?”

 

“Upset that you decided to do something unconventional to chase your dreams?” Marinette said.

 

“I don’t know about dreams ,” Adrien chuckled, eyes roaming over the piles of half-finished designs that lay cluttered around Marinette’s room. “I don’t know if I even really have a dream, if I’m being honest with you.”

 

“What?”

 

“Not like you, anyway,” Adrien sighed. “I mean...you come alive when you talk about your art. You’ve known what you wanted to do since you were a kid; you’ve been lining up to break into the fashion world for years now, right?”

 

“Well...yeah, I guess so,” Marinette shrugged. “But you have dreams! You’re so good at so many things!”

 

“And I’m not super passionate about any of them,” Adrien shrugged. “I don’t really have a dream job or anything that makes me as excited as you are about design. I’m not jazzed about fashion or science or business or fencing...they’re all just kinda things I do. I mean compared to you and Dad and Alya, I’m just...dancing through life.”

 

“You’re also eighteen ,” Marinette chuckled, wheeling across her bedroom until she was in front of Adrien. “You have the rest of your life to figure out what you want to do; and if you want to graduate early, you can.”

 

Marinette leaned forward, lips brushing across his in a brief, chaste kiss.

 

“I’ll do the dreaming for the both of us until then.”

 

---

 

Nino: Bro

 

Nino: Brosephys

 

Nino: Broseidon

 

Nino: Brobi wan Kenobi

 

Nino: Broman Reigns

 

Nino: Bro Diddly

 

Nino: Brodius Maximus

 

Adrien: I’m here I was just wondering how many funny things you had left to say

 

Nino: i got a whole internet list but

 

Nino: dude alya said mari told her you tested out of school?

 

Nino: like full on graduated?!

 

Adrien: Yeah I had to take a few tests and complete a few projects but that was that.

 

Adrien: Your boy is a lycee graduate and everything!

 

Nino: wow all responsible and shit…

 

Nino: so no more class for you, huh?

 

Adrien: Nah; I was going to wait for spring, but I’m working on something that requires some of my time.

 

Nino: your dad?

 

Adrien: Yeah something like that.

 

Nino: dang you’re really speedrunning adulthood

 

Nino: jumping into a corner three hundred times to clip directly to the workforce

 

Adrien: My strategy guide is coming out next month.

 

Adrien: Are you mad I didn’t tell you first?

 

Nino: just surprised is all

 

Nino: you always liked the classroom stuff more than me

 

Adrien: I still do; I just need some time on my calendar.

 

Nino: i get it; we all got irons in the fire

 

Nino: just let me know how i can get time on adrien agreste’s busy schedule

 

Adrien: Totally!

 

Adrien: We should do something this weekend Calcium Bro-mide.

 

Adrien: ...no?

 

Nino: 4/10 apply yourself

 

---

 

Nino: hey busybee did adrien tell you he was dropping out of school

 

Chloe: WHAT?!

 

Nino: gonna take that as a no

 

Chloe: YEAH CUZ THIS IS THE REACTION OF SOMEONE WHO IS IN THE KNOW!

 

Chloe: WHEN DID HE TELL YOU???

 

Nino: i heard secondhand from al who heard from mari

 

Chloe: WTF??

 

Chloe: M. Perfect Attendance is suddenly just leaving?!

 

Nino: i guess he tested out so he technically graduated but

 

Nino: idk have you talked to him much since this whole thing started?

 

Chloe: the thing we’re Not Supposed to Talk About on Personal Cell Phones?

 

Nino: yeah and say it more ominously next time

 

Nino: i don’t think you’ve creeped out the stigma agents monitoring our phones yet

 

Chloe: omg they’re not monitoring our phones are they????

 

Chloe: that’s like supes illegal!!

 

Nino: something tells me they don’t really care

 

Nino: i just think that we mighta let adrien fall by the wayside in all this

 

Chloe: well it’s not like we’ve been playing spin the bottle and braiding each other’s hair!!

 

Chloe: we’ve had a lot of irons in the fire lately

 

Chloe: but if it makes you feel better, schedule a play-date with adrien

 

Chloe: i’m sure he’d appreciate it

 

Nino: yeah…

 

Nino: i just feel like i haven’t even thought about him lately, you know?

 

Nino: what with all the...stuff going on

 

Nino: and now he’s gone and graduated himself without even telling us!

 

Chloe: honey if he put up with me this long, i don’t think he’s gonna kick you to the curb for a few missed lunches

 

Chloe: the boy has a warm, forgiving heart

 

Chloe: which is really easy to take advantage of, unfortunately

 

Chloe: so long as you steer clear of the Gabriel Agreste Asshole Spectrum you’re golden

 

Nino: mm guess so

 

Nino: not exactly a high hurdle to jump tho is it?

 

Chloe: the bar is so low ants/Adrien’s father trip over it

 

Chloe: so uhhhhh

 

Chloe: off topic but is your girlfriend okay??

 

Nino: define ‘okay’

 

Chloe: functional?

 

Nino: yes

 

Nino: that’s about all we can say for her though

 

Chloe: still bummed about the Ladybug thing?

 

Nino: aren’t you?

 

Chloe: well…

 

Chloe: i mean, do we even know this doctor is telling the truth?

 

Nino: not really

 

Nino: but that’s the problem, isn’t it?

 

Nino: we don’t know who’s telling the truth and who’s working us

 

Nino: or if everyone is working us

 

Chloe: and that’s twisting foxy’s tail?

 

Nino: doesn’t it twist yours?

 

Chloe: i guess but i don’t have a ladyblog to keep running

 

Nino: i think that’s a big part of it too

 

Nino: she’s always prided herself in telling the truth and nothing but the truth

 

Nino: but she can’t be sure the shit ladybug is saying is even half-true

 

Chloe: or even a quarter true

 

Nino: i would settle for a lie that’s not end of the world horrible

 

Chloe: sometimes i lay awake at night and fantasize that this whole stupid thing is because Chat Noir stole Ladybug’s last cookie

 

Nino: chloe we already know you lay awake at night fantasizing over ladybug ;)

 

Chloe: >:O

 

Chloe: be nice to me or i’ll steal your girl(‘s magic clone)

 

Nino: >:O

 

---

 

“Show me.”

 

Chat Noir took a deep breath, focusing on the apple in front of him. “Cataclysm!”

 

Black energy laced from his fingertips, arcing across the apple and slowly draining the color out of the otherwise perfectly preserved piece of fruit. Chat Noir let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, picking up the smooth, grey apple from the table and holding it up for Plagg’s approval. The little kwami twisted this way and that, inspecting it with a thoughtful frown. After a long, tense moment, Plagg nodded.

 

“Not bad, kid,” Plagg said, crossing his arms as Chat Noir took a bite out of the featureless apple. “Takes quite a lot of focus to destroy something as immaterial as a color.”

 

“What’s next; destroying smells?” Chat Noir asked. “Please say you’ll teach me how to destroy the smell of camembert.”

 

“Well now I’m never teaching you that,” Plagg sniffed. “But keep it up and you might even be able to purify akuma.”

 

“That isn’t a Ladybug-only thing?”

 

“Well...the nice and pretty way is,” Plagg muttered. “But with a little practice you might be able to completely destroy Hawkmoth’s link to the butterflies he sends out.”

 

“Or used to send out,” Chat Noir said, frowning down at the apple core in his hand. “I doubt Hawkmoth is gonna put another akuma out while Ladybug is still working with him.”

 

“Well, you never know; unlimited powers of destruction are more useful than most people give them credit for,” Plagg said, patting Chat Noir’s head.

 

“Even if my powers involve fireballs and all-consuming fields of destructive energy,” Chat Noir said, staring down at his hand with a flex of his fingers. “You got anything more...robust? Precise? Something I don’t need to spend weeks learning how to control effectively?”

 

“Why do you think I’ve been making you do concentration drills this whole time?” Plagg asked, nodding over to the towering wall of figures carved into the black obsidian of the Sanctuary walls. “I’ve been going back and forth with a friend of mine for a while, but he wouldn’t agree to train you until you learned a bit more...focus.”

 

“And, have I lived up to this mysterious Black Cat’s standards yet?”

 

“That rather remains to be seen…”

 

Chat Noir turned around to see a tall, black-clad figure materializing out of the smooth obsidian wall of the sanctuary. His long, raven black hair was secured in a tight bun on top of his head as cold, amber eyes regarded Chat Noir. A black scarf wound around his nose and mouth, concealing the lower half of his face from sight. Worn, black robes wrapped around his body, secured with a wide green sash that secured a simple, unadorned black sword to his hip.

 

“Nice getup; does the League of Shadows know you raided their wardrobe?” Chat Noir snorted, extending a spear with a flick of his wrist as the masked stranger made no motion to attack him. “You must be Plagg’s friend; you as murderous as the last one?”

 

The figure wordlessly glanced at Plagg who just shrugged. “Big...Greek...hates women?”

 

“Ah...so Diomedes has already had his hands on you,” the figure nodded, watching Chat Noir snap his fingers, igniting a puff of flame with a raise of his eyebrow. “That explains the foolhardiness…”

 

“Hey!” Chat Noir huffed.

 

“Trust me; he was plenty foolhardy before Diomedes got his hands on him,” Plagg snickered.

 

“Hey!”

 

“I’m well aware of how foolhardy your newest charge can be,” the stranger sniffed, paying no mind to the pout Chat Noir sent his way. “I’m not quite sure what more you expect me to do for him; he already seems to have mastered my Black Hole technique.”

 

“Your Black Hole technique?” Chat Noir said, opening an inky black portal in the air between them with a flick of his fingers. “You trademark it or something?”

 

“Plagg’s limitless powers of destruction are rather...lacking in imagination,” the stranger said, closing the portal with a flick of his own wrist. “Tell me, did you work with him to develop his own technique before you roused me?”

 

“Ain’t exactly got time for that, Sasuke,” Plagg said, waving his paw dismissively. “Ladybug’s gone off her rocker and the kid here is gonna need every trick we got to take her down.”

 

“Sasuke?!” Chat Noir echoed.

 

“ Is that so?” The man called Sasuke said, cocking his head to one side as he regarded Chat Noir curiously.

 

“He’s been practicing a lot lately,” Plagg said, ignoring his charge’s weeaboo outburst. “And I think he’s ready...I want you to give him Fang.”

 

“Is that right?” Sasuke asked, hand resting on the pommel of the blade. “After everything we went through to create it, you want me to give it to this child ?”

 

“Hey, I’ve been practicing swordfighting since I was was a child,” Chat Noir said, eyeing the sword at Sasuke’s hip. “I’ve got an Olympic fencer as my personal coach and bludgeoned more akuma than you can count; if anyone’s equipped to handle that sword, it’s me .”

 

A dry, raspy chuckle echoed off the walls of the Sanctuary. “You’re an energetic one, aren’t you?” Sasuke said in an archaic form of Japanese Chat Noir could just barely understand.

 

“Ask my girlfriend how energetic I can be,” Chat Noir replied, extending a second spear as Sasuke’s fingers casually wrapped around the hilt of his sword.

 

“Arrogant...articulate...and a foul attitude to boot,” Sasuke chuckled. “There’s no doubt about it...you are a Black Cat. What’s your name, boy?”

 

“Adrien Agreste,” Chat Noir said, gripping his spears tighter as Sasuke slowly drew his weapon. The flat of the blade was a pure, inky black metal that seemed to draw in the faint light that surrounded them. A thin sliver of green traced along the edge of the blade, glinting as Sasuke leveled it at Adrien.

 

“A strange name…”  Sasuke mused. “Very well Adrien Agreste. I, Sarutobi Sasuke, will judge your progress. Defeat me, and this weapon will be yours.”

 

---

 

Kagami looked up as the door to her office slammed open, a worn, dejected looking Adrien slumping out and immediately collapsing on the floor at her feet.

 

“Hello, dear, how was your day?” Kagami said as Adrien rolled himself over with the last of his energy.

 

“Sasuke...is...a prick ,” Adrien groaned.

 

“Adrien, if you’ve been using the time-distortion in your Sanctuary to marathon garbage anime-”

 

“Garbage anime you watched.”

 

“Garbage anime I tolerated because we could make out during the filler episodes,” Kagami sniffed, turning and walking down the hall as Adrien whimpered on the floor. “Don’t think for a second that I share your cheap otaku aesthetics.”

 

“That’s rich coming from a woman who owns a full set of Inner Senshi linger-” Adrien grunted in pain as Kagami whipped a throw pillow at his head from down the hall.

 

---

 

“Hey...Nino?”

 

Nino closed his locker to see Marinette hovering just at his elbow, rocking back and forth on her heels.

 

“Is there...something wrong with Alya?” Marinette asked, fidgeting with her bag’s strap.

 

Boy howdy, where to start?

 

“What makes you say that?” Nino shrugged as casually as possible, weaving his way through crowds of students trickling out of the school building.

 

“I don’t know...she’s been kinda evasive with me lately,” Marinette shrugged. “I keep trying to make plans with her and she keeps brushing me off...and hanging out with Chloe for some reason.”

 

“Well, they’ve been lifting buddies for a few months now,” Nino said diplomatically. “I know they’ve been running in the morning too.”

 

“It’s Chloe though,” Marinette said, narrowing her eyes at Nino. “You know... Chloe .”

 

“Yeah, I know ,” Nino said, bristling a little on his teammates behalf. “What’s wrong with Alya making more friends?”

 

“Friends that hate me?”

 

“Chloe doesn’t hate you,” Nino sighed. “It’s not freaking college anymore, Marinette; people change. We’re not the same people we were at fourteen, are we?”

 

“No, just...I feel like my best friend is keeping something from me and I don’t know what it is,” Marinette sighed.

 

“Yeah...tell me about it,” Nino sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Did Adrien tell you he was leaving school?”

 

“We talked about it,” Marinette shrugged. “He made up his mind though.”

 

“To work for his asshole dad’s company?” Nino snorted, shaking his head. “You really believe this is what Adrien wants?”

 

“Four years ago I’d say this was Gabriel pulling his strings but...I think this is all his call,” Marinette said. “He isn’t a pushover anymore; I think if this was his father’s idea, he would have resisted it on principle alone.”

 

“I don’t know if he has a stubborn streak or if he is a stubborn streak, you know?” Nino chuckled, shaking his head. “Still...weird to think that we came all this way together and we’re not even gonna graduate together.”

 

Marinette laid a sympathetic hand on Nino’s shoulder. “He isn’t going to slip away from us; we’re not going to let him slip away from us.”

 

“Yeah, if he thinks he can just ditch us, he’s got another thing coming,” Nino said, squeezing Marinette’s hand. “You oughta turn a little of that stubbornness on your girl; kidnap her and head to the movies or something. I can’t really go into it too much but...she could use a break.”

 

“Yeah, we could use a girl’s night or…” Marinette’s eyes widened. “Or a girl’s weekend!”

 

“Yeah, make a weekend out of it," Nino said. "You got something in mind?" 

 

"I think so...I mean, I have to see if Adrien's cool with it but...no, he'll be fine," Marinette said, turning to leave. "Thanks Nino! I should really-" 

 

Marinette stopped in her tracks, glancing at Nino somewhat uncertainly. "...hey, Nino? Do you know...how much time Adrien has been spending at Kagami's place?" 

 

"He's been spending time at Kagami's place?" Nino frowned. "He hasn't mentioned anything to me about that." 

 

"I...I see," Marinette nodded. 

 

"I-I mean, if he is, it's probably nothing to worry about!" Nino said quickly. "H-He's not that kinda guy, you know?" 

 

"Yeah...you're right," Marinette said, shooting Nino a small wave. "Thanks." 

 

Nino watched Marinette walk away, quietly wondering how long Adrien and Kagami had been hanging out without him. 

 

"Nah, it's fine," Nino muttered. "Yeah...yeah, it's totally fine..." 

---

 

The elevator door opened and Gabriel nearly fell face-first onto the floor in front of him.

 

“I’m alright!” He said to no one, voice echoing off the bare walls of Emilie’s chamber as he stumbled forward. The bottle of Grey Goose dangled limply from one hand, vodka burning the back of his throat as his hands ran over the plants that surrounded Emilie’s pod. A small sigh of despair slipped out as his hand brushed across the withered, desiccated plants that only seemed to increase in number as the days went on.

 

Time, as always, was Gabriel’s greatest enemy.

 

“Hello dear,” Gabriel called, leaning against the wrought iron gate that separated the pod from the rest of the chamber. “How was your day?”

 

Emilie’s silence pressed in all around him as Gabriel took another drag off the bottle, coughing and spluttering as a drop ran down the wrong pipe.

 

“Mine was alright,” Gabriel sighed, blowing a low, hollow note across the neck of the bottle. “Gearing up for the London show...should have a good turnout this year...something about this crop of designers is...well, I think my company is in good hands after I...well, after I retire at least…”

 

Emilie said nothing as Gabriel rolled the half-empty bottle between his hands.

 

“Adrien has a new girlfriend…” Gabriel continued. “Brilliant...creative...strong-willed enough to keep him on the right track...with a woman like that at his side, I won’t be surprised if he surpasses all our expectations...already a lycee graduate and everything…though I don’t think he’ll be attending Cambridge like you hoped.”

 

Gabriel’s last word echoed off the wall as he stared blankly at his wife, watching each rise and fall of the sleeping woman’s chest in case it was the last.

 

“He’s...doing quite well, actually…” Gabriel continued, the liquor making his vision swim and his tongue feel thick in his mouth. “Plenty of friends...some of...better quality than others. I know you’d call me a snob for saying so, but Mme. Tsurugi is certainly a cut above Andre’s girl...though there’s the small matter of the fact that she’s standing in the way of my plans to save you…”

 

Gabriel swished another sip of liquor around in his mouth thoughtfully.

 

“That’s her only sin, really,” Gabriel said. “Supporting...supporting someone who wants to stop a lunatic from destroying her city...in, any other story but ours she’d be the hero…”

 

Gabriel’s mouth twisted into a bitter scowl. “And so...if I want to save the life of the woman I love...I have to cut off another piece of myself...I have to compromise again ...and again...and again...I have to wonder if there’s even enough of the man you married for you to recognize anymore…”

 

Every turn had another twisted decision lying around the corner. It was almost as though the powers that be enjoyed toying with Gabriel; taking his promise to rescue his wife by any means quite literally.

 

Well, Gabriel? What’s it gonna be? You man enough to do this? Or are you a liar and a coward?

 

“I’ve come too far ,” Gabriel muttered, grabbing at his hair. “I’ve given up too much ...it can’t end now...it just...it just can’t…”

 

It was the same dance he always did and the warm fuzz of liquor numbed him as he surgically removed parts of his soul with every morally bankrupt decision. Every time he thought he couldn’t sink any lower, he found new tiers of desperation to slither into; propelled by good intentions and no small amount of self-denial.

 

But he had no choice...he had to fix this.

 

“I keep asking myself...when will it end?” Gabriel murmured, running a hand through his hair. “Even though I know the answer already…”

 

Gabriel leaned his head back, staring up at the peaceful sleeping face of his wife with a shaky smile.

 

“It never ends,” Gabriel said, glassy eyes staring into space as he felt himself growing groggier and groggier. “It just goes on...and it goes on forever.”

 

The bottle of vodka tipped over as Gabriel slumped against the wall, cold, grainy alcohol soaking his pant leg. As he drifted off, his last shred of consciousness clung to the warm, smiling image of his wife he feared would never see again.

 

Notes:

Broke up this chapter into two bits because I finished the first half and I'm almost done with the second bit. First of two filler eps before the London show and everything starts rolling towards the finish line. Doing a lot of setup here so I wanted to break it up into two more digestible bites.

And yes, Sarutobi Sasuke is Chat Noir's latest mentor. The requirements to be a Chat Noir are 1) Rich 2) Big Ego 3) Likes black 4) Ninja.

Chapter 29: Attack of Opportunity

Summary:

This Chapter has Mild Suggestive Themes

Notes:

Quick Note: Sarutobi Sasuke is not an OC of mine or Sasuke from Naruto; he's actually a semi-legendary ninja that's served as the basis of modern ninja fiction for hundreds of years. Was he real? Probably not; he was probably an amalgam of a few other warriors who actually lived. But Diomedes probably didn't actually exist either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarutobi_Sasuke

“She just wants to spend time with you.”

 

“You think I’m happy revising purchase orders on vacation?” Marinette sighed, glancing over the rim of her laptop as Emma fruitlessly tried to cast her line in the water, the fishing pole wobbling and whipping in the fading afternoon light. “There’s always work to do-”

 

“That’s just the point, babe.” Adrien sighed, looking over the rim of his sunglasses. “There’s always work to do; no matter how hard you work, work is still there in the morning.”

 

Marinette bit her lip, idly tapping away as Emma fished a bottle out of the ocean. “I know...I promise, I just need a little more time.”

 

“There isn’t going to be anymore time, love,” Adrien said softly. "We're running out of time together...you know that, right?" 

 

“What?” Marinette reached out, fingers brushing against Adrien's shoulder as it dissolved, turning into sand that pooled at her feet. The tide rose and as Emma turned to look at her, the cold ocean washed over her head, dragging her out to sea.

 

“Emma!” Marinette rose, legs sinking into the sand with a silent scream as she tried to run after her daughter. The beach opened beneath her feet, thousands of pounds of sand rising above her head and filling her lungs as she sank deeper into the ground. " Emma!"

 

“Emma!”

 

Marinette shot up, sheets tangled around her legs and panting heavily as she fumbled for some kind of purchase. Her head banged on the side of the bedframe, groaning in pain as she fumbled around for Adrien's hand. It took her a long moment to realize she wasn’t on the beach and her hypothetical daughter with Adrien wasn’t being pulled out to sea as the warm light of the morning slowly filtered through her blinds.

 

“Ngh...what a weird dream,” Marinette muttered, shaking her head as she rolled out of bed.

 

---

 

Alya watched Ivan stir the ice around in his drink, an uncomfortable silence lingering in the coffee shop between them.

 

“That’s all you remember?” Alya asked, making a note on her notepad.

 

“That’s all I remember,” Ivan said. “Same as you and everyone else who Hawkmoth targeted...darkness, anger, confusion...and then the aftermath.”

 

“Right,” Alya sighed, trying not to let her disappointment show. “Thank you, Ivan...this was really helpful.”

 

"Is it?" 

 

"I'm...trying to get a more complete picture of everyone's experiences," Alya said. "I hope I wasn't too intrusive here..." 

 

“Believe me; you’re not the only one who’s been curious,” Ivan chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “This is the second interview like this I’ve had in so many weeks.”

 

“Really?” Alya frowned. “Someone else has been interviewing past akuma victims?”

 

“I...thought you two would have been working together,” Ivan said, frowning in confusion. “Kagami said she was working on something to submit to the Ladyblog...she hasn’t told you about it?”

 

“...no,” Alya said, glancing up as a familiar figure in a smart lavender peacoat stepped into the coffee shop. Kagami’s eyes swept the cafe, locking with Alya’s for the hair of a second before turning away as she she stepped up to the counter to order. “Excuse me.”

 

She was acutely aware of the fact that Kagami was avoiding her gaze as she approached, although as she cleared her throat, Kagami dryly glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. “Yes?”

 

“Hi,” Alya said, fidgeting with her notebook. “How’s...it going?”

 

“...fine,” Kagami said.

 

“It’s, uh, Alya, by the way,” Alya said, awkwardly holding her hand out. “I know it’s been a while since we talked, but-”

 

“I know who you are,” Kagami said simply, turning back to the counter.

 

“...right,” Alya said, clearing her throat. “Uh...I was just talking with Ivan over there and he said that you were working on something to submit to the Ladyblog; something about akuma attack victims, and-”

 

“Still working on it,” Kagami said coolly.

 

"Okay...well, if you need any help with it or want to compare notes-"

 

“I just want to make sure I have all my facts straight before submitting it," Kagami said, eyes flickering back to Alya's with something resembling contempt. "I wouldn’t want to tarnish the Ladyblog’s spotless reputation for integrity with...misinformation.”

 

Alya teetered backwards, blinking as Kagami stirred honey into her tea. “What’s...what’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means I value the credibility of your website,” Kagami said, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t you?”

 

“Right...of course,” Alya said, pulling a business card out of her purse. “Well...if you have any information-”

 

“I know where to contact you,” Kagami said, turning to leave as Alya’s arm caught her around the elbow.

 

“Listen,” Alya said, voice dropping to a pleading hiss. “I am trying to get to the bottom of all this; I am trying to figure this out...help me. Please. If you know something about Hawkmoth or Chat Noir or-”

 

“Why don’t you just ask your friend Ladybug?” Kagami asked, eyes narrowing. “I’m sure she’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

 

Alya’s grip slackened enough for Kagami to slip out, leaving her standing in the middle of the coffee shop, weakly clutching her notebook as she watched Kagami leave.

 

---

 Marinette whipped the blanket off the mannequin, stepping back and carefully studying Gabriel's expression as he took in her finished design. The soft, flowing periwinkle blue gown glistened with small, silvery butterflies that caught the light of Gabriel's office as he turned it this way and that. In spite of the fact that Gabriel Agreste was a madman and some kind of evil warlock, Marinette still found herself holding her breath as he examined her work. 

 

"You...like Milanese styles, don't you?" Gabriel muttered, watching the way the silk moved as the mannequin turned. 

 

"You think it's too derivative?" Marinette said, suddenly terrified that the dress she had slaved over for weeks was going to be laughed out of London. 

 

"All fashion is derivative," Gabriel said. "The only original designer was the first neanderthal to sew leaves into a skirt; we've all been living in the house they've built for thousands of years now." 

 

"So...you think it'll show well?" Marinette asked. 

 

"I think...yes, I think you'll impress quite a few people," Gabriel nodded, the barest hint of a smile crossing his face. "I admit, you've already impressed me." 

 

Marinette found herself grinning at this, fighting the urge to whoop in delight. "That's...high praise." 

 

"Praise you've certainly earned," Gabriel said, twirling the mannequin around with a nod. "Yes...I daresay you'll impress quite a few of your future colleagues at the London office." 

 

"Colleagues?" 

 

"This is...very unorthodox," Gabriel chuckled. "But you are not an ordinary intern, M. Dupain. I was going to wait until you had finished school but...well, our London offices have a position open, and-" 

 

"You're...offering me a job?" Marinette asked. 

 

"College students need money, right?" Gabriel shrugged. "We have a junior designer position open by the time you start school. It would be mostly part time so you could keep going to class, but-"

 

"There's...there's got to be someone more experienced for the job, right?" Marinette said, head swimming at the thought of having a job lined up before leaving secondary school almost too much to imagine. 

 

"Experience comes to everyone in time," Gabriel said. "But you're more than talented enough to step into a design position. Your aesthetic is already well in line with Gabriel's brand, and-" 

 

"I appreciate the offer," Marinette said. "Really, I...this is more than I could have hoped for, but...well, I always thought I would start my own label after school, you know?"

 

Gabriel nodded. "I would expect no less from you; I had the same ambitions when I was your age. Of course, I thought that gumption and talent alone were enough to start a business. I admit, I spent more than a few years subsisting off of ketchup packets and ramen while I tried to make it as a starving artist." 

 

"But starting an enterprise like a fashion label requires money; contacts. A reputation for excellence that's only gained through rigorous work," Gabriel continued as Marinette chewed her lower lip. "Breaking into this industry isn't easy; I don't need to tell you that our peers spend as much time gatekeeping as creating actual art. No matter how good you are, they won't give you a chance unless someone more...established vouches for you. I spent three years working for the bloody Gap making polo shirts and khakis and by the end of it, I was stable and knew enough investors that were willing to take a chance on an up and coming fashion designer." 

 

"I have no doubt you'll branch out on your own someday," Gabriel said, patting Marinette on her shoulder as he stepped past her. "But I insist you at least consider the benefits of working for Gabriel; even for a little while." 

 

Marinette nodded, eyeing her gown as Gabriel fished an envelope out and pressed it into Marinette's hand. "I know Adrien would appreciate it." 

 

"Yeah...I'm sure he would," Marinette muttered, pulling out a pair of tickets and tapping them against her hand thoughtfully. 

---

 "Hey...can I ask you-" 

 

Marinette's train of thought ran headlong into a wall as Adrien peeled his shirt off, flicking it off to one side as he carelessly started unbuttoning his pants. 

 

"Mmhmm?" Adrien asked, neatly folding his jeans as Marinette was suddenly reminded of the fact that Adrien had all the modesty of someone who had been modelling for most of his life. 

 

"Um..." Marinette blinked, suit jacket slipping from her fingers as her eyes roamed over her boyfriend's bare shoulders. Had they always been so...defined? So broad? It had been a year or so since the last Gabriel swim catalog, but Marinette was almost certain that Adrien had never been so...

 

"Did you really need me to try on your menswear piece or was that just a cheap excuse to get me in my underwear?" Adrien chuckled, lightly tilting Marinette's chin up as her complexion darkened another shade of red. "Because, technically speaking, you don't need an excuse." 

 

"I..." Marinette cleared her throat. "N-No, I actually wanted some help but...I think you might be a little too...uh...broad for this piece..." 

 

"Maybe if you start designing athletic wear," Adrien said, thumbing the fabric of the dress-shirt thoughtfully. "You were gonna ask me something?" 

 

"I think?" Marinette said. "Sorry, it's just...uh..." 

 

"You want me to get dressed again?" Adrien chuckled. 

 

"No!" Marinette said a little quicker than she intended, burying her face in her hands as Adrien laughed. 

 

"You wicked woman," Adrien sighed, covering his chest demurely. "Coaxing me up to your room while your parents are away and ravishing me with your lustful eyes!" 

 

"Shut up!" Marinette squealed, pushing Adrien back until he tripped over the fainting couch, falling back with a sigh. 

 

"Oh, you brute," Adrien moaned, sprawling out on the couch and wriggling in a way that made Marinette's pulse spike in her chest. "You're so rough with me, Marinette~" 

 

"Will you stop being so hot for ten seconds so I can think straight?!" Marinette said, yelping as Adrien tugged her down on to the couch with him. 

 

"Only if you stop looking so cute when you're flustered," Adrien said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

 

"Tease," Marinette pouted, bringing her fingers up to block a kiss. "Wait...before you get all flirty and I completely lose the ability to string sentences together...I wanted to ask...is it...I just..." 

 

"Something on your mind?" Adrien asked as Marinette averted her gaze a little guiltily. 

 

"Alya's...been having a hard time lately," Marinette said, biting her lip. "This whole...Chat Noir thing and the Ladyblog have had her run ragged. I haven't had that much time for her lately, so...would it be okay if we make the London show a girl's weekend? Just me and her?" 

 

"Oh..." Adrien blinked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well...I mean...if that's what you want-" 

 

"I want both of you with me," Marinette sighed. "I want my whole family and all my friends there but...I just get one seat. And I know your father could probably whip out another chair for you if you asked but-" 

 

"You need some Alya time?" Adrien nodded, chewing his lip thoughtfully. 

 

"Would...that be okay?" Marinette asked. "You wouldn't be disappointed?" 

 

"Well...not gonna pretend that I haven't been looking forward to this weekend," Adrien admitted. "But...if you and Alya need a little time to bond, I get it." 

 

"Really?" 

 

"You're gonna have a hundred more shows," Adrien chuckled. "And I'll be at every one of them. One weekend is not going to make a difference in the long run." 

 

"You...are honestly the best," Marinette sighed in relief, leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" 

 

"Honestly, I'm just dating you because your parents own a bakery," Adrien said as Marinette giggled into his shoulder. 

 

"I'm sure I owe you a dozen scones for being such a good sport," Marinette said, eyes drifting down to Adrien's bare chest. "Or maybe two given how much you're working out." 

 

"I thought you might like that," Adrien said, watching Marinette's fingers splay across his bare chest, chewing on her lower lip. "So...you still need a model or can I get dressed?" 

 

"You could..." Marinette said, glancing up at him a little shyly. "Or..." 

 

"Or?" Adrien asked as Marinette guided his hand up to the top button of her blouse. 

 

"Well...not exactly fair if only one of us underdressed, is it?" Marinette said. 

 

"Not fair at all," Adrien said, leaning in and capturing her lips with his as he started to tease the buttons on her shirt open. 

---

 The worst thing about getting his ass kicked by a five hundred year old ninja was that Sarutobi Sasuke didn’t even seem to be trying.

 

The jarring ring of steel on steel echoed throughout the Sanctuary as Chat Noir advanced, raining blow after blow against the shimmering green edge of Sasuke’s weapon. The ease with which he repelled Chat Noir’s blows was disheartening, one hand weaving a black and steel shroud around him that blocked Chat Noir’s hardiest attacks.

 

“What was it you said?” Sasuke asked, head cocking to one side as his sword clashed with Chat Noir’s staff. “That you had been training with a sword since you were a child?”

 

Chat Noir grunted as Sasuke’s boot came up, striking him hard in the chest and sending him rolling black across the obsidian floor.

 

“Seems you should have kept practicing,” Sasuke murmured as Chat Noir wobbled back to his feet.

 

“Yeah, well, private lessons are a bitch to finance,” Chat Noir chuckled, rubbing his chest with a wince. “So...out of curiosity, how many more times are you gonna kick my ass before you recognize my worth and let me use your sword.”

 

“Perhaps when you demonstrate your worth, I’ll recognize it,” Sasuke sniffed, calmly returning his weapon to his scabbard. “Have you had enough for one day?”

 

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Chat Noir panted, leaning on his staff. “I got you right where I want you, pal.”

 

“Ah, so the witheringly incompetent display you’ve been putting on was a cunning ploy to lure me into a false sense of security,” Sasuke nodded. “Of course, by telling me this, you’ve completely divulged your strategy to a man who’s been trying to cut you in twain all day now.”

 

“Oh, you’ve been trying ?” Chat Noir said, surreptitiously unlatching the spear from his back as he pretended to rub his spine

 

“I admit, I’ve had to put a little more effort into completely negating your attacks today,” Sasuke said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I suppose that counts as progress doesn’t it-”

 

Sasuke deftly jumped into the air, landing on the haft of Chat Noir's staff as it lunged for his feet. Fang slid from its sheath just in time to parry a spear thrust that clipped the side of Sasuke’s face as Chat Noir used the haft of his staff to flip him end over end. Sasuke grunted as he flipped over, countering a staff strike even as he landed on the wall, bracing himself against the full force of Chat Noir’s blow.

 

“What did I tell you?” Chat Noir said, teeth glinting in the dim, green light. “Right...where I want you.”

---

Alya hovered outside the hospital entrance, twirling the business card between her fingertips as she ignored the persistent buzzing in her pocket.

 

“You think I can trust her?” Alya muttered as Trixx burrowed into her collar.

 

“Can’t say,” Trixx chirped.

 

“What do you mean you can’t say?”

 

“Look, there’s a lot I can’t really talk about,” Trixx sighed. “Not the least of which because I genuinely don’t know. After the temple was destroyed, Master Fu didn’t know who to trust.”

 

"Destroyed?" 

 

"Someone on the inside attacked the temple and made off with the Peacock and Butterfly," Trixx muttered. "Master Fu hasn't been in contact with the other Masters except He since. Even so...I don't think she has his full trust." 

 

A chill ran down Alya’s neck. “So...this Master He might have been the one to-”

 

“Alya!”  

 

Alya jumped, hands instinctively raising in defense as someone whipped her around. Trixx dug into Alya’s coat as Marinette stumbled backwards, taken aback by the sharp look in Alya’s eyes

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down!” Nino said, running up as Marinette shot Alya a shaky smile, eyeing her raised fists warily. “Damn, girl, you nearly took Mari’s head off.”

 

“S-Sorry,” Alya coughed, flicking her hair over her shoulder to cover Trixx’s hiding spot. “Too much coffee, I guess…”

 

“Well, maybe switch to decaf,” Marinette chuckled, rocking back and forth on her heels. “I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer.”

 

“Oh...y-yeah, sorry,” Alya said, glancing at her phone screen with a wince at all the notifications. “Just...taking a walk and lost track of time…”

 

“Mari here had a question,” Nino said, nudging Marinette forward.

 

“So...we’ve both been super busy lately,” Marinette said, fidgeting with her coat buttons. “Well I’ve been super busy...and I know we haven’t really hooked up that much-”

 

“It’s fine, Mari,” Alya said, shaking her head. “Look, I know Adrien’s dickhead of a father has been keeping you up at night working on his show-”

 

“Well, that’s kinda what I wanted to ask you about,” Marinette said, fishing an envelope out of her pocket. “I was actually wondering if...well, I was wondering if you’d like to be my plus one for the weekend.”

 

“...wow, gotta admit that asking me out in front of my boyfriend is pretty gutsy, but-”

 

“You know what I mean,” Marinette sighed, brandishing the ticket packet at Alya. “Come on! It’s an all expenses paid weekend in London and tickets to the hottest fashion event of the year! It’s gonna be great!”

 

“You and I have different ideas of what makes up a great weekend,” Alya said, shooting a look at Nino. “Look...Nino and I are working on this project, and-”

 

“-I can handle your part of the project for one weekend,” Nino said, shooting Alya a significant look. “You’ve been working on our project for weeks now and it’s only fair that you get a break .”

 

“Well the project is at a delicate point right now,” Alya said through her teeth. “And maybe now isn’t the best time to take a break.”

 

“Or maybe keeping in touch with your mental health is just as important as this project,” Nino countered.

 

“Did we have a science project or something I forgot about?” Marinette muttered to herself.

 

"Look, flattered as I am, I don't think I can spare the time," Alya sighed, shooting Marinette an apologetic look. "Sorry." 

 

“Alright,” Nino sighed, taking his glasses off. “I didn’t want to have to subject you to this, but since you’re playing hardball, I got no choice. Mari?”

 

Marinette turned to Alya, eyes wobbling as her lip started to tremble.

 

“Oh come on ,” Alya huffed, crossing her arms as Marinette sniffed audibly and conspicuously.

 

“No...I understand…” Marinette sniffed. “I mean...it is my first main fashion show, but...no, I understand...it’s important to work on your project...maybe...maybe next time, we can-”

 

“Alright fine !” Alya huffed, chuckling in spite of herself as Marinette threw her arms around her. “God damn you and your puppy dog eyes; I feel sorry for Adrien.”

 

“How do you think I got him to agree to give up his ticket?” Marinette chuckled.

 

“Wait, I’m stealing Adrien ’s seat?”

 

“Don’t worry about it!” Marinette said, hooking her arm through Alya’s as she tugged her down the street. “I cleared it with him already; anyway, we need to get you fitted!”

 

“F-Fitted?!”

 

“Well you gotta wear something spiffy!” Marinette said as Alya turned back to Nino with a fearful look in her eyes. "Something orange would look great on you!" 

 

Help, she mouthed as Marinette pulled her down the street. 

 

"Haaaaave fuuuun~" Nino chirped, waving after them. 

---

 "...full disclosure, I'm just a little turned on right now." 

 

"Full disclosure, so am I," Nino said, watching Adrien's shoulders flex as he hoisted the creaking, groaning barbell high over his head in one fluid jerk. "Has he been working out with you?" 

 

"I thought he was working out with you," Chloe said, taking a long sip off her water bottle. "We're better as friends, we're better as friends...god, those could abs could grate cheese..." 

 

Nino squirted Chloe in the face with his water bottle, upending the rest of the bottle on his head as Adrien wiped his forehead with the corner of his shirt. 

 

"What is that, 110kg?" Nino asked, arching his neck around to count the plates. "Man, you gotta hook me up with this personal trainer of yours." 

 

"He's kind of a jerk," Adrien chuckled, accepting a towel from Chloe as he sat down on the bench. "Not sure if you guys would really want to train with him." 

 

"Keep training and you're gonna kill half of Paris when the swimsuit issue comes out," Chloe muttered. "If you haven't killed Marinette already." 

 

"Have you given Marinette a tour of the new and improved Agreste design?" Nino asked, nudging Adrien in the shoulder. 

 

"No comment," Adrien said, ears turning pink as he averted his gaze. 

 

"A better question is are you still letting Kagami tour the Agreste design?" Chloe asked as Adrien started choking on his water. 

 

"Wh-what?!" Adrien spluttered, pounding on his chest. 

 

"Come on; level with me," Nino said, sitting down on the other side of Adrien. "You've been spending a lot of time with Kagami lately-" 

 

"A-As friends!" Adrien insisted, standing up. "We're not, we don't...wh-who thinks we're still-" 

 

"Riposting each other?" 

 

"We're not!" Adrien insisted, grabbing his workout bag. "We're just...she's helping me with...d-don't tell anyone we're fooling around, because we're not!" 

 

"Dude, we're not!" Nino said. "We're just-" 

 

"Gosh, is that the time?" Adrien laughed, glancing at the bare wall. "Wow, hours sure pass, huh? I should go shower, thanks for spotting me, great workout, okay bye!" 

 

"Dude!" Nino watched Adrien stumble through the door to the locker room, sharing a worried glance with Chloe. 

 

"Well at least he wasn't acting suspicious." 

---

 “Focus.”

 

Chat Noir sank into a low stance, gripping the hilt of Fang in one hand and the scabbard in the other as he struggled to pull the sword free. Sasuke’s arms crossed across his chest, leaning against a pillar as he watched Chat Noir struggle to even draw the weapon. 

 

“Ugh, did you glue this or something?!” Chat Noir huffed, scabbard trembling as he inched the blade out of its sheath, tugging it out ever so slightly before it snapped back, slipping out of his hands and clattering on the floor. “I feel like I’m being hazed…”

 

“This is why we don’t rush training, Plagg,” Sauske sighed, shooting the kwami a dark look. “You’ve spent so long training his control, you’ve neglected to build his strength. Fang requires more than just a steady hand; it requires the strength to wield it without it being overcome.”

 

“Maybe I overdid it a little,” Plagg sighed as Chat Noir retrieved the weapon, glaring town at the scabbard. “Should have had him hit the gym between precision training…”

 

“The way you two bozos talked, I thought all I needed was control and inner peace or some boring crap like that,” Chat Noir muttered, bracing his foot against the base of the scabbard and tugging with both hands. “What’s the trick here?”

 

“There is no trick,” Sasuke said, holding his hand up and summoning the blade to his grip. With a flick of his wrist, he drew the blade in one smooth motion. “Weilding this artifact requires the strength of will to control its immense destructive power and the focus to keep it in check. Lacking one or the other will leave it dormant in its sheath, waiting for a worthy hand to draw it. ”

 

“Gee, that’s all?”

 

“It’s the same challenge every Black Cat faces,” Sasuke said, returning the weapon to the scabbard, tossing it back to Chat Noir as he returned to his casual lean against the wall. “To protect the world from devastation-”

 

“-and you unite all peoples within our nation?” Chat Noir snorted.

 

“A fine way to put it,” Sasuke said, glancing over at Plagg as he sunk his teeth into a droopy piece of Camembert. “It’s our responsibility to ensure Plagg’s power is used wisely...and ply natto- breath over here with disgusting food to eat.”

 

“The sacrifices we make for the fate of the world,” Chat Noir sighed as Plagg glared at him.

 

“Don’t listen to them, sugar,” Plagg cooed, rubbing his cheek on the wheel of cheese. “They don’t understand what we have together…”

 

"You need to draw on the same power you use to create a Cataclysm," Sasuke said. "Summon the fear and anger and hatred that lies dormant in your heart and pour it into your weapon." 

 

"I don't need any of that to use my powers," Chat Noir said, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. "I get along fine without stewing in any of that." 

 

"Then you are leaving a great deal of power lying on the table," Sasuke sighed. "As Ladybug draws her strength from positive emotions, our greatest power comes from the darker corners of the human heart. To deny your own feelings is to deny the rightful source of your power."

 

"So all I need to do to surpass Ladybug is load up on horror movies before I fight her?" 

 

"Simply being afraid or being angry is meaningless," Sasuke said dismissively. "It's knowing how to channel them into something positive, something useful, that makes you a hero." 

 

Chat Noir stared at the sword in his hand, twirling the scabbard around thoughtfully as he tried to remember the last time he honestly did anything constructive when he was angry. 

---

 “Are you going to be okay while I’m gone?”

 

“I’m not a five year old, Al; I can handle myself,” Nino said, lightly bouncing on Alya’s bed as she packed an overnight bag. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

 

“Funny; I’ve been asking myself the same question for the past few days,” Alya sighed, tossing another sweatshirt into her bag. “If anything happens, you’re on your own.”

 

“Except for Mayura or Chat Noir,” Nino pointed out.

 

“Which may very well be the cause of something going wrong ,” Alya said. “I mean, my faith in Ladybug hasn’t been the strongest lately, but does that mean we can totally trust Chat Noir? What if they’re both working towards something that spells bad news for Paris? I don’t know...maybe I should tell Mari-”

 

“No,” Nino said, hopping to his feet. “Al, you’ve been burning at both ends for weeks now; twice we’ve needed to remind you to eat because you won’t pull away from poring over maps or going through akuma reports!”

 

“Yeah, well, this is-”

 

“-important, sure,” Nino said, cupping Alya’s cheeks and forcing her to look at him. “This is probably the most important thing we got going on right now, but it isn’t the only important thing we got going on right now. If something big is on the horizon, then we need to be in good shape if we want to stand up to it!”

 

Alya pouted as Nino squished her cheeks.

 

“You’re going on shore leave,” Nino said, kissing her forehead. “The city isn’t going to burn down if you take one weekend for yourself...besides, this is Mari’s big day!”

 

“Hard to believe after all these years, she’s finally breaking through,” Alya chuckled. “Yeah...would be nice to get dolled up and just enjoy a party for a change...you know I’d bring you if I could.”

 

“You girls just enjoy London,” Nino chuckled, booping Alya on the nose. “We’ll make up for missing dates when things settle down.”

 

“Or…” Alya said, looping her fingers through Nino’s belt and tugging him closer with a small smile. “We could start making up right now.”

 

“Right...now?” Nino asked.

 

“Right now,” Alya echoed, kicking the door to her room close and flipping the lock shut.

---

“Remember; anything goes wrong-”

 

“I’ll call you,” Luka said, hoisting Marinette’s suitcase into the luggage cart. “You sure you don’t need me to come along?”

 

“Luka-”

 

“What if Chat Noir decides to lash out at the fashion show?” Luka countered. “Or if someone gets ink on their dress and akumitized? I don't like you running off by yourself like this...”

 

“I have Rena Rouge with me if anything goes wrong,” Marinette said, glancing over at Alya and Nino as they came down the walkway. “But all things considered, I think it’s going to be another quiet weekend. Chat Noir hasn’t shown himself in almost three months; I doubt he’s going to stick his head up tomorrow.”

 

“If you say so,” Luka muttered, tensing up as he caught sight of a tall, blonde figure in black leaning against a lamp-post. For a moment, through the crowd of passengers, he could have sworn it was Chat Noir. But as the crowd parted, he was greeted by the no-less unwelcome sight of Adrien Agreste, expectantly looking across the platform at Marinette.

 

“Enjoy the break,” Marinette said, patting Luka on the shoulder as she trotted off to greet Adrien. The sight of Marinette so bouncy and happy after months of being so tense was soured by the fact that she was only happy when she was around Adrien. His stomach churned as Adrien scooped her off her feet, kissing her softly on the lips in front of a crowd of onlookers.

 

He just has to have everything, doesn’t he?

 

Luka turned away, mouth twisting into a snarl as he came face to face with a familiar pair of sunglasses waving a twenty euro note in his face.

 

“This where I drop off my luggage?” Chloe Bourgeois said, stuffing the note in Luka’s shirt pocket and lightly patting him on the cheek as she passed, leaving a mountain of suitcases on the train platform behind her. “Careful with the handbags; they’re expensive .”

 

“Do you not even recognize-” Luka trailed off as Chloe sashayed away, glancing at the pile of luggage with a shrug. “Welp…”

 

Whistling to himself, Luka headed back up the escalator, leaving Chloe’s baggage unattended on the platform.

---

 “Thanks for being so cool about this,” Marinette muttered as Adrien traced her cheek with his thumb. “I promise I'll make this up to you-"

 

Adrien silenced her with another kiss. “No need to apologize; you and Alya deserve some quality time together. Not like there won’t be other opportunities to see you show your stuff, right?”

 

“Yeah...still, first of many; would have liked to have the whole gang there,” Marinette said a little ruefully. 

 

“When you’re putting on your own shows, you can give out as many tickets as you want,” Adrien said. “If you’re hard up on places to eat, you two should hook up with Chloe. We’ve been so many times that we’ve got the restaurants scoped out by now.”

 

“Thanks, but I’ll...wait, time out,” Marinette said. "Chloe’s going?!”

 

“Why wouldn’t I be going?!” Chloe said airly, drifting over and resting her elbow on Marinette’s shoulder. “I’ve been on the invite list since I was in diapers; haven’t missed a Winter show in my life and I’m not about to start now.”

 

“You thought Gabriel Agreste’s goddaughter wouldn’t be on the invite list?” Alya said, sliding up alongside Marinette as she caught the tail end of their conversation.

 

“I...guess I just didn’t think about it,” Marinette chuckled, shooting Chloe a sidelong glance. “Is...Ladybug okay with you going?”

 

“How would I know? Buggy hasn’t been in contact all week,” Chloe shrugged.

 

“You didn’t clear this with her first?” Marinette said, narrowing her eyes at Chloe.

 

“Honey, this may come as a surprise to you, but Ladybug isn’t my mommy,” Chloe chuckled, tugging on Marinette's pigtail. “I don’t need a signed permission slip from Her Royal Bugginess before I go on a field trip.”

 

“What if she’s relying on you to protect the city or-”

 

“Ahem.”

 

Marinette and Chloe glanced up as Nathalie Sancouer cleared her throat behind them.

 

“I hate to rush goodbyes along, but we have a tight schedule to keep,” Nathalie said, adjusting her glasses. “Ladies, if you would follow me-”

 

“Guess that’s our cue,” Marinette sighed, leaning up and giving Adrien a long, lingering kiss on the lips. “I’ll send you pics.”

 

“I’ll catch the stream,” Adrien said, cupping the sides of her face and kissing her forehead.

 

“...this isn’t gonna become a thing, you know,” Marinette said softly. “Me taking off and leaving you behind...I’m not gonna make this a pattern or anything.”

 

“Mari-”

 

“You don’t have to pretend not to be disappointed, Adrien,” Marinette said, rubbing the back of his fingers with her thumbs. “I know you were looking forward to touring London with me.”

 

“London will still be there after the show is done,” Adrien said, kissing the back of her hand. “And there’s nothing stopping me from kidnapping you and taking you there whenever I please.”

 

“Nothing but a three story house and my parents, you mean.”

 

“I’ll find a way,” Adrien said, kissing her forehead. “Go. Enjoy your last hours of anonymity because tomorrow you’re gonna be pelted with offers from every fashion house in Europe.”

 

“I’ll try,” Marinette said, reluctantly pulling back as Nathalie cleared her throat again. “I’ll call you tonight after the show?”

 

“Looking forward to it,” Adrien said, stepping back as she hopped up onto the train. “Knock em dead.”

 

“I-” Marinette flinched as the doors closed in front of her, cutting her off from Adrien as he cheerily waved up at her.

 

“If you’re quite ready,” Nathalie said, nodding towards the first-class compartments. “M. Agreste has arranged luxury transportation for you and your friends.”

“Is...M. Agreste not travelling with us?” Marinette asked, glancing around the cab in confusion. Alya and Chloe chatted a little too chummily in a private compartment, but there was no sign of Gabriel or any of his entourage.  

 

“M. Agreste had a bit of business to attend to,” Nathalie said airily as the color drained from Marinette’s face. “Regrettably, he will have to miss this year’s show.”

 

“He’s...staying in Paris?” Marinette frowned, stomach lurching as the train lurched forward, picking up speed as they left the station.

 

“Thank God ,” Chloe sighed as Nathalie shot her a sharp look over the rim of her glasses. “...what?”

 

“Well at least our ladies’ weekend isn’t gonna be spoiled by your boss breathing down our necks,” Alya chuckled as Marinette started the window, wondering if the train was still too fast to leap out of safely.

 

“I hate to burst your bubble, girls,” Nathalie said. “But we’re not going to London for an extended vacation. Mme. Dupain-”

 

“-Dupain- Cheng ,” Alya said.

 

“-is going to have a full schedule ahead of her,” Nathalie barrelled on, shooting Alya a sharp look as Marinette wobbled into a seat next to Alya, clutching her carry-on bag. “We have to get her and her garments backstage and ready to fit as soon as we arrive; I'm afraid any girl time you had planned will have to-”

 

“Oh my God, why are you like this?!” Chloe groaned, drawing a nasty glare from Nathalie. “What is missing from your life that you have to be such a buzzkill every hour of every day? Don’t you have a spreadsheet to fuck or something?”  

 

Alya and Marinette barely stifled a snort of laughter as Nathalie just sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned to leave. “If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.”

 

Marinette was momentarily jostled out of her stunned silence as Alya slowly turned to look at Chloe with a beaming, triumphant grin.

 

“Damn, girl, next time just stab her; it’ll be less painful,” Alya said as Chloe just sniffed.

 

“If Gabriel Agreste is the whip on Adrien’s back, Nathalie is the hand that swings it,” Chloe said, shooting an icy glare at the woman’s back as she left. “Don’t let the innocent little robo-maid act fool you; that woman has anti-freeze where her blood should be...and a computer where her heart should be...and...and...a calculator where-”

 

“Stop while you’re ahead, Chlo,” Alya said, glancing at Marinette. “Nervous?”

 

“Kinda…” Marinette said, chewing on her lower lip. “I just...I don’t know...I have a bad feeling for some reason…”

 

“It’s probably Nathalie; she has a talent for making people feel like shit,” Chloe said, not looking up from her phone. "And dressing like Barbie movie villains." 

 

“Relax,” Alya said, nudging Marinette’s shoulder. “You know you’re gonna kill this, right?”

 

Marinette nodded, watching the countryside roll by as they pulled further and further away from the city.

 

“Guess I’m just...a little worried about leaving home,” Marinette muttered, fighting the rising sense of unease that crept up on her.

 

Pressing her face against the glass, Marinette’s eyes turned up to the cold, grey sky as one by one, the first snowflakes of the season descended on Paris.

---

 Across town, in an unassuming little bookshop off to one side of the main street, a shy, bookish young man by the name of Mercer sat hunched over the table. A delicate paintbrush traced the contours of the small plastic figurine that sat in front of him on a hand-painted tablemap that stretched from one end of the game table to the other. A figure depicting a monstrous, floating eye with flailing arm tentacles roared silently at a tall black dragon figurine. A hooded, sunken figure with a missing hand and eye pointed its remaining hand menacingly at a lumbering horned lizard that was nearly twice the size of the dragon. Hordes of orcs, bandits, and impossibly large spiders sat strewn about the table as Mercer put the finishing touches on a towering black knight figurine.

 

The buzzing of a cell phone caused Mercer to nearly drop the figure, splattering a huge glob of purple paint all over the knight’s helm. Sighing in frustration, he wiped his hands on his jeans and fumbled for the phone with his clean hand.

 

“Hi Liam, I...seriously?” Mercer sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “But...I swear, we’ve been trying to put this game together for months now and...no...no, that’s fine...don’t worry...no, I’m not angry , I just...I should probably go.”

 

Sighing under his breath, Mercer hung up the phone, tucking it back into his pocket as he wiped the paint smear off his knight figurine.

 

“Never mind the fact that I spent the last week writing this session,” Mercer grumbled to himself, picking up the well-worn leather notebook he used to scribble in. “I swear, it’s like...it’s like I’m the only one who even cares about this campaign anymore! They all begged me to be the game master and when I want to play, are they here? No! It’s almost as if...as if-”

 

A cold chill passed down Mercer’s spine, followed by a warm, bubbling sense of anger that only amplified his own irritation. The passing, fleeting annoyance he felt at his friends for bailing on him turned into anger which gave way to a roaring inferno of anger that blotted out all rational thought.

 

And through that haze of hatred, anger, and bitter disappointment, a voice spoke.

 

Hello, Mercer...or should I address you as Gamemaster?

 

The figures on the tabletop rattled as long, ornately stylized black robes covered Mercer’s ordinary clothes.

 

It’s such an annoyance when people break their engagements...although wouldn’t it be more fun if Paris itself was your gameboard?

 

Five gruesome, tentacle-headed monster figures began to stretch and enlarge as a black blindfold wound its way around Gamemaster’s eyes, a single, unblinking purple eye shining above his forehead. The knight figure rattled, stretching to scrape the ceiling of the bookshop as dozens of bandit figurines came to life, cold black eyes staring at the newly dubbed Gamemaster.

 

I could make this whole city your fantasy land...I just need one small favor from you.

 

The monsters turned, kneeling before the black cloaked figure as Hawkmoth’s voice rang in the back of his mind.

 

Bring me Kagami Tsurugi.

Notes:

Hello everyone! And welcome to Critical Role! A show where a bunch of us nerdy ass-

...wait.

Welcome to what I've affectionately named the Stag Night Arc. While the ladies are away, the boys are gonna play/burn the entire town down!

We are getting into the downward slope now! Will Kagami fall victim to this Critical Ripoff? Will Adrien achieve his weaboo destiny in time to save his friend? Will Nino and Luka realize they've been duped? Can Mayura overcome the anger in his heart to team up with Chat Noir? Will Chloe ever get her luggage back? Will Andre the Ice Cream Man achieve his lifelong dream of making an ice cream that never melts?

...no to the last one. Andre's dream is forever out of his reach.

Happy Kofimania everybody! NEW DAY ROCKS! NEW DAY ROCKS! NEW DAY ROCKS!

Chapter 30: Killer DM

Summary:

I realize not everyone is up on D&D bullshit like I am so I've linked images of the monsters I'm describing for context.

Notes:

I'd just like to state, for the record, I started writing this before Thomas announced Felix so whatever he's going to do with him in S3 is gonna be not canon for this story.

Marinette’s head swam as the sum of her nightmares seemed to rise around her with the smoke. Her ears dripped droplets of red in the snow, naked for the first time since she was fourteen years old. Adrien cradled his hand to his chest, an angry red welt the only sign a ring had ever been on his finger. His other arm dangled uselessly from his shoulder, bent and twisted in an unnatural way that made Marinette sick to look at.

 

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said feebly. “I know that doesn’t even begin to help, but I swear, I’m so, so…”

 

Marinette trailed off, staring at the floor where Hawkmoth disappeared.

 

“We can still fix this!”  Marinette said, a manic edge creeping into her voice. “I-I can get my team—our team—and we can figure out what h-happened, right? We can still find them…w-we can get them back, right Adrien?”

 

She took a hesitant step towards him, ignoring the dull, throbbing pain in her ears as she watched his back, silently pleading for him to turn around and just look at her.

 

When he did, Marinette suddenly wished he hadn’t.

 

“ We ?” Adrien echoed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand before finally meeting her gaze with a look of anger and disappointment cold as the snow that piled around her ankles. “What makes you think there’s a we anymore?”

---

 11:00 a.m. - Paris

Thirteen Hours Earlier

 

“I’m surprised your girlfriend is okay with you missing her first show.”

 

“Her idea, actually,” Adrien shrugged, hanging his coat up as Kagami closed the door after a cursory glance around the street. “She and Alya need a little girl-time, I guess…”

 

“Lucky you; you get to catch up on training while your girlfriend gets showered with praise by the fashion elite,” Kagami chuckled.

 

“As someone who’s spent most his life being showered with praise by the fashion elite, I think I’ve earned a weekend off,” Adrien sighed, rolling his neck. “Guess I get to spend my Saturday getting kicked around by a Sengoku sadist.”

 

“Lucky you,” Kagami said, leaning against the doorframe. “You don’t want my help?”

 

“Would if I could,” Adrien said, unlocking his Sanctuary. “I would love to double team an ancient ninja with you-”

 

“Phrasing.”

 

“-but I think this is one sword you’re not going to be able to help me with-”

 

“Dear God, Adrien, phrasing,” Kagami groaned, shoving Adrien through the door. “Go play with your ninja friend.”

 

“Call me if things get weird!” Adrien called, disappearing into the dark as Kagami closed the door behind him.

 

“Like my life isn’t weird enough with you around,” Kagami sighed, shaking her head.

---

 ??? - The Sanctuary of the Black Cat

 

The sound of a whetstone sharpening against steel echoed throughout the chamber as Sasuke methodically polished the glimmering green edge of Fang.

 

“Tell me something, Plagg,” Sasuke said, eyes flickering up to the shadowy shape that hovered a few feet in front of him. “Do you think one artifact of power is going to be enough to tip the scales in this fight of yours?”

 

Plagg shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. “To be honest, I’ve been trying to stack the deck in the kid’s favor ever since Ladybug sold us out; since we don’t have the time to train him properly, I just have to hope that giving him enough tricks to throw at Ladybug will be enough to bring her down.”

 

“Is she that powerful?

 

“Her power isn’t what I’m concerned about,” Plagg laughed ruefully. “The girl is...smart. Smart, cunning, and good at using the tools at her disposal to win fights in surprising ways. We’ve only won so far because the girl is scary good at coming up with battle plans on the fly and executing them before her enemies can get too much traction under them.”

 

“I see,” Sasuke mused, watching the glimmering green sheen of power shimmer along the edge of the weapon. “So...it is fair to say Adrien Agreste hasn’t had the need to fight with all his capabilities until now.”

 

“He’s never had to really try at anything,” Plagg chuckled. “So this hustle thing is pretty new to him, you know?”

 

“I noticed,” Sasuke said, sheathing his weapon as the door to the Sanctuary opened. “Well then...let’s see if we can’t wake him up a little.”

---

11:00 a.m. - London

 

“Where the hell is my luggage?!”

 

Chloe glared at the baggage carousel, tapping her heel on the linoleum as rows of black baggage passed without any sign of her yellow, honeycomb-patterned suitcases.

 

“I tipped that stupid bagboy and everything!” Chloe growled, fishing her phone out of her pocket. “I swear to God, if he left them on the platform-”

 

“Keep up, ladies,” Nathalie called, not looking up from her PDA as Gabriel’s assistants hauled Marinette’s bags to the limo. “We have a tight schedule to keep!”

 

“Unclench, Sancoeur!” Chloe snapped. “We’re two hours ahead of dress rehearsal! Your itinerary can wait until I have more than one pair of pants!”

 

“You think at least one of them would have made it,” Alya chuckled, shouldering her overnight bag as Chloe fumed.

 

“Can we ditch her?” Marinette muttered.

 

“Who, Nathalie?”

 

“No, Mme. Fussybee,” Marinette sighed. “Really don’t need any extra drama today…”

 

“Oh relax,” Alya said as Chloe slunk back over, pouting furiously.

 

“We need to go shopping,” Chloe insisted. “Now .”

 

“Oh my God, can’t you just wear what you’re wearing?!” Marinette groaned, gesturing at the cream colored tracksuit Chloe wore.

 

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t even ask that,” Chloe said.

 

“What?! This is...this is nice!” Marinette said, fingering the corner of Chloe’s sleeve. “Total fashion statement; rub it in those snobs’ noses!”

 

“Give me your dress then and...actually, I don’t want to wear whatever bubblegum disaster you probably packed,” Chloe said, wrinkling her nose.

 

“Girls, play nice,” Alya sighed, stepping between them as a venomous look crossed Marinette’s face. “Look, we have time before the show; can’t Chloe duck into a boutique and pick something out?”

 

“You want me to buy off the rack?!”

 

“Well it’s that or look like a Khardashion Khlone,” Alya said, rolling her eyes as Chloe clutched her chest in pain.

 

“I hate to be the buzzkill,” Nathalie said, clearing her throat.

 

“You do not,” Chloe said.

 

“-but we have a tight schedule to keep,” Nathalie said, looking over her glasses at Chloe. “Mme. Bourgeois is more than welcome to go shopping, but Mme. Dupain-Cheng has appointments to keep.”

 

“Fine, we’ll be quick,” Chloe sighed, looping her arm through Alya’s and tugging her along. “Come on, Alya; let’s start with Bond street and work our way down-”

 

“Hang on!” Marinette snapped, grabbing Alya’s other wrist. “Why do you need Alya to go with you?!”

 

“To let me know if I look tacky or not,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

 

“I feel like I could already tell you the answer to that right now,” Marinette said, glancing up at Alya. “I thought we were gonna spend time together?”

 

“We are, but don’t you have a bunch of work to do before the show?” Alya asked. “I’m just gonna be sitting around anyway; might as well make sure that this one stays on task.”

 

“But-”

 

“I’m afraid Mme. Cesaire is right,” Nathalie said. “I fear your friends will be underfoot while you’re preparing for the show.”

 

“But-” Marinette glanced between Nathalie and Alya. “C-Can’t we just put Chloe in a cab or something?!”

 

“Relax, girl,” Alya said, patting Marinette on the arm. “Go do your fashion mogul thing; we’ll be there for the show.”

 

“But-”

 

“Mme. Dupain, we really must be going,” Nathalie, said, laying a hand on Marinette’s shoulder.

 

“We’ll see you after the show!” Alya said, waving as Chloe tugged her towards the taxi queue.

 

“...this girls weekend is gonna suck, isn’t it?” Marinette sighed, trudging after Nathalie as she beckoned.

---

12:00 - Paris

 

“You heading to work?”

 

Irritation spiked as Luka tugged his jacket off the coat-rack, pulse pounding in his ears as he shook his head.

 

“Mmhmm,” Luka said non-committedly tugging his coat around his shoulders.

 

“You sure about that?” Juleka asked.

 

“Why would I not be sure about that?” Luka snapped.

 

“Because Marco called asking if you’ve been sick or something,” Juleka said, each word pricking at his already fragile temper. “You were supposed to close last night-”

 

“I know.”

 

“And apparently you no-showed-”

 

“I know. ”

 

Juleka pursed her lips in annoyance. “Well do you know that I had to call the power company twice this month because apparently someone didn’t know he had to pay the bill on time?”

 

“I know!” Luka snapped, voice echoing off the bare walls of the kitchen. “God, don’t you think I know the fucking power bill needs to be paid?! I have been the one paying it for the last year now! Do you think I’m some kind of moron who up and suddenly forget what he’s responsible for?!”

 

“I didn’t say that, I just-”

 

“Just let me worry about my shit and mind your business!” Luka shouted, a tense, palpable silence following as Juleka stared at him, mouth open and eyes shimmering.

 

“You know...I don’t know what your fucking damage is,” Juleka sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “But you’ve been acting like a total prick lately!”

 

Luka watched Juleka stomp up the stairs, followed by the sound of sniffling as he all at once felt the prickling anger leave and a cold, clammy sense of shame seeping in where it had been moments earlier.

 

What the hell is wrong with me? Luka thought, stepping out into the cold as snowflakes tumbled past his cheeks. Even below the shame that burned his cheeks and stung his eyes, a low, smouldering irritation lingered in the back of his mind. Every horn honking, passerby shouting, and infernal Christmas song only stoked the coals. It was like an itch that he could never quite scratch; an ache that only got worse with time.

 

The only thing that seemed to ease the bubbling sense of disquiet that hung over his head was helping Ladybug. Even something as mundane and tedious as watching someone’s house for weeks on end took on new meaning when doing it for Marinette. The solace that he was contributing to something greater than the seemingly dead-end life he was building for himself got him through shifts at the grocery store and hours sitting by his mother’s bedside.

 

Transforming into Mayura behind a dumpster, he kicked off the ground, reveling in the wind rushing past his face and the snow flying at him as he made his way across the rooftops towards the house he was meant to watch.

 

A flicker of movement caught his eye as he sailed over the street, a manhole cover rattling as a distinctly red, scaly tail disappeared into the sewer. Mayura frowned, using his fans to buffet his flight as a pair of tall, bearded strangers with thick hoods drawn over their faces glided down the street. Unease crept into the back of his mind as he landed on the rooftop across the street from Kagami’s house, eyes narrowing as he peered through her kitchen window. He could make out the figure of Kagami, standing in front of the stove and stirring something. Behind her, he could barely make out a prone figure on the ground, the hulking form of Kagami’s bodyguard unconscious as three small, reptilian creatures crept towards the kitchen.

 

“Shit,” Mayura muttered, flicking open his fan-communicator. “Shitshitshit shit!”

 

He was halfway through dialing Ladybug’s number when the two figures he passed on the street slowly glided along the walkway. From his new position, he could see that what he had mistaken for beards were in fact long, twitching octopus tentacles that jutted out from their faces.

 

“Shit !” Mayura moaned, glancing between the communicator and Kagami, oblivious to the danger that she was in.

---

12:15 - Paris

Kagami was not oblivious to the danger she was in.

 

She had heard the back door open, heard Goto fall with a cry her assailants couldn’t quite stifle in time, heard the scratching of claws on her hardwood floor behind her as increased the heat in the pan. The inch or so of oil just about boiled when the kitchen door opened behind her, the same scratching clawsteps catching her ear over the sound of jazz trumpets blaring from her speakers.

 

Humming under her breath, Kagami took out a large chef’s knife, keeping one hand on the pan of oil as she felt something small creep up on her, the foul smell of rotten meat and sewage filling the kitchen with every labored breath.

 

As soon as they stopped behind her, Kagami moved, taking the pan of hot oil and hurling it at her assailants’ face as she pulled the knife from its sheath. A feral, reptilian screech filled the kitchen as a small, nearly naked little red lizard person fell back, dropping its club and howling as it fell backwards.

 

The sound of sizzling skin filled the kitchen as a second lizard creature leapt up on to her counter, hissing as he dove at her face. Kagami sidestepped, grabbing the creature’s back and jamming it facefirst into the lit gas range the pan had been heating over. The lizard screeched, face bubbling and distorting as though it had been made out of plastic as the final lizard creature attacked, leaping over its fallen friends and coming at Kagami with a wicked looking dagger that dripped with a purple and foul smelling liquid.

 

It was a clumsy lunge, and the beast paid for it.

 

Kagami leaned back, just far enough to avoid the creature’s short reach, and drove the blade of the chef’s knife straight into the lizard’s head. It twitched, legs going limp as it sunk to the floor of the kitchen just in time for a tall, blue and purple knight to crash through the wall with a massive warhammer.

 

“Look out!” Mayura called, somersaulting in and drawing a quill. “You’re under...attack?”

 

Mayura glanced around at the corpses of the red lizard creatures, eyes roaming between the two horribly burned ones and the leader who seemed to have knifed before it could knife Kagami.

 

“Am I?” Kagami asked, pulling another knife out of her kitchen block and warily looking at Mayura. “I hadn’t noticed.”

 

Mayura’s eyes trailed up the knife that pointed at him. “Wait, wait, wait, you think they’re with me?!”

 

“You did just knock my kitchen wall in,” Kagami said, eyes flitting to the pair of hooded figures that glided up to the hole in the wall. Mayura turned as the figures lowered their hoods, revealing pale monsters with bloated, bulbous heads that resembled an octopus perched on a pale human body. Four cold, black eyes fixed Kagami as a cold, hollow voice crept into the back of her mind.

 

Come with us, the creatures said, extending two unnaturally long fingers in her direction. Resistance is-

 

The literal train of thought cut off as a sharp, peacock shaped dart whipped out of Mayura’s fan, neatly spearing the creature in chest.

 

“Yeah, I think we could tell where that speech was going,” Mayura said, wincing as howling screech of pain echoed throughout his mind and the two tentacle headed creatures charged.

---

 “An unexpected attack by a third party! Why didn’t I think of including that? Francois wants to complain that my combat is too easy?! Let’s see how he deals with a surprise attack next time his bard tries to get out of the fight by fucking the-”

 

“Focus!” Hawkmoth snapped, tapping his cane in irritation as he stared at the destruction through Mayura’s eyes. It was bad enough that his unwitting pawn had blundered into the kidnapping attempt, but the sound of various fantasy creatures shrieking in pain as Mayura fought them off was bound to draw unwanted attention sooner or later.

 

His plan hinged on nobody noticing what he was doing until it was too late to stop him. All he could do was hope he didn’t have to trigger Mayura until he absolutely needed to.

 

Hawkmoth didn’t want to learn the hard way that his little akuma experiment was out of his control.

---

12:00 - London

 

Marinette’s fantasy of catching up with Alya while she made final alterations to her runway show pieces appeared to be slipping further and further away. After initial fittings and a whirlwind of handshaking and polite laughter, Marinette found herself hurried off to a private workroom to make final alterations to the suit and gown she would show that afternoon.

 

And as it turned out, sewing was dull work without someone to talk to.

 

Normally, she would have been bouncing ideas off Tikki but her kwami had become more and more untalkative over time, answering in short, one-word answers when addressed and spending much of her time asleep in Marinette’s handbag. The silence was made all the more pronounced by the sounds of laughter and chatter that filtered through the walls of the dressing room as Marinette worked; a stark reminder of the isolation that had haunted her for months.

 

“Long way from blanket capes and princess tutus, isn’t it?”

 

Marinette hadn’t heard the door open behind her, but as she spun around, she saw a dark haired young woman leaning against the door frame, grey eyes studying the blue dress and suit ensemble that draped over the mannequins.

 

“Brigitte?!” Marinette squeaked, nearly knocking the chair over as she stood up and nearly tackled the older woman in a tight hug. “What are you doing here?! I thought you were in Toronto until next week!”

 

“Felix offered to cover for me so I could hop a flight back,” Brigitte said, tweaking Marinette’s nose. “Didn’t want to miss the moment our little amateur turned pro.”

 

“Ex cuse me, Madame,” Nathalie said, panting as she jogged to catch up with Brigitte. “I’m afraid we can’t have guests in the design...oh, M. Cheng, I-I didn’t realize you had arrived.”

 

“I wanted to say hi to your wunderkind designer first,” Brigitte chuckled, ruffling Marinette’s hair.

 

“Forgive me,” Nathalie said, glancing between the two. “I didn’t realize you two were related.”

 

Brigitte’s eyes narrowed, head tilting to one side. “What makes you think we’re related?”

 

Nathalie noticeably paled a few shades. “I-I-I’m sorry, I-I just assumed-”

 

“That just because we both have the same last name, we’re related?” Brigitte continued, lips pursing as Nathalie’s lip twitched in irritation. “Is every Sancoeur in the world part of one big happy family?”

 

“Bri,” Marinette sighed, shaking her head.

 

Brigitte’s scowl relaxed into a mischievous smirk as she lightly tapped Nathalie on the shoulder. “Relax; I’m just messing with you; I’m just saying hi to my cousin before she gets too big and famous to associate with a poor civil servant like me.”

 

“Poor?!” Marinette scoffed. “Your Knightsbridge townhouse begs to differ.”

 

“While my husband may be endowed with all the earthly luxuries one could desire, I am content to spend my days caring for the less fortunate,” Brigitte sighed, ignoring the raspberry Marinette blew in her direction. “I only hope you don’t forget about your humble cousin who let you tear her blankets up to make your first gowns.”

 

“I’ll try,” Marinette said, glancing at Nathalie. “Can you call security on her? This deranged madwoman harassing my workflow.”

 

“Fine, I know when I’m not wanted,” Brigitte responded by calmly raising her middle finger over her shoulder as she walked out. “Break a leg, kiddo; find me after the show and we can do dinner or something.”

 

Marinette returned the one fingered salute as Nathalie turned to her, mouth agape.

 

“Did you just...did you just flip off a Nobel Prize nominee?!” Nathalie whispered.

 

“She started it,” Marinette shrugged, frowning at her workstation. "Nathalie, have you seen my phone?" 

 

"Not recently," Nathalie said, glancing around the room. "Shall I check your bags?" 

 

"If you could, thanks," Marinette said, turning back to her dress. "I promised Adrien some pics of the show." 

 

"I'm sure he would appreciate that," Nathalie said, backing out of the room with a smile and small bow. She waited until she was down the hall before reaching into her pocket, examining the bright red blinking AKUMA ALERT notice on Marinette's lockscreen. Glancing over her shoulder, Nathalie popped the battery out of Marinette's phone, tossing it in a nearby trashcan and quickly making her way away from the dressing rooms. 

---

12:15 - Paris

 

“Ahhh man...I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Nino muttered under his breath, walking towards  Kagami’s home with his hands shoved in his pockets. “This is totally not my business, right? Adrien’s cool; he wouldn’t cheat on Mari...right?”

 

Wayzz shrugged, peering out of the edge of his coat as snow tumbled down from the side. “I could not tell you; though the concept of human romance eludes me as a general rule.”

 

“I mean, Mari should know if he’s screwing around, right?” Nino said, chewing on his lip.

 

“I could not tell you,” Wayzz repeated. “Would telling her not bring her pain?”

 

“Well, yeah, but...look, romance is complicated,” Nino sighed, frowning as a couple ran past him as fast as they could. “She’ll be mad at Adrien, but if he is stepping out on her, she’ll be happy in the long run, right?”

 

“...if you say so,” Wayzz said. “So...your goal is to watch Adrien and Kagami mid-coitus, yes?”

 

“What?!” Nino exclaimed as a police car rocketed past. “God, no dude! Don’t be weird!”

 

“Then how will you know Adrien is being unfaithful?”

 

“Look, if I see anything suspicious, I’ll know what...to...do,” Nino trailed off as a large, shadow passed overhead. Looking up, he saw a massive, floating head hovering down the street, a single unblinking eye above a widely grinning mouth filled with sharp, cruel teeth. Tentacles with swiveling eye-stalks wiggled and looked in every direction as it sailed over the buildings towards Kagami’s house.

 

“...is that suspicious?” Wayzz asked.

---

“How...is a giant floating eyeball fiend... a stealthy solution?!”

 

“Um, actually, a beholder is a challenge rating thirteen aberration, not a fiend, so technically- ”

 

“It doesn’t matter !”

 

“ ...well, actually, it does matter because-

 

“I don’t care !” Hawkmoth bellowed, watching people run in horror as a floating monster leered down at them from on high. “You were supposed to do things quietly! If Chat Noir finds out what we’re up to-”

 

“I seriously doubt that even Chat Noir is equipped to deal with my monster manual,” Gamemaster chuckled, flipping through pages of the akumitized gamebook as he watched the beholder roll up on the battle in Kagami’s courtyard. “Even if Chat Noir showed up, he’s going to be too late to stop my creations; you’ll have what you want and Paris can become my own personal Tomb of Horrors.”

 

“Well hurry up!” Hawkmoth demanded, fidgeting with his cane. “The longer you spend futzing about with your toys, the more chances this has to go horribly wrong…”

---

Mayura ducked behind Hendrix’s form as a pale purple blast of energy sailed over his head. Sliding between the knight’s legs, he hurled a feather shaped quill straight into the tentacle beast's head, allowing himself a small moment of triumph as the squid monster fell, dissolving into a pile of dust on the street.

 

“Damn...and I was looking forward to calamari after this,” Mayura chuckled, glancing back at Kagami with a thumbs up. “One down!”

 

“Ya —bloody— tta,” Kagami deadpanned, wincing as Hendrix’s armored form was blown apart by a purple blast from the surviving squid monster. “One to go; let’s finish this takoyaki fry before any more freakshows show-”

 

A horrible wrenching sound of grinding metal and stone came from behind her. Kagami whipped around to see her townhouse slowly and steadily rising out of the ground, lifted by an invisible force until it hung high over the street.

 

Mayura crowed, punching the air as the second octopus monster went down, a feather quill passing through its chest as it dissolved into dust. “And another one bites the…”

 

Mayura paled as he turned around, staring straight into the horrible eye of the monster that had lifted Kagami’s house up from its foundation.

 

You will come with us, the floating eyeball monster said, hideous voice pulsing in the back of their minds. Resistance is-

 

A blur of green rocketed at the creature’s eye, blinding it as the near translucent shimmer of energy that held Kagami’s house over the creature’s head fizzled out with a snap of energy that sent the house tumbling back to earth. A shimmering, geodesic dome of energy popped up around Kagami and Mayura as the house tumbled down around them, splinters of wood and stone all raining from the sky and bouncing off the energy shield harmlessly.

 

“Yeah, I think we all know where that speech was going,” Carapace said, recalling his shield with a flick of his wrist as the beholder slowly rose from the rubble, a pained, psychic scream echoing through their minds as he saddled up next to Mayura. “Where’s Ladybug?”

 

“I think she’s gonna be a little late to this one,” Mayura said, extending his fan with a flick of the wrist as all eleven eyes of the creature turned to look at him with a singularly baleful gaze. “Where’s Rena Rouge?”

 

“Occupied,” Carapace winced raising his shield as he stepped in front of Kagami. “What’s this guy’s problem? Other than his contact lens bill?" 

 

“I seem to have angered a fantasy enthusiast,” Kagami said, wishing she had something more than a kitchen knife to protect herself with. Worse still, the door through which Adrien had disappeared into currently lay under a ton of indistinguishable rubble. “I don’t think that’s the akuma though.”

 

“Ugly enough to be one,” Carapace mused, glancing at Mayura. “Can you get her out of here?”

 

“What about you?”

 

“I’ll take care of this mess; catch up with you later,” Carapace said, nodding at Mayura and Kagami who shared an uneasy glance. “Look, Ladybug’s out, Rena’s not here; I’m senior superhero on duty, so do what I say and get Kagami away from this weirdo!”

 

“You can’t take this thing by yourself!” Mayura insisted, wincing as a lime-green bolt of energy shot out of one of the beholder’s eyes and fizzled out against the shield dome.

 

“Well find me some backup then!” Carapace said, grunting as spiderline cracks began to appear in the dome. “You got any dangerous friends that are down for a fight?”

 

“I think we have one,” Kagami said, glancing at Mayura. “Can you take me to the hospital?”

 

“I don’t think a doctor is gonna help much here-”

 

“Can you get me there or not?!” Kagami demanded.

 

“I...maybe?” Mayura shrugged. “We should see if Ladybug’s answering her phone; maybe she’ll-”

 

“Dude, if Ladybug isn’t here now, she’s not coming,” Carapace grunted, struggling to hold the shield against the beholder’s onslaught. “It’s just us ; you need to get Kagami out of here, find the akuma, and figure out what we need to do to stop it!”

 

“But-”

 

“Oh for God’s sake, are you a superhero or not?!” Kagami snapped, grabbing Mayura’s collar and tugging him down to her eye level.

 

“Shield’s coming down, dude,” Carapace said. “You gonna answer the lady or not?”

 

Mayura nodded, scooping Kagami off her feet and crouching as the barrier started to falter. “Can you buy me a few seconds?”

 

“I’ll buy you more than that,” Carapace grunted, pushing his shield against the barrier and slowly siphoning its power into it. The beholder fired another laser bolt, but Carapace caught it on his shield, reflecting it back at the creature and hitting it square in the central eye. It roared in agony, eye stalks flailing wildly as Mayura made a break for it. The beholder whirled around, open eye-stalks targeting Kagami as it started to float after it.

 

“Hey, eyes on me!” Carapace shouted, dropping his shield on the ground and stomping on it, using the recoil to jump high in the air and come crashing down on the monster’s skull. Carapace grabbed hold of one eye-stalk, planting his feet against the monster’s skill and tearing it off with one mighty tug.

 

“Sorry; was that your favorite?” Carapace chuckled, kicking his shield back up on to his arm as the beholder turned its attention to him with a snarl. “Don’t worry; I’ll even you up a little.”

---

12:30 p.m. - London

 

“How does my butt look in this?”

 

Exquisite, Alya thought, glancing at the slim cream colored dress Chloe modeled.

 

“Fine, I guess,” Alya coughed, scratching the back of her neck as Chloe pouted thoughtfully at her reflection.

 

“Fine or fiiiiiine?”

 

“You look good in everything you wear,” Alya said offhandedly. “Just pick something and let’s go-”

 

“I need to look better than good ,” Chloe huffed. “I’m getting to the age when I seriously need to start considering picking up a trophy husband or wife. These fashion shows are killer meat markets.”

 

“I spent a thirty minute cab ride with you listening to how much you can’t stand the—what did you call them?—self obsessed Prada clowns with no personality?”

 

“My first spouse doesn’t need to be someone I like,” Chloe said, narrowing her eyes at Alya. “Just a rich moron who I can convince that seat belts cause cancer or something.”

 

“I feel sorry for the next person who ends up with you,” Alya sighed, frowning at her blank phone screen. “...hey, can I ask you something?”

 

“Yes, I will have a passionate fling with you in London and promise never to tell Ni-”

 

“Chlo, focus,” Alya sighed, running her hands through her hair. “Do you...ever wonder how Ladybug suddenly got the Peacock Miraculous?”  

 

“Probably had it on a shelf somewhere and didn’t tell us about it,” Chloe said, wrinkling her nose as she glanced at Pollen sticking their head out of her bag. “Sweetiebee, do you know anything about the Peacock Miraculous?”

 

“Only that it and the Butterfly were taken at the same time,” Pollen shrugged. “We have not met up with Nooroo or Duusuu in a long time; I cannot even begin to speculate where they might have been.”

 

“But they could have been together?” Alya prodded.

 

“I cannot say,” Pollen said. “I can speculate a great many things, but I am sure of none of them.”

 

“But if they were taken together...and Ladybug just happened to have the Peacock…” Alya trailed off, rubbing her temples.

 

“You know a weekend off isn’t a weekend off if you spend the entire trip working, right?” Chloe sighed, shaking her head. “Alya, we are on one of the finest streets of fashion in the whole world, about to go to an event people sell their grandmothers to attend where your best friend is going to debut as a fashion designer for the first time.”

 

“I know, but-”

 

“Our bullshit superhero lives are going to be waiting for us at home,” Chloe said, laying her hand on Alya’s shoulder. “If your head isn’t screwed on right, I’m going to have to be the reasonable one on this team and that’s not gonna be a good look.”

 

Alya rolled her eyes with a fond sigh. “Nino doesn’t count for anything?”

 

“He can be the sweet, nougaty center of Team Paris,” Chloe said, fishing her phone out of her bag. “Come on; no more Ladybug talk. Let’s send your boyfriend a selfie; make him jealous that he’s missing you trying on cute clothes.”

 

Chloe frowned at her blank phone screen. “Shit, my charger’s in my bag; is yours working?”

 

“Just passed out,” Alya sighed, fidgeting with her power button uselessly as a chill ran down her spine. “You think...you think Nino will be okay on his own?”

 

“Oh please; he’s probably having the time of his life right now.”

---

1:00 - Paris

 

Carapace was not having the time of his life.

The concrete beneath his feet erupted in a shower of stone as the beholder blasted the ground with an eyebeam, sending bits of the street raining down on his shield. The dust cleared in time for Carapace to see the eight foot tall head lunge at him, clamping down hard on his shield and biting on his arm. Even through the tough, nigh-impenetrable battle armor his suit provided him he could still feel the long, cruel teeth clamping down, trying to snap his forearm in half like a candy cane.

 

“Ugh...this nerd shit is really getting old!” Carapace grunted, grabbing another eye-stalk and ripping it off. It let go with a pained howl as two independent eye-stalks swiveled around, firing two searing blasts of energy that ripped through the side of Carapace’s suit, singing the skin beneath it as he staggered back.

 

“...okay, that’s new,” Carapace said, shakily holding his side with one hand as he raised his shield to deflect another energy attack.

 

Really hope Kagami’s coming through with the backup…

 

---

1:00 - Paris 

 

“Sir, your daughter isn’t picking up her phone!”

 

“Well keep calling her!” Mayor Andre demanded, looking out the window at the strange creatures that floated over the city. “Tell her it’s an emergency; tell her that-”

 

The windows rattled as something large landed on the roof of the building. The panicked scrambling in Mayor’s office died down as everyone looked up, frozen in terror as a long, black, serpentine neck snaked down past the window. One bright green eye the size of a car tire opened, looking in at the panicked office workers for any sign of its quarry. After a painfully long, tense moment, the creature took off, claws digging into the roof and sending tiles raining down on the street below.

 

The black dragon took off over the city, firing a jet of noxious green acid in the air as it went.

 

“...get me Capt. Van der Meer,” Mayor Andre said quietly. “Tell him to do whatever it takes to get this city under control again…”

 

---

1:00 - Paris

 

Master He stood at the window, hands folded behind her back as a large, scaled monstrosity lumbered down the street, feet crushing cars with every step as its horns scraped the sides of buildings. The hospital shook as the creature walked past it, the panicked screaming of doctors and nurses falling deaf on Master He’s ears.

 

“Master?” Jun asked, hovering at her elbow. “What are we to do?”

 

“Lan...inform Chat Noir that Kagami has been abducted,” Master He said, calmly folding her glasses and placing them in her breast pocket. “Keep Master Fu safe at all costs.”

 

Her apprentices shared an uneasy look before nodding, snapping into action as Master He calmly adjusted her bracelet, walking down the hallway towards the stairs that led to the roof.

 

---

1:00 - Paris

 

“Hey Nino, I don’t know what’s going on, but it doesn’t look good,” Chris Lahiffe said, adjusting the strap of his bookbag as he ran down the street, careful to avoid the swooping, winged creatures that divebombed passing civilians that got too close. “I’m gonna bunker down in the library, call me when you get this-”

 

The ground beneath his feet buckled upwards as an explosion rocked the street. Chris fell back, phone clattering uselessly on the ground as he scampered back, away from the widening hole in the streets below. Through the dim haze of dust and powdered concrete, he could see a variety of figures slowly walking out of the bit, the sound of rattling bones filling the air as they moved. Leading the skeletal army out of the Paris Catacombs was a tall, hooded figure that floated a few feet off the ground. A single, green eye stared out of a sunken face as it moved, and as it raised its arms, Chris could see the mangled, burned out stump where one hand should have been.

 

Paralyzed by fear, Chris lay there, watching the dead of Paris rise under the power of a new and terrible master.

 

---

1:15 - Paris

 

“Tell me that isn’t a zombie army,” Kagami said, wrapping her arms around Mayura’s chest a little tighter as he carried her towards the hospital.

 

Mayura looked down, wincing as the street opened up beneath them and hundreds of skeletal figures poured out of the ground. “You know, I’m starting to wonder if having a pit full of skeletons really counts as a tourist attract-”

 

“Look out!”

 

A winged, horned devil creature collided with Mayura’s figure sending both him and Kagami tumbling through the air. A scream of surprise caught his attention as another winged creature plucked Kagami out of the air by her ankles, carrying her in the opposite direction.

 

“Oh no you don’t !” Mayura hissed, whipping a quill at the devil as he plummeted. The quill sank into the creature’s skin, harming it enough to drop Kagami as Mayura kicked off a nearby roof, plucking her out of the air before she could fall.

 

“Mind where you’re going !” Kagami squawked, clinging to him tighter as he dashed over the rooftops, trying to put the creatures behind them. Grabbing at Mayura’s fan, Kagami plucked a quill out, holding it like a dagger as another winged devil dove, claws extended. Kagami whipped the quill at the creature’s head, savoring the cry of pain it made as it tumbled out of the air, smashing against the street below and dissolving into dust.

 

“Where do these things keep coming from?! Mayura panted, landing on a rooftop and whipping around, ready to take out the remaining pursuers. A flash of white caught his attention as three pale blades shot past his head, each burying in the chest of one of the monsters and dissolving them into a puff of dust. Mayura turned to see a tall, thin masked woman dressed all in white, twirling a pair of long, white daggers between her fingers as she landed on the roof.

 

“Master,” Kagami almost sighed in relief as Mayura threw an arm out in front of her, glaring at the old woman with mistrust.

 

“If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t have waited until you turned around,” Master Crane said, stowing her daggers in a sheath on her belt. “Are you alright?”

 

“More or less,” Kagami shrugged, brushing some dust off her shirt. “Any sign of anyone else?”

 

“No; Mayura, Carapace, and I are the only ones who seem to have gotten the memo,” Master Crane said, glancing at Mayura who suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Any idea where your friends are?”

 

“Could say the same about your backstabbing cat friend,” Mayura challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“This is not the time to be bickering about this,” Kagami sighed, shooting Mayura a sharp look. “Paris is being torn apart by the legions of hell; if Chat Noir is out there, he’s our best hope of stopping this thing!”

 

“If he isn’t already helping whoever summoned these freaks,” Mayura countered, anger bubbling at the mere mention of Chat Noir’s name. “It’s a moot point; we can’t even purify this akuma without Ladybug!”

 

“I think you’ll find that Ladybug isn’t the only one capable of expelling evil,” Master Crane said. “If we can locate the akuma, there’s a chance I could capture it and expel Hawkmoth’s influence.”

 

“A chance ?”

 

“A chance is all we have,” Master Crane said, straightening up. “I don’t know what Ladybug has told you, but we are very much supposed to be on the same side here! Whatever grievance you may have with me, we need to put the good of this city before our personal squabble! We need to-”

 

A shadow blocked the sun out as a large, black shape flew over head, wheeling above them and turning around, each wingbeat buffeting the air around them with loud, almost painful thumps. The rooftop shook as the creature landed on the far side of the roof, a hooded, robed figure hopping off the dragon’s back.

 

“Isn’t this great?!” The akuma crowed, gesturing out over the city. “I’ve had the Vecna and tarrasque figures for years but I’ve never been able to run an encounter with them! And now, all of Paris can take part in the biggest battle in the history of the game!”

 

Mayura and Master Crane both stepped in front of Kagami, daggers and quills at the ready. The dragon let out a low snarl that shook the air around them, green acid dripping from its jaws and burning holes in the rooftop at its feet.

 

“But as interesting as this encounter is, Hawkmoth is very interested in speaking to that friend of yours,” Gamemaster said, producing a worn, leather book from the folds of his cloak. “So you can either come quietly...or my beasts can take you by force.”

 

“It’s up to you,” Gamemaster said with a wide, glinting grin that sent a shudder of fear running down Kagami’s spine. “How do you want to do this?”

---

 ??? -  The Sanctuary of the Black Cat

 

"Concentrate!" 

 

"I am!" Chat Noir insisted, struggling to draw Fang out of its scabbard. "Yelling at me isn't going to make me concentrate any more!" 

 

"You are still not applying yourself," Sasuke grumbled. "You are capable of more and yet you are still holding back!" 

 

"I've been applying my tail off all all morning," Chat Noir sighed, tossing the sword down and flopping down on the floor of the Sanctuary. "I need a break."

 

"And what if you didn't have time for a break?" Sasuke sighed. "What if your life depended on your ability to master this technique?" 

 

"Good thing it doesn't, right?" Chat Noir sighed, glancing up as Plagg floated in, panting. 

 

"Kid, we gotta go!" Plagg said.

 

"Whoa, calm down Plagg," Chat Noir chuckled. "I don't think I've ever seen you this tilted-" 

 

"Kagami got attacked by an akuma while you were training; Master He is doing all she can to fight but-" 

 

"What?!" Chat Noir demanded, springing to his feet. "Is she okay?! Where's everybody else?!" 

 

"Only Mayura and Carapace have shown," Plagg said. "Master He and Mayura are protecting her, but they can't hold out for long with the whole damn city is on fire; this akuma is summoning all kinds of crazy monsters to try and snatch Kagami!" 

 

"Damnit," Chat Noir hissed, plucking Fang off the ground and running for the stairs. "I gotta go; I'll bring this back later!" 

 

Sasuke watched Chat Noir run up the stairs, snapping his fingers as he reached for the doorknob.

 

??? 1:30 -  The Sanctuary of the Black Cat

 

The door vanished in a puff of green smoke, leaving Chat Noir grasping at the empty air. 

 

"What?" Chat Noir stammered, pounding the smooth obsidian wall where the door had been. "What the hell?! Where did the door go?!" 

 

"I don't know; only a Black Cat can-" Plagg trailed off, turning back to Sasuke. "...Sasuke?" 

 

Sasuke said nothing, hands folded on the hilt of a sword that poured out of the smooth obsidian of the floor. 

 

"This lesson is not over," Sasuke said simply. 

 

"What's going on?" Chat Noir said, glancing at Sasuke. "Did you-" 

 

"This Sanctuary is as much mine as it is yours," Sasuke said, drawing the weapon. "I have returned it to the normal flow of time...and you will leave when I decide you can." 

 

"Are you serious?!" Chat Noir spat. "My friend's life is at stake here; my city is under attack! This isn't some kind of game-" 

 

"And yet you have been treating it as such!" Sasuke bellowed, voice echoing off the walls of the Sanctuary as the obsidian walls fell away, dissolving into black sand that swirled around them. "This has always been a matter of life and death! You have always needed this power to save your friends! And if you are not going to train like your friend's lives depend on it, then you are going to fight like their lives depend on it!" 

 

The Sanctuary dissolved into a pastoral scene of feudal Japan painted in shades of black and silver. A pale, sickly green moon hung high in the sky above them as they stood in what appeared to be some kind of courtyard. A tall, drooping wisteria tree towered over them, swaying in the breeze as Sasuke raised his weapon in front of him.

 

"Sasuke, this isn't funny," Plagg said seriously, stepping between them. "If Kagami gets captured, Hawkmoth can pull Chat Noir's identity out of her! That's curtains for us and curtains for the world as we know it! He has to save her!" 

 

"Then he has to master that weapon and use it to cut me down," Sasuke said. "Before his friend meets with an unfortunate end." 

 

"You sick son of a bitch!" Chat Noir spat, grabbing for the hilt of his sword. Fear and anger bubbled up inside him, releasing the sword with a snap of green light. The black blade hummed in his hand, the green edge thirsting to slice something as Chat Noir gripped the hilt with both hands. 

 

"You see what a little motivation does?" Sasuke chuckled. "We're finally making some progress."

 

"I hate you!" Chat Noir hissed, sword pulsing with green energy as his head thrummed with anger. 

 

"Good...now do something with it," Sasuke said coolly. 

 

The air between them was still, almost peaceful for a single moment before they both lunged, blades clashing against one another in a shower of green sparks. 

Notes:

Shit's hit the fan and the girls are nowhere in sight! Can Chat Noir defeat his evil sensei before Kagami meets with an unfortunate end? Will Mayura realize the person he loves more than life itself has betrayed him? Will Carapace survive soloing a beholder? Will Nathalie ever get superkicked in the face for supporting Hawkmoth? Will Alya ever get that threesome she wants?

These questions and less will be answered next time!

Chapter 31: Getting The Party Together

  1:30 - Paris

 

It was times like these, squatting behind a pile of rubble while people ran screaming past her, that Nadja Chamack wondered if she shouldn’t have gone into celebrity gossip journalism.

 

TMZ writers didn’t need to worry about dodging eye beams and fleeing creatures spawned by a costumed freakshow’s imagination. She wished there was some other way to gain journalistic cred other than constantly subjecting herself to the possibility of a painful and embarrassing death. 

 

But if she was going to be surrounded by suffering, violence, and superhuman monsters, she was going to be damn sure that she got it on film. 

 

“Th-This isn’t part of my contract!” Theo whimpered, leveling the camera at the battle taking place between Carapace and a large, floating eyeball monster down the street.

 

“Other duties as assigned covers battlefield journalism,” Nadja said, adjusting her blazer as Carapace deflected another eyebeam into an abandoned building. “Keep your camera on the action; if we die, at least our footage will win an award.”

 

---

 1:45 - London 

 

“You really had to go on a whole damn shopping spree, didn’t you?”

 

“What, you expect me to come to London and not pick out shoes?”

 

“Not when we’re up against a deadline,” Alya sighed as Chloe waddled after her with arms full of bags. “Pick up the slack, Bee Movie; we got a dress rehearsal to make.”

 

“You could help me, you know,” Chloe pouted.

 

“Yeah, I could,” Alya conceded, shoving her hands in the pockets of her coat as they wove their way through a crowd of holiday shoppers all clustered around a storefront. “But then you wouldn’t learn your lesson.”

 

Chloe started lagging behind, frowning as she tried to see what everybody was looking at. “...Alya?”

 

“No; we’re done ducking into boutiques,” Alya sighed, glancing at her watch. “I feel like a shitty enough best friend as it is; I should at least be there to say hi to Mari before she goes on stage.”

 

“Alya,” Chloe called, bags slipping from her hand and piling on the street below.

 

“I don’t care how many bags you have or how much your feet hurt; I’m not helping you carry-”

 

“Alya!” Chloe snapped, pointing at one of the large screen TV’s barely visible through the thick of rubberneckers all craning their necks to get a look at the screen.

 

“What, do you want to buy a big screen TV or…” Alya trailed off, blood running cold as a helicopter feed showed a very familiar skyline on fire. One screen was trained on a large, black dragon menacing a trio on a rooftop, Mayura’s gaudy purple ensemble standing out as he stepped in front of Kagami and a woman in white Alya had never seen before. The other screen showed a large, squirming eyeball monster, firing a beam at a lone figure in green. Even through the haze of smoke and the grainy camera lens, Alya recognized the wobbly figure, barely raising his shield to deflect another blow.

 

“...Nino,” Alya muttered weakly, eyes wide in horror as the monster lunged-

---

 1:45 - Paris

 

-and clamped down hard on Carapace’s arm.

 

“You know something?!” Carapace spat, struggling to free his shield from the creature’s mouth. “I’m getting reeaaaaaaally sick of this Final Fantasy bullshit!”

 

One of the creature’s eye-stalks started to glow, snaking over the rim of Carapace’s shield. The crackle of energy gave Carapace enough time to look up, ironically coming eye to eye with an attack he had no way of protecting himself from; no way of defending himself against except-

 

Acting on pure instinct, Carapace lunged, grabbed the eye stalk, and swiveled it around to aim directly at the monster’s body as it fired. The beholder didn’t have time to scream before a jet of green energy arced out, instantly evaporating it and reducing the monster that had destroyed half a city block to dust.

 

Carapace brushed the remains of the creature off his shield, wincing as he held his injured side. “Alright...who’s next?”

 

A high pitched scream caught his attention and Carapace whipped around to see a woman scrambling away from a small horde of skeletal monsters, each swinging rusty looking melee weapons in slow, ponderous arcs at their victims.

 

“I had to ask, didn’t I?” Carapace sighed, jogging down the street with a painful wince. “Hey numbskulls! I got a bone to pick with you...ahhh man, even Chat Noir would have groaned at that…” 

---

 1:45 - Paris

 

“It’s up to you,” Gamemaster said with a wide, glinting grin that sent a shudder of fear running down Kagami’s spine. “How do you want to do this?”

 

Master Crane tensed as the black dragon bared its teeth, shooting a look at Mayura out of the corner of her eye.

 

“You need to get Kagami out of here,” Master Crane said sternly, drawing her daggers .

 

“Why does everybody stick me with guard duty?” Mayura muttered.

 

“You have a trusting air about you,” Master Crane said, turning to Kagami, digging something out of her pocket and slipping it into Kagami’s pocket before Mayura could turn around. “Go; I will find you once this is all settled.”

 

“You can’t be serious,” Mayura said, gesturing to the dragon. “There’s no way you can handle this thing by yourself!”

 

“I can handle more with one hand than you could with two, boy,” Master Crane chuckled, twirling her weapons around as the dragon leered at her, teeth dripping with acid.

 

“Well, you can certainly try,” Gamemaster chuckled, folding his arms across his chest as the dragon’s neck snaked forward. “But is it really a good idea to discuss battle strategy in front of your enemies?”

 

“It is if you know there’s nothing your enemy can do to stop you,” Master Crane said.

 

“I don’t know if that’s courage or hubris,” Gamemaster said, tilting his head to one side thoughtfully. “I suppose there’s only one way to find out.”

 

Gamemaster snapped his fingers, and the dragon lunged, mouth agape at Master Crane. Two quills from Mayura’s fan struck the beast in the eyes, distracting it long enough for Master Crane to leap high in the air, crashing down on the dragon’s head with a mighty kick that shook the building and sent roof tiles sliding down on to the street below.

 

“Right...have fun with that!” Mayura said, grabbing Kagami around the waist and taking a running leap off the edge of the building.

 

“Wait!” Kagami cried, reaching out for Master Crane as she fell backwards, gliding over the rooftops as Mayura ran as fast as he could.

 

“You two play nicely now,” Gamemaster chuckled, levitating off the rooftop as Master Crane narrowly avoided a jet of burning acid that melted the air conditioning unit behind her. “I’ve got more than just one encounter to manage right now…”

---

 2:00 - The Sanctuary of the Black Cat

 

The melodic din of steel on steel was the only thing that broke the oppressive silence of the Sanctuary. Each sword strike echoed in the stark, barren wasteland as Chat Noir dove at his prey, swinging with wild abandoned as his mentor carelessly deflected every thrust and slash with practiced ease.

 

Plagg could only watch as his Black Cats tore at each other, leaping up on to the dilapidated roof of the palace as they battled.

 

“Time is running out, Adrien Agreste,” Sasuke said coolly, ignoring the snarl of fear and anger as he leapt in the air, stepping on the flat of Fang as Chat Noir thrust recklessly at his feet. “It is one thing to be capable of wielding this power; you must have the strength of will to use it effectively.”

 

“Spare my the Jedi bullshit !” Chat Noir spat grunting as Sasuke jumped off the blade, kicking Chat Noir in the face as he jumped off. “Kagami’s life is in danger! I don’t have time for this!”

 

“If you put as much energy into your training as you put into your whining, you would no doubt be a master by now,” Sasuke sniffed, raising a hand and catching Fang on the flat of his palm. “Honestly...how do you intend to save your friend with such a dull weapon?”

 

Why isn’t it cutting him? Chat Noir winced, watching the green glimmering along the edge of his sword flicker and fade to a dull silver edge.

 

“You’re going to have to do much better than that!” Sasuke sneered, kicking Chat Noir back off the roof and sending him tumbling to the ground below. “That sword has been the manifestation of my hatred for more than five hundred years. To wield it, it must become the manifestation of yours...you cannot destroy me unless you really wish to."

---

2:00 - London

 

Marinette glanced at her watch, tapping her foot against the floor as she peeked out from behind the curtain separating the backstage area from the audience. The small venue had been transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with artificial snow and spinning snowflakes hanging high above the catwalk. From her position behind the curtain, Marinette could see the full house chattering with one another, mouth twisting in displeasure as she noticed two conspicuously empty seats in the front row.

 

“Where are they?” Marinette sighed. “Probably held up on another one of Chloe’s shopping sprees...why did she have to come anyway?”

 

“I’m sure your friends...er, friend...will be along shortly,” Nathalie said, glancing at her tablet. “You should make sure your models are well fitted; the show is due to start soon."

 

Shooting one last look at Alya’s empty seat, Marinette sighed, trudging back towards the fitting room.

 

“They better have a good reason for being so late.”

---

2:00 - London

 

“You don’t understand; we need to get on the next train to Paris!”

 

“I’m sorry, miss, we can’t accommodate any more passengers,” the station attendant said with a helpless shrug. “We sold the last two just a few moments ago, and-”

 

“Got em!” Chloe crowed, grabbing Alya by the shoulder as she brandished a pair of tickets triumphantly.

 

“How did you-”

 

“Backpackers took a bribe,” Chloe said, gesturing to a pair of Americans counting euros and hi-fiving one another. “Coach tickets, but-”

 

“God bless your rich father,” Alya sighed, grabbing Chloe’s hand as they ran for the turnstile. “Come on! We have to-” 

---

2:30 - Paris

 

“- go back!”

 

“Keep your voice down!” Mayura hissed, throwing his cape over Kagami as another pack of winged devils passed overhead, searching for any sign of their quarry.

 

“You don’t understand; she’s the only one who can put a stop to this!” Kagami insisted, grabbing Mayura by his cloak’s lapels.

 

“What about your pal? I don’t see anybody tall dark and furry stepping up to save the day,” Mayura muttered. “...you’re not even denying it anymore, are you?”

 

“...there’s a very good reason as to why Chat Noir isn’t here,” Kagami said, biting her lip.

 

“Or he knows you’re in trouble and just doesn’t care enough to stick his neck out to save you,” Mayura snorted.

 

“Well, I don’t see Ladybug sticking her neck out either,” Kagami countered.

 

“That’s different, she-”

 

“-is lying to you,” Kagami said firmly. “She has been lying to you for months now!”

 

“Funny; she told me that Chat was probably doing the same to you,” Mayura said, crossing his arms. “What makes you so sure Chat Noir is telling you the truth about Ladybug working with Hawkmoth; what makes you sure he isn’t using you to get at Ladybug’s Miraculous?”

 

“Because I know him,” Kagami said firmly.

 

“And I know Ladybug,” Mayura said. “She’s the most selfless creature in the universe; she always puts everybody else’s needs way before her own. I don’t think she’s even capable of doing something like that; it’s not in her character.”

 

“Nobody’s that perfect,” Kagami said, suddenly wishing she the akuma had the decency to kidnap her with her coat on.

 

“You’ll see,” Mayura said earnestly. “Ladybug will be here before you know it.”

 

“For my sake, I hope you’re right,” Kagami muttered, shivering slightly.

 

“Want to bet on it?”

 

“You don’t have the money to bet with me,” Kagami said, reaching into her pocket and running her fingers over the small, smooth object Master Crane had slipped her.  

---

2:30 - London

 

“Okay...you guys know what to do?”

 

“Marinette, they’ve been doing this their entire lives,” Nathalie said, shooting the couple an apologetic look. “First timer.”

 

“Right, no, sure, of course,” Marinette laughed a little too loudly, reaching out and adjusting her male model’s tie for the thirteenth time. “B-Break a leg, you two...but don’t actually break a leg...oh god, please don’t break a leg; please don't trip and break a-”

 

“And that’s our cue,” Nathalie said, ushering Marinette’s models out on to the runway as she spoke into her headset. “Dupain-Cheng walking; cue the snowflakes.”

 

Marinette closed her eyes, pressing her back against the wall as she listened to the crowd through the curtains. She couldn’t tell if the murmurs, and applause were anything more than perfunctory and polite; a nagging, anxious voice in the back of her mind sneered that they were all laughing at her behind their programs. But as her models approached the end of the walkway, the smattering of applause only seemed to increase in volume.

 

“You can open your eyes,” Nathalie chuckled as Marinette’s models stepped back through the curtains, artificial snow clinging to their clothes.

 

“It’s over?” Marinette asked, glancing at Nathalie as she moved on to the next designer in the order. “Already?”

 

Nearly a month of round the clock work had come to less than a thirty second walk across the stage accompanied by a smattering of applause. She had debuted without any of the life changing fervor that she expected to come with her first fashion show.

 

“Queue up; you’re walking out for the finale,” Nathalie said, shoving Marinette between her models as they queued them behind some of Gabriel’s senior designers . Marinette’s head swam as she was ushered through the curtain and on to the runway. Artificial snow tumbled down from the rafters as the darkly lit crowd rose to their feet, applauding the parade of designers as they each made their way down the runway in turn. It was almost surreal the way time seemed to move in slow motion, each fleck of snow hanging in the air for a long, ponderous moment as she walked through them, bathed in the spotlights and the sound of an adoring crowd cheering her name.

 

I have arrived, Marinette thought, bowing at the end of the runway as a wide, beaming smile spread across her face. This is the best day of my life!

---

2:30 - Paris

 

“This is...the worst fucking day...of my whole life.”

 

Carapace kicked a charging skeleton in the chest, shattering it into a pile of broken bones as he guided a crowd of terrified Parisians through the backstreets.

 

“Stick close!” Carapace said, raising his shield and breaking into a sprint as a crowd of skeletons rose to block their path. A tide of bones broke across his shield as he ran, cutting a path through the crowd and skidding to a stop on the far side of the crowd. With a flick of his arm, his shield ricocheted off the street lamps on either side of the street like a pinball, cutting through the remaining mob and landing at Carapace’s feet.

 

“You know...the worst part of this shit is that you guys don’t even drop any good loot,” Carapace muttered, waving the crowd forward as the sound of gunfire came from the next street over. A small squad of armed, black-clad Stigma operatives were wildly spraying their weapons in the air, bullets harmlessly bouncing off the cackling devils that swooped down and attacked them with wicked abandon.

 

“Get to library!” Carapace called to the crowd of civilians, pointing across the street. “Hole up in the bunker in the basement until this blows over-”

 

“Hey Michelangelo!”

 

A blue and purple blur sailed overhead, raining a shower of jagged feather shaped quills down on a few straggling skeletons that tried to wobble to their feet. Mayura landed behind him, Kagami hopping off his back and driving her foot through the skull of a skeleton trying to pick up its sabre.

 

“I’m more of a Donatello guy myself,” Carapace said, kicking his shield back on to his wrist. “What happened to backup?”

---

 “You know...compared to the dragons I'm acquainted with,” Master Crane panted, dodging out of the way of a lunging bite attack. “You are a very poor copy.”

 

Master Crane dashed up the dragon’s neck, leaping and sinking her daggers into its soft, translucent wings as it started to take flight. The beast howled in pain as she slid down, shredding its wings and sending it crashing back down to the rooftop.

 

“Sorry; flights are cancelled,” Master Crane said as the dragon snarled, eyes burning with malice as it opened its mouth, roaring in pain and anger as it charged.

---

 Carapace cocked his head as a dragon’s roar echoed across the city.

 

“She’s occupied,” Kagami said tightly, turning in the direction of gunfire as a Stigma guard was carried high over the city streets and dropped in the Seine as two winged devils bumped fists with a cackle. “I see security is doing...nothing.”

 

“And here I thought Americans with assault rifles were the answer to all life’s problems,” Mayura chuckled bitterly as a pair of Stigma guards jogged up led by a tall, bald man with a stern expression.

 

“Capt. Van der Meer,” the bald man said, introducing himself with a crisp salute. “I’m in charge of Stigma operations in the city of Paris.”

 

“At ease, dude,” Carapace said, rolling his shoulders with a wince. “What’s the sitch?”

 

“My men are doing what they can to combat these creatures but...truthfully, this is a little bit out of our pay grade,” Capt. Van der Meer said. “We didn’t sign up for this.”

 

“Just roughhousing civilians and acting tough at the Mayor’s parties,” Kagami said, raising an eyebrow as Capt. Van der Meer glared at her. 

 

“We haven’t been able to locate Ladybug or any other heroes,” Capt. Van der Meer said, clearing his throat. “Do you have a status update on Rena Rouge or Queen Bee?”

---

3:00 - Train to Paris

 

“Okay...okay,” Alya sighed, leaning down so she could talk while her phone charged hooked up to the plug next to her seat. “Stay off the streets; I’ll call you when it’s safe.”

 

Alya pressed her face against the glass, watching the countryside roll by as Chloe slid into the seat across from her.

 

“Daddy knows I’m on the way back,” Chloe sighed, crossing her arms. “The only problem is that we’re not going to be able to pull into Paris as long as the akuma is rampaging.”

 

“What?!”

 

“They’re gonna stop us half an hour outside the city limits,” Chloe said with a tight smile. “That’s fucking Eurostar for you...”

 

“Did you tell them you were Queen Bee?”

 

“They weren’t impressed; something about “protecting the lives of their passengers” or some shit like that,” Chloe sighed. “Maybe we should have grabbed a private jet.”

 

“Where the hell would we get a private jet?”

 

“French embassy?” Chloe shrugged. “Ambassador Bernard owes my father quite a few favors...let’s just stay that the woman he checks into Le Grand Paris with isn’t always his wife.”

 

“Should have led with blackmail first,” Alya sighed, leg jiggling as she chewed on her lower lip. On the television screen in the aisle, live footage of the battle was interspersed with cell phone footage from civilians on the ground. Her chest tightened as grainy footage of Carapace leading the charge through a wave of animated skeletons came on screen, pride mingling with worry as he led a crowd of strangers through the city.

 

“I hate this…” Alya sighed. “I hate not being able to help him.”

 

“Hey, if anyone can hold the line until we get there, it’s Shelly,” Chloe said. “He’s practically unbreakable.”

 

“Now is not the time I want to test his stamina,” Alya said.

 

“I can rent you a hotel room if you want to test his stamina later,” Chloe said, satisfied that a small, reluctant laugh slipped out of Alya’s tightly pressed lips. “Just focus on getting ready to bail his butt out of trouble when we stop.”

 

“How? We can’t even get into the city!”

 

Chloe just smirked, pointing to herself.

---

3:00 - Paris

 

“Rena Rouge and Queen Bee are gonna be here...soonish,” Carapace said, glancing at Mayura. “No sign of Ladybug yet.”

 

“She’ll be here,” Mayura said firmly, turning to the Stigma team. “Until then, we need to do everything in our power to keep Kagami safe. If you gents can help with that?”

 

“You’re sending me off with the goon squad ?” Kagami sniffed.

 

“It’s that or keep riding me like a showpony all over town.”

 

“The showpony has put on a better show than these rent-a-thugs,” Kagami said, jerking her head in Capt. Van der Meer’s direction.

 

“...excuse me, ma’am,” Capt. Van der Meer bristled.

 

“You’re excused,” Kagami said.

 

“Look, it’s too dangerous for you to stick around us,” Mayura sighed.

 

“It’s too dangerous to even be in Paris these days,” Kagami countered. “If the fantasy geek decides to come after me, there’s not much the Rambo Fan Club can do to protect me; they’re not exactly monster hunters, are they?”

 

“Excuse me,” Capt. Van der Meer growled.

 

“Girl’s got a point,” Carapace said, poignantly ignoring Capt. Van der Meer’s huffing and puffing. “Not like Stigma is earning that mayoral cheddar Andre’s been paying them.”

 

“Excuse me!” Capt. Van der Meer snapped. “How is it our fault that we weren’t prepared to deal with a delusional manchild’s psychotic fantasy?!”

 

“Hawkmoth is a delusional manchild!” Kagami said, jerking her thumb over to the river where a large, club weilding cyclops was batting Stigma guards into the water while a small gaggle of winged demons cheered him on. “And i’m not exactly brimming with confidence that the Mayor’s PR stunt is up to the task of-”

 

A low, bellowing roar shook the ground and rattled the windows lining the street surrounding them. Carapace slowly turned to see a large, lumbering monster slowly making its way down the street, claws dragging on the ground and feet crushing cars as it moved. A mouth the size of a small house hung open, teeth dripping drool on the street as it slowly, inevitably, made its way towards them.

 

“You boys don’t happen to have one of them Pacific Rim robots lying around, do you?” Carapace asked as Capt. Van der Meer slowly backed up, eyes wide in mute horror as he fumbled for the radio on his vest. “Evangelion? Gundam? Anything big and punchy we can throw at that thing?”

 

“A-A-All units, fall back to the Mayor’s residence!” Capt. Van der Meer said as his companions dropped their guns and ran down the street as fast as they could.

 

"Okay, running away works too!" Carapace called, waving after them. "What's the matter; never seen a giant world-ending monster before?!" 

 

“And they call us cowards,” Mayura sighed, watching the best mercenaries money could buy flee through the streets as the lumbering beast made its way towards them. “What’s the call?”

 

“Get Kagami somewhere safe,” Carapace said, shouldering his shield. “Out of the city, if you can...hell, I'd hop a train if I were you." 

 

“Okay you definitely can’t handle that by yourself,” Mayura said.

 

“I don’t think an extra pair of hands is what’s gonna make the difference here,” Carapace chuckled, watching an empty building crumble as the creature’s tail carelessly swipe through it. “But we can’t let this guy get Kagami; I’ll keep his attention for as long as I can, but you two need to hoof it.”

 

Mayura and Kagami shared an uneasy glance as the street trembled with every approaching footstep.

 

“...I’m coming back for you,” Mayura said, sweeping Kagami off her feet. “I’ll...I’ll find some kind of help. I can bring that bird lady and-”

 

“Don’t sweat,” Carapace said, waving over his shoulder. “I’ll catch you on the flipside.”

 

Mayura nodded, leaping off the street and away as the earth shaking monstrosity grew ever closer. Carapace took a deep breath, straightening up as his communicator buzzed on his arm.

 

“Answer,” Carapace said as Queen Bee’s face filled up the back of his shield.

 

“Hey!” Queen Bee said. “We’re on the way; just crossed over to the continent. Train’s gonna stop half an hour outside the city, but-”

 

“That’s great,” Carapace said, hoping the fear didn’t come through in his voice. “Alya with you?”

 

“ I’m holed up in the toilet right now; I can go get her if you-”

 

“No, that’s fine,” Carapace said, shaking his head as the shadow of the tarrasque fell over him. “Just...take care of her, yeah?”

 

“What? What’s going on?”

 

“And tell her I love her,” Carapace said, swallowing heavily. “She knows, but, uh...just tell her for me, will you?”

 

“Nino, I know superheroing is kind of our thing, but if you’re planning on doing something pointlessly heroic-”

---

3:30 - Train to Paris

 

Queen Bee’s communicator cut off, leaving her staring blankly at a black screen.

 

“Nino? Nino?!” The notification light next to Carapace’s communicator went dark and tapping it seemed to have no effect no matter how hard she tried to reach out to him again. Dropping her transformation, Chloe slipped out of the bathroom, turning to see her entire car staring up at the tv screens in the aisle, identical expressions of fear and horror on their faces...except for Alya, whose own pained, terrified expression spoke of fear far deeper than detached shock.

 

“Run…” Alya whispered, clutching her hair as she watched grainy footage of Carapace standing unmoving between the library and an impossibly large thing that grew closer and closer with each step. “Please...please run...please...run…”

---

3:30 - Paris

 

“You really want me to send a tarrasque after one hero?” Grandmaster asked as Hawkmoth watched Carapace defiantly stand between the tarrasque and the library. “You must really hate this guy…”

 

“Hatred has nothing to do with it,” Hawkmoth said, lip curling into a reflexive sneer. “He’s just...a bad influence.”

---

The unbelievable stench of decay and rot that came from the behemoth’s mouth was almost enough to knock Carapace over. Cruel, beady eyes glared down at him curiously, as though it were a cat that couldn’t decide if the strange little thing in front of it was worth eating or not.

 

“Come on!” Carapace shouted, banging on his shield like a dinner bell. “Come and get-”

 

As he sailed across the street and crashed through the wall of a building, Carapace wondered if he hadn’t made a huge mistake.

Notes:

RE: DND Monsters being less impressive than their D&D counterparts a big part of that is it's limited by Hawkmoth''s own power. He can't create something more powerful than himself, but he can create similar looking creatures that are fun to punch.

I broke this chapter up into two more digestible chapters (I know I'm whipping a lotta shit at you as fast as I can so let me know if this gets too dense) so if all goes well, I'll have the next half up soon.

Also, big shout out to whoever made the Truth and Consequences Trope Page! (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/TruthAndConsequences)

Chapter 32: You Can Certainly Try

 

 3:30 - London 

 

The euphoria of being surrounded and praised by designers Marinette had looked up to since she was a child was somewhat diminished by irritation that grew with every minute that Alya and Chloe weren't with her. 

 

I could have been here with Adrien, Marinette thought as she laughed at the French Ambassador’s joke. I gave up spending time with my boyfriend to make time for her, but is she here? Noooooo, she’s probably off making out with Chloe in a closet somewhere…

 

Nathalie cleared her throat, drawing Marinette’s attention to a tall, dark-skinned woman in a sharply tailored blue dress. “Marinette, may I introduce-”

 

“Angelina Loveless,” the woman said, stepping forward and shaking Marinette’s hand. “Head of Gabriel’s London branch.”

 

“I know...I-I mean, I know who you are…I mean...n-nice to meet you,” Marinette laughed. “I very much enjoyed the article you put out in Vanity Fair last month.”

 

“Thank you,” Angelina said with a warm smile. “And I very much enjoyed the work you put out today; honestly a breath of fresh air in a dry winter landscape. I don’t think I've seen a showing that strong in quite a few years."

 

“M. Agreste’s design last year was quite nice,” Nathalie interjected.

 

“It was nice the first ten times he designed it too,” Angelina sighed, ignoring Nathalie’s irritated scowl. “To be blunt, Marinette, we’re creatively in a bit of a rut which is why I’m hoping you’ll consider accepting a position with us while you’re in school.”

 

“Isn’t there some kind of interview process?” Marinette chuckled.

 

“You just went through it,” Angelina said. “Your skill and attention to detail was apparent in everything you produced today; at the risk of being too presumptuous, I think you would make an excellent addition to our staff.”

 

“Well...that’s-”

 

“Of course there will be a more formal offer and we can negotiate your salary when the time comes,” Angelina said, patting Marinette on the shoulder. “But I do hope you’ll accept; we’re in dire need of new blood. If we stagnate for much longer, I'm afraid this house's days are numbered.”

 

“Of course...th-thank you,” Marinette said, unable to keep the beaming grin off her face as Angelina was called away by a friend.

 

“You’ve impressed a great many people today, Marinette,” Nathalie said with a rare smile. “Seems M. Agreste’s faith in you was well placed.”

 

“I hope he doesn’t think I plan to make a career out of working for him,” Marinette sighed. "This is...great; more than I could have hoped for. But I'm still committed to starting my own brand." 

 

“It doesn’t need to be forever; it just needs to be for now,” Nathalie said, patting her shoulder. “And for now-”

 

“Out of the way, peons, family coming through!” Brigitte crowed, knocking Nathalie to one side and throwing an arm over Marinette’s shoulder and rustling her hair. “Look at you, all grown up and wowing the posh folk!”

 

“Nathalie, I thought you had this madwoman thrown out on the street,” Marinette giggled, pushing her cousin off. “I’m going to have to press charges.”

 

“Good luck, nerd; Felix’s firm built the new police station,” Brigitte said, sticking her tongue out. “I told you when we were kids that I was going to embarrass the hell out of you when you finally made it big and that shame bill has come due.”

 

“I’m gonna need to get that on a payment plan or something,” Marinette chuckled.

 

“You need to pick up your damn phone more too,” Brigitte sighed, smacking Marinette on the shoulder. “I’ve been trying to call you for, like, an hour now; your mom and dad called and they're totally safe. They're hunkered down outside town until the akuma clears out."

 

A cold chill ran down Marinette’s spine as Nathalie paled. “What?" 

 

Nathalie cleared her throat. “Ah, Marinette, have you met Donatella-" 

 

“You haven’t heard?” Brigitte said, opening her phone to a live feed of Paris in flames. “First akuma attack in months; pretty nasty one too." 

 

No...he couldn't have. Marinette stared down at the phone in mute horror as it scrolled through scenes of an army of monsters swarming over the city.

 

"Carapace and the uh...uhhh...Peacock Lad are the only ones who showed up so far," Brigitte said. "Ladybug still nowhere to be seen, which is kinda weird, considering- hey !”

 

Brigitte managed to catch her phone as it slipped out of Marinette’s shaking fingers. “Where are you going?”

 

That...son of a bitch! Marinette mentally swore at herself as she made a beeline for the bathroom. Of all weekends, why did he pick this one to attack...unless-

 

“Marinette?” Nathalie called after her, jogging as she tried to head Marinette off. “Where are you going?”

 

“To pee,” Marinette said, shooting a dark glare at Nathalie. “Is that allowed?"

 

"Well, if one must go, then one must-"

 

"And then I’m going to find Alya and Chloe," Marinette said. "I’m starting to get worried about them.”

 

“I-I’m sure they’re perfectly fine,” Nathalie said, following Marinette into the restroom. “There’s a couple more designers I’d like you to introduce you to before I-”

 

Marinette locked the door as soon as Nathalie was through, grabbing her by the lapels and slamming her hard against the door with more force than she thought she was capable of.

 

“Does he know?”

 

“I...I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Cut the bullshit!”

 

“M-Marinette, you’re hurting me-”

 

“Does...he... know?” Marinette repeated, locking eyes with a trembling, wide eyed Nathalie.

 

“Marinette...this is a very delicate matter that-oof!”

 

Marinette’s forearm smashed into the side of Nathalie’s head and the older woman went limp in her arms.

 

Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID! Marinette thought, dragging Nathalie into the stall and locking the door. How did he find out?! I was so careful; I gave him nothing to go on!

 

“Tikki," Marinette called. "We need to go!”

 

"What's happening?" Tikki muttered, glancing down at Nathalie with wide eyes. "Marinette, did you-" 

 

"Hawkmoth...akuma...Paris..." Marinette took a deep breath, fighting the rising tide of panic that welled up in her. "We need to get back to Paris now!" 

 

“Hawkmoth attacked Paris...today?” Tikki said, eyes narrowing at Marinette. "Marinette, does he know that you're-" 

 

“Not now Tikki!” Marinette cried. “I need you to transform me!”

 

Even as Ladybug’s power flowed through her, Marinette couldn’t dispel the cold, gnawing fear that came from the fact that the identity that she had guarded so carefully had somehow fallen into her enemy’s hands. He knew; that was the only explanation for it. He sent her out of the city, gave her everything she ever wanted, and used that to give him a clean path at Kagami. 

 

And now, Paris was paying the price for it.

 

Ladybug swung out the bathroom window, arcing around the side of the building and crashing through the patio doors into a stunned ballroom.

 

“Monsieur Ambassador!” Ladybug called, marching up the French ambassador. “I need a favor!”

---

4:00 - Paris

 

“ You...are a fucking dead man.”

 

The fact that Ladybug’s voice didn’t raise above a venomous whisper did nothing to diminish the fact that Hawkmoth was now on the shitlist of one of the most powerful beings in existence. He quickly closed his communicator, taking a deep breath as he looked out at the chaos and destruction that reigned over the city; destruction that would be all in vain if his akuma failed to deliver on his promise.

 

He hated akuma; flighty, overly emotional, entirely unreliable creatures prone to fits of madness and losing sight of their objectives. Hawkmoth couldn’t even rely on Gamemaster to kidnap a single person without blowing up the entire city in the process. Was this the universe’s way of toying with him? Was this punishment for usurping the power of the Butterfly? Was he condemned to a cycle of futile violence as his goals continued to slip further and further out of his reach?

 

These were not new questions; Hawkmoth had mulled over them after every akuma gone completely wrong. But with Ladybug’s impending foot in his ass, he found himself oddly pensive. If he was still capable of doubting himself, he might have wondered if his latest desperate attempt to resurrect his wife was entirely worth all the suffering it caused.

 

But that was a question he had answered a long time ago; there was no way left for him, but the way forward.

 

“Pick up the pace,” Hawkmoth muttered to Gamemaster. “I’d say you have about an hour left before things go very sour.”

 

---

Carapace stumbled to his feet shakily, steadying himself on a crumbling column as the tarrasque leered down at him curiously. The mindless, almost benign cruelty was terrifying; this creature didn't care about him enough to hate him. No matter what he threw against it, he was just a curiosity; something to be toyed with and then devoured when his capacity for entertainment had run dry.

 

Fortunately for Carapace, he was more entertaining than most people gave him credit for.

 

“You know...I never much liked the Godzilla movies,” Carapace said, narrowly avoiding a titanic claw swipe that obliterated the sidewalk he was standing on only a few seconds earlier. “Especially the shitty American versions.”

 

If the creature understood Nino, it made no mention of it as it quietly turned, lumbering towards the library with the careless determination of a toddler hellbent on demolishing a sandcastle.

 

“ Okay, I take it back!” Carapace cried, jogging out in front of the creature, throwing up his shimmering, translucent shield and stretching it as far as he could around the library. The tarrasque mindlessly swiped at the shell, nearly shattering it with a single swipe of his claw as Carapace scrambled up the creature’s tail, climbing up its back as it scratched against his defenses.

 

What do I need to do to put this thing down?! Carapace thought, sailing over the top of its head and whipping his shield hard at one of its eyes. A ear-splitting roar of pain and frustration shook Carapace to his core as a large, clumsy claw knocked Carapace off the top of its head and on to the concrete below.

 

Well...got its attention, at least. Carapace mused, watching one beady eye turn to him with unparalleled malice and contempt. Carapace raised his shield as the tarrasque raised its enormous, car sized foot, casting a shadow over Carapace as he brought it down with more speed than should have been possible. The air left Carapace’s body in one, pained gasp, the street cracking around him as literal tons of weight crashed into him in one, fell blow.

 

I can’t die here… Carapace thought, struggling to move as the creature raised its foot for another blow. I can’t die here...I can’t die here…

 

“I...can’t...die...here…” Carapace grunted hands reaching out as the foot came down and the world went dark.

---

4:30 - London

 

As it turned out, being Ladybug meant you could just ask the French ambassador to use his private jet. It also meant leaping through customs and being hustled out onto the tarmac as the Embassy’s support staff briefed her on the situation.

 

As it turns out, an embarrassingly tight suit of red and black super-spandex was practically diplomatic immunity.

 

“The akuma has been active since early this afternoon,” one of the Ambassador’s assistants, a woman named Annalise, mentioned as the plane taxied down the runway. “His efforts seem to be concentrated on capturing a particular person; one Kagami Tsurugi, a Japanese immigrant and former Olympic athlete.”

 

“Any idea why Hawkmoth is targeting her?” Ladybug asked, knowing full well the answer.

 

“Not at the moment; your partner, Mayura, has done a good job of keeping Mme. Tsurugi away from the akuma’s clutches...Carapace, on the other hand, seems to be having a rough go of things.”

 

Ladybug nodded, refusing to glance at the image of Carapace being batted around by a lizard the size of an apartment building. The sick, gut-wrenching sense of fear and guilt that had haunted her all afternoon had to be pushed down; she could tear at her clothes and beg forgiveness when her friends and city were safe again. “Any sign of Rena Rouge or Queen Bee?”

 

“Customs reported Mme. Bourgeois left on a train bound for Paris some hours ago,” Annalise said, glancing at her tablet. “Train should be approaching the city shortly, but she'll need to be carried in by van...no sign of Rena Rouge though.”

 

If Chloe got on the train, then Alya probably left with her, Ladybug thought, chewing on the corner of her lip. 

 

“There is also the small matter of this strange woman in white,” Annalise said, bringing up a clip of Master Crane fighting a black, acid spitting dragon on a rooftop. The elderly woman moved with speed and struck with strength that belied her frail appearance. “Is she an ally of yours?”

 

“...she’s an ally of Paris,” Ladybug said, watching Master Crane stab at the creature’s unprotected belly. “At this point, I’ll take help from whoever’s offering it…”

 

“The only...odd bit of information is that Chat Noir is nowhere to be seen,” Annalise said. “He hasn’t been seen in nearly three months now...if Hawkmoth was launching a full scale attack on Paris, wouldn’t he send his new sidekick out as well?”

 

“I...couldn’t say,” Ladybug chuckled a little nervously. "Hawkmoth's plans have always eluded me..." 

 

“There’s also the small matter of the fact that Hawkmoth attacked while both you and Queen Bee were overseas,” Annalise said, glancing over the rim of her glasses at Ladybug. “Is there...something the government needs to be aware of, Mme. Ladybug?”

 

Just the small fact that I basically served Paris to Hawkmoth on a silver platter.

 

"Nothing I can think of," Ladybug said, gripping her seat-rests as the plane took off. 

---

 4:30 - The Sanctuary of the Black Cat

 

“Come on!” Chat Noir cried as he crashed through the side of a crumbling grey wall, rolling on the ground as Sasuke pounced, sword narrowly missing Chat Noir’s ear.

 

“How long are you planning on running?” Sasuke asked, catching Chat Noir’s desperate kick and hurling him over the top of the roof. He regained his bearings just in time to crash headlong into the wisteria tree, sending a shower of pale purple blossoms raining down as he slid down the trunk.

 

Chat Noir had been outclassed a number of his times in his career; the downside of having to hold the full breadth of his powers back in every battle meant that he was frequently forced to fight with less than a full deck. But never in his life had he been so thoroughly and roundly trounced, even against fencers far outside his own skillset like Kagami. Sasuke was more than a superhero; he was a warrior with years if not centuries of experience in battle. The fact that Fang still couldn't even scratch Sasuke's skin was even more disheartening; the secret of the sword still eluding him as he fought. 

 

“Plagg, any tips?” Chat Noir panted, pushing himself to his feet as Sasuke casually strolled through the hole Chat Noir left in the building.

 

“Stab him!” Plagg snapped, floating at his shoulder. “You know, that thing you’re supposed to do with a sword?”

 

“I’m trying!” Chat Noir cried, watching his dead-eyed mentor slowly walk across the courtyard towards him.

 

“That is your problem,” Sasuke said, gripping his weapon with both hands. “You try. You make an effort, you do your best, but you do not do. You are Chosen, by one of the greatest Powers in creation, and you choose to limit yourself; to make fumbling, grasping attempts at greatness and then whine when you are not successful. Even blessed with an artifact forged by the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses, you are unable to beat an old man with a rusty sword.”

 

Chat Noir gripped Fang with both hands, glaring at the dull, lifeless edge of the sword. 

 

“You lack teeth, little cat,” Sasuke said as Chat Noir snarled at him. “You are a soft, spoiled, gummy little creature mewling at injustice instead of biting down and ripping it apart with your teeth...and as long as your fangs are blunt, so too will your Fang be.”

 

“And what’s just about letting an innocent person die just to make a point?!”

 

“I’m not the one letting your friend die,” Sasuke shrugged. “You are.”

 

“Shut up!”

 

“You have all the power to save her,” Sasuke said, pointing the tip of his weapon at Chat. “So why haven’t you? Every minute you spend here is another minute your dear little Kagami is in danger.”

 

“That’s because you won’t let me leave!”

 

“And what do you plan on doing about that?” Sasuke asked, head cocked to one side. “Threaten me? Appeal to my better nature? Cry and hope I have a soft spot for soft little rich boys who aren’t getting what they want...I mean, what’s to stop me from killing you?”

 

Plagg paled as much as a pitch black cat could pale, shooting a worried glance at Sasuke. “What?! Hey, Sasuke, buddy, d-don’t joke like that!”

 

“When have I ever joked about killing someone?” Sasuke asked, slowly circling Chat Noir. “And when have I ever failed to kill someone I wanted to kill.”

 

“I can’t die,” Chat Noir said, glancing at Plagg. “Plagg won’t let me….he can bring me back like last time, right?”

 

“How many times can he do that, I wonder,” Sasuke mused. “He isn’t the god of life, you know…even his powers of creation are limited in scope.”

 

“If I die-”

 

“If you die, whatever Master selected you will have to find a new patsy,” Sasuke said, gripping his weapon even tighter. “I care not; I’m getting tired of babysitting you at any rate.”

 

Sasuke calmly returned his weapon to his scabbard, hand hovering over the hilt as he watched Chat Noir through lidded eyes. Even through the defiant look of anger on his face, Sasuke detected the barest glimmer of fear.

 

“So...these are the stakes,” Sasuke said, gripping his weapon. “I am going to kill you. I am going to kill you until Plagg cannot save you; I will resign your useless body to dust beneath my feet and return to my rest. Your friend will likely be tortured for information and die in great pain. Your city will burn and your enemies will triumph; your kwami will be taken and used for this Hawkmoth’s perverted plan and the last, shreds of your conscious soul will wail in the cold underworld reserved for restless and hungry spirits, powerless to do anything about it.”

 

“Please...let me go ,” Chat Noir begged, gripping Fang harder to stop his fingers from shaking. The cold, overwhelming malice that wafted off Sasuke was almost palpable; a sharp, metallic sensation that foretold his imminent and violent death. Every inch of him screamed to run; to escape from this cold-eyed predator and find somewhere to hide.

 

But he was out of places to run...and out of places to hide.

 

The blade rose in a wide arc as Chat Noir fell to one knee, seemingly ready to accept the death that came for him. And as Sasuke cleared the field in one mighty pounce, his last thought was of Kagami...and how he had completely, and utterly failed her.

---

4:45 - Paris

 

A chill passed through Kagami that had nothing to do with the biting air that surrounded her. A low, terrible sense of dread pitting in the deepest parts of her stomach as Mayura ran her through the streets, dodging and weaving through broken buildings and sidewalks split in half. The distant sound of gunfire barely registered in her ears as they ran.

 

“Where are we going?” Kagami asked.

 

“I...I don’t know,” Mayura said gait slowing as they ran past Adrien’s house, head tilting to one side. “Can we...can we crash in there?”

 

“Something tells me Gabriel Agreste will be a worse threat than Hawkmoth if we upset his perfectly maintained living room,” Kagami muttered.

 

“You have any better ideas?” Mayura shook his head, unable to shake the nagging, strange sensation that bringing Kagami inside that house was the right thing to do.

 

“At this point the sewers would be a better bet than staying on the streets,” Kagami said, glancing up as she spotted Master Crane’s figure hanging off the side of a lopsided black dragon as it crashed into a nearby building. “I’ll take skeletons over giant flying lizard monsters any day of the-”

 

A voluminous cloud of purple gas began pouring out of the sewer grate at Mayura’s feet, almost ensnaring them with long, skeletal hands as he leapt away just in time. Kagami slipped from his grip, stumbling and rolling on the ground as a pale, one-eyed figure in tattered purple robes materialized in front of them, stepping out of the smoke and leering down at them.

 

“Alright...this one’s yours,” Mayura said, flicking his fan out as a sea of vacant eyed, shambling skeletons made their way down the street towards them.

 

“You can have the rest, then,” Kagami said, tucking herself behind Mayura’s cape as much as she could as the floating, one-eyed lich raised its remaining hand.

 

“Now would be a good time to learn how to fly,” Kagami said, watching a crackling beam of energy coalesce around the lich’s fingertip.

 

"Hammett!" Mayura cried, summoning a knight that materialized in front of him just in time to be completely evaporated by the lich's energy beam. Mayura took his chance, lunging at the lich and slicing at him with the sharp edge of his fan. A thin, translucent shield of energy materialized in front of the lich before the attack struck, knocking Mayura aside as he turned his attention to Kagami. 

 

No! Mayura scrambled to his feet, diving at the monster's back with two quills drawn. He flung them forward, summoning his final two knights that the lich destroyed with another blast of green energy, shattering them into dust as Mayura flung himself in front of Kagami. 

 

"Get out of here!" Kagami spat as another crackling beam of energy formed at the monster's fingertip. "He wants me alive; he doesn't care about you!" 

 

Mayura dodged backwards, watching the beam carve a crater in the street where he stood a moment before. "Sorry...Ladybug's orders; can't exactly walk away from my post now, can I?" 

 

"Ladybug isn't here!" Kagami protested, watching Mayura dance out of the way of another attack. "Don't be an idiot!" 

 

"Can't...Ladybug's partner is always an idiot," Mayura said, throwing himself in front of Kagami as the lich turned his glowing green finger towards her. Mayura winced, tensing as his world went green and throwing his arms up to defend himself from the attack. He braced himself for the pain, shielding Kagami with as much of his body as he could...only the pain never came.

 

"You..." the lich rasped, frail voice betraying a hint of surprise. "Identify yourself."

 

Mayura cracked an eye open, watching the lich stare vacantly in open eyed shock as the deflected energy beam destroyed a nearby building. A long, black, glittering sword crackled with green energy, a familiar black glove wrapped around the hilt. 

---

 “I...I don’t believe it…” Nadja muttered, elbowing her cameraman as they stared out of a broken shop window. “Keep rolling!”

 

“Nadja, we lost you there, is everything okay?” A voice in Nadja’s ear said as the smoke cleared and the scene before them came into focus.

 

“...I don’t know,” Nadja said, clearing her throat. “Mayura and the victim seem to have been saved by a figure that looks like-"

---

 5:00 - 30 mins outside Paris (Train)

 

“Alright, we’re coming to a stop!” Rena Rouge said, bouncing on the balls of her feet as the train rolled to a halt. Across the tracks, she could see the black Stigma vans rolling alongside the train to meet them. “Your dad’s men are coming through for us!”

 

“Foxy…” Queen Bee said, tugging at Rena Rouge’s arm and pointing at the TV screen everyone in the car seemed to be transfixed by. Rena’s stomach clenched, expecting to see another scene of grim horror or devastation.

 

“Is that...who I think it is?”  

---

 5:00- Airspace over the English Channel

 

"Ladybug...can you explain this?" 

 

Ladybug glanced up as Annalise turned her tablet to show her a livestream of a familiar looking figure in black protecting Mayura and Kagami from the akuma. 

 

Oh crap...

---

5:00 - Paris

 

“That...that isn’t possible!” Gamemaster’s protestations barely registered as Hawkmoth’s head swam with fear and frustration in equal measures. “Th-That’s cheating! You can't deflect a Disintegrate spell with a sword! What kind of bogus houserules are you running, Hawkmoth?!" 

 

“No…” Hawkmoth mumbled, shaking his head as he stared out the window at the scene on the street below. “No, no, no, no, no, no!”

 

“What do I do?”

 

“Send that Godzilla thing after him!” Hawkmoth spat, spittle flying from his mouth. “Send every monster you have after him! I don't care what you have to do; crush him, destroy him! Bring me that Miraculous!”  

---

The tarrasque stared at the battered, motionless figure of Carapace beneath him, head cocking to one side curiously as a voice buzzed in the back of its mind.

 

Get to the center of town, Gamemaster’s voice said. Destroy anything that gets in your way.

 

The tarrasque grumbled, turning and leaving Carapace lying in the crater its foot had left. The problem with being so big, the tarrasque reasoned, was that its toys tended to break much faster. It was a shame that the little green thing hadn’t survived; he would have been fun to play with later-

 

The tarrasque was halfway down the street when it felt a sharp tug halt it in its tracks. Grumbling, it tried to flick its tail free, thinking it had caught on a building or something, but after a moment of wriggling and flicking, it didn’t seem to be breaking free.

 

Disgruntled, it turned, squinting to see the very tip of its tail trapped between the chest and the arm of the tiny green chewtoy as he sat up, breathing heavily as he struggled to keep the monster in place.

 

“Where...do you think... you’re going?!” 

---

Master Crane wrenched her dagger out of the black dragon’s neck, watching it fall limply to the rooftop and dissolve into dust as she sensed a familiar presence somewhere nearby.

 

“Hm...bout damned time you showed up, boy,” Master Crane chuckled, wiping her blade on her leg as she collapsed on the edge of the roof, head resting against the balcony. “Leaving an old woman to do all the work by herself...downright uncivilized.”

---

Capt. Van der Meer fumbled for his communicator as his mercenaries tensed, looking to their captain for advice.

 

“A-All units,” Capt. Van der Meer stammered, staring at the hand-held television screen. “We have a confirmed sighting of Subject Jinx. This is not a drill; all units, converge on the first arrondissement and prepare to engage!"

---

The soft, simmering irritation in the back of Mayura’s mind erupted in an inferno of blind, all-consuming anger at the sight of a tall, black figure standing between him and the glowering lich, sword drawn and blade crackling with glittering green energy. 

 

Damnit...of course he decided to show up…

 

Kagami’s mouth fell open as their savior turned with a warm, apologetic smile that seemed to be reserved exclusively for her.

 

“Hey,” Chat Noir said. “Sorry I’m late.”

---

 5:00 - Paris

 

“Yes...we have confirmation,” Nadja said. “Chat Noir has arrived to challenge the akuma!”

 

Notes:

I GUESS EVERY SUPERHERO NEEDS HIS THEME MUSIC

Out of curiosity, what's your favorite akuma?

Chapter 33: How Do You Want to Do This?

Summary:

Buckle up; this is a bigun

5:00 - Paris

 

Kagami’s mouth fell open as their savior turned with a warm, apologetic smile that seemed to be reserved exclusively for her.

 

“Hey,” Chat Noir said. “Sorry I’m late.”

 

At a complete loss for words, Kagami said the first thing that came to her mind. “You...unbelievable prick!”

 

“No need to thank-” Chat Noir blinked. “Wait, what?”

 

"Sorry I'm late?!" Kagami hissed. "Are you kidding me?! If you were any later I'd be mummy food by now!" 

 

"I-I got here as fast as I could!" Chat Noir insisted. "Really, I-" 

 

Kagami brushed past Mayura, tackling Chat Noir with a fierce hug. 

 

“Where the hell have you been?!” Kagami all but sobbed in relief. 

---

 4:45 - The Sanctuary of the Black Cat

 

The blade rose in a wide arc as Chat Noir fell to one knee, seemingly ready to accept the death that came for him. And as Sasuke cleared the field in one mighty pounce, his last thought was of Kagami...and how he had completely, and utterly failed her.

 

...and then he just thought of Kagami.

 

A gout of green flame erupted from Chat Noir’s hand as Sasuke went in for the kill, startling him for the faintest hair of a second. Chat Noir sprang from his kneeling position, blade wreathed in a crackling green energy as he stepped past Sasuke with a quick slash.

 

Silence reigned again for a long, tense moment broken by Sasuke’s cry of pain and surprise as he fell to one knee, clutching the wound in his chest as a dark sea of red spread from the cut. Sasuke’s sword fell apart, clattering into two neat little pieces that landed on the flagstones at his feat. A breath of silence later and the sound of creaking, groaning wood signaled the fall of the wisteria tree that slowly toppled over, divided by a neat, perfectly smooth cut through its trunk. 

 

“Damn...I was actually trying to kill you,” Sasuke chuckled, watching Chat Noir sheathe his new weapon. “Your hatred...your fang is...sharp.”

 

“The door,” Chat Noir said. Sasuke raised his trembling fingers, snapping them as a gate at the far side of the courtyard started to glow with an otherworldly light.

 

“The sword...is always sharpest in the moment you draw it from its sheath...” Sasuke said, falling forward as a shower of wisteria blossoms fell around him. “...and it draws power from your inner strength...your hatred.”

 

Sasuke’s eyes dimmed as Chat Noir stepped past him, making no motion to help Sasuke to his feet.

 

“My partner...my Ladybug and I made that together…” Sasuke muttered. "When...when she was gone...all I had left to fuel it was my anger...and as long as you keep yours burning...it will cut true for you as well…”

 

Chat Noir paused at the edge of the clearing. “...don’t flatter yourself. I don’t hate you at all.”

 

Sasuke lifted his head, staring at Chat Noir’s back as he looked up at the tumbling wisteria blossoms. “What?”

 

“When I cut you just now...I wasn’t even thinking about you,” Chat Noir said, examining the sword in his hand thoughtfully. “I was thinking about Kagami...and how I needed to protect her. Seems like that was all I needed...you just had the bad luck of being in my way.”

 

“I’m sorry that hatred was the only strength you could rely on,” Chat Noir stepped towards the gate, disappearing through the light. “But this power is for her sake...not yours.”

 

"Heh...cocky brat," Sasuke chuckled, dissolving into ash as the scenic battleground blew away in the wind.

---

5:00 - Paris

 

“Long story,” Chat Noir said, glancing up at the floating lich in front of him. “This our akuma?”

 

“Funny; I was gonna ask you the same question,” Mayura said, unfurling his fan as the dull, pounding pain that lived in the back of his mind grew more insistent. In spite of the necromancer and his army of skeletons that surrounded him, his blood boiled at the mere sight of Chat Noir. It wasn’t Gamemaster that had turned on Marinette; it wasn’t Gamemaster that had made Marinette cry.

 

It was Chat Noir.

 

“Just one of his puppets,” Kagami said. “You’re looking for a robed man with a book; I’m pretty sure that’s the item you need to destroy.”

 

“Thanks for the assist, Tweety, I can take it from here,” Chat Noir said, shooting Mayura a sharp two-fingered salute and an infuriatingly smug smirk. “Go find your ex; tell her to get her spotted butt down here before-”

 

A quill narrowly missed Chat Noir's head as Mayura dove at him with a wild, reckless kick. 

---

5:00 - Paris

 

Carapace grunted, holding on to the tip of the tarrasque’s tail with all his strength. His arms felt like lead, his legs shook from the exertion of holding the monster in place, but still his grip held tight. If it got away, there was no telling just how much damage it would cause; how many lives would be carelessly trampled under its feet. 

 

Not on his watch; not as long as he had the strength to stop it. 

 

“Hey... freakshow! ” Carapace spat. “You’re...going... nowhere!”

 

Carapace slowly climbed out of the crater the tarrasque had punched him through, slowly pulling the enormous tail hand over hand with strength he didn't know he had. He pulled as the tarrasque dug its claws into the street, trying to struggle free even as Carapace’s muscles swelled with pulsing green power.

 

“Come on Wayzz...help...me...out!” Carapace grunted, bracing his legs against the street as green light flowed from his bracelet. At first, he thought the forty foot tall monster was shrinking as his arms as the tail became easier to manage and it took less and less strength to keep the wriggling monstrosity in one place. Through the haze of pain and adrenaline, he didn’t realize what was happening until the crown of his head stood taller than the roof of the library.

 

The tarrasque turned around, eyes widening as he now stood eye-to-eye with a much, much larger Carapace grinning wickedly as he wrapped his arms around the tarrasque’s waist.

 

“Suplex city, bitch!” Carapace roared, wrenching the tarrasque up off the ground and back over his head into the river.

 

---

 

“What the hell ?!” Chat Noir spat, blocking Mayura’s frenzied kick as a tremor shook the ground. “You really wanna start a fight right now?! Do you not see the zombie wizard floating right in front of us?!”

 

“That freak is only here because of your pal!” Mayura said, sweeping at Chat Noir’s leg as he bounded over him. “You’re the only threat I care about right now!”

 

“Mayura, stop! ” Kagami cried as Chat Noir threw his arm out in front of Kagami. “You two should be working together; Ladybug is lying to you!”

 

“Ladybug doesn’t lie!” Mayura spat, rushing Chat Noir again, feinting with a brace of quills and following up with a punch that managed to stagger Chat Noir a little. “Not to anyone and not to me!”

 

“Wow...how do you do that?” Chat Noir asked, blocking another punch with the scabbard of his sword.

 

“Do what; kick your ass?”

 

“Is it like a ventriloquism act or-”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

 

“I’m just wondering how you manage to talk with Ladybug’s dick in your mouth all the time!” Chat Noir spat, blocking a kick on the sheath of his weapon. “What, you think because you used to play tonsil hockey, she wouldn’t lie to you?! She uses people! She used me for almost five years! And now she’s using you !”

 

“Shut up!” Mayura roared as Chat Noir flipped him up over his shoulder, hurling Mayura into the crowd of skeletons that pressed in on all sides. The lich raised his hand, firing a piercing bolt of energy that Chat Noir only barely managed to avoid as the street erupted at his feet.

 

“Don’t talk like you know us!” Mayura said, charging through a line of skeletons and swiping at Chat Noir with the blade of his fan. “You’re just pissed because she trusts me more than she trusted you! Because I'm loyal! Because I don't question her! Because I'm just better than you!”

 

“I’m pissed for a lot of reasons, junior,” Chat Noir said, kicking Mayura hard as he sailed over Kagami’s head, blocking another energy blast the lich aimed at her. “Your two-faced ex-girlfriend being one of them-”

 

“Don’t talk about her like that!” Mayura snarled, charging Chat Noir with a flurry of fan swipes that he only barely deflected.

 

“Don’t make me hurt you, idiot,” Chat Noir grunted, sweeping Mayura’s legs out from under him and sending him to the flagstones at his feet. Chat Noir pounced on Mayura before he could recover, pinning his shoulders to the ground with his knees. “You know what, this whole superpowered ex-thing is getting super old, anyway; I think you should leave it to the pros-”

 

Chat Noir gagged as he felt something close around his neck, yanking him backwards before he could relieve Mayura of his Miraculous. As he was dragged across the street, he saw a squad of black-clad Stigma operatives all leveling guns at him, one operating the steel lasso that dragged him down the street. 

 

“Mayor Andre, we have Chat Noir in custody,” Capt. Van der Meer spoke into his mic. “Situation is under control!”

 

“You don’t have control of shit, cueball,” Chat Noir spat, slicing at the steel lasso with Fang and scrambling back to his feet as Mayura launched another attack. He dodged backwards, stumbling as a rubber slug fired from a shotgun collided with his shoulder. The suit protected him from damage, but the force of the bullets drove him back, breaking his focus long enough for Mayura to land a kick that sent Chat Noir tumbling down the street. A skeletal monster raised its mace to strike, but Chat Noir simply rolled away, catching it by the ankle and throwing it back at Mayura. The skeleton exploded into dust as Mayura charged, the razor tips of his fans catching on Fang's scabbard as Chat Noir raised it to defend himself. 

 

“Do you morons not see the akuma tearing this city apart?!” Chat Noir said, battering at Mayura with his sheathed weapon. 

 

“An akuma you probably caused!” Mayura snarled, swiping at Chat Noir with frenzied fan attacks. “You think I’m stupid?!”

 

“You really don’t want the answer to that question!” Chat Noir said, stumbling as Mayura drove him into the wall of skeletons that closed in around them. His sword flashed from its scabbard, a green arc slicing through the bony horde before returning to its sheath with a sharp snap. Bones and broken weapons fell around them in a shower of crumbling dust, mingling with the snowfall as Chat Noir raised his hand to pluck an incoming projectile out of the air. The Stigma guards balked as Chat Noir opened his hand, letting the bullet fall to the ground with a clink. 

 

"I am not getting paid enough for this," Capt. Van der Meer muttered, watching Chat Noir weave out of the way of another bullet. In a flash of black, he was before them, eyes glinting green as he thumbed his sword out of its scabbard. As they raised their guns to fire, the weapon flashed again, returning to its scabbard as the assault rifles in their hands fell apart, neatly severed in two. 

 

"Take a powder," Chat Noir said, kicking Capt. Van der Meer through a portal that deposited him in a dumpster across the street before turning to face the remaining guards. "You guys wanna join him?" 

 

The remaining guards looked at their broken weapons, dropping them as they raced to be the first to get as far away from Chat Noir as possible. 

 

"Americans...only brave when they have a gun in their hands," Chat Noir scoffed, glaring at Mayura. "Look, if you really want Daddy to spank you that badly, I'll oblige; just let me get Kagami out of here before-"

 

Chat Noir glanced back at the spot where the lich and Kagami had stood a second before, only to see them completely gone. “Kagami?!”

 

“I would be more worried about yourself right now if I were you!” Mayura said, lunging at Chat Noir with a wild look in his eyes.

---

“We’re coming up on the city,” the Stigma driver called towards the back of the van. “Our units are engaging with Chat Noir as we speak-”

 

"Backup!" A panicked voice came from the radio. "We need backup!"

 

"Sounds like Chat Noir's engaging his foot up your asses," Queen Bee snorted.

 

“What about the victim?!” Rena Rouge demanded.

 

“Mayor Andre’s priorities are clear; we are to subdue Chat Noir at all costs,” the Stigma driver said. “You will assist us in capturing Chat Noir, then we will-”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, time-out, were you just giving us an order ?!” Queen Been scoffed. “You?! Do you even have a name or are you just Stigma Goon #4324?”

 

“That isn’t-”

 

"I wasn't asking!" Queen Bee said, glancing at the blinking light coming from Rena Rouge's communicator. "You gonna get that?" 

 

"You think it's Hawkmoth calling to surrender?" Rena Rouge said, flipping her communicator open to see Ladybug's panicked face. 

 

“Hi! ” Ladybug said. “I-I’m on my way back to Paris; we're almost there-”

 

“Wait, back to Paris?!” Queen Bee said, leaning on Rena Rouge's shoulder. “Hawkmoth decided to run a D&D campaign and you were out of town?!”

 

“That’s...not important right now,” Ladybug said. “I got called away for a...mission...Hawkmoth-”

 

“Wait...how did Hawkmoth know we’d all be out of town?” Rena Rouge said, narrowing her eyes. “You and Mayura are the only ones who know our identities, right?”

 

“...y-yes, of course!” Ladybug said a little too quickly. “Look, I’m coming in hot; we’ll regroup when we get in-”

 

“Wait…” Queen Bee said, glancing at Rena Rouge. “What’s our priority order here? Do we go off Chat Noir or the Akuma first?”

 

“Take the akuma down!” Ladybug snapped, panic creeping into her voice. “Chat Noir isn’t the threat right now; stop that akuma at all costs!”

 

Rena Rouge nodded, sharing an uneasy look with Queen Bee as she flicked her communicator shut. “Kind of a change of tune, isn’t it?”

 

“I’m sorry, ladies, but we’re making a beeline for Chat Noir’s location,” the Stigma guard said. “Ladybug’s orders or not, we can’t...what in the hell?!”

 

The van came to a halt as the city skyline came into view. Rena Rouge and Queen Bee leaned forward, squinting at a massive shape that looked strangely like-

 

“Ho...ly...shit…” Queen Bee murmured, watching a forty foot tall Carapace hoist a massive, squirming lizard creature up on to his shoulders. “I didn’t know he was that much of a...grower.”

---

“Is that...The Jade Colossus?!” Master He chuckled in disbelief, clapping like a schoolgirl as the tarrasque was hurled down to the ground with a monstrous crash. “I never thought I'd live to see it again! Oh, Quingfu, you need to live long enough to see how your pupil has surpassed you!”

---

For all its touted horror, a tarrasque was just a big lizard; a creature that relies on being bigger and stronger than anything else. The fact that another creature could be bigger or stronger than it was a reality this creature was simply incapable of imagining.

 

So when Carapace hoisted the tarrasque overhead, slamming it hard through an abandoned construction site, it was, to put it lightly, flummoxed.

 

The tarrasque snarled, scrambling to its feet as Carapace approached, twirling a wrecking ball like Ladybug’s yo-yo. Power coursed through him as the tarrasque lunged, getting a face full of metal ball for its trouble. The tarrasque’s horn splintered, breaking a nearby car in half as the wrecking ball came up, catching it under the chin and sending it tumbling backwards into the far side of the construction site. A snarl of confusion and pain echoed across the city as the tarrasque shakily stood up, blinking as Carapace kicked it hard in the stomach, grabbing it between its legs and hoisting it feet-side up in the center of the construction site.

 

"Gotch style, baby!" Carapace crowed, jumping in to the air and bringing the tarrasque back down to earth. 

 

Piledrivers are, despite looking like a deathblow, usually safe when done by trained professional wrestlers who take the proper safety precautions. Carapace was not a trained professional wrestler and didn’t care much for the safety of the giant wriggling lizard he drove headfirst into the concrete, shattering its neck with nearly seven tons of its own bodyweight.

---

“Yes!” Rena Rouge crowed, causing the Stigma driver to wince in pain as a tremor rocked the earth. “Kick his ass, baby!”

 

“S-Sir, we have visual of Carapace fighting a large...lizard thing,” the Stigma driver said into a microphone. “We’re en route to assist." 

 

"N-Negative!" The panicked voice from the radio said. "Get over here and help us take Chat Noir in!" 

 

"But-" 

 

"Now, soldier!" The radio said before going completely silent. 

 

"Uh...s-sorry, ladies," the driver said. "Looks like we're still going to fight Chat Noir." 

 

"I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Queen Bee asked, sliding into the front seat. 

 

"Uh...S-Stan?" The driver said. 

 

"Stan," Queen Bee echoed with a smirk. "Can you be a doll and open your window?" 

 

"Uh..." Stan rolled the window down as Queen Bee unbuckled his seat belt. "Y-Yeah, maybe some fresh air will do me some g-ooph!

 

Queen Bee's foot collided with the Stan's chest, kicking him out the driver's window and on to the grass outside. "Enjoy the fresh air!" 

 

“We'll return it later” Rena Rouge said, sliding up into the passenger's seat as Queen Bee threw the car into drive. “I didn’t know you had your license!”

 

“My what now?” Queen Bee said, slamming her foot on the gas as they skidded down the road, leaving a spluttering Stigma guard in their wake.

---

The tarrasque crumbled into dust around Carapace’s feet as he felt himself shrink, head spinning as he fell to his knees, breathing hard as every muscle in his body ached. Grunting, he wobbled to one foot, steadying himself on his shield as he grit his teeth in pain.

 

“...get up, Carapace,” Carapace said, hauling himself to his feet as the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the streets. “Come on...get up...not done yet…”

---

Kagami opened her eyes, and was instantly greeted by the sight of a seven hundred foot drop to the broken streets below.

 

Head swimming, she fought the urge to wretch as she struggled against the tight iron chains that bound her wrists, spinning around as she glanced around the city for any sign of Chat Noir. The last thing she remembered was that one-eyed zombie wizard’s hand on her shoulder and a cloying, sickening sensation of fear as her consciousness slipped away from her. Now she appeared to be dangling off the edge of the Montparnasse building, wind whipping at her cheeks as the akuma hovered in front of her.

 

“You can’t imagine how pleased I am with this turn of events,” Gamemaster said, a wide, beaming grin stretching across his face as a small cadre of monsters amassed on the roof behind him. “A city in flames, an evil overlord with a stranglehold on an entire population and at the very last second...the hero arrives! Finally...a challenge worthy of my skill as a game designer!”

 

The purple mask of the akuma glimmered over his face, but Gamemaster seemed to pay it no heed as he waved his hands, summoning a giant floating crystal ball from thin air. It levitated above the Montparnasse, swirling with purple smoke for a moment before clearing, broadcasting an image of Gamemaster and Kagami for the whole city to see.

 

"Chat Noir,” Gamemaster said, voice amplified and booming over the ruined rooftops. “You have been a thorn in my lord Hawkmoth’s side for far too long..."

---

Mayura and Chat Noir paused, weapons raised as they both turned to look in the direction of the swirling crystal ball over Montparnasse building.

 

Chat Noir’s stomach plummeted as Gamemaster stepped to one side, revealing a familiar figure dangling precariously over the edge of the building.

 

Kagami...

---

Your feeble struggle against my master’s wishes has carried on long enough!

 

“Shut up!” Hawkmoth spat, squeezing his temples in abject horror as his akuma started bloody monologuing . “Shut up, shut up, shutupshutup shut up !”

---

Chris Lahiffe frowned up at the crystal ball, phone camera rolling as the people around him started muttering to themselves.

 

“Hawkmoth is against Chat Noir?”

 

“Ladybug said that they were working together…”

 

“Why is Hawkmoth attacking his own guy?”

 

“Theo, tell me you’re getting this!”

 

“Gonna get on the Ladyblog this time,” Chris muttered. “You’d think being the editor’s future brother in law would count for something but nooo…”

---

Unless you want your little friend to suffer the consequences of your insolence and insubordination, you will surrender your Miraculous to me immediately…

 

Ladybug could feel Annalise’s eyes narrow at her suspiciously as she watched the feed, quietly trying to sink into her seat as their airplane bounced on the runway.

 

“Ladybug…” Annalise said. “Do you have any explanation for this?”

---

You have fifteen minutes to comply, or your friend shall suffer a most tragic fate.

 

Rena Rouge leaned out the window, holding on for dear life as Queen Bee drove them closer and closer towards the city.

 

“Chloe...call me crazy...but I don't think Chat Noir is working with Hawkmoth…”

---

I eagerly await your response…

 

The Stigma guards glanced uncertainty between Mayura and Chat as the orb hung motionless in mid air, switching to a timer that ominously started ticking down from fifteen minutes.

 

“See?!” Chat Noir spat, gesturing towards the giant floating image in the sky. “Did you not hear the man?! Why would an akuma call me out and demand my Miraculous?! Why would someone who clearly aligned himself with Hawkmoth try and hurt my friend?!”

 

Mayura frowned up at the crystal ball, trying to make sense of what he had just seen. Hawkmoth was supposed to be working with Chat Noir...but if he sent someone to attack his friend-

 

Marinette doesn’t lie.

 

Of course, Marinette wouldn’t lie to him...but if she had been mistaken about-

 

Marinette is never wrong.

 

No...Marinette was never wrong; she was the smartest, most honest person in the world...but

 

Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong.

 

“Something’s...something’s not adding up…” Mayura grunted, clutching the side of his head. “Why would- ngh!”

 

Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong.

 

“Dude, my friend is in danger…” Chat Noir said, holding his hand up as the Stigma soldiers all trained their sidearms on him, glancing at their captain for a signal to fire. “It sucks that your friend lied to you; believe me, I know how you feel-”

 

“M...L-Ladybug doesn’t lie,” Mayura panted, eyes screwed shut as his fingers pressed against his temples.

 

“She lied to you!” Chat Noir spat, gesturing to the armed Stigma guards. “She lied to everyone! She's been doing nothing but lie her perky butt off for the last three months!" 

 

Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong.

 

“N-No...she wouldn’t,” Mayura whimpered. “She…”

 

"Which one of us is Hawkmoth attacking," Chat Noir asked. "And which one of us is stepping up to fight him?!”

 

"I...I don't..." Mayura grunted. "Maybe...maybe you're-agh!" 

 

Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. 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Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. Marinette doesn’t lie; Marinette is never wrong. 

 

“Shut up!” Mayura spat, fans flaring out as the guards at his sides raised their weapons. “This...this is some kind of trick ! Y-You set this up to throw people off your trail; to turn this city against her! You really think I’m stupid enough to fall for that?! You really think that-”

 

A rustle of movement caught Chat Noir’s eye as a battered looking Carapace stumbled into the square, glancing between Mayura and Chat Noir uneasily.

 

“Am I interrupting something?” Carapace asked, shouldering his shield.

 

“Long time no see…” Chat Noir said, holding his hands up as Carapace limped towards them. “Listen...I need-”

 

“Don’t listen to him!” Mayura snapped. “This whole thing; all this destruction is just a ruse! He’s trying to make it look like Hawkmoth and him aren’t working together!”

 

“I know you don’t trust me...but the only thing that matters is making sure we stop this thing,” Chat Noir said, nodding towards Gamemaster’s position. “The only thing that matters is-”

 

“The only thing that matters is doing what Ladybug tells us to do!” Mayura spat, pointing at Carapace. “Don’t tell me you’re actually listening to this maniac?!”

 

“Honestly?” Carapace shrugged. “I don’t really know what to think-”

 

“Well your job isn't to think !” Mayura said. “Your job is to trust; trust and do what you’re told! And she told us to keep this city safe!”

 

“I am keeping the city safe! Did you not see me suplex a goddamned kaiju just now?!” Carapace spat, jabbing his finger at Mayura. “You were supposed to keep Kagami safe, and instead I find you dick-measuring with Nightwing over here!”

 

“Listen, I don’t care what happens to me!” Chat Noir pleaded. “Just...let me save my friend; please. If you want to settle this after Kagami is safe, we can...just let me get her out of danger.”

 

Carapace’s time spent with Chat Noir had been fleeting and halting over the years, but he had never seen Chat Noir look as scared as he did right now. His normally cocky, playful demeanor was gone, replaced with a singleminded fear that didn't seem to be fake. 

 

“Our orders are to capture and detain Chat Noir at all costs,” Capt. Van der Meer said, raising his pistol. “Acceptable losses are something we have to-”

 

“Whoa, time the fuck out, Stormtrooper,” Carapace said, holding his hand up. “When it comes to civilians, zero loss is acceptable loss; that’s how we’ve always done things.”

 

“Mayor Andre-”

 

“I don’t give a fuck what Chloe’s daddy said,” Carapace said, glaring at Mayura. “The safety of our people comes ahead of anyone’s grudge match; we rescue Kagami, we stop this akuma, then we worry about whatever comes next! That's what we're doing!”

 

“That’s not what Ladybug wants! ” Mayura spat. “Whose team are you on anyway?!”

 

Carapace glanced at a wild-eyed Mayura, backed by a small contingent of gun-toting goons, and Chat Noir, hands raised and looking at him with a pleading expression.

 

“...Team Paris,” Carapace said, shield glowing with power as a large, geodesic dome popped over Mayura and the Stigma guards, sealing them in an impenetrable bubble.

 

“No!” Mayura snarled, slamming his fist against the dome as the Stigma guards started trying to find ways through the shield. “You fucking traitor ! When Ladybug gets back, she’s gonna-”

 

“Man, shut the FUCK up about Ladybug!” Carapace snapped, shrinking the bubble to push his prisoners closer together. “Say Ladybug one more goddamned time and you boys are gonna get really cozy in there!”

 

“Thanks,” Chat Noir said, frowning as Carapace’s shield started to beep.

 

“You better scamper,” Carapace grunted, reinforcing the shield as Mayura banged his fist against it. “I don't think I can keep them here too long."

 

Chat Noir nodded, shooting Carapace a grateful smile as he took of running down the street.

 

“Hey!” Carapace called after him. “I really hope you’re not working with Hawkmoth or I’m gonna look like a total asshole after this.”

 

“Don’t worry; you’re gonna look fine when all this is said and done,” Chat Noir said, shooting him a sharp salute as he charged down the streets towards the Montparnasse.

 

“Hope you’re right,” Carapace said, sitting down in front of the dome as Mayura and the guards just glared at him. “Might as well get comfy, boys; we got at least four minutes left.”

 

Carapace’s shield beeped again, the bubble flickering as Mayura hit it. “Huh...guess I used too much juice…”

 

“You know you’re fucked, right?” Mayura glowered. “Even if you get away, I know who you are.”

 

“And I know who you are,” Carapace said, watching the timer run down on his transformation. “Maybe not your name...but you’re a fucking tool, dude. A self-important...upjumped little tool who doesn’t deserve the power you’ve been given. And the first chance I get, I am taking that power away from you, whatever Ladybug has to say about it.”

 

Mayura’s lip curled into a smirk as the beeping on Carapace’s shield grew more insistent. “Funny...I was gonna say the same thing!" 

 

A shimmer of light signaled the end of Carapace’s transformation. Mayura lunged forward blindly as the bubble dropped, reaching out to grab a hold of Carapace and-

 

Mayura heard the horn and managed to skid to a halt before crashing headlong into the side of a black van that blocked a detransforming Carapace from Stigma’s sight.

 

“Hey!” Mayura shouted, raising his fist to bang on the side of the van as the door slid open, his fist connecting with an open palm that effortlessly blocked his blow.

 

“...is there a problem?” Rena Rouge asked, tilting his arm to the side.

---

A wall of shambling undead rose to meet Chat Noir as he tore down the streets towards the Montparnasse building, dodging broken gas-mains and shattered cars as he ran. The first wave of skeletal soldiers to rise against him fell as Fang flashed from its scabbard, reducing them to dust in one, fluid swipe. Fumbling to return his sword its resting place, Chat Noir kept running, ignoring jets of flames and more sinister things that shot out at him from darkened alleys.

 

The rogue warrior ran, dodging bursts of magical fire on his way to the sorcerer’s tower…

 

A strange, ethereal voice wafted over the streets as Chat Noir ran, seemingly coming from all directions at once as he got closer and closer to the tower. “What the hell…?”

 

He knew that any hesitation on his part would lead to his friend suffering a grisly death…

 

“Oh you gotta be shitting me with this,” Chat Noir muttered, vaulting over another skeleton as he approached the base of the tower. "Do we really need the director's commentary?!" 

 

As the brave hero approached the base of the tower-

 

“Yeah, I know, I’m doing it!”

 

-the smell of burning sulfur filled his nostrils. A searing, burning heat unlike any he ever experience erupted from the ground. Towering in front of him, blocking the entrance to the tower, a twenty foot tall pit fiend snarled at him, cracking a whip made of a thousand burning strands of metal forged from the anguish of all the prisoners of hell!

 

Chat Noir skidded to a halt, frowning at the empty plaza in front of the Montparnasse. “Uh...I do?”

 

Oh...shit. Hang on, I’m looking for the monster’s stats!

 

“Good luck with that champ,” Chat Noir said, charging through the entrance through the building unopposed.

 

Wait, wait, wait, that was gonna be an awesome fight!

 

“Pacifist run, baby!” Chat Noir chirped, charging through the empty lobby towards the elevator.

 

Seriously?! I spent a long time working on this encounter!

 

“Sorry, should have had your nerdbook open to the right page,” Chat Noir said, sliding into the elevator as the door opened and jamming the top floor button. "Have your toys ready for me to break next time."

 

Oh really? Well how about this?

 

Four swirling purple portals opened on the floor of the elevator around his feet, trapping him in the center of the elevator as four tall, imposing figures rose out of the ground. Each was clad in identical black armor adorned with jagged edges and each carried a similarly wicked looking battleaxe. Red eyes glared at Chat Noir as they turned, readying their weapons.

 

“Alright…” Chat Noir said, gripping the hilt of his sword as the black knights advanced. “Before we get started...does anyone want to get out?”

---

“Is there a problem?! Your boyfriend is the problem!”

 

“I would have thought the scary zombie wizard and the geekazoid on top of the Montparnasse was the problem,” Queen Bee sniffed, holding her hand up as Capt. Van der Meer started to edge around the side of the van. “That’s far enough, baldy; we're the only ones who get to see our partner without his suit on.”

 

“Miss Bourgeois, Carapace aided and abetted the escape of a fugitive of the law,” Capt. Van der Meer said as Mayura just pointed at him as if to say see? “Per your father’s orders-”

 

“I’m sorry, are you the cops?” Queen Bee asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you the Paris police force? Do you have any legal authority to do anything? Or are you just heavily armed mall-cops my daddy called in as a publicity stunt?"

 

“Sorry, was I the only one who saw Carapace herding civilians to safety on live TV?” Rena Rouge said, eyes narrowing as Mayura bristled. “I didn’t see you taking care of anyone besides Kagami who you ditched the second Chat Noir showed up. Carapace has done nothing but protect the people of this city-”

 

“He also turned on us the second Chat Noir showed up!” Mayura spat. “He helped him get away!”

 

“Get away to stop the akuma and save the victim, which is what you should have been doing,” Rena Rouge said, crossing her arms. “That’s the priority.”

 

“Ladybug said-”

 

“Ladybug isn’t here ,” Rena Rouge snapped, shooting a dark glare at a Stigma guard who tried to sneak around the side of the van. “And you haven’t even been Mayura for a whole season yet. Nadja’s hard-on for you doesn’t change the fact that you’re the junior hero here; you should have done what Carapace said and kept the victim safe!”

 

“A victim who’s probably in on this whole farce,” Mayura scoffed. “Ladybug doesn’t lie; Ladybug is never wrong! If she says that Chat Noir is what we’re supposed to worry about, then Chat Noir is the priority! Your boyfriend was out of line to-”

 

“You’re out of line!” Rena Rouge snapped, jabbing her finger at Mayura. “We’re not here to kick ass and fight for Ladybug’s affection; we’re here to protect the people of this city! And if Carapace thought that letting Chat Noir go was the best way to do that then-”

 

“Then maybe Carapace should be prepared to face the consequences of his decisions,” Mayura said, leaning in close enough to whisper. “Or maybe Nino should take responsibility for Carapace’s choices?”

 

Mayura thought threatening Rena Rouge’s loved ones was a wise strategic move until the fear in her eyes melted into cool, flinty anger. And then he knew that he had massively fucked up. 

---

This was the scene Ladybug swung in to.

 

Rena Rouge had Mayura’s arm twisted painfully behind his back, knee pressing against his spine as he struggled to get off the ground. Queen Bee stood between Rena Rouge and the Stigma guards, holding the barrel of Capt. Van der Meer’s pistol against her forehead.

 

“Come ooooooooon, asshole, you were acting like such a big shit with that little peashooter just a second ago!” Queen Bee sneered, glaring up at the formerly composed security officer. “You want to shoot someone, shoot me, dick face! I dare you! See what happens, bitch! You got one shot and you better pray to your White Conservative American Jesus that you find some way to punch through my suit because I swear to Queer French Almighty God I will wear you like a fucking shoe if you fail, mother fucker!”

 

"Traitors!” Mayura grunted, squirming as Rena Rouge cranked his arm back behind his back. “Traitors! Sellouts! When Ladybug gets here, she’s going to-”

 

“Everybody stop! ” Ladybug cried, skidding to a halt as all eyes turned to her. Mayura wriggled out of Rena Rouge’s grip as she stood up, eyes narrowing as Ladybug jogged up, hands raised. “What’s going on here?!”

 

“Oh that’s right; hide behind Mommy’s skirts,” Queen Bee sneered as Mayura stepped behind Ladybug. “Ladybug’s here, limpdick; what’s she gonna do, huh?”

 

“Chloe,” Rena Rouge said sternly before Ladybug could chastise her. To Ladybug’s surprise, Queen Bee shut up, shooting a sneer at Mayura as Ladybug and Rena Rouge stared each other down.

 

“You want to explain to me why my partners are brawling in the streets while the city is under attack?!” Ladybug demanded.

 

“You want to explain to me why your boy here thought it was a good idea to ditch a victim in trouble to have a dick-measuring contest-”

 

“One he came up short in,” Queen Bee chimed in.

 

“-with Chat Noir?” Rena Rouge said, crossing her arms.

 

“I had a chance to take out Chat Noir,” Mayura said, bristling as Queen Bee scoffed audibly. “We had him under control, but Carapace-”

 

“Let Chat go to help the civilian,” Rena Rouge said, raising an eyebrow. “He seemed very invested in stopping the akuma. Kinda odd for someone in league with Hawkmoth, don’t you think?”

 

“It’s a lie ,” Mayura said, turning to Ladybug. “Tell them!”

 

Ladybug chewed her lip, refusing to give herself the luxury of looking away from Rena’s piercing gaze. “...what matters now is that we have a chance to put an end to this.”

 

“An end to what ?!” Rena Rouge demanded. “We have a city in flames and a nerd summoning monsters all over town! We need to take this thing out -”

 

“We need to capitalize on this mess and take out Chat Noir,” Mayura spat.

 

“Enough!” Ladybug snapped, taking a deep breath. “Look...this is out of control…and I should have been here to stop it.”

 

“No shit!” Rena Rouge snapped, gesturing to the devastation behind her. “You have to have known this was going to happen; what were you thinking leaving Paris at a time like this?!"

 

“Hey, Ladybug has been on call every day for the last four years!” Mayura snapped. "You’ve a part-timer but Ladybug hasn’t left-”

 

“Mayura!” Ladybug snapped, shooting him a warning look before turning back to Rena Rouge. “You have questions...and I promise, I’ll answer all of them. But we need to save Kagami and put this akuma down before it destroys the city. I will...I’ll explain everything later-”

 

“You’ll explain everything now !” Rena Rouge said, crossing her arms. “Why don’t you start with why Chat Noir’s friend was targeted by Hawkmoth?! And how he knew we’d all be out of town?! And-”

 

“And who gave you the right to question Ladybug!” Mayura growled, jabbing a finger in Rena Rouge’s face. “You’re nobody! She could get another Rena Rouge just like you in a heartbeat if you want to keep running your-”

 

“Mayura,  shut up!” Ladybug snapped. Mayura stepped back, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy as he stepped back with a muttered apology. Queen Bee had stepped in front of Rena, fingers clenched around her top as Rena Rouge stared at Ladybug like she had seen her for the first time.

 

“Please…” Ladybug said, raising her fist. “I need you to trust me...just one more time.”

 

Rena Rouge glanced down at Ladybug’s fist for a long moment.

 

“Rena…” Ladybug pleaded softly, arm trembling as she stretched her fist out. “Please…”

 

Rena Rouge just shook her head, slowly walking backwards towards the van as an identical Rena Rouge loaded Carapace into the back of the van. Rena Rouge kept backing up, eyes watery as she just kept shaking her head until she hopped into the back of the van with the clone.

 

“Excuse me,” Capt. Van der Meer said, grabbing Queen Bee by the arm. “That van is Stigma property; you need to-”

 

A crack accompanied the heel of Queen Bee’s boot snapping up and colliding with Capt. Van der Meer’s nose, sending the hardened former Marine toppling back with a whimper of pain.

 

"Bill me later," Queen Bee snarled in English, sliding into the driver's seat with a stony glare in Ladybug's direction as she fired up the van. 

 

“...it’s okay,” Ladybug muttered to herself as she watched the van drive away. “It’s fine...they’re just gonna drop Carapace off and then...and then they’ll be back…they'll be back...”

 

The sound of a distant explosion startled her as a gout of green fire erupted out of the side of the Montparnasse. Mayura steadied his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I’m here...and I’m never going away.”

 

Ladybug looked up at Mayura with a pained expression. “Luka…” she said quietly. “About...about what the akuma said-”

 

Mayura surprised her by placing a finger on her lips, stunning her with a soft smile that belied the fierce, almost manic look of awe and devotion in his eyes. “You don’t have to explain anything...you never have to explain anything to me.”

 

Ladybug was surprised how empty such a declaration of a devotion felt; how much blind, unconditional love could feel like such a slap in the face. He was ready to wordlessly follow her down whatever path she led him down; even after her friends and partners had all deserted her, Mayura remained.

 

Was that a sign he was right? Or just that the ones who knew better had all turned their backs on her? But even if she was wrong...was she even capable of turning back now?  

 

“We can fix this…” Ladybug said, nodding to herself as she turned to face the battle raging in the center of the city. “I can fix this...I can still fix this…”

---

Ding!

 

The final hell-knight fell as the elevator reached the top floor. The hero, panting and out of breath, took a moment to sheathe his sword and-

 

“I know, asshole!” Chat Noir spat, holding his side as he kicked the crumbling body of the last black armored warrior. “God, you don’t have to narrate every single detail as I do it!”

 

-the hero screamed to the sky like a deranged lunatic. His callous disregard for the Gamemaster’s designs had clearly damaged his brain. Perhaps if he had engaged in the pit fiend battle like he was intended to-

 

“Oh fuck you!”

 

No, fuck you!

 

“Fuck you!”

 

Fuck you!

 

“Fuck-” Chat Noir kicked the door to the roof open. “-you?”

 

The scene that greeted Chat Noir was not the most encouraging one. A giant, rotting black dragon leered at him with one working eye, a thick, purple mist billowing from its mouth. Another dozen hell-knights stood arranged around the withered figure of the lich who pointed a menacing figure at him as he stepped on to the roof. Gamemaster held a thick, black chain in one hand with Kagami kicking and struggling at the end of it as he leered down at Chat Noir.

 

“No...fuck you ,” Gamemaster cackled, purple electricity dancing across his fingertips. "The hero arrives to find the forces of hell arranged against him! His beloved is helpless in the clutches of the dark sorcerer and a vast army of the restless dead stand against him! All hope of rescue or help is out of his reach; the hero stands alone! What will he do? How will he prevail?! How...do you want...to do this?!”

 

Chat Noir grit his teeth, glaring up at Gamemaster’s numerous underlings as he tried to figure out a way to slay half-a dozen monsters without Kagami getting caught in the crossfire. Ironically, he found himself wishing that Ladybug would give him one more half-baked, insane plan to run with. She could have probably made the akuma release Kagami by insulting his storytelling or-

 

...oh.

 

Chat Noir gave Gamemaster his very best disappointed look. “Wow...honestly, I expected better of your campaign.”

 

"I-; wait, what?” Gamemaster said.

 

“ ...really?” Chat Noir said, gesturing at Kagami dangling at the end of his chain. “You’re...really gonna do the damsel in distress thing?”

 

“Well...I wouldn’t call it a ‘damsel in distress’ situation,” Gamemaster said, rubbing the back of his neck as the lich raised a withered eyebrow at him. “I just-”

 

“You just...specifically targeted a woman for me to come running in with my giant dick-sword in to save,” Chat Noir clucked, shaking his head as Kagami glanced between her captor and her friend. “That’s, uh...kinda backwards, don’t you think?”

 

“N-Now hang on!” Gamemaster said, raising a hand. “Are you suggesting that I’m-”

 

“All this talk of me being the hero, but did it ever occur to you that she might be a more competent swordfighter than I am?” Chat Noir said, gesturing to Kagami with his sheath. “I mean, let’s be real, I’m not bad, but the only reason I’m here is because I have every Genji-main’s wet dream; Kagami is an Olympic level fencer, but did you give her any chance to show off her talent?”

 

“I-”

 

“Noooo, we gotta kidnap the girls so the boys have something to fight over,” Chat huffed. “I don’t know dude, it feels kinda...iffy, don’t you think?”

 

“Hey, I don’t appreciate the insinuation!” Gamemaster snapped as the hell-knights put their weapons down, leaning on the hilts as they waited for orders. “I’ll have you know that half of my gaming group are girls and-”

 

“-do you also sideline their characters so the bro-league can bust in and save them?” Chat Noir asked.

 

“I-I admit, I do feel rather sidelined,” Kagami butted in. “I don’t feel like I’ve been giving much of a role in your story beyond acting as a proverbial trophy to fight over. Chat Noir has been given so many interesting encounters and I’ve been sitting up here like a worm on the end of the hook. I’m surprised you didn’t put me in some humiliating gold bikini.”

 

"Not that you wouldn't look amazing if he did," Chat Noir said with a wink as the lich suppressed a gag. 

 

“I-I would never do something like that!” Gamemaster spluttered as the dragon-lich let out an aggravated sigh. “A-And you were totally going to get your chance to shine!”

 

“When, pray tell?” Kagami asked, wriggling a little in her bonds. “Before or after Chat Noir stomps a mudhole in you and breaks that book that contains your akuma .”

 

“I mean, it’s your story,” Chat Noir said, holding his hands up as his eyes fell on the book. “Do what you want...you just might want to examine your preconceived biases or-”

 

“Alright look !” Gamemaster snapped his fingers, shattering the chains and dropping Kagami back on the roof. "The hero’s trusty friend frees herself from captivity, springing to her feet as she-oof!”

 

There were times in which Kagami really impressed Chat Noir. The speed with which her elbow lashed out and struck the akuma in the stomach was incredible. Gamemaster teetered back, book flying out of his hands as he tumbled over the edge of the building, grabbing blindly for purchase and closing around the back of Kagami’s shirt. She grabbed the book, whipping it at Chat Noir as they teetered backwards and out of sight.

 

It was truly unfortunate that Gamemaster didn’t get to see what happened next.

 

Chat Noir started running towards the edge of the roof. A hell-knight charged, swinging a claymore at his head. Chat Noir ducked, spear lashing out and skewering the knight through the helmet.

 

The zombie dragon lunged, mouth open and teeth dripping with spit as Chat Noir fired a gout of green flame straight down its throat, igniting the billowing cloud of gas it was about to blow.

 

Chat Noir vanished into a portal, blinking through the ensuing explosion as he kept running. The lich barred his path to the edge of the roof, raising a cruel finger as green energy gathered at its fingertips. The beam fired as Chat Noir ducked, fingers crackling with black energy.

 

“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir dragged his hand along the roof, sending showers of stone flying off the roof as he charged. The lich raised a hand, conjuring a purple shield as Chat Noir struck, ripping through the shield and tearing through the lich’s body in one fell swoop.

 

He didn’t stop to see it dissolve into ash as he dove off the edge of the roof.

---

Ladybug watched the akuma and Kagami pitch over the edge, heart thudding in her chest as she raced across the city. A few seconds later (following a series of explosions that shattered the rooftop) a tiny, pitch-black pinprick dove after them, green blade lashing out and cleaving something in half as he chased the plummeting victims. A flutter of black butterflies flew off the akuma as he detransformed, flailing wildly as Kagami reached out for Chat Noir’s hand.

 

A black hole opened behind Mercer, sucking him in and spitting him out just above the river. He skipped like a stone a few times, falling into the water in front of a small squad of firefighters who dove in after him. Ladybug swung over the streets as Chat Noir caught up with Kagami, holding her close to his body as he pivoted, landing on his back and protecting her from the force of the fall.

 

Ladybug and Mayura landed as Chat Noir and Kagami rolled to a stop, Chat Noir cradling a clearly terrified Kagami close to his chest. Ladybug’s hand caught Mayura’s elbow before he could descend on them, watching Chat Noir mutter something to Kagami as his hand soothingly ran through her hair. His soft, caring expression hardened as he saw Ladybug standing there, tensing and glaring at her with more malice and accusation than she thought possible.

 

A fluttering black akuma butterfly floated down the street. Ladybug fumbled for her compact, but Chat Noir’s hand lashed out, snaring the akuma between his fingertips as he slowly stood up. He examined the wriggling butterfly between his fingers, turning it over as he seemed to be looking for something.

 

“Cataclysm .”

---

Hawkmoth screamed.

 

White, hot, searing pain arced through every inch of his being as it felt as though every molecule of his being was being split atom by atom until agony was the only thing his anguished mind could process.

 

A few seconds, or an eternity later, the pain abruptly stopped, and Hawkmoth collapsed to the floor of his sanctuary, curling in on himself and quietly sobbing in the cold, emptiness of his lair.

 

“Having a bad day Gabriel?”

 

Hawkmoth weakly looked up to see a blank, faceless reflective helmet mirroring his own anguished expression back at him.

---

Ladybug flinched as Chat Noir’s hand erupted in black energy, the Cataclysm arcing across the butterfly and enveloping it in shadows for a moment before the it faded. When his palm opened, a bright, purified purple butterfly flapped its wings hesitantly for a moment, fluttering off Chat Noir’s finger as it took off into the sky.

 

She wasn’t aware that her mouth was hanging open until one look from Chat Noir snapped it shut as he disappeared through a swirling black portal, leaving the small crowd murmuring to themselves and Kagami staring blankly up at the akuma as it departed.

 

Professionalism won out over her shock as she fumbled for her yo-yo. “Miraculous...Miraculous Ladybug!”

 

A stream of pink light flowed from her compact, washing over the city and mending the broken streets and burning buildings the akuma left in its wake. It took a few seconds for the damage that had been done to Paris to be completely undone...but the damage done to Kagami didn’t seem to have been fixed at all.

 

Ladybug tentatively approached Kagami, holding out a hand. “Here...let me help you-”

 

Kagami jerked back, snapping out of her daze. “Don’t touch me!”

 

Ladybug balked a little, shooting a nervous glance at the small crowd of people that surrounded them. “You’re in shock...we should get you to the hospital.”

 

The sound of Kagami’s palm colliding with the side of Ladybug’s face reverberated across the street, followed by a shocked gasp from the crowd. Ladybug staggered back, more shocked than actually harmed as Kagami slowly pushed herself to her feet, refusing to drop the baleful look of contempt she leveled at Ladybug.

 

“This is your fault,” Kagami hissed. “Your fault.”

Kagami stumbled back a few steps as Adrien jogged up behind her, pushing the crowd out of the way to support her as she clung wobbily to his coat.

 

“Come on…” Adrien said, steering her away. “We should get you someplace safe-”

 

“Hang on,” Mayura said, holding his arm out. “We need to see if that akuma told her anything useful.”

 

“Later...,” Kagami said, looking vaguely ill. “I’m not...I need a moment…”

 

“We really should get a statement,” Ladybug said, shaking off the blow and stepping forward. “It won’t take long, if you could just-”

 

“God damnit!” Adrien snapped, the force of his voice shocking Ladybug into taking a few steps back. “Doesn’t no mean anything to you?!"

 

"I...I was just-"

 

"You act like you own this city!" Adrien snarled, advancing on Ladybug with a look she had never seen him wear before."Like everybody has to do everything you tell them; like you’re the queen of fucking Paris or-”

 

Mayura’s temper roared and before he could stop himself, he had stepped forward, grabbing Adrien by the scruff of his shirt and hauling him up a few inches off the ground. “Enough .”

 

“Mayura!” Ladybug cried, rushing forward and tugging at Mayura’s grasp. “Let him go!”

 

“Don’t... ever speak to Ladybug like that again,” Mayura seethed, shaking Adrien a little.

 

Adrien’s infuriatingly bitter glare refused to flicker, even under the force of Mayura’s anger. “Or... what, asshole?”

 

“Leave him alone!” Ladybug said, pushing hard on Mayura’s chest until his grip broke. Mayura looked murderous, and despite facing up to a superhero, Adrien looked ready to take Mayura’s head off. She had never seen his soft, gentle features contort like that; like the only thing stopping him from slugging Mayura was the fact that she was in the way…

 

“Stay away from me,” Kagami said as Adrien guided her down the street, sparing one last glare as they rounded the corner.

 

Ladybug watched them go, rooted to the spot by fear and confusion as everyone slowly turned towards her. She could feel their suspicion burning holes into the back of her head, the dozens of cell phone cameras all trained on her. People hadn’t just seen that little outburst; people hadn’t just seen Chat Noir braving an army of monsters to stop an akuma.

 

They had recorded it.

 

“Ladybug!” Ladybug’s stomach plummeted as Nadja Chamack elbowed her way through the crowd with her camera-man in tow. “Ladybug, would you like to make a statement about the akuma attack?”

 

“Hey, come on, no interviews,” Mayura said, holding his hand up in front of the camera lens as Ladybug she tried not to melt into a puddle of panic in the middle of the street.

 

“Would you care to explain why the akuma attacked Chat Noir?” Nadja asked, shoving the microphone in Ladybug’s face as she instinctively took a step back.

 

“I...Chat Noir, uh...h-he must have…” The lie dried up in her throat as the bright light of the camera shone in her eyes.

 

“Hey, what did I just say?!” Mayura snapped, blocking Ladybug with his cape. “No interviews!”

 

“But why did Chat Noir fight the akuma alone?” Nadja pressed, slipping around Mayura’s cape as Ladybug’s breath hitched in her chest in short, painful gasps. “This was the first akuma you haven’t personally had a hand in defeating; where were you when this was-”

 

In one quick move, Mayura knocked the camera and the microphone to the ground, grabbed Nadja and Theo by the scruff of their shirts, and hauled them up off the ground. “What’s the matter with you?!” Mayura hissed. “Are you on his side?! Do you want to make Ladybug look bad?! Why don’t you just-”

 

Mayura found his arms bound to his sides as Ladybug’s yo-yo wrapped around his mid-section, yanking him back as Nadja and Theo dropped to the ground.

 

“Ladybug, what-” Mayura grunted as Ladybug hoisted him up over her shoulder, shooting an apologetic look at Nadja as she tore down the street, ignoring the cries of confusion and flashing camera lenses as she ran.

---

"I can come back if this is a bad time for you." 

 

Gabriel shot his benefactor a dark look as the masked man seemed to smirk at him. "I am fine." 

 

"Oh, we both know that's not true," the figure chuckled. "You endured the power of the Black Cat...I'm surprised you're even standing right now. I am just a little hurt that you felt like you couldn't be honest with me; if you had told me you and Ladybug were working together-" 

 

"I failed to see the relevance," Gabriel said, watching the masked figure pace along the edge of the room, examining the pictures and baubles on his shelves. "You've never expressed interest in how I run my affairs until now." 

 

"Maybe not...but I don't appreciate being lied to," the figure said, turning their featureless black mask to stare at Gabriel. "Makes me wonder if there's...anything else you're keeping from me." 

 

"Of course there is," Gabriel said, leaning against the desk. "But I'm upholding my end of the bargain...so it's not your concern." 

 

The figure seemed to regard him for a moment, tilting his head back and forth as though considering what Gabriel had said. 

 

"Well, be unfriendly if you want," the figure said with a shrug. "I just came to see if you needed any assistance with our project. I see you've put one of them into production." 

 

"The results are...unstable," Gabriel said, rubbing his neck. "Normal akuma have their emotions amplified, but Mayura...it's as though he's a creature bound by a singular urge; a being of pure id sworn to obey his driving impulse. I'm not sure if they're entirely...reliable." 

 

"Depends on what you need to rely on them to do," the figure said. "In any case, you haven't even unleashed his true potential, have you?" 

 

Gabriel said nothing, jaw tightening as the figure laughed at him. "Oh, you're not sure if you can control him, are you?" 

 

"We are dealing with an immense amount of power," Gabriel bristled. "Exercising a little caution could save us a lot of trouble down the line-" 

 

"As you say, Gabriel," the figure chuckled, turning to leave. "But has anyone ever told you you're just a teensy bit too controlling?" 

 

Gabriel said nothing, snarling at his benefactor's back as they left. 

---

 

“Long day, Master?”

 

Master He sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as she stepped through the elevator doors to see her apprentices waiting for her.

 

“Getting far too old for this, Lan ,” Master He muttered, shucking her coat and passing it to Jun as they shared an uneasy look. “What is it? Is Quingfu alright? ”

 

“Yes, he is taking to the new treatment very well,” Jun coughed, scratching the back of her neck. “It’s just…”

 

“Kagami got home safe, yes?” Master He said.

 

“She did, but…” Lan opened the door to Master Fu’s room. “You have a guest, Master.”

 

Master He stepped through the door to see a young woman in an orange jacket who turned around as the door opened.

 

“Nice to see you again,” the woman said, holding her hand out as Trixx peeked their head out from the corner of her jacket. “Alya Cesaire. Do you make house calls?”

---

“Oof!” Mayura dropped to the roof as Ladybug let him down, spooling her yo-yo back up as he scrambled to his feet. “You should have let me teach them a lesson…”

 

“Mayura-”

 

“They had no right talking to you like that!” Mayura spat. “Accusing you like you did something wrong!”

 

“Mayura.”

 

“And that Theo creep, wasn’t he like twenty when he was creeping on you as a fourteen year old?!” Mayura scoffed. “Total sleazeball; not like his boss is too much better-”

 

“Luka,” Ladybug said, eyes narrowing at Mayura. “What...is wrong with you?!”

 

“What’s wrong with me ?!” Mayura said. “What’s wrong with Rena Rouge ditching you like she did?! What’s wrong with Carapace stopping me from going after Chat Noir?! We could have stopped him if your sidekicks- ”

 

“Rena Rouge didn’t let a civilian get captured!” Ladybug said, poking Mayura hard in the chest. “Carapace didn’t assault three civilians in three minutes!”

 

“They were questioning you!”

 

“So what?!” Ladybug spat. “God, Luka, what’s wrong with you?! This isn’t like you; you don’t haul off and start choking people because they disagreed with me!”

 

“Well maybe I should have!” Mayura said, grabbing Ladybug by the shoulders. “All those times you cried on my shoulder because of something Chloe did or a fight you had with Alya...you stick up for everyone else, but who sticks up for you?! Alya-”

 

“Alya is my friend !” Ladybug spat. “She’s not my sidekick, she’s not my lackey; she’s my friend! And sometimes friends get into fights or disagree with each other. I don’t need people in my life who blindly kiss my ass or worship the ground I walk on! I need a partner, not a protector! And if all you’re going to do is snap at anyone who looks at me funny, then maybe I can’t trust you as much as I thought I could!”

 

“No!” Mayura cried, falling to his knees and weakly clutching at Ladybug’s legs. “No, no, no, no, please, please don’t send me away! I-I’ll be good! I’ll be good, I’ll be useful, j-just please let me stay by your side! Don’t...don’t…”

 

To see such a calm, collected, cool-headed person reduced to a bitter, blubbering mess was equal parts unnerving and heartbreaking. Somehow, in the chaos of trying to capture Chat Noir and launch her fashion career, she had neglected to really check in on Mayura. She just assumed he was...fine. Luka was always...fine, right?

 

“Hey…” Ladybug said, quietly sinking to her knees and placing her hands on Mayura’s shoulder. “Come on...talk to me. What’s wrong?”

 

“I...I don’t know,” Mayura said, pressing his fingers into his temples. “I-I don’t really feel like myself lately...I-I think it’s just stress or-”

 

“It’s okay,” Ladybug said, running her hands through his hair. “I’m sorry for putting you in this position-”

 

“Don’t apologize-”

 

“I promise ...this is gonna be over soon enough,” Ladybug said, slowly helping Mayura back to his feet. “You should go home; spend some time with your family. Maybe take a bath.”

 

“What are you gonna do?” Mayura asked, watching Ladybug glance over her shoulder.

 

“I gotta go have a talk with someone…”

---

A small pile of used tissues lay crumpled around the couch as Chat Noir’s fingers ran through Kagami’s hair. The silence was only broken by muffled sniffling and Kagami stared blankly into space in front of her.

 

“Why can’t he just...leave me alone?” Kagami sniffed. “Why can’t he just...leave me alone?”

 

Chat Noir said nothing, only glaring out the window of Kagami’s house as he privately swore that he was going to beat the ever-living hell out of Hawkmoth the second he got his hands on him.

---

Gabriel’s head bounced against the wall as Ladybug hoisted him off his feet, slamming him against the far-wall of his office.

 

“What did I say?!” Ladybug hissed. “What did I fucking say?!”

 

Gabriel said nothing, eyes glazed over and unfocused even as Ladybug threw him to the ground. Something had taken its toll on him; his sickly complexion was a far sight from the cackling madman she expected to find.

 

“I...miscalculated,” Gabriel muttered, readjusting his glasses. “I-I expected to have this solved before your return, but...seems that Chat Noir is more dangerous than we thought.”

 

“No shit,” Ladybug spat, folding her arms. “And apparently he has a magic super sword! So now we have that to deal with.”

 

“I will not make that mistake a second time-”

 

“No shit you won’t!” Ladybug spat, grabbing the remote off the desk and turning on the television on the wall to show footage of Chat Noir battling Gamemaster’s minions. “Because guess what, genius?! Now the whole city knows that Chat Noir is fighting Hawkmoth! The lie our operation has been built on since the beginning is out in the open! My teammates know something is fishy and one of them dropped everything and turned on Mayura!”

 

“It isn’t my fault that your friend has anger management issues,” Gabriel said, wiping his mouth as Ladybug glared down at him. “You should have picked someone more...even tempered.”

 

“I picked the most even tempered human being on the planet !” Ladybug said, folding her arms. “How long?”

 

Gabriel said nothing, even as Ladybug dragged him back to his feet by his shirt collar. “How...long...have you known?”

 

“...a while,” Gabriel said.

 

“And how did you find out?” Ladybug demanded.

 

“Who else could it have been?” Gabriel said, locking eyes with Ladybug. “Only someone who...really, truly loves Adrien like I do-”

 

“Don’t compare us!” Ladybug spat, fear edging into her voice as she shook Gabriel. “I am nothing like you!”

 

“No...you are better than me,” Gabriel said, clutching at Ladybug’s fingers. “Better than I’ve ever been...more resourceful, more creative-”

 

“So that whole internship...” Ladybug’s mouth twisted “The fashion show...that was all a lie to-”

 

“No!” Gabriel said, prying Ladybug’s fingers off his shirt. “I would never sully my company by showing favor to someone who hasn’t earned it. You...you are a singularly gifted designer, Marinette-”

 

“Don’t call me that!”

 

“You are talented and brilliant and any accolades I afforded you are ones you have more than earned!” Gabriel said, gripping Ladybug by the shoulders. “And you’re strong and clever and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to protect people you love...and Adrien needs protection!”

 

“Stop it!” Ladybug smacked Gabriel’s hands off her shoulders.

 

“Because he’s kind,” Gabriel said, voice taking on a manic edge. “And he’s sweet and he’s compassionate and he’s caring and he’s weak. Weak and soft and helpless without someone to protect him! You know what the world does to people like that; people without the will to chart their own destiny!”

 

“Yeah?” Ladybug asked. “And who’s fault is that? If he’s as weak as you say he is...it’s because you never taught him how to be strong.”

 

Gabriel’s expression hardened as he stood up, lips pressing into a thin line as the desperate, grieving father became Hawkmoth without even transforming. “That is hardly the point...the only question is...does this change anything?”

 

“Of course it does,” Ladybug hissed. “You think we can just go back to being partners after this?!”

 

“We were never partners,” Gabriel said. “Just two people with a common purpose...I don’t see how that’s changed, do you? Our...arrangement is just a little more even-keeled now.”

 

Ladybug’s fists clenched at her sides as Gabriel straightened his tie. “We are... so close to achieving everything we want; on the cusp of putting this behind us once and for all. All you have to do is help me finish the job.”

 

“By kidnapping someone,” Ladybug said. “Someone who your akuma tormented for a whole day.  

 

“We are not going to harm her,” Gabriel said, an icy chill creeping into his voice. “We are just going to get a simple answer out of her; one night and we can go on with our lives all the happier for it. You will be hailed as the savior of Paris; you will have everything you have worked your entire life for and I...I will quietly retire with my wife. We will make awkward small talk at Christmas but, other than that...you don’t have to deal with me.”

 

Ladybug’s lips pursed in a thin line, eyes scanning his suit for any sign of the Butterfly Miraculous. “And if I refuse?”

 

“Well...let’s not entertain such an unpleasant thought, Mme. Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel said, folding his hands behind his back. “I wouldn’t want our working relationship to dissolve at such a critical stage…understand?”

 

Ladybug’s head tilted to one side. “Yeah...I understand you perfectly .”

 

“Good,” Gabriel said with a tight smile. “If there aren’t any objections...we should end this tonight.”

 

“I agree,” Ladybug said tightly. “So...if there’s nothing else-”

 

“I will await news of your success, Marinette,” Gabriel said, sitting down at his desk and turning his attention to his laptop. “Now...I have to review these press releases. London show was...quite a hit, it seems. My newest designer seems to have turned quite a few heads…”

 

The chilling ease with which Gabriel Agreste could go from talking about acts of terrorism to talking about business was almost enough to make Ladybug reach across the desk and throttle him; just to see him have a human reaction for once. Stepping out into the night, Ladybug latched on to a building, swinging across the newly restored city towards her house.

 

She made it almost a kilometer before she broke down.

 

Tumbling to the roof, she took three steps before de-transforming, hands lacing behind her head as she struggled to regain control of her breathing. Snow tumbled in great pillowy sheets, piling on her bare arms as she took three deep, heaving breaths...and screamed.

 

A raw, wavering howl of despair and defeat echoed throughout the unusually still and quiet city. Her hands tore at her hair as she sank into the cold snowy banks that piled up on the rooftop, oblivious to the freezing slush that bit into her ankles as curled in on herself, struggling to breathe as the world as she knew it tumbled around her.

 

You fucked up, her brain told her as she bit her lip so hard she tasted copper. You fucked up you fucked up you fucked up you fucked up you fucked up you fucked-

 

“Marinette,” Tikki’s voice whispered in her ear. “Marinette, breathe...you need to breathe.”

 

“I fucked up…” Marinette sobbed. “Oh god...oh god, he knows everything...he knows everything ...Tikki-”

 

“Shh,” Tikki whispered, running her hand down her cheek. “Breathe, Marinette; just breathe.”

 

In spite of the all consuming urge to scream until her throat tore, Marinette stuck her head between her legs, taking deep, halting breaths that were interrupted by a stray hiccup every few seconds. The cold started to sink through her flimsy gown, but her desire to be warm was far outweighed by the desire to not be alone, the desire to just not be Ladybug.

 

“What do I do…?” Marinette whimpered. “What do I do?!”

 

“...you know the answer to that, Marinette,” Tikki said softly.

 

“He didn’t have his Miraculous on him,” Marinette said, shaking her head and pressing her hands against her temples. “He has a whole house to hide them in and if he thinks I’m coming for him…”

 

Marinette trailed off, watery eyes watching the cars come and go below.

 

“I need help…” Marinette admitted. “I can’t...I can’t do this by myself...and Luka...something’s wrong with Luka...oh god, what if he got to Luka?! What if he-”

 

“Marinette...there’s still one person left in this city who would gladly help you take Gabriel Agreste down a peg,” Tikki said.

 

“...no...hehates me,” Marinette blubbered miserably. “He’s not going to forgive me; not after what happened today...Kagami was right. This is all my fault.”

 

“Don’t be so quick to accept responsibility that you shoulder Gabriel Agreste’s burden as well,” Tikki said sternly. “I won’t deny that your...inaction has allowed this monster to flourish. But he is the monster here. He is the biggest threat facing Paris; even if Chat Noir hates you, he realizes that Hawkmoth needs to go down.”

 

“So what, just call him up?” Marinette laughed bitterly. “Hey Chat, I know the whole city hates you and I basically got you and your friend into trouble for trying to do the right thing, but can you get me off the hook, buddy?”

 

Tikki didn’t seem to have an answer for Marinette as she wrapped her arms around her legs. “I wouldn’t forgive someone who did that to me…I can’t even ask him to do that…”

 

“Marinette,” Tikki said, wiping a tear off her cheek. “You are not beyond help...but you need to ask for it. The only piece still on the board is Chat Noir...and judging by the performance he put on today, I would say he is a very critical piece. Gabriel thinks you're going to kidnap Kagami, but you have time to rally Chat Noir and orchestrate a counterattack before he gets wise.”

 

Marinette bit her lip, shivering as she tried to find a way out of this situation that didn’t involve Chat Noir. Mayura was...not doing well. Rena Rouge and Queen Bee were all but openly hostile and Carapace was willing to put himself in danger to thwart her team. Chat Noir may hate her guts, but...stopping Hawkmoth was the only thing he cared about.

 

“What happens afterwards?” Marinette said, glancing at Tikki. “He isn’t going to let me keep you after all this is over...no ring, no wish...Adrien’s mom is gonna die...and this was all for nothing !”

 

“...maybe,” Tikki admitted. “But you can have a life with Adrien after all this is said and done. You can have a future for yourself, even if Gabriel Agreste doesn’t hire you; you don’t need him. You have never needed him...it’s not going to be a perfect ending, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be happy.”

 

Marinette nodded, rubbing the top of Tikki’s head. “I never wanted to lose you…I wanted to end this fight but…I-I like being Ladybug. I like having the power to help people...I-”

 

“Marinette...you have a job to do,” Tikki said firmly. “And you know how to do it.”

 

Marinette let out a deep sigh that plumed in front of her in a big puff of air. She let Ladybug’s power flow through her, wondering if this was the last time she was going to get a chance to transform. Would Chat Noir rip her earrings off the minute he saw her? Could she even match him anymore? What if he demanded she be tried alongside Gabriel for her role in this?

 

Ladybug shook her head, halting her anxiety spiral for a moment as she took out her communicator, taking a deep breath as she wondered how to start.

 

Ladybug: I was wrong.

 

Ladybug: I fucked up.

 

Ladybug: I fucked up so so bad

 

Ladybug: And I am so, so sorry for everything I did to you and your friends.

 

Ladybug: I will do everything in my power to make the last three months up to you.

 

Ladybug: But I need your help

 

Ladybug: Please. 

 

Ladybug: We need to take down Hawkmoth; once and for all. 

 

Chat Noir: eleven thirty

 

Chat Noir: old sparring spot

 

Chat Noir: come alone

 

 

Notes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got one more breather chapter before we shift into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE so better get your popcorn ready.

A bit of clarification; Fang wasn't created using a Miraculous Thanos Snap and Sasuke never possessed both. Artifacts in this world stem from Ladybug in conjunction with other heroes. She created the shell that Sasuke then poured his destructive power in to. Just wanted to clarify that since some folks on the trope page thought it was

Some of y'all really thought I would kill Nino, huh? Nah, Nino is unbreakable; he's the shield that suplexes kaiju that threaten the city. Team Paris has gone rogue, Hawkmoth has more cards than Ladybug thought, and Chat Noir finally does what Ladybug's done so many times; handle an akuma solo...for the most part.

Queer French Almighty God-willing he doesn't attack Ladybug on sight.

Chapter 34: Paint It Black

Summary:

You don’t get to pick the last conversation you have with someone you love.

Even talking to a terminally ill friend on their deathbed, you can't know when it will end; what sentence will be cut short or what thought will go forever unfinished. You don't get a final chance to say everything you want to say; if you did, you would never stop talking.

And no matter what you say, you will always wish you had said more.

Notes:

This chapter contains a scene containing mild body horror elements. If you are triggered/upset by this, skip the passage between "“It...it wants to...n...no...I don’t...I don’t want to...I... agh! ” and "The cold, grey, lifeless piece of metal..."

Note: This story was started before Silencer so Luka's experience with Akuma reflects that.

Linked Songs:
Look But Don't Touch - Polyphia
Paint It Black - Ciara

Akuma Attacks! Chat Noir to the Rescue?

by Alya Cesaire, Ed.

PARIS - DEC. 6

The first akuma in nearly three months struck today, tearing the city of Paris apart with supernatural creations of immense and terrifying power. But what was more surprising was the fact that it was Chat Noir, not Ladybug, that saved the day and purified the akuma.

Eyewitnesses on the scene confirm that Chat Noir arrived half-way through the akuma battle, protecting Mayura and the target (Olympic medalist Kagami Tsurugi). Chat Noir was then attacked by Mayor Andre’s Stigma mercenaries, enabling the akuma to escape with the victim.

“I saw him running past on the way to the tower,” one eyewitness told the Ladyblog. “He was hacking down akuma monsters left and right! I’ve never seen him kick so much [butt] before!”

A battle on top of the Montparnasse building signaled the akuma’s defeat, just in time for Ladybug (who had been absent all day) to show up. Surprisingly, footage shows Chat Noir using Cataclysm to purify the akuma much in the same way that Ladybug did.

[See our exclusive video coverage HERE!]

Mayor Andre’s office issued a statement following the attack, decrying it as a “publicity stunt” and stating that there’s “no empirical evidence that Chat Noir isn’t working with Hawkmoth.” Mayor Andre, who has lost more than twenty three percent approval since hiring the paramilitary group Stigma to assist police, stands firm in his belief that “Ladybug would not lie to the people of Paris.”

Online response to the battle is divisive. While some stand with the Mayor’s claim that the Akuma was working with Chat Noir, eyewitnesses that saw Chat Noir defend the victim are coming out in support.

“If it wasn’t for Chat, I would have splattered on the street,” local hobbyist and akuma victim Mercer Millet told the Ladyblog. “I came to my senses plummeting from the tower, but Chat Noir managed to get me to safety and save that poor girl Hawkmoth made me torment. I didn’t see Ladybug try and stop me…”

The Ladyblog has reached out to Ladybug for a statement, but has received no response at the time of writing this. 

Related Articles:

• Stigma’s Shady Past: A History of Violence
• Kenny Omega retweets Ladyblog; Is Carapace All Elite Wrestling bound?
• [Video] Mayura's Meltdown

Comments (5547)

(‘(oo)’)_AllRogercopsAreBastards_(‘(oo)’) :
f*ck stigma; get bacon! oink oink yankee pigs!
+2.5k

 -

Anti_CN:
@admins how do you change usernames; asking for a friend
+2.0k

Lb_4_life:
@Anti_CN im the friend
+500

Mayura_is_my_daddy:
@Anti_CN can we be friends too?
+25

Furrysuperheroes:
@Anti_CN suffer you faithless dogs
+1.3k

Anti_CN:
@admins please i’ll do anything
+342

arsenicCatnip [Admin]
@Anti_CN then perish >:3c
+3.2k

- 

ChatNoirDidNothingWrong:
Ladybug-stans: Chat Noir is working with Hawkmoth! You can’t trust him!
Akuma: Hawkmoth wants me to take Chat Noir’s Miraculous!
Ladybug-stans: I can’t read suddenly, I don’t know…
+1.3k

Miraculousfan:
User name checks out lol
+345

TeamLadybug:
[COMMENT HIDDEN DUE TO LOW RATING]
-130

abelleAbeille:
@TeamLadybug Or maybe the fact that Mayura choked the sh*t out of three people was is an indicator.
First akuma in months and Ladybug is nowhere to be seen. Her partner is apparently in league with Stigma (nuff said) and Chat Noir shows up and CATACLYSMS AN AKUMA!
What “proof” do you need?
+1.3k

cataclysmmedaddy:
i wish that akuma was me
+1.2k

alexseanchai:
I wish i was Jared19
+1.3k

- 

Queen~Rouge~is~life:
shut up about this dumb superhero stuff and look at this pic someone took of Queen Bee and Rena Rouge standing together
[FILE ATTACHED] #blessed
+1.2k

TeenageHumanNinjaTurtle:
@Queen~Rouge~is~life carapace didn’t suplex godzilla for this…
+1.1k

Rena_Rouge_has_two_hands:
@ TeenageHumanNinjaTurtle Rena Rouge has two hands
+1.3k

 -

Shelldude:
“Chat Noir to the Rescue” um, did y’all not watch the same akuma fight I did? did y’all not see Carapace hold the line solo for a few hours by himself? are we just gonna forget that he SUPLEXED A KAIJU??? Chat Noir my ass; Carapace to the Rescue!
+1.3k

 -

Foxlady:
Do we know that the Ladybug that showed up today is the real Ladybug? I mean, Ladybug turns on Chat Noir (which would never happen, lbr) shows up with this weird blue haired creep who works with mercenary thugs and assaults people for looking at Ladybug weird. People are pointing fingers at Ladybug, but what if Mayura is up to more than he lets on?
+895

Miraculousfan:
@Foxlady He’s the Ladybug Defense Squad gone totally batsh*t; speaking as a Ladybug-stan, even I’m weirded out by how much he’s up Ladybug’s butt.
+860

Ladybugfan23:
@Miraculousfan explain to me what ladybug has done to warrant this kind of suspicion. i am sick of people acting like she’s done anything sketchy just because an akuma told us so.
please cite hard empirical evidence.
+205

Lady_LoveBug :
@Ladybugfan23 her handling of the whole Bophades akuma was very suspicious imo
+1.4k

Ladybugfan23:
@Ladybugfan23 Bophades?
-2

Lady_LoveBug :
[COMMENT WAS REMOVED BY MODERATOR]
+3.7k

---

 

Mayura: Take it down.

 

Mayura: Take the article down now.

 

Mayura: I know you’re transformed; I see your light blinking.

 

Mayura: Rena

 

Mayura: Alya

 

Mayura: Alya Cesaire

 

Mayura: do you not even care that the whole world is laughing behind ladybug’s back?!

 

Mayura: what kind of fan are you?! after everything ladybug’s done for you, this is how you repay her?! by spreading LIES about her?!

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN NOW

 

Mayura: I CAN FIND YOU I CAN MAKE YOU TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

 

Mayura: TAKE IT DOWN

---

 “I might be alone in saying this,” Chloe said, staring at the wall of purple text on Rena Rouge’s communicator. "But I don’t care for Mayura all that much."

 

Rena Rouge snapped her buzzing communicator shut with a sigh, glancing over at Master He as she examined an unconscious Nino sprawled out on Chloe’s bed. “As you can see, we’ve had a hard go of it lately.”

 

“Clearly,” Master He muttered, running her hands over Nino’s chest as they pulsed with soft, green light. “The good news is that there isn’t much wrong with him other than the fact that he’s completely exhausted. Channeling his Aspect like that without proper training was grossly irresponsible and...well, I can hardly scold you for that since I haven’t been the most attentive teacher.”

 

“To be fair, the wrinkly old person who was supposed to teach us didn’t do a very good job of it either,” Chloe snorted, wincing as Rena Rouge yanked her ponytail sharply. “Hey!”

 

“Be nice to the knife-throwing magic lady,” Rena Rouge hissed, turning back to Nino’s sleeping form. “Is he going to be okay?”

 

“Heavens, yes,” Master He said, stroking Wayzz’s sleeping head. “He just needs rest; maybe a lot of takeout when he wakes up. Using that much power in such a short period of time is bound to leave one feeling rather peckish and...I’m sorry, are you going to get that?”

 

“It’s just Ladybug’s psychotic partner threatening me with violence if I don’t take that Ladyblog article down,” Rena Rouge sighed as her communicator continued to buzz on her hip.

 

“...ah,” Master He said, straightening her glasses. “Perhaps we should catch each other up.”

---

Kagami woke with a sleepy murmur, stirring from under her blanket as she sat up on the couch. Before she could wonder where Chat Noir had gone off to, she spied him sitting on an ottoman, glaring at the screen of his communicator.

 

“Something the matter?” Kagami asked, wiping her eyes.

 

“She wants to meet,” Chat Noir laughed, shaking his head bitterly. “Says she was wrong and made a mistake...wants to take Hawkmoth down together...she has to think I’m a goddamned idiot .”

 

“You think it’s a trap?” Kagami asked.

 

“I think she’s desperate,” Chat Noir said. “I’ve never seen Ladybug desperate before...I don’t really know what a desperate Ladybug would do.”

 

“...are you thinking of meeting her?” Kagami asked quietly.

 

“Yeah, and walk right into an ambush with Mayura, Hawkmoth, and the French Foreign Legion waiting to take me in,” Chat Noir scoffed, brandishing his communicator at Kagami. “This? This is a classic Ladybug scheme. When she can't fight her way out of a problem, she tricks her way out of a fight. We ran this same con on Evillustrator when we were fourteen and now she’s trying to run it on me. She has to think I'm stupid!”

 

“...and if she’s not lying?”

 

“She is.”

 

“And if she’s not,” Kagami said, sitting up a little straighter. “What if...she’s ready to give up?”

 

“Ladybug doesn’t give up,” Chat Noir scoffed. “That’s why she’s Ladybug. This whole fiasco came from the fact that Ladybug doesn’t give up. She always has a backup plan-”

 

“And what if this is it?” Kagami countered. “If this is a genuine sue for peace...can you really afford to discount it out of hand?”

 

“So I should just meet her?” Chat Noir snorted. “Waltz on to a rooftop and agree to follow her to Hawkmoth’s lair by myself?”

 

“At least hear what she has to say,” Kagami said, picking at the blanket around her shoulders. “Maybe...if you can wring Hawkmoth’s location out of her-"

 

“You think that information is gonna come cheap?”

 

“As long as it comes at a reasonable price, isn’t that worth it?” Kagami said, sitting up with a fierce look in her eyes. 

 

“And if it’s a trap-”

 

“Then get out, and we’ll come up with another plan to beat her. But as I see it, Ladybug isn’t in a position to do anything but beg,” Kagami said, flicking the television on to a panel of talking heads hotly debating the akuma attack. “Carapace has forsaken her, Rena Rouge and Queen Bee are sure to follow. The world has seen Mayura’s true colors and her Master will be coming around sooner or later. If Hawkmoth is slipping his leash, it won’t be long before Ladybug loses control of this arrangement...if she hasn’t already. She is deeply, deeply out of her depth and has nothing to bargain with except for Hawkmoth's identity. ”

 

“I find it hard to believe that Ladybug would ever be out of her depth,” Chat Noir murmured, tilting his head to one side. “Then again, I just executed a plan to destroy an akuma without Ladybug’s help, so I guess hell’s getting a little frosty, huh?”

 

“Don’t give Ladybug that self-deprecating shite,” Kagami said, leaning in and taking one of Chat’s hands with a gentle squeeze. “You have her by her Miraculous bollocks; all you have to do is twist.”

 

“...can I say that I’m very happy you waited until after we broke up to say things like that?”

 

“Your Miraculous bollocks are safe and sound,” Kagami chuckled, cupping the side of Chat Noir’s face with her free hand. “Finish this.”

 

Chat Noir nodded, glancing back down at his communicator thoughtfully as he punched in a quick message. “...never been late for a patrol appointment before; not about to start now.”

 

Adrien stood up as Chat Noir’s power left him, wobbling a little bit as he fumbled for something to support himself.

 

“Are you alright?” Kagami asked, getting up to steady him. 

 

“Hey, take it easy, kid,” Plagg said, patting Adrien’s head. “You channeled a lot of capital-D Destructive power today; I don’t know if there’s enough cheese in France to get us back to 100% in time for tonight.”

 

“I’m not going to fight Ladybug,” Adrien grunted, rubbing his temples as a headache started creeping up on him. “We’re just going to hash some things out.”

 

“Good; because picking a fight with a fresh-as-daisies Ladybug is a bad idea,” Plagg sniffed. “Even by your standards.”

 

“Well, chow down,” Adrien said, shoving a wheel of cheese into Plagg’s mouth. “If this is a trap, I want enough juice to get out of it before Ladybug can get her claws into me. You got a few hours to pig out before we have to meet Ladybug."

 

"Aye aye!" Plagg said, saluting Adrien as he tucked in to his cheese.

 

"Are you okay if I leave to take care of a few things?” Adrien said, glancing at Kagami. "I just...gotta handle a few errands before I meet up with Ladybug."  

 

Kagami nodded, fingering her bracelet a little self consciously. “If things go sour, Master He will be the first to know.”

 

Adrien nodded mutely, kissing Kagami briefly on the cheek and pulling her into a tight hug. “I’m sorry about all this…”

 

“I knew what I was getting into,” Kagami murmured. “I’m just...glad you finally shared this with me.”

 

“Should have brought you in a lot sooner,” Adrien chuckled, pressing his forehead against Kagami's for a brief moment. “Stay safe.”

 

“I’m not the one meeting Ladybug alone on a rooftop,” Kagami chuckled, leaning on the doorframe as she watched him go. She hated the sudden feeling of vulnerability that came with Adrien out of the house; loathe as she was to rely on others for help, she was playing a game where her enemies had gifts that no amount of skill or physical conditioning could hope to match. If Mayura or Ladybug came by while Chat Noir was out then…well, Kagami just had to hope Master He knew what she was doing. 

---

 “Honey, are you alright?”

 

Luka blinked, jerking suddenly as his mother’s touch on his arm brought him out of his daydream and back to reality. He hadn't even realized that he was halfway through chopping up onions for soup, lost in thoughts of the battle that had taken up most of his day. 

 

“Uh...y-yeah, I’m fine,” Luke coughed, ignoring the persistent migraine that had dogged every conscious thought since the end of the fight with Chat Noir. “Killer headache, that’s all…”

 

Anarka pursed her lips as Luka turned back to the stove. “Your sister is worried about you.”

 

“She doesn’t need to be; I’m-”

 

“-you’re not,” Anarka said, tugging at his arm until Luka reluctantly turned to look down at her. “Honey, you look more exhausted than I do, and I have lung cancer. I hear you come and go in the middle of the night when you think everyone's asleep-"

 

"Mom-"

 

"Whatever it is..."Anarka said. "You know you can talk to me, right?”

 

Luka closed his eyes. “This isn’t exactly something we... I can talk about-”

 

 

 

 

“-Mom,” Mayura said, blinking as a frosty wind whipped against his cheeks. Snow piled on the rooftop around him as he could see a figure moving around in Kagami’s house across the way.

 

“Where...how did I get here?” Mayura muttered, glancing around as though the answer was buried in the snow around his feet. The last thing he clearly remembered was his mother looking up at him with a look of concern, but judging by the fact the sun had set, that had been more than an hour ago.  “What’s going on?”

 

You seemed distressed, Luka. I thought a change of scenery would do you some good…

 

“Wait...did I transform in front of my mom?!” Mayura spluttered, staggering backwards and fumbling for purchase.

 

I would never be so reckless. You made your excuses and left as soon as you could. Do you not remember that?

 

“I-I don’t remember doing coming here,” Mayura said, shaking his head. “...are you-”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“-controlling me or something?!”

 

Marco’s frown only deepened as Luka came back to his senses, glancing around his manager’s office. Mayura’s costume was gone, replaced by his street clothes and hastily thrown on checker’s apron.

 

“Controlling you?!” Marco echoed. “Luka, are you even listening to yourself right now?! You go through your whole shift zoning out like a total zombie and the that’s the first thing you say?”

 

“When did I get here?” Luka muttered, wincing as the throbbing, pulsing headache only increased in intensity; as though something was trying to chip its way out of his skull with a tiny hammer and chisel. He glanced at the clock, paling as he saw that it was almost ten at night.

 

Forgive me; I know how tedious these shifts can be for you. So I thought I’d take over them for the time being.

 

“I didn’t...what did you do ?!” Luka hissed.

 

“Luka, you know how I feel about drug use,” Marco said sternly. “I know you’re going through a lot right now, but-”

 

“This isn’t right,” Luka said, standing up suddenly and-

-knocking the kitchen chair back as his mother slowly approached with her hands raised.

 

“Honey…it’s okay,” Anaraka said soothingly as Juleka tearfully typed a number into her phone. “I’m not mad at you...you’re not in trouble...but if you’re taking something, I need to know what it is so I can help.”

 

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Luka moaned helplessly, pressing his fingertips into his temples. “I-I need to see Ladybug; I need to....I need to....”

 

“Ladybug?!” Juleka echoed, watching Luka fumble for his coat hanging off the rack on the back door. “Luka, what the fuck are you talking about?!”

 

“I-I can’t talk about it,” Luka mumbled, tugging his jacket on. “I-I’m sorry, I can’t-”

 

Juleka slammed the door closed as Luka tried to get out the back. “No! I’m done watching you skulk around like a weirdo!”

 

It really isn’t her place to question these things, you know…

 

“Shut up!” Luka hissed, pressing his palms into his temple. “Just shut up!”

 

“Don’t tell me to shut up !” Juleka snapped, poking Luka hard in the chest. “You’ve been out at all hours, coming home late-”

 

“Juleka, please-” Anaraka said, tugging on her daughter’s arm. “Kids, let’s just-”

 

The pounding in Luka’s head grew louder and louder as his mother and sister fought next to him; through it all, anger continued to well up inside him, bubbling up until it was the only thing he could think of.

 

“No, I’m sick of this shit!” Juleka snapped. “You’re scaring mom ! I don’t know what you’ve been spending your time on, but-”

 

“Leave me alone!”

 

 

 

You should really just let me handle this.

 

I’m just trying to make you happy Luka…

 

Stop it…

Your family doesn’t understand…

 

Stop it

 

They are getting in the way of you serving Ladybug. You should really-

“STOP IT!”

 

Mayura’s eyes opened to a scream as Van Halen’s hammer raised high above his head. The kitchen was in tatters, shards of wood and broken tile littering the floor as his mother and sister cowered in the corner. Juleka had thrown herself in front of her mother, a fire-poker clutched in one hand as the towering purple knight glowered down at them, ready to strike.

 

“Stop it!” Mayura roared, charging the armored figure and tackling it away from his family. A low, metallic snarl filled the kitchen as the knight turned, fixing Mayura with a pair of glowing purple eyes.

 

“I…ngh…” Mayura grunted as his vision swam with pain, holding his hand out to the knight. “I...said... stop !”

 

Mayura snapped his fingers, dispelling the knight with an angry scream that echoed in the silence of the ruined kitchen. Leaning against the wall, Mayura struggled to see through the haze of pain and an anger that was alien and familiar at the same time.

 

“...Luka?” Anaraka moved to comfort her son, but Juleka’s arm shot out, blocking her mother’s path as she kept the fire poker pointed at Mayura. The anger that had been there before was gone, replaced by teary-eyed fear that made Luka queasy.

 

His mom...his sister...they were scared of him. 

 

“...I’m sorry,” Mayura whispered, shaking his head as he fumbled for the door. “I’m sorry.”

 

Someone said something behind him, but Mayura couldn’t hear them over the sound of the wind in his ears as he took flight.

---

 A sharp knock came on Gabriel’s study door, rousing him from his work as Adrien stuck his head in. “Hey, I’m gonna duck out for a little while. Get a drop on some Christmas shopping for Marinette if that’s cool.”

  

“No...of course, that’s fine,” Gabriel said somewhat distractedly. “Don’t rush home; take all the time you need.”

  

“Thanks,” Adrien said, waving over his shoulder. “See you in the morning.”

  

Adrien jogged down the stairs, frowning as Nathalie stumbled through the front door, clutching her bandaged face in pain. “What happened to you?”

 

“...slipped in the ladies room,” Nathalie said, adjusting the gauze over her bloody nose.

 

“I’ll get you a crate of aspirin for Christmas,” Adrien said, patting her on the shoulder as he tugged his blue scarf on and stepped past her into the snowy night. "I'm going shopping."

 

"Stay safe," Nathalie waved, watching him go for a moment before closing the door behind her and trekking up the stairs towards Gabriel’s office.

 

“Sir?” Nathalie said, knocking on the door before quietly sliding in. “Sorry I’m late...got held up at the hospital.”

 

“That’s quite alright,” Gabriel said, wincing as he caught sight of Nathalie’s damaged nose. “Perhaps you should get a second opinion on that-”

 

“It’s no trouble, sir,” Nathalie said quickly, adjusting her glasses as best she could over her nose. “I don’t think we have the time for that sort of thing.”

 

“...no,” Gabriel muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I don’t think we do.”

 

Gabriel stared out the window for a long moment. “As melodramatic as this sounds...the success of four years of work hinges on what happens tonight.”

 

“Do you really trust that Ladybug is going to deliver on her promise?” Nathalie asked.

 

“I trust that I have sufficiently planned for that,” Gabriel said, tapping a folder with his fingers. “Should I succeed, I trust that you will succeed me as Hawkmoth; I don’t anticipate I’ll have need of Nooroo’s abilities once the Ladybug and Black Cat are mine and...I’d rather leave it to someone I can trust.”

 

In spite of being concussed by a superhero earlier that day, Nathalie couldn’t help but swell a little, straightening up with a nod. “I won’t let you down, sir.”

 

“No...I don’t think you will,” Gabriel said, sliding the envelope across the desk towards Nathalie. “This is an...amended will. Adrien is of age now, so you no longer need to be the executor of my estate should...well, should things not go our way. Having said that, I have...included something for you in my will.”

 

“Something for...me?” Nathalie echoed.

 

“As...thanks for your faithful service,” Gabriel said, clearing his throat as Nathalie stared at the envelope pensively. “I realize this may come across as gauche-”

 

“Only a touch,” Nathalie said, narrowing her eyes at Gabriel. “You think I seriously attached myself to your lunatic cause because I was expecting a pay raise?”

 

“I don’t-”

 

“Because there is no amount of money in the world that would be worth it,” Nathalie said, pushing the folder back across the desk. “I don’t want it; leave it to Adrien.”

 

“Nathalie...please,” Gabriel said. “I couldn’t have gotten this far without your help; you practically raised Adrien, I insist-"

 

"Don't you dare do that to me!" Nathalie snapped. "I'm not one of your damned puppets you can jerk around with a few words!" 

 

"Of course not," Gabriel said, holding his hands up. "Slip of the tongue, but...there must be something you want. I can't just...leave you with nothing after everything you've done for me and my family. It wouldn't...wouldn't be right.”

 

Nathalie chewed on the corner of her lip, glancing Gabriel up and down for a long moment. “You already know what I want..."

 

Gabriel glanced down with a slightly guilty expression, shaking his head almost remorsefully. "And you know...you know that's not something I can give you." 

 

"I know..." Nathalie said. "So keep your money; I don't care about it. I'm just...I was happy to help."

 

‘I’m sorry,” Gabriel blurted out as Nathalie turned to leave. “All of this...I’m sorry for-”

 

“...you don’t have to apologize to me, sir,” Nathalie said quietly, not trusting herself to turn around and face him. “Not for anything.”

 

Gabriel said nothing, watching her pass through his office doors with a weary sigh. "One more night...just one more night..."

 

"And how many times have you said that, Gabriel?" Gabriel turned to see his tall, masked patron sitting in a formerly empty chair, one leg lazily crossed over the other as though they had been there all day...which, for all Gabriel knew, they had. 

 

"What have I told you about eavesdropping on my personal conversations?" Gabriel said, narrowing his eyes at the figure. 

 

"Same thing I've told you about keeping secrets from me," the figure said. "Don't worry; I won't be 'eavesdropping' on you much longer. The terms of our contract are coming due; I'm just here to collect the merchandise." 

 

"Even with one of them being embedded in Mayura?" Gabriel said, raising an eyebrow. "You don't think we should try and recover that first in case he's...difficult to control?" 

 

"Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel," the figure chided, shaking their head. "When are you going to learn that not everything needs to be controlled to be useful?" 

---

“I see…” Master He said as Alya finished her side of the story. “You’ve had your hands full, it seems.”

 

“And all of it because I didn’t post those damn messages like Chat Noir wanted me to,” Alya chuckled ruefully, poking at her fried rice.

 

"Oh, lay off yourself; Paris isn't gonna rise and fall because of a stupid blog post," Chloe said, lightly prodding Alya with her foot as she bit an egg roll in half. 

 

“If you didn’t do as Ladybug said, she would have found someone else to do it for her,” Master He sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “At least you managed to rescue your kwami…”

 

“Not like Chat Noir was alone either,” Chloe chimed in through a mouthful of noodles. “Whatever you did with him, he’s a little firecracker now, isn’t he?”

 

“I simply gave him the tools to achieve success on his own,” Master He said, feeding Kiicii a pea from her plate. "He would be on more equal footing with Ladybug if we had more time…but it seems as though things are coming to a head.”

 

"All that's left is to have a nice long chat with Ladybug," Alya said. 

 

“And how are we supposed to catch her?" Chloe asked. “Put a Chat Noir body pillow under a box on a stick and wait for her to trigger the trap?”

 

A knock on the door broke the relative silence, startling Alya as Chloe got to her feet to get it. “Unless I miss my guess, that would be M. Gameplan knocking right now.”

 

“Expecting a delivery?” Chloe asked, returning with a smooth, wooden box and a notecard stamped with flowing green script.

 

“Careful with that!” Alya hissed. “It could be a-”

 

Alya trailed off as Chloe cracked the box open, eyes widening as they fell on the contents. “...how many of these things are there?”

 

“Chat Noir is going to meet with Ladybug,” Master He said, steepling her fingers as Chloe examined the Tiger Miraculous. “She called a parlay earlier this evening.”

 

“And Chat’s just going to meet her?” Alya spluttered. “Alone?! If this is a trap-”

 

"-then Ladybug nabs one of us and not all of us," Chloe said, closing the box and passing it back to Master He as she tucked something in her coat pocket. "Helps to have something in your back pocket in case you run into trouble." 

 

"...I don't like this," Alya muttered. 

 

“Like it or not, we need to remain in a position to respond to Ladybug’s plan should things go sour,” Master He said, clasping the box shut and stowing it in her coat.

 

“And what if she plans to attack Kagami again?” Alya asked. “Are we supposed to just sit back and let her get taken?!”

 

“Actually,” Master He said, leaning back on the couch. “Yes." 

---

Alya: Hey.

 

Alya: Listen, I’m sorry I bailed on your show today.

 

Alya: I heard about the akuma attack and I wanted to go back with Chloe to cover it for the Ladyblog.

 

Alya: I know this was a big deal for you and you went through a lot to invite me there…

 

Alya: Sorry I wasn’t there for you.

 

Marinette: no i understand

 

Marinette: i read your article; it was...really well written

 

Marinette: seems to be causing quite the stir, huh?

 

Alya: Yeah, my moderator has had her paws full keeping things civilized.

 

Marinette: ...can i ask you something?

 

Alya: Shoot.

 

Marinette: do you think ladybug’s working with hawkmoth?

 

Alya: ...I think I should have listened to Chat Noir a long time ago.

 

Alya: We wouldn’t be here if I had.

 

Alya: But I had to be an idiot Ladybug fangirl, huh?

 

Marinette: that’s not fair

 

Marinette: you trusted someone who never gave you a reason to distrust her in the past

 

Marinette: that doesn’t make you stupid

 

Alya: Chat Noir gave me a pile of evidence.

 

Alya: A LITERAL pile.

 

Alya: But I still ran Ladybug’s damned article.

 

Alya: THAT’s on me.

 

Alya: And that’s something I need to deal with.

 

Marinette: let ladybug deal with that

 

Marinette: it’s her fault; she needs to own up to it

 

Alya: She will.

 

Alya: But so do I.

 

Marinette: ...i’m sorry

 

Alya: What for?

 

Marinette: i just wanted to help

 

Marinette: there’s a lot i can’t explain to you right now

 

Marinette: but just know that i never wanted to hurt you

 

Marinette: i never wanted to put you in this position

 

Alya: Mari, what the hell are you talking about?

 

Marinette: i’m sorry for everything alya

 

Alya: Girl, you’re starting to scare me.

 

Alya: Marinette?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alya: Marinette, answer the damn phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alya: MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG PICK UP THE PHONE

 

---

Marinette ignored her buzzing phone as she reached up to stop the bell above the back door from jingling. Normally, she would have just ducked in the roof window to her bedroom, but after today, she didn’t much feel like being Ladybug; didn’t feel like entertaining any questions from concerned onlookers or rubbernecking fans. In the few hours she spent wandering the city, eavesdropping on passing conversations, she heard enough snippets of conversation to know that she wasn’t ready to answer all the questions the people of Paris had.

 

“Why didn’t Ladybug help us?”

 

“What’s the deal with Mayura snapping like that?”

 

“Is Chat Noir really evil?”

 

"Ladybug wouldn't lie to us, right?" 

 

They were cold, sobering reminders of just how deeply she had entrenched herself in Hawkmoth's schemes; how much she had cheapened her own integrity to try and con her way out of arresting Adrien’s father. She had wasted so much time under the delusion that Gabriel Agreste could be reasoned with; that he could be controlled and influenced as long as she knew who he was. The thought that he was still working against her hadn’t crossed her mind.

 

I trusted him too much...no, I trusted myself too much

 

After four years of outwitting Hawkmoth on a bi-weekly basis, Marinette had come to see him as more of an annoyance than a genuine foe to be overcome. The challenge was uncovering his identity; after that, they could deal with him without any trouble at all. But somehow... somehow he managed to unravel her identity and the identities of everyone that was close to her. He had maneuvered himself into a position where he held more cards than she did, all the while pretending to be the repentant villain.

 

He could pretend; you were doing all the work for him.

 

Marinette shook her head as she stumbled through the darkened kitchen, feeling around for a light switch. “Looks like Mom and Dad stepped out...you want something?”

 

“I wouldn’t say no to a chocolate chip cookie,” Tikki said, taking her seat at the table as Marinette fished a pair of cookies out of a tin on the counter. “...it’s getting cold out.”

 

“Mmhmm,” Marinette muttered as she fished a bottle of water out of the fridge, setting the cookies on the plate as she slumped into a chair, head lolling back with a deep sigh.

 

“Colder than it usually it is, I mean,” Tikki said somewhat awkwardly, nibbling on the corner of her cookie. “...kinda early for snow, isn’t it?”

 

“I guess,” Marinette shrugged, closing her eyes as the silence of the kitchen pressed in around her. “...I’m tired.”

 

“I know,” Tikki said softly.

 

“I’m not...I’m not even scared of how this is all gonna end anymore,” Marinette laughed humorlessly. “I’m just...I’m ready for it to be over. One way or another...even if it isn’t gonna end well for me.”

 

“You don’t know that,” Tikki said. “Chat’s very...well, he’s a fair minded individual-”

 

“A fair-minded individual would treat me the same as Hawkmoth,” Marinette laughed, shaking her head. “Maybe a little better...even if I put his life and liberty in jeopardy.”

 

“Four years of partnership has to count for something.”

 

“It really should have,” Marinette said, leaning forward and dropping her head into her hands. “I should have listened to him. This...this is all my fault. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been so set on getting everything I wanted exactly the way I wanted it...if I had just...bit the bullet and put Adrien’s father away...it wouldn’t have been as bad as it is now, right?”

 

“I can’t say,” Tikki shrugged. “Nobody can.”

 

“This was a stupid idea, wasn’t it?” Marinette muttered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “This whole thing was just so stupid.”

 

“Things that are bad aren’t always foolish,” Tikki said, floating across the table to sit next to Marinette. “Things that are good aren’t always wise. I don’t think this was stupid…”

 

“Feels like it was…” Marinette said, pressing her head against the cool wood of the kitchen table with a long sigh. “Well...maybe your next chosen will be more like Chat.”

 

“I don’t want someone like Chat,” Tikki said, laying her head on Marinette’s shoulders. “I want someone like you.”

 

“Good one,” Marinette sniffed, turning away as Tikki rested her forehead against her cheek. “After everything I’ve done?”

 

“After everything you’ve done,” Tikki murmured. “You’ve done a lot of good for a lot of people, Mme. Ladybug. A lot of good...not lately, but-”

 

Marinette laughed, rubbing Tikki’s head with one finger. “You know...I’m really gonna miss you.”

 

“I know,” Tikki muttered. “Didn’t want it to end like this...didn't want it to end ever, really.”

 

A comfortable silence drifted between them as they sat there, neither willing to break contact in case they would never get the chance again. The clock chiming ten on the wall finally broke the spell as they reluctantly pulled apart, wiping eyes and sharing one final nod.

 

“You ready?” Tikki asked.

 

“Even if I’m not...I have to fix this,” Marinette said, standing up with a shaky sigh. “It doesn’t matter what happens...I have to fix this…”

 

The sound of movement upstairs caught Marinette’s attention. "Is that your parents?"

 

"No idea..." Marinette crept towards the staircase, fumbling around in the dark as she made her way into the apartment above the bakery. A thin sliver of light shone through the trap-door that led to her room, broken up by a shadow that moved back and forth as the sound of rustling paper came through the door. Sharing a glance with Tikki, Marinette crept towards the ladder, carefully unlocking the trap-door and ever so slightly raising it. Inside, crouched over a bag on the floor next to him, was-

 

“Adrien?” Adrien whipped around, clutching the bag to his chest defensively as his eyes fell on Marinette.

 

“Marinette?!” Adrien said, frowning in confusion. “What...what are you doing here?!”

 

“I live here,” Marinette said, slipping through her trap-door and locking it behind her. “What are you doing here?!”

 

“I thought you were still in London,” Adrien said, looking her disheveled form up and down. “How did you get back?”

 

“It’s...a long story,” Marinette said, wiping her eyes with the heel of her palm. “How did you get in? The trapdoor was locked and-”

 

“I came up the drainpipe and slipped through your window,” Adrien said.

 

“The drainpipe?!”

 

“I-I have a rockwall in my room,” Adrien coughed, fidgeting with the sack in his arms. “I’m good at climbing.”

 

“It’s covered in ice ,” Marinette said, narrowing her eyes at Adrien.

 

“...I’m really good at climbing,” Adrien chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “I...I didn’t think you were gonna be here. I thought you’d still be dazzling the fashion elite.”

 

“Then why are you ...here?” Marinette said, trailing off as her eyes fell on a small row of neatly wrapped parcels on her fainting couch, each with a card tucked neatly into a bow. “Adrien...what’s going on?”

 

“Uh...okay, this is going to sound totally crazy, but…” Adrien pulled another parcel out of his bag. “Happy three-year anniversary?”

 

Marinette frowned, ticking off time on her fingertips. “Aren’t you...two years, nine months, and six days ahead of schedule?”

 

“Crazy, I know,” Adrien laughed.

 

“More confusing than anything else,” Marinette said. “You want to explain?" 

 

“I just...look, the akuma attack today was...scary,” Adrien muttered. “Scarier than they usually are, I mean. People close to me have gotten hurt before but...this was different. Kagami was...she’s still really shaken up about this; didn’t want to see anyone which probably means she’s really not doing well…”

 

“I heard about that,” Marinette lied. “I left the party early; I wanted to...well, I was worried about you.”

 

“Wish you had stayed, honestly,” Adrien chuckled. “Paris isn’t exactly the safest place these days.”

 

“Hasn’t been safe since we were kids,” Marinette laughed, reaching out and squeezing one of Adrien’s hands. “So...do you always buy your friends presents when you have a near death experience?”

 

“I can probably afford to,” Adrien chuckled. “I promise this Father Christmas routine isn’t gonna become a habit, but...I just got to thinking…”

 

“And then you got to shopping?” Marinette said, eyeing the packages with a small frown.

 

“After today…” Adrien trailed off with a frustrated sigh. “If anything were to happen to me-”

 

“Adrien-”

 

“Let me finish,” Adrien said, dropping the bag and clasping Marinette’s hands between his own. The urgency in his voice and the warmth of his hands was enough to keep Marinette from protesting as Adrien fumbled for the right words to say. “I know we haven’t been together long...and I know we haven’t spent as much time together as we’d have liked, but...you’re really important to me, Marinette. And if I don’t get a chance to show it…if something happens to me then…”

 

Adrien started pointing at the packages on the fainting couch. “Merry Christmas, Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary...Merry Christmas, Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary...Merry Christmas-”

 

“You bought me three years of presents?” Marinette said, head tilting to the left slightly as she tried to make sense of the pile of gifts before her.

 

“Wrote cards and everything,” Adrien said, shaking out his writing hand with a wince. “In case...in case I don’t get to give you them in person. In case...in case I don’t get to spend the next Christmas or anniversary or birthday with you...I need you to know that I love you.”

 

The weight of the words nearly knocked the wind out of Marinette as Adrien wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye with his thumb. “I need you to know that...I need you to know that even when I’m not with you. I haven’t...I haven’t felt this way about anyone since...no, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anyone; ever. I-I know we’ve been friends forever, but...I feel like we’re closer than that somehow. A-And, if that’s too weird or too clingy then I-”

 

Adrien was immediately cut off by Marinette grabbing him by either side of his head, pulling him in for a kiss that all but sucked the life out of him. The needy, desperate way she pressed her lips against his—as though breaking contact would sever some unrepairable bond between them—took Adrien by surprise as he stumbled backwards onto the couch.

 

“Mari,” Adrien panted, wriggling as he tried to tug a squished parcel out from under him. “Mari, the gifts-”

 

“I don’t care!” Marinette hissed against his mouth. “I don’t want five years of presents; I want five years of you. I want fifty years of you. I want more of you than there is of you because I love you ! I...I love you…”

 

The fevered, needy little breaths they managed to snatch seemed to be enough to sustain themselves, but they kissed like they needed each other to survive; like the last, frail tether they had to the world was between their lips. Fingers tangled in each other’s hair, boxes heedlessly crushed underneath them as they tumbled backwards onto the couch, nothing mattered except the three, simple words they shared. 

 

"I love you..." 

---

“Is it over?”

 

“They’re just kissing, Plagg.”

 

“I know ,” Plagg grumbled, crossing his arms as sounds of sloppy teenage makeouts wafted through the thin walls of Tikki’s dollhouse. “Forgive me if I don’t want to watch my Chosen play tonsil hockey with the girl who sold us all out.”

 

“Let them be happy,” Tikki sighed. “Who knows how much longer they’ll have the chance.”

 

“Yeah...this is gonna go all egg-shaped no matter how you slice it, huh?” Plagg said, hopping up on a doll-sized couch. “Is there a chance this ends without Adrien losing everything?”

 

“I don’t see how it does,” Tikki said with a sympathetic smile. “But we’ve known that for months, haven’t we?”

 

“Had to be him, didn’t it?” Plagg chuckled bitterly. “Gabriel couldn’t just be a bargain-bin asshole, could he? He had to be an extra-special magical asshole...Adrien doesn’t deserve this. And on top of all that, he’s gonna find out his girlfriend has been actively trying to get him killed! If it wasn't for Fu's damned geas-" 

 

“It’s helped us in the past," Tikki pointed out. "Nooroo would have been compelled to give up Fu if he hadn’t used it.”

 

“If he hadn’t used it, we could have told Marinette that the man she’s fighting is the man she loves!” Plagg hissed. “Or I could have told Adrien that his father was evil! Marinette made some shitty choices, but she wouldn’t have made those choices if Master Fu had involved Master He from the beginning! You think she would have let this shit slide?! M. Tell-Everyone-Everything-About-Everything?!”

 

“No...no she wouldn’t,” Tikki sighed, rubbing her temples. “Fu was... is so invested in Marinette’s training to replace him that he got a little...distracted.”

 

“Not the word I would have used.”

 

“He’s not a teacher, Plagg,” Tikki sighed. “His role before the Temple fell was to hoard information; to keep secrets and keep things safe. His job is to be suspicious and distrustful; Master He is supposed to whack him on the head whenever he’s getting too withdrawn, but...well, after Toronto...”

 

A tense, uncomfortable silence between them. “Look...Li hurt all of us; Fu isn’t the only one who got betrayed, you know. But to take that out on Adrien-”

 

“He made a mistake,” Tikki said. “A very well intentioned mistake that might spell the end for our little covenant once and for all if Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t find a way to make peace…”

 

“You think they’re gonna be friends after this?”

 

“We don’t need them to be,” Tikki said, glancing out the window. “You don’t make peace with friends.” 

---

The sound of the clock chiming ten-thirty brought Marinette crashing back to Earth. 

 

“Adrien…” Marinette murmured, pulling back as a thought suddenly struck her. “Can you...can you stay here tonight?”

 

In the dim light of her room, Marinette was glad she was able to see him blush. “I...I don’t know if my dad will be okay with-”

 

“Please,” Marinette begged. “Don’t go home...stay here...stay with me. Just for tonight.”

 

“And here I was worried I was moving too fast,” Adrien chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind Marinette’s ear. “I...h-how about you go get some snacks first? We can watch movies or...something.”

 

“Y-Yeah,” Marinette nodded, sliding off him. “I-I’ll hit the drugstore too! Get some...supplies to be careful.”

 

“Sounds good,” Adrien nodded. “Meet me back here in an hour?”

 

“Sure,” Marinette said, brushing herself off. “I-I won’t be long...wait for me?”

 

“Of course,” Adrien lied, stealing one last kiss as Marinette disappeared through the trap door. Adrien waited for the sound of the front door to close before letting out a sigh, closing his eyes and shaking his head. 

 

“...sorry, Marinette,” Adrien sighed, slowly getting to his feet. “I'll make this up to you tomorrow...let's go, Plagg." 

---

Every second past eleven was unbearable as Ladybug perched on the corner of Notre Dame, staring out over the city as she waited for any sign of Chat Noir. Part of her feared that he knew she was there; worried that he was clinging to the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to pounce.

 

Part of her hoped he could at least hear her out before trying to take her head off with that nasty looking sword of his; part of her wondered if she would have responded any differently were she in his boots. If Chat Noir had waged a campaign of public distrust against her that targeted her friends and allies, she would have at least punched him in the face a few times before hearing what he had to say. If she thought he had gone out of his way to hurt Luka, she wouldn't exactly be in the most forgiving mood. But for the sake of the city, she now had to hope that Chat Noir would be willing to look past all the pain she had caused him and come to some kind of agreement with her...even if that agreement came with jail time attached. The thought of potentially spending her life behind bars was not one she was prepared to face, but she was having a hard time seeing how this would end for her otherwise. 

 

The longer she thought about it, the queasier she felt. 

 

“Sorry, Adrien...gonna have to raincheck that movie-” Ladybug’s earrings buzzed sharply, startling her into nearly dropping her communicator. “Hello?”

 

“Start walking south,” Chat Noir’s voice said on the other end of the line.

 

“Chat?” Ladybug glanced around at the long shadows cast by the cathedral’s roof. “Where are you-”

 

“Start...walking,” Chat Noir said firmly before the line cut off.

 

“Okay,” Ladybug said out loud, eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. “Have it your way!”

 

Leaping off the building, Ladybug swung across the street, skipping over the Seine as she continued to head due south. As she swung, her eyes scanned the rooftops for any green eyes that might have been watching her. The dark and snowy streets of Paris had a thousand places Chat Noir could have been hiding; a thousand places to ambush her if she wasn’t careful.

 

Her earrings buzzed after a few minutes of swinging and Ladybug slid to a halt on a nearby rooftop to answer it. “East. Stop when you get to city hall.”

 

“Are we gonna talk when we get there?” Ladybug asked, casting her gaze around the rooftops.

 

“Go...east,” Chat Noir growled before the line cut off again.

 

“Alright...your show, your venue,” Ladybug said, swinging down the streets as she tried to ignore the rubberneckers and pointing fingers that followed her as she swung. How was she even going to explain this? Could she even explain this?

 

Oh, hey, Paris, I kinda dropped the ball a little, what with letting an evil wizard run amok across the city, but uhhh...my bad?

 

She was going to have to work on her apologies; something told her she was going to be making a lot of them in the near future.

 

Ladybug’s communicator buzzed the second she landed on the roof of City Hall. “You’re watching me, aren’t you?”

 

“Watching to see if you’re being followed,” Chat Noir replied.

 

“I’m alone,” Ladybug said, glancing around as snow continued to fall around her. “You can trust…”

 

Ladybug trailed off as Chat Noir let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Can’t even finish that sentence, can you?”

 

“I didn’t bring anyone,” Ladybug insisted.

 

“Oh really?”

 

“Really." 

 

“Then why is your new partner perched on the roof of the market across the street?”

 

Ladybug’s head snapped in time to see a dark blue shape dart behind the glowing neon sign across the street. “He’s been following you since you stopped the last time.”

 

Growling in frustration, Ladybug swung across the street, landing behind the neon sign before a rather guilty looking Mayura could hide himself again. “What are you doing?”

 

“I….I was just…” Mayura winced in pain, holding his head as he steadied himself against the wall. “I-I don’t know.”

 

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

 

“I don’t know how I got here…” Mayura said, glancing around in confusion. “Where...what am I doing up here?”

 

“Are you okay?” Ladybug asked, reaching out for Mayura’s arm. “You don’t seem like yourself.”

 

“I’m…” Mayura’s pained expression melted into a somewhat shaky smile. “D-Don’t worry about me. I’m...I’m fine.”

 

“You just said you didn’t remember following me,” Ladybug said, frowning at Mayura.

 

“Just... ngh ...o-one too many...many... nghhh,” Mayura trailed off, clutching the sides of his head as he winced in agony. “Oh, God, my head is killing me! I don’t...I don’t know what’s wrong with me! I-”

 

“Slow down; slow down,” Ladybug said, grabbing Mayura by the shoulders. “Deep breaths.”

 

“I-I think maybe that akuma did something to me?” Mayura said, shaking his head. “I don’t...I don’t know about this kinda stuff. I know you're busy but...the others hate me...I-I don’t know who else to turn to; I don't-agh!”

 

Mayura doubled over, eyes screwed shut as he shook his head.

 

“Shh,” Ladybug said, rubbing the sides of Mayura's temples gently, fingertips pulsing with pink light as his expression seemed to relax a little bit. “I...I wish I knew what to tell you. It might...it might be a side effect of the akuma, or-”

 

Ladybug’s communicator buzzed in her hand, Chat Noir’s green and black profile pic popping up on the screen. Swearing, Ladybug flipped the communicator open. “I’m in the middle of something.”

 

“I can see that,” Chat Noir said. “Get rid of him.”

 

“He’s hurt,” Ladybug muttered into her phone. “Something’s wrong with him.”

 

“I’m crushed,” Chat Noir deadpanned. “Get rid of him or this deal is off.”

 

“Okay, okay,” Ladybug muttered, snapping her communicator shut as she turned back to Mayura.

 

“Who was that?” Mayura whimpered.

 

“Not important right now,” Ladybug said, forcing Mayura to look at her. “Listen...I have to do something right now...something that could defeat Hawkmoth for good.”

 

“Can...can I help?” Mayura asked weakly. “I-I can still fight, I-”

 

“- you need to find Dr. He,” Ladybug said sternly. “If this...if this is related to the akuma, then she would know more than I do at this point.”

 

“But... ngh ...isn’t she...isn’t she working with Chat Noir?” Mayura grunted.

 

“She’ll help you if you ask,” Ladybug said gently. “Go...go to Kagami’s house; she can point you in Dr. He’s direction. Stay with her until I come for you...and be honest with her. Things have...things have changed, Luka. I wish I could explain all this now, but...I promise I will soon.”

 

Mayura frowned up at her, opening his mouth to ask a question before it seemed to die in his throat. He reluctantly nodded, heading towards the edge of the roof and prepared to jump off.

 

“I’m sorry…” Ladybug blurted out at the last second. “I’m sorry for all of this...I-”

 

“You don't have to apologize to me,” Mayura said with a weak smile over his shoulders. “Not for anything...not ever.”

 

“You don’t even know what I’m apologizing for,” Ladybug said quietly.

 

“Doesn’t matter,” Mayura shrugged, taking off with a running glide, sailing down the street and out of sight. Ladybug watched him go, fishing out her communicator and punching in Chat Noir’s number. “He’s gone.”

 

“I can see that.” It took all of Ladybug’s composure not to whip her yo-yo out as a voice spoke quietly behind her. Spinning around, she saw a pair of glowing green eyes staring out at her from a shadow by the wall. “Hey there, partner.”  

---

“I understand,” Kagami said, cradling her phone against her shoulder as she stared at her bracelet.

 

“This is only a contingency," Master He said. "But if you have any reservations-”

 

“None at all,” Kagami replied quickly. “If this will give us an advantage, then...I’m willing to do my part.”

 

“You are a remarkably brave young woman.”

 

“Or I’ve just inherited the stupidity Adrien seems to have abandoned,” Kagami chuckled, trailing off as a flicker of movement drew her attention to her balcony. Through the curtains, she could vaguely make out a dark shape huddled in the corner by the railing, casting a long shadow that snaked across the floor.  “...so you’ll know if I’m-”

 

“Immediately.”

 

“I see...thank you,” Kagami said, hanging the phone up as she crept towards the window, keeping out of sight as she approached the tall glass doors that opened on to her balcony. She didn’t know if it was even worth grabbing something to defend herself with; grabbing a weapon would be no more useful to her than grabbing a pool noodle if someone had come for her. But as she crept closer to the door, the sound of feverish muttering and whimpers of pain could be heard coming from just outside.

 

“I don’t...I don’t want to... ngh! ” Kagami parted the curtains to see Mayura huddled in a snowbank on her balcony, clutching his head and grimacing in pain. “Shut up...shut up, shut up, shut up !”

 

Against her better judgement, Kagami unlocked her balcony door, shivering as she stepped out into the cold. “Are you...alright?”

 

Mayura jerked his head around to look at her, eyes bloodshot and red as he tugged his cloak around his shoulders a little tighter. “I-I need...I need h- agh!”

 

Kagami jerked back as he stumbled forward, grabbing at his head as he crawled across the balcony towards her. “S-something’s wrong with me...I-I think something happened at the last akuma attack, and I...c-can you help me find Dr. He?”

 

If this was some kind of ploy to lower her defenses, Mayura deserved some kind of award for his acting skill. Something in the pained, teary-eyed look of desperation seemed almost familiar to Kagami; as though he were trying to escape something that was in the process of slowly devouring him. 

 

“Alright, alright,” Kagami said, holding the door open as she punched in Master He's number. “Just...warm yourself by the fire for a little bit; we’ll see what we can do for you.” 

---

“H-How long have you been there?” Ladybug stammered, instinctively backing up against the edge of the roof. The building they were on wasn’t exactly secluded, but she still felt apprehensive about being alone with Chat Noir after what had happened earlier that day.

 

“Relax; I wasn’t eavesdropping on you or anything,” Chat Noir said, crossing his arms with a derisive sneer “Not like I care what you and your  patsy have to say to each other." 

 

“That’s not…” Ladybug trailed off, shaking her head. “He's not my patsy...he volunteered for this.”

 

“He’d volunteer to step in front of traffic if you asked him to,” Chat Noir sniffed. “Seems you and I have very different ideas about what makes a good partner.”

  

Ladybug bit her lip, biting back the urge to argue with Chat Noir. There was no chance she was going to get through this without being raked across the coals for every bad decision she had made in the past few months. “Kagami...how is she?”

 

“Just peachy ,” Chat Noir sneered. “She just loves constantly being attacked and akumitized your magical sugar daddy.”

 

“Look..." Ladybug said, taking a deep breath. "I know you have no reason to believe me, Chat-”

 

“I don’t.”

 

“-but I never...I never wanted any of this to happen!” Ladybug insisted. "Kagami was never supposed to be in any danger!" 

 

“No, you just staked out her house for two months and threatened her when I wouldn’t cooperate with your insanity,” Chat Noir sniffed.

 

“Those were...I-I wasn’t seriously threatening Kagami,” Ladybug muttered. “I was hoping to catch you detransformed...maybe force you to surrender that way. But y-you know me-”

 

“Do I?” Chat Noir scoffed.

 

“I would never okay something like this!” Ladybug said vehemently. “From the very beginning, I told him that I didn’t want any more akuma! Our whole...our whole arrangement hinged on him not victimizing any more civilians. And if I thought for a second that he was going to attack her-”

 

“You thought Hawkmoth was going to do what you told him?” Chat Noir said, stepping out of the shadows and into the dim neon light that cast haunting shadows across his face.

 

“I thought he would be smart enough to know that I would never work with him after he did,” Ladybug said, eyeing the sheathed sword Chat Noir carried in his left hand. “Things between us...whatever working relationship we had...it’s over.”

 

“Wow...you’re burning through partners pretty quick, aren’t you?” Chat Noir mused. “So what are you talking to me for?”

 

Ladybug straightened up a little, forcing herself to look Chat Noir in the eye. “Hawkmoth needs to go down...he needed to go down a long time ago. I should have listened to you...you were right.”

 

“Can I get that in writing?” Chat Noir snorted. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever said that to me.”

 

First time for everything, Ladybug thought. “I’ll record an album titled Chat Noir Was Right after this, but first...Hawkmoth needs to be stopped. And...I need your help to do it.”

 

“My help?” Chat Noir echoed, glancing around the rooftop as though he couldn't tell who she was talking to. “What do you need my help for? You have a meatshield you can push out in front of you to absorb damage, don’t you? Isn’t that all I’m good for?”

 

“...still remember that, huh?” Ladybug said with a wince. “You can’t...you can’t seriously believe I meant that.”

 

“You did say it on national television-”

 

“I was trying to...I was trying to provoke a reaction out of you,” Ladybug sighed, rubbing her arm. “I was frustrated and angry with you at the time, but...that was a mean and cheap thing for me to do. I knew you had...insecurities about your place in our partnership.”

 

“Yeah, well, I’m the idiot who shared those with you, so it’s not exactly all your fault,” Chat Noir muttered.

 

“Would it help if I said I’m sorry?” Ladybug asked.

 

“You say a lot of things without showing you mean them,” Chat Noir said. “So no; not especially.”

 

“I am though,” Ladybug said, taking a step closer. “Chat, I did and said things I knew would hurt you; I thought that would be a better than physically hurting you; I thought this could end without any permanent damage, but-”

 

“Save it,” Chat Noir said, holding a hand up. “I don’t care how sorry you are; I don’t care if you’re not sorry at all. All I care about is making sure Hawkmoth can’t hurt the people I care about ever again. That's the only thing that matters right now.”

 

“I agree,” Ladybug said.

 

“So why do you need me?” Chat Noir asked. “Why aren’t you and Mayura breaking down Hawkmoth’s door? You know who he is; you know where he lives. I mean, hell, why not go straight to the cops and tell them what you know?”

 

“I...it’s more complicated than that,” Ladybug bit her lip, breaking eye contact as she gathered her nerve.

 

“I don’t see how it is; you hold all the cards here, right?” Chat Noir said. “He’s got nothing on you and you have everything on him. Even if he transforms, there’s no way he can hang with you in a straight up fight so what’s the hold up?”

 

Ladybug took a deep breath. “He...Hawkmoth knows who I really am.”

 

Chat Noir blinked, head tilting to one side. “I’m...sorry, do you want to run that by me again?”

 

“He...somehow figured out my identity,” Ladybug sighed, glad the darkness hid the flush of shame that crept into her cheeks. “He used that to distract me today; that’s why it took me so long to join the battle. And I’m...pretty sure he knows who Mayura, Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, and Carapace are too.”

 

“You gotta be kidding me…” Chat Noir breathed, shaking his head.

 

“...I don’t know how long he’s known, but-” Ladybug trailed off as Chat Noir started laughing; a low, hollow chuckle that gave way to a full blown cackle of disbelief.

 

“Oh you are... fucking kidding me!” Chat Noir laughed. “You’re joking, right?!”

 

Ladybug mutely shook her head, triggering another barrage of joyless laughter from Chat Noir who just paced back and forth across the roof, hands in his hair as he shook his head in disbelief. “So...wait, wait, wait...for four years...four years of partnership and you never so much as let me know what side of town you lived on-”

 

“Chat-”

 

“You never told me the names of our partners because, in your words, it was safer that way,” Chat Noir spat. “And I went along with it because, hey, if anyone’s gonna keep a secret, it’s gonna be you . But in three months, you spill your identity and the identities of our partners to your crazy ex-boyfriend and the lunatic who’s been trying to kill us since we were kids!”

 

Ladybug clenched her jaw, waiting for Chat Noir to stop laughing before speaking again. “No one is more disappointed in me than me-”

 

“Try me!”

 

“-but that isn’t important right now!” Ladybug insisted. “I am willing to do anything I can to fix the damage I’ve done to you, Kagami, and our partners after Hawkmoth is defeated and his Miraculous is recovered. But we are on a tight time schedule here; Hawkmoth thinks I’m going to kidnap Kagami and bring her to him tonight; we need to organize a plan and act before we’re completely screwed!”

 

“Before... you’re completely screwed,” Chat Noir said, pointing the hilt of his sword at Ladybug. “He knows your identity; not mine. He has you by your—as Kagami so eloquently put it—Miraculous bollocks. Your friends are in danger; your family is in danger because of what you did. So assuming this isn’t some kind of trap -”

 

“It’s not !”

 

“-why should I risk my neck to protect yours?” Chat Noir asked, eyes narrowing at Ladybug. “You attacked me, you attacked my friends, you threatened my kwami, you turned the entire city against me-”

 

“I can fix that!” Ladybug cried desperately.

 

“How?!” Chat Noir asked.

 

“I...I could tell the Ladyblog that this was all a ruse,” Ladybug said quickly. “Th-That you orchestrated this whole thing and that our fight was just something to make Hawkmoth trust you! Chat Noir to the Rescue; you’re suddenly Paris’ Number One Hero!”

 

“I don’t care ,” Chat Noir said. “Judging by the article the Ladyblog just put out, it seems that Alya isn’t going to be on your side for very much longer. And how does that fix damage you’ve done to Kagami? She spent this whole day being assaulted by an akuma you let happen! I just spent the afternoon with her crying on my lap; you got a Lucky Charm that fixes nightmares?!”

 

“I...I don’t know what to do about that,” Ladybug admitted somewhat helplessly. “I...I don’t think I can fix that, but-”

 

“But I’m guessing I brought this on myself, didn’t I?” Chat Noir said coolly. “I should have just obeyed you and trusted you and none of this would have happened, huh?”

 

Of course it wouldn’t have! A small voice in the back of Marinette's brain said. We could have been done with this but he-

 

No...she wasn’t going to pretend that she wasn’t the architect of this disaster any more.

 

“I thought...I was under the impression I could reason with Hawkmoth,” Ladybug said. “That I could...control him because I knew who he was...I was wrong. I made a miscalculation and I... you paid for it. I’m sorry for that, I-I really am...the truth is, not a thing I’ve tried to do has gone right since I turned on you. I thought I could do this alone...I thought I could handle this without your help.”

 

“You thought you could roll over me,” Chat Noir said. “That I would eventually cave and give you what you wanted, didn’t you?”

 

“I didn’t-”

 

“Ladybug…”

 

Ladybug sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “I did. I thought that you’d be alone and friendless and you would just quit if I kept applying pressure. I should have known better; you don’t quit when something you care about is on the line.”

 

“And when that didn’t work, I thought I could win an outright fight,” Ladybug chuckled, shaking her head. “Like I had before...I didn’t count on you getting this strong this quickly. I don’t even know what you did, but you’re hardly the same person I was partners with...I mean, the way you fought today...”

 

Ladybug glared out over the rooftops of the city towards the building where Chat Noir had defeated the akuma almost single handedly. She had watched the video footage a dozen times over, watching Chat Noir bob and weave through a fight like she had never seen him fight before. No goofy jokes; no toying with the akuma. Chat Noir cut a bloody swathe towards his objective and completed it in record time. As she watched, she could only wonder why it had taken him so long to take things so seriously. 

 

Why hadn't he ever fought like that for her? 

 

“Where has this Chat Noir been?" Ladybug blurted out. "Where was this Chat Noir when I needed him?”

 

“What do you mean?!” Chat Noir asked, watching Ladybug grit her teeth in agitation, a pulsing pain in the back of her head rankling a raw nerve she had kept hidden for so long. "I followed you for years-

 

“I didn’t need you behind me; I needed you beside me,” Ladybug sighed, shaking her head. “I spent four years carrying the fate of this city by myself-”

 

“Oh, so fighting the stupidly dressed legions of doom every week counts for nothing, huh?" Chat Noir spat. 

 

“You fought; I planned!” Ladybug said, ticking her fingers off as her bottled resentment spilled over. “I was the responsible one, I led, I strategized, I managed our partners, I coordinated Miraculous deliveries, I kept secrets, I trained with Master Fu, I did the hundreds of tiny little tasks that happen outside our costumes to make sure we were the best team we could be! Where was the Chat Noir who outfoxed an akuma then?! Where was this cunning and power back when we were kids?! Why did I have to be the one to carry all that by myself?!”

 

“Because you liked it!” Chat Noir spat. “You...liked it; you liked it because you’re good at it! You like it when everyone looks to you for direction! You like it when you’re given responsibility! You like being Master Fu’s special favorite-”

 

“I had no control over that!” Ladybug countered. “He chose me to succeed him; I didn’t have a choice in that! Am I supposed to feel guilty for that?! Am I supposed to feel guilty our mentor trusted me more than you ?!”

 

“No, but don’t pretend I wouldn’t have helped you if you had just asked !” Chat Noir said, jabbing his finger at Ladybug. “You spent four years struggling to do everything yourself? So did I! I spent four years trying to figure out how to control the unfathomable power of destruction by myself! I spent four years pretending that I didn’t care that my Master and my partner had meetings that I wasn’t invited to! I spent four years being the last to know; four years getting abridged versions of lessons you got! I trained my ass off for three months and it's still not a fraction of the training you got! You want to know where this Chat Noir was?! He was right here, just waiting for someone to give a shit about him! ”

 

This was the Chat Noir she knew; raw and bubbling with unfettered emotion. Eyes wide and chest heaving as his last word echoed across the rooftops. 

 

“Maybe that wasn’t your fault,” Chat Noir said, shaking his head. “Maybe you were just doing what Fu thought was best. I don't blame you for that...but you could have asked for help. All you needed to do was reach your hand out and I would have taken it; I would have taken on anything to make your life easier...and maybe we wouldn’t be here today if I did.”

 

Silence drifted between them as Chat Noir paced away, leaning on the edge of the balcony overlooking the city. Snow tumbled down between them as a distant flash of lightning flashed a few miles outside the city. A storm seemed to be brewing on the horizon; approaching ever closer as a cold, winter wind blew between them.

 

“Maybe not,” Ladybug said, leaning on the balcony a little ways away from him. “Maybe you’re right about some of that…”

 

“Twice in one night,” Chat Noir chuckled bitterly. “Must be on some kind of roll.”

 

 

"...I didn't know it was like that for you," Ladybug said quietly. "I knew you and Fu were meeting...I just assumed he was telling you about the same things he was telling me." 

 

"Only if those things were related to tea or longwinded metaphors," Chat Noir snorted bitterly.

 

"If I had known...I wish you would have said something," Ladybug sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. 

 

"Yeah...I wish you had too," Chat Noir chuckled, chewing on his lip. "Some partnership, huh?" 

 

“What are you talking about?” Ladybug asked.

 

“It wasn't Team Ladybug & Chat Noir; it was Team Ladybug featuring Chat Noir,” Chat Noir muttered. “You led; I followed. Truth be told...I was happy with that. I was just so convinced that you were better than me; better at leading, better at fighting, better at everything. I was just happy to be along for the ride."

 

Chat Noir bit his lip, glancing at Ladybug with a funny kind of half-smile. "...I spent so much time trying to woo you and not enough time trying to be you. I can bitch and moan that nobody in the city trusted me over you until I'm blue in the face, but...maybe that's more a reflection on you than it is on me. Maybe if I had been a little more Lady-like, I wouldn't have been so far behind..."

 

"I didn't want you to be me," Ladybug said. “Maybe I liked it that way...I do like being in charge. I like it when people look to me for guidance. I like being responsible for other people...I guess I just didn’t want to ask for help because...I felt like everybody relied on me. I couldn’t...disappoint them by admitting I needed help. I should have...I should have asked then-”

 

Ladybug quietly turned to Chat Noir, raising her hand for him to take.

 

“...I’m asking now,” Ladybug said quietly, holding her hand out. “Please...I need help. I need you Chat.”

 

There was a time when Chat Noir might have responded with a flirty innuendo, but the quiet, broken way Ladybug looked up at him didn’t exactly inspire his playful side.

 

“I need you,” Ladybug repeated, taking a step closer. “It doesn’t matter what our partnership was like before; it doesn’t matter that we both could have done so much better. What matters is that Hawkmoth cannot beat the two of us; not when we’re working together. And not with you the strongest I’ve ever seen you. We can hit him tonight and this can be over before the sun comes up. This all ends...and we can both get on with the rest of our lives.”

 

Chat Noir glanced between Ladybug's hand and her face. “If we do this...I have a few conditions.”

 

“I have one of my own,” Ladybug said.

 

Chat Noir opened his mouth to argue, but seemed to think better of it, narrowing his eyes at Ladybug. “...and that is?”

 

“Hawkmoth has a son,” Ladybug said quietly. “He’s...he doesn’t know about any of this. Hawkmoth never involved him in anything that he did...whatever happens with the police investigation, you have to promise me...promise me you’ll make sure his son isn’t involved.”

 

“What makes you so sure he’s not ?” Chat Noir asked. “He lived with him; he talked to him every day. You think you wouldn’t notice if your dad was sneaking off to do evil shit on a daily basis?”

 

“It isn’t like that!” Ladybug insisted. “From the beginning, Hawkmoth insisted that his son couldn’t be involved; that he had to stay innocent of our work.”

 

“That’s what Hawkmoth says,” Chat Noir said, raising an eyebrow. “You sure you can trust him?”

 

“No...but I trust his son,” Ladybug said chewing on her lower lip. “He’s...he’s not capable of something like that. He’s sweet and kind, and...he doesn’t deserve a father like Hawkmoth. He doesn’t deserve to have his whole life ruined because of his father’s shitty decisions...it’s not right. Not after...not after everything he’s been through.”

 

“...oh my God,” Chat Noir said, eyes widening in sudden realization. “His son...he’s The Guy, isn’t he? The Guy you’ve had a thing for since…”  

 

Ladybug said nothing, mutely nodding as Chat Noir let out an exasperated sigh. “...that why you turned on me? Hawkmoth’s son...you’re doing this all for him, aren’t you?”

 

“It’s for him...it’s for me,” Ladybug said, blinking back a wave of tears. “I wanted it to be for us, but...that's not gonna happen anymore. I-I can’t ask you to spare me; not after the way I hurt you. But please...please...leave him out of this. I-I know it’s too late for him and I to be together...that whatever happens after this, I need to be held responsible...but-”

 

Chat watched Ladybug's expression crumple as she shook her head, blinking back a stream of tears. 

 

“Not him…” Ladybug sobbed, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes. “Please...please protect him…I-I'll do anything you want! I'll turn myself in, I'll tell the whole world the truth, but please....please keep him safe for me...that's the only thing I want...that's the only thing I care about...”

 

“God…” Chat Noir said, shaking his head as Ladybug’s shoulders shook with the force of her sobs. “You’re a mess aren’t you?”  

---

“Are you serious?”

 

“He arrived a few minutes ago,” Kagami said, glancing at the huddled figure on the couch as she stirred sugar into a pair of tea mugs. “He’s in a bad way; asking for your help.”

 

“Curious...he spent most of the evening threatening Rena Rouge," Master He mused. "This could very well be a ruse.”

 

“I don’t think it is,” Kagami said. “Is it...is it possible he’s been akumitized?”

 

“I wouldn’t put it past Hawkmoth...alright; stay where you are. I’m bringing Rena Rouge and Queen Bee with me...be careful.”

 

Kagami hung up the phone, staring at the blank screen for a few moments before carting the tea cups back into living room. “Hope you don’t mind darjeeling.”

 

“I don’t really have a preference,” Mayura muttered, accepting the tea with a weak nod. “I don't even think I know what that is, but...thank you…”

 

“Seems the least I can do after riding you like a pony all day,” Kagami said, taking a seat in a chair across from the sofa.

 

"Phrasing," Mayura chuckled. 

 

"I heard it the second it came out," Kagami chuckled. “Are you feeling any better?”

 

“A little,” Mayura said, taking a sip of his tea as his eyes slid unfocused towards the floor. “...are you?”

 

Kagami’s lips pursed as she stared into her tea. “I’ll survive; like I have before.”

 

"This is...your third time?" Mayura asked. "Being involved with Hawkmoth's schemes, I mean." 

 

"Yes..." Kagami said quietly, taking a sip of her tea. 

 

"...what's it like?" Mayura asked. "Sorry...I get it if you don't want to talk about it." 

 

"It's...a white space in my memory," Kagami said. "I don't remember any of it...I was angry, I heard a threatening voice, and then I woke up somewhere else." 

 

"You...forgot where you were?" Mayura said, leaning forward. "And how you got there?" 

 

"The creature must've inhibited my ability to form short-term memories," Kagami said, stirring her tea thoughtfully. "Possibly...I don't know for sure. I've been trying to make sense of it for years now...this close to chalking it up to magical horseshit and moving on." 

 

Mayura snorted, spluttering tea through his nose. "Sorry...you didn't strike me as the type to curse," Mayura chuckled, wiping his nose. 

 

"That's because French is an absolutely bescheißen language for profanity," Kagami said. "Almost as bad as Japanese, to be honest." 

 

"Lady of many talents, aren't you?" Mayura chuckled, eyes falling on a silver medal hanging over the fireplace. "They say that winning silver feels worse than winning bronze."

 

"Said by people who have never won anything," Kagami said, glancing up at her medal with an almost fond smile. "There might have been a time where I agreed with that sentiment but...well, I've met some wonderful people that have taught me that being perfect isn't the most important thing in the world." 

 

"Like...Chat Noir?" Mayura said, wincing as he said Chat Noir's name. 

 

"Like a great many people," Kagami said evasively, glancing away as Mayura stared back into his tea-cup. 

 

“...I’m sorry,” Mayura said. “You shouldn't have been taken like that...I should have...I should have been protecting you more.”

 

“You did get rather single minded when Chat Noir arrived,” Kagami said, peering over the rim of her cup. “Rather a stark personality change if you ask me.”

 

“...you think so?” Mayura asked.

 

She doesn’t know what she’s talking about…

 

“Shut up,” Mayura whispered, pressing his hands against the side of his head as Kagami frowned at him. “N-Not you, I was talking to-”  .

 

You know what you need to do…

 

“Are you...talking to someone?” Kagami asked.

 

“...can I ask you something?” Mayura asked quietly. “Does Chat Noir...does his kwami talk to him?”

 

“Does he ever,” Kagami muttered. “Why do you ask?”

  

Ladybug doesn’t trust her; neither should you…she is our enemy.

   

“My life hasn’t been very normal lately,” Mayura chuckled, taking a sip of the tea with a small grimace. “I don’t exactly have a training manual for this kind of thing.”

 

“Ladybug hasn’t trained you?”

 

“...she’s been busy,” Mayura muttered.

 

“Too busy to clue her new partner in on what his job entails?” Kagami said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, well...I-I could have done a lot to pick this up on my own; it’s not like she’s responsible for teaching me, right?” Mayura said, looking to Kagami to justify his rationale.

 

“Seems a touch irresponsible to me,” Kagami muttered. “Then again, we’re talking about someone who iced out her partner out for the duration of their relationship.”

 

She shouldn’t say that about Ladybug; she has no right to judge Ladybug. Tell her she’s wrong.

 

“Well...I’m sure Chat Noir feels that way,” Mayura said, wincing in pain as the thumping in his head grew more insistent.

 

Tell her...that she...is wrong.

 

“She hasn’t told you about that, has she?” Kagami asked quietly as Mayura grit her teeth. “That she essentially let Chat Noir fend for himself while she occupied their master’s time.”

 

She doesn’t know anything; tell her she’s wrong.

 

“I...I haven’t heard about that,” Mayura whimpered, pinching the bridge of his nose. The longer he sat there, the more he felt like something was chipping away at his forehead from the inside; trying to burrow its way out with every painful beat of his heart.

 

Why are you being so nice to her?! She’s questioning Ladybug; she’s calling Ladybug a liar. Defend her!

 

"Mayura...I can't claim to know you," Kagami said, choosing her words carefully as she stared across the living room. "But...you and I are in similar positions, aren't we? Our friends are involved in something bigger than we are and we help however we can. Ladybug...she gave you your Miraculous, yes?" 

 

"Y-Yes?" Mayura said. 

 

"Did she tell you who gave it to her?" Kagami asked. 

 

"I...I didn't ask," Mayura muttered. 

 

“I know this may be hard for you to hear...but is it possible that Ladybug has...allowed Hawkmoth to take control of you?” Kagami asked.

 

“N-No! She...she wouldn’t!” Mayura said, eyes casting around for something to verify his claim. “She...she cares about me-”

 

Tell her.

 

“-she wouldn’t lie to me like that!” Mayura said almost desperately.

 

Show her.

 

“I-I asked to help!” Mayura said. “I wanted to be there for her! I wanted to-”

 

Hurt her.

 

Mayura paled, glancing up. “Wh...what?”

 

Put her in her place.

 

“N-No…” Mayura muttered, screwing his eyes shut as Kagami pressed a button underneath her coffee table. “I-I don’t want that...I don’t-”

 

Of course you do. You’ve wanted it for a long time, haven’t you?

 

“Y-You don’t know me,” Mayura mumbled as Kagami discreetly pulled her phone out of her pocket. “You don’t know what I want!”

 

"Who's talking to you?' Kagami asked, switching her phone's voice recorder on. "What are they saying?" 

 

I feed on what you want. I am privy to every gipe and grievance you keep so bottled up under than infuriatingly placid facade.

 

“Mayura...try and focus,” Kagami said as calmly as she could manage. "Dr. He is coming; she's going to be here soon, b-but you need to remain calm." 

 

I AM you Luka. Without the lies you tell yourself to hold your desires back; without the needless restrictions you place to placate the people around you.

 

“I don’t know...I-I think there’s something wrong with my kwami,” Mayura muttered, wincing as a loud, rumbling laugh filled his mind. "It's...it's telling me to-"

 

Oh Luka...who ever said I’m a kwami?

 

“...oh shit ,” Mayura muttered, locking eyes with Kagami in a feeble plea for help. “I-It’s not a-agh!”

 

I’m disappointed in you, Luka...I thought you were strong enough to be the kind of hero Ladybug needed.

 

“Is it an akuma?” Kagami demanded, slowly rising from her chair and making her way across the living room. “Do you...do you hear a man’s voice?! Is he saying anything to you?!”

 

"I-It's not a kwami!" Mayura grunted through teeth clenched in pain. "I-It attacked my family...it made me attack my family!" 

 

Kagami paled, fumbling around the room for something she could defend herself with as Mayura's shoulders shook, convulsing as though he were being shocked with a powerful electric current. 

 

But if you’re not willing to take responsibility for ending this absurd battle…then I will. 

 

"Somebody...help me!" Mayura whimpered, curling in on himself. "Ladybug...M-Marinette...please...it h-hurts..." 

 

“Mayura, I know this is hard,” Kagami said. “I know it hurts, but you have to fight it! Don’t let it control you; you’re not the monster he wants you to be!”

 

Yes we are.

---

Across town, Gabriel Agreste clutched the edges of his desk, gripping the wood so tightly he could hear it splinter as wave after wave of almost palpable anger radiated from somewhere in the city.

 

"Oh my," Gabriel's patron chuckled, voice almost breathless with wonder. "That is...exceptional." 

---

Master Crane stumbled mid jump, nearly falling off the roof of the building as Rena Rouge and Queen Bee whipped around to look at her.  

 

"You okay?" Rena Rouge asked as Master Crane clutched at the edge of the roof with trembling fingers, wincing in pain. "What is it?"

 

"I...I don't know," Master Crane muttered, glancing in the direction of Kagami's house. "Something's wrong...terribly wrong." 

---

 

"What's wrong with him?" Lan asked, frantically shaking Master Fu's shoulders as he convulsed in his sleep, heart rate spiking as he thrashed under the blankets. "Get a sedative!" 

 

Master Fu's eyes shot open, wide and white as his mouth opened in a silent scream of absolute horror, fear, and grief. 

---

 

The scream that came out of Mayura’s mouth was unlike anything Kagami had ever heard; something feral and pained and speaking of a terror she could only imagine. His teacup shattered on the floor as he stood up, clutching at his head and howling in agony.

 

“What’s going on?!” Goto demanded, barging in the living room with a black police baton drawn to see Mayura thrashing around in pain. “What is he-”

 

“Stay back!” Kagami said, throwing her arm out to stop Goto advancing as she crept towards Mayura, hands raised placatingly. “Mayura...breathe. Just-”

 

“S-Something’s- agh... something’s c-coming out!” Mayura whined, pressing his palms against his forehead. “It...it wants to...n...no...I don’t...I don’t want to...I... agh! ”

 

Mayura’s hand fell and in the dim, flickering light cast by the fireplace, Kagami could see something wriggling its way out of Mayura’s forehead, budding like a shoot emerging from the ground and splitting his mask in half. She could see a familiar looking face for a hair of a second as a purple, wriggling tendril pushed its way out of his forehead.

 

“Get...get away from me!” Mayura screamed, arms locked in a rictus spasm, fingers flailing wildly. His tearful, pleading expression turned to Kagami. “Please...it wants to….it wants me to take you to...to…”

 

“Kagami...we need to go,” Goto said, tugging at Kagami’s arm as the wriggling tendril split in two, spreading two dark purple butterfly wings that dripped embryonic fluid as they fluttered. An impossibly enormous purple butterfly beat its wings once, flapping the remains of its chrysalis off as the wings settled back over Mayura’s face like a mask.

 

“Run-” Mayura’s last cry was choked off as purplish veins seemed to be snaking down his neck, bulging under his skin as he clawed at the peacock brooch around his neck. The butterfly wings attached itself to his face, fusing with his skin in a horrible mask that blocked all but his nose and mouth from view. In a fit of desperation, Kagami lunged across the room, fingers snaring around the Peacock Miraculous and yanking it away in one, sharp tug...as it snapped in her fingers.

 

The cold, grey, lifeless piece of metal crumbled to dust in her hands as the butterfly’s false eye markings opened, revealing four, bright purple eyes underneath.

 

“Get behind me!” Goto cried as the four eyed creature took a shambling step forward, wobbling as though it were just learning to walk for the first time, purple cloak falling off his shoulders and revealing a bright, glowing purple butterfly insignia that had been hidden on his back the whole time. Goto stepped forward, taking a wild swing at Mayura with his baton that simply bent upon colliding with Mayura’s skull. Moving faster than Kagami could see, Mayura struck Goto, sending him flying into the couch and snapping it in half with a shattering crash of splintering wood.

 

“Goto!” Kagami cried as Mayura lashed out, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and hauling her off her feet. She feebly kicked at the creature as it regarded her curiously. “Leave...leave him out of this.”

 

“Ka...Kagami,” Goto grunted, struggling to lift his head up as Mayura seemed to consider Kagami’s request.

 

“I’ll...I’ll go with you,” Kagami said, gripping Mayura’s hands. “Take me wherever you want. B-But don’t hurt him...please.”

 

Mayura's mouth split open into a wide, freakish, inhuman parody of a grin. "You'll come...whether we hurt him...or not." 

---

What would I have done? 

 

It would have been so easy to say that Chat Noir could have done the right thing in Ladybug's shoes; that he could callously imprison his friends' family members without thinking about it. But if it was Marinette...if Marinette's happiness hinged on working with Hawkmoth, could he have resisted? Would he knowingly join Hawkmoth if it meant the people he loved could be happy? 

 

Even if he had...did Marinette deserve to be punished for something she knew nothing about? 

 

Chat Noir had to fight the urge to lay a comforting hand on Ladybug’s shoulder, clenching his fist at his side as he let out a sigh of defeat. “...okay. I guess I can spin a story about how Lover Boy didn’t know...even if there’s no way in hell he doesn’t at least have some kind of inkling that his dad isn’t on the up and up…”

 

Ladybug wiped her nose with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

 

“That just leaves what we’re going to do with you after all this is said and done,” Chat Noir said, resting his hands on the pommel of his sword. “No matter how this shakes out...you can’t be Ladybug anymore. I don’t care if you had a good reason for doing this; I don't care if you didn't mean to hurt anyone. I wouldn’t be your partner for a fucking art project at this point.”

 

“I understand...” Ladybug nodded. “I think Master Fu is gonna come to the same conclusion if... when he wakes up. I doubt that aiding and abetting a warlock is a slap-on-the-wrist offense.”

 

“I should hope not,” Chat Noir said. “If I got caught...you know I would have done some serious prison time, right? I'm on a terrorist list because of you.”

 

Ladybug nodded, fighting a nervous flutter of fear that bubbled up in her stomach. “...you have to know that I would have never let it get to that point.”

 

“Just like you were never going to let Hawkmoth create another akuma?” Chat Noir asked, taking a small bit of pleasure in the fact that Ladybug could find nothing to say to that. “What do you think you deserve?”

 

“Not really up to me, is it?” Ladybug chuckled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I said I would do what it took to make amends...and if seeing me tried for what I did is what you need to be satisfied, then...well, I guess I’m gonna have to find a way to live with that. I said I would do anything...I-I mean that.”

 

His hard, piercing gaze was hard to endure, but Ladybug would not allow herself the relief that came from looking away. Seconds ticked on agonizingly slow as a distant rumble of thunder announced the storm's approach. 

 

“You’re gonna explain yourself to our partners,” Chat Noir said after a torturously long moment. “I don’t care if I get a parade and a handshake from the Mayor when all this is said and done. If Paris never learns the truth, so be it, but the people you lied to deserve to know...especially your friend, Mayura. You dragged him into this under false pretenses, and he’s never doubted you for a minute. You’re gonna have to tell him...and I’m pretty sure it’s gonna break his heart.”

 

“It will,” Ladybug admitted, dreading the look on Luka’s face when he found out the truth.

 

“You’re going to take us to Hawkmoth’s place tonight,” Chat Noir continued. “We’re gonna do everything we can to squash him before he can lift a finger to stop us...putting him down is the only thing that matters right now.”

 

“I agree,” Ladybug nodded.

 

“And after all this shakes out and Hawkmoth goes to jail...I’m going to rent a hotel room,” Chat Noir said.

 

In spite of everything, Ladybug blushed. “...uh, when I said I would do anything to make this up to you, I didn’t mean-”

 

“I’m going to leave the room key on the roof,” Chat Noir continued with an exasperated sigh. “You’re going to go inside, take off your earrings, and leave them in a box on the table. You can have...I don’t know...ten minutes to say goodbye to Tikki.”

 

Ladybug nodded. “And...then?”

 

Chat Noir stared at her for a long moment, looking her up and down as though he was trying to decide something. “I’ll come back to the hotel room in ten minutes...I’d be gone by then if I were you.”

 

What?

 

“You’re…” Ladybug blinked, not quite sure she understood him correctly. “You’re gonna let me go?”

 

“I have no idea who you are under that mask so…” Chat Noir shrugged. “It would be pretty hard to track you down if I wanted to. Wouldn’t be worth the time, to be honest.”

 

“That’s…” Ladybug’s head pounded.

 

"If our partners don't like it, I'll spin them a story," Chat Noir said. "I'm sure Fu will let you off the hook if I-" 

 

“That’s not fair !” Ladybug snapped.

 

“What you want to keep your earrings too?” Chat Noir frowned. 

 

“That’s not what I meant!” Ladybug snapped, breath billowing in front of her face as something deep inside her rankled at the wrongness of Chat Noir’s plan. “I...I hurt you.”

 

“You did.”

 

“I hurt your friends! ”

 

“That one’s a bit tougher to swallow-”

 

“I...I let Hawkmoth run roughshod over this town and I have nothing to show for it!” Ladybug cried. “This was all a pointless, painful mess and you’re...you’re just gonna let me walk away?! Happily Ever After for Ladybug?!”

 

“I guess that’s up to you,” Chat Noir said.

 

Ladybug gaped at him, fruitlessly trying to think of something to say before settling on, “Why?”

 

“Because there’s nothing I can do to you that will be worse than what you’ll do to yourself,” Chat Noir said firmly. “The fact that you’re losing your mind over this is proof that you can’t stand it when people don’t get what they deserve; even if it’s you. You did something wrong, you hurt people for the wrong reasons, and you're gonna have to live with that every day for the rest of your life. Even if losing Tikki wasn’t enough punishment for you, I’m sure you’re going to find creative ways to beat yourself up over this for the rest of your life...I figure that’s bad enough. And besides…"

 

Chat Noir scratched the back of his head, sheepishly. "Four years of friendship has to be worth a ten-minute head start, right?"

 

Is this guy for real? Ladybug was reduced to gaping like a fish, completely at a loss for words. She expected a lot of things from Chat Noir; biting sarcasm, a single minded desire to avenge his friend’s suffering, demands that she face legal consequences for what she had done. She prepared for all of them as best as she could, but the one thing she didn’t prepare for was mercy.

 

She didn't expect him to be kind. 

 

“That’s…” Ladybug swallowed a knot in her throat, blinking back a fresh wave of tears. "I-I don't know if I can-"

 

“Hey, I’m being nice here,” Chat Noir said with a small smile. “For once just shut up and just do what I say." 

 

“Thank you…” Ladybug sniffed, “Th-this is more than I...thank you.”

 

“And you have to name your firstborn Chat Noir Is Always Right,” Chat Noir said quickly, smirking as Ladybug let out a watery chuckle.

 

“Don’t know if my husband is gonna go for that, but I’m pretty sure I can convince him,” Ladybug chuckled, tentatively raising her fist for Chat Noir to bump. “So...one last time?”

 

Chat Noir stared at her fist for a long moment, hesitantly taking his hand off the hilt of his weapon to return the fist bump. “One last time.”

 

His hand was a hair away from touching hers when his communicator buzzed on his hip. Frowning, Chat Noir flicked it open, shooting Ladybug a glance as he turned away to answer it. “Hello?” 

 

"Act natural...is Ladybug with you?" Master Crane said after a moment. 

 

"Oh yeah..." Chat Noir said as casually as he could. "What's going-"

---

"-on?" 

 

"We should have been faster," Rena Rouge muttered, glancing around Kagami's devastated living room.

 

"We broke like ten speed laws just getting here," Queen Bee sniffed, pressing an ice-pack to Goto's head as he sat on the couch. "We got here as soon as we could...looks like it wasn't soon enough." 

 

“I need you to stay calm,” Master Crane said into her communicator. 

---

“Why?” Chat Noir said, ignoring Ladybug’s questioning look. “What’s-”

---

"-up?"

 

“Kagami rang,” Master Crane said, picking up a shard of a broken teacup as Rena Rouge paced around the edge of the room, glaring holes in Kagami's wallpaper as she marched. “Mayura was here twenty minutes ago. He was complaining of some pain; asked to see me, then-”

 

"He attacked me," Goto grumbled, tossing the ice-pack to the ground with a frustrated snarl. “She went with him...to protect me."

---

“ I see... ” Chat Noir said, voice quavering as he forced himself to appear calm. “Is she-” 

---

"Kagami is unharmed...but Mayura is bringing her to Hawkmoth as we speak,” Master Crane said, glancing down at a bracelet of white beads that faintly glowed around her wrist. “And we’re going to follow her.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Queen Bee asked. “Didn’t you try that stunt already?”

 

“I refined the tracking spell we used a few weeks ago; I put it on a bracelet I gave to her during the battle today in case I needed to find her again,” Master Crane said as Queen Bee and Rena Rouge shared a glance. “I can't track Hawkmoth...but I can track her. We have him...we just need to make sure Ladybug doesn’t get involved.”  

---

What’s going on? Ladybug mouthed, eyes clouded with confusion as Chat Noir forced himself to take deep, steadying breaths through his nose.

 

“Do you think...do you think this was-”

---

"-part of the plan?"

 

“She planned this,” Rena Rouge spat, fists clenching at her sides. “Of course she planned this! She dragged Chat Noir away so her goon could slip in and kidnap Kagami!”

 

Growling in frustration, Rena Rouge kicked a broken corner of Kagami’s couch aside with her foot. “I can’t believe she would do this!”

 

“It’s the smart move,” Queen Bee muttered. “Ladybug was always smart .”

 

“All that matters right now is that you keep Ladybug occupied,” Master Crane said. “Do you understand? Ladybug cannot join this fight if we are to rescue Kagami and defeat Hawkmoth without complication.”

---

 “I understand,” Chat Noir said quietly

 

“Chat...whatever you do, don’t- ”

 

Chat Noir snapped his communicator shut, heart thumping painfully in his ears as a single thought echoed again and again in his mind.

 

She planned this...of course she planned this...

 

“Something wrong?” Chat Noir turned back to see Ladybug’s brow creased in a perfect imitation of concern. Her cheeks were still wet with tears and the confused look in her eyes could almost... almost be mistaken for genuine.

 

She...planned this.

 

“...you’re really good, you know that?” Chat Noir laughed mirthlessly, teeth glinting in the pale light of a flash of lightning. The thin, powdery snow melted into fat drops of rain that started hammering down on the rooftop around them, carving holes in the powder at their feet. “You’re either really good, or I’m a special breed of moron...could be both, actually...”

 

“Chat...I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ladybug chuckled nervously, glancing at his communicator as he slowly started advancing on her. “Who was that?”

 

“Don’t…” Chat Noir said, shaking his head as his eyes brimmed with tears. “Don’t do that…”

 

“Don’t do what ?”

 

“Don’t lie to me!” Chat Noir roared as the electronic sign that cast light on them shorted out, screen shattering in a shower of sparks. “Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot ! Don’t pretend you don’t know what’s going on!”

 

“I don't understand, what’s-” Ladybug saw the sword loosen from its sheath a second before it slashed at her, dodging backwards as Chat Noir swung wildly at her. “What the hell?!”

 

“You know...it was a good plan,” Chat Noir laughed bitterly, dragging the tip of his sword on the rooftop as he slowly advanced towards her. “Get me to leave Kagami alone so you could send Mayura to nab her while we talked up here-”

 

A cold, sickening sense of dread crept down her spine. “I...wh-what?!"

 

"Wow...how do you do that?" Chat Noir laughed, swiping at Ladybug as she hopped back. "The look on your face...it's almost like you have no idea that Mayura kidnapped Kagami." 

 

"No...th-there's been a mistake," Ladybug said, head swimming. "He...he...he wouldn’t-”

 

“He...he...he did! ” Chat Noir parroted in a cruel mockery of Ladybug’s voice, his twisted expression of grief and rage illuminated by a flash of lightning. “He took her twenty minutes ago; just like you planned, huh?! That’s what you were talking about when you hung up on me, isn’t it?! You let me catch him following you so I thought I had the drop on you!”

 

“Chat, I swear to God, if Mayura took Kagami, he didn’t do it on my orders!” Ladybug pleaded, holding her hands up. “I-I sent him to get help from Master He! H-He’s sick; I-I think Hawkmoth’s done something to him! I-I had my suspicions, but-”

 

“How convenient,” Chat Noir spat. “Everything is big, baaaaad Hawmohth’s fault and you’re just a poor, innocent little lamb that just has no idea what’s going on.”

 

“Chat please -”

 

“You can ask me to believe a lot of things, Ladybug, but don’t ask me to believe that you’re stupid!” Chat Noir spat. “You are always in control! You always have a plan! But what you didn’t plan on is that Kagami has a tracer on her!”

 

The look of shock on Ladybug’s face was far and away the most satisfying Christmas present he had ever received. “That’s right! Master He, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee are following her right now! North of the river, right?! How long do you think it's gonna be before they find him?!" 

 

“Chat...if that’s true, then we need to go help them!” Ladybug said, eyeing the edge of Chat Noir’s sword warily as it pulsed green. “They don’t know the things he’s capable of; his house is a maze and if we don’t get a hold of him now, he has the money and power to disappear for years!”

 

“You should try trusting your partners for a change,” Chat Noir sneered. “My friends are gonna do their part; I’m gonna do mine. I'm gonna make damn sure you can’t run to your future father-in-law’s aid! Hawkmoth isn’t gonna know we’re even coming until it’s too late to stop us! We’re gonna get him...his sidekicks...his whole...damn... family. Including your doe-eyed little trophy boyfriend!" 

  

“What?!” Ladybug cried. Green flames crackled around Chat Noir’s free hand as he ran it over the edge of his blade. The sword ignited, bathing the roof in sickly green light that illuminated his tear-stained face, twisted into a mask of pain and anger. “N-No, his son doesn’t have anything to do with this! He’s not involved!”

 

“So you say!” Chat Noir growled, rain hissing as it came into contact with his burning sword. “How do you know he’s not just lying to you; how do you know he’s not just using you to get your Miraculous?! How do you know this wasn’t all his idea in the first place?!”

 

“It’s not !” Ladybug said, hands clasped in front of her chest. “Please...I know your angry. I know you think I lied to you, but please...don’t take it out on him! Don't punish him for my mistakes!"

 

“...no,” Chat Noir growled. “That is exactly what I'm going to do. You get to watch your precious little boy pay the price for all the pain you’ve caused the people of this city! You get to walk around, free as a bird, while someone you care about suffers for your decisions!”

 

This can’t be happening, Ladybug thought, backing away from Chat Noir as he brandished his burning weapon in front of her. Please tell me this isn’t happening…

 

“You can’t do this,” Ladybug begged. “You can’t ruin an innocent person’s life like this!”

 

“You did!” Chat Noir roared as the shadows cast by his sword snaked towards her in menacing shapes. “All Kagami wanted to do was help me! She put her life on the line to protect this city when you wouldn’t and you stalked her, you kidnapped her, you set an akuma on her! Why should I give your boyfriend the consideration you haven’t showed us?!”

  

“This is the only way to make you pay! ” Chat Noir sobbed through clenched teeth, tears mingling with the rain. “I don’t care...I don’t care if I ruin his life...I don’t care how many lives I ruin...as long as yours is one of them! Because that's what you deserve! A long, lonely life in the ashes of everything you tried to build!”

 

There was a manic, dangerous glint in Chat Noir’s eyes that Ladybug had never seen before. Behind the pain, betrayal, and grief, there was a single minded hatred for her and everything she cared about; a lightless flame that would spread and destroy anything heedless of collateral damage unless she did something to stop it.

 

“I...I can’t let you do that, Chat,” Ladybug said, unspooling her yo-yo as Chat Noir’s aimed the tip of his sword at her chest. “I can’t let you ruin the life of someone who has nothing to do with this!”

 

Ladybug's shield flared open as a gout of flame shot at her head, deflecting it into the broken screen as a shower of burning green fire rained down on her. Chat Noir kept to the shadows, breathing heavily as his eyes seemed to glow with a fierce and manic power. 

 

“I’m sorry about Kagami!” Ladybug said, spinning her yo-yo as Chat Noir advanced. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done. But that was my fault; not his. I'm responsible for the pain you're in; I'm the only reason your friend is in danger! If you need to hate someone, hate me! If you need to hurt someone, hurt me! But I can’t...I can’t let you hurt him.”

 

Silence drifted between them, punctuated only by the sound of falling rain and the crackling of Chat Noir’s sword.

 

“Let me?” Chat Noir echoed with a small, humorless laugh. “Ladybug...what makes you think you can even stop me?”

 

A flash of lightning illuminated the roof, casting stark, white light on the pair of them for a brief, tense moment before they struck, sword and shield clashing in a shower of flames.  

 

Notes:

Toniiiiiight, I'm gonna have myselllllf a real good tiiiiiiime. I feel alii~i~i~ve!

And the woooooooorld I'll turn it inside out, yeah

And floating around in ecstasy

So ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Don’t ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Stop ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Me ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Now ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

 

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Don’t ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Stop ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Me ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

 

٩( ᐛ )و cause ٩( ᐛ )و

٩( ᐛ )و im ٩( ᐛ )و
٩( ᐛ )و havin ٩( ᐛ )و
٩( ᐛ )و a ٩( ᐛ )و
٩( ᐛ )و good ٩( ᐛ )و
٩( ᐛ )و time ٩( ᐛ )و
٩( ᐛ )و havin ٩( ᐛ )و
٩( ᐛ )و a ٩( ᐛ )و
٩( ᐛ )و good ٩( ᐛ )و
٩( ᐛ )و time ٩( ᐛ )و

 

You didn't think they were actually gonna make up, did you?

So, we're on track for the end of this first leg of the story. The next three chapters are some of the most important and as such, I want to release them all over the course of a single weekend so people have the chance to experience them at their own pace. I really think that releasing these separate would have a different effect than releasing them all together, so I'm going to disappear until all three chapters are ready to read.

As I've asked on my writeblog (siderealscribblings.tumblr.com) I'm also looking for some less-well known Love Square fluff fics I can recommend in the notes at the end of the next three chapters in case y'all need a breather. Please comment (or self promote!) any Love Square fic that has less than 500 kudos/notes on tumblr and I'll add it to a list!

Brace yourself, gang; we're in the endgame.

Chapter 35: Defiant to the End

Notes:

Please note that I've removed the future flashes in the previous chapters because I want to rewrite them/change some things going forward. Sorry if this causes any confusion but I didn't want to box myself into anything.

Hawkmoth’s fingertips hovered over the glass that separated him from Emilie’s sleeping face, almost too scared to touch it for fear that he might shatter it. The rows and rows of once vibrant flowers that had filled the room had all but vanished, leaving only a soft, white ring around her sleeping figure.

 

“There's...there's a lot I can’t explain,” Hawkmoth said, clearing the lump in his throat as he pulled his hand back. “A lot you won’t understand...a lot you won’t approve of. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that when I tell you the things I’ve done to save your life, you will no longer care for me as you once did...even you could not forgive this.” 

 

Kissing the tips of his fingers, Hawkmoth lifted his hand to his sleeping wife’s face. “But just know, whatever happens next...I will love you until there is nothing left of me to love you with." 

 

A door on the far side of the room opened and Hawkmoth switched the light inside the tube off, darkening Emilie’s face as Mayura approached. “She’s ready.” 

 

Hawkmoth nodded, taking a deep, steadying breath as he gripped his cane for support. “When this is over...you will handle Chat Noir. Knowing him, he’ll find some way to interfere after all this is said and done.” 

 

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Mayura shrugged, a savage smirk tugging at his lips. “Hell, I’d pay for the opportunity to take that prickwhistler down a peg or two.” 

 

“After that...either myself or my associate will give you further instructions to-” Hawkmoth winced as Mayura grabbed him by his tie, hoisting him up off the ground as his four, glowing eyes narrowed at him. 

 

“Let’s get one thing straight, asshole,” Mayura sneered. “We are not on the same side here. If you think you can say a few magic words and get me to do whatever you want, you’re dreaming.”

 

Mayura tossed Hawkmoth down to his feet, turning and marching towards the elevator. “I’m doing this because it’s what Ladybug needs...Ladybug’s wishes are the only thing that matter right now.” 

 

Hawkmoth straightened his tie anxiously, watching Mayura walk away for a moment before turning and opening the door off to the side of the room. 

 

“Mme. Tsurugi,” Hawkmoth said, closing the door behind him. Kagami’s baleful glare met him as he entered the small room, clenching the armrests of the chair she was secured to. “I hope my...associate wasn’t too rough with you.” 

 

“Not nearly as rough as I’m going to be with you when I get out of here,” Kagami said quietly, watching Hawkmoth pull a chair across the room, sitting down in front of her with his hands folded on his cane. 

 

“I had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this,” Hawkmoth said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I thought my partner would be able to uncover your friend’s identity without resorting to kidnapping.” 

 

“Seems Ladybug has disappointed a lot of people lately,” Kagami sniffed, eyes narrowing as Hawkmoth leaned in. 

 

“Quite…” Hawkmoth sighed. “Still, I have a proposition for you-” 

 

“Unless it involves my former bodyguard throwing you through a burning table covered in thumbtacks and battery acid, I’m not interested.” 

 

“I will let you go, scot-free, and never trouble you or anyone you care about ever again,” Hawkmoth said with a firm glare. “All I want to know is one thing; who is Chat Noir?” 

---

 Andre Bourgeois was not having a good day, and for once, it wasn’t directly an akuma’s fault. 

 

“Mayor Andre, the Prime Minister is on the phone; he’s not happy about the way Stigma has been behaving-” 

 

“Sir, Nadja Chamack is in the lobby; what should we tell her this time?” 

 

“That Ladyblog article has gone viral; the ambassador wants you to make a statement!” 

 

“Did you get a hold of my daughter?” Andre asked, dabbing at his forehead with an already sodden handkerchief as his attendants ushered him through the Mayor’s office and towards his desk. 

 

“Chloe isn’t answering the phone, sir,” an aide sighed as Mayor Andre stepped into the office to see members of the Parisian Police glaring daggers at Capt. Van der Meer and a handful of Stigma forces. “No sign of Queen Bee or the other heroes either-” 

 

“Well,  try again,” Mayor Andre snapped, stopping in front of the Prefect of Police. “Prefect Raincomprix, I need you to issue an arrest order for Carapace and Rena Rouge.” 

 

Roger Raincomprix raised an eyebrow. “On what charges?” 

 

“Charges ?!” Andre laughed. “What charges?! Th-they aided and abetted a fugitive of the law! They refused to help Ladybug and her partner take them down! They imprisoned duly appointed deputies of the City of Paris! They are...flagrant...unsanctioned vigilantes and they must be held accountable!” 

 

“Strictly speaking, sir, if we’re going to run in Carapace and Rena Rouge for those charges, we would need to bring them against your daughter as well,” Prefect Raincomprix said, crossing his arms. “Ladybug’s vigilantism has always been against the law; the Police Prefecture of Paris has had an unwritten policy to cooperate with her. But after the akuma attack today-” 

 

“Don’t tell me you buy that schlock!” Capt. Van der Meer scoffed. “Chat Noir openly assaulted us in broad daylight!” 

 

“Only after you interfered with his ability to protect the victim,” Prefect Raincomprix said, turning his attention back to the mayor. “Who was kidnapped not half an hour ago...by Ladybug’s new partner.” 

 

Mayor Andre paled, glancing at his aides who seemed taken aback by the news. “I...th-there has to be some kind of mistake.” 

 

“Video footage turned over by Mme. Tsurugi’s assistant show Mayura leaving with Kagami against her will,” Prefect Raincomprix said, nodding at one of his officers who brought up the black and white footage on a tablet. Even through the sheets of falling snow, Mayura’s figure could be clearly seen kicking the door to Kagami’s home open, carrying an unhappy looking Kagami out and into the night. 

 

“Frankly, sir,” Prefect Raincomprix said as Andre turned slightly green. “If anyone should be detained for their actions today, it should be Mayura and the mercenaries that actively endangered a civilian.” 

 

“Hey, we were brought in because you couldn’t do your job,” Capt. Van der Meer snarled, jabbing his finger at the police as Mayor Andre gradually went from green to red. “Don’t blame us because you can’t catch one kid in a catsuit!” 

 

“And how many kids in catsuits have you captured, M. Van der Meer?” Prefect Raincomprix asked, glancing back at the mayor as he produced an envelope from his coat. “In any case, the prime minister asked me to give you this, sir; an official...request that you dismiss all Stigma mercenaries operating on French soil, effective-” 

 

The officers went for their night sticks as Andre lunged, grabbing Prefect Raincomprix by his lapels and dragging his face inches away from his own. “Listen...I have spent almost twenty years as the mayor of this damned city!” 

 

Capt. Van der Meer noticed a flash of green across the street, frowning as he stepped towards the window. “Mayor Andre?” 

 

“If you don’t fix this, I am ruined ! And if I am going down, Roger, I am taking you with me!” Mayor Andre spat as two officers dragged him away from the Prefect. 

 

“Sir?” Capt. Van der Meer said, squinting into the darkness as he saw what looked like two figures fighting on the rooftop across the street. 

 

“You won’t be able to work as a mall cop when I am done with you!” Andre howled as the police held him back. “You won’t be able to-” 

 

“Oh shit…” Capt. Van der Meer breathed, diving at the mayor and tackling him to the ground. “Get down!” 

 

Prefect Raincomprix managed to duck as the window behind the mayor’s desk exploded in a shower of splinters and glass. Ladybug tumbled through the wall, spinning end over end and landing in a low crouch, shield raised as flickering green flames lingered around the edge. 

 

“L...Ladybug?” Andre spluttered, crawling over to Ladybug as rain tumbled in through the broken wall. “Th-Thank goodness; please, you have to tell us what’s going on. The P-Prefect says your partner kidnapped Mme. Tsurugi, and-”

 

A black portal opened in the hole in the wall and Chat Noir stepped out, longsword and spear each wreathed in crackling green flames that cast a sickly, pale light on the floor in front of him. The police drew their weapons, glancing between Ladybug and Chat Noir as though they couldn’t decide who they were supposed to fight. Ladybug’s terrified, pleading expression was answered by a blank, red-eyed glare Chat Noir. 

 

“Everyone...out,” Chat Noir said in a dangerously soft voice. 

 

“Mayor Andre…” Ladybug said. “Listen to me; you need to find-” 

 

“O̸̢̢͞U̴T̴͘̕!” Chat Noir roared, voice thrumming with a terrifying baritone as the lights above them shattered, throwing the office into darkness as people scrambled to leave, tripping over each other as they rushed out the doors. 

 

Ladybug watched the shadows dance across Chat Noir’s face as they waited for the sound of panicked yelling and feet hammering on the floors below them to disappear. 

 

“Don’t do this…” Ladybug pleaded, shaking her head. “Please...we don’t have to fight.” 

 

“Then give up,” Chat Noir said, taking a step towards her as the rain began soaking the carpet. “Just give up, Ladybug....just surrender your Miraculous. Or are you too proud for that?” 

 

“Not until you promise me that you won’t hurt Hawkmoth’s son!” Ladybug said, shouldering her shield as she and Chat Noir circled around each other. 

 

“Oh...I promise I won't hurt him," Chat Noir chuckled, twirling his spear. “I’m just gonna do everything in my power to make sure his name is as dirty as his daddy’s when everything is said and done…” 

 

“Why?!” Ladybug growled. “I understand that you hate me for what I did to you; I would hate you if you did it to me! But I wouldn’t drag an innocent person into our fight!”

 

"You dragged Kagami into this!” Chat Noir hissed, lunging at her with a burning spear stab. “You targeted her because you couldn’t get to me otherwise! But I guess it’s only a problem when it’s your loved ones in danger, huh?!"

 

The Mayor's desk shattered as Chat Noir brought the heavy end of his spear down on it, igniting it with green flames that spread across the floor of the office, wreathing him in a green halo of fire. "God forbid Ladybug ever gets hurt; God forbid Ladybug doesn’t skate through life without so much as a scratch on her! God forbid Ladybug ever loses anything!"

 

“Nobody has to lose but Hawkmoth!” Ladybug cried, deflecting a jet of flame Chat Noir whipped off the tip of his spear. “We shouldn’t be fighting! We need to go help our partners!” 

 

“I think you’ll find that they’re more than enough for Hawkmoth and your pal Mayura to handle,” Chat Noir snarled, lunging with a flaming thrust of his spear. Ladybug leaped at the last second, trapping the spear on the ground and shoving Chat Noir back with her shield. 

 

“Don't lose focus,” Chat Noir said, raising his spear as burning droplets of flame dripped off his sword. "I’m the only one you should be worried about right now!” 

---

 “Stop!” 

 

Master Crane threw her arm out, stopping Queen Bee and Rena Rouge on top of a rooftop as her bracelet began flashing brighter. 

 

“We’re close,” Master Crane said, casting her gaze down at the ritzy neighborhood the bracelet had drawn them to. “Okay...we need to spread out and look for clues.” 

 

“What are we looking for?” Queen Bee asked casting around as Rena Rouge’s gaze fell on the regal, imposing looking Agreste estate in the middle of the street. 

 

“Somewhere heavily reinforced,” Master Crane muttered, glancing around. “And secluded enough that he could come and go without people noticing.” 

 

“Guys…” Rena Rouge said, tugging on Queen Bee’s wrist. 

 

“It would have to be easily accessible, with enough room around it to potentially hide everything he...needed...to,” Master Crane said, trailing off as she set eyes on the Agreste mansion. 

 

"...no," Queen Bee chuckled, glancing between Rena Rouge and Master Crane. "No, you don't think...you think Gabriel is-" 

 

“He was on the invite list at the party, wasn’t he?” Rena Rouge mused, glancing at Master Crane. “You said you sensed him...but you couldn’t tell where he was.”

 

"Well, yeah, but he's..." Queen Bee said. "Look, Gabriel is an asshole but he's not...he can't be...I would have noticed if he was..." 

 

Queen Bee trailed off, shaking her head as Master Crane raised her bracelet in the direction of the Agreste house, letting out a small sigh as it glowed brighter. “Adrien Agreste’s father is...Hawkmoth.” 

  

“You gotta be shitting me,” Rena Rouge muttered. 

---

Hawkmoth stared meaningfully at Kagami for a long moment, trying to find some crack in the stony brown eyes that glared back at him. 

 

“Fine,” Hawkmoth sighed, slowly standing up. “Let it be known that I tried to be civil.” 

 

Kagami stiffened as he reached out for her, thumb pressing in the center of her temple as a soft, purple light began radiating out from his thumb. 

 

“What are you doing?” Kagami grunted, wriggling away from Hawkmoth’s touch to no avail. “What are you-” 

 

Chat Noir’s name is…

 

The image of Chat Noir taking off his mask rose unbidden to the front of Kagami’s mind, blotting out any other train of thought as the words bubbled up in her throat. 

 

“Chat...Noir’s...name…” Kagami grunted, struggling to keep her mouth closed as the light stemming from Hawkmoth’s thumb glowed brighter. “...is...A...A... agh!” 

 

Hawkmoth let out a small sigh of frustration through his nose, amplifying the power that flowed through his fingertips as Kagami’s hand gripped the armrests tighter. 

 

“This is going to end in only one way,” Hawkmoth said, teeth clenching as Kagami managed a defiant sneer as she fought against his power. “You are going to tell me who Chat Noir is...fighting me will only make this unpleasant.” 

 

“Go...to... hell… ” Kagami spat, struggling against the jagged hooks of magical power that sought to drag Adrien’s identity out of her mind. 

 

“I undoubtedly will,” Hawkmoth murmured, paying no heed to the cries of pain that Kagami fought with every ounce of her will. “But you are going to tell me your friend’s name first.” 

---

“Did you hear something?” Gorilla asked, looking up from his desk as Nathalie pretended to read a fashion magazine. “Sounded like...someone screaming or something.” 

 

“Must be the wind,” Nathalie said offhandedly, biting her bottom lip as she pretended not the hear the faint, echoing cries that wafted up from the basement. 

 

“Need to get the damned windows fixed again,” Gorilla muttered, turning his attention back to the security camera footage as a buzzer rang at the front gate. “Adrien?” 

 

Adrien’s grainy image gave the camera a sheepish grin. “Hey, did you guys change the gate code lately? My phone has been dead for a while so I haven’t been getting any texts.” 

 

Gorilla just sighed, shaking his head as he punched in the code to open the gate. “What would that boy do without us?” 

 

Nathalie said nothing, frowning down at the image of Adrien that crossed the threshold and into the courtyard. “Where’s his scarf?” 

 

“Hm?” 

 

“He...he was wearing his scarf when he left,” Nathalie said, slowly standing up as Adrien rang the doorbell. “Why is he ringing?  Where are his keys?” 

 

“Hey!” The image of Adrien called, waving at the camera. “Me again! This is...kinda embarrassing, but I think I left my keys at Marinette’s house. They, uh...they fell out of my pocket.”

 

Gorilla raised a hand to unlock the door as Nathalie’s hand covered the button. “Wait...something’s wrong here.” 

 

“It’s freezing out there, Nathalie,” Gorilla clucked, brushing her hand aside and pressing the button that unlocked the door. “You’ve never misplaced something at a girlfriend’s house?” 

 

“That isn’t what I’m worried about,” Nathalie said, rising from her chair and jogging into the foyer as Adrien stepped through the front door with a shaky smile. 

 

“S-Sorry, Nathalie,” Adrien said sheepishly, rubbing his arms as his boots clacked unusually loudly on the floor. “I’ll be more careful next time.” 

 

“That’s quite alright, Adrien,” Nathalie said, looking Adrien over. “...where are your gifts?” 

 

Adrien’s expression darkened in confusion. “Hm?” 

 

“You said you were going gift shopping,” Nathalie said, narrowing her eyes at Adrien. “Were those forgotten at Mme. Dupain-Cheng’s as well?” 

 

“Well...let’s just say I didn’t get to do too much gift shopping,” Adrien chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “You know what I mean…h-hey, can I talk to Dad about something?” 

 

“Your father is busy right now,” Nathalie said, crossing her arms across her chest. 

 

“I know, but...i-it’s about Marinette,” Adrien stammered. “I...she and I are gonna get married.” 

 

“What?!” 

 

“I know we should wait until we’re out of school, but Marinette just so…” Adrien trailed off, grasping for the right word. “...you know?” 

 

“...yes, I suppose it’s for the best,” Nathalie said. “It would look better if your child was born to wedded parents, all things considered.” 

 

"...hm?" 

 

"I mean, it's still a good idea for her to leave the country until she gives birth, but if you get married soon, I think we can still avoid a public scandal," Nathalie said, watching Adrien's eyes drift back and forth in confusion.

 

“...y-yes, of course,” Adrien coughed. “I thought about it over and figured I’d stay home with the kid while Marinette went to school in England and...uh...Marinette isn’t pregnant, is she?” 

 

“And you’re not Adrien,” Nathalie said, hand diving into her coat as Adrien’s heel snapped up, colliding with Nathalie’s nose and knocking her flat on her back. Before she could recover, she felt the heel of a boot press into her shoulder, pinning her to the ground as Adrien’s image dissolved into a sneering image Queen Bee. 

 

"I'd say I'm sorry about all this," Queen Bee said, examining her nails. "But I think it's only fair that I tell you that I've never liked you."

 

"I'm shocked," Nathalie grunted, struggling to sit up. 

 

“You had one job!” Rena Rouge sighed as she and Master Crane jogged into the foyer. “One fucking job! I could have held that illusion for another five minutes!” 

 

“Sorry for thinking Adrien has more game than he actually does!” Queen Bee said, nose wrinkling in disgust. “Come on; improv time!” 

 

“What’s going on?” Gorilla cried, jogging into the foyer to see Nathalie being pinned down. “What are you doing-” 

 

“Gorilla, alert M. Gabriel that- ” Nathalie trailed off with a soft grunt of pain as Queen Bee dug her heel deeper into her shoulder. 

 

“Ah, ah, ah,” Queen Bee tsked, shooting Gorilla a sugary smile. “We’re throwing Uncle Gabriel a surprise party; don’t go spoiling it for him, or-”

 

The sound of a hammer cocking drew Queen Bee’s attention to a small pistol Nathalie aimed up at her head. 

 

“Nathalie packed the party favors, I see,” Queen Bee chuckled, leaning down and pressing her forehead against the barrel of Nathalie’s gun. “Go ahead; I’ll give you the first shot for free. See what your peashooter can do against a hero.” 

 

“Nathalie, it’s over,” Rena Rouge said quietly as Nathalie’s weapon trembled in her grip. “Just tell us where Gabriel Agreste is...you can’t hurt us with that.” 

 

“...perhaps not,” Nathalie said, slowly angling the pistol towards her own temple. “I don’t think I would fare quite as well, do you?” 

 

“Nathalie, what are you doing ?!” Gorilla cried, moving to help her up until Master Crane raised her hand to stop him. 

 

“Kind of a weird play, don't you think?” Queen Bee said, releasing the pressure just a little as Nathalie sat up a little straighter. “You're taking yourself hostage?” 

 

“Seems to be the only play I can make,” Nathalie said, hand trembling as she held the gun to her head. “It’s the only way I can keep you here, isn’t it?” 

 

“Bold of you to assume I give a shit about whether you live or die,” Queen Bee said, though the hesitation in her eyes told a different story. 

 

“You really want blood on your hands?” Nathalie said, licking her lips as a bead of sweat trickled down her temple. “Go on...take another step and I swear I’ll-” 

 

“You’ll kill yourself over Gabriel Fucking Agreste?!” Queen Bee scoffed, disdain dripping from every word. “Him ?!” 

 

“You don’t understand…” Nathalie muttered, lips trembling as her eyes started to water. “What do you know...what do you know about loving someone with your whole heart? You who have never loved anyone or anything but yourself!” 

 

Queen Bee said nothing, gaze hardening as Nathalie’s face crumpled, lip trembling as she did her best to look defiant. “I...If I can stop you...if I can keep you from interrupting his plans, then he'll...he'll..." 

 

“He’ll what ?!” Rena Rouge snapped. “He’ll love you back?!” 

 

“...he’ll be happy,” Nathalie said, looking up at Queen Bee with a grim kind of determination. “That’s what love is, you little brat; giving everything to someone and expecting nothing in return! Even if he doesn’t love me...even if it’s all I can do for him now...I’ll...I’ll-” 

 

“God...you're so pathetic,” Queen Bee muttered, nose wrinkling in disgust as tears began streaming out of Nathalie's eyes. “Is that what you think love is; being a blind, ass-kissing slave to someone who doesn’t give a shit about you?!” 

 

“Chloe!” Rena Rouge hissed. 

 

“You people make me sick,” Queen Bee growled. “You and Mayura...you think that dedicating your life to someone else is fucking noble?! You think killing yourself to protect fucking Hawkmoth is all you’re good for?!” 

 

“What is going on?!” Gorilla grumbled, looking to Master Crane for answers. 

 

“There has never, in the history of the world, been anyone worth killing yourself over!” Queen Bee spat. “Much less a cold fish and a supervillain like Gabriel Agreste!" 

 

“Nathalie,” Rena Rouge said gently. “I know you care about him...but it’s not worth throwing your life away just to stop us. We’re going to find him. We’re going to save Kagami. Killing yourself isn’t going to stop us from doing that...so please...put the gun down.” 

 

Nathalie hesitated, finger trembling precariously close to the trigger. 

 

“Did you not hear her?” Queen Bee said, eyes faintly glowing with gold light. “Put...the gun... down.” 

 

From where Rena Rouge stood, she could see a faint gold glow in Queen Bee’s eyes as she spoke, her words carrying weight they never had before. Nathalie’s eyes shimmered with the same light as Queen Bee’s for a moment as she immediately, and deliberately placed the gun on the ground at her side. 

 

“Good girl,” Queen Bee said, grabbing Nathalie by the lapel and hauling her up off the floor. “Now...where is M. Hawkmoth?"  

 

“He...he…” Nathalie’s eyes flickered, golden glow disappearing as she slumped over, limp in Chloe’s grip. 

 

“What the hell did you do to her?” Rena Rouge asked. 

 

“I asked nicely,” Queen Bee said, dropping her back on the ground and turning to Gorilla. “Are you gonna tell us where Gabriel is or am I gonna have to ask nicely?” 

---

Of all the times Ladybug had seriously fought against Chat Noir, she had never really been scared of him.

 

He had either been possessed (not himself), not giving it his all, or upset that she turned the city against him. As hairy as the last fight got, she never really entertained the idea that Chat Noir might hurt her; her failure was not something she ever gave any thought or credence to. 

 

This was different; for the first time, she looked into the eyes of an enemy that howled for her destruction and couldn’t be sure if she would win. 

 

He was angry; that was a tick in her favor. He had fought a hard battle and she hadn’t; another point for Ladybug. Her shield repelled the brunt of his frenzied attacks and he didn’t seem to care if her blows landed on him. These were all things Ladybug could have used to beat him were it not for the raw, brute destructive force that radiated off him with every step he took. 

 

“Four... fucking years!” Chat Noir hissed, burning sword sliding out of his scabbard and slicing at her with a cut that severed the police car behind her. “Four years I fought for you!” 

 

Ladybug leapt aside as Chat Noir kicked half the car towards her, knocking the burning wreckage straight into the river. “I sacrificed myself for you !”

 

A burning spear grazed the side of her head, singing a few strands of hair as it burned a hole through the iron lamp-post it sank into. “You...you were my fucking friend!” 

 

There was a flicker of something raw, hurt, and human underneath the engine of wrath and destruction that shattered cement with every glancing blow; a mewling remnant of the boy she had grown up with and spent so much time fighting alongside. A warm, beating heart was in there somewhere; all she needed to do was reach it. 

 

“Why would I attack Kagami?!” Ladybug cried over the hammering sound of rain and thunder. “Why would I send Mayura to take her and face you alone ?! Does that sound like me?! Would I ever leave something like that up to chance?!” 

 

“Maybe you just don’t think I'm a serious threat!” Chat Noir hissed, burning slash evaporating a perfectly cut line of rain as his sword sliced through the air inches in front of her face. “Dumb, goofy Chat Noir; can’t even fight an akuma without getting himself hurt! Just a stupid meatshield; how much of a fight could he put up?!” 

 

Chat Noir’s sword caught on the flat of her shield as they locked up, the heat coming off his blade paling in comparison to the heat radiating out of his bloodshot eyes. 

 

“Face it...you never took me seriously!” Chat Noir spat, struggling against her strength as she refused to give ground. “I was just a dumb kid playing pretend; just a stupid sidekick to you!” 

 

“Don’t put words in my mouth!” Ladybug grunted, rolling backwards and kicking Chat Noir hard in the chest. He sailed up over her head, landing in a low crouch on the far side of the street. “Don’t tell me how I feel about you! Don’t tell me I don’t respect you!” 

 

In the distance, she could distantly make out a line of police officers blocking off a street, herding curious people away from the battle as Ladybug and Chat Noir stared each other down. 

 

“I don’t want this fight,” Ladybug said, flicking her yo-yo out and twirling it behind her as she kept her shield between her and Chat Noir. “But I will not let you threaten the people I care about; not when they don’t deserve to pay for my mistakes!” 

 

“Funny,” Chat Noir chuckled, shaking his head. “I thought I was someone you cared about.” 

 

“So did I,” Ladybug said, yo-yo lashing out and snaring Chat Noir’s wrist as he went to draw his sword. For some reason, his blade kept returning to its sheathe; for some reason, he was wasting time putting his weapon away. Ladybug didn’t need to know why to know that she needed to stop it, and the frustrated snarl that Chat Noir let out as her yo-yo slapped his hand away was proof enough that she was doing something right. 

 

“I am not going to let your fucking temper tantrum ruin the life of someone I love!” Ladybug spat, lashing out with a shield bash that staggered Chat Noir off his balance. “You are not going to hurt an innocent person just to spite me! You do not get to choose what happens here; you do not get to choose what happens to Hawkmoth or his family! I am the Guardian; I am in charge! I am Ladybug!” 

 

“You want me to take you seriously?!” Ladybug spat, whipping her shield at Chat Noir’s head. “You asked for it!” 

 

Chat Noir ducked the shield, failing to notice that Ladybug’s yo-yo had snagged the pole behind him until her foot collided with the side of his head. 

---

“Did that sound like thunder to you?” 

 

Mirelle clung to Aurore’s arm as they huddled under an awning, watching people run from the sheets of rain that poured down on the streets around them. 

 

“It’s been thundering all night,” Aurore sighed, holding her hand out to catch a few, fat drops of rain on her palm. “It came on so quickly...so suddenly, too.” 

 

“If it’s not akuma attacks, it’s some kind of inclement weather, isn’t it?” Mirelle chuckled, resting her head on Aurore’s shoulder as a pair of drenched figures scurried up underneath the awning next to them. 

 

“Thought I recognized that umbrella,” Marc laughed, wringing out his jacket as Nathanel morosely watched the ink run on his sketchbook. 

 

“Your date get interrupted too, or do budding meteorologists like this kinda thing?” Nathanael asked, shivering a little as a frigid gust of wind blew an umbrella over along with the cafe table that was holding it down. 

 

“This is a little wet, even for my liking,” Aurore said, huddling closer to the crowded Christmas storefront as another fork of lightning split the dreary night sky. “...it shouldn’t be this bad. There was nothing on the horizon that said this snowstorm was going to turn this-” 

 

“I don’t have time for a fucking police report!” Aurore frowned as a familiar voice cried above the hubbub of the crowd. Arching up on to her tiptoes as she saw a pale, soaked to the bone Juleka grabbing on to a police officer’s arm, trying to tug him down the street. 

 

“Miss, the police are trying to respond to an incident in progress; we don’t have time for-” 

 

“My brother is an incident in progress!” Juleka begged, grabbing for the constable as he twisted out of her grip, gently pushing her away as he jogged down the street. “Please, I need...I need-” 

 

“You need to get out of the rain!” Aurore said, jogging up and holding an umbrella over Juleka’s head. Juleka turned, eyes red and wide as she grabbed Aurore by the shoulders. "What is it? What's wrong?" 

 

“I need...I need help,” Juleka repeated, eyes flickering between familiar faces. “Something’s wrong with my brother.” 

---

Kagami slumped forward in her chair, breathing hard and hair sticking to her sweaty forehead as Hawkmoth withdrew his hand. Her head throbbed as the sensation of memories being forcibly dragged out of her mind abated for a brief moment, finally able to think without actively battling her subconscious thoughts. 

 

“You’re making this harder than it has to be, you know,” Hawkmoth said, adjusting his tie anxiously. “I don’t want to have to hurt you-”

 

“Never...seemed to have a problem with it...in the past,” Kagami panted, flinching away from Hawkmoth’s touch as he tilted her head up to look into his eyes. 

 

“You can blame your friend for that,” Hawkmoth muttered. “This could have all been over a long time ago if he had just surrendered his Miraculous.” 

 

“Must be nice...never being at fault for anything,” Kagami sneered, twisting away as her eyes fell on the purple butterfly brooch affixed to his tie. If she could just get her hands free, she could-

 

Hawkmoth’s fingers glowed purple as another spike of pain shot through Kagami’s mind, the words she didn’t want to say bubbling up her throat. 

 

“Chat...Noir...is...is…” Kagami’s teeth ground under the force with which she held her jaw shut. 

 

“You can fight me all you want,” Hawkmoth said, fingertips pressing against the front of Kagami’s forehead. “No one knows where you are...and no one is coming to rescue you."

---

“So are we gonna talk about the fact that Chloe now has brainwashing powers?” 

 

“The Royal Decree is a little more nuanced than that,” Master Crane said, following Gorilla up the stairs. “But we can talk about that after we rescue Kagami.” 

 

“I am gonna get out of so many speeding tickets,” Queen Bee grinned as Gorilla opened the door to Gabriel’s office. 

 

“M. Gabriel has been up here all night,” Gorilla said, looking around the empty office. “If he’s here...he’s somewhere in this room.” 

 

“Cheers, Donkey Kong; we'll take it from here,” Queen Bee said, patting Gorilla on the shoulder as she jogged over to the desk, rifling through the drawers and looking for any hidden switches she could push. 

 

“Is...Is M. Gabriel really Hawkmoth?” Gorilla asked, looking to Rena Rouge for some confirmation that this was all a terrible joke. 

 

“You should probably get out of here,” Rena Rouge said, patting Gorilla on the shoulder. “Take Nathalie somewhere safe...something tells me this is gonna get ugly.” 

 

Gorilla nodded somewhat uncertainly, quietly turning and heading back down the stairs as Rena Rouge started casting her eyes around the room. “Alright...if I were a maniac with a penchant for brainwashing and an interest in the occult, where would I hide?” 

 

“Would a bookcase door be too obvious?” Master Crane said, jerking her thumb over to the expansive bookcase that stretched all the way up to the ceiling. 

 

“Nah, that’s right up Gabriel’s alley,” Queen Bee said, flipping Gabriel’s desk over and jogging over to the bookcase to start ripping books out. “Jeez, the guy has every pop-psychology book under the sun." 

 

“Those aren’t the books that concern me,” Master He said, eyes narrowing as she ran her eyes over some of the more esoteric texts. “Cameron’s Commentaries...The Seven Lamps of Architecture...gods, he has a copy of the Broken Winged Crane..." 

 

“I’m guessing these aren’t old Oprah Book Club favorites?” Rena Rouge asked, pinching a dusty old tome that smelled faintly of wet soil between two fingers and tossing it over her shoulder. 

 

“Not unless Oprah is a necromancer in training,” Master Crane muttered, grabbing a few books and piling them on the floor so she could collect them later. “This is...this has to be the most extensive library of black magic I’ve seen in almost a decade. D-Don’t open any of these books; there’s a chance they might be-” 

 

Queen Bee flinched as a writhing, black tentacle reached out of a book she cracked open, clawing for her face before she managed to wrench it shut. 

 

"-cursed," Master Crane said, plucking the book from Queen Bee's hand and tossing it on the pile

 

“He had to be a weirdo, didn’t he?” Queen Bee muttered darkly, kicking the bookcase. The faintest sound of a latch unhinging echoed in the empty room as the bookcase in the center of the room shifted ever so slightly. Sharing a glance, Rena Rouge and Queen Bee pried the bookshelf back, revealing a heavily fortified steel door etched with strange and faintly pulsing glyphs. 

 

"Any chance he hid a key under the a doormat?" Rena Rouge chuckled. "How are we supposed to open this thing?" 

 

“... mellon.” Rena Rouge and Master Crane slowly turned to look at Queen Bee. 

 

“Worth a shot,” Queen Bee muttered, crossing her arms as Master Crane examined a number pad attached to the door. 

 

“Seems Hawkmoth blended a little old school with a little new school,” Master Crane said, fingers hovering over the keyboard. “I’m afraid we're not getting anywhere without a code." 

 

"Great, there's only 10,000 possible combinations it could be," Rena Rouge sighed. "Any ideas?" 

 

“1-0-2-8,” Queen Bee said. “Try that.” 

 

Master Crane frowned in confusion, punching in the sequence as the door opened with a symphony of unlocking locks. 

 

“Emilie’s birthday,” Queen Bee said, pushing the door open. “They still celebrate it…” 

 

“Guess there’s something human left of Gabriel Agreste,” Master Crane mused. 

 

“That’s kinda the problem,” Rena Rouge said, taking the lead as they stepped into the hallway behind the bookcase. A faint, musty smell lingered in the air as they passed into a cold, dark room, illuminated only by the pale moon streaming through a circular window that looked out over the city. 

 

“Look,” Queen Bee said, nodding up at the dozens of purple akuma that fluttered here and there, hovering in front of their faces curiously as they stepped into the circular room. 

 

“I didn’t know he had them on standby…” Rena Rouge mused. “I thought...I thought he created each one whenever he transformed.” 

 

“Easier to stock up and save them for a rainy day.” 

 

Rena Rouge’s flute extended as she whipped around to face the source of the voice that spoke behind her. A tall, masked figure stood on the far side of the room in front of an open panel in the wall, plucking an enormous black butterfly out of the air and placing it in a thin wicker birdcage. 

 

“Hawkmoth?” Master Crane whispered, earning a surprisingly genuine snort of laughter from the masked figure. 

 

“I can see how you might think that,” the figure said, turning to face the trio. “But I’m not the butterfly you’re looking for.” 

 

“Oh, sorry, the weird getup and the fact that you’re holding a cage full of akuma gave us the wrong impression,” Queen Bee said, hand tightening around her top as Master Crane surreptitiously drew a dagger. 

 

“They are remarkable creatures, aren’t they?” The figure mused, turning the cage this way and that. Five large, black butterflies fluttered anxiously in the cage, bumping against the walls that seemed to shimmer with a kind of protective power that prevented them from slipping out. An overwhelming sense of malice wafted off of them with every flap of their wings; enough to make Master Crane almost lightheaded just being in their presence. “Concentrated magical parasites that feeds on a person’s emotions. Yes...Gabriel really did exceed all my expectations.” 

 

Master Crane’s eyes narrowed at the figure. “Are you Gabriel’s master then?” 

 

"Hardly,” the figure chuckled, their smooth, featureless mask staring in Master Crane’s direction. “Gabriel proved that he had more than sufficient motivation to master himself; all I did was give him the tools he needed to succeed.” 

 

“Succeed in doing what exactly?” Master Crane asked. 

 

“That’s a...long story,” the figure said, walking over and pressing a button on the wall. The wall opened, revealing an elevator that opened with a soft ding. “And I think you have a butterfly to catch, don’t you?” 

 

“Turning on your friend so easily?” Rena Rouge asked. 

 

“We’re not friends,” the stranger said. “Hawkmoth’s crusade doesn't interest me anymore; whether he succeeds or fails in capturing the Ladybug and Black Cat is of no concern to me. I have what I want...and between you and me, he is such an insufferable prick that I wouldn't mind seeing him get humbled a little."  

 

Master Crane’s eyes drifted down towards the butterflies. “...these things are of more importance to you than the most powerful artifacts in the world?” 

 

“Power isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” the figure chuckled. “The tallest tree can be felled by a single axe blow as long as you know exactly where to strike.” 

 

Master Crane’s eyes narrowed at the man, nodding at the elevator. “Girls...go on ahead.” 

 

"Are you ditching us?!" Queen Bee huffed. 

 

"I need to have a word with this...person," Master Crane said almost uncertainly. 

 

“Are you insane?” Rena Rouge demanded. “We need your help; if Hawkmoth is down there-” 

 

“-Hawkmoth will be no match for the pair of you,” Master Crane said. “I need to be sure this person won't change his mind about helping Hawkmoth. Go...I will catch up.” 

 

Rena Rouge and Queen Bee exchanged an uncertain glance, making their way towards the elevator as Master Crane held the stranger’s gaze until her teammates were in the elevator. 

 

“If you need help-” Rena Rouge was cut off as the door to the elevator closed, leaving Master Crane alone in the atrium with the masked man. 

 

A flash of lightning illuminated the atrium as the stranger turned to stare at something in the distance. “Well now...did you have something you wanted to ask me?” 

---

“Dude, what’s going on?”

 

Alix craned her neck, standing up on her tiptoes as she struggled to see over the gathered crowd at the end of the street. A hastily constructed police barricade cordoned the public off from sounds of clashing steel and muffled explosions coming from down the street. 

 

“Can’t say,” Kim said, peering over the heads of the people in front of him. “Still too dark to see anything other than flashing green lights.” 

 

“Do we really want to stick around and find out?” Max asked, tugging his coat around his shoulders. “It’s probably yet another episode of Superpowered Neanderthals Destroy Paris, so let’s just go home and try not to get ourselves killed.” 

 

“Relax; if Hawkmoth hasn’t killed us in four years, he isn’t about to get lucky-” 

 

A gout of green fire erupted from the nearby construction site, scattering the crowd as a small cloud of dust and broken glass rained down on the street below followed by an air conditioning unit that fell in a broken, flaming heap on top of a police cruiser. 

 

“...you know, cocoa sounds good right now,” Alix said, grabbing Kim and Max by the hands and dragging them down the street as the crowd fled from the battle raging in the construction site above them. 

 

“Can’t take a fucking break, can they?” Kim panted, pushing his way through the crowd with Alix and Max trailing in his wake. “Can’t even limit their bullshit to once a day anymore. Noooo we gotta start running double features, don’t we?” 

 

“I’m going to develop an app to rate superheroes just so I can give them one star a piece,” Max grumbled, panting as he struggled to keep up with Kim. "Oh to hell with that...minus five stars for each of them for making me run..." 

 

“Kim!” Kim saw a small gaggle of familiar faces pushing their way through the crowd, huddled under two umbrellas as they waved at him. 

 

“You guys looking to bunk down somewhere til this blows over?” Alix asked, brow creasing as she took notice of Juleka’s running makeup and frantic, harried expression. “Hey...what’s going on?” 

 

“...it’s Luka,” Juleka muttered, running her hands through her soaking hair. “There’s...something wrong with him...have you guys seen Chloe tonight?” 

 

“I’m guessing she’s part of whatever this is,” Max said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to where bursts of green fire erupted from the side of the construction site. “You think she can help?”
 

Juleka bit her lip, glancing at the faces of her friends and classmates as she chose her next words carefully. “...Luka is Mayura. And I think... I’m sure he’s one of Hawkmoth’s akuma.” 

---

Coughing up dust, Ladybug strained her eyes for any sign of movement in the construction site she and Chat Noir had crashed into. She could hear the sound of approaching sirens and the faint sound of distressed Parisians outside, but the dusty, half-finished hallway she found herself in was deathly, almost oppressively quiet. 

 

“You alright, partner ?” Chat Noir’s voice called from somewhere in the darkness in front of her...or was it behind her. Pressing her back against the drywall, Ladybug’s head turned back and forth, hoping to see a flicker of green in the inky black corridor. 

 

“You know...I hear the conjugal visit suite in Le Sante is pretty ritzy,” Chat Noir’s voice chuckled. “Not a bad place for a wedding night, anyway.” 

 

“Not gonna have the chance to find out,” Ladybug called back, trying to zero in on his location. “I’ve got other plans.” 

 

“For once, Ladybug...this is not going to go according to plan for you,” Chat Noir’s voice called from somewhere above her. 

 

“And what’s your plan?” Ladybug challenged. “Face it; even if the Ladyblog is turning on me, there’s still enough doubt that people aren’t immediately gonna take your word over Ladybug’s!” 

 

“Well...actually, I had a thought when you were clobbering me in the skull a few minutes ago,” Chat Noir chuckled, voice seemingly coming from all around her. “See...I have a friend who looks remarkably like you. Blue eyes, dark hair, almost the same build...close enough for the average Parisian to believe she’s Ladybug anyway.” 

 

Ladybug’s grip on her shield tightened as she rounded the corner, casting her eyes in the shadows that seemed to rise up around her as she moved. 

 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir will hold a press conference,” Chat Noir continued. “Ladybug is going to set the record straight about our little...spat. That it was all an elaborate ruse to lure Hawkmoth out of hiding...and that we have Hawkmoth and his accomplices right where we want them. With her testimony, I don't think there's a court in Paris that won't do exactly what we say."  

 

“Your friend is okay helping you frame an innocent person?” Ladybug asked, pressing her back against the drywall. "Or is she as spiteful as you are?" 

 

“She does have a firecracker streak to her... and she is going to look good in your earrings,” Chat Noir’s voice said. “Consider it an early Christmas present!” 

 

The wall behind Ladybug erupted into a shower of debris as Chat Noir’s claws punched through, wrapping his arms around her wrists and pulling her through the drywall. He rolled on top of her, pinning her hips with his knee as he lunged for her earrings. Ladybug leaned into the attack, forehead smashing into Chat Noir’s and knocking him backwards. He rolled off her, landing in a low crouch across the room as Ladybug slowly rose to her feet. 

 

“Gabriel sells knock-offs,” Ladybug said, whipping her yo-yo off her hip. “You’ll get my earrings over my dead body, Chat Noir.” 

 

“Let's hope not!” Chat Noir snarled, lunging with a swipe of his claw. 

---

Ding. 

 

“Bottom floor; menswear, sports equipment, evil lairs,” Rena Rouge said, stepping into the vast, expansive atrium as their footsteps echoed on the cold stone floor. Rows and rows of dead plants stretched out in front of them like the pews of a cathedral, all aimed towards the darkened glass cylinder at the back of the room. “Jesus...ostentatious much?” 

 

"This is Gabriel Agreste we're talking about," Queen Bee said. "The man who commissioned a full size portrait of him and his son in mourning and hung it in his foyer like some kind of-" 

 

A muffled scream of pain came from a door at the far side of the room, drawing Queen Bee and Rena Rouge’s attention to the darkened corner behind the altar at the center of the room. 

 

“Hawkmoth later; let’s get Kagami out of here,” Rena Rouge said, jogging down the aisle between the withered plants. 

 

“If we don’t get our hands on him now, there’s no telling where he could slip off to,” Queen Bee muttered. "God knows he's got the money to disappear for a good long while." 

 

"He's not getting away," Rena Rouge said. "We're catching him tonight-"

 

A flicker of movement behind one of the columns at the far side of the room caught her attention. She caught Queen Bee’s elbow just as a spear flew from the darkness, sinking a good foot into the floor where Queen Bee would have been if Rena Rouge hadn’t stopped her. They jumped backwards, readying their weapons as four familiar looking knights stepped out from behind the columns, weapons raised and leering at Rena Rouge and Queen Bee with cold, purple eyes. 

 

"And here comes the welcome party," Rena Rouge said.

 

"Is it just me, or are they beefier than they were this morning?" Queen Bee asked. 

 

"No...they're definitely bigger," Rena Rouge said, noting the rows of jagged spikes that adorned their pauldrons. "Sharper too." 

 

“They're not the only ones who got sharper since you saw them last,” a voice came from behind them.

 

“Mayura,” Queen Bee muttered, turning around. “Should have known we'd find you...oh my god, what’s wrong with your face?!” 

 

Rena Rouge tensed as Mayura stepped out of the shadows, light spilling on the freakish, fleshy monstrosity that clung to his face like a mask. Visible veins bulged purple under his skin, pumping with an iridescent, purple fluid with every beat of his heart. 

 

“You know...I’m almost glad that didn’t work,” Mayura chuckled, voice eerily dissonant as though two people were speaking just a little out of sync with one another. "I almost thought I wouldn’t get to teach you traitors a little lesson in loyalty before my knights got a hold of you"

 

“If that’s what loyalty looks like, I’m glad I’m a rebel,” Queen Bee shuddered in revulsion, turning to press her back against Rena Rouge’s as the knights began to approach them. "God, you always looked like a Cirque du Soleil fanboy but now you look like an aubergine clown got caught in a grease fire!" 

 

“Laugh all you want, you shallow little bitch,” Mayura spat. “But your Miraculous were loaned to you under the assumption that you would obey Ladybug...and I am here to collect them.” 

 

“Okay, first of all, that is Mademoiselle Bitch to you, butterface,” Queen Bee sneered. “And people have been calling me a bitch since I was seven years old; if you want to insult me, put some effort into it.” 

 

“Second of all, don’t talk about our partnership with Ladybug like you know anything other than what Ladybug has told you,” Rena Rouge said, eyeing the approaching knights as Mayura slowly approached.

 

“Partnership?” Mayura laughed, shaking his head as he unfurled his fan. “You...are a tool for Ladybug to use...and you should have been grateful for that! You should have thanked your lucky stars every day that she chose to use you...but no. You had to doubt, and question, and disobey, didn’t you?!” 

 

“I wouldn’t ask anyone to follow me without questioning my decisions,” Rena Rouge said, raising her flute staff in front of her defensively. “If Ladybug’s plans fall apart the second someone questions them, they’re pretty shitty plans, aren’t they?” 

 

“Shut up!” Mayura spat, pulling a quill out of his fan and brandishing it at her menacingly. “You have no right to question Ladybug! This city wouldn’t be standing if it weren’t for her!” 

 

“Her, Chat, Carapace, me, and Rena,” Queen Bee corrected, enjoying the snarl of anger that darkened Mayura’s expression. “All you’ve done is look like an asshole and played right into Hawkmoth's hands!" 

 

“I don’t care what Ladybug’s done for this city,” Rena Rouge growled. “Nothing... nothing gives her or you the right to hurt other people selfishly! Ladybug might have been my hero at one point...but authorizing the kidnapping of a civilian...that’s not something I can forgive!” 

 

“Your forgiveness is irrelevant,” Mayura said, holding a brace of quills in his hand. “Your opinions are irrelevant...you...are irrelevant...all that matters is making sure Ladybug’s wishes are heard and obeyed.” 

 

“You know she's not actually here to hear all your ass kissing, right?” Queen Bee asked, narrowing her eyes at the approaching knights. “Give it up, Tweety; this isn’t going to end any better than it did the last dozen and a half times I kicked your skinny little ass.” 

 

“Oh, if you think you’ll be able to sneak attack me like I’m some kind of greenhorn, you’re seriously mistaken!” Mayura said, flipping the quill over and whipping it at Rena Rouge. Rena Rouge's staff deflected the first blade, but a second found its mark, sinking into her breastbone just above her heart. 

 

"Rena!" Queen Bee cried, turning around as a spear hurled itself out of the darkness, sinking into her back. The air left her lungs in one, pained gasp as she sank to her knees, clutching at the weapon helplessly as she tried to pull it out. 

 

"Well...that was easier than I thought," Mayura chuckled, standing over Rena Rouge as she stared at the blade protruding from her chest. "I would choose my last words carefully...I don't think you have too many more." 

 

Rena Rouge's dull, dimming eyes slowly looked up, straightening up as each breath seemed to cost more and more to draw. "S...S..." 

 

"You're gonna have to speak up...if you can that is." Mayura said, cupping his ear and leaning in. Rena Rouge managed a smile, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth.

 

"Sneak...attack."

 

"Bitch," Queen Bee added as she and Rena Rouge dissolved in a puff of orange smoke.

 

“What...where are they-” Mayura turned in time to see Queen Bee and Rena Rouge leap out of the elevator, driving their boots into his face in unison. 

 

“Sneak attack!” Rena Rouge and Queen Bee, bouncing off Mayura's face and landing in tandem as he rolled across the floor, scrambling as a pair of knights helped him to his feet.  

 

"What was that you were saying greenhorn?!" Queen Bee cackled. "Four eyes and you still can't watch your perky ass to save your life!" 

 

"You..." Mayura growled, holding his face in pain. "When Ladybug gets here, she'll-" 

 

"-she'll get her spotted ass kicked; just like you're about to!" Queen Bee said, stepping in front of Rena Rouge as she cracked her knuckles. "I'm the Père Noël of Head Trauma and you nerds are on my naughty list!" 

 

"Last chance," Rena Rouge said, crossing her arms. "Give up your Miraculous and tell us where Hawkmoth is; you can still walk away from this Mayura." 

 

"How generous," Mayura spat, flaring his fans out as his knights arrayed behind him, waiting on his permission to attack. "But I'm not a spineless little traitor like you two are. Ladybug's happiness is on the line...and even if it wasn't, I'm not surrendering my Miraculous to the likes of you." 

 

"Well, I tried," Rena Rouge said, extending her staff with a flick of her wrist. "Thank you for your limited and questionable service as a hero of Paris. But seeing as you and Ladybug have come down with a terminal case of Dumbass Idiot Brain Disease, I'm taking it upon myself to relieve you of your post...effective immediately." 

 

"Translation: you're fucking fired, sweetie!" Queen Bee crowed as Mayura let out a ferocious snarl, charging with his knights in tow. 

---

“Chat...Noir...is...is…” Kagami’s throat flexed as Hawkmoth’s power pulled at her vocal chords. 

 

“Tell me ,” Hawkmoth demanded, hands coursing with glowing purple power. “Say his name... say it!” 

 

Kagami fought against the memory being dredged out of the most private parts of her mind; a place she kept so tightly sealed as her mouth was forced open by Hawkmoth’s power. She saw his face, clear as day in the front of her mind and two words spilled out. 

 

“A...dri….en…” Kagami choked. “A...greste.” 

 

Hawkmoth stared blankly at Kagami’s shivering form for a moment, mouth falling open as he raised his hand again. “ Who is Chat Noir?” 

 

“A….Adrien Agreste!” Kagami cried. 

 

“Who is Chat Noir?!”  Hawkmoth demanded. 

 

“Adrien Agreste!”  

 

“How...how are you doing this?” Hawkmoth threw his cane to the side, grabbing Kagami’s face with both hands. “How are you lying to me?! Who is Chat Noir?!” 

 

“Adrien Agreste!” Kagami sobbed. 

 

“Stop it!” Hawkmoth spat, shaking Kagami violently. “Stop lying to me! Tell me the truth ! Who is-” 

 

The sound of metal on metal drew Hawkmoth’s attention to the door as Kagami’s pained sobbing slowly gave way to a feverish, laugh. 

 

“You know…” Kagami chuckled, turning her head up to fix Hawkmoth with a manic grin. “I...used to think you were some kind of evil genius...but you really are so stupid, aren’t you? Only...an absolute...imbecile would fall for the same trick twice in a row!” 

 

“What are you talking about-” Hawkmoth glanced down at the white bracelet on Kagami’s wrist. Turning her wrist over, a faint, white feathered pattern could be seen on each bead; almost like the wings of a-

 

Hawkmoth ripped the bracelet off Kagami’s wrist, sending beads scattering as the sounds of the battle grew closer. 

 

“No... no! ” Hawkmoth growled, grabbing at the side of his head as he backed away from the door. "No...no, this...this can’t be happening...not now!" 

 

“It is,” Kagami chuckled. “Wherever we are...whoever you are...they know.” 

 

“You...you little brat ,” Hawkmoth snarled, pulling his sword cane out and brandishing it at her throat. “I will not...I will not let you ruin this for me!”

 

“I already have,” Kagami whispered, eyeing the tip of Hawkmoth’s sword anxiously. She flinched as the weapon slashed across the bindings holding her to the chair, rising as Hawkmoth tilted the sword under her chin. 

 

“Get up,” Hawkmoth said, reaching behind him and fumbling for a small latch on the far wall. A door swung open as the sound of rushing water and a dank, musty odor met her. “Walk.” 

 

For a moment, Kagami wondered if she shouldn’t try and run back to the door; take her chances with Mayura and the others rather than accompany Hawkmoth down a dimly lit tunnel to wherever he intended to take her. But a gentle prick against the side of her neck from Hawkmoth's sword drew her attention back to the tunnel that seemed to stretch out into the earth in front of her. 

 

“Have it your way,” Kagami said, raising her arms placatingly as she stepped into the tunnel, swallowed by darkness as Hawkmoth sealed the door behind her. 

---

Ladybug reeled as Chat Noir brought his staff down hard on her shield, the force shattering the windows in cars around them as she stumbled backwards towards the stark and surprisingly deserted park that surrounded Eiffel Tower. The second strike shattered the ground at the spot where she once was, cracking a huge, jagged line between them that snaked towards the tower base. She stamped her foot down hard on the haft of his spear as he thrust it towards her feet, kicking the side of his head and sending him tumbling along the ground towards the center of the park. 

 

“Ready to give up?” Ladybug panted as Chat Noir shook the blow off. 

 

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Chat Noir said, wincing as he rubbed his aching jaw. 

 

“I would, actually,” Ladybug said, eyes narrowing as Chat Noir’s hand drifted down to the hilt of his sword. “God forbid you make it easy for me though.” 

 

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Chat Noir laughed, cracking his neck with an audible pop. 

 

“Come on, Chat...we know how this is going to end,” Ladybug said, eyeing the ring of police officers and Stigma vans that clustered around the edge of the park. “You think...three months of karate lessons and a few new toys are enough to even the playing field between us? You think that’s enough?” 

 

“Guess there’s only one way to find out, right?” Chat Noir replied. Ladybug’s eyes almost didn’t catch the blink of his portal opening before he was in front of her. She caught the edge of his blade on the flat side of his shield, eyes locking as they clashed. “Come on...don’t tell me you’re not curious.”

 

“Curiosity killed the cat, remember?” Ladybug grunted, kicking Chat Noir off and sending him back towards the tower. 

 

“I got nine lives, remember?” Chat Noir crowed, landing on his feet and lunging with a burning slash that instantly melted the slushy snow at their feet and turned the sopping grass black as his sword passed over it. “I can stand to lose a few; can you ?” 

 

Ladybug wound her yo-yo around his body, flipping him up over her shoulder and down on the ground. Before she could lunge for his ring, he grabbed the sides of her head with his feet, flipping her forward and spiking her head on the ground in front of him. He rolled through the flip, slipping out of the yo-yo string and lunging for her earrings. Despite the throbbing pain in her head, Ladybug tilted her head to one side, planting her foot against Chat Noir's chest and kicking him off, scrambling to her feet as Chat Noir recovered, one hand on his sword as his eyes narrowed at her. 

 

A brief moment of silence hung between them, eyes hard and wild and set against each other in identically venomous glares. The air around them was almost oppressively still; as though the world itself knew what was about to happen and had taken a breath to brace itself.

 

In one awful moment, they struck, Destruction and Creation clashing as something in the world broke. 

---

“An akuma ?!” 

 

“I don’t know,” Juleka sighed, rubbing her temples as Kim returned to the cramped little table in the corner of the cafe with a plate full of pastries. “He...transformed when Mom and I were grilling him tonight. That big...knight thing appeared too and started smashing up the kitchen. He started...ranting and raving about how we needed to appreciate the work he did for Ladybug and then...he just stopped. Like he snapped out of a trance or...something.” 

 

“Sounds consistent with akumitization…” Max said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as Kim squeezed into the booth next to him. 

 

“Still...Mayura’s been working with Ladybug for months,” Aurore said, biting her lower lip. “Has he...you know...always been akumitized?” 

 

"It's hard to say," Juleka muttered, rubbing her eyes. "He's...he's been moody and distant and...well, generally acting like a total prick. We thought it was drugs or something but...maybe this has been going on a while." 

 

“And what if Ladybug’s akumitized too?” Marc said in a hushed whisper, glancing around nervously. 

 

“Either that or she akumitized him herself,” Nathanael sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Or she doesn't even know yet. Man...when did this get to be so-” 

 

Juleka’s stomach plummeted as the sensation of something being profoundly wrong washed over her. It was as though she had been walking down a dark staircase and misjudged how many stairs there were supposed to be; something she expected to be there suddenly wasn’t. 

 

Something was horribly, horribly wrong. 

 

“What...what the hell was that?” Alix asked, glancing around at the looks of unease that clouded her friend’s faces. “Did you...did you feel that?” 

 

“Yeah...almost like something...bad just happened," Kim said. 

 

"Bad like a thousand foot column of glowing black and white light?" Max said, adjusting his glasses as he looked out the window. 

 

"That's weirdly specific...why do you...ask?" Juleka turned around, glancing out the clouded shop window as a towering column of black and white light pierced the clouds above them. It swirled and churned as though each side was trying to gain ground as the other rose in strength to meet it. It swirled and churned together, blotting out the moon and the stars that shone down on the city.

 

Trees that lined the edge of the park withered and were immediately replaced with new one that sprang up out of the ground like a demented stop-motion animation. Looking through the window was like looking into a dream; the shapes were all recognizable, but something was just off about what she was looking at. It was wrong; she knew that as instinctively as she knew that she needed food to live. 

 

“That’s probably not good, is it?” Marc asked, slowly creeping under the table. 

 

“Probably not,” Juleka said, raising her hand to shield her eyes as the light grew brighter and brighter. “We should-” 

 

A dull pop reverberated through the city as the column of light shattered, exploding into a billion shards of perfect prismatic light that streaked out across the city followed by a surge of energy that rippled through the streets like a wave. 

 

“Under the table!” Kim cried, grabbing Juleka and hauling her under the table as the wave washed over the building, shattering the windows and plunging the cafe into darkness as the lights in Paris all snuffed out. 

---

“You can feel it, can’t you?” 

 

Master Crane said nothing as the figure took a deep breath, watching the wave of light wash out over the city, extinguishing the lights building by building. The bulbs overhead flickered for a moment as the light passed through the building, but as Master Crane suspected, Gabriel Agreste had taken steps to ensure that his home could survive the odd magical attack. 

 

“I have to admit, I never shared Gabriel’s obsession with the Ladybug and Black Cat,” the figure murmured.“But being this close to this much potential...I think this is what a religious experience feels like. To witness divinity and feel...humbled by it." 

 

“What is your connection to Hawkmoth?” Master Crane asked without preamble, tensing as the figure turned their blank gaze to meet hers. 

 

“Not much for conversation, are you?” The figure asked as Master Crane struggled to place their accent. Their French was perfect, and yet their inflections told her they weren't a native Parisian by any stretch of the imagination. 

 

“You said you weren’t his master,” Master Crane said. “So...what is he to you? Are you just using him to get the Ladybug and Black Cat for yourself?”

 

“I’ve already told you that I have no interest in the Ladybug and Black Cat,” the figure sighed. “You don’t believe me?” 

 

“Forgive me; people who pretend to be disinterested in absolute power set off my Bullshit Detector,” Master Crane said, eyes narrowing. “You could accomplish anything you want with them.” 

 

“I can accomplish anything I want without them too,” the stranger said, twirling the butterfly cage back and forth in his hands. “With much less potential for catastrophic failure, I might add. The Miraculous are...well, they’re rather crude, aren’t they? Links to the divine that are prone to all manner of malfunction and fatal error. The fact that using both the Ladybug and Black Cat carries such a high risk for disaster is...well, it frankly speaks of shoddy craftsmanship, doesn’t it?” 

 

"And you could do better?" 

 

"If I had the proper tools, perhaps," the figure shrugged. "But that would be risky, wouldn't it?" 

 

"If not impossible," Master Crane said. “For someone who’s aware of the dangers of the Ladybug and Black Cat, you seem awfully blase that your...friend intends to use them."

 

“That’s if he gets his hands on them,” the figure said, raising a finger. “A lot could go wrong between now and then.” 

 

“And if his foolishness ends up destroying the world?” Master Crane asked.

 

“Well...it's really not much of a world to be honest,” the figure said. “Rather lacking in a number of important ways...it could be heavily improved, couldn’t it?” 

 

“...I suppose it could,” Master Crane said, tilting her head to one side as something about this stranger's speech seemed familiar. “But I get the sense you’re not talking about volunteer work.” 

 

“I think we’re past that stage, don’t you?” The figure chuckled almost sadly. “The...rot has spread too far and too fast. Nothing left to do now but torch the garden-” 

 

“And save what plants you can…” A chill ran down Master Crane’s spine as she stared into the featureless gaze of the figure in front of her. “You know...I had a friend who used to say the same thing.” 

 

“Did he now?” The figure asked, head tilting to one side. 

 

“He came to believe that the work we did to bring balance to the world wasn’t enough,” Master Crane said. “That the world didn’t deserve balance...that the only thing it deserved was to be consumed in fire and remade into something...better.” 

 

“Sounds like a wise man,” the stranger chuckled. “I would love to meet him.” 

 

“He is dead ,” Master Crane hissed. “He became something of a crazed murderer and then erupted in flames." 

 

“That's harsh way to resolve a difference of opinion, isn't it?” 

 

“The alternative was far worse,” Master Crane said, fingering her dagger anxiously. “Still...some trees are designed to spread seeds when they catch fire. And I can’t help but wonder...if Master Li ever took a student.” 

 

Silence hung heavy in the air between the fluttering akuma as Master Crane and the figure stared at each other. 

 

“And what if he did?” The figure asked, dangling the cage with the manic akuma from one hand. A flash of lightning struck outside, seemingly drawing the figure’s attention long enough for Master Crane to strike. She crossed the room in one fell swoop, thrusting the dagger towards the stranger’s head. The sound of shattering glass filled the atrium as the knife broke through the mask. The blade grazing the stranger’s mortal face as he calmly stepped to one side, paying no heed to the nick on his cheek as he drove his shimmering palm straight into Master Crane’s chest.  

 

The blow that struck her chest felt...strange. It hadn’t hurt as badly as she thought it did, but she felt a slight shiver working its way through her body from the point where the blow collided. She felt...weak. As though all the strength was leaving her body only to be replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion that sent her tumbling to the floor. Master He didn’t notice that she had somehow de-transformed until she fell flat on her face, collapsing into a heap as Kiicii fluttered out of her bracelet. 

 

What?

 

Master He struggled to lift her head as the figure loomed over her. Now maskless, Master He could make out a pair of slitted black eyes leering down at her from under a black domino mask, not unlike the one that Chat Noir wore. Messy black hair fell in the stranger’s eyes as they bent over, picking up the smooth, wooden box that tumbled out of Master He’s coat pocket.  

 

“Well, well, well,” the stranger said, cracking open the box with a smile as moonlight fell on the twelve Zodiac Miraculous. “You brought gifts.” 

 

“Master, get up !” Kiicii pleaded, flickering back into the Crane Miraculous as the stranger untied it from her wrist, twirling it around one finger as he stared down at her. 

 

"Always take the opportunity to pilfer a goat,” the stranger said in perfect Mandarin as Master He struggled to push herself up off the ground. “You should always be flexible enough to take advantage of a situation when it presents itself...no matter how small.” 

 

“Y...You…” Master He coughed, slipping on the smooth stone of Hawkmoth’s floor and falling back on her face. 

 

“A woman of your age should take it easy, Master,” the stranger said, patting the back of Master He’s head as she feebly rose an arm to swat him away. “But I suppose I owe you something for giving me so much, don't I?" 

 

The stranger dropped the Crane Miraculous on the floor in front of her, carelessly discarding it as he tucked the box into his coat.

 

“You...don’t know what you’re doing,” Master He wheezed, clutching her chest as her vision swam. “You...you can’t…” 

 

The stranger bent down close enough that Master Crane could see that what she assumed was a domino mask was, on closer inspection, a pattern of black, reptilian scales that stood out harshly against the man’s pale skin.

 

“I want you to give Master Fu a message for me,” the stranger said, reptilian eyes narrowing as he tilted Master He’s chin up. “Tell him...tell him Kaiser Long has prepared a place for you two in the world that’s to come...all I ask is that you stay out of my way. Just lay down and let nature take its course.” 

 

Kaiser Long stood up, letting Master He’s chin bounce off the floor as he collected the akuma cage and headed towards the door. “Try not to lose any more Miraculous,” Kaiser Long called over his shoulder. “I don’t think you can spare any more, can you?” 

Quingfu...is going to kill me, Master He thought, reaching for her Miraculous as she collapsed on the floor.

---

Ladybug’s ears rang as she slowly came back to reality. Shakily pushing herself up off the ground, it took her a moment to realize the strange, alien landscape she found herself in was still Paris.

 

Tall, teal colored trees stretched out of cracks in the sidewalk as large, awkward looking birds she had never seen before hooted and hopped from branch to branch. At her feet, a thousand skuttering insects crawled between pools of caustic, sizzling acid and pitches of cracked magma. Turning around, she caught sight of the Eiffel Tower caked in a thick, bio-luminescent moss that served as they only light in an inky black city. 

 

Did I...did we do that? Ladybug wondered. The storm that raged above them had dissipated, and for the first time in her life the city was pitch black and perfectly quiet. A rustle of movement in front of her caught her attention as Chat Noir pushed himself up on to his knees with a groan, sinking on to his heels as he looked around the newly transformed park. 

 

"Well...that's new," Chat Noir said. 

 

“Are you happy now?” Ladybug said, shaking her head as Chat Noir registered her presence. “Why do you have to keep dragging this out?! Why can’t you just leave me alone?! Why...don’t you just quit already?!” 

 

Chat Noir seemed to consider this for a moment, head tilting sideways as he regarded Ladybug with genuine curiosity. “Why don’t you ?” 

 

Something about the careless, petulant tone of voice snapped something inside Ladybug. She reached out, grabbed Chat Noir by the back of his hair and slammed her forearm into his head as hard as she could. Chat Noir reeled backwards under the force of the blow, catching himself and rebounding with a forearm strike of his own that sent Ladybug tumbling backwards. 

 

Growling in anger and frustration, Ladybug stood up, hauling Chat Noir to his feet and lashing out again, knocking him down to one knee. 

 

“Just...stay...down…” Ladybug panted, hitting him again as Chat Noir just shook his head, fixing her with an infuriatingly defiant glare as he shakily got back to his feet. 

 

“Stay down!” Ladybug repeated, drilling him with a kick that knocked him to the grass, scattering a swarm of pearlescent beetles from their hiding spots. Spitting on the ground in front of her, Chat Noir swung wildly, coming up short as Ladybug stepped backwards, retaliating with a knee strike that sent her former partner back on to the grass. 

 

“Don’t make me do this!” Ladybug said, blinking back tears as Chat Noir struggled to push himself up. “Just...just stop fighting. Please...I don’t want to hurt you.” 

 

“Then...don’t,” Chat Noir said, pushing himself back up to his knees as Ladybug paced away, looking at him in pained disbelief. “No one...is making you do... anything. Everything you’ve done has been your choice. Not anybody else’s."

 

"You want my ring?" Chat Noir said, chin raising and eyes locking with hers. "You're gonna have to hurt me to get it...that's your choice. Not mine!" 

 

The cold, stubborn look in his eyes was enough to tell her that he meant every word, but she should have known there was never going to be another way. Bold faced defiance was Chat Noir’s calling card, and in the face of losing everything he cared about, she could expect nothing less. 

 

“Have it your way…” Ladybug said quietly, unspooling her yo-yo and whipping it at Chat Noir’s head. At the last second, his hand raised, snatching it out of the air and yanking her in with a flick of his wrist. He rolled on his back, planting both feet in her stomach and kicking her up over his head as hard as he could. 

 

Which, as it turned out, was enough to launch Ladybug like a catapult across the street and over the rooftops. 

 

Rocketing through the cold night sky, she saw Chat Noir vanish from his spot on the ground, appearing in a portal below her, kicking her even higher into the night sky. Again and again he disappeared, using the portal's momentum to push her higher and higher above the streets of the city. As she peaked above the First Arrondissement, Chat Noir appeared above her, driving both feet into her stomach and kicking her down as hard as he could. 

 

He barely had time to let out a cry of triumph before he felt something tug at his ankle. Ladybug's yo-yo wound around his leg, dragging him down with her as they surged towards the ground at terminal velocity. She threw her arms around him, pitching her weight back as a familiar looking building rose up to meet them. 

 

They fell as they had risen so many years before, arm in arm, as the crashed through the roof of the Agreste Mansion. 

Notes:

I know I said this was going to be all in one piece, but this is honestly so long that making you read this in one weekend would be cruel.

Chloe being...Chloe is what got me through writing this chapter. There's something so satisfying about writing a character with no internal filter.

FLUFF FIC RECS FOR THOSE THAT NEED EM

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19144174/chapters/45499543
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18161333
https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571160#main

Thanks for sending these in! Y'all are really good about leaving comments on this fic so please show these writers some love too! Still accepting fluff fic recs because the next few chapters are gonna be...doozies.

Chapter 36: Truth

Summary:

Content Warning: Someone gets mildly stabbed in this chapter so reader discretion advised

Also this is where the love square dies (unrelated to the stabbing) so...idk, get ready for that I guess.

Despite the horror that followed the final battle between Ladybug and Chat Noir, Gabriel Agreste's neighbors were at least happy that his eyesore of a house was destroyed. 

 

The lights overhead shattered as Ladybug and Chat Noir crashed through the roof, smashing into the staircase and bouncing apart as they shattered the carefully manicured marble floor. They rolled apart, bouncing off opposite walls as they struggled to their feet. A quick glance around the stark, empty foyer and they knew exactly what building they had tumbled into. 

 

“Anyone home?!” Ladybug called, voice echoing off the pale stone walls and returning to her after a moment. “Okay...Chat, listen to me-” 

 

“You know...I don’t think I will,” Chat Noir said, flicking his baton out and slowly circling her. 

 

“Please...I can take you to Hawkmoth!” Ladybug said, raising her hands. “We can go save Kagami right now as long as you promise me -” 

 

“I’ve made more than enough promises to you,” Chat Noir panted, holding his staff loosely at one side as he locked eyes with Ladybug. “You’re all out of promises, Ladybug...and if you think I’m following you anywhere after what you did-” 

 

“You don’t need to follow me anywhere!” Ladybug cried, glancing around as she debated whether or not to tip her hand. “We’re already here. Hawkmoth...Hawkmoth lives here…” 

 

Chat Noir blinked in surprise, head tilting to one side as he looked up at the tall, somber picture of Gabriel Agreste and Adrien Agreste mournfully looking down on them.

 

“So...Hawkmoth is…” Chat Noir muttered as he studied the painting  for a long moment, eyes tracing the man’s features as though he were looking for some kind of hint that he was Hawkmoth. After a moment, he turned back to Ladybug, fixing her with the same, scrutinizing stare. 

 

“And you expect me to believe that...you’re dating his son?” Chat Noir asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 

“Yes,” Ladybug said, watching him scan her face for a long moment before letting out a weak chuckle. 

 

“...you know,” Chat Noir chuckled, shaking his head. “You had no way of knowing this, but of all the bullshit lies you could have fed me, that was probably the worst one you could have picked.” 

 

Ladybug barely had time to get her arms up before Chat Noir knocked her across the foyer and through the wall that separated it from the dining room. 

---

 "Everyone okay?!" 

 

"I think I'm fine," Juleka said, brushing herself off as she slowly stood up, peering around the darkened cafe and out into the night. All light had been snuffed out, save for the strange, glowing moss that covered the Eiffel Tower, bathing the street in a warm, strangely beautiful light. 

 

"Shit," Nathanel hissed, tapping his phone with his fingers. "Anybody have a working phone?" 

 

"No, I'm out too," Alix said, tucking her dead phone back in her pocket. 

 

"Wow, an iPhone ran out of batteries; what a surprise," Max drawled, popping the back of his phone case off as Alix slugged him in the shoulder. "Ow!" 

 

Stepping out of the broken window onto the street, it was clear that the lack of power wasn't just isolated to their poorly defended cafe. Crowds of people thronged together, trying to find a phone that worked so they could call for help. People were pushing cars out of the middle of the street, doing their best to jump-start them to little effect. 

 

"We should probably get to an akuma shelter," Aurore said, tugging at Juleka's arm. "We can probably make it to the one under the Dupain-Cheng's bakery if we hurry..." 

 

"You guys go on..." Juleka said, eyes scanning the crowd. "I have to find my brother." 

 

"And do what dude?!" Kim hissed, dropping his voice. "If he is...you know...you're only gonna put yourself in danger." 

 

"What am I supposed to do; hunker down while my brother gets brainwashed and dragged around in the dark?!" Juleka demanded. "Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't gonna help; the cops aren't gonna help. Nobody knows that Luka is out there but us. I-If I don't do something..." 

 

Juleka shook her head. "No...I have to do something. You guys...I would get to a shelter if I were you." 

 

Aurore and Mirelle conferred silently. "...that wouldn't sit right with us," Aurore said. 

 

"Looking for him is gonna be hard enough by yourself," Marc said with a small, uncertain smile. "Maybe we can find him if we work together?" 

 

"Or we can freeze to death together, which still beats hunkering down in a bunker that smells perpetually of farts and BO," Max said, wrinkling his nose. "Either way, if the internet's down, I have nothing else to do tonight." 

 

"Who knows?" Kim said, draping an arm over Juleka's shoulder as their small group pushed their way down the street. "Maybe he's doing okay, all things considered..." 

---

 Mayura was not okay. Something was terribly, terribly wrong with him. 

 

Rena Rouge’s arms shook as she blocked Mayura’s frenzied kicks, staff shaking from a force she had never felt from him before. Maybe it was because he was actually trying to kill her now, but he was stronger somehow and didn’t seem to be tiring nearly as quickly. 

 

“Jesus, these guys are hitting harder than they usually do,” Queen Bee cried, narrowly missing being impaled by a spear as a hammer wielding knight shattered the ground at her feet. 

 

“Oh, sorry, were you expecting the same tin cans I’ve always used?” Mayura crowed, catching Rena Rouge’s staff strike and flipping her over his head. “I’m not the only one who’s come down with a sudden case of badass.” 

 

“Calling yourself a badass immediately negates any badassitude you might have had!” Queen Bee groaned, kicking the helmet off one knight and booting another through a row of withered plants. “God, you are such a nerd.” 

 

“Between you, me, and Hawkmoth's dead wife I am reeeeeeeaally looking forward to shutting her up,” Mayura chuckled, ducking another staff strike from Rena Rouge and retaliating with a kick that shattered the illusion in a puff of orange smoke. 

 

“Good luck with that!” Rena Rouge hissed, summoning another pair of clones that rushed Mayura from both sides. “I’ve been trying to do that for years.” 

 

“Oh fuck you! ” Queen Bee squealed, narrowly avoiding a swing of a sword as she punched a hole in a knight's hollow chest. Rena’s clones lunged, staves held high as a pair of quill blades promptly ended their brief existences in a puff of orange smoke. Through the dust they left behind, Rena Rouge swooped in, battering a fan out of Mayura’s hand and lunging for the twitching butterfly that clung to his face. 

 

“Ah, ah, ah,” Mayura chided, grabbing Rena Rouge’s wrist inches before she could grab his mask. “Personal space.” 

 

Rena Rouge managed to avoid the punch aimed at her stomach, dancing back as Mayura lazily recovered his fan. “You know...I think out of all you degenerate traitors, I despise you the most.” 

 

“Aw, that makes me feel special ,” Rena Rouge said, parrying a quill toss as Mayura lunged at her, swinging the blade of his fan in a wide arc. 

 

“Ladybug trusted you more than anyone else!’ Mayura spat, blades ringing off Rena Rouge’s staff as he drove her towards the wall. “She trusted you longer than anyone else! You were the first person she went to; you should have been grateful that she picked you!" 

 

Rena Rouge ducked as her back hit the wall, blades of the fan digging a hole in the solid stone as she dove through Mayura’s legs. 

 

“But you just had to stir up trouble !” Mayura hissed, long arms driving at her with wild slashes that only seemed to get more frenzied as he continued to rant. “You had to abandon her when she needed you the most! You had to turn her whole team against her with your lies !” 

 

Rena Rouge felt the blade coming for her before she saw it, backflipping as one of Mayura’s knights lunged for her exposed back with a sword. Her back bumped against Queen Bee as the circle of knights closed in around them, weapons raised and ready to strike as they cut off all avenue of escape. 

 

"And it's high time you paid for that!" Mayura growled, lunging with a swing of his fan. 

---

“Where are we going?” 

 

“Shut up!” Hawkmoth panted, lightly jabbing her with the tip of his cane as she stumbled along the dimly lit metal catwalk. “I’m...I’m thinking.” 

 

“Don’t pull a muscle,” Kagami sighed, rubbing her bare arms with a shudder as they rounded a corner. A rusty metal bridge stretched over an old stone waterway that surged with white, frothy runoff from the storm that only just dissipated. They must’ve been underground somewhere, but lacking any obvious directional signs, she couldn’t tell exactly where they were. All she knew was that the rushing waters in front of her would drag them to the river if either of them made a single wrong move. 

 

Death by hypothermia or drowning weren’t high on Kagami’s list of ways to die, but the longer she spent in Hawkmoth’s company, the more appealing they seemed. 

 

“I just...I just need to think,” Hawkmoth muttered, grip on his weapon slacking as his hands shook. “I just...I just need...oh god damn you!” 

 

“If there is a god, I think I’m rather in their good books for doing my part to bring you down,” Kagami said, slowly turning and taking a small bit of satisfaction at the look of panic that gripped Hawkmoth’s face. “Do you happen to have a second, more secret lair we’re going to? If it’s going to be a walk, I’d like to get a coat.” 

 

“You think this is funny don’t you?” Hawkmoth laughed humorlessly, raising his sword to Kagami’s throat as he slowly started backing her towards the bridge that raged over the frigid waters below. “Oh yes, let’s all laugh at the man whose life has been ruined! Let’s all have a bloody good chuckle at the widower trying to bring the love of his life back!” 

 

Kagami said nothing, eyeing the glinting point of his sword as Hawkmoth advanced on her, eyes wide, manic, and desperate as he backed her onto the bridge. 

 

“That’s all I wanted…” Hawkmoth said, blinking back a wave of tears. “That’s...that’s the only thing I ever wanted...wasn’t even something for me...I just wanted my son to have his mother back...I wanted my wife to get the chance at life she never got...but that was too much to ask for, wasn’t it?!” 

 

Metal creaked under her feet as she stepped backwards onto the bridge and the enormity of being underground with a masked lunatic dawned on her. Just because Hawkmoth had refrained from personally murdering people in the past did not mean that he wasn’t open to starting now that there was nothing left for him to lose. 

 

“No...you just had to be so sanctimonious!” Hawkmoth hissed, tears of anger freely falling down his cheeks. “So fucking pompous and stingy...your friends have all the power in the world and what do they do with it?! Do they improve the world around them?! Do they use magic to ease suffering and help those in need?!” 

 

“No! Your...your fucking guardian just hoards it!” Hawkmoth shouted, spit flying off his lips as his manic voice echoed over the roar of the water beneath them. “Keeps it locked away rather than putting it to good use...well who gave them the fucking right to decide who lives and who dies?!” 

 

“Who gave you ?” Kagami asked, watching the droplets of water dance across the shimmering edge of his sword. 

 

“You don’t understand,” Hawkmoth muttered, shaking his head. “You don’t know what it’s like to love someone so completely that you would destroy yourself just to see them happy. You don’t know the kind of pain-” 

 

“Oh fuck you !” Kagami spat, startling Hawkmoth out of his rant. “I nearly killed my best friend in the whole world because you brainwashed me to do it! How many people in this city have hurt people they cared about because of Hawkmoth’s fractured family life?! Everyone in this bloody city is hurt, but being hurt doesn’t give you license to hurt other people!” 

 

Hawkmoth opened his mouth to argue as the ground above them suddenly trembled under the force of some terrible impact. The lights flickered for a moment, distracting him as she lunged for the butterfly brooch around Hawkmoth’s tie. 

 

“What are you doing ?!” Hawkmoth grunted, raising a hand to catch her as her fingertips sailed precariously close to his Miraculous. Kagami pushed past him as he raised his rapier out of instinct, a small cry of pain and shock echoing over the roar of the water that crashed down around them. 

 

They both seemed surprised as the sword punctured her shirt, both looking down in shock as the tip of Hawkmoth’s sword sank into her shoulder. Blood stained the cream colored cloth, running as the frigid water washed over them. Dull, throbbing pain blossoming out from where the blade embedded in her shoulder. 

 

“I...I…” Hawkmoth stammered, staring back and forth between the sword and the wound it had made with a dull sort of surprise as Kagami staggered backwards, clutching at her arm and holding on to the railing for support. “You...you shouldn’t have-” 

 

Hawkmoth took an uncertain step forward, awkwardly sheathing his blade as Kagami stared down at the darkening pool of blood on her shirt, breath slowly becoming more and more ragged. 

 

“Let me...let me see…” Hawkmoth said quietly, approaching Kagami with a raised hand. His eyes were focused on the wound and not the way her legs coiled underneath her, tensing as he approached closer and closer. “It’s not too deep; let me just-” 

 

The speed with which Kagami moved was frankly shocking, and Hawkmoth’s hand struck again out of instinct, heedless of the fact that Kagami was perched on the edge of a rickety bridge. Her hand snared his wrist as she fell backwards, dragging Hawkmoth over the edge and into the cold, icy water that dragged them towards the Seine. 

 

It was dark and it was cold, but even as the air left Kagami's lungs, she held fast as they spun end over end, rushing through dark, watery corridors. She didn't know if her head was banging on the sides of the canal or if Hawkmoth was trying to kick her off, but nothing broke her grip; not the pain in her shoulder, not the inhumanly cold water that pressed in all around her, not the burning in her lungs as they struggled for air that wasn't there. 

 

The last thing she remembered was the feeling of something hard and metal in her hand and a pair of floating purple eyes that glowed at her in the cold, inky water. 

---

 Gabriel Agreste spent the better part of three and a half years constructing his perfect home. 

 

The construction foremen who worked on the project remembered the shrill, micromanaging fashion executive with fear and exasperation in equal parts. Everything from the tile to the baseboards to the doorknobs were carefully and meticulously deliberated upon for weeks on end. It took Gabriel eight and a half months to finally decide on the layout, and the costly revisions ate into his already enormous budget. The result, considered a garish monstrosity by the neighbors, was something close to perfect; a clean, sterilized environment he could have complete and total control over. 

 

Gabriel Agreste spent the better part of three and a half years constructing his perfect home. Ladybug and Chat Noir spent the better part of thirty minutes destroying it. 

 

Marble that had been imported from Italy broke into a million pieces as Ladybug’s fist narrowly missed Chat Noir’s head. Fine, imported crystal lampshades broke as Chat Noir’s baton passed through them, showering them with sparks and glass. Rugs that had survived the Nazi occupation were singed and consumed by carefully controlled green flames. The picture of father and son in the foyer, a monument to Gabriel Agreste’s grief, split as Chat Noir went sailing through it, punching a hole between Adrien and his father. 

 

Everything Gabriel had worked his whole life to build was, quite literally, falling apart. 

 

And yet Chat Noir displayed a strange kind of restraint that hadn't been there before. Gone were the jets of flame and lethally powerful blows; as though he were being extra careful not to completely destroy everything around him. 

 

A flicker of fire on the tips of his fingers fizzled out before he could throw it at her. Growling in frustration, he tried to ignite another attack, only producing a weak, flickering flame that snuffed out the second he tried to throw it. Maybe he was holding back; maybe he had just expended too much magical energy. But something had taken the wind out of Chat Noir's sails and Ladybug wasn't about to let such an opportunity pass her by. 

 

"Ready to give up?" Ladybug asked, earning a contemptuous snarl for her troubles. 

 

"Please; I can do this all night!" Chat Noir growled. Ladybug ducked right cross from Chat Noir, punching him in the stomach and tossing him over the edge of the balcony on to the foyer floor below.

 

“Okay...let’s try this again... Lucky Charm! ” A flash of red and black produced a small, pearly, glass marble that landed neatly in her open palm. “Great...he has a magic sword and I get a marble.” 

 

“Hope whatever you got was worth it!” Chat Noir called up from the bottom floor as he leapt back up on to the crumbling balcony, lunging at Ladybug with a wild spinning kick. Despite the bravado, he teetered little bit when he landed, stumbling as he grabbed for something to hold on to. A soft, beeping sound drew her attention to his ring that seemed to be flickering out. 

 

"You're running out of juice," Ladybug said. 

 

"Guess I'm gonna have to make this quick, huh?" Chat Noir said, raising his hands in a weak defensive stance. "Come on...what do you got?" 

 

Ladybug glanced at the marble in her hand, eyes drifting over to the ledge behind Chat Noir. “I have a plan.” 

 

Ladybug lunged, shoulder down as she slammed into Chat Noir’s solid form. He took a step backwards, swinging wildly at her head as she ducked, shoving him back another step. He stepped to one side, but Ladybug was just a little bit faster, tanking a punch to the stomach as she shoved him again. 

 

Back...back...back...back …

 

The ringing in her ears did nothing to drown out the simple mantra Ladybug kept telling herself as she pushed him further and further backwards. 

 

“That all you got ?!” Chat Noir grunted, feet shifting another step backwards. 

 

“That's all I need!” Ladybug said, palming the marble as she shoved Chat Noir as hard as she could. He stumbled backwards as Ladybug carefully tossed the small, glass marble towards his back heel. 

 

Chat Noir’s eyes went wide as he felt himself slipping and falling backwards, arms flailing for purchase as he tipped backwards over the edge of the balcony. Ladybug reached out, taking hold of his hand as he tried to grab on to her. For the briefest hair of a moment, their eyes met and for the first time since she had met him, Chat Noir looked scared. 

 

"Don't-" 

 

The Miraculous came free in Ladybug's fingers as Chat Noir fell backwards, his transformation slowly starting to fade as he stared up at her in shock. He clawed at the air fruitlessly, trying against hope and the laws of physics to grab a hold of the ring that slipped further and further away with each passing heartbeat. If he could just reach it...if he could just reach it-

 

Adrien Agreste crashed through an already battered armoire, buried in a pile of broken wood and old coats as his world went dark. 

---

Nino woke with a start in a darkened bedroom that smelled faintly of flowers and fruity cologne, fumbling around for a light switch until he tumbled off the bed with a groan. Every muscle in his body ached as he hauled himself back on the bed, staring out the darkened window at an unusually dark cityscape. 

 

“The fuck ?” Nino muttered, flicking the lightswitch on and off to no avail. In the near distance he could see a faint, bioluminescent glow coming off the Eiffel Tower and a single, familiar looking house that seemed to be the only building in town that hadn’t lost power. 

 

“Ah shit ,” Nino grumbled, shakily getting to his feet. “Wayzz...tell me you got enough juice for another transformation.” 

---

“You hanging in there?” Rena Rouge asked. 

 

“Got em...right...where I want em,” Queen Bee panted. “Would be doing a lot better if I had more than a stupid top to fight with!” 

 

“Yeah, that’s a real shame, isn’t it?” Mayura sighed, snapping his fingers as four more shimmering portals opened on the floor. “Fortunately for you, your lame as shit loadout isn’t going to be a problem too much longer; maybe the next Queen Bee will be more appreciative." 

 

“Are you listening to yourself?!” Rena Rouge asked, watching four new knights rise out of the ground. “Ladybug sold you out! You have a fucking butterfly on your face; how can you still think fighting for Ladybug is the right thing to do?! She’s working with fucking Hawkmoth!” 

 

“What of it?” Mayura asked as the knights closed in on them. “If Ladybug is working with Hawkmoth, then it’s the right thing to...to…” 

 

The eyes on the butterfly flickered as Mayura staggered backwards, grabbing at the butterfly that clung to his face with a pained choking sound. 

 

"Get...get..." Mayura choked, snapping his fingers and dispelling four knights in a puff of smoke. A horrible retching sound bubbled up from the back of his throat as he shook his head, opening another wave of portals and bringing more knights through. "Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" 

 

“Yeah, gonna take a shot in the dark and say he’s akumitized,” Queen Bee mumbled. 

 

“You think?” Rena Rouge said, turning back to Mayura. “Listen...whoever it is in there...you can still fight this thing!” 

 

Mayura let out a pained sob of laughter, eyes leering at Rena Rouge from under his hair. “You don’t get it, do you? I’m still the same person I’ve always been! There’s no Mayura ; there’s no Luka ...there’s just me . A better... stronger me.”  

 

“Luka?!” Rena Rouge cried. 

 

"Luka?!" Queen Bee hissed, blinking in confusion. “Wait...who the fuck is Luka?”

 

“Marinette’s ex.” 

 

“...who?!” 

 

“Juleka’s older brother?” 

 

“Fucking who ?!” 

 

“I have to say this is an enlightening conversation,” Mayura sighed, running a hand through his hair as knights kept pouring out of portals on the ground. “But I think I’ve vented my frustrations with you quite enough for one night. Ladybug needs me and you...well, it looks like my knights have things handled. Boys, if you would.” 

 

“Wait!” Rena Rouge cried, blocking a sword strike as Mayura turned to enter the elevator. “Luka!” 

 

The doors shut with a definite snap, leaving Queen Bee and Rena Rouge inside with a small army of angry knights that kept pouring out of holes in the floor. 

 

"Alright...you take the fifty on the left, I'll take the fifty-one on the right!" Queen Bee cried, charging into a throng of ringing steel with Rena Rouge hot on her heels. 

---

“Hey...what’s that down there?”

 

Max nodded his head over to the banks of the river where a small cloud of butterflies seemed to be dancing on the water. Juleka frowned as she approached, tensing as she realized the butterflies that blossomed from a glowing patch of light on the water were not ordinary butterflies. 

 

“Akuma…” Juleka said, throwing her arm out as her friends crowded around the edge of the water. “Get back; I think they're coming this way...” 

 

The light on the water spread, glowing warm and purple as the butterflies danced in the air around it. A ripple of movement saw a figure slowly emerge from the inky, black depths, water rolling off their head and dripping as they stumbled on to the banks of the Seine. 

 

“Is that...is that Hawkmoth?” Aurore hissed, brandishing her umbrella at the figure that came out of the river as a cold gust of wind rippled through the empty streets. 

 

“I don’t...I don’t think so,” Juleka said, stepping out in front of the group as the figure climbed the stairs leading out of the river, staring at the crowd of assembled teenagers in wary confusion. "Hey, this may be a stupid question but...are you Hawkmoth?" 

 

“No...why would you-” The figure looked down at themselves, studying the lavender riding jacket and cream colored slacks they wore with surprise. Despite the fact that they had just crawled out of the river, their shiny black boots and perfectly pressed gloves didn't seem to have a speck of water on them. A pair of curious, brown eyes looked up at them from behind a wide, metallic butterfly mask as butterflies danced around her. "...ah. I see. Uh..."

 

The figure cleared their throat, straightening up to all five foot four of their height as they tried to look as impressive as possible. "Th-The Butterfly Miraculous is under new management. As you've no doubt surmised, this city is going to hell in a handbasket and I'm going to need some help putting it to right..." 

 

“And who exactly is asking?” Aurore asked, refusing to lower her umbrella rapier. “We don’t exactly have the best experience with Hawkmoth, you know.” 

 

The figure’s eyes bounced from face to face, glancing down at the Miraculous around their waist with a thoughtful look. 

 

“I’m not Hawkmoth,” the figure said confidently. “The man who brainwashed you will never hold power over you again...if he's even alive at this point. But there's still a dangerously possessed person running around the city. I am not asking for a slave to control...I am asking for a champion to empower. Now...granted I fell into the river and woke up like this, so I’m not entirely sure how all this works, but...I’m going to try.”

 

“I know he hurt you…” the figure barreled on as confused, mistrustful faces looked back at them. “Nobody...nobody knows that pain more than I do-"

 

"How?" Nathanael demanded, shaking his head from behind Kim's shoulder. "You can't possibly know what it's like to black out and wake up after a freak of nature made you hurt your friends and neighbors!" 

 

"Hawkmoth didn't exactly say he was going to use us either," Alix said, crossing her arms. "So how do we know you aren't trying to scam us into being your lackeys like he did?" 

 

The figure glanced up and down the unusually empty street, seemingly weighing something in their  before glancing down at their belt. "Um...butterfly kwami...can you destransform me?" 

 

A shimmer of purple light washed over her as the transformation fell, revealing a wet, shaking Kagami clutching a bloody stab wound as she sank to the ground. 

 

"Oh god damnit that stings!" Kagami hissed, dabbing at the stab wound in her shoulder. 

 

“Holy shit ,” Kim said, whipping his jacket off and draping it over Kagami’s shoulders as the others crowded around her, blocking her from any prying eyes as a tiny butterfly creature floated out of her belt."

 

“Y-You shouldn’t detransform in front of so many people…” Nooroo stuttered, hiding behind Kagami’s shoulder. "I-I transformed you to stop the bleeding, but if you don't turn back now-"

 

“They...they have to know,” Kagami said, looking up at the people she had spent years of her life with. “I-I’m not going to ask them to risk their lives for me without knowing who I am…” 

 

“What have you been doing?!” Juleka said, bending down and touching the wound with a wince. 

 

“Long story…” Kagami said, rubbing her arms as her wet hair stuck to the sides of her head. “The point is that Ladybug’s partner Mayura has been akumitized…and we need to stop him before he hurts someone.” 

 

Kim and Max shared looks behind Juleka’s back as she nodded somewhat uncertainly. “We know.” 

 

“Do you?” 

 

“Mayura...he’s my older brother,” Juleka said. “We’ve been looking for help all night.” 

 

“Well...help has arrived,” Kagami chuckled, looking down at her wet, bloody self. “Not what you were expecting, I'm sure, but...I think I can help. As I understand it though...I need a volunteer." 

 

Kagami looked up through soaking bangs at the small crowd of people that surrounded her. "I know better than almost anyone what being Hawkmoth's pawn feels like. I know that fear...that pain...that guilt of being unable to fight back. And I am never going to use anyone like that." 

 

Kagami locked eyes with Nooroo as she said this as her friends looked to one another uncertainly. 

 

"We have been sitting on the sidelines of this fight for too long," Kagami said, shivering as she pressed her shirt against the wound in her shoulder. "And when we haven't been sidelined, we've been used...or targeted. That ends tonight...that ends now. You all have such...promise. Such potential. I can't tell you how I know this but..." 

 

Kagami's fingers brushed across the Miraculous as the purified akuma danced around her friends.

 

"You are all heroes in your own right," Kagami said, nodding as her eyes passed from face to face. "Always have been; only difference between you and Chat Noir is that nobody handed you a magic toy. But just because you weren't chosen then doesn't mean you can't choose now. But I won't make that choice for you...or you." 

 

Nooroo blinked as he realized everybody had turned to look at him. 

 

"I'm...I'm bound to obey the holder of the Butterfly Miraculous," Nooroo mumbled, almost as though he had recited it more times than he could count. Kagami reached down with trembling fingers, unclasping the Miraculous and setting it on the ground between them. 

 

"What about now?" Kagami asked. "I can't pretend to know what you've gone through with Hawkmoth...and as much as I can swear that I won't treat you like he did, I can't make you trust me. I won't ask you to...but I will ask for your help. If only for tonight..." 

 

Nooroo watched this strange, battered looking human bow her head, ignoring the pain and cold as she quietly said, "Please..." 

 

Nooroo opened his mouth to argue with her; to tell her that a human had no business begging a kwami for anything. Instead his mouth just hung open as he stared at the Miraculous and the human who appeared to be offering him his freedom. 

 

"...you should transform, Master," Nooroo said, nudging the Miraculous towards Kagami again. 

 

"Kagami," Kagami said. "My name is Kagami." 

 

"And I'm Nooroo," Nooroo said as Kagami attached the Miraculous to her waist. "When you're ready...say-" 

 

"Transform me."

  

Kagami slowly stood up, shucking Kim’s jacket as her regalia formed around her, all exhaustion and pain seemingly leaving her body as she stood taller than her diminutive height suggested. The butterflies danced around them as she rose, wet, bloody clothes replaced by a finely spun suit that flowed out of her Miraculous. She plucked Hawkmoth's cane out of the air as it materialized, tugging on it with a satisfied smirk as she drew her sword from her scabbard. 

 

“Hawkmoth is gone…there is a new Monarch in town,” Monarch said, extending a hand to Juleka as she looked up at her. “Now...who wants to help me?” 

 

Max squinted at Monarch in disgust. "Is that...a god damned butterfly pun?!" 

---

Ladybug watched Chat Noir disappear into the armoire as the last of his transformation dissipated. She waited for a rustle of movement, tensing and expecting some kind of retaliation but none came. The weight of what she had just done sank in as she felt the Black Cat’s weight in the palm of her hand; no matter how long she waited, Chat Noir was not getting back up. 

 

“It didn’t…” Ladybug muttered, staring at the dresser. “It didn’t...it didn’t..."

 

Ladybug was almost surprised by the tears that pricked at her eyes as she kicked a crumbling section of banister with a frustrated scream that echoed off what remained of the walls. “It didn't have to be like this! God damnit, why...why didn’t you just give up?!” 

 

Silence greeted her as her soft, exhausted sobs echoed off the walls of the mansion. “Why...didn’t you give up?” 

 

Ladybug hopped off the balcony, almost scared to approach the armoire as her hand slowly opened. The small, unassuming silver ring sat in her open palm, looking for all the world like the knock-off that Adrien often wore if it weren’t for the raw, destructive power that radiated off it. 

 

“I’ll fix this…” Ladybug said almost half-heartedly to the armoire. “I’ll...I’ll find a way to fix this...I swear…I-”

 

“You did it,” Ladybug whipped around to see a sodden, shivering Gabriel Agreste standing in the doorway, looking at the ring in her open palm in awe. “You...you actually won…” 

 

“Where’s your Miraculous?” Ladybug demanded, closing her hand around the ring and tucking it behind her back.

 

“I believe Mme. Tsurugi absconded with it after she escaped,” Gabriel said, wringing his tie out. “It’s been a long night...and I just spent most of it crawling out of the Seine. We can deal with Kagami later-” 

 

“We?” Ladybug laughed, shaking her head. “Who’s we ? What makes you think there’s a we anymore?!”

 

“Marinette...Ladybug...I know we’ve had our differences,” Gabriel said, staggering forward, hand outstretched as Ladybug instinctively took a step backwards. “Everything we’ve done...all the bad we’ve done will be for nothing if we don’t save Emilie!” 

 

“I intend to,” Ladybug said, fingers closing tighter around the ring. “Once I’ve learned how to properly master both Miraculous.” 

 

“What?” Gabriel shook his head. “No, no, no we...we don’t have much time...if we don’t do something now -” 

 

“If we do something now, we could blow up the bloody world or worse,” Ladybug sneered. “I am not going off half-cocked just because you're getting impatient; if and when I manage to use the Miraculous together, it won’t be on your time.” 

 

“It isn’t my time!” Gabriel said, licking his lips as he took another step closer. “Emilie is dying...I-I can't keep her alive too much longer. Please...A...Adrien needs a family. I-I can give you anything you want...I can make your entire career if you just-” 

 

“If I just do everything you say,” Ladybug spat, shaking her head. “Sorry, boss ...it’s not going down like that.” 

 

“Please-” 

 

“Keep pleading; I have a feeling you’re gonna be doing a lot of it pretty soon,” Ladybug said, turning to leave. “It’s over Gabriel.” 

 

“I disagree…” Gabriel said, straightening up, his pleading, simpering posture evaporating in an instant. “Give me Chat Noir’s ring... now .” 

 

“And why, pray tell, would I do that?” Ladybug chuckled, placing her hands on her hips as Gabriel approached, eyes burning holes into hers as he shuffled across the floor towards her.

 

“Because I...insist ,” Gabriel said. 

---

Ladybug said nothing as Gabriel sat down at his desk, organizing his sketches as Ladybug stared aimlessly into space. “The choice, of course, is yours...but I insist you think about pursuing this course of action and ask yourself just how much longer you want to do this.” 

---

“I really should be getting going…”

 

“Please... I insist ,” Hawkmoth said, pressing a button on the wall that opened what appeared to be an elevator door on the far side of the room. “I feel as though we need to...understand each other.”

---

 "At least give me a day to make my case,” Gabriel said, leaning on the counter. “Come by the offices on Saturday; I insist .”

---

“If they were going to come back and attack us, they would have done it already,” Gabriel concluded, sighing as he slumped in his chair. “I think we’re safe for the moment...still, I insist that you have nothing more to do with that woman.

---

Marinette trailed off with a small chuckle. “I don’t know if I should-”

 

“ I insist ,” Gabriel said, folding his arms as Marinette squared up with the sketch.

---

"I have no doubt you'll branch out on your own someday," Gabriel said, patting Marinette on her shoulder as he stepped past her. "But I insist you at least consider the benefits of working for Gabriel; even for a little while." 

---

"I am not his patsy!” Ladybug snapped, snaring Master He’s wrist and zipping towards her fist first. “And I’m not brainwashed!”

 

“You think you’d be able to tell if you were?” Master He grunted, struggling under Ladybug’s raw strength. “You think his victims knew that their thoughts weren't their own?!" 

---

 Might as well just give him what he wants, Ladybug thought, pressing the Black Cat Miraculous into Gabriel’s hand as she walked past him. 

 

“Whatever; do what you-” Ladybug took three steps before realizing what she had done, spinning around to see Gabriel examining the Black Cat curiously. 

 

“You know something...” Gabriel mused. “I thought it would be bigger...but it really is just like the copies we make...just like the one Adrien wears...” 

 

“What...g-give that back!” Ladybug cried, lunging for the ring.

 

“I insist you have a seat,” Gabriel said, nodding to a dusty and half shattered dining room chair that awkwardly sat off to the side of the room. The minute the words left his mouth, Ladybug felt herself move almost robotically towards the chair, legs wobbling as she dragged the chair into the center of the room. 

 

“What...what did you do to me?!” Ladybug grunted as she found herself sitting down, an immovable weight keeping her pinned to the chair. 

 

“Funny thing, names,” Gabriel said almost conversationally as Ladybug struggled to summon the strength to move. “Such arbitrary things can give you so much power over another person if you just know them...” 

 

“When...how long have you known?!” Ladybug grunted, trying to stand only to fall back against the chair as a small, nagging voice in her head convinced her to remain still. 

 

No point in standing up now...

 

“How long have you worked for me?” Gabriel said, crouching down to Ladybug’s eye level. “How many forms did you fill out for me? How many emails did you answer for me? How many times did you fetch coffee or pass me a pen when I asked you to? How many days did you spend doing exactly what I said?” 

 

“You...you knew then ?” Ladybug grunted. 

 

“You trusted your friend Luka so much...but undressing in front of him after that first scrap with Chat Noir was a big mistake,” Gabriel said, placing the ring on the middle finger of his left hand, holding it up to the moonlight as Plagg suddenly materialized. "You had no way of knowing of course, but-" 

 

“Marinette!” Plagg cried, flying down in front of Ladybug’s face. “Get out of here; Chat Noir is-” 

 

Plagg’s mouth sealed with a simple swipe of Gabriel’s fingers. “I have had quite enough of the talking mascot characters, thank you,” Gabriel said coldly, eyes falling on Ladybug. “You think you could seriously resist me after spending so much time doing everything I wanted you to do? You gave up this fight a long time ago, Ladybug. The minute you decided to work with me, this was always how it was going to end; every little concession you made along the way just brought you further and further under my control.” 

 

“No…” Ladybug said, shaking her head. “You...you couldn’t have...I’d...I’d know if you were doing something to me…” 

 

“Would you?” Gabriel asked, cocking his head to one side. “You think I let you throw me around like a common thug because I enjoyed it? Or did letting you vent your childish frustrations on me only feed your delusions of control?”

 

“You’ve been lying... this whole time?!” Ladybug growled, her rising fury struggling to claw its way above the weight of Gabriel’s power. “About this?! About Luka ?! About my fucking job?!” 

 

“I’ve already told you; I don’t lie about fashion,” Gabriel said softly, tucking a messy strand of hair behind Marinette's ear. “You’re an amazing designer, Marinette...you’re going to make an amazing lead designer of Gabriel someday...and a perfect partner for Adrien. Yes...we’ll all be one, big, happy family...I just need you to give me your Miraculous.” 

 

No! Ladybug struggled to keep her fingers wrapped around the arms of the chair. 

 

I really should just give it to him…

 

"No...you can't...I won't..." Ladybug grunted, gritting her teeth as she tried to summon the energy to throw him off. 

 

“I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re fighting me,” Gabriel chuckled, crouching down in front of Ladybug as her fingers feverishly hung on to the chair for dear life. “Does that make you feel better? Knowing that you held out as long as you could; that you fought me tooth and nail even though there’s nothing you can do to stop me?” 

 

He’s right, you know...I should just give him the earrings. 

 

“N...No…” Ladybug grunted as her fingers pried themselves free, shakily raising to her ears. 

 

“I do admire that about you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel said, voice thrumming with power as her fingertips brushed against the cool metal of her earrings. “You’re a fighter...someone who’s willing to fight for the things they care about...shame you couldn’t see things my way.” 

 

I want to give him the earrings…

 

I don’t!

 

I really should just give him the earrings…

 

No!

 

Oh...Marinette. 

 

Do you really think you have a choice in the matter? 

 

“NO!” Ladybug cried, pulling her hands away the second they closed around the earrings. A sharp jolt of pain in both ears drew her back to reality, crimson droplets scattering on the floor at her feet as Ladybug became Marinette again. 

 

“Look what you’ve done,” Gabriel clucked, plucking a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbing them at the bloody holes in her ears as Tikki materialized, staring at Plagg in horror as Gabriel silenced her with a swipe of his fingers. “See what fighting gets you? All that for what? A few extra moments as Ladybug? Was it worth all that pain?”  

 

Gabriel reached down as Marinette’s hands raised, accepting the earrings as Marinette unwillingly offered them to him. 

 

“Fighting is very noble,” Gabriel said, plucking the earrings from Marinette’s fingertips. “But sometimes it’s better just to give up.” 

 

“You...you won’t get away with this…” Marinette spat feebly, watching Gabriel sink the pins of Tikki’s earrings into the back of his right hand. The black buttons faintly shimmered with power as blood trickled down the back of Gabriel’s hand. “I’ll...I’ll…” 

 

“You’ll do what ?” Gabriel chuckled, flexing his fingers experimentally. “Your teammates are being soundly handled by Mayura and once he’s dealt with them, he’s going to make sure that Chat Noir can’t interfere any further.” 

 

“What?!” Marinette spat, struggling against her invisible bonds. “N-No, you can’t-” 

 

“I’m doing you a favor, really,” Gabriel mused, examining the artifacts of power on his hands. “That damned look of defiance in his eyes...he isn't going to stop hunting you unless we put a stop to him permanently; I’m just giving you and Adrien a chance at a happy life together. One without feline involvement.” 

 

A rustling sound of falling rubble drew Gabriel’s attention back into the ruined remains of his armoire. “Oh, speaking of feline involvement, the stray seems to be back on his feet!” 

 

“Chat, run!” Marinette cried as the shadowed figure of Chat Noir slowly emerged. "Hawkmoth has my Miraculous; you need to get out of here!"

 

“Yes, by all means, run,” Gabriel chuckled. “I’ll give you a ten minute headstart before Mayura…” 

 

Gabriel trailed off, face going pale and mouth hanging open mid word. His smug, victorious smirk vanished as his eyes widened behind his cracked glasses in a look of pure, unadulterated horror. “...no.” 

 

Marinette was almost scared to turn her head; almost scared to see why Gabriel looked so pale. Out of the armoire stumbled a young man with messy blonde hair, clutching his ring finger in pain as he stepped forward, glancing between Gabriel and Marinette with confusion. At first she thought that it was some kind of mistake; that Adrien had been hiding in the armoire for some, unknowable reason when she threw Chat Noir through it. But as absurd as that scenario might have been, it did nothing to erase the look in Adrien’s eyes. 

 

It was defiance; the same look of raw, animalistic defiance she had seen Chat Noir wear so many times.

 

"A...Adrien?" Marinette whispered.  

 

“Dad?” Adrien said, eyes drifting between the blood running off Marinette’s ears and the Miraculous embedded in his father’s hand. "What's...what's going on?" 

 

Adrien...Chat Noir is Adrien.

 

“No...no this can’t be right,” Gabriel muttered, running his hands through his hair. “This...this is a joke...this is...no…this isn’t happening...” 

 

“...Ladybug?” Adrien said, squinting at his girlfriend as though he was trying to see through some kind of illusion. "You're...no...n-no, you can't be...you...you can't be..." 

 

“Adrien…” Marinette whispered, tears streaming down her face as Adrien stepped forward almost hesitantly. “I’m...I’m so sorry...I-I didn’t know it was you…” 

 

Tears brimmed in Adrien's eyes as he slowly turned to look at his father. "You...you..."

 

“Adrien...son, please,” Gabriel said, holding his hands up. “Let me-” 

 

If Marinette had any doubts about Adrien’s identity, the feral snarl of rage that slipped out of Adrien’s mouth as he charged his father left her no doubt. Snow and slush that had fallen in the hole in the roof flew behind him as he ran, lunging at Gabriel with murder in his eyes. 

 

“Give him back !” Adrien spat, swinging wildly as Gabriel raised the hand with the Ladybug attached, conjuring a twisted mass of black and red vines that seized Adrien, dragging him to the ground as he struggled against them. “Give him back you son of a bitch! Give Plagg back to me!” 

 

“Adrien,” Gabriel whispered, kneeling down as Adrien snapped at him, teeth flashing in the moonlight and eyes bloodshot and crazed. “S-Son, please...please listen to me-” 

 

“Shut up!” Adrien howled, scream deafening in the oppressive silence of the mansion around them. “Don’t touch me! Don’t fucking touch me, you monster! You fucking monster, I-” 

 

“Shh...shh, shh, shh, shh, Adrien,” Gabriel shushed feverishly, trembling hands running through his son’s hair. “God...Adrien, I’m sorry...I-I’m so sorry...I-If I had known...if I had just known, I would have-” 

 

“You would have what ?!” Adrien spat, spittle flying from his lips as he struggled to break free of the vines that held him. The ring was so close on his father’s finger; if he could just reach it, he could- 

 

“...please try and understand,” Gabriel said, kissing his son’s forehead. “Please...I’m doing this for us...I’m...I’m doing this because I love you…” 

 

“Don’t say that!” Adrien sobbed. “Don't you dare say that! Not after this...not after everything you did! I...I hate you! I fucking hate you! I hate you and mom’s gonna hate you too! She’s gonna call the fucking cops on you the second you bring her back to life!” 

 

Gabriel simply nodded, standing up with a resigned sigh as he looked down at his son. “...I know.” 

 

Gabriel’s hands thrummed and glowed with a red and black power that melded and blended together into a deep purple light that suffused every inch of his body. In the cold, darkness of the foyer, he was a radiant beacon, awesome in the most literal definition of the word as he floated a few inches off the ground, buoyed by power beyond human comprehension. 

 

“This...oh...this is superb…” Gabriel laughed, eyes going blank with shining purple light. “Oh...oh yes...I can feel it...I can feel all of it!” 

 

Marinette struggled to stand up, fighting against the power that kept her fastened to her chair with every ounce of her will. Gabriel’s voice in her head was growing fainter and fainter as the man himself ascended wreathed in the absolute power that gave birth to the universe. 

 

“Wait...this is…” Gabriel’s rapturous expression of euphoria faltered. “No….no this...this isn’t right...this isn’t-” 

 

A jet of purple energy shot out of his right hand, splintering the tile and calling forth an enormous, writhing red and black vine that burst out of the house, splintering what remained of the walls and stretching high into the night sky. More and more vines stretched out of the floor, breaking through the ceiling and stretching up into the night. A thick, red and black mold spread from the spots where the vines emerged, covering the walls in a thick, musty carpet of wriggling plant life. A swarm of skittering black beetles crawled out from under the rapidly spreading mold, washing over Marinette’s legs as they ran past, growing to freakish and inhuman size as they burst through the window. Flowers blossomed along the vines and thick, heavy, red fruits fell like hailstones around them as they rapidly budded, ripened, and grew. A cloying, sickeningly sweet smell filled the air as Gabriel looked around in confusion.

 

“No!” Gabriel grunted, glaring down at his hand. “This isn’t...this isn’t what I want! Give me my wife back!” 

 

A burbling purple beam of light ripped out of Gabriel’s chest, striking the ground and causing another patch of red and black mold to spread across the ground at Adrien’s feet. 

 

“Yes...yes...give me Emilie back!” Gabriel commanded, clenching his fist as the spot of mold began to bulge as something stirred underneath it. Adrien watched as a pale, thin hand broke through the mold, clawing its way out of the earth and dragging some thing out of the ground.

 

Marinette felt bile rise in her throat as she saw what came out of the mold. The creature looked like Adrien's mother if his mother had been made out of wax and left out in the sun for far too long. Spindly, uneven fingers pulled up a body that was too thin, too gangly, too badly proportioned. Its hair was patchy and thin and fell off its head as it moved, bones cracking in a way that suggested they hadn't been put together properly. 

 

“A...dr...i...e...n…” The creature said through a twisted and half-formed mouth that was almost like the voice of his mother. Adrien struggled to get away from it, fighting against his restraints with a look of terror as it reached out a hand, tenderly stroking Adrien's face. 

 

“No!” Gabriel howled, shooting a piercing beam of black energy from his left hand, evaporating the creature in a cloud of black dust. “This... ah!... this isn’t what I want!” 

 

A terrified tremble had crept its way into Gabriel’s voice as his form shimmered and shifted, crashing back to earth as his glowing, purple outline seemed to be vibrating. 

 

“This isn’t what I want!” Gabriel cried, grabbing at the Miraculous that radiated pure, perfect light from his hands. “This isn’t what I-” 

 

The sound of shattering glass filled the room as the world broke around Gabriel Agreste. His figure instantly shattered into a billion motes of purple light, knocking both Marinette and Adrien over as the vines and the compulsion that held them down evaporated. A final, pained scream echoed throughout the house, then died, leaving them both lying in perfect silence, save for the pained, feeble sobs coming from Adrien. 

 

Snow tumbled through the gaping hole in the side of the Agreste manor, landing on the smoking piles of shattered wood and mangled carpet. The smell of charred ozone mingled in the air with hundreds of aimless akuma, flitting here and there without their master to guide them. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of sirens made their way to the shattered remnants of Adrien’s house, but Marinette was numb to everything save for the look of utter bewilderment, betrayal, and contempt on Adrien’s face

 

“...why?” Adrien mouthed, tears spilling out of the corners of his eyes and tracing trails down his soot covered cheeks. With torn clothing, mussed hair, and an ugly gash bleeding through his turtleneck, he looked only a tiny bit as bad as Marinette felt.

 

“I...I didn’t know,” Marinette croaked, dragging herself across the floor and towards her partner. “I didn’t know, I promise, I swear, I was only trying to-”

 

Adrien’s arm jerked away from her touch as she reached out for him, hauling himself to his feet and leaning on the wall for support. 

 

“Trying to what ?” Adrien murmured, shaking his head. “Trying to help?! My father...he was my father and you didn’t tell me?!”

 

“I didn’t know it was you!” Marinette insisted, rising with a wince to stand level with him. “If I had known, I-”

 

“What difference would it have made?!” Adrien spat, face crinkling as he stared at the blackened crater where Hawkmoth had stood only a few moments before. “I told you this would happen...I told you and you didn’t trust me!”

 

Marinette’s head swam as the sum of her nightmares seemed to rise around her with the smoke. Her ears dripped droplets of red in the snow, naked for the first time since she was fourteen years old. Adrien cradled his hand to his chest, an angry red welt the only sign a ring had ever been on his finger.

 

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said feebly. “I know that doesn’t even begin to help, but I swear, I’m so, so…”

 

Marinette trailed off, staring at the floor where Hawkmoth disappeared.

 

“We can still fix this!”  Marinette said, a manic edge creeping into her voice. “I-I can get my team—our team—and we can figure out what h-happened, right? We can still find them...w-we can get them back, right Adrien?”

 

She took a hesitant step towards him, ignoring the dull, throbbing pain in her ears as she watched his back, silently pleading for him to turn around and just look at her. 

 

When he did, Marinette suddenly wished he hadn't.

 

“We?” Adrien echoed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand before finally meeting her gaze with a look of anger and disappointment cold as the snow that piled around her ankles. “What makes you think there’s a we anymore?”

Notes:

A lot has changed in writing this story. Luka and Kagami weren't always gonna be involved; some drafts had Queen Bee and Carapace siding with Chat Noir vs Rena Rouge, Ladybug, and Hawkmoth. STIGMA wasn't always going to be involved and Mayor Andre wasn't always gonna vilify Chat Noir. But for all that's changed in writing this story, one thing has remained constant from Day 1.

Chat Noir was always going to lose this fight.

He was always going to get outplayed by Ladybug here for a lot of reasons, but a big one is that Ladybug makes her bones beating stronger enemies with clever battle strategies. He got outfought and that's gonna be important for how this character develops going forward.

I understand some people might be upset by this but that's how it was always supposed to be.

At any rate, we're almost through the most emotionally wrought chapters in this entire series. Make it through another 10k words or so and it's aaaaaaaaaaaaaall uphill from there. In the meantime, please read (and review) these fluff fic recs sent in by readers.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18672334/chapters/44281456
https://archiveofourown.org/works/6016534
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18952711/chapters/45000097

Chapter 37: Reach Heaven by Violence

Summary:

Once, there was a maiden…
….who struck an iron wall until it shattered her hand.
She did not stop, though cracks spread through her bones.
She did not stop, though blood sprayed her eyes.
She did not stop until she shattered the wall.
“Survival is fury,” she said.

-Scripture of the One Handed Maiden, from Manual of Exalted Power, Infernals by by Alan Alexander, Carl Bowen, and Michael A. Goodwin

Notes:

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This chapter contains a brutal, one-sided, no-holds-barred beating between a much more powerful adversary and someone who can’t meaningfully fight back.

If this kind of thing disturbs you, please skip from the section that begins with “You know...in a sick way...” and resume “The final, spear-wielding knight...” Please see the end notes for a full summary of the scene.

“Adrien...please talk to me.” 

 

Adrien broke away from looking at the scorched patch of carpet where his father had evaporated only a few moments before. The hurt, pleading look in Marinette’s eyes would have been enough to break his heart if she hadn’t already shattered it. His partner...his friend. The girl he had imagined a bright, loving future with had spent nearly three months tracking him down. She had turned an entire city against him, jeopardized the safety of his friends and family, and actively ripped the ring off his finger to hand over to Hawkmoth. 

 

“What...what do you want me to say, Marinette?!” Adrien said, shaking his head. “What could I possibly say right now to make any of this better?!” 

 

“I know,” Marinette said, reaching for his hand as he twisted out of her grasp. “I made a mistake...I fucked up. I made a mistake; I-I thought I could work with Hawkmoth and end this fight without you losing your family-” 

 

“Well, great job, honey!” Adrien said, gesturing to the spot where his father exploded. “Congratulations! Mission a- fucking -ccomplished! Although, can’t give you all the credit because my father was fucking lunatic and you decided not to tell me!” 

 

“I didn’t want you to find out!” Marinette sobbed. “I never...I never wanted you to know!” 

 

“Oh, so you were never planning on telling me that my father was a fucking monster?!” Adrien spat. “You were just gonna let me live my whole life not knowing that I’m a descendant of the worst thing to happen to Paris since the fucking Nazi occupation?!  You were just planning on lying to me for the rest of our lives together?!"   

 

The soft, sweet, kind expression that Marinette had fallen in love with was gone, replaced by a twisted mask of grief and rage as Adrien paced back and forth in the foyer. “H-He didn’t want me to tell you-” 

 

“Great !” Adrien shouted, clapping his hands. “Super! Yes, let’s just do what Hawkmoth tells us to without questioning it for a second ! Brilliant!” 

 

“When was I supposed to tell you that your father was a monster?!” Marinette cried. “How was I supposed to do that to you?!” 

 

“Well, shit, Marinette, you could have figured it out!” Adrien shouted, jabbing his finger at her. “And if you had, we wouldn’t be having this fucking conversation, would we?! Nooooooooo! This whole fucking war could have been avoided if you had just told me the fucking truth!” 

 

“I was...I was trying to protect you…” Marinette sobbed, pressing her palms against the sides of her head. 

 

“Did I ask?!” Adrien howled, chest heaving with every ragged breath. “Did I ask you to protect me?! Did you ever once think of asking me what I thought of this?! Or did you just decide that you knew what was best for me?!”  

 

“I didn’t want you to have to put your father in prison-” 

 

“No, you tried to put me in prison instead!” Adrien said, holding up the hand that used to have his ring on it. “Your partner of four fucking years! Was it worth it, Ladybug?! Was it fucking worth it?!” 

 

“No!” Marinette cried emphatically, taking Adrien’s by the wrists. “No, Adrien, it wasn’t worth it! Not at all! It was a huge, horrible mistake and I’m sorry! I’m so...so...sorry.” 

 

“You’re not sorry,” Adrien laughed bitterly, shaking his head as tears streamed from his eyes. “You’re just sorry that it was me.”

 

“I am!” Marinette cried, gripping Adrien’s hands as though he would slip out of her grasp forever if she let go. “I am so, sorry that I put you through this! I thought...I-I thought I had the upper hand, but this was...this was his plan the whole time! He knew he couldn’t beat us together so he pulled us apart! And he couldn’t have done it without me! And I am so... so sorry that I didn’t trust you...but we can still fix this if we work together!” 

 

“How?” Adrien asked. “What’s the plan, Marinette?! My father blew himself up trying to get my mother back, our kwami are gone, and as far as I know, we are totally on our fucking own! So what’s the plan?!” 

 

“I…” Marinette trailed off, head pounding in pain as she scrambled for something she could build off of. “I-I don’t know, but-” 

 

“You don’t know ?!” Adrien echoed. “You...you don’t know?!” 

 

“I-If we...if Master He...if I…” Marinette babbled, searching for some kind of hook to hang on to; some minor detail that might give them the edge enough to rescue their kwami. But nothing seemed to come; every scheme she thought of, every plan that came to mind was shut down in the face of the unmistakable fact that she had handed her power over to her arch enemy and there was nothing she could do to get it back. 

 

“Well?” Adrien demanded, grabbing Marinette by the shoulders. “What’s the plan, Marinette?!” 

 

“I don’t know…” Marinette muttered, shaking her head. 

 

“Don’t give me that !” Adrien hissed. “My father is dead ; Plagg is gone , so what’s the plan, Marinette!” 

 

“I don’t know, Adrien!” Marinette sobbed, fighting against the wave of panic and despair that bubbled up around her. 

 

“No, you led us here; you gave him my ring! You get us out of this!” 

 

“He made me!” Marinette said, grabbing on to Adrien’s shirt. “I didn’t want to; I didn’t want to-” 

 

“Did he make you turn on me too?!” Adrien sobbed, shaking Marinette by the shoulders. “Did he make you lie to me?!” 

 

“I...I don’t know,” Marinette said, eyes screwed shut. “I...I don’t-” 

 

A blue and black blur streaked across the foyer, nearly knocking Marinette to the floor as a gloved hand grabbed Adrien by the throat, breaking his grip on Marinette’s sleeves and hoisting him up off the ground. Adrien let out a pained choking sound, clawing at the hand around his windpipe as he stared down at four blinking purple eyes. 

 

“You’re upsetting her,” Mayura snarled, thumb pressing into Adrien’s neck as he fought for air. 

 

“Luka!” Marinette cried, tugging at Mayura’s arm. “Luka please let him go!” 

 

“Lu...ka?” Adrien coughed, gasping as Mayura tossed him to the ground. He skid a few feet, head bouncing off the balcony as Mayura raised a hand to Marinette’s ears. 

 

“What...what happened to you?” Marinette whispered, fighting the wave of rising terror and revulsion as Mayura’s four blinking purple eyes stared down at her from the bumpy butterfly mask that clung to his face. 

 

“You’re... hurt ,” Mayura said, brushing her hair out of her face. “Did...did he-” 

 

“Nonononono!” Marinette said, grabbing at Mayura’s hands as a tall, spear wielding knight rose out of the floor, leveling the tip of his spear at Adrien’s chest. “Luka, please...I can explain...

w-we need to work together...we need to get our Miraculous back…” 

 

“Your …Miraculous?” Mayura’s eyes focused on the cold, angry glare of defiance on Adrien’s face. “You mean...he’s-” 

 

“So much for keeping secrets, huh?!” Adrien spat, head jerking to one side as the knight lashed out, smashing the butt of its staff into Adrien’s nose. Marinette let out a shriek as a sickening crunch filled the foyer as Adrien fell back, holding his nose in pain. 

 

“Leave him alone!” Marinette cried, tugging at Mayura’s arm. “Luka...please...Luka look at me. Look at me!”

 

Mayura wrenched his eyes away from Adrien’s pained expression, softening as Marinette cupped the sides of his face. “I know this is confusing...and whatever’s going on with you, w-we’ll get you some help-” 

 

“I don’t need help, Marinette,” Mayura said in an almost soft tone of voice. “Don’t you see? I’m stronger now...I’m so much stronger than I was before. Strong enough to stand beside you...strong enough to make your dreams come true...and strong enough to destroy anyone who causes you a moment of distress.” 

 

“What?” Marinette felt a heavy metal hand gently rest on her shoulder as a tall, sword-wielding knight materialized behind her. Adrien pushed himself to his feet, blood trickling down his broken nose as he warily glanced between Mayura and the door. 

 

“You don’t need to be here for this,” Mayura said, nodding at his knight that began to gently but firmly guide her towards the door. 

 

“W-Wait, Luka, what are you going to do?!” Marinette asked, struggling in the knight’s grip. “Please, please, please don’t hurt him-” 

 

“He upset you, Marinette,” Mayura said, cracking his neck. “He disobeyed you; he failed to treat you as the pure, perfect creature that you are...and anyone who does that needs to be eliminated." 

 

“No!” Marinette cried, squirming with all her strength as the knight picked her up and started carrying her towards the door. “No, Luka, please, leave him alone! This is my fault! This is all my fault-” 

 

“Nothing is your fault, Marinette,” Mayura said in an almost affectionate tone of voice. Mayura cupped Marinette’s face, thumb wiping a tear away. “You're the most extraordinary girl, Marinette...as clear as a musical note...and as sincere as a melody.” 

 

“Luka, please,” Marinette sobbed. “Please, don’t do this...this isn’t what I wanted...this isn’t what I wanted…” 

 

“You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the first day we met,” Mayura said, turning around as Adrien backed up against the wall. “And anything that interrupts that music even for a second...needs to be silenced.” 

 

“No!” Marinette screamed, kicking helplessly against the knight’s uncaring metal hull as it dragged her away. “Don't hurt him! Please...please you can't...Adrien, run ! Get out of here! Leave-” 

 

Mayura closed the tall, imposing doors behind Marinette, turning and fixing Adrien with a frigid look of contempt. 

 

“You know...in a sick way, I’m almost glad that the legendary traitor is M. Perfect himself,” Mayura said, cracking his fingers as he dispelled his spear knight. “Maybe now she’ll see you for the stuffed shirt you really are.” 

 

“Better a stuffed shirt than whatever the fuck you’re wearing,” Adrien said, clearing the blood from his nose as Mayura let out a hollow chuckle. 

 

“I would tell you not to resist...to just quietly accept your punishment for stepping out of line,” Mayura said, crouching down in front of Adrien. “But...well, I think we both know you’re too stupid to know when you’re beat.” 

 

“But since you look like you’re having a bad night,” Mayura chuckled, tapping his cheek with his index finger. “I’ll let you have the first hit for. That’s what heroes do after all-” 

 

Mayura’s face barely budged as Adrien’s fist slammed into it, head tilting to one side as he blinked in surprise. “...huh. You know...I don’t know why...but I actually thought that would hurt.” 

 

Mayura’s head snapped the other way as Adrien’s fist slammed into the other side of his head, blinking owlishly as Adrien flexed his fingers. 

 

“Come on!” Adrien spat, shaking his throbbing hand. “I got a lot of pent up daddy issues and no daddy left to take them out on-” 

 

Adrien’s vision swam as Mayura’s hand slammed into the side of his head, spinning him around and sending him skidding across the broken foyer into the wall with a crunch . 

 

“For such a well-off kid, you got some pretty shitty manners,” Mayura crowed, meandering his way across the room as Adrien struggled to his feet, slipping on a slick patch of slush as he hauled himself up using the wall for support. Blood dripped into the pale snow at his feet as he cleared his nose, touching it with a wince as a sickening jolt of pain pulsed through his face.  “It’s rude to interrupt people when they’re trying to talk.” 

 

“Say something worth listening to and maybe I’ll-” Adrien’s head bounced off the wall as Mayura’s fist collided with it. His vision swam as he feebly lashed out, kicking at Mayura who caught his leg with one hand. 

 

“You know...I would say this isn’t personal, Adrikins ,” Mayura chuckled, driving his heel into Adrien’s shin and sending Adrien tumbling to the ground with a cry of pain. “But it kiiiiiiiiiinda is.” 

 

Adrien winced as pain throbbed up his leg, crawling across the floor towards a broken piece of metal as Mayura lazily paced around him, unconcerned with the fact that he seemed to be going for a weapon. 

 

“I mean...not every day you get to bring Paris’ Golden Boy back down to Earth with the rest of us puny mortals, is it?” Mayura asked, watching Adrien grab for the fire poker, using it to push himself up off the ground. “Not a great feeling, is it? Being reminded that you’re just not good enough to cut it-” 

 

Adrien snarled desperately, swinging the poker and bending it on Mayura’s head as he just laughed, rubbing the spot where Adrien had struck him. 

 

“You still got some spunk in you, don’t you?!” Mayura crowed, slamming his fist into Adrien’s stomach hard enough to lift him about a foot off the ground with another sickening crunch that seemed deafening in the small, silent foyer. Adrien’s cry of pain was cut short as the air was forced from his lungs in one, pained gasp, tumbling back on to the ground as he clutched his broken ribs. 

 

“Come on...what was that shit you said a while back?” Mayura asked, leaning down to Adrien’s eye level. “That “even without your ring, you were always gonna be Chat Noir?”

 

Adrien lunged for Mayura’s mask, hand stopped inches from the twitching butterfly as Mayura’s fingers wrapped around his wrist. 

 

“Well, I don’t see a ring,” Mayura chuckled, grabbing Adrien’s ring finger and bending it backwards. “But you’re still Chat Noir, aren’t you?” 

 

Adrien kicked feebly at Mayura’s leg as he wrenched his finger backwards with one, sickening crack that finally drew the scream Mayura had been looking for all night out of Adrien’s mouth as Mayura kicked him back, sending him tumbling across the ground and landing in a crumpled heap. 

 

“Come on, Chat Noir!” Mayura goaded, spreading his arms wide. “Where’s that fighting spirit?! Where’s that plucky, can-do attitude?!”

 

The pain in Adrien’s hand and stomach were blinding as he struggled to sit up, cradling his bruised finger against his chest as Mayura loomed over him, his savage, shit-eating grin the only human thing visible. 

 

“I’m starting to think that, unlike Ladybug, the only thing miraculous about you was your ring,” Mayura said, driving his boot down hard on Adrien’s injured hand and grinding his heel against his broken finger as Adrien struggled to pull it off. “Without your money...without your daddy...without those supermodel good looks, there’s nothing all that remarkable about you, is there?” 

 

“Projecting...much?” Adrien coughed, snow flecked with scarlet as Mayura’s cocky sneer dissolved. “Tell me, Luka ...if you’re that special, why did it take Marinette four years to trust you with a Miraculous?”

 

Mayura grabbed Adrien’s hair, dragging him up off the floor. “At least she trusted me; she never even gave you the chance to join her! She might be sweet on you, but she never thought of you as her equal!” 

 

“You think she thinks that way about you?” Adrien muttered. “She didn’t pick you because you were her ‘equal’...she picked you because she knew she could use you...that you would never say no to her, no matter what she did to-” 

 

Adrien’s vision swam as Mayura’s fist drove into his head knocking him to the concrete floor. A few molars rolled out of his mouth as his jaw throbbed in pain as a single, bleak thought echoed in Adrien’s mind. 

 

I’m going to die here.  

 

“Shut up! ” Mayura hissed, grabbing Adrien by the lapels of his shirt. “What the hell do you know about her?! You who had her fawning over you for four years and never gave her the time of day!” 

 

“Guess friendship isn’t worth that much to you, huh?” Adrien chuckled, spitting blood into Mayura’s eye. 

 

Adrien’s head bounced off the ground as Mayura punched him again. “You never fucking appreciated her!” Mayura snapped, shaking Adrien by the scruff of his shirt. “Not like me...not like I do! She doesn’t deserve to be someone’s third- ” 

 

Adrien’s lip split as Mayura’s fist slammed into it. 

 

“- fucking -” A molar popped out of his mouth as Mayura hit the other side. 

 

“- choice!” Mayura roared, slamming Adrien headfirst into the cold, grey concrete. “I... I would have never questioned her like you! I would have never disagreed with her like you! I would have dedicated my whole life to her! I’m not some Johnny Come Lately who decided to give her a chance after my last relationship ended!” 

 

“You know...I’ve always found second loves to be pretty romantic,” Adrien coughed, touching his split lip with a wince as Mayura grabbed his hair, wrenching his head back to look up at him. 

 

“The only thing you ever had going for you was that pretty face of yours,” Mayura sneered, watching Adrien smile up at him, mouth full of broken teeth and blood running down from a cut on his lip. “Look at you...not so fucking pretty now, are you?!”

 

“I...still...got you beat, Butterfly Face,” Adrien chuckled weakly, feebly slapping at Mayura hands as they wound their way around his throat, thumbs pressing just hard enough against his windpipe to make breathing hard. 

 

“How...how do you still got that look in your eye…” Mayura muttered, gripping Adrien’s throat until a pained squeak slipped out. “You’re still looking at me like you’re better than me; like you’ve always looked at me!” 

 

Adrien’s head bounced off the broken tile as Mayura chucked him to the ground, biting down on his lower lip as Mayura’s boot rammed into his stomach again. 

 

“What gives you the right to look like that?!” Mayura panted, gesturing at the wreckage of his life around him. “You got no family, no power, no girlfriend...you’re nothing ! Nothing !” 

 

“And still...more...than you…” Adrien spat, slowly struggling into a kneeling position. 

 

The part of his brain not currently screaming in pain wondered if he shouldn’t be more worried about his impending death at the hands of a crazed akuma. The dull, inevitable reality of the matter registered...but didn’t exactly terrify him as much as it probably should. Even as Mayura roared in feral anger, even as he felt something in his head crack as Mayura bludgeoned him again and again and again with a kind of unhinged fury, even as sight left his left eye like a curtain of pure, perfect darkness being drawn over his vision. 

 

He was waiting to be afraid; waiting for the fear of his own death to take him. But he felt calm, even as he felt Mayura's hands close around his throat. He felt calm as he felt his life being slowly squeezed out of him, even as he felt a cold, familiar embrace wrap around him like a shroud. 

---

 The final, spear-wielding knight stumbled through the door, feebly clutching at the orange flute embedded in its chest before teetering over, collapsing in an inanimate pile of rubble as Rena Rouge and Queen Bee leaned against each others’ backs, surveying the heap of broken knights that surrounded them. 

 

“You know…” Queen Bee panted, wiping her brow. “I almost wish I had one more to beat on.” 

 

“Once you get the rhythm, it’s not so bad, is it” Rena Rouge said, tugging her flute out of her fallen knight as the ground rumbled beneath their feet. The dead plants that lined the walkway leading up to the glass cylinder bloomed, snaking and growing as they wrapped themselves around Emilie's clear glass casket. Her peaceful, sleeping expression never faltered as a thick, red and black tree trunk wound its way around her like a tree-trunk. The broken knights were devoured by a thick, vibrant layer of plant matter, disappearing under a tangle of sharp thorny vines and large, strangely colored flowers. The trunk that surrounded Emilie grew up through the ceiling that stretched high overhead. 

 

"Do we need to do something about that, or-" The elevator dinged at the far end of the hall, interrupting Rena Rouge's train of thought. Raising her weapon, she watched another spear wielding knight step out, carrying a wriggling, squirming figure in its arms that looked oddly like-

 

“Marinette?!” Rena Rouge said, head tilting to one side. 

 

“Adrien!” Marinette screamed, hands thundering on the knight’s empty chest. “Let me go! Let me go, let me go, let me-” 

 

A black and yellow blur flipped overhead, knocking the knight’s head off as Rena Rouge lunged at its legs. Marinette tumbled through the air for a moment, but Queen Bee managed to snatch Marinette before she could hit the ground. 

 

“You picked a shitty time for a booty call,” Queen Bee said, lowering Marinette to the ground as Rena Rouge made quick work of the last knight, embedding the flute in its breast plate as she rode it to the floor. “What the hell are you doing here?!” 

 

“Adrien... Adrien !” Marinette said, eyes bloodshot and tear-stained but lighting up as she saw them. “W-We need to go help Adrien! Mayura...he...Luka…” 

 

“Shhshhshh, breathe, girl,” Rena Rouge said, rubbing Marinette’s back as her breath came in short, pained spurts. She looked beyond distraught; like her life was crumbing around her and there was nothing to do but claw at the pieces as they fell. “What’s going on?!” 

 

“Mayura...he’s gonna kill Adrien…” Marinette sobbed, clutching at Rena Rouge’s arms.

 

The color drained from Queen Bee's face. "What?!" 

 

“Please...he’s...he’s gonna kill....my fault...my fault....help, please, help!” 

 

“The fuck he is!” Queen Bee snarled, turning and storming towards the elevator. 

 

“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down; why would Mayura turn on Adrien?” Rena Rouge asked. “What did he ever do to-” 

 

“Who cares?! Let’s go !” Queen Bee said, wrenching the elevator door open. 

 

“Please...Alya, we have to go! We have to help him!” Marinette begged, dragging Rena Rouge towards the elevator. “I’ll explain later...please, we have to go!” 

 

“Okay...yeah you can fill me in when we-” Rena Rouge slipped out of Marinette’s grip as a thought struck her like a falling icicle; cold, sudden, and painful. 

 

“Hey…” Rena Rouge said, head tilting to one side. “When...when did I tell you I was Alya?” 

 

Marinette turned back, and Rena Rouge noticed the two bloody holes in her ears where her earrings usually sat as a long, painfully silent moment drifted between them. 

 

“Who...who told you I was Alya?” Rena Rouge asked, a quaver creeping into her voice as Marinette shook her head helplessly. 

 

“Why the hell does it matter ?!” Queen Bee huffed, head snapping up the elevator shaft as she heard a scream echo somewhere overhead. “So what ?!” 

 

“Alya...I’m so sorry…” Marinette whispered. 

 

“No ,” Rena Rouge mouthed, shaking her head. “No, you're...you're...”  

 

“Alya, please-” Rena Rouge stepped back as Marinette reached out for her shaking her head and looking at her the same way she had looked at Ladybug when she had asked for her help earlier. “I-I need your help...we can fix this together, but we-” 

 

“Oh...my... god,” Queen Bee breathed, eyes going wide as the other shoe dropped. “You are absolutely shitting me right now!” 

 

“You knew…” Rena Rouge said in a small, quiet voice that barely registered in the stony mausoleum. “This whole time...you lied to me...to me …” 

 

“Ladybug?!” Queen Bee accused. “You’re... you are-” 

 

“I know!” Marinette wailed, tugging at her hair. “I know, I know, I know, and I am so, so-” 

 

“Don’t tell me you’re sorry!” Rena Rouge howled, eyes wide, livid, and brimming with tears. “You lied to me! I...I lied for you! You...you knew it was me the whole time and you and you looked me in the eye-” 

 

“Alya, please-” 

 

“-and lied to me!” Rena Rouge spat, fury draining from her voice like air from a balloon. She was wreathed in celestial power; a physical goddess with unrivaled power over illusions and somehow this was what had hurt her. 

 

“Hey,” Queen Bee said, brushing past Marinette and grabbing Rena Rouge by the arm. “Hey...listen to me...Alya... Rena Rouge.” 

 

Rena Rouge broke eye contact with Marinette, turning her gaze to Queen Bee’s firm, steady gaze. “I know you’re hurt...I know she let you down and I promise you, the second we rescue Adrien I’m going to punt her like a football into the Seine…” 

 

Queen Bee grabbed cupped the sides of Rena Rouge’s head, forcing her to stop looking past her. “But right now...my best friend is in danger...and I need your help to save him.” 

 

Rena Rouge’s watery eyes bounced between Marinette and Queen Bee for a moment, focusing as she nodded. “Okay...okay...Marinette, you-” 

 

Rena Rouge trailed off with a sigh as she shook her head, brushing past Marinette on the way to the elevator. “You wait here.” 

 

“No, no, I-I can help!” Marinette insisted, grabbing for Rena Rouge’s arm as she twisted away, jerking out of Marinette’s grasp as Queen Bee summoned the elevator. “Please, let me-” 

 

“Help?!” Rena Rouge spat, whipping around. “Help?! H-How are you going to help?!” 

 

“Mayura...Luka...h-he’s obsessed with me,” Marinette said, running her hand through her hair. “I-I can try and reason with him; I can-” 

 

“You can be an enormous liability while we try and save Adrien’s life!” Rena Rouge spat, tugging the steel cage of the elevator open. “Yeah, top-notch plan; while we’re at it, let’s cover ourselves in chicken and dance into a tiger cage!” 

 

“No, trust me, I-I’ll think of something!” Marinette pleaded, clinging on to Rena Rouge’s arm. “I-I just need some time to think! I can think of something! I swear , just let me fix this! I need...I need to fix this!” 

 

Rena Rouge didn’t know who Marinette was trying to convince, but it didn’t seem to be working. Her wide, bloodshot eyes glanced this way and that, never landing on anything too long as she seemed to be frantically searching the room for an answer that didn’t seem to come. Nothing lit up; there was no instantly apparent solution that would solve everything. Adrien was going to die and she had no way of rescuing him. The sight of her best-friend, completely heartbroken and reaching out to her for comfort drove a spike through the beating heart of Alya Cesaire, right next to the spike Ladybug had planted there months ago. 

 

“You can’t,” Rena Rouge said, shaking her head as she twisted out of Marinette’s grasp. “Stay here.” 

 

“No, Alya-” 

 

“You are not Ladybug anymore!” Rena Rouge snapped, causing Marinette to falter as she reached out for Rena Rouge’s hand. "You can't-" 

 

"Oh my god, we don't have time for this!" Queen Bee snapped, grabbing Marinette under the arm and steering her towards the elevator. "Come or don't; help or don't. I don't care! One of the three people I genuinely love is going to die unless we do something!" 

---

 “Everybody okay?!” 

 

The people Carapace passed in the lobby of Le Grand Paris nodded and called out to him as he passed. Dim, handheld flashlights and lanterns provided sporadic lighting that cast grim shadows on the faces of the staff and civilians that huddled around them. 

 

“Good of you to join us!” Carapace turned to see Prefect Raincomprix waving him down, flanked by a pair of police officers. “I was beginning to wonder if we would have to do this one ourselves.” 

 

“I like you guys too much to let you do any actual work,” Carapace chuckled. “I’ve, uh...been out of it for a while. The akuma; did we-” 

 

“Chat Noir managed to defeat it,” Prefect Raincomprix said, scratching the back of his head. “He and Ladybug fought, but...we haven’t seen them in a while.” 

 

 Carapace nodded, shooting a glance at the small cadre of police officers surrounding Capt. Van der Meer and what remained of Stigma’s leadership. “You guys finally ditching the rent-a-cops?” 

 

“Prime Minister’s orders,” Prefect Raincomprix said with no small amount of smug satisfaction. "American embassy is going to pick them up when this all calms down." 

 

“Bout damn time,” Carapace said, glancing out the window at the large, snaking black and red vines that covered the buildings across the street. “Bit early to pop champagne though…” 

 

“To put it mildly,” Prefect Raincomprix sighed, scratching the back of his head. “I sent a squad out to check on Gabriel Agreste’s place, but haven’t heard back from them yet…” 

 

“Why Adrien’s...place?” Carapace trailed off, following the twisting, knotty plant-life as it wound its way towards a tall, red and black tree that grew out of the top of the Agreste family manor. 

 

“That’s new…” Carapace said, shaking his head as he brought up his communicator. “Alright...I’ll go see if I can touch base with your team. I’ll signal if they need backup; if not, I’m moving into Adrien’s house. Whatever crapstorm has infested the city has its roots there...no, uh...pun intended.” 

 

“We’ll hold the fort here,” Prefect Raincomprix said with a crisp salute. “Whatever Mayor Andre says about you and Rena Rouge, some of us haven’t forgotten who’s always had this city’s back.” 

 

Y’all forgot Chat pretty quickly, Carapace thought, offering a wave in return as he headed down the street, breaking into a jog as he made his way towards the towering tree in the distance. Guess we did too...I just hope Adrien isn’t home…

 

Carapace's communicator buzzed as Rena Rouge's tear-stained face appeared on screen. 

 

"Hey...you need to come to Adrien's house," Rena Rouge sniffed as the muffled sounds of sobbing came from just off camera. "He's in serious danger...and we need your help to save him." 

---

The smell of harsh chemicals filled Adrien's nostrils as his eyes slowly opened, wincing as he took in the sight of a pure, perfectly square room made of immaculately clean white tile. He sat up as much as he could, wincing as his broken body refused to cooperate. Dull, throbbing pain filled him as he glanced around, fighting off a headache as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. 

 

Am I...dead? Adrien thought, even as the pain in his head reminded him that ghosts probably didn't feel their broken ribs with every pained breath. Ghosts probably didn't get a headache from the smell of bleach. Ghosts didn't hurt in the numerous ways Adrien hurt, lying on the cold tile floor. 

 

You need to get up. 

 

A strangled cry of surprise rasped out of Adrien's mouth as he glanced around, looking for the sound of the soft, echoing voice that filled his mind. 

 

"H...Hello?" Adrien rasped, voice barely audible as the room seemed to suck the sound out of the air around him. "Is...Is someone there?" 

 

Adrien, you need to get up now. 

 

And do what? Adrien thought bitterly. 

 

Never mind  that; you need get up. 

 

Adrien nearly fell over as the mental voice seemed to answer his own thoughts, snaking into his mind as he looked down at his tattered, bloody clothes with a small wince. 

 

"I can't..." Adrien muttered. 

 

That doesn't matter; you need to get up.

 

"It...it hurts..." Adrien whimpered. 

 

I know. But still...you cannot stay here. You have to get up. 

 

I don't have anything to get up for! Adrien thought angrily, tears spilling out of his eyes as he huddled around his broken ribs, his soft, tired sobs dying almost as soon as they left his lips. I have nothing anymore! No family...no partner...nothing.

 

I know. 

 

So why should I get up?! Adrien thought, cradling his hand to his chest. I couldn't save my friend...I couldn't protect Plagg.

 

I know. 

 

I couldn't stop my father...

 

I know. 

 

I couldn't even protect myself...

 

I know. 

 

I can't do anything...I can't do anything at all...

 

Not true.

 

What am I supposed to do?!

 

What you have always done.

 

Adrien tilted his head over his shoulder to see a lanky, scruffy haired Chat Noir that sat cross-legged on the floor a few yards away from where he lay. A pair of black, featureless eyes looked down at him with an almost bored expression, as though he was waiting for Adrien to exhaust himself. 

 

You can get up. 

 

"P...Plagg?" Adrien mumbled, reaching out for Chat Noir as he unfolded himself and held out a hand for Adrien to take. 

 

Chat Noir...you need to get back up.

---

 Mayura stared down at Adrien’s cold, broken body, breathing hard as a weak grin slowly spread across his face. 

 

“Finally... finally!” Mayura giggled. “He’s gone...he’s finally gone!” 

 

His triumphant, manic glee echoed in the empty house, reverberating back at him. 

 

“No more M. Sunshine!” Mayura cackled, tears streaming out of his eyes. “No more smug, spoiled, selfish, bratty little Adrien! No more supermodel outshining me at every turn!” 

 

Mayura’s laughter faded into tired, pained breathing punctuated by a few, feeble sniffles. 

 

“There was nothing special about him…” Mayura mumbled as he turned to leave. “He didn’t deserve to be a hero.” 

 

“It’s not...about what you deserve…”

 

Mayura whipped around to see Adrien’s eyes slowly opening, a faint glowing green light seeping from beneath his swollen eyelids. “What? How...how are you still-" 

 

“It’s not about deserving power...” Adrien spat, slowly, painfully, pushing himself back up. “It’s about what you choose to do with the power you have…” 

 

“What power ?!” Mayura spat, drawing a quill as Adrien pushed himself to his feet. “You don’t have your Miraculous anymore! What the hell can you do?!”

 

"What I've always done..." Adrien spat, blood trickling out of his mouth as a faint emerald light poured off Adrien's body, casting strange and unnatural shadows on the ground in front of him. "My father...has never created an akuma capable of keeping me down...and you are not going to be the first." 

 

Mayura lunged with a roar, swinging his bladed fan at Adrien's head. The blade stopped inches from Adrien's cheek as a phantom force pressed on Mayura's wrist, the emerald light crystallizing into two glowing, translucent arms that hovered over Adrien's shoulders. One hand wrapped around his wrist as another cocked back, claw balling into a fist.

 

“That’s...that’s…” Mayura choked, flinching as the phantasmal arm struck him full in the face, sending him tumbling backwards across the foyer. 

 

"You wanted Chat Noir?" Adrien coughed, staggering towards Mayura with slow, pained steps. "You got him..." 

 

“H-How are you doing this?!” Mayura demanded, unfurling his fans and shielding his eyes from the painfully bright light pouring out of Adrien's eyes. “Y-Your ring is gone ...how are you doing this?!” 

 

“I...told you...” Adrien coughed, blood glowing a shimmering, otherworldly green as it trickled out of his mouth. “I...will...always ...talk...shit!” 

 

Adrien raised his right arm and the spectral hands behind him raised in unison, clenching into fists that thrummed with otherworldly power. He lashed out, phantom fists slamming hard into Mayura’s face and sending him staggering back into the wall with force that shook the house. To the akuma’s surprise, a dull, throbbing pain radiated through his face as he tumbled backwards.

 

“You can’t...you can’t …” Mayura muttered, grabbing at his head as a loud, musical ringing echoed in the back of his mind. “Ngh...no, shut up ! I am in control here! You...you will not-” 

 

“And I...will always... be Chat Noir!” Adrien howled, voice thrumming with otherworldly power, arms glowing with crackling green energy as his human arm drove forward. Mayura raised his fan to defend himself, unfurling it with a flick of his wrist as Adrien's arm ignited in a burst of green fire. A burning, glowing green punch crashed through the impenetrable steel fan, shredding it into a thousand pieces and refusing to stop as it slammed into Mayura's head with an explosive burst of flame.

 

Adrien's fingers broke, skin blistering and burning as the flames engulfed his arm. Mayura howled in agony as the flames crept up his butterfly mask. Mayura slammed into the wall, sending cracks running up the foundation as Adrien struck again and again, burning arm breaking and bending until the wall caved in and Mayura was sent tumbling through the wall separating the foyer from the courtyard. Green flame crept up the walls as Adrien breathed hard, numb to the broken, useless arm hanging by his side. 

 

“Always…” Adrien said, taking one step forward before falling face first into the floor, motionless even as Mayura stared wide-eyed and terrified. The green light and glowing arms vanished, and the blood that trickled out of Adrien's mouth returned to a deep crimson color. 

 

"You...you can't hurt me," Mayura whispered to himself, shaking his head as he drew his working fan with a snarl. "You can't hurt me!" 

 

He lunged, swinging wildly with the blade of his fan towards Adrien's motionless figure, oblivious to the flash of purple that darted out through a hole in the wall until his weapon tinged against the flat of a long, shimmering blade inches from Adrien's head. 

 

"Maybe not...but I might have more luck." Mayura looked up to see a fierce pair of brown eyes glaring down at him from behind a lavender butterfly mask. 

 

"You..." Mayura rolled aside as the tip of the blade nearly sliced his mask in two, scrambling to his feet as the woman stepped in front of Adrien. "You're not Hawkmoth!" 

 

"How observant," Monarch said, eyes narrowing as she aimed the tip of her sword at Mayura's face. "I wonder if you'll see as well after I cut out the rest of your eyes..." 

 

"Harsh ," Mayura spat, anger rising in him as Chat Noir's accomplice put herself in the way of his revenge. "Ladybug doesn't threaten civilians like that." 

 

"I am not Ladybug," Monarch said. "And I am not talking to the person behind that mask." 

 

Mayura barely saw the glimmer of steel catch the moonlight before Monarch cleared the foyer in one, fluid lunge, thrust glancing off the tip of Mayura's fan as he raised it to defend himself. 

 

"I am talking to the wriggling, hateful monstrosity that has hijacked an innocent person," Monarch snarled, raining thrust after thrust down on Mayura's faltering guard as he backed up, stumbling over rubble as he waded through the hole in the wall that opened out onto the courtyard. 

 

"I am talking to the freakshow that tunneled its way out of Luka Couffaine's head!" Monarch snapped, slashing at Mayura. "The monster that Gabriel Agreste created; the monster that tried to kill my friend!" 

 

"There is no monster!" Mayura spat, slashing at Monarch as she deftly avoided the blow. "You know how many times Luka wished Adrien would just up and disappear?! I'm not doing anything that he hasn't secretly wanted to do for years; I'm just the one with the strength to do it!" 

 

"You mistake a lack of restraint for strength," Monarch said, using the sword-cane's sheath to block another fan strike. "We all have unpleasant thoughts; we are all at times jealous and angry and bitter, but we are more than our worst impulses! At least until a warlock's pet butterfly robs us of the restraint that makes us human !” 

 

"I don't hold Luka responsible for what you did to Adrien," Monarch snapped, slashing at Mayura as he backed away. "But you...whatever you are...I'm going to take great pleasure in ripping you out of his head and grinding you beneath my heel!" 

 

"As appealing as that sounds, you don't seem to understand how this works!" Mayura cackled, locking his fan blade with Monarch's sword. "Luka and I are one now; can't kill one of us without killing the other!"

 

“We shall see about that,” Monarch grunted, blade shaking under Mayura’s strength. “I swore that I would do everything I could to save Luka and I am not the kind of woman who breaks her promises!” 

 

“You think your promises are stronger than mine ?!” Mayura spat, kicking Monarch away. “Stronger than me ?! I have the power of an akuma and a Miraculous; what the hell do you have?!” 

 

Monarch couldn’t resist the smirk that tugged at her lips as she looked up at Mayura. “Backup music.” 

 

"What the hell is that supposed to-" Mayura’s question was cut short as a looping, legato guitar riff shattered the silence around them. Mayura whipped around to see a tall, slender figure emerge from the shadows, fingers dancing along the fretboard of a wicked looking v-shaped guitar. Pale skin stood out against black and purple clothing that looked like it had been spun out of liquid shadows. Her hair billowed behind her as a cold wind blew from behind her, visible soundwaves blowing out of her guitar and racing towards Mayura.

 

Mayura winced as the glowing waves of energy slammed into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. The music was strangely familiar, cutting to a part of Mayura's psyche that remembered clumsily fumbling through the intricate melody as his sister watched and tried to copy along. 

 

“Ju...leka?” Mayura said, gritting his teeth in pain as a low rumble of thunder echoed somewhere in the near distance. 

 

“That’s Nightwisher to you, akuma,” Nightwisher called out as black, angry looking storm clouds rolled in overhead. “And I am not letting you take my brother from me!” 

 

“You’re right about one thing, parasite,” Monarch said, sheathing her sword-cane and draping it lazily over her shoulders in a way that reminded Mayura of Chat Noir. “I am not Hawkmoth; my kwami actually likes me...and as it turns out, that comes with one or two perks Hawkmoth didn't have.” 

 

Mayura looked up, eyes widening as he caught sight of a figure on the rooftop twirling a black and purple parasol as she waved down at him. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Monarch asked. “Afraid of a little stormy weather?” 

 

A pure, white bolt of lightning illuminated the courtyard as it streaked out of the heavens, striking Mayura as he turned to run. 

Notes:

Synopsis: Mayura punches the piss out of Adrien for a good long time and fucks him up pretty bad

H-Happy Adrien August kids :D

Take a deep breath because this is as bleak as this fic gets kids. We are at rock bottom and only going up from here.

I feel like I have to preemptively defend Luka here because if we’re gonna rag on this boy for hurting Adrien, we gotta rag on nearly every other Akuma that actively tried to murder him. My intent with Akumitizing Luka was to show how these new Cannibal Akuma turn normal human emotions (i.e. a mild jealous inferiority complex) into raging, uncontrollable disasters. TBH, there are very few people that have not actively tried to kill Adrien at one point or another, including his entire friend circle and his father.

On a happier note, today marks the one year anniversary of this fic! This has been one of the most rewarding creative projects I've ever worked on and I truly appreciate all the responses to this fic. Thank you for sticking with me and believe me when I say the best is still yet to come.

Next time: Marinette Defense Squad vs Adrien Defense Squad. Two stans enter, one stan leaves!

Chapter 38: Coronation

Notes:

With apologies to the Lukanette fandom and zero apologies to the salt fandom.

Master He’s eyes fluttered open as a cold, harsh wind tumbled through a hole in the roof above her. 

 

“Saints and stars, woman, how long are you gonna just lay there?!” Kiicii chirped, swooping down and ineffectually nuzzling Master He as she struggled to stand, arms and legs shaking as pushed herself up. She had been old for almost a thousand years, but the weight of her countless centuries seemed to have finally caught up to her as even rising off the ground proved to be a monumental task. 

 

“What...what happened?” Master He mumbled, fumbling for her cloak and tugging it tighter around her shoulders.

 

“You want the bad news first or the worse news first?” Kiicii asked, looking at the black and red branches that snaked their way through the floor. “Gabriel Agreste is gone; he tried to use Tikki and Plagg together and the three of them are...well, they're not here anymore." 

 

"Is that the bad news or the worse news?" Master He muttered, slowly hauling herself to her feet as the house shifted as the vines that snaked through the floor swelled in size. 

 

“Wellllllll Adrien's girlfriend turned out to be Ladybug, Mayura is an unstoppable killing machine who quite nearly beat Adrien to death, and it looks like Paris is going to be devoured by plant-growth," Kiicii said as Master He felt along the wall, stumbling towards Gabriel's study. "So, eye-dee-kay, QiQi, you rank that list of awful nonsense yourself." 

 

"So we are down fourteen Miraculous in total," Master He sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Well...I suppose there's a reason I'm not the Guardian. Anything else?"

 

"Not unless you want to get into the fact that Master Li's madness survived him," Kiicii sighed. “But personally, that’s not an onion I wanna start peeling now.” 

 

"Ah yes...how could I forget?" Master He coughed. "Rena Rouge and Queen Bee...are they alright?" 

 

A faint ding heralded the arrival of the elevator at the far side of Hawkmoth's lair. Master He looked up to see Queen Bee march through the door, steering Marinette roughly under one arm. 

 

"We have a problem," Queen Bee spat, tossing Marinette to the floor at Master He's feet as Rena Rouge followed, lost in thought as the sound of a battle carried on from outside. 

 

"We have several problems," Master He said, grabbing a sheaf of drafting paper from Gabriel's table. "Let's start by saving Adrien's life and putting a stop to Mayura's rampage...any thoughts?" 

 

"I-I don't know how Gabriel managed to put the akuma into Luka," Marinette said quickly as all eyes turned to her. "But there's still a chance we can-" 

 

"Say 'fix this' one more goddamned time and I will fix my foot off in your perky little ass!" Queen Bee growled. 

 

"We don't need this right now," Rena Rouge said, shaking her head. "No one is angrier at Marinette than I am-" 

 

"Try me!" 

 

"But we need to focus on protecting Adrien," Rena Rouge said firmly, poignantly ignoring Marinette's wounded expression. "Master He...how do we stop Mayura?" 

 

"No earthly clue," Master He said, quietly scribbling lines of strange, scrawling text on Gabriel's drafting paper. "Normally, a forcible purification would be the best way to do that but we have apparently lost our only means of purifying akuma." 

 

"No...there...there has to be another way," Marinette said, running her hands through her hair. 

 

"Why?" Master He laughed, shaking her head as she continued to write. "Two methods of complete magical obliteration weren't good enough for you? There has to be another way to neatly undo the damage that's been done?" 

 

Marinette opened her mouth a few times to argue, flinching as the sound of steel ringing against steel rang in the courtyard beneath them. "Then...then what are we supposed to do?! How do we stop him?!" 

 

“Well...easiest thing to do would be to just kill him,” Master He said as the rows of script began pulsing with a faint white light.

 

A cold chill ran down Marinette's spine and settled in the put of her stomach. “...what?” 

 

“Your friend is a danger to himself and everyone around him,” Master He said matter-of-factly, scrawling lines of strange script on the drafting paper. “The easiest way to make sure nobody else gets hurt would be to just kill him before he kills an innocent person. Not the nicest of options, but-" 

 

“No,” Marinette muttered, grabbing at Master He’s sleeve. “No, no, no, you...y-y-you can’t! He was...he didn’t know about any of this! He just wanted to...he just wanted to help me! H-He thought he was doing the right thing! You can’t hurt him; please, please don’t-” 

 

"We do not kill akuma victims," Rena Rouge said, eyes narrowing at Master He.

 

"Much as Pea-cockwaffle pisses me off, Rena has a point," Queen Bee said, crossing her arms. "If we killed everyone who Hawkmoth manipulated, we wouldn’t have enough people in Paris to field a football team!” 

 

“I am not looking to take the easy way out,” Master He said, fixing Marinette with a firm glance. “I may be able to bind whatever is infecting your friend if we can catch him before he gets any more powerful...but you must understand the situation we are in. If I have to kill your friend to stop senseless violence, I will.”

 

Marinette opened her mouth to argue, but Master He turned back to the paper, tearing a strip of script off and laying it on the table as she started on another line of script. The characters glowed with a faint power as Master He muttered something to herself as she wrote. 

 

"Take this,” Master He said, holding the ribbon of paper out to Rena Rouge. 

 

Rena Rouge frowned as she took hold of the slip of faintly glowing paper between two fingers. “What is this?” 

 

“Hard to explain,” Master He said. “Think of it as a...big magical...sticky note. If you can stick it on him...we can start to contain the akuma’s influence.” 

 

“Well as long as we’re weaponizing office supplies, can you get me a giant, magic letter opener so I can pry that butterfly off Mayura’s face?” Queen Bee said, wincing as lightning struck the ground outside. 

 

“Your tongue seems sharp enough to cut him yourself,” Master He muttered. “Why don’t you use that?” 

 

“Hey, if I could, I…” Queen Bee trailed off, head tilting to one side as she glanced at Marinette. 

 

“How are we supposed to get close enough to tag him?” Rena Rouge asked, glancing outside as soundwaves obliterated a risen knight. “Last I checked, paper doesn’t beat scissors, and the only one of us he doesn’t want to hurt is-” 

 

Rena Rouge trailed off, slowly turning to Marinette. 

 

“What?” Marinette said. “Whatever it is, I-I can help! Please...I’ll do anything…” 

 

“Ooh, I have a feeling you’re gonna regret that, Ladymoth,” Queen Bee said, steering Marinette out of Gabriel’s office. 

 

“Why? What are you planning on-” 

 

“Just run when I tell you to-” Queen Bee stopped cold as she stepped on to the shattered balcony, color draining from her face as she stared down at the bloody, unmoving figured sprawled in front of a shattered hole in the wall. Snow from Stormy Weather’s thunder clouds floated in through the wall, dusting him in a light layer of snow that slowly turned pink as it became soaked in blood. 

 

Marinette spied the faintest hint of a blue scarf beneath the bloody snow and screamed. 

---

 A wave of sound shattered the row of knights that rose out of the ground, a jarring electric guitar riff punctuated by another bolt of electricity that crashed into Mayura. 

 

“Can’t you up the voltage?!” Monarch said, glancing up at Stormy Weather as she conjured a localized shower of hail to rain down on Mayura. 

 

“I gave him a billion volts!” Stormy Weather said through the shimmering purple link that allowed them to communicate, dodging a shower of quills as she danced along the edge of the rooftop. “I thought we were trying to save this guy!” 

 

“We are!” Nightwisher called back, hair whipping in the breeze as her fingers landed on the fretboard in a strange, discordant melody that the rising knights found hard to dodge. For every metallic shell she shredded, six more rose in their place, summoned from a seemingly bottomless supply that showed no signs of slowing down. “Luka-” 

 

“That’s... not ...my name !” Mayura howled, raising his arm to hurl a quill at Nightwisher. As his arm lurched forward, it bent awkwardly to one side at the last moment, metal quill clearing Nightwisher and bouncing off the wall. 

 

“...you,” Mayura seethed, glaring at his right arm. “Sentimental idiot …she’s standing in your way ! She is defying Marinette and her happiness ! What difference does it make if she’s your sister?!” 

 

“You’re not going to make him hurt us,” Nightwisher said, plucking a chord as a spear-wielding knight rose up behind her. The sonic burst was enough to knock it backwards, scattering it into its component pieces as it scattered on the flagstones. “He’s too strong to let you do that!” 

 

“He’s... just ...human,” Mayura spat. 

 

“There’s nothing just about humanity, you insect ,” Monarch said cooly, blade flashing from its sheath and deflecting another quill as she turned to skewer a knight through the helmet. “But by all means; keep underestimating us. This will be over much sooner!” 

 

“Oh...it’s gonna be over alright,” Mayura chuckled, fingers outstretching as dark portals appeared on the ground and broken walls that surrounded them. A clamor of heavy metal boots marching in lockstep heralded the arrival of a small cadre of large, menacing suits of armor, pouring out of the portals, brandishing their weapons at Monarch and her champions. "Just not in a way you're gonna like."

 

“Don’t you have anything else up your sleeve?!” Monarch cried as Stormy Weather whipped a crackling sphere of ball lightning through another troop of knights, shattering their hard metal frames and shredding them into scrap. 

 

“Short of opening an active volcano, we’re running out of options!” Stormy Weather called back, parasol barely raising in time to intercept a brace of quills Mayura whipped at her head. A blur of blue and black was on her as she raised the parasol, hand clutching her by the throat and hauling her off the ground. He whipped her hard against the ground, her umbrella snapping in half as she rolled across the pavement and stopped at Monarch’s feet.

 

“...you know,” Aurore coughed, pushing herself up on to her palms as her butterfly floated away. “Maybe just a little volcano would have been okay.” 

 

“You all had one job,” Mayura spat, swelling with anger as he stomped towards them, flanked by a pair of menacing axe wielding knights. “Trust Ladybug...and obey Ladybug!” 

 

“That’s two jobs,” Monarch said. 

 

“Shut up!” 

 

“Trust, obey, and shut up?” Monarch said, stepping in front of Aurore and intercepting an axe strike with the flat of her sheath. “I understand all jobs come with increasing responsibility, but if you add too much more, I’m going to have to ask for a raise.” 

 

“So fucking smug, aren’t you?” Mayura snickered, stabbing down at Monarch who parried him with the wooden sheath of her cane. “Your friend was all talk too until I shut his bratty little mouth!” 

 

“Not before he shut your bratty little eye it seems,” Monarch said, dragging the knight in the path of the attack as Nightwisher blew it away with a sonic burst. Aurore shot Monarch an apologetic wince as she hobbled out of the courtyard, disappearing behind the wall while Mayura’s attention was occupied. “And knocked you flat on your ass; all without his Miraculous. I’m beginning to think I was wrong about-” 

 

A scream from inside the house cut through the din of rolling thunder and clanging steel. Almost immediately, Mayura seemed to lose interest in Monarch, head whipping around as his eyes widened in recognition. 

 

“Marinette…” Mayura whispered, eyes settling on a group of figures crouched in the hole leading back into the Agreste mansion. Marinette was hunched over Adrien’s body, chest heaving with sobs as she futilely tried to wipe some of the blood and grime away from Adrien’s bruised face. 

 

“Marinette?!” Nightwisher echoed, watching her friend desperately shake Adrien’s shoulders. Queen Bee stood a few yards away, leaning against the wall of the house and looking down at Adrien with a kind of distant disbelief, shaking her head as Rena Rouge looked vaguely ill. 

 

“Adrien...Adrien, please…” Marinette pleaded, fingertips feeling around for a pulse. Her fingers ached as they brushed back bloody snow, pressing against the raw, burned skin on his broken arm. “C-Come on, talk to me...say something...get up...please...please…” 

 

“Shit…” Rena Rouge breathed, glancing between Mayura and the strange woman in the butterfly mask across the courtyard. Mayura said nothing, watching the tears drip from Marinette’s eyes and bore holes in the snow she knelt in. 

 

You did that. 

 

“Shut up,” Mayura hissed, clutching the side of his head as a bright, stabbing bolt of pain rang through his skull. “He...he disobeyed her...he deserved it !” 

 

You made Marinette unhappy... you made her cry…that wasn't Adrien's fault. 

 

“Shut up!” Mayura growled, eyes darting between Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, Monarch, Nightwisher who all glared warily at him, sharing unreadable glances as they silently wondered who would be the first to move. This had to be someone’s fault; someone had to take the blame for Marinette’s unhappiness. 

 

As always his eyes landed on Adrien.

 

“You…” Mayura spat, anger drowning out the soft voice in the back of his head. “This...this is all your fault. If you had just done what you were told, you wouldn’t have-” 

 

“Shut up.” 

 

Queen Bee’s icy silence broke as she stepped out of the hole in the wall, hand clenching her top firmly in her hand as she stepped in front of Adrien’s body. 

 

Mayura’s blind, senseless ire leveled on Queen Bee, the glowing red eyes of his knights all turning to face her in unison. Her puffy, red eyes were leveled at Mayura with a look of singular contempt, fingers clenched so hard around the top in her hand. 

 

“Chloe, wait…” Marinette said. “We need...we need a-” 

 

“Shut up,” Queen Bee snapped, glaring at Marinette out of the corner of her eye. 

 

“What did you say?!” Mayura spat, anger spiking as Marinette visibly quailed under Queen Bee’s glare. “Did you just tell her to-” 

 

“- shut up,” Queen Bee snapped, glancing at Rena Rouge. “Get Adrien to safety.” 

 

Queen Bee’s tone legitimately unnerved Rena Rouge; for the first time since she met Chloe, there was no teasing lilt to her voice. 

 

“I…” Rena Rouge glanced between Mayura and Adrien, bending down and picking Adrien up as gently as she could. “Okay...we’ll get out of here and-”

 

“Nobody...is going anywhere !” Mayura spat, conjuring another half-dozen knights that closed ranks behind Rena Rouge. 

 

“Luka, please don’t do this!” Marinette pleaded, curling around Adrien as the knights approached. “Th-This is all my fault! Don’t hurt him anymore; please, I’ll do anything you want, just leave him alone!” 

 

“Is anyone else massively confused right now?!” Nightwisher said, glancing at Kagami. "Why is Marinette even here right now?!"

 

“No...he has to... all of you have to pay the price for crossing Ladybug!” Mayura seethed, rounding on Monarch as she took a step closer. “You don’t deserve a hero like her…you don’t deserve to live at all! ”

 

“We need to move Adrien,” Rena Rouge murmured, eyeballing the knights that closed rank behind them. “But I don’t think the ren-faire rejects are gonna let us leave.” 

 

Queen Bee glanced at Mayura, eyes furrowed in concentration as she looked at Marinette.

 

“G-Give me some time...I-I’ll think of something,” Marinette stammered, feebly wiping the blood away from Adrien’s face. “I’ll think of something...I’ll always think of-” 

 

Without warning, Queen Bee wrapped her hand around Marinette’s pigtail and yanked as hard as she could.

 

"OW!"  Marinette yelped, grabbing at her scalp. The cry of pain echoed across the courtyard as Mayura and his knights all turned their hateful gazes to Queen Bee.

 

“Run,” Queen Bee whispered, roughly shoving Marinette down on to the ground as Mayura’s boiling glare leveled on her. 

 

“You...did...d-did you just…” Mayura stammered, all but incoherent with rage as Queen Bee stepped into the courtyard. The knights seemed to have lost interest in Rena Rouge, Monarch, or anything that wasn’t Queen Bee. 

 

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh lighten up, Hawk Boy, it’s not like I stabbed her or anything,” Queen Bee drawled, examining her nails. “Serves her right for being eighteen goddamned years old and still wearing pigtails…” 

 

“What the hell is she doing?!” Marinette hissed, holding her scalp in pain. 

 

“Getting us a way out,” Rena Rouge said, watching Mayura’s knights advance on Queen Bee for a second before gingerly sliding her arms under Adrien’s shoulders. “Come on!” 

 

“I mean seriously,” Queen Bee all but shouted, spreading her arms wide as the knights closed in around her. “Marinette breaks a fingernail and the whole world loses their goddamned minds...don’t know why, either; not like there’s anything special about her.” 

 

“Don’t...don’t you dare say another word !” The blood pounding in Mayura’s ears effectively drowned out any rational thought. The fact that Adiren might be getting away didn’t even register among the sea of kill, kill, kill, kill that only grew louder with each word that came out of Queen Bee’s mouth. 

 

“She is a sad... boring ,” Queen Bee said, ticking her fingers off. 

 

“Shut... up,” Mayura spluttered. 

 

“Stuck-up...holier-than-thou-” 

 

“I’m...I’m warning you-” 

 

“Arrogant, cocky, creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy little stalker and certified kleptomaniac,” Queen Bee said, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she stopped in the center of the courtyard, satisfied that she had Mayura’s full attention. “And on top of aaaaaaaallllll that...Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a big... fat -” 

 

“Say... one more word, and I swear-” 

 

Queen Bee’s lips curled into a savage smile. “Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn-” 

---

“-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD!” 

 

Carapace stopped in his tracks two blocks away from Adrien’s house, frowning as a familiar voice wafted on the wind. 

 

“...tell me that’s not who I think it is,” Carapace sighed, picking up the pace as he charged towards his friend’s house. 

---

Monarch and Nightwisher’s mouths hung open in disbelief as Queen Bee finished, watching Mayura’s face turn as purple as his suit. Even the knights that surrounded him seemed stunned, looking to their master for guidance. 

 

She’s insane. Monarch thought. 

 

“Y...Y...Y-You know what?!” Mayura giggled in unhinged anger. “I-I’m glad you’re too stupid to back down from a fight! Because now I get a prime opportunity to rip your... bitchy little tongue out of your...stupid... bitchy face!” 

 

“Speaking of tongue, I've been kinda curious about something," Queen Bee asked. "Just how many times did Marinette moan Adrien’s name while you were making out with her?” 

 

Nightwisher could swear that she could hear Mayura’s teeth breaking as his jaw clenched tighter and tighter. 

 

“...is it more than ten?” Queen Bee prodded, watching Mayura’s remaining eyes bulge out of his mask. 

 

“...I think it’s more than ten,” Queen Bee said, cackling as she backflipped over a spear hurled at her feet. 

---

“Dude, what the hell was that?!” Alix asked as a howl of rage filled the air, followed by the sound of metal crashing against metal. 

 

“How should I know?” Kim said, flinching as an explosion rocked the ground beneath his feet. “I can’t see dick but dick over all this fucking foliage.” 

 

“We should go,” Marc said, rubbing his arm as a guitar riff echoed from the far side of the wall. “I-It’s not safe here for us.”

 

“What if Monarch needs another hero?” Mirelle countered, gingerly tending to Aurore’s scraped knees. “What if someone needs to step in?” 

 

“I don’t think there’s much we can do,” Aurore mumbled, tugging her jacket tighter around her shoulders. “Even the three of us couldn’t slow him down…” 

 

“Not like there’s a shortage of akuma candidates,” Nathanael muttered, glancing at the root jutting out of the ground a little warily. “...hey, do these plants seem kinda weird to anyone else?” 

 

“No, Nathanael, large, creepy trees growing out of the sidewalk are normal parts of city life,” Kim said, idly walking over and squinting at the giant root that swayed and throbbed in a way that seemed strangely muscular. “Ladybug’s gonna have her hands full cleaning up this- shit! ” 

 

Kim yelped in surprise as his foot tapped against the side of the root, lurching back as his foot seemed to get sucked into the thick, veiny plant mass that grew around him like moss. 

 

“Ew, god why does it feel sticky ?!” Kim grunted, hopping around on one foot as he tried to pull himself out of the root’s grasp. “G-Get it off!” 

 

Marc and Alix scrambled to take a hold of Kim’s arms, yanking him out of his boot and onto the ground just as his shoe disappeared into the wriggling biomass. The root pulsed and seemed to grow larger, almost as though it was reaching out for Kim as he scrambled barefoot back across the slushy ground. 

 

“That’s it...I’m moving to Belgium,” Kim panted. 

 

“I hear Switzerland’s nice this time of year,” Alix said, helping him to his feet. 

 

“More of a tropical guy myself.” Kim and Alix turned to see a familiar green figure charging down the street. 

 

“Oh thank god; the Jolly Green Giant is here,” Max sighed as Carapace skidded to a halt in front of them. “Listen...this is going to sound strange, but Hawkmoth’s not Hawkmoth anymore or...bad anymore. Mayura, Ladybug’s partner...he’s-” 

 

“A dickhead; I know,” Carapace said, wincing as the wall on the far side of the courtyard splintered under a heavy blow. “You guys should clear out; get somewhere safe before this gets much uglier." 

 

"This can get uglier?!" Mirelle asked. 

 

“There’s somewhere safe in this city?!” Marc asked, gesturing to the roots and vines that seemed to claw and crawl over every street and building. 

 

“...you know, Barbados is very pretty this time of year,” Carapace coughed, tensing as the door to the mansion opened. 

 

“W-Watch his head!” Marinette said, backing through the door with a pair of boots sticking out from under her armpits. Rena Rouge followed, cradling an injured figure that looked too much like-

 

“Shit ,” Carapace breathed, tossing his shield to one side and jogging up as Rena Rouge laid Adrien down on Marinette’s jacket. His face was swollen and bloody, almost beyond recognition. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!  Adrien?! Adrien?! What..what the hell happened to him?” 

 

“Mayura happened to him,” Rena Rouge said with a slightly shaky voice, wincing as a knight sailed over the courtyard wall and landed in a crumpled pile on the street. “He’s out of control...and we don’t have any way to purify him.” 

 

“Well, shit, somebody find Chat!” Carapace said, voice cracking a little. “H-He purified that akuma earlier today; he can do it again.” 

 

“...Chat Noir isn’t coming,” Rena Rouge said, glancing down at Marinette as she carefully tucked her jacket around Adrien’s shoulders. “Ladybug-
 

Rena Rouge glanced at the small crowd of students gathered around her. “...Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous got taken by Hawkmoth.” 

 

Surprisingly, Alya’s abridged version of events stung worse than if she had just told everyone that Ladybug had turned traitor. At least then, she wouldn’t still be living with a lie that threatened to burrow out of her chest every time she took a breath. She may have been compelled to do it, but ultimately, she was the one who placed the Miraculous she was supposed to protect in Gabriel’s hands. 

 

Ladybug beat Chat Noir; Ladybug took his Miraculous. Hawkmoth would have never gotten close to either of them if she hadn’t been the one to hold them. 

 

“...I get the feeling there’s more to this,” Carapace muttered, glancing at his classmates. 

 

“...there is,” Rena Rouge said quietly, glancing at Marinette. “But-” 

 

“Rena Rouge!” Marinette glanced up to see a small group of armored Parisian police officers and paramedics jogging up, crouching behind riot shields as the sounds of the battle grew even more pitched. Screeching electric guitar riffs mingled with the sound of sword-fighting in a din that could be heard across the city.  

 

“You must be the squad Roger sent to check on the Agreste house,” Carapace said, standing up with a shaky breath. “We got someone really hurt over here...can you guys get him out of here?” 

 

The lead paramedic looked down at Adrien with a frown, motioning for two of his assistants to start checking Adrien. Marinette was gently pushed aside, watching helplessly as Adrien was strapped to a plastic stretcher. 

 

“Mayura...th-the akuma did this to him,” Marinette stammered. “You need to keep him safe…” 

 

The lead officer and the lead paramedic shared a look before nodding to four officers who grabbed either side of the stretcher and began carrying Adrien down the street. Marinette took a step to follow her, but Rena Rouge’s hand clamped down on her shoulder. 

 

“Can you make sure these civilians get somewhere safe?” Rena Rouge asked, her tone too clipped and too formal. “Marinette was mildly injured, but she-” 

 

“No...no, I need to be here!” Marinette said desperately. “I-I can help...I can help fix this . Please, A-...Rena, please let me-” 

 

“This is no place for civilians, Mme. Dupain-Cheng,” Rena Rouge said, squeezing her shoulder firmly. “You need to get out of here.” 

 

Marinette’s breath came in short, hitched puffs of steam. “No...no, please…” 

 

“Officer, can you make sure Marinette gets home okay?” Rena Rouge said as the lead police officer gently laid a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. 

 

“Come on, kid,” he said, gently steering her away from the mansion. “Let’s get you-” 

 

“No!” Marinette screamed, wriggling out of the officer’s grasp and running after Rena Rouge. She grabbed Rena’s elbow, spinning her around in time to catch a teardrop leaking out of the corner of her eye. 

 

“Rena...Alya, please," Marinette whispered, trying to catch Rena Rouge’s sight as she resolutely turned her head. “I know...I know...I know I made a mistake. I know this is my fault...wh-which is why I need to make this right...I need to-” 

 

“You need to go home,” Rena Rouge said, a cold, vulpine glare burrowing into the heart of Marinette. “You’re not a hero, Marinette...and you can’t fix this.” 

 

“No...wait-” Marinette felt a firmer grip on her elbow as the officer gently tugged her away from Rena Rouge. Her head throbbed, the same two word refrain pounding in the back of her mind as she was pulled off down the road. 

 

Fix this...fix this...fix this...fix this...

 

“I can help!” Marinette sobbed, struggling as Kim and Alix caught her around her elbows and started dragging her away. “Let me help! Please! I can help!” 

 

Carapace watched Marinette fight every foot of the way down the street, but Rena Rouge refused to look away from the holes her tears burned in the snow until she could no longer hear Marinette’s cries. 

 

A hand on her shoulder freed the sobs that had been bubbling up as she turned, burying herself in Carapace’s chest. 

 

“...she’s Ladybug,” Rena Rouge sobbed, cutting off Carapace’s question before he could ask it. “She knew...this whole time she knew …” 

 

“Shit… ” Carapace breathed, wrapping his arms around Rena tighter for support. Cold wind whipped past his cheeks as sounds of the battle wafted over the walls above them. “Okay...okay, one thing at a time, huh? What’s the plan?” 

 

“I don’t-” Rena Rouge looked down at the strip of paper Master He had given her, still wrapped tightly around her wrist. “W-We might have a way to contain the akuma...but we need to get close. If we can’t...if we fail-” 

 

“We won’t ,” Carapace said, squeezing Rena Rouge’s hand. 

 

“If we can’t stop him...we’re gonna have to-” 

 

“Hey,” Carapace said, cupping the side of Rena Rouge’s cheek and forcing her to look up at him. His thumb brushed a tear off her cheek as he summoned up the most reassuring smile he could muster. 

 

“I can’t...I don’t know if I can do this,” Rena Rouge whispered quietly. 

 

“We can,” Carapace said, squeezing her hand tighter. “You have a whole team that believes in you...and you know Chloe’s never wrong.” 

 

“That’s true,” Rena Rouge chuckled, nuzzling her forehead against his with a small frown as she had to stretch further than she usually did to reach him. "Hey...did you get taller?" 

 

"Nah; you just got shorter," Carapace said, kissing her cheek. “Come on...let's show this dickhead that Paris still has protectors." 

 

Rena Rouge took a shaky breath, looking up over the wall where she knew the fight was taking place. 

 

“Okay..." Rena Rouge nodded. "Here's what we need to do..." 

---

The door slammed behind Marinette as she stormed into the dark, cold, empty house, heart thundering in her ears as she stormed up the stairs. She was through the door to her room in a flash, locking it behind her with a final and deafening slam. 

 

“Okay…” Marinette muttered, fumbling for the light switch. A few fruitless clicks of the switch echoed in the empty loft before Marinette gave up with a frustrated snarl, dragging her desk over to the window to catch a stray beam of light. 

 

“Okay, okay, okay, okay...think…” Marinette muttered to herself, grabbing a scrap of paper as she anxiously drummed a pencil against her desk. “Think...come on, Marinette...what do we do...what do we do?” 

 

A cold, oppressive silence answered her as she stared out the window, watching the long, red roots snake their way up towards the sky. The sound of distant sirens cut through the chilly air, as Marinette waited for an answer; waited for a stroke of brilliance that didn’t seem to come. 

 

“Come on…” Marinette pleaded. “Come on, think ! Think...you can fix this...you can still fix this!” 

 

Despair started peeking its head through the relentless drive as she started sketching her thoughts on a piece of paper, trying to get them out of her head in case one of them was worth following. But nothing seemed to come; there was no snap solution that would get her kwami back. And every time she tried to grab onto something worth working on, Adrien’s broken, bloody face flashed across her mind. 

 

“Fix this…” Marinette said, teeth clenched and tears streaming down her cheeks as her pencil flew faster and faster across the page. “Fix this...you have to fix this...you have to-” 

 

The sound of the graphite snapping and the paper ripping was almost deafening. A burbling wail clawed its way out of Marinette’s throat as she threw the drafting table clean across the room. The plywood shattered as Marinette wrenched the metal leg off, sending screws rolling across the floor as she brought the bent, broken metal down hard on what remained of her table. Again and again and again and again she drove the makeshift club down on to the tabletop, abandoning it as it bent in half and tearing at the table with her bare hands. Huge clumps of plywood came apart in her hands as she ripped and tore and smashed with reckless, heedless abandon until she broke it; broke it beyond any hope of repair. 

 

Clutching the broken splinters of wood in her hands, Marinette curled in on herself, her scream echoing almost painfully on the empty walls that pressed in around her. 

 

“I’m sorry...I’m sorry...I’m sorry…” Marinette sobbed over and over again.

---

 “Ooooooh look at me, I’m Mayura; I can’t go ten seconds without gagging on Ladybug’s dick!” 

 

Queen Bee cartwheeled away as a shower of spears pierced the spot where she had just been standing, the knights that threw them charging her in unison. 

 

“Lady-moth is such a delicate widdle lil flower that anyone who sneezes on her needs to be drawn and quartered!” Queen Bee chirped, sliding under a bladed fan strike as Mayura swung wildly at her. Mayura whipped around to see her lying on her side, chin resting on one palm and an infuriatingly smug smirk gracing her face. 

 

“Maybe if I act like a total doormat, she might step on me with her perfect widdle feetsies,” Queen Bee pouted. “Or maybe she’ll toss me a pity handy while pretending I'm-” 

 

“Don’t you dare say that name!” Mayura howled, lunging with the tip of his fan. A thin glint of moonlight on the flat of a sword caught his eye a split second before the thrust came, giving him enough time to lean out of the way of Monarch’s attack. 

 

“Are you mad ?!” Monarch said, ears ringing as a sonic attack from Nightwisher dispelled a troop of knights, sending their parts sailing over the wall. “You’re just making him angrier! ” 

 

“Yeah, and I know he’s all brainwashed and crazy right now, but that’s still my brother!” Nightwisher called back. "So maybe turn the bitch knob down for once in your life!"

 

“Aw, big scawy Mayura is strong enough to beat up an unarmed civilian but not strong enough to handle a little teasing, huh?” Queen Bee said, giggling with glee as Mayura threw Monarch off of him, chasing her across the courtyard as she skipped across the broken flagstones like an evil pixie. 

 

That’s right, keep your eyes on me Butterface, Queen Bee thought, trailing a circle around the perimeter of the courtyard. Come on, Rena, get your foxy ass back here! 

 

A hurled spear slowed her backward gait long enough for Mayura to catch up, hand snaring her around her throat and hoisting her off her feet. 

 

“You know...I think I hate you more than I hate Adrien,” Mayura snarled, thumb pressing against Queen Bee’s windpipe. 

 

“Aw...that’s...sweet,” Queen Bee coughed, bouncing off the flagstones as Mayura hurled her to the ground as hard as he could.

 

“Adrien might be a spoiled little brat but you...you’re just a bad person,” Mayura sneered, towering over Queen Bee as she fumbled for her top. “You don't deserve to be a hero! I don’t care how many times you rescued the city...once a bitch...always a bitch!”

 

Queen Bee's fingers closed around her top, squeezing it as she slowly pulled herself back to her feet. 

 

"You know something...people have been calling me a bitch since I was seven years old," Queen Bee said, wiping her mouth as she defiantly raised her chin to look Mayura in the eye. "That's always the first arrow people reach for when they want to shoot at me...and I don't really like it." 

 

Queen Bee leaned out of the way of a spear strike, ignorant to the fact that her top seemed to be quivering in her hands, thin-spiderline cracks snaking through the metal. 

 

"Bet it's nice to have it so easy!" Queen Bee spat, blood pounding in her ears as she sidestepped an axe blow, kicking the ruined metal apart with surprising speed. Across the field, Monarch could see a black and yellow blur that seemed, to move faster and faster with each passing second. "To be born perfect. To know which girl's a Pure, Innocent Saint and which one's just a bitch; because god forbid people try and do better, right?!" 

 

Time seemed to be moving in slow motion for Queen Bee. Mayura and his knights seemed...sluggish somehow; like they were fighting underwater. Even the blades Mayura whipped at her head seemed to hang in the air as she dodged them, top violently shaking in her hand as she charged Mayura. 

 

"And maybe I haven't always been the nicest person!" Queen Bee said, dancing out of the way of Mayura's fan strike, kicking off the top of his head as golden light began streaming through the cracks in her top, crystalizing into motes of golden light that seemed to cling to Queen Bee like a shroud. "Maybe I've been just a little too thorny and a little too mean in the past. I mean, hell, if people are going to call me a bitch, I might as well lean into it, right?!" 

 

Queen Bee landed in a crouch behind Mayura, lunging as her top streamed gold dust out into the cold winter air. Snow around her melted under the thick, palpable heat that poured off her body. Mayura winced as the light grew brighter, barely raising his fan in time to intercept her blow. 

 

"But whatever I was and whatever I am, a salty little bitch like you doesn't get to tell me that I don't deserve to be a hero!" Queen Bee cried, slamming her top hard into Mayura's shielded fan.

 

With a shattering crash, Queen Bee's top exploded. 

---

 "What the hell is that?!" Rena Rouge muttered, stepping behind Carapace as a violent shattering sound filled the air followed by a flash of light that illuminated the darkened mansion. The lights overhead flickered weakly back on as power seemed to return to the building, and one by one the streetlights overhead flickered back to life, casting warm, glowing light on the city once again. Through the window, Rena Rouge could barely make out a figure standing in the center of a great golden ball of light that eclipsed even the full moon that shone down overhead. 

 

"Is that...Chloe?" Carapace asked, eyes straining against the glare. 

 

"You kids continue to surprise me." Rena Rouge looked up to see Master He hobble down the stairs, arms full of strips of paper and a tired smile on her face. 

 

"Master?" Rena Rouge asked as the light slowly started to dim. "What's happening?" 

 

Master He glanced out the window with a knowing smirk on her face. "I believe this is what you would call...a coronation." 

---

"What the hell?" Monarch muttered, watching the swirling golden energy coalesce around Queen Bee's body, revealing a familiar figure given a new form. 

 

The sleeves on Queen Bee's outfit were gone, exposing her strong, toned biceps and shoulders to the cool night air. Her gloves and boots appeared to be more reinforced with thick, shiny black and gold metal. Her ponytail had somehow been braided and was studded with dozens of glittering golden gems that shone and refracted the light in dozens of dazzling patterns. A thin, golden chain was wrapped around one wrist, ending in a spinning black and yellow top that ended in a glittering golden point.

 

“Holy shit,” Nightwisher breathed, voice trembling ever so slightly. 

 

“You don't have to like it...but this bitch is, and always will be a hero!” Queen Bee shouted. The golden light coalesced around Queen Bee’s shoulders, forming into six glowing insectoid wings that twitched as she advanced on Mayura's prone form. A troupe of six knights lunged for her, weapons raised and ready to strike in defense of their master. Before Monarch could even move to help, six helmets exploded in a shower of broken steel, each neatly pierced with a glittering gold chain. 

 

What?! Monarch thought, blinking as Queen Bee yanked her chain back with the same speed she had shot it out, returning it to her side with a flick of the wrist that Monarch barely caught. 

 

“D-Did you see that?!” Nighwisher said. 

 

What the hell? Monarch  thought, watching Queen Bee’s retreating back as she marched fearlessly into the courtyard. When did you get so fast?

  

“What?!” Mayura muttered, stepping backwards as Queen Bee didn’t even break her slow, methodical march towards him. He glanced back to check his position, but by the time he turned back, a black boot lashed out, catching him under the chin faster than he could defend himself. Mayura shot up like he had been launched from a cannon, turning over in time to collide with a rising uppercut that knocked him higher into the sky. 

 

“And for the record, I am not just a bitch!” Queen Bee cried, fists and feet a blur of motion that drove Mayura higher and higher in the night sky. Queen Bee vanished, chain snaking around Mayura as she zipped around him a blur of yellow and black. Mayura squirmed as she flew higher and higher into the night sky, dragging him along with her. Up and up she flew, a blur of golden light against a pale winter moon. 

 

“I am The Bitch, you whiny motherfucker!” Queen Bee grunted, flipping Mayura’s bound form over her shoulder as she pitched her weight forward. Queen Bee’s wings tucked into her side as she plummeted, spinning Mayura along with her as she streaked towards the ground at ferocious speed. At the last moment, she flipped over, slamming him into the courtyard at full speed. The ground beneath them shook as a heavy crater formed in the middle of the square with Mayura’s battered body in the center. 

“You're talking to the Queen Bitch,” Queen Bee said, landing with her arms crossed in front of Monarch as Mayura slowly struggled to his knees. "And when addressing royalty, one must first bend the fucking knee." 

Notes:

Rena can't outrun gay thoughts if Queen Bee has super-speed.

I may be projecting on to Marinette here but one of the worst things is when you do something wrong and have no way to make amends to the person or people you've wronged. As someone who has always fixed things, Marinette now has to confront the reality that she can't undo the damage she caused; there is no solution that involves her at this point in time.

Either way, this mini-arc ends next time on T&CZ. We'll be moving into the endgame arc before this first book ends. Thanks for hanging with me; I feel like I need to write a Lukanette short to make up for the shade I threw in this chapter.

Chapter 39: Moth's Wings

“So Gabey the Baby finally choked on his own ego, huh?" 

 

Kaiser Long twirled the wooden box between his fingers, tossing it up in the air and catching it as he watched the battle between Queen Bee and Mayura rage beneath him. 

 

“There was something of an earth shattering kaboom and he seems to have gone the way of the dinosaurs,” Kaiser Long sighed, glancing at the floating black portal wreathed in a ring of crackling flames next to him. A pair of sharp, golden eyes stared out of the darkness, lazily watching the box spin between his fingers. 

 

“Well, stick your dick in enough pencil sharpeners and eventually one of them is gonna cut it off,"  his partner chuckled, crunching on what sounded like a potato chip. "At least nothing of value was lost." 

 

“Unless you count the Ladybug and Black Cat.” 

 

“Like I said; nothing of value ,” his partner said, eyeing the cage full of Cannibal Akuma that sat on Kaiser Long’s lap. “That dipshit little fashion disaster held up his end of the bargain; at least now we don’t have to go through the hassle of offing him. And the grand prize at the bottom of this cereal box is that we have almost all the Miracu-trash." 

 

“Still...another piece moves off the board,” Kaiser Long sighed.

 

“We’re in the endgame, babe,” his partner reminded him. “How many chess matches do you see end with a board full of pawns? I mean, hell, they couldn't even rescue one Miraculous without completely shitting the bed and self-destructing; twelve missing Miraculous will keep them busy for years."

 

 “Still, I was hoping we could-” Kaiser Long’s head cocked to one side, eyes glancing downwards as a shuddering thrum of energy wafted its way up from the streets below. Something had shifted in the world...no, something had broken . 

 

“Ooh, what was that ?” His partner purred.

 

"You felt that too?" Kaiser Long asked. 

 

"I'm still feeling it," his partner said, theatrically batting her eyelashes through the portal. “Honey, if this is your idea of telekinetic foreplay, mission accomplished~” 

 

“Good to know that world shattering catastrophes get you in the mood,” Kaiser Long chuckled, head tilting to one side as the definite sensation of something pushing itself back into the world tickled the back of his mind. “Much as I’d like to take advantage of that, I should probably go see what that’s about.” 

 

“Don’t keep me waiting too long~” His partner said airily, blowing him a kiss as the portal snapped shut with a warm waft of sulfur. Leaning forward, Kaiser Long allowed gravity to take him downwards, fluttering down through the cold December morning and landing on the street below. Stone and asphalt melted as he raised his hand, parting like water and forming up behind him as he slipped through the street and down into the sewers below. 

---

Queen Bee glanced over her shoulder at Monarch as Mayura slowly struggled back to his feet. “Hey, you the new Hawkmoth?” 

 

“I prefer Monarch, if you please,” Monarch said, tensing as Mayura’s hateful purple glare leveled on her. 

 

“Everyone wants to be royalty, don’t they?” Queen Bee chuckled, twirling her chain idly in one hand. “Stick around; maybe I’ll adopt you as my heir apparent.” 

 

“Let’s wait until the threats to the crown have been addressed,” Monarch said, drawing her sword. “Any suggestions? We dropped an entire storm on him and it didn’t seem to hurt him.” 

 

“He doesn’t need to be hurt; he needs to kneel ,” Queen Bee said, spitting derisively at the ground in front of Mayura’s feet. Her eyes shimmered with glowing golden light as Mayura’s body jerked down again, knee forcibly bending as Queen Bee’s Decree took effect.  “We just need to play for time; Rena’s coming with a moth swatter, but she needs to get Adrien and Marimoth out of her first.” 

 

“Don’t you...don’t you say that about her!” Mayura spat, neck straining as he tried to will his body off the ground. “Marinette would... ngh ...never work-” 

 

“Yes, yes, yes, yes ,” Queen Bee sighed, making a zipping motion with her fingers. “We get it ; pure, perfect Marinette has never wronged a single person in her entire life and her farts smell like lavender and warm cinnamon rolls. How ‘bout you stuff your cakehole and let us save you already?! You’re rapidly eating away at what little sympathy I have for your gullible ass!” 

 

“What does Marinette have to do with any of this?!” Nightwisher asked. “Why was she even here?”

“Marinette’s Ladybug, she’s working with Hawkmoth, she sold out Paris, she akumitized your brother,” Queen Bee rattled off, nose scrunching up. “And...that’s the sum of it, actually.” 

 

“... Marinette?” Monarch breathed in disbelief. “She...no, that’s...that’s not possible.” 

 

“You’re damn right!” Mayura spat, struggling to one knee. “Marinette would never -” 

 

Mayura’s head jerked back as Queen Bee punted a stray knight’s helmet at him, bouncing it off his skull. “Shut up about Marinette!” 

 

“You...you have to be lying!” Nightwisher snapped. “Marinette-” 

 

“-your brother...I’m guessing he would do anything Marinette asked him, right?” Queen Bee asked, effectively silencing Nightwisher’s protest. Nightwisher’s brow knitted, glancing back and forth between Queen Bee and Mayura. "Search your feelings, padawan; you know it to be true." 

 

“Don’t... listen to her!” Mayura snarled, effects of Queen Bee’s command starting to wear off as he muscled through the magical compulsion. “Ladybug has always been this city’s hero...the only hero! Compared to her, you’re just an up-jumped sidekick who needs to learn her place! ” 

 

“I’ve found my place, ass-kisser,” Queen Bee sniffed, straightening up as Mayura rose to his full height. “And it’s with a better class of heroes than your tight-assed Judas ever was!” 

 

With an angry snarl, Mayura snapped through Queen Bee’s compulsion, charging at Queen Bee with reckless abandon. Whatever strategy he might have employed was forgotten as he barreled at her, fan extended and a murderous rage pounding in his head. He didn’t need knights; he didn’t need to wait for Ladybug. 

 

The only need Mayura was conscious of was a raw, primal need to pull Queen Bee apart with his bare hands. 

 

Queen Bee didn’t even move as Mayura barrelled towards her, arms crossed in front of her chest and an infuriating smirk on her face as he swung his fan wide...and bounced off a clear, shimmering barrier that popped up in front of her. 

 

“Man, don’t you know bees are endangered?” Mayura whipped around to see Carapace making his way out of the house, shield lazily draped over his shoulder as he marched into the courtyard. 

 

“Where the hell have you been?!” Queen Bee, throwing her arms up in frustration. 

 

“I know better than to upstage Queen Bee when she’s having A Moment,” Carapace said, eyes narrowing at Mayura. “Besides, had to get Adrien to safety first; medics took him away not too long ago.” 

 

The pit in Monarch’s stomach relaxed a little as Mayura’s fury turned on Carapace. 

 

“He couldn’t stop me ...and neither can you!” Mayura growled, turning tail and barrelling hard at Carapace with the same reckless rage he charged Queen Bee with. He didn’t seem to notice that his hand opened out of its own volition, dropping the fan to the ground as he charged, but Nightwisher saw it for what it was. 

 

“He’s still fighting…” Nightwisher muttered. Mayura howled, cocking back and slamming his fist into Carapace’s face as hard as he could. There was a resounding crack when his fist collided with his face, followed by a deafening silence as Mayura just stood there, fist still pressed into Carapace’s face that hadn’t budged an inch. Blinking in confusion, Mayura shot a kick at the side of his head, foot ricocheting off as Carapace calmly stepped into the blow. 

 

“What’s the matter; you’re good at beating people, aren’t you?” Carapace said, tapping his other cheek as Mayura stumbled backwards, blindly lashing out with another punch that didn’t seem to register as Carapace kept walking forward. “Or is that just people who can’t fight back?!” 

 

Mayura felt the tip of Monarch’s blade coming for him before it struck, spinning out of the way as Monarch sailed past him. Carapace caught her under one arm, spinning her around and dropping her on her feet. 

 

“Shot in the dark, but you wouldn’t happen to be Kagami Tsurugi, would you?” Carapace asked, raising his shield and blocking a strike from Mayura. 

 

“Why do you ask?” Monarch said, vaulting over the top of Mayura’s shield and lunging with another rapier strike that Mayura danced out of the way. 

 

“I think we have a best friend in common is all,” Carapace said barrelling down and charging through another blow thrown by Mayura. His eyes flickered for a moment as Carapace’s shield crashed against his mask, blinking as he stumbled backwards, clutching at his face. Under the glowing purple light, a flicker of blue peeked out from beneath the mask. 

 

“No…” Luka growled, clawing at the mask on his face. “You’re... not...ngh!” 

 

Mayura stumbled backwards, shaking his head violently from side to side. “Shut up! Just... ngh... shut up!” 

 

“Do we need to give you some you time?” Queen Bee asked as Nightwisher glanced Mayura up and down. Cocking back, she lashed out, cracking Mayura across the mask with her guitar with a musical bang that sent Mayura staggering backwards. 

 

“Luka!” Nightwisher cried, grabbing Mayura by the shoulders and shaking him roughly as he blinked, blue eyes once again peeking out from under his mask. 

 

“Get...away!” Luka grunted, tugging at the parasite that clung to his face. “He wants...he wants to hurt you!” 

 

Nightwisher reached out, only to be backhanded haphazardly by Mayura who seemed to be back to his horrible self. 

 

“Hit him in the face!” Nightwisher cried, tumbling back and shattering another row of knights with a screeching electric guitar riff. 

 

“Okay, I’m conflicted; are we trying to hurt this guy or not?” Queen Bee sighed. "Beating on civilians isn't really my style."

 

"Bit late for that; you Initial Lotus'd him!" Monarch said, shakin her head. God damn Adrien for making me know what that means. 

 

"Still doesn't mean that I-" 

 

“Luka was the guy who left your bags at the train station,” Carapace said, watching Queen Bee lunge at Mayura, kicking him as hard as she could in the side of the head. 

 

“You ass-truck!” Queen Bee snarled, watching Mayura tumble backwards over the cobblestones towards Nightwisher's feet. 

 

“What the hell is an ass-truck?!” Monarch asked. 

 

“I don’t know, it was the worst thing I could think of!” Queen Bee said, watching Luka shake his head, clawing at his face as he tried to get his mask off. "Oh I am sooooo kicking you in your stupid civilian face once this shit with Hawkmoth is over!" 

 

“L-Listen,” Luka begged, looking desperately at Monarch. “You...you have to stop me. I don’t...I don’t want to live like this. I don’t want to hurt anybody...else!” 

 

Mayura shook his head violently, banging his temple with his closed fist. “You weak, stupid  little boy...this is why Marinette didn’t pick you! This is why-” 

 

“Luka!” Mayura whipped around to see a scared, pained looking Marinette standing at the edge of the courtyard, shivering as she tugged her jacket around her shoulders. Instantly, Mayura’s single minded hatred seemed to subside, the world melting away except for Marinette. 

 

“What is she doing here?!” Queen Bee hissed, moving to go stop Mayura before Carapace placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head to stop her from interfering. 

 

“Just let it play out,” Carapace whispered, passing a strip of paper to Queen Bee, Nightwisher, and Monarch. “We got a plan, but we’re only gonna get one shot at this; just follow my lead.” 

 

Marinette stumbled into the center courtyard, eyes watering and lower lip trembling as Mayura immediately started fussing over her. 

 

“A-Are you okay?” Mayura asked, brushing the dust off Marinette’s shirt. If he had been paying attention, he might have noticed the fact that her shoulders were just a little broader than Marinette’s were, or that his hand didn’t have to go so far down to tuck hair behind her ear. 

 

“I’m fine…” Marinette said, eyes following Carapace and Queen Bee as they got into position, flicking back to the house where Master He was watching from the window. She nodded as Marinette took hold of Mayura’s hands, angling him back into the center of the courtyard until he stood between the heroes who seemed to be waiting for a cue to act. 

 

“I need you to do something for me…” Marinette said, trying hard not to look at the grotesque, insectoid mask that covered his face. Beneath the glowing, purple-eyed mania, there was a silent, almost imperceptible plea for help. 

 

“I need you...” Marinette said, cupping the side of his face. “To hold still.” 

 

Mayura’s mouth fell open, a question bubbling out of his throat as a fluttering strip of paper instantly covered his mask. 

 

“Now!” Carapace called, slamming his strip of paper into the ground as the others around him did the same. The text glowed as the paper crackled with energy. Mayura lashed out as Marinette backflipped away, transforming into Rena Rouge as Master He began chanting something in a language that sounded strangely dissonant, fingers locked in an intricate pattern. Her eyes glowed as thick, heavy chains snaked out of the paper strips, lashing Mayura in place and holding him a few inches above the ground. 

 

“What...what are you-” A strangled cry came out of Mayura’s mouth as his frame started to twitch and shudder violently. Rena Rouge backed away as Mayura’s hands began to glow, a cry of pain spilling out of his mouth. “No...no, you don’t get to-” 

 

The silent street erupted in a hideous, wrenchingly distorted scream. Mayura’s mouth stretched to an inhuman degree, throat bulging as Luka’s vocal chords were used to give out one final cry of hatred and unparalleled anger. The corners of Mayura’s mask, still visible under the edge of the mask, began to shrivel and shrink, curling in as Mayura’s body twisted this way and that, purple frockery disappearing and giving way to Luka’s street clothes. With a final gasp, he stopped shaking, tumbling to the ground with a thump as the golden chains dissipated. 

 

For the first time all night, Paris was quiet. 

 

Nightwisher tripped over herself, akuma fluttering away from her and sliding along the ground as she rushed to her brother’s side. “Luka?! Luka, wake up!” 

 

Rena Rouge all but slumped over as Master He hobbled out of the house, watching with bated breath as Juleka pressed her fingers against her brother’s neck. “H-He’s got a pulse!” 

 

“Shit…” Carapace sighed, slumping over on the ground next to Rena Rouge. “What happened?” 

 

“I... we managed to use a very old abjuration rite I haven’t needed in quite a long time,” Master He said, wincing as her hands shook from the effort. “Mayura’s influence seems to have subsided.” 

“The butterfly’s dead?” Queen Bee asked, leaning on Carapace’s back for support. 

 

“I wish that was the case…” Master He sighed, chewing on her lip as Juleka gently shook her brother’s shoulders. “Our power couldn’t destroy the akuma...it just contained it.” 

 

“In Luka?” Monarch asked, fidgeting with her Miraculous absentmindedly. 

 

“Sadly so,” Master he said, hobbling across the courtyard, clutching on to a broken spear like a cane as she stood over Luka’s body. Instinctively, Juleka placed herself between her brother and this stranger, shielding him from view as she looked up at her. 

 

“D-Don’t hurt him,” Juleka pleaded. 

 

“I won’t,” Master He said gently. “But we need to get him somewhere safe...somewhere we can make sure he won’t hurt himself.” 

 

Master He withdrew a pale, pearl colored key from her cloak, pressing it into the asphalt beneath her feet and twisting it with an echoing thunk sound. The ground split open, revealing a set of polished white stairs that descended into a warmly lit corridor downstairs. 

 

“I know you don’t know me,” Master He said, extending a hand. “But I promise...I will do everything I can to help your brother.” 

 

Juleka glanced at Monarch who nodded somewhat uncertainly, stepping forward to take a hold of Luka’s boots. With a glance back at Rena Rouge, Juleka and Monarch carried Luka down into the room that had appeared beneath the street. 

 

“I’ll...make sure he’s safe,” Master He said, scratching the back of her neck. “Let’s meet at the hospital later...I think we have quite a few things we need to sort out.” 

 

“Sounds good,” Rena Rouge nodded, watching Master He follow Juleka and Monarch down into the room that had mysteriously appeared in the middle of the courtyard. The asphalt closed behind them, sealing with a locking sound that echoed down the dead, empty street. 

 

“...hey,” Queen Bee asked, glancing between Rena Rouge and Carapace. “Did we win?” 

 

Rena Rouge glanced between the vines covering the wall and the shattered wreckage of the Agreste estate. “...doesn’t feel like it.” 

---

Marinette hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep until she woke, shaking a blanket off her body as she sat up on the fainting couch. 

 

The lights outside were back on and the sound of distant sirens wafted in through the window, bringing her tumbling uncomfortably back into a painful reality of her own design. Her desk lay in a shattered pile on the floor next to her, neatly swept up and stacked out of harm’s way as Marinette’s hands throbbed in the memory of her fit of destruction. 

 

Her stomach turned as she spied the small pile of gifts Adrien had presented to her earlier that night. He had known then that he was walking into a battle he might not walk out of, and the last thing he had done was make sure she had an everlasting token of his love for her...in case he didn’t make it. In case something terrible happened to him and he was unable to tell her himself. 

 

In case Ladybug ended up defeating him. 

 

Marinette was grateful that the trashcan had survived her destructive rampage as she all but fell for it, the image of Adrien’s broken body drawing her dinner up out of her stomach. Marinette was barely aware of the door opening behind her, not even registering that she was no longer alone until a cool hand pressed against the back of her neck. 

 

“Easy,” Sabine said, setting a tray of minty tea down on the fainting couch and pulling Marinette’s hair back over her shoulder. 

 

“Mama?” Marinette croaked, voice hoarse and throat sore from crying. “Is...is Dad-” 

 

“Your father is helping down at the hospital,” Sabine said, hands resting on her daughter’s shoulders. “I came back to get some more pastries for the doctors and...well, I saw your light on.” 

 

Shame bubbled back up inside Marinette as she tugged her blanket around her shoulders, cracked, bloody hands throbbing in pain. 

 

“Sweetheart,” Sabine said, tilting Marinette’s chin up and wiping a tear away with her thumb. “What’s going on?” 

 

“I…” Marinette swallowed painfully, afraid to confess the thing that was devouring her alive. “I did something bad, Mom…something really bad…” 

 

Bad wasn’t even the half of it; bad was so far in her rearview mirror that she could barely make it out. One choice hurt nearly everyone she loved, exploded her kwami, and doomed Paris to death by plant growth. 

 

Sabine said nothing for a long moment, chewing her bottom lip as she seemed to weigh something in her mind. “Did Marinette do something bad...or did Ladybug do something bad?” 

 

Marinette looked up to see her mother’s firm gaze looking back at her. “I don’t...I don’t know what you’re-” 

 

“Marinette, please ,” Sabine chuckled. “You think a mother doesn’t notice that her daughter sneaks off every night for four years? For the record, that latch on your skylight is louder than you think it is.” 

 

Marinette’s mouth fell open, her lie dying as she met her mother’s eyes. “Does...does Dad-” 

 

“I haven’t told him,” Sabine said, running her hand over Marinette’s head. “He’s worried enough with all this Ladybug nonsense; he’d be beside himself if he knew his daughter was at the heart of it.” 

 

“You don’t know the half of it…” Marinette sighed, shaking her head. “Why...why didn’t you say anything?” 

 

“I trusted that my daughter would come to me if she needed my help,” Sabine said, rubbing Marinette’s cheek with a small sigh. “I should have known that you’re always the first to offer help and the last to accept it.” 

 

“...I wish I had,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “It just...everything just got so…crazy so fast. I...I-I just wanted to help...I thought I was doing the right-” 

 

Marinette trailed off, shaking her head. “No...I knew it was wrong...but I thought I was doing something wrong for the right reason...or good reasons...or…” 

 

“Honey,” Sabine said softly. “Nobody ever wakes up and decides that they’re going to do something wrong; nobody ever chooses to hurt someone they care about-” 

 

“I did ,” Marinette said vehemently, blinking back a fresh wave of tears. “For all I told myself that I was doing the least harmful thing, I knew I was hurting someone close to me. I just thought...it was hurt my partner or...hurt my friend.” 

 

“And you ended up hurting both somehow?” Sabine asked. 

 

“...and a whole lot more,” Marinette said as the memory of Rena Rouge’s teary-eyed expression and the crazed look on Mayura's face bubbled up in her mind. Just how many people had she dragged into this mess? 

 

“I feel as though I shouldn’t pry,” Sabine said, tucking Marinette’s hair behind her ears. “Alright...so what now?” 

 

“I…” Marinette shook her head. “I can’t do anything now…I can’t...I can’t fix this like I thought I could...” 

 

“Maybe,” Sabine said, tilting her head back and forth. “Maybe not...I can’t say I know enough about what’s going on to say for sure. Sometimes you can...break something beyond complete repair. You hurt people you love and it seems like there’s no way to make amends.” 

 

Marinette was forced to look up as her mother tilted her chin up. “But that does not excuse you from trying.” 

 

“What am I supposed to do?” Marinette said, gesturing to the mess her room was in. “I don’t have any power...m-my friends don’t even want to speak to me...I can barely look at myself without wanting to throw up-” 

 

“I know,” Sabine shushed, tugging her daughter in close and softly rubbing her back. “But still...you must try and do whatever you can to help with what you have.” 

 

Sabine stood up, carefully tugging Marinette back to her feet as she picked up a basket of food. “I’m not a doctor, but I am going to the hospital to see what help I can offer...would you like to come with me?” 

 

“...maybe,” Marinette said, looking down at her bloody hands with a small sigh. Idly, she reached out, rubbing the raw, cracked skin on her knuckles like Tikki had taught her so long ago. Even after she rebuked her...Tikki still found a way to help her. She still helped someone who she knew was in league with a monster right up until the moment Marinette tore her own earrings off to hand to Adrien’s father. 

 

“Might be a good idea to get my ears looked at,” Marinette muttered. 

 

Sabine frowned, head cocking to one side as she tucked Marinette’s hair behind her ears. “What’s wrong with your ears?” 

 

“They-” Marinette reached up, feeling around her earlobe for the hole that Tikki’s earring left behind only to find smooth, unblemished skin between her fingers. Brushing past her mother, she headed over to the mirror, squinting at her reflection for any sign of the injury that she had sustained only an hour or so earlier. 

 

They were gone; her ears were perfectly healed as though by- 

 

Marinette glanced back down at her hands, heart pounding as she rubbed at the raw, cracked skin on her knuckles. “Come on...baby turtles, baby turtles, baby turtles....” 

 

“Marinette?” Sabine said somewhat uneasily. “You didn’t hit your head or anything, did y-” 

 

Sabine let out a small squeak as a spark of pink energy jumped from Marinette’s fingers, bathing her hand in soft, pink light. Marinette scrubbed furiously at the back of her hand, scraping away the dried blood to reveal pale, unblemished skin where the cuts had been a moment before. 

 

A rush of manic energy surged through Marinette as she turned to the broken table in the corner, rubbing her hands together as she stepped up to it. Closing her eyes, she reached her hands out, envisioning the small, black and white table she had worked at for so many years. She envisioned the smooth, curving metal legs, the scratchy plywood underside, the small heart with AA+MDC carved in the center carved under the back of it. She focused through the soft, tingling sensation that crept its way up and down her hands until she felt it subside, only daring to open her eyes when the tingling stopped. 

 

It was far from perfect; the wood was hewn together clumsily in spots with thick, green moss sealing cracks in the side. The metal was bent in odd places and the small patch where she had carved her and Adrien’s initials seemed to be neatly cleaved down the middle. But as she stepped up to the table and gently placed her weight on it, she found that it held steady, even as she banged her fist on the tabletop. 

 

“What...what is this supposed to mean?” Sabine asked as Marinette stared down at her hands. 

 

“I don’t know…” Marinette said, glancing out the window. “But there’s someone at the hospital who might.” 

---

“Honestly, I’m surprised he’s doing as well as he is,” Dr. Baker said, looking over Adrien’s chart. “People usually don’t fare this well after being hit by a truck.” 

 

Chloe nodded mutely, squeezing Nino’s forearm tightly for support. “Will he...will be okay?” 

 

“Too early to tell,” Dr. Baker said. “We’re going to try and get him into surgery, but there’s some people who are in more critical condition than he is. To be frank, his recovery is...well, it’s unnatural. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that he has less broken bones now than he did when we brought him in. We...couldn’t do anything for his eye though.” 

 

“His eye?” Chloe asked, wincing as she looked at the heavy bandages that covered the left side of his face. 

 

“The bone structure wasn’t too badly damaged but...well, if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought it had melted,” Dr. Baker said with a small shudder. “Couldn’t save the organ, I’m afraid…we'll fit him with a prosthetic as soon as he-”

 

“Thanks...just let us know if we can do anything,” Nino muttered, glancing back into the room where Adrien lay motionless. Chloe reached out and pressed her fingertips against the glass, shaking her head as she blinked back the tears that rolled down her cheeks. 

 

“I just...why didn’t he tell us?” Chloe said, looking up at Nino. “He had a whole box of Miraculous...he knew I was Queen Bee so why...why didn’t he tell us?” 

 

Nino shook his head helplessly, wrapping his arms around her as she buried her face in his chest. 

---

An Apology

By Alya Cesaire, Ed. 

 

In the past few months, the Ladyblog has been at the forefront of the Chat Noir situation. We have brought you new and shocking information that Chat Noir was in league with Hawkmoth and had sold out the city. 

 

We now know this story to be untrue. 

 

Chat Noir was not in league with Hawkmoth. Indeed, as yesterday’s events proved, he has always been a hero of Paris and a stalwart defender of the city. The Ladyblog offers the most sincerest of apologies to Chat Noir for the part we played in spreading misinformation. 

 

After careful consideration, the Ladyblog will shut down, effective immediately, for an indefinite and possibly permanent period of time. We would like to thank you for years of support and would like to apologize for misleading you in the last few months. 

Alya stared at her reflection in the screen for a long moment, eyes roaming over line after line of text before pressing a button on her phone. She didn't stay to watch the Ladyblog go dark, wiping the corner of her eye as she made her way back to the waiting room where her team was. 

---

 

Adrien’s eye opened as the soft, beeping sound of a heart-rate monitor drew his attention. The dimly lit hospital room. Through his bruised, swollen eyelid, he could vaguely make out a pair of figures through the window, speaking in hushed tones he couldn’t quite make out. He tried to lift his left arm, but a thick, heavy cast held it to his side. 

 

He opened his mouth to call out for help, but the pained, choking sound that slipped out barely registered over the sound of the machines he was hooked up to. Across the room, draped over the edge of the chair, was a tattered, bloodstained blue scarf; a scarf his father had given him...a scarf his Marinette had made for him. 

 

Teeth grinding together, he looked down at his hand, glaring at the patch of burned skin where his ring used to be. He didn’t realize he was biting down on his lip until the warm, wet taste of copper washed over his tongue. 

---

The smell of violets and cool, running springwater roused Luka as he woke facedown in a field of soft grass, a dim, setting sun shining down on him as he pushed himself up into a kneeling position. A lush, vibrant field surrounded him in all directions, rolling down a hillside towards a babbling creek that looked out over a cliff that dropped into a gentle, rolling surf. A lone tree brimming with purple flowers loomed ahead of him, casting long shadows across the ground as Luka walked forward, squinting in confusion at the scene that surrounded him. 

 

His bare, bruised hands brushed the tips of the grass as he walked down the hill, casting his eyes around for any sign of life other than himself. The soft sound of the wind in the air and the sound of waves crashing on the shore dulled the pounding in his head but did nothing to answer the questions buzzing in his head. 

 

“Hello-” Luka winced as his head bumped into a shimmering patch of air a few yards from the edge of the cliff reaching out, his hand brushed against a soft, squishy barrier that flexed as he pressed against it, but refused to give way, even as he leaned against it. 

 

“Hello?” Luka called, rapping on the barrier. “Is anyone out there?” 

 

As he raised his hand, a dull memory of pain throbbed through his knuckles, flashes of Adrien’s pain screaming as his senses returned to him. 

 

Let me out...

 

“...no,” Luka muttered to himself, clutching his hand as he fell to the ground. “No, I...I couldn’t have...I…” 

 

Let me out!

 

Luka winced as a harsh, vicious voice echoed in the back of his mind. “No...please…” 

 

Let me OUT!

---

 

Juleka pressed her hand against the barrier, watching her brother silently tear at his hair and curl tighter and tighter into a ball. Outside the small, enclosed garden, a pale white corridor stretched in both directions, opening into a series of scenic cells separated by translucent barriers. 

 

“Can he...can he hurt himself?” Juleka asked, turning to Master He. 

 

“We take every precaution to ensure that he won’t,” Master He said, staring into the serene prison with a heavy sigh. “The cell should hold him, but I will make sure he is alright...I will say this is one of the nicer cells we have around here.”

 

Juleka nodded somewhat uncertainly, biting her lower lip as she glanced at Kagami. “Can I...can I just stay here? I know...I know he can’t see me, but-” 

 

“I...don’t know if that’s a good idea…” Master He said, scratching the back of her head. “This is strictly speaking a prison kept outside the universe. Mortals really shouldn’t-” 

 

“What’s one night going to hurt?” Kagami sighed, glancing back at Luka’s shaking back, a pang of sympathy stirring in her chest. “Please...he’s been through enough.” 

 

Master He seemed to chew this over for a moment, glancing between Kagami and Juleka before nodding to herself. “I’ll...see if I can find you a pillow.” 

 

“I’ll get word to your mother,” Kagami said, squeezing Juleka’s shoulder somewhat awkwardly “Let her know you two are safe...relatively speaking.” 

 

“Thanks,” Juleka nodded, curling up on the floor outside her brother’s cell as Master He and Kagami turned, walking down a pathway lined with intricate crane murals. 

 

"His Miraculous..." Kagami said, palming her own pin. "I watched it shatter when Mayura took control...is his kwami-" 

 

"The...ritual we performed had some unexpected side effects," Master He said, sharing an uneasy glance with Nooroo. "Dusuu...Mayura...and Luka effectively inhabit the same form. And short of a complete miracle...I don't see any way to seperate them right now." 

 

"So that...thing is just stuck inside him?" Kagami asked as they pushed a door open into a waiting room where Chloe and Nino sat, huddled together on a beat up couch in the corner with sullen expressions. 

 

"What's the good word?" Nino asked. 

 

“Luka is...well, okay is a relative term,” Kagami sighed as Master He closed the door behind her. “But he’s alive. Juleka’s staying over until…” 

 

Kagami trailed off as an uneasy silence drifted between them.  

 

“So…” Chloe said, glancing between her friends tight, drawn faces. “What now?” 

 

“We’ll keep an eye on May...on Luka,” Master He coughed. “We have to make sure the akuma isn’t affecting him anymore; once I’m sure the seal will hold, we can turn him loose.”

 

Kagami glanced at Chloe a little uncertainty. “Is...is Adrien-” 

 

“Making good progress,” Nino said, squeezing Chloe’s shoulder a little tighter. “I...I don’t know how he even survived Mayura.” 

 

“He did more than survive...he put Mayura through a wall,” Kagami said, running a hand through her hair. “Closed one of his eyes too.” 

 

Master He chewed her thumb thoughtfully. “That shouldn’t have been possible...he had lost his ring by then. Unless…” 

 

Kagami raised an eyebrow. “Unless?” 

 

Master He shook her head. “No...it’s impossible. If it was any other Miraculous, I might have suggested that he was Mantling some of the Black Cat’s power, but-” 

 

“Excuse me, you can’t just-” The door to the room barrelled open as a nurse chased a wide eyed, frantic looking Marinette into the room. All eyes snapped to her as she stood in the doorway, a look of worried hope on her face. 

 

“Master He!” Marinette panted, barrelling through the door, completely oblivious to Nino and Chloe sitting on the couch in the corner. “I...I...okay, here’s the thing-” 

 

Marinette saw the chair fly at her head out of the corner of her eye, ducking in time as it shattered on the wall behind her head. She popped back up, whipping around in time to see Chloe vault the coffee table, eyes wild and fist cocked back ready to strike. 

 

"You stupid asshole!" 

 

A harsh crunch echoed through the room as Chloe’s fist found its mark, bouncing Marinette’s head off the back wall as her hands wrapped around the front of her shirt. 

 

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tear your fucking head off!” Chloe growled, grabbing the front of Marinette’s shirt and hoisting her up off the ground. Her fist was slick with the blood that trickled out of Marinette’s bent nose, but if she noticed, she didn’t care. Marinette thought there were times that Chloe had been angry with her before, but in the fury that she leveled at Marinette, she realized she had mistaken petty aggravation for real, genuine anger. 

 

“Hey, take it easy!” Nino said, tugging at Chloe’s arm, wrenching her off Marinette and dragging her backwards, even as she kicked and clawed. 

 

“This is your fault!” Chloe spat, struggling against Kagami as Master He threw herself in front of Marinette. Even through the gap in Master He’s arm, the image of Chloe’s red, teary expression of rage burned into her mind. “All of this... all of this is your fault! ” 

 

“Simmer, girl!” Nino grunted, wrestling Chloe back. “Calm... down!” 

“Don’t you tell me to calm down!” Chloe snarled, clawing at the carpeted floor as she tried to drag herself towards Marinette. “Twenty four broken bones, a punctured lung and a missing goddamned eye. It’s her fault he’s like this! It’s her fault he’s-” 

 

“Enough!” Marinette looked up to see Alya standing in the doorway, hands on her hips as she surveyed the scene before her. Her eyes landed on Marinette, impassively looking her up and down. “You shouldn’t be here.” 

 

“I...I need to talk with Master He,” Marinette said, looking up at the old woman as she raised her hand to her broken nose. Master He’s eyes widened ever so slightly as soft, pink light flowed out of Marinette’s fingertips followed by a snap as her nose shifted back into the right position. By the time her hand fell away, there wasn’t even so much as a bruise on her face. 

 

“T-Tiki taught me how to do this,” Marinette said, glancing warily at the people that surrounded her, two of which still looked like they wanted to kill her. “I lost my Miraculous...so why can I still do that?” 

 

Master He said nothing, quietly walking over to where the now empty Miracle Box sat. She stared down at it for a moment, popping the top with a deep sigh as she saw that Tikki and Plagg’s slots in the chest were still empty. 

 

“If Tikki and Plagg had been fully destroyed, they would have started to reform by now,” Master He sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she turned back to the assembled heroes. "The fact that they're not means..." 

---

Kaiser Long could feel it...whatever it was pulsing like a boil on reality as he made his way through the sewers, opening long forgotten doors as the stonework grew older and older. A thick, foul-smelling black mold seemed to grow along the crumbling stonework, the metal steps under Kaiser Long’s feet rusting as he made his way down into an old, forgotten air raid bunker. 

 

A pained cry of horror wafted from behind the large metal door, growing in volume as it disintegrated, shattering into a pile of iron dust and revealing the creature sulking in the dim, flickering lights. 

 

A hulking, misshapen, insectoid monstrosity twitched and shuddered violently as its form flickered and fizzed like a badly picked-up television station. Two shrivelled arms clutched at a chest that rose and fell with pained wheezing as it stumbled around on long, chitinous legs that ended in cruel, grasping claws. From its shoulders emerged two arms, one blackened and sickly with decay that seemed to spread from the silvery ring around its middle finger. The other was large, grotesquely muscular, and pulsed with red energy that seemed to emerge from the glowing red jewels embedded in its palm. 

 

The creature whipped around as Kaiser Long approached, half of a formerly handsome face hidden in a mass of glowing purple eyes that all turned to look at him as he approached. “...you know, Gabriel, this is something of an improvement for you.” 

 

A dark shadow fell over Kaiser long as a pair of glowing purple wings unfurled from Hawkmoth’s back. 

 

Notes:

Meet the new moth; same as the old moth.

I feel like the final part of this fight was a little rushed but tbh I'm sick of writing it. We're moving on to juicier territory that I'm really looking forward to writing and I'm tired of trying to make this fight turn out perfect. Good enough is good enough.

The GOOD NEWS is that we're finally through the depressing shit. Now we can finally start the long road to healing/badassery.

NEXT TIME: Deep deep lore. Your homework is to start listening to The Magnus Archives because it will make the next chapter a lot more understandable.

Chapter 40: The Last Guardian

Master Fu’s eyes slowly opened to the sound of a heart rate monitor and a room he didn't recognize. 

 

He slowly pushed himself up, grunting in pain as his arms trembled from the effort. Fumbling around for his glasses, he squinted out the window as his still foggy mind tried to make sense of the scene outside. He was in Paris...or he thought he was at least. The Paris that had been his home for almost a hundred years did not have a strange, black and red tree taller and wider than the Eiffel Tower growing in the center of it. It did not have thick roots and vines covering every surface of every building, bulging and pulsing with strange, glowing red fruit that seemed ready to burst.

 

“What...what’s going on?” Master Fu muttered, feeling around for his Miraculous as the door behind him opened.

 

“Well...at least you’re awake.” Master Fu turned to see the tired, careworn face of Master He stumbling into the room, slumping into the chair next to his bed with a long, drawn out sigh.

 

“... what happened?” Master Fu asked, dreading the answer as Master He dropped her face in her hands. "When did you get here...how long have I-" 

 

“You’re still weak…” Master He said, pushing Master Fu down on to the bed. “You need to sleep; we’ll talk about it when-”

 

“Qiong.” Master He reached for his friend’s hand. “ Please…”

 

“... your pupil, Marinette, betrayed you,” Master He said quietly, reaching for Master Fu’s hand and giving it a soft squeeze. “She allied herself with Hawkmoth and, through her actions, delivered the Miraculous to him.”

 

Master Fu took a deep, shaky breath, nodding as he tried to make sense of everything. “ ...Marinette?”

 

“Almost completely unharmed,” Master He said almost derisively. “Couple of cuts that didn’t even need to be healed…she really is such a lucky girl...”

 

“ ...and Chat Noir?” Master Fu asked, watching Master He’s face darken. “Where is he? Is he...what happened to him?”

 

Master He’s lips pressed into a tight line. “...I did all I could to prepare him. Seems you prepared Marinette better.” 

 

“Is he alive?” Master Fu said, desperately clinging to Master He’s arm as he felt a cold chill creep down his spine. “Tell me he’s-” 

 

“He will live…” Master He sighed, running a hand through her hair. 

 

Master Fu nodded somewhat uncertainly, shaking his head as he stared down at his bedspread. “...I failed them.” 

 

“We both did,” Master He sighed, patting Master Fu on the back. “Never gets any easier, does it? But we can’t allow ourselves the luxury of pitying ourselves at this point. The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous are still in Gabriel Agreste’s possession.” 

 

Master Fu looked up, eyes wide with fear as he glanced out the window. “You mean…” 

 

“I don’t think he has full control over them yet,” Master He said, watching the plants that covered the city undulate uncomfortably. “But the fact that he hasn’t completely been annihilated by their power does not bode well for us.”  

 

“We...we need to regroup,” Master Fu nodded. “Pull out of Paris...come up with some way to defeat him.” 

 

“I think I may have a solution already,” Master He said. 

 

“I’m not going to like it, am I?”

 

“That’s a conversation for later,” Master He said, tucking Fu in as she turned to go. “We’re going to meet in the Vault later.” 

 

“We?”

 

“We are not the only players in this game anymore, old friend,” Master He said, stepping out into the hallway. Marinette leaned against the wall, just out of view of the window that peeked into Master Fu’s room, looking every-bit the schoolgirl waiting outside the headmaster’s office. 

 

“It’s not going to get easier the longer you wait, you know,” Master He said. “Best to just rip the bandage off; get it over with.” 

 

“I…” Marinette blinked back tears, shaking her head. “I don’t even know what I’m going to say.” 

 

“Sorry would be a very good place to start,” Master He said, patting Marinette lightly on the shoulder, walking down the hallway towards Adrien’s room. As she reached the elevator, she looked back, watching Marinette’s back shake as she knelt beside Master Fu’s bed, hands balled in his sheets as the faint sound of sobbing echoed down the hall. There was hesitation in Fu’s eyes as he looked down at her, but as Master He entered the elevator, she saw him reach out and pat the back of Marinette’s head. 

---

“...I understand you’re not taking your pain medication.”

 

There honestly wasn't much of Adrien that Nathalie recognized under the gauze and plaster casts that covered almost every inch of exposed skin. 

 

“The doctors...seem to think it would help, given your...condition,” Natalie said, trying hard not to look at him. His hair was matted and tangled, still caked with blood in some spots. His lip was held together with a row of crude, ugly stitches that his father would have despised if he was still alive to see them.

 

“I’ll...I’ll see about getting you some clean clothes from home,” Nathalie said as Adrien mutely stared straight ahead, his one working eye glaring into empty space as Nathalie spoke. “If you need any books, or...or anything to occupy yourself, I can-”

 

“Did you know?” Adrien asked, voice quiet but trembling with barely restrained fury that sent a chill running down Nathalie’s spine.

 

“Adrien...your father and I-”

 

“Did...you... know ?” Adrien repeated, turning his eye towards Nathalie.

 

“...I helped your father with everything,” Nathalie said quietly. “But...you have to understand...Adrien, he loved you more than anything...h-he was just trying to give you your family back...he was trying to-”

 

“Thank you, Nathalie,” Adrien said, turning away. “You can go now…”

 

“Adrien...please, try to see things from his persp-”

 

L̶͎̖͈̖͕͔̭̰̅̅͑̃̑͑̂͠ȩ̷̪̥̬͇̖͉͉̠͂͋̓̚a̴̧̠͑͒̓͒̃̃̈́͑͊͘v̸̡̛͍̩̺̠̆̏͒̇̇͒̿̃̏͂͜ẻ̵̢̡̧͔̘̹͆̚͠ ̵

 

Adrien's voice thrummed with a strange reverberating baritone as the shadows in the room seemed to stretch, snaking across the walls towards her in hostile and alien patterns that made Nathalie stumble as she hurried to leave the room. Adrien didn’t turn to watch her go, teeth grinding as he bit down on a scream that threatened to claw its way out of his throat.

 

“She’s right, you know.” Adrien looked up to see Master He looking over his chart. “Now’s not the time to wallow in misery without reason.” 

 

“Sorry that the complete destruction of my life is inconvenient for you,” Adrien hissed, wincing as he shifted in his cast. 

 

“I understand the pain you are in,” Master He said. 

 

“You really don’t. ” 

 

“But if we are to rescue Plagg and your Miraculous, we will need Chat Noir at his full strength,” Master He said, watching Adrien’s eye light up curiously. “Your enemies will punish you enough; do not do their job for them.” 

 

Master He passed the plastic cup with painkillers across the table towards Adrien. “Your father is still alive...and he still has control over your Miraculous.” 

---

“Oh my God; what’s wrong with your faaaaaaaaaaace?!” 

 

Hawkmoth stared at the bulbous, freakish parody of his human face in the rippling sewer water, glaring at his own reflection in muted horror. 

 

“JESUS he looks the Mothman with the world’s worst acne!” Kaiser Long’s partner gagged from the portal behind him. “Fuck me, dude, forget the Ugly Tree; this unfortunate motherfucker got dragged by his ass through the Ugly Forest...and hit every Ugly Branch as he went...while Ugly Squirrels threw Ugly Pinecones at his face!” 

 

“Now, pumpkin, the man has had a rough day,” Kaiser Long said, turning to the burning portal where his partner seemed to shudder in revulsion as Hawkmoth turned to face him. “I happen to think you make looking like a freakish monstrosity pretty good-” 

 

Kaiser Long’s head bounced off the wall as Hawkmoth grabbed him around the throat, hauling him off the ground as his eyes all swiveled to glare at him. 

 

“This... isn’t what you promised!” Hawkmoth hissed, chest wracking as a sudden bout of coughing shook his misshapen form. 

 

“You... got what you were promised, old man,” Kaiser Long coughed, struggling to wriggle out of Hawkmoth’s grip. “Not... our fault you can’t handle it.” 

 

“How am I supposed to save my wife like this ?!” Hawkmoth growled. “I can't even control this power properly! What...what am I supposed to-” 

 

Hawkmoth roared in agony as his shoulder erupted in white hot, burning pain. He dropped Kaiser Long in shock, whipping around to see an arm reaching out of the portal and grabbing his shoulder

 

“Ah ah ah...no touchy,” the woman growled as the flickering portal widened into a doorway. Her long, red hair was braided in twintails that ended with two balls of flickering orange flame. A sleeveless red and orange robe hung open over a vest embroidered with flames that seemed to dance as she stepped out of the portal. The skin that stuck out of her fingerless gloves crackled with blistering white heat as she pressed her hand against his skin like a branding iron.

 

Despite having the cosmic forces of Creation and Destruction grafted to his body, the remnants of Hawkmoth’s human heart trembled with dread as he stared into a pair of burning yellow eyes he had only seen in portals and a woman he knew only by a terrible name Kaiser Long only rarely spoke of.

 

Firebird.

 

“Nice to finally meet you, Gabe,” Firebird said, narrowing her eyes at Hawkmoth. The silver ring on his hand trembled as she approached, humming with a kind of resonant frequency; a kinship that Gabriel felt in the deepest reaches of a soul shackled to the Black Cat Miraculous. 

 

“I believe you’re acquainted with my better half,” Kaiser Long chuckled, brushing himself off as he pushed himself back to his feet. Hawkmoth’s skin still prickled with pain as the woman closed the portal behind her with a snap of her fingers. “Now then...let’s all be civil and see if we can’t salvage something from this ugly mess...no offense, Gabriel.” 

---

"What do you mean you’re in New York?!” 

 

Alya’s eye opened with a bleary groan, rolling over and tumbling off the edge of Chloe’s couch. Chloe paced back and forth across her living room floor, an increasingly irate scowl darkening her face. 

 

“S-Sweetheart, Daddy’s in something of a delicate political position,” Mayor Andre’s voice came across the other end of her cellphone. “Things in Paris are-” 

 

The Mayor’s last words were cut off as Chloe stepped outside on her balcony, the sound of muffled, high-pitched screaming wafting through the windows. 

 

“Mayor of the year, everyone,” Alya sighed, pushing herself up off the floor as the door to the bathroom opened. 

 

“Uh...Al?” Nino chuckled, hair dripping from the shower. “C-Can you see if Chloe has any other towels lying around?” 

 

“Not a fan of yellow and black?” Alya yawned, scratching the top of Trixx’s head as she passed their sleeping spot on the arm of the couch. "I don't think you have much of a choice." 

 

“It’s not the color...it’s the…” Nino slid out of the bathroom, clutching a towel around his waist as Alya’s braincells momentarily stopped firing. The towel barely came up to the middle of his thigh, one leg sticking out the slit as he struggled to keep it up. 

 

“Okay...you did not use to be this tall,” Alya said, eyes trailing up Nino’s frame as he stood there somewhat sheepishly. “Or this, um...thick…” 

 

“Yeah, I hit my head on like three doorframes last night,” Nino sighed, adjusting his towel fruitlessly on his considerably more muscular frame. “Wayzz said it might be a side effect of going all Ant Man yesterday; I just hope it doesn’t happen every time I have to pull on that power.” 

 

“Yeah...that would be…” Alya blinked, shaking her head. “Bad...right?” 

 

“-THEN DON’T EVEN BOTHER COMING BACK!” Chloe screeched, storming back in the apartment in a huff and hanging up her phone. “God...okay, so that was my...daddy..." 

 

Chloe stopped in the middle of the floor, inches away from bonking her head on a support beam as she caught sight of Nino dripping on the tile in a towel that did little to cover him up.

 

“I’m guessing the Mayor’s not heading up the recovery effort,” Alya said, snapping her fingers in front of Chloe’s face. 

 

“Hm?” Chloe said, blinking a few times as she watched a water drop roll down the front of Nino’s stomach. “Oh...yeah, whatever. Can’t trust Mayor Andre as far as you can throw him. He’s always been a...pretty...pretty…” 

 

“Pretty big dick?” Nino supplied. 

 

“You tell me,” Chloe mumbled, shaking her head. “I-I mean, yeah, total...h-hey, did Nino get taller?” 

 

“Chloe can you stop staring at my boyfriend’s boobs for two seconds?” Alya said, making no effort to stop herself from staring at Nino’s chest. “Master He needs us to...um-” 

 

“We gotta meet her somewhere...right?” Chloe said, head ever so slightly tilting to one side. 

 

“Yyyyyyyyyyyeah something about...Marinette or...Adrien...or…” 

 

“Can we have this conversation when I’m dressed?” Nino asked, suddenly feeling like a gazelle about to be devoured by a pair of lionesses. 

 

“Oh...sure,” Alya said, not even trying to keep the disappointment from her voice as Nino turned and scooted back into the bathroom. 

 

Chloe lightly whapped Alya in the arm. “What did you do that for?!” 

 

“Hey, I get to oogle Nino whenever I please,” Alya huffed. 

 

“So why did you cut in my one chance?” Chloe whined, shaking her head as she headed into her bedroom to change. “You’re lucky I like you so much or I would have pounced on him by now.” 

 

Alya caught sight of Chloe’s bare back as she tugged off her t-shirt, the image of Chloe pouncing on a naked Nino stitching itself into Alya’s brain as she stepped out onto the balcony. Her lip curled as she caught sight of the roots snaking over the rooftop next to her; overnight, bulbous black and red spotted fruit seemed to have blossomed on each branch, stretching up towards the cold winter sun. A small bird landed on a branch, pecking at the wood as a vine lashed out, snaring the struggling bird and drawing it into the plant mass.

 

“...that’s probably a bad sign, huh?” Rena Rouge sighed. 

---

The potted ficus in Master Fu’s room had seen better days. 

 

Marinette fingered the dry and dying leaves that drooped into a plastic pot, wincing as one of them splintered off in her fingertips. Biting her lip, reached out for the warm, glowing power she had called on the night before, watching pink light dance from her fingertips and flow into the dying plant. She watched dead and decaying plant matter drop off, pushed aside by fresh leaves and stems that shot out in strange angles. The cracking of plastic jarred Marinette out of her trance as she looked down to see that the plants roots had burrowed out of the pot, spilling soil on the floor as the plant continued to grow for a few more moments. 

 

Marinette rubbed her fingers together, staring down at her palms for a moment before she realized that she wasn’t alone. Master Fu sat in the doorway in a wheelchair, staring at her with a look that Marinette couldn’t quite decipher. He didn’t look angry...but there was a twinge of fear in his eyes that Marinette had never seen there before. 

 

“Did Tikki teach you that?” Master Fu asked after a moment. 

 

“After my...my first big fight with Chat,” Marinette said quietly. “He managed to hurt me through my suit...I think she just felt sorry for me.” 

 

Master Fu nodded somewhat uncertainly. “I see…” 

 

“I think...m-maybe, I can help to heal him?” Marinette said somewhat hopefully. “I mean it’s...it’s the least I can do, right? I...I have to at least try.” 

 

“Healing magic requires a certain degree of strength on the part of victim…” Master Fu said. “Even Master He’s considerable healing abilities couldn’t fully restore me to health...though it seems Adrien has more strength than we thought so...I suppose that would be a question for him.” 

 

Marinette swallowed heavily. “Is he...even going to talk to me after this?” 

 

“That...is also a question for him,” Master Fu sighed. “Still...I’ll do everything I can to help the pair of you reconcile as quickly as possible. The Ladybug and Black Cat should not be opposed to one another…and the longer the pair of you are at odds, the less stable things tend to be.” 

 

“Tell that to your protege,” Master He sniffed as entered the room. “I’ll not have you harass my student to make nice with someone who ripped the ring off his finger.” 

 

“Marinette is aware of the harm she has caused,” Master Fu said as Marinette’s eyes pricked with tears. “She is willing to do anything she can to help put things to right. I understand that Adiren has been through a lot, but we must be practical. We cannot afford to bicker amongst ourselves while the world hangs on the edge of disaster. We must-” 

 

“Jesus Christ, and I thought living in Paris would make you less vinegary,” Master He sniffed, fishing a key out from her coat and opening the bathroom door. 

 

“Our carpenter has nothing to do with this,” Master Fu sighed as Master He lead them inside the Inside, Marinette could see a tall, brightly ceiling and walls lined with ancient looking wooden bookcases. As she pushed Master Fu through the door, the smell of parchment and wet grass filled the air, nearly bowling her over as she crossed the threshold into...somewhere else. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach; the surreal library that rose up around her was apart from the world she knew. Her heels clacked on the polished marble inlaid with familiar figures arranged in a circle around the center of the room. A ring of zodiac animals surrounded a smaller ring of with tiles depicting a bee, fox, turtle, butterfly, and peacock. At the center of the mural, the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous circled each other, turning as the bookshelves wheeled around them 

 

“Where are we?” Marinette asked. “Is this…what did you call it? A Sanctuary?” 

 

“The Vault of the Crane Miraculous,” Master He said, glancing up at the mural depicting a crane looking down on the circle of Miraculous below. “We needed a safe place to meet and make sure your friend Luka is alright.” 

 

“Luka’s here ?” Marinette asked, glancing around. “Is he okay...c-can I see him?” 

 

Master He shared a look with Master Fu. “I...don’t think that would be wise at this point.” 

---

“Good morning.” 

 

Luka lifted his head, rubbing his bleary eyes as the smell of warm bread and coffee hit his nose. 

 

“I’m not sure what your preferences are, but I don’t think the Dupains have ever produced something not worth eating,” Monarch said, materializing in the middle of the field, carrying a cup of coffee and a basket of food under one arm. 

 

Luka nodded mutely, shifting with his back against the tree as Monarch approached. “Is...is Adrien alright?” 

 

A harsh voice in the back of his mind screamed as Adrien’s name left his lips, but after screeching at him all night, some of the fire seemed to have gone out of Mayura. His voice haunted the edges of Luka's consciousness, but it didn't blot out all rational thought like it had before. 

 

“He’s…” Monarch seemed to choose her words carefully. “I think he managed to do more damage to himself than you did...he has a knack for that, really.” 

 

“Not all of it though,” Luka said, looking down at his hands. “...I hurt him, didn’t I?” 

 

“Mayura hurt him,” Monarch said firmly. "You were possessed; you can't-"  

 

“But I wanted to,” Luka said, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. “I...I remember that. That... anger; that resentment ...that was all me. Mayura didn’t bring that anger... I did.” 

 

"It doesn't matter what you felt...or what you feel," Monarch said. "Hawkmoth has a talent to make you forget yourself; to make every bad thought you have the only thought you have. It's not your fault-" 

 

"Then who's fault is it?!" Luka snapped, eyes flashing purple as he fell backwards, clutching the sides of his head with a wince of pain. Monarch tensed for a moment, gripping her cane a little tighter as Luka shook his head, staring down at his hands in mute defeat. 

 

“He’s just...better than me,” Luka chuckled mirthlessly. “He has... had everything in the world I wanted. Marinette loved him...his father loved him...he didn’t have to work crappy retail jobs or worry about paying the electricity bill. Never told him, of course...just kinda pushed it down and pushed it down...and now he’s hurt...because I couldn’t stop that thing. Because of my...resentment.” 

 

“It’s not your fault for having feelings,” Monarch said, kneeling down on the grass beside Mayura. “And you can’t be held responsible for the things that Hawkmoth made you do.” 

 

“I nearly killed him!” Luka snapped, eyes red and teary as his head whipped up. “Do you know what that’s like?! Knowing you nearly killed someone because of something stupid ?!” 

 

Monarch stared down at him for a long moment. “...it was a fencing match.” 

 

“What?” Luka asked, watching Monarch kneel on the ground across from him. Warm lavender light rippled off Monarch’s frame, fluttering away and revealing the last human face that he had seen before Mayura took over. 

 

“Kagami?” Luka muttered, watching Kagami wince and rub her heavily bandaged shoulder. “Did I-” 

 

“No that was Noroo’s former captor,” Kagami said, rubbing the little butterfly kwami’s head. “I tried to steal his Miraculous...he didn’t like it that much. Then again I nearly killed someone I dearly love because of him so, I don't particularly care if he liked it or not.” 

 

“...so Hawkmoth really was behind all this,” Luka muttered, picking at the grass by his feet. “Is...is there a chance that Marinette didn’t know?” 

 

The hopeful edge that crept into his voice made Kagami’s stomach turn as she shook her head. “She has been...remarkably honest about her part in all this. She knew she was working with Hawkmoth from the beginning.” 

 

“Yeah, but...she blames herself for everything ,” Luka said with a weak chuckle. “You know that...even if it wasn’t all her fault, she’ll still take on more responsibility than she deserves...she wouldn’t...w-we’re friends, she wouldn’t have…” 

 

Luka trailed off, mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the right thing to say that would assuage the worrying pit of dread that spread despite Mayura’s mad rambling in the back of his mind. 

 

“I don’t think Marinette knew she was hurting you,” Kagami said quietly reached out, giving Luka’s hand what she hoped was a comforting squeeze. 

 

“...yeah,” Luka nodded. “But she did.” 

---

“What’s the scoop, chief?” 

 

Prefect Raincomprix rubbed his eyes with a tired sigh, glancing up as Rena Rouge approached the temporary command station the police had erected in the lobby of Le Grand Paris. 

 

“I’m glad to see you, Mme. Rouge, but I would be happier if you had brought Ladybug to mop this mess up,” Prefect Raincomprix said, taking a bitter sip of his cold coffee. “No offense.” 

 

“Some taken, but I can tell you’ve had a long night,” Rena Rouge said, glancing over at a corkboard full of printed photos. “Who are they?” 

 

“Reports of missing people,” Prefect Raincomprix said. “Like to think this is all just a coincidence, but I’ve been doing this job long enough to know that coincidences aren’t as common as I would like them to be.” 

 

Rena Rouge’s eyes drifted from face to face, stomach clenching as she saw Mme. Bustier’s smiling photograph staring out from the center of the stack. “I think the plants have something to do with it...tell your people to stay away from the foliage. See if you can do something to slow the plant growth down.” 

 

“I’ll see if I can get my hands on some weed killer,” Prefect Raincomprix chuckled. “Thanks for the tip; what are your plans?” 

 

“Got a meeting to get to; see if we can do something about this mess,” Rena Rouge said, glancing around as she leaned in closer. “You should know that Hawkmoth is still out there…” 

 

“Figures we haven’t seen the last of him,” Prefect Raincomprix muttered. “I’ll tell my people to be careful...no pressure but the sooner we can sort this mess out, the better.” 

 

“You’re telling me,” Rena Rouge said, shooting a wave over her shoulder as she headed out the front door. Outside, a small crowd had gathered around Carapace and Queen Bee, staring at the thick, uncomfortably veiny vine that had grown out of the pavement. 

 

“Hey, do me a favor and stay away from the plants, people,” Rena Rouge said, pushing the crowd back out of plant range. “People are going missing and I think these plants have something to do with it.” 

 

“One of them nearly sucked Kim in last night,” Carapace said, picking up a rock and chucking it at the plant. The bark peeled back, sucking the projectile in and closing back up around it almost instantly. “Safe to say these plants have everything to do with it.” 

 

“Only question is…” Queen Bee trailed off, looking up at the giant tree that grew out of the remains of Adrien’s home. “Where are they going?” 

---

“You have a thing for storing people in your basement, don’t you?” Kaiser Long said, staring up at the rows and rows of sleeping Parisians imprisoned in thin, translucent plant containers. Vines snaked their way across the roof of the basement, stretching out into a massive tree-trunk that twisted and rose around the front of Emile's casket. "I'm beginning to think this is a strange perversion of yours." 

 

“If I were your wife, I would a little jealous,” Firebird sighed, watching Hawkmoth stare down at his hands in confusion. “Oh Gabe, I thought I was the only one you kept in a creepy case! Don’t you love me anymore?!”

 

“Silence!” Hawkmoth snapped, breaking off as a series of nasty, hacking coughs wracked his frame. A thick, purple bile trickled out of his mouth, eating holes in the floor at his feet with each dripping cough. 

 

“Or what, you’ll hack up a lung on us?” Firebird chuckled, sneering derisively at the Black Cat Miracukous. "All that power and you don't even know how to use it, do you? All you can do is throw a magical fit that kinda sorta does what you want in the messiest way possible."

 

“Well, something he's doing seems to be working,” Kaiser Long sighed, running his finger along the glass and rubbing a thick, reddish pollen-like substance between his fingers. “Your plants are keeping Madam Agreste alive somehow, but it doesn’t seem to be quite enough to restore her to full health yet.” 

 

“I don’t understand...this was supposed to give me the power to change the world,” Hawkmoth grunted, staring down at his hands. “I should be a god .” 

 

“Still could be if you play your cards correctly,” Kaiser Long shrugged. “But if you think that all it takes to reach Divinity is owning a handful of accessories, those kwami-worshiping geezers would have done it a long time ago.” 

 

“Not that they would even try,” Firebird muttered. “There’s also the tiny little fact that you didn’t kill the previous holders of the Miraculous, so your rented power is still technically spoken for.” 

 

“It shouldn’t matter,” Hawkmoth wheezed, clutching his chest as a sharp jolt of pain passed through him. “I possess them...they need to obey me…” 

 

“Yes, well, try convincing them of that,” Kaiser Long said. “The problem with Miraculous is they come with annoying little sidekicks attached; sidekicks that still have some sentimental attachment to the heroes you defeated. Your magic might have been enough to subdue Noroo but Tikki and Plagg are...well, they're not Noroo, are they?"

 

"Honestly, the easiest thing to do would be to finish what you started," Firebird said, snapping her fingers with a puff of flame. "If you were to track down Ladybug and Chat Noir and put an end to them-” 

 

“No…” Hawkmoth said, looking down at the ring on his left hand. “That won’t be necessary...I have everything under control.” 

 

“Says the guy who looks like eighty ugly pumpkins glued together with fairy wings on the back,” Firebird chuckled. “If this is your idea of control, I'm starting to see why a teenager in pokladotted spandex has been eating your lunch for the last four years."

 

“If you insist on continuing this absurd path, something tells me you’re going to need more batteries to sap life from,” Kaiser Long said, tapping on a large, hanging pod that held the sleeping face of a Sigma guard. “Though you might need to drain the whole city dry if you can’t find a way to save your wife through other means.” 

 

“...so be it,” Hawkmoth said, wings spreading as the vines that snaked out from Emilie grew in size. The pods containing captured citizens twitched as the vines leading to Emilie's casket pulsed red pollen. “I’ll drain the world dry if it brings Emilie back to life…” 

 

“Aw, that’s what I thought you’d say you dumb fucking moth!” Firebird chuckled, tapping on Emilie’s glass. “Hear that, sweet-cheeks? Your husband is gonna commit a whole slew of murder for you! Isn’t that just the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard of? He’s like a cat bringing you dead moles and songbirds.” 

 

Black and red vines shot up from the ground, surrounding Emilie’s coffin and shielding her from Firebird’s line of sight. 

 

“Help me …” Hawkmoth demanded, claw thrumming with red power. “I need...I need more bodies...more energy to keep Emilie alive…”

 

“Help you?” Firebird retorted, flames at the end of her twin-tails crackling. “What do you think we’ve been doing, asshole?! We helped  you with everything you wanted; we held up our end of the bargain. Without our help you would have buried your wife years ago! Far as I’m concerned, you’re on your own, bub. The Phoenix and Dragon Agency for Magically Deadbeat Dads is closed for business.” 

 

“I can...make it worth your while,” Hawkmoth wheezed, chest rising and falling painfully. “I...I still have resources I could give you…” 

 

“Money, money, money,” Firebird sighed. “You think you can just buy us? Like we’ve got nothing better to do with our infinite magical power than help every wealthy dipshit who throws money at us?!” 

 

Hawkmoth's eyes narrowed, thrumming with magical energy as he reached the hand with the Ladybug Miraculous out in Firebird's direction. "I...insist that you-" 

 

A blistering, blinding heat erupted from the tip of Firebird's fingers, sailing past Hawkmoth's head and smashing into the far wall in a shower of flame that almost seemed to burn its way through solid stone as it fizzled and crackled angrily. The ring embedded in his hand ached as the flames danced and surged around the room, eating their way through rows of wriggling, squirming plant life. 

 

"Nice try," Firebird said, flames flickering on the tips of her finger as she aimed it at Hawkmoth. "But I don't like being tied down by anyone except Mr. Firebird. Try that shit on me again, and I swear to God the last thing your eyes will see before I boil them in your skull will be your wife burning alive." 

 

“Now now, dear…” Kaiser Long said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as his wife and Hawkmoth stared bloody daggers at each other. “Let's not be too harsh; maybe this would be a good opportunity to do a little...field testing." 

---

"This is getting out of control, Master He.” 

 

“Control went out the window a long time ago,” Master He said, glancing at the screen that showed a slender, shadowy figure sitting behind a desk. “I’m only informing you of this as a courtesy in case things in San Francisco get weirder than they usually are.” 

 

“Weird ain’t the half of it, ma’am,” a low, Texan drawl came from another chat window. “Xiaolin got hit last night; one of our old buddies rolled up with a whole buncha freaky characters and cleaned out our vault. Everyone’s in one piece, but-”

 

“If we don’t get the Ladybug and Black Cat back, Dashi’s trinkets will be the least of our concerns,” Master He sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “If you can spare any help... anyone you can send to Paris-” 

 

“If somebody hit Xiaolin, they’re gonna be coming for Section 13’s vault next,” the San Franciscan screen said. “I understand the gravity of the situation-” 

 

“Unlikely,” Master He muttered. 

 

“-but we have to make sure our yard is secure before we can bail France out,” the San Franciscan screen said. “Besides this sounds like a ‘magic must defeat magic’ kinda problem and we're a little scant on magic power lately.” 

 

“And I reckon I got a showdown or two I need to be a part of,” the Texan sighed. “ Wish I could help, Master. Best of luck to ya.” 

 

Master He sighed as the screens went dark, burying her face in her hands as Lan approached with a small handful of books. “I take it the cavalry’s not coming?” 

 

“Nice to see what twenty years of friendship buys you when the world is ending,” Master He said, glancing at the stack of books. “Anything?” 

 

“A few historical accounts of the Dragon and the Tiger Chosen retaining their abilities after surrendering their Miraculous,” Lan said, cracking open a dusty old journal. “Nothing about the Ladybug or Black Cat...Master, even if this was possible, it would be an enormous gamble to say the least.” 

 

“I should hope so,” Master He said, taking the books from her apprentice. “If ever there was a time for an enormous gamble, it’s now.”

 

“You’re really going to wager the fate of the world on a couple of broken teenagers?” Lan asked, glancing over his shoulder. In the center of the Sanctuary, Marinette and Master Fu sat off to one side in awkward silence. 

 

“Taking foolish wagers is my job ,” Master He said, gathering her notes and heading back into the main atrium. “Please let the others in when they arrive.” 

 

“For our sake, I hope whatever it is you’re talking about is moderately less foolish than your usual schemes,” Master Fu said, drumming his fingers on the Miracle Box as Master He took her seat across the dais. 

 

“Fine thanks to someone who saved your life,” Master He said, paging through a dusty journal curiously. “Ungrateful old goat…wouldn’t kill you to be optimistic, you know.” 

 

“Best not risk it; I just got out of the hospital,” Master Fu said. “You sure we’re safe here?” 

 

“No one’s breached the Vault in nearly a thousand years,” Master He said.

 

“If anyone could, it’s Hawkmoth,” Master Fu said. 

 

 “Well, given the fact that Gabriel Agreste’s little botany experiment is going awry outside, I think this is the safest place we can be right now,” Master He said. “So it’ll have to do.” 

 

“I still don’t understand where those plants came from…” Marinette muttered. 

 

“Tikki, I would imagine,” Master He said. “Plants and life are all her domain after all...though why Gabriel would create them is beyond me.” 

 

“If your theory is true, then Gabriel isn’t as in control of his powers as he would like to be,” Master Fu mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. 

 

“That’s...that’s good news, isn’t it?” Marinette asked. 

 

“Depends on whether or not it’s better that Gabriel has full control over the most powerful artifacts in creation or zero control over the most powerful artifacts in creation,” Master He said. “Either seems pretty bad from where I’m sitting.” 

 

“And yet, you don’t seem to be acting like this is the end of the world,” Master Fu said, raising an eyebrow. “What are you not telling me?” 

 

“I’ll explain when everyone gets here,” Master He said as the door on the far side of the room opened. The pit of Marinette’s stomach dropped as Alya led the small contingent of superheroes, refusing to meet Marinette’s gaze as she took her seat in a chair on the far side of the room across from Master Fu. Nino hovered at her shoulder, meeting Marinette’s gaze with a smile that was all lips and no eyes. Chloe rounded out the pack, shooting contemptuous looks at both Marinette and Master Fu as she took her seat beside Alya. 

 

“I suppose introductions are in order,” Master Fu said, clearing his throat. “My name is-” 

 

“Master Quingfu, Guardian of the Miraculous and former keeper of the Turtle,” Alya surmised, nodding at Master He. “We’ve been briefed.” 

 

Master Fu glanced at his colleague who just wavered at him with a small smile. “...how much did you tell them?” 

 

“Only what was necessary,” Master He said. 

 

“By your definition or mine ?” 

 

“Your secrets have landed us in this mess, Quingfu,” Master He said, peering over the rim of her glasses. “They will not get us out. The only way we are going to get through this is together.” 

 

“Speaking of which, shouldn’t we wait for Adrien to get here?” Nino asked, glancing around. 

 

“Jun is doing what she can to stabilize Adrien,” Master He said. “She’ll bring him in when he’s ready.” 

 

Marinette nodded mutely, eyes drifting back to Alya who still resolutely refused to meet her gaze. “...you took the Ladyblog offline.” 

 

“What can I say; it lost its journalistic integrity over the past couple of months,” Alya said, voice hard and distant. 

 

“Alya...I am so-” 

 

“ Don’t ,” Alya said sharply, eyes snapping to Marinette’s. “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry because I’m not. I knew what I was doing; I was prepared to accept the consequences if it turned out you lied about Chat Noir...like I thought you might be.” 

 

Marinette frowned, glancing between Chloe and Nino. “You...you knew?” 

 

“Not exactly,” Nino shrugged. “But we knew something was off. Chat Noir may not have had enough credit with Paris, but we knew him well enough not to immediately trust you.” 

 

“We only agreed to help you to get our Miraculous out of your hands," Chloe said. “Good thing we did, or you might have handed those to Hawkmoth as well.” 

 

“In Marinette’s defense, the loss of the Zodiac is something of a...oh, what is it the youths say...a my bad ,” Master He said with a sheepish cough. 

 

“I didn’t…” Marinette’s hands clenched the front of her skirt. “I’m not excusing my behavior...or the choices I made. I took a big risk and it landed us all in trouble. But you should know that I was never going to let Hawkmoth have our Miraculous!”

 

“Except that you...did,” Alya said. 

 

“He...he made me,” Marinette said, the memory of Gabriel’s cold voice controlling her body sending a shudder of revulsion rippling down her spine. “He did...something to me while we were working together. Forced me to hand over the Miraculous after-” 

 

“After you ripped Chat’s off Adrien’s finger,” Chloe said. “Did he make you do that too? Everything was big, bad Hawkmoth’s fault and you were just a helpless puppet this whole time?” 

 

“I…” Marinette shook her head. “I don’t know...I don’t know what he made me do…” 

 

“Since M. Agreste is unlikely to volunteer that information himself, I don’t think that’s a question we’ll ever have the answer to,” Master Fu said. “Marinette understands the gravity of her mistakes, but assigning blame is hardly the most productive thing to do right now-” 

 

“Oh yeah, put a stop to it before we get around to assigning blame to you,” Alya said, eyes narrowing at Master Fu.

 

“I...excuse me?” Master Fu chuckled somewhat nervously. 

 

 “I’m not gonna make excuses for my former best friend, but how the hell have you lasted this long if one person getting compromised completely upends your organization?” Alya demanded. “All it took was one person making one bad decision and your whole Guardian shit gets totally dismantled; how the hell was Marinette supposed to carry all of that and not crack?” 

 

“It’s...not an easy thing to explain,” Master Fu said, playing with the blanket draped over his lap. 

 

“Try ,” Alya said icily. “My city is in ruins because of your appalling lack of communication. People are missing because of your secrets,  so get explaining. ” 

 

“The Guardian is responsible for protecting secrets that could destroy the world if they fell into the wrong hands,” Master Fu said, straightening up under Alya’s glare. “The less information I distribute, the safer we are.” 

 

“Up until your teacher’s pet decides to betray you, right?” Chloe said, shooting Marinette a sickly sweet smile. “Hi Mari, how’s the nose?” 

 

“That…” Master Fu glanced at Marinette. “That was not supposed to happen.” 

 

“So your plan works as long as absolutely nothing goes wrong,” Alya laughed. “As long as everything proceeds according to scenario and the only person you trust isn’t compromised? How the hell was Chat Noir supposed to fight against Ladybug if he couldn’t call on us for help? What the hell were we supposed to do if Ladybug decided to give our Miraculous to Hawkmoth?” 

 

“An excellent question.” Marinette looked up to see Kagami climbing up the stairs, cool brown eyes leveled at Master Fu as she ascended from the basement below. On her shoulder, she could make out the small, purple form of Noroo tucked into the hem of her turtleneck. 

 

“How was Adrien supposed to mount a defense when he never received any substantial training from you?” Kagami asked, glaring at Master Fu as she stormed up the stairs. 

 

“Wait, hold up,” Nino said, glancing between Master Fu and Kagami. “You mean to tell me this guy wasn’t teaching Adrien anything ?” 

 

“Certainly nothing like the world class education our beloved Ladybug received,” Kagami sneered, nose turning up as her eyes fell on Marinette. 

 

“That’s not entirely…” Master Fu trailed off, avoiding Kagami’s judgmental glare. “Marinette’s development as the next Guardian was the most important thing to-” 

 

“Oh you are shitting me ,” Chloe laughed bitterly. “So basically, Adrien was fucked from the start because Margaritaville over here can’t teach two people at once?!” 

 

“This isn’t the most productive conversation to have right now,” Master He said, raising her hand before anyone else could speak. “Hawkmoth’s takeover of Paris is only going to get worse unless we can find him and stop him-” 

 

“If we even can ,” Master Fu sighed. “This plan of yours presupposes that we can even match Hawkmoth’s power. Without the Ladybug and Black Cat, I scarcely think we stand a chance of overcoming him...” 

 

“Not for nothing, but yesterday a lizard the size of a skyscraper attacked and I managed to stomp a mudhole in it,” Nino said. “I know you don’t know us, but we’ve been doing this hero thing for almost as long as Marinette and Adrien have.” 

 

“Experience has nothing to do with it,” Master Fu said. “Hawkmoth is teetering on the brink of The Almighty; going up against him in a fight would be catastrophic... no, we need to pull out of Paris...make a tactical retreat and figure out a way to defeat Hawkmoth without engaging him in combat.” 

 

“And just leave our town to get planted ?” Alya huffed. 

 

“If it means maneuvering the rest of the Miraculous out of harm's way, then I believe that is a risk we need to take,” Master Fu said.

 

“We can’t just...we can’t just abandon the city,” Marinette said. 

 

“Our duty is to the Miraculous, first and foremost,” Master Fu said, running his hands over the Miracle Box. “Protecting them from Hawkmoth should be our top priority over any flights of heroic fancy. If we go into battle against Hawkmoth unprepared and lose any more Miraculous, we lose our chance to stop Hawkmoth down the line.” 

 

“That’s your suggestion then?” Kagami sniffed. “After all we’ve fought and all we’ve suffered, we’re just going to tuck our heads in our shell and let a terrorist rule our home?” 

 

“Not a chance, man,” Nino said, shaking his head. “You don’t know how bad it is out there; people went missing last night and we still haven’t tracked them down. If we leave now-” 

 

“Forgive me...but this is not a decision for you to make,” Master Fu said, holding his hand up. 

 

“How do you figure?” Chloe sniffed. 

 

“You have all been deputized by Marinette...but the fact of the matter is that you are not Chosen heroes,” Master Fu said. “Your Miraculous were leant out to you...and as the Guardian I have the right to demand that you return them for safekeeping once your part has been played.” 

 

“You have all done exceptionally well...but your part in this fight is over,” Master Fu said, opening the Miracle Box. “I must ask you to turn in your Miraculous.” 

 

There was a beat of silence as Alya cocked her head to one side, seemingly weighing her response as Chloe opened her purse with a sad little sigh. 

 

“Well...if you insist,” Chloe sighed, rummaging through her purse. “Here, let me just get it for you…come on, where is it...oh, here it is!” 

 

Chloe withdrew her hand, middle finger extended as she held it out in front of Master Fu. 

 

“Oh, my mistake; Marinette is the new Guardian, isn’t she?” Chloe said, angling her finger in Marinette’s direction. “How’s that? You want to come here and take my Miraculous, Marinette? You want to use your superpowers to come take my Miraculous away from me? You wanna Miraculous Ladybug a net to take my superpowers away, Marinette? Hm? You wanna, Marinette?” 

 

“Chloe…” Marinette sighed. 

 

“Oh!” Chloe said, sitting up as she glanced between the wheelchair-bound Master Fu and Marinette. “Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! That’s right ! You don’t have any superpowers! You’re just a couple of normies  who used to have superpowers! Huh...well, I guess that means you need to shut the fuck up, huh?!” 

 

“Couldn’t have put it better myself,” Alya said, crossing her arms. “We are staying to protect Paris; full stop. End of conversation.” 

 

“This conflict is about more than one city,” Master Fu said. “The safety of Paris is...forgive me for saying so, but inconsequential compared to the safety of the world.” 

 

“Not to us ,” Nino said. “If this is gonna go as buck-wild as I think it is, Carapace is the only way I can protect the people I care about. I'm not giving up the power I need to protect my family.” 

 

“Besides,” Kagami said, narrowing her eyes at Master Fu. “You made this about Paris when you brought your ‘conflict’ to our doorstep. Hawkmoth would never have attacked us if he didn’t think you were here.” 

 

“For that, I am truly sorry-” 

 

“I don’t really care how sorry you are,” Alya shrugged. “That’s a you problem. But if you’re trying to take away the only thing standing between this city and Gabriel Agreste’s botanical murder spree...well, that’s a me problem.” 

 

“That’s a we problem,” Nino said, wrapping his arm around Alya’s shoulders as Chloe tightened her grip on Alya’s arm. 

 

“For the record, I would like to reiterate my previous request that you shut the fuck up,” Chloe said. “In case my position on this whole topic wasn’t clear.” 

 

“Alya...look, I know you’re mad at me,” Marinette said, raising her head. “But...Master Fu has been protecting the Miraculous for a long time. Maybe...maybe we should-” 

 

“Wooooow,” Chloe snorted. “Sorry, did Hawkmoth steal your backbone when he stole your Miraculous? Or have you always been chickenshit without your earrings to protect you?”

 

“Marinette is not a coward,” Alya said firmly, shooting an icy glare at Marinette. “She should stop acting like one. You really think we should abandon the city? Give up our home and let Adrien’s asshole father run rampant while we cower in a hole somewhere?” 

 

“No...but-” 

 

“What Marinette thinks is hardly important,” Kagami said, shooting a cold glare in Marinette’s direction. “She gave up the right to make a choice in this situation when she chose to support Paris’ greatest enemy!” 

 

“I didn’t…” Marinette bit her lip, hands clenching in her lap. “I thought I was in control...I thought I was using Hawkmoth to get something I wanted.” 

 

“You thought wrong,” Kagami said, nostrils flaring ever so slightly. “Even if you did think you were in control, you still worked with someone responsible for more pain than anyone in the history of this city!”

 

“I know !” Marinette cried, a desperate edge creeping into her voice. “I know I was wrong ! I know that now...but I thought he was working for me. For Adrien...I thought we were working to make Adrien’s life better !” 

 

“Then your ditzy little pigtails are cutting off oxygen to your brain!” Chloe snarled. “Think, you dumbass; when has Gabriel Agreste ever made his son’s life better?! When has he ever done something without a thousand and one strings attached! The man is fucking evil; you should have known that!” 

 

“So you wouldn’t have done the same thing?!” Marinette shot back, glancing between Nino and Kagami. “Either of you...you wouldn’t have taken a chance to make Adrien happy? If you were sure that you could pull it off; if you were sure that you could end everything exactly the way you wanted to ?” 

 

Chloe’s lips pressed into a thin line as Nino shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Only Kagami met Marinette’s gaze head on, amber eyes hard as she refused to so much as blink.

 

“...not if I knew he was Hawkmoth ,” Kagami said after a long moment. 

 

"Yeah...forgot about us, huh?" Chloe sniffed. "You didn't think about the people who Hawkmoth used for four years. I love Adrien; more than almost anyone or anything in the world...but I hate his fucking father and that fucking butterfly more than I love Adrien. And I would sooner die than willingly work with that megalomaniacal dipshit."

 

“You weren’t akumitized, Mari,” Nino said softly. “You don’t know him like we do…” 

 

“We’ve made our choice,” Alya said as Marinette trailed off, blinking back tears of shame as she looked away. “You’re not going to dissuade us from that.” 

 

“This isn’t just a choice for you,” Master Fu said, eyes falling on the kwami that hovered around the sofa. “I know you have all formed bonds with your novice heroes-” 

 

“Well fuck you too, Master Roshi,” Kagami muttered in Japanese. 

 

“-but believe me when I say that we cannot make rash judgements right now,” Master Fu continued. “We need to consolidate our power...and the Guardians can keep you safe until we do.” 

 

Trixx and Wayzz shared a look with Pollen, but Noroo was the one who broke the silence. “So...back in the box?” 

 

“For now,” Master Fu said. “This entire situation has gotten out of control; too much information is in too many hands. We need to think of your safety first and foremost. We can find you new chosen once this is-” 

 

“No,” Noroo said quietly, his small voice deafening as he cut across Master Fu. “This...all this is the responsibility of the Butterfly Miraculous. For...four years, I’ve helped Gabriel tear this city apart.”

 

“None of that is your fault,” Master Fu said softly. “ I was the one who failed to protect you ...and I will not make that mistake again. I will not abandon you again-” 

 

 “And I will not abandon Paris,” Noroo said. “Not...not when I have the power to help. Not if staying means helping to heal some of the hurt I’ve caused!” 

 

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Trixx said with a small shrug. “Sorry, Master...we haven’t come this far to give up on Paris now.” 

 

Master Fu glanced helplessly between the kwami who all just shrugged somewhat helplessly. “Wayzz?” 

 

Wayzz rubbed his arm, glancing between Nino and Master Fu. “...I have people to protect here, Master.”

 

“And as long as Kagami will have me...I want to be her partner,” Noroo said, earning a small smile and slight bow from Kagami. “I want to stay and help my friends.” 

 

“There you have it,” Alya said, holding her hands up. “Democracy wins.” 

 

“This isn’t a democracy!” Master Fu spluttered. 

 

“We’re in France; what do you expect?” Master He chuckled dryly. 

 

“That’s all you have to say to this?” Master Fu demanded. “The order we’ve worked centuries for is being undone and-” 

 

“And I think you have enough enemies without picking a fight with only remaining Chosen who aren’t out to kill you,” Master He sniffed. 

 

“Yet,” Chloe said, holding her hands up as Alya shot her a sharp look. “Kidding!” 

 

“Look...we don’t have to be enemies,” Alya said, turning her attention back to Master Fu. “We aren’t enemies; we should be helping each other...but we’re not kowtowing to anyone just because they call themselves Master and we’re not surrendering our partners just because you’re scared and want to feel like you’re in control again.” 

 

“Yes, I’m scared !” Master Fu admitted. “ You should be too!” 

 

“We are,” Nino said, glancing at Chloe and Alya. “Difference is, we run towards danger when we’re scared; not away. We protect other people when we’re scared; not just ourselves.”

 

“Decision has been made,” Alya said, glancing at Master He. “You with us?” 

 

“Of course she’s with you,” Master Fu huffed, snapping the box shut. “This is what she’s always wanted; a whole world full of heroes all flitting about and doing whatever they please! No security; no accountability. Just teenagers with attitude flinging themselves headlong into danger!” 

 

“I admit, I’m not displeased,” Master He shrugged. “And I rather like Rena Rouge’s plan more than yet another game of hide and seek...we have done things your way, old friend. We have hid and remained quiet and kept secrets and told no one anything, and look where we are now.” 

 

Master Fu said nothing, lips pressing into a tight line as he gripped his blanket even tighter. 

 

“We’re staying to fight Hawkmoth,” Alya said. “We want your help...but on our terms; not yours. This whole “Guardian makes all the rules” deal is over and done with. It’s not Team Marinette and a bunch of conscripted sidekicks; it’s Team Paris and Team Paris is a real team. One that works together and shares information. We’re not hiding or limiting what we know out of some misguided attempt at security...only way we’re getting through this mess is together .” 

 

In spite of everything, Marinette couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride in Alya. Maybe I should have given her those earrings after all...she would have made an incredible Ladybug.

 

Master Fu was quiet for a long moment, his face a stony mask of disappointment...and defeat. The fight had seemingly been sapped out of him and he was faced to confront the reality of a world that didn’t need him anymore. Years in the future, Marinette would remember that look as the moment that the Order of Guardians truly died. 

 

“Seems...I don’t have any choice in this matter,” Master Fu sighed somewhat sadly, closing the box and storing it under his blanket. 

 

“You always have a choice,” Alya nodded. “Just glad you made the right one.” 

 

“That remains to be seen,” Master Fu said, waving Master He off as she reached a comforting hand out to him. “Fine...I’m not happy with this arrangement, but I can see the necessity...for the time being. But you should know that knowledge of the Miraculous is not something to be bandied about without care. Regardless of what you may think of me, I have labored for hundreds of years to ensure the world remains in balance and that people like Gabriel Agreste doesn’t control the power to destroy Creation. Sometimes that requires that I withhold information from certain people; I am sorry that in this case, this has led to more harm than good, but I will remind you that I have kept this information under Hawkmoth’s nose for four years without incident. I can only hope your rosy attitude towards trust doesn’t prove to be-” 

 

The door at the far end of the room opened, spilling cold artificial light into the Sanctuary. Alya didn’t even need to turn around to know who had come in; the pale, sick look on Master Fu’s face and the way Marinette’s hands raised to her mouth to stifle a cry told Alya all she needed to know. Under the mass of bandages and gauze, Alya could make out a tuft of matted blonde hair, and a single, green eye that bored straight ahead into Marinette’s. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Adrien rasped in a weak, reedy voice as tears rolled out of the corners of Marinette’s eyes. “Something on my face?”

Notes:

If you thought this chapter was dense, b-b-b-baby you ain't seen nothin' yet.

I know this is kind of a lot, so let me know if y'all have any questions. We are getting close now lads...

Chapter 41: A Beginner's Guide to Apotheosis

Notes:

Get ready for a heaping dose of lore and Shameless Power Ranger Homages kiddos. Please feel free to ask for some more clarification if anything is confusion because we have a little room in the next chapter to iron some things out before we run headlong into the endgame

“Try not to go another decade between doses; this is the only thing keeping you alive after all.” 

 

Master Fu nodded absently, downing the bitter, faintly peach-flavored drink Master He passed him. A slight shudder ran through his body as the alchemical concoction did its work. Already the pain in his hip seemed to subside and the arthritic ache in his hands seemed to weaken...but not completely disappear. 

 

Time, it seemed, was starting to catch up with them. 

 

“I will keep that in mind,” Master Fu said quietly as Master He packed her doctor’s bag. “Back to Hong Kong already?” 

 

“Some of us have students to attend to,” Master He said, shooting Master Fu a poignant look over the rim of her glasses. “Something you understand now, don’t you?” 

 

“I can’t say I have your gift for teaching,” Master Fu chuckled. “I'm far better at hoarding knowledge than sharing it.” 

 

“Well, it is a vocation,” Master He said. “...how are they progressing?” 

 

“Well enough, though I can’t claim full responsibility for that,” Master Fu said. “Fighting akuma so frequently is an instruction in itself.” 

 

“I do hope you’re doing some actual instruction and not being so needlessly cryptic,” Master He said. 

 

“I am always appropriately cryptic, Qiong,” Master Fu chuckled. “But I can’t seem to help myself this time...something special about these two. Ladybug is...well, to be frank, she’s a genius. She picks these concepts up so quickly; I barely need to instruct her at all.” 

 

“No surprise that your favorite student is one you don’t need to teach,” Master He sniffed. “And the Black Cat—what’s his name?—Chat Noir? Any chance of an introduction in the near future?” 

 

Master Fu said nothing. “Unbelievable...you still don't trust me, do you?” 

 

“That has nothing to do with trust,” Master Fu said gently. “After Toronto-” 

 

“You think I’m seriously going to make a grab for the Miraculous?” Master He spat. “After all this time...you think I’m going to turn on you?” 

 

“...I think it is safer if we keep information in as few hands as possible,” Master Fu said carefully. "Li's betrayal has proven that." 

 

“In your hands you mean,” Master He said, cramming her medicine in her bag. “Not exactly like we have many hands left anyway...no, I understand exactly what you mean." 

 

“Qiong-” 

 

“Just...tell me you’re taking your job seriously,” Master He said, turning to look at Master Fu. “If you insist on playing teacher, the least you can do is be a little less stingy with your secrets.” 

 

“In this case, I think a lack of information is the safest course of action,” Master Fu said, leaning on his cane. “Keeping certain things close to my chest isn’t going to get anyone hurt…” 

---

Adrien’s one remaining eye hurt to look at, and not only because of the exhaustion, pain, and contempt that Marinette saw staring back at her.

 

There was something physical to his glare that had never been there before; his displeasure was a tangible, unsettling presence that seemed to unnerve everyone in the room. Even Kagami shifted uncomfortably in her seat, leaning back ever so slightly as Adrien was wheeled into the empty spot between her and Nino. She could feel Master Fu tense up next to her as Adrien said nothing, lips pressed into a thin, white line as he stared accusingly at them. 

 

"Dude...you sure you're up for this?" Nino asked softly. 

 

"I'll manage," Adrien said, not breaking eye contact with Marinette. 

 

"You sure?" Chloe asked, hesitantly reaching out to touch his shoulder. "If you want, we can do this when you're-" 

 

"I'll...manage," Adrien repeated quietly. 

 

“Adrien…” Marinette whispered. “I-” 

 

“How do I get Plagg back?” Adrien growled, eye flicking to Master He before Marinette could finish. His voice sent a shiver down Marinette’s spine; it was a low, feral tone that Adrien had never spoken with before. He wasn’t asking; he was demanding. His tone brooked no disagreement and resonated with a strange kind of authority that made Master He blanche a little. 

 

“We...we shouldn’t be discussing this while you’re still-” Master Fu’s voice died in his throat as Adrien wordlessly shifted his glare to him, a low growl bubbling up from his throat.

 

“Straight to cases,” Master He said quickly before the tension could boil over into something ugly. “Good; this is going to take a while to explain...and something tells me we don’t have that much time left.” 

 

Master He adjusted the books on her lap, glancing between Marinette and Adrien. “There will be time to deal with how we came to be in this mess, but only if we manage to wrest control of the Ladybug and Black Cat away from Hawkmoth. Rescuing Tikki and Plagg is our top priority...and regardless of how we may feel about one another right now, Rena Rouge is right; we must all pull together to get out of this mess.” 

 

“Paris’ safety is the most important thing,” Alya agreed, glancing between Marinette and Adrien. “The sooner we rescue Tikki and Plagg, the better...I just hope you have a plan.” 

 

“I do,” Master He said, adjusting her glasses as she took a deep breath. “My plan is for Adrien and Marinette to fight Hawkmoth, overpower him, and take control of their Miraculous back.” 

 

There was a beat of silence; time enough for those gathered to fully digest what Master He had said before they all seemed to speak in unison. 

 

“Dude...what ?!" 

 

"Could you repeat that?" 

 

“You’re kidding, right?” 

 

“Adrien is in a wheelchair,” Chloe snapped. “And now that Marinette's lost her earrings, she’s gone from mostly useless to completely useless. Your grand plan is to truck them out and have them throw hands with Hawkmoth?!” 

 

"In so many words...yes," Master He said. 

 

Throughout his friends’ outbursts, Adrien said nothing, quietly regarding Master He with an intense, unblinking eye. “How?” 

 

“There is no how ,” Master Fu said, shooting Master He a sharp look. “This is a flight of fancy; a pipe dream we are wasting time on when we should be-” 

 

“I didn’t...ask...you ,” Adrien snarled, eye flickering to Master Fu. As it passed over her, Marinette felt an almost overpowering sense of dread wash over her; a fear that came and abated as soon as Adrien’s eye moved to Master Fu. Judging by the way he tensed in his seat, mouth falling open in surprise, the malaise that seemed to radiate from Adrien’s gaze seemed to be focused on him now. 

 

“...you feel that, don’t you?” Master He said, lips twitching into an almost giddy smile. “Doesn't it remind you of something?" 

 

“It’s...you can’t be seriously suggesting that…” Master Fu said, even as he spied Adrien’s shadow bubbling and churning beneath his wheelchair. 

 

“Adrien...you should have died when Mayura got his hands on you,” Master He said. “But you survived; not only that, you managed to fight back against a super-powered foe. That isn’t possible; it shouldn’t be possible. Just like it isn’t possible for Marinette to retain her healing abilities, even though she isn’t Ladybug.” 

 

“But they can ,” Kagami said, glancing at Adrien. “So what does that mean?” 

 

“Is it like that...what was it...that bleed thing Trixx talked about?” Chloe asked, glancing Nino up and down. “They said their power was bleeding into us or something? Nino's grown like an inch or two since last night; maybe it's something like that?” 

 

"Bleeding?" Marinette asked, shooting a glance at Master Fu. "What does...does that mean we can still access our Miraculous?" 

 

“In a manner of speaking,” Master He said, bracelet glowing as she stretched her hand out in front of her. “I think a more...visual demonstration is in order.” 

 

The bright, sunny light that filtered in through the ceiling above dimmed as curtains drew themselves across the ceiling. The dais beneath their feet glowed and thrummed with magical power, rings starting to shift and turn as Master He stood up, walking into the center of the circle. 

 

“What I am about to tell you has never been revealed to anyone outside my group of friends,” Master He said, glancing at Master Fu. “But circumstances demand that you be brought up to speed on a number of things...including the source of the Miraculous’ powers.” 

 

Master He waved her hand an a shimmering, spiraling starfield materialized out of thin air, drifting around her as she spoke. 

 

“How and when the universe came into being is unclear,” Master He said, walking through nebula and galaxy spirals as she spoke. “But near as we can tell, there have always been forces that govern the universe and how it operates. Some are more tangible and easily understandable; gravity, magnetism, polarity, basic physics. Humanity has studied these principles for thousands of years...but there are other forces that influence the universe that are a little more...esoteric.” 

 

Outside the starfield, glowing, spinning spheres of light appeared, more vast than the galaxies that whirled around Marinette’s head. Each seemed to be broken down into different colors; a churning black and green sphere hovered behind Adrien while a stalwart, metallic green sphere hovered behind Nino. Alya’s sphere seemed to shift and change the longer Marinette looked at it while Chloe’s was a bastion of glowing, gold light. 

 

“This is where things get a little...mucky,” Master He said. “There are certain...Powers that exist outside the universe-” 

 

“Attached  to the universe,” Master Fu coughed. “Near as we can tell Their existence is somehow connected to our universe...one of our old colleagues theorized that Their power might have created the universe itself...but we can hardly prove that.” 

 

“What powers are we talking about here?” Nino asked. “Like...like gods?” 

 

“Certainly there are some who would see these Powers as gods,” Master He said. “But I prefer to think of Them like the moon and our universe the tides; forces that affect our reality by Their very nature. They push and pull and influence us from afar but They can’t fully bring Themselves into our world without totally destroying it.”  

 

“Except that’s not entirely true,” Master Fu said, glancing at Wayzz. “While They cannot fully manifest in our world, They are so large and so powerful that They can break little bits of Themselves off and send them into our universe to more directly influence it.” 

 

“Kwami…” Kagami said. 

 

“Kwami and Miraculous being the chiefest and most important representatives of each Power in this world,” Master He said. “Think of each Power like...a corporation. They are large, far-reaching entities made up of distinct and autonomous beings that work towards a common goal. The Kwami, following this analogy, would be like the CEO’s of each Power; the most powerful representatives of each Power in our reality." 

 

“Wait...time out,” Chloe said. “You mean to tell me that there are like, what, twenty god-corporations that have been influencing our world for billions of years?” 

 

“Near as we can tell,” Master He said. “We’ve been studying kwami and their Powers for countless human lifetimes.” 

 

“And there’s only like twenty of them?” Alya asked. 

 

“Only twenty that have seen fit to extend themselves into our universe,” Master Fu said. “If there's more, they haven't seen fit to extend themselves into our universe...or they're too weak to properly manifest Kwami." 

 

“You don’t sound too sure,” Kagami said. 

 

“You have to understand that even as long as we’ve studied Them, we have only scratched the surface,” Master He said with a helpless shrug. “We are grasping at the infinite with frail human hands and frail human minds. As much as we know about these...Powers, we can’t even begin to understand Them in their entirety.” 

 

“Well, answer me this,” Alya said, glancing up at the orb that shimmered over head. “Are they good or not?” 

 

“That is a very...human way of looking at things,” Master Fu said. “Gravity is ‘good’ when it holds you to the ground and ‘not’ when you’re plummeting out of the sky. The force hasn’t changed; just your relationship to it."

 

“Regardless, They seem to have an interest in caring for humanity,” Master He said. “Master Hai, rest his soul, theorized that they relied on humanity to...define Themselves in a sense. The concept of hierarchy only means something when there’s a species that can conceive of hierarchy; if humanity were to perish, we believe it would lose something of itself. Likewise, Creation without its creations is ultimately meaningless, so the Kwami have always inserted themselves in situations where humanity needs help.” 

 

“Why?” Alya asked, turning to Trixx. 

 

“I might as well ask why you breathe,” Trixx shrugged. “It’s why I’m here; our whole reason for being is to empower Chosen with the power to help humanity deal with things that are too big for them to handle. I've...never known anything else.” 

 

As Trixx said this, Adrien saw large, slithering black shapes crawl on the edge of the dais. The scene shifted, blurring into a scene that looked like feudal Japan. A tall, lumbering red demon monster roared, swinging a thick iron club at a woman in red and black, spinning a top between her hands. She flipped away as the unmistakable shape of Sarutobi Sasuke leapt down from the sky, burying Fang in the monster’s neck. 

 

“The world has always been beset by malicious entities,” Master Fu said as the scene shifted, showing a Native American woman in red riding next to a dark-skinned man in a black mask as they chased a stagecoach pulled by flaming skeletal horses. “And the Miraculous’ Chosen have always risen to fight them with the power the Miraculous bestow upon them. A perfect union of the human and the Divine.” 

 

Marinette watched the American Ladybug lean against the American Black Cat’s shoulder with a pang of guilt and longing. A long unbroken history of perfect partnerships ruined by me.

 

“What does this mean?” Adrien growled. “How does this help us rescue our Kwami?” 

 

“I’m getting to that,” Master He said, waving her hand and conjuring an image of the Black Cat Miraculous with inky black tendrils connected to the sphere behind Adrien's head. “All magic in this world is derived from a connection with one of the Great Powers. The Miraculous are the easiest and most powerful links to their respective Powers; merely possessing them can give the wielder enhanced strength, resilience, and other supernatural abilities if they resonate properly. But believe me when I say the Miraculous are not the only means of accessing these Powers.” 

 

“How?” Kagami asked, tensing as the scene shifted to an image of Hawkmoth sending an akuma out to victimize a shadowy figure. 

 

“Study and practice,” Master Fu said. “Hawkmoth’s ability to dominate a person’s will was derived from a force Master Hai referred to as She Who Must Be Obeyed—a facet of the Power that Pollen is a part of. His ability to hide from us employed skills learned from studying a facet one of the Fox Chosen referred to as La Mentirosa; part of the power that dominates the Fox Miraculous." 

 

"I'm getting a headache," Chloe sighed, rubbing her temples with the tips of her fingers. "These things have facets now?" 

 

"Think about...Destruction," Master He said, turning her attention to Adrien. "There is more than one kind of destruction; more than one thing destruction represents. Death, war, pestilence, famine...but also an end to suffering, the destruction of obstacles, and the destruction of evil. At some point, we had to try and distinguish between these facets. Naming something is the easiest way to understand it...even if the definitions aren't always completely accurate. We've been at this since the Tang Dynasty and we've been proven wrong about our understanding of these Powers on more than one occasion." 

“Not...literally though, right?” Marinette chuckled, glancing back and forth between Master Fu and Master He who didn’t seem to brushing the comment about their age off as a joke. “S-Seriously?”

 

“The Tang dynasty...was fourteen hundred years ago ,” Kagami said, narrowing her eyes at Master He. “Just how old are you?” 

 

“As you say...the Tang Dynasty was fourteen hundred years ago,” Master He said with a small smirk as Kagami’s mouth fell open in surprise. “You don’t get to be called an Immortal without living up to the name.” 

 

"You..." Marinette turned to Master Fu. "I thought you said you were only a couple hundred years old..." 

 

"From a certain point of view, that's still true," Master Fu said, fidgeting a little uncertainly. "I...may have misled you about some minor details." 

 

"So...the whole story with the Peacock Miraculous and the temple was..." Marinette trailed off as she looked at the man she thought she knew. 

 

"I...apologize," Master Fu said. 

 

"Don't take it personally; he does it to everyone," Master He chuckled. "Lying and misleading people are part of the whole Guardian profession after all." 

 

"Tell me about it..." Adrien muttered under his breath. 

 

"You said these powers could be studied?" Kagami asked. "How?"  

 

"Interacting with objects and artifacts touched by these Powers is one way," Master Fu said. "And it is easier if you try and learn from a power you resonate with personally; Marinette's creativity was what made me consider her for the position of Ladybug. Her gifts for ingenuity and creative solutions served her well...just as Hawkmoth's callous spirit blunted his ability to make full use of the Butterfly Miraculous." 

 

“So you’re saying that...anybody with time and access to study materials could potentially call on Creation's power?” Marinette asked, glancing up at the lush, vibrant sphere that orbited her head. 

 

What happens when that power falls into the wrong hands? 

---

“I thought the Ladybug Miraculous was the only thing capable of Creation…” 

 

Hawkmoth watched Kaiser Long's hands slowly shape the air in front of him, hands crackling with glowing green energy as a smooth, egg-shaped object appeared in his palms, seemingly out of thin air. He let it fall to the rooftop as it slowly started to grow, taking on more and more size as the concrete beneath their feet started to crack under the weight. 

 

“See...the problem with you, Gabe, is that your promising mind has been unfortunately corrupted by a disease leading scientists call Dumbass Miraculous Brain Rotting Fungus for Idiots and Morons...aka being a Guardian,” Firebird said, popping a potato chip in her mouth as the egg started to shake more violently. “You’re laboring under the delusion that the Miraculous are the be-all, end-all sources of magic in this world and the only avenues of power worth pursuing. In your case, what with your Popsicle of a waifu quietly defrosting in the basement, gunning for the Miraculous was the right call. But with the proper training and a skilled enough master, you can accomplish things that are, well-” 

 

A scaly black claw burst out of the egg shell, tearing the shell apart with a deep, guttural snarl. 

 

“Miraculous ,” Kaiser Long said. Glowing green eyes stared out of the darkness as a long, reptilian snout emerged dripping with embryonic fluid. A tall, powerfully muscled body covered in shiny black scales stepped into the light of day, cruel yellow talons raking the rooftop with every step. Warm, noxious steam billowed out of the creature’s nostrils with every breath as it leered down at Kaiser Long.

 

"Aw, babe, he has your eyes," Firebird cooed.

 

Oh that’s right, Hawkmoth thought to himself as Kaiser Long smiled up at his creation warmly, his green, reptilian eyes betraying nothing but warmth. Long is another word for dragon, isn’t it? 

 

“You wonder why the Ladybug Miraculous doesn’t work for you the way you want it to?” Kaiser Long said, raising a hand to brush a stray flake of eggshell off the dragon-beast’s snout. “You’ve fallen from Creation’s favor; I can feel it. Despite wielding The Mother of Monsters' greatest weapon, you cannot use it as effectively as Ladybug did. Maybe there was a time you could have; you used to be an inventive person. Used to be an artist; but all you’ve done in the last four years is steep yourself in misery and wallow in the unhappiness of others. You’ve committed Creation’s mortal sin; stagnation. ”
 

“Translation; Mommy likes Ladybug more than she likes you because you’re basic, ” Firebird said, flicking a chip up in the air for the draconic beast to catch in its mouth with a harsh snap of teeth. “And your clothes suck; high school students are more creative than you are which explains why your fashion show is starring eighteen year olds and why Ladybug’s been beating your ass like a bongo for years.” 

“Don’t... talk like you know me,” Hawkmoth snarled, black hand crackling as the dragon-beast snarled at him. “You have no idea the pain I’m in...how much I’ve lost.” 

 

“Loss is not the purview of Creation,” Kaiser Long clucked as the dragon-beast sniffed Kaiser Long curiously. “And as long as you define yourself by it, those earrings will never give you the power to save your wife.” 

“I don't need to master the Ladybug…” Hawkmoth growled, staring at the footsoldier Kaiser Long had created. “The plants I’ve created can siphon life energy into Emilie...I just need some donations.” 

"Sure, let's the people bail another multi-millionaire out of a mess he got himself into," Firebird sighed. 

 

"You'd really doom thousands of your fellow citizens to death so your wife could live?" Kaiser Long asked with a curious smile. 

 

"Wouldn't you?" Hawkmoth asked, glancing at Firebird out of the corners of several of his eyes. "We have our differences, but we all know that when it comes to making omelettes, you have to break a few eggs." 

 

"Only if the omelette is worth it," Firebird said, narrowing her eyes. "Don't think for a second that we're after the same thing; infinite power is at your fingertips and not only are you too weak to manage it, you're using it to save a single life." 

 

"Emilie's life is worth more more than this whole wretched city put together," Hawkmoth snarled. "As if you have any right to question my motivations when yours might be worse for all I know!" 

 

"Well then you should stick to shit you do know ," Firebird said, eyes burning with an inhuman flame. "Like failure and neglecting your family." 

 

"I think they'll be at this for a while," Kaiser Long chuckled, turning to his creation. “We had best get started. Bring healthy specimens to the nearest root cluster; as many as you can get your claws on. And we need them alive, so be gentle." 

 

"No kids," Firebird said. "Start with the cops; see if you can find any more of Andre's Rent-a-Goons hanging around. If we're killing people, we might as well start with the ones Paris would be better off without."  

 

“Don’t tell me you’re getting soft ,” Hawkmoth sneered, earning a venomous glare from Firebird as the dragon beast leapt off the building, landing with a crash on the street below. 

 

“You confuse cruelty with strength, Gabriel,” Kaiser Long said. "It explains your weakness." 

 

"Spare me your lectures," Hawkmoth said, purple wings billowing out behind him as he prepared to take off. "I'll show you how weak I really am." 

 

With a crunch, Hawkmoth took off, soaring over the city as the plants writhed and wriggled in joy beneath him. 

 

"...we're totally gonna kill that guy when this is all done with, right?" Firebird asked. 

 

"If we're lucky, Paris' heroes will do that job for us," Kaiser Long said, hands crackling with glowing green energy. "If they're up to the task." 

 

"If nothing else, we'll see how your new toys stack up to Le Justice League," Firebird said, leaning on Kaiser Long's shoulder. One by one, tiny black pin-pricks materialized over the horizon, hanging in mid air as the sound of screaming wafted in from the streets below. Dozens and dozens of eggs waited for Kaiser Long's cue to fall, poised as Hawkmoth's shadow darkened the streets beneath him. 

 

"Let's see how our Parisian cousins handle this," Kaiser Long said, snapping his fingers and sending the eggs rocketing towards the earth at terminal velocity. 

---

Marinette let out a soft hiss of pain, hands reaching up to the faint pinpricks in her earlobes where her Miraculous used to sit. It was as though a red-hot fish hook had been jammed into her earlobe and some thing was gently tugging at it. After a moment, the pain dissipated, leaving only a throbbing reminder in its wake.

 

What was that? 

“Great...so all we need to do is hit the magic books and in nine hundred years we’ll be ready to fight my asshole father,” Adrien said bitterly. 

 

“I don’t think we have that kind of time,” Master Fu murmured. 

 

“I don’t think we need it,” Master He said, glancing around the room. “How many times have you called on your Miraculous’ power?” 

 

“Lost count,” Adrien muttered. “Two hundred and forty six akuma at least.” 

 

“Nightly patrols...training sessions…” Marinette mumbled. Hanging out as friends. “At least five times a week.” 

 

“Five times a week for four years...over a thousand times,” Master He nodded, glancing at Master Fu. “On average, how many times would you say the past Chosen have called on their powers?” 

 

“Certainly not anything like Marinette and Adrien have had to do,” Master Fu said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “In fact...with the exception of Kagami, these new heroes have all been exposed to the power of the Miraculous quite a bit more than the heroes that preceded them.”  

 

“And that kind of exposure leaves a mark,” Master He said, producing a small pocket knife from her coat pocket and running the blade over her palm. She held her bloody hand out to Marinette who looked down at it somewhat unsteadily before reaching out, fingers pressing into Master He’s skin as she willed the warm, sparkling power through her fingertips. It felt easier this time; she didn’t have to force it out and when it was done, there wasn’t even a scar to mark its passing. 

 

“You are still Ladybug,” Master He said. “As Adrien is still Chat Noir; your experience with Tikki and Plagg has given you a powerful connection to Creation and Destruction that the loss of your Miraculous has not fully diminished. And that link can be nurtured; developed. Grown into a power that’s all your own.” 

 

“I thought we needed time for that?” Marinette asked. 

 

“That’s the careful way,” Master He said, folding her hands behind her back. “But there is another way; a dangerous way, but one that could potentially grant you the power to stand up to the wielders of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous.” 

 

“And here is where we take a flying leap into wild and baseless speculation,” Master Fu sighed. “Even if Marinette and Adrien find a way to recover some of their power, it will not rival the combined power of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous. Only another Avatar of Creation and Avatar of Destruction could hope to challenge Hawkmoth as he is now.” 

 

“That is exactly my intent,” Master He said, pulling a ring of keys from her coat. “The Sanctuaries are...more than just havens for training; they are quite simply the border between our reality and the Powers that govern them. This is why concepts like time and space as we understand it are...flexible within their walls. Go far enough into one and you will eventually find yourself inside that Power’s plane of reality; a place of concentrated magical energy too vast and powerful to exist in this world.” 

 

Master He took a deep breath. “I think...if you journey into your Sanctuaries far enough...you will make direct contact with your Powers. Being exposed to your Them in Their purest form should...if my theory is correct...provide enough stimulus to catalyze a transformation.” 

 

“Into what?” Adrien asked. 

 

“Something...more than human,” Master He said. “Another living Avatar of your Power in this world…one with the power to stand up to Hawkmoth and rescue your Miraculous from his clutches.” 

---

“Mme. Sancoeur?” 

 

Nathalie blinked, shaking her head as a hand jostled her shoulder, shaking her out of a stupor. The woman she usually bought bread from was frowning up at her, a basket of blankets under one arm and a worried look on her face. 

 

“Are you alright?” Sabine asked gently. It took Nathalie a moment to realize that she was still standing in front of the bakery shop window, staring at what appeared to be the last chocolate croissant left in Paris. How she had gotten there, she couldn't say; after leaving (fleeing) the hospital, she found herself wandering the broken streets of Paris, staring up at the twisted plant matter that scraped the sky and the gigantic tree that seemed to suck the color out of the cold winter air around them. 

 

“Forgive me…” Nathalie trailed off, catching sight of her haggard, disheveled appearance in the shop’s window. “I’m having something of a...rough day…” 

 

“Aren’t we all?” Sabine sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Maybe a chocolate croissant will do you some good-” 

 

“I...actually don’t much care for chocolate croissants,” Nathalie said after a moment. “In fact I...I think it’s safe to say I despise them…so...sweet and squishy...like biting into a slug…” 

 

“If I bought as many as you have, I’d imagine that I would be fairly sick of them as well.” Sabine would have taken a little offense if Nathalie didn’t look she had just walked off an airplane crash. 

 

“M. Agreste...Gabriel likes them,” Nathalie said quietly. “So...I picked them up on my way in every morning…didn’t even have to ask me to do it…” 

 

Sabine’s brow furrowed as Nathalie’s mouth moved soundlessly, glaring at the pastry as though it held an answer to a question that eluded her. All she could see was Adrien's pained, teary-eyed expression as he snarled at her to leave. 

 

“I don’t...I don’t know what that was for…” Nathalie said, shaking her head. “I don’t know what any of this was for...” 

 

The sound of something plummeting out of the sky caught Sabine’s attention moment a split second before a hard, black object the size of a phone booth slammed into the street next to the sidewalk with a shattering crash that rattled the windows of the shop. Sabine fell backwards, arm thrown out in front of Nathalie as the dust cleared, revealing a large, pearly black egg the size of an adult man nestled in the asphalt crater. 

 

“God, what is it now ?!” Nathalie snapped, a frenzied and panicked edge creeping into her voice. “What is it now?! Isn’t this enough ?! Now we have giant bloody chicken eggs raining down from the sky?! How much bullshit do we have to endure before it all ends?!"

The egg rocked back and forth as dozens of similarly sized objects rained from the sky, landing all over Paris. A hollow thud came from inside as Sabine slowly started backing away from it, tugging on Nathalie’s arm as she pulled her towards the bakery entrance. 

 

“Good questions," Sabine said dragging Nathalie into the shop as a black claw burst its way out of the egg. "But I don’t think we should stay to find out.” 

---

A tremor ran through Marinette as the enormity of what Master He was proposing weighed down on her. She glanced across the room to Adrien; if he were as unsure as she was, he didn’t show it. The parts of his face not hidden by bandages were stony in their resolve, betraying nothing but a hard, single minded focus the likes of which she had never seen on him before. 

 

A quiet, mirthless laugh broke the silence. “You... actually have lost your mind, haven’t you?” Master Fu chuckled, shaking his head. “This is your solution? Bank on a wild, suicidal fantasy and gamble away the best chance we have to stop Hawkmoth?” 

 

“If you have a solution that doesn’t involve sticking your head in the sand and hoping Hawkmoth doesn’t hurt us, I would love to hear it,” Master He said. “As I see it, we are in a unique position to go on the offensive.” 

 

“We are in a unique position to get a couple of young people killed ,” Master Fu spat. “Like you always have.” 

 

“Always have?” Marinette asked. 

 

“Oh yes; she’s had this little pet theory for a few hundred years now,” Master Fu sniffed, leaning back in his chair. “The next stage in human evolution; a perfect marriage of the human and the supernal...only everyone who's ever undertaken this mission has been obliterated in the process.”

 

“...they understood the risks,” Master He said quietly. "They went into their Sanctuaries knowing the dangers-" 

 

“And not a single human being ever returned,” Master Fu said. 

 

“You mean...they died?” Nino asked, glancing worriedly at Adrien. 

 

“They returned,” Master He said. 

 

“Not as people ,” Master Fu said firmly. “And not as powerful as you promised they would be; just rotten, half-formed monstrosities that had to be put out of their misery.” 

 

“It’s different this time,” Master He insisted. 

 

“It’s always ‘different this time’, isn’t it?” Master Fu sighed, shaking his head. 

 

“Did you or didn’t you say that Marinette was a one in a thousand years Ladybug? ” Master He asked, pointing at Marinette. “That she was, and I quote, a genius when it comes to heroism?” 

 

“Yes but-” 

 

“And speaking for Adrien, he’s come farther in three months than anyone I’ve trained in the past,” Master He said, shooting Adrien a tight smile. “Let us not forget the fact that Mayura was defeated in part to the thrashing a completely ordinary Adrien Agreste gave him. Even now, you can feel Destruction's power bleeding off him.” 

 

“None of this means anything!” Master Fu snapped. “Gabriel Agreste still controls the most powerful sources of Creation and Destruction-” 

 

“And he hasn’t mastered them!” Master He said. “If he did, he would have done what he set out to do by now! So why hasn’t he?! Are they truly beyond the capabilities of a fully trained sorcerer with decades of magical experience or are the powers of Creation and Destruction up for grabs for the first time in the history of the world?” 

 

“And all we need to do is grab them,” Adrien murmured, turning a smooth, black key over in his hands. 

 

“It is not that simple!” Master Fu said, wiping his brow with a shaking hand. “You are talking about venturing into a plane of existence that humanity was never meant to inhabit! Even if you survive the journey and return intact...it will not be as Adrien Agreste. It will be as whatever instrument the Destruction sees fit to send you back as. You can't keep yourself and channel all that power at the same time!” 

 

“Give Adrien some credit for once in your life,” Master He said, laying a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “He has trained in his Sanctuary for months; he has already been exposed to the Power of Destruction in its rawest state. He needs only go a little further and I believe-” 

 

“We need to base this on something more than simple belief,” Master Fu said. “We cannot be so careless with people's’ lives!” 

 

“Quingfu, if you wanted them to live long, peaceful lives, you would not have chosen them,” Master He said grimly. “This is what it means to be Chosen; to risk your life and well-being that the world might survive another day! Yes it is risky, but so is doing nothing. And I daresay we’ve done nothing for far too long.” 

 

“You’re starting to sound like Li,” Master Fu muttered. 

 

“Who?” Alya asked. 

 

“Not important,” Master Fu said, waving his hand. “We are not entertaining this foolish notion any longer; I forbid it.” 

 

“You...forbid it?” Adrien murmured, head tilting to one side in a strangely feline fashion. 

 

“As your Master, I am responsible for your safety; I refuse to-” An icy chill ran down Marinette’s spine as Adrien’s shoulders started to shake with a dry, reedy laugh that only amplified in volume the longer it went on until a taunting, discordant cackle rang off the walls of the Sanctuary. In many ways, Marinette had fallen in love with Adrien’s laugh; a warm, musical sound that was nothing like the mockery of joy that came out of Adrien’s mouth now.  

 

“My...master ?!” Adrien giggled, a broken, toothless grin of incredulity splitting his face. "My...master?!” 

 

Kagami reached out to stop Adrien from standing but he brushed her off, gritting his teeth as he hauled himself out of the wheelchair. His one working eye was leveled on Master Fu as he took slow, painful, shuffling steps across the room. Shadows snaked behind him, crawling along the walls as the supernaturally lit braziers dimmed in their presence. The closer he got, the more Marinette’s stomach turned, the small, reptilian part of her brain screaming at her to run, hide, get away get away get away.

 

It was a fear Marinette had never experienced in her life; the fear of being preyed on in the most primal sense of the term.

 

“When...have you...ever... been my master?!” Adrien growled, looming over Master Fu with a look of singular contempt in his eye as Nino stood up to catch him in case he fell. “What have you ever done except lie to me and keep me in the dark?!” 

 

There was a physicality to Adrien’s anger; warm, prickly heat wafted off of him in waves as Master Fu, reached out for Adrien’s hand. 

 

“I didn’t...” Master Fu said. “I needed to make sure that Marinette-” 

 

“I didn’t... want to be a Guardian!” Adrien snarled, eye almost thrumming with green light as he glared at Master Fu. “I didn’t want to be your fucking heir...I just wanted someone to tell me anything about anything so I wasn't stumbling around by myself; alone!” 

 

“Adrien, I...I wanted to tell you,” Marinette said, refusing to give into the urge to quail as Adrien’s eye turned on her. “I should have been the one to tell you-” 

 

“He was my teacher; not you! ” Adrien growled. “He had plenty of time to reach out to me...to bring me into the loop...and he didn’t ! If you turned dark or got taken out, I would have never had a chance..but that never entered his mind, did it?! No...no Marinette would never turn on us; Marinette would never fail in her duty so why even bother training a replacement?! Why even bother training me at all?!"  

 

“Adrien...I failed you,” Master Fu begged as Adrien twisted out of his grasp. “I wasn’t a good teacher to you and I’m sorry for that...but please don’t do this. Don’t throw your life away on a gamble that may not even work !” 

 

“Then what’s your plan?” Adrien snarled. “How else am I supposed to get strong enough to get Plagg back before my father destroys the world?!” 

 

“We will find another way,” Master Fu said. “Please...give me some time and we will figure out another way.” 

 

“...we’re out of time,” Adrien said, clenching his key in his hand as the shadows shrank back, coiling at his feet like a churning pile of snakes. “I’m going. You want to stop me? You are welcome to try..."

 

“Dude, maybe we should talk about this a little more,” Nino said. “We still got Mayura in the basement...maybe Luka can transform and-” 

 

“Be one more obstacle for my father to knock over,” Adrien said. 

 

Nino’s brow creased in annoyance. “Hey, we’re not exactly pushovers, man.”

 

“And you’re not exactly responsible for Plagg’s safety,” Adrien muttered turning back to Master Fu. “I am ...and I’m not letting anyone else take over my responsibility. Even if that means going into God knows where on a slim chance of victory. If I die..."

 

For a second, Marinette saw a tired, hurt young man flicker beneath his mask of anger and resignation. "Might as well go down trying to do some good…I'm not going to run from this. And I'm done relying on someone else to save me...” 

 

Up close, the bruises and lacerations seemed all the worse. The lips she had kissed so many times were rent by an ugly, painful looking wound that was clumsily stitched together. She hadn’t struck him; she hadn’t been the one to break his bones and split his face open...but she had left him defenseless. She had given Luka the Peacock knowing who it had come from. She had handed over Tikki and Plagg to Gabriel on a silver platter. 

 

“...then I’m going too,” Marinette said, a heavy weight settling into the pit of her stomach as the words left her mouth. 

 

“No you are not ,” Master Fu said firmly. “I know...I know you feel guilty-” 

 

“I am guilty,” Marinette said quietly, sharing a sad glance with her mentor. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me; Hawkmoth wouldn’t be going on a rampage right now if it wasn’t for me ...I lost the right to caution a long time ago, Master. More than that...I’m responsible for Tikki’s safety...” 

 

“And you’re doing a great job with that, pumpkin,” Chloe muttered. 

 

“If Master He thinks this has any chance of working...then I have to at least try,” Marinette said. “Even if...even if this isn’t something that is guaranteed to work.” 

 

Marinette managed to catch the corner of Adrien’s eye. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking; even if his bandaged face hid most of his expression from her, there was something inscrutable about the cold, unblinking stare he sent her way. Even through the hard, angry wave of anger, there was a kind of understanding. It was always going to come down to this; Ladybug and Chat Noir versus Hawkmoth. All she had accomplished was delaying the inevitable. 

 

“We have to try…” 

---

Roger Raincomprix didn’t believe in gut instinct. 

 

Too often, police mistook simple prejudice and rash judgment for a mystical ‘gut instinct’ that was supposed to point them towards the bad guys and alert them to danger. But in the moments leading up to the attack on his precinct, he could have sworn he felt a chill run down his spine. 

 

“Sir?” One of his officers said as Roger raised his head from his desk, holding his hand up to silence the chatter of the bullpen. Squinting, he could have sworn he heard a series of distant thud, thud, thudding noises like the sound of cannons firing. No one said a word as slowly, the sound of car-alarms wafted through the windows followed by the unmistakable sound of terrified screaming.

 

“...get out there and see what that’s about,” Roger said, scrambling for his phone. “Work in teams; get people below ground and wait for my-” 

 

A snarl and shattering crash of glass drew Roger’s attention to the front of the building. Muffled shouting, snarling, and gunshots wafted through the double doors that separated the bullpen from the front of the police station. Outside, the sound of car alarms blaring in the cold December morning rang out against the harsh noise of a city that was once again under attack.

 

A heavy thump rocked the heavy door that protected the bulk of the office from whatever was trying to get in. The steel and reinforced locks rattled as another heavy crash loosened some of the plaster from the walls that surrounded the frame. 

 

“Th-that door’s gonna hold, right?” A younger police officer said, clutching a firearm he had never had to use in his life. 

 

“That’s eight inches of reinforced steel,” Roger muttered, half to his officer and half to himself. “They’re not getting through...they can't-” 

 

Something wet and sticky landed on the back of Roger’s head. Reaching up, his hand came away covered in thick, translucent saliva that smelled faintly of sulfur. Slowly, he turned his head up towards the rafters where dozens of glowing green eyes leered down at them. 

 

“Clever girls…” Roger muttered under his breath as the scaly monstrosities pounced, lunging in a tangle of sharp, flailing claws. 

---

“Okay...can we call this Plan B?” Alya said, holding her hand up. “Let’s discuss this a little more; maybe there is something else we can do." 

 

"Let me...let me at least try and heal you," Marinette said, reaching out for Adrien's hand as he twisted away with a displeased snarl. 

 

"Haven't you done enough?" Adrien growled. "I don't need your help...and I don't want it..." 

 

"Don't be stupid," Kagami scolded softly. "You can't help Plagg if you're coming apart at the seams. Let Marinette at least try and-" 

 

The door to the Sanctuary opened with a bang as Jun and Lan ran in, slamming the door behind them as Master He looked over worriedly. “What is it?” 

 

“Monsters...attacking the city,” Jun panted. 

 

“They’re taking people off the streets,” Lan said as Master Fu and Master He shared a worried look. 

 

"Is it Hawkmoth?" Kagami asked. Marinette watched Adrien’s lip curl back into a snarl, baring his broken teeth at the mention of his father’s name.

"We saw...something flying over the streets," Lan said. "I think it's him...Hawkmoth has returned to Paris." 

 

There was a tense, pregnant moment of silence as they all looked at each other, wondering if this was to be the last moment of peace they would experience. 

 

“Looks like Plan B just got a promotion,” Alya said, glancing at Adrien and Marinette. "Everybody knows what they have to do...so let's do it."

Notes:

TL;DR. Adrien and Marinette are going to take a field trip into their Sanctuary to soak up some magical energy that will either outright kill them, horribly horribly mutate them, or bestow on them the power to save the world. Gabey the Baby and Kaiser Long's Putty Patrollers are invading Paris, the 5-0 just got Jurassic Park'd, and Luka is composing a post-emo album about possession and powerlessness in the basement.

Oh, and Wayhem has been sentenced to 30 years for tax-fraud but that's unrelated to this story.

This is probably going to end well, right?

Chapter 42: The Last Temptation

The road leading into Paris was a bittersweet one to travel for Lila Rosi.

 

Nearly four years earlier, she had left a mean, spoiled child after an incident involving Chat Noir, thirteen gallons of whipped cream, and an Akuma that had taken the form of a colony of particularly aggressive ants. And while she had spent most of her fourteenth year plotting revenge, six very highly paid therapists eventually got through to her. 

 

Driving herself back to a city that stood as a monument to her former self with a car full of luggage felt, in some ways, like a second chance. Maybe if she could put teenage Lila Rossi to rest, maybe if she could bury the little bastard that she used to be, then maybe she could find some semblance of peace as she headed into university. 

 

Maybe by going back to Paris...she would find some kind of peace with her life. 

 

Anxiety and anticipation welled up inside her as she drove closer and closer, gripping her steering wheel tighter as more and more cars seemed to be racing in the opposite side of the road. This time, she assured herself, things were going to be different. 

 

Hello Paris, Lila thought as her car rounded the bend. I am back. 

 

Lila had to slam her foot on the brakes as the city came into view to keep from running into the blockade that had formed across the road in front of her. Police officers waved at her to stop as, behind them, large plants wriggled and writhed over every single street and building. In the distance, she could see dozens of figures fighting in the street and high in the sky overhead, a large, purple monster soared on gossamer wings. 

 

You know...I could just as easily put the past behind me in Maui. 

 

“... fanculo a questa merda,” Lila muttered, flipping her car around and slamming her foot on the gas. 

---

For some reason, Hawkmoth thought that absolute power would have come with some sense of satisfaction; some kind of euphoric understanding of the universe and himself that would grant him the strength to save his wife. 

 

But it just hurt. 

 

It felt like every molecule of his new body was being pushed together as every atom of his being was being pulled apart. His head ached as his mind slowly adjusted to having four times the eyes he used to have. The arms that housed the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous thrummed with agonizing power as a definite force seemed to fight against him every time he used their powers. 

 

It was certainly no magic wish...but it was something. 

 

Perched on the roof of Notre Dame, Hawkmoth watched Kaiser Long’s soldiers scurry about beneath him, the vines and roots that covered the city feeding him power as more and more people were dragged kicking and screaming into his clutches. A softer person might have heard the pained cries of their fellow citizens and felt some compassion for them, or even sorry for ruining their lives despite the necessity. 

 

But Hawkmoth was neither soft nor even a person anymore. And if the whole city had to die so that Emilie could be saved, it was a very small price to pay. 

---

“I...I don’t understand.” 

 

Juleka quietly took her mother’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as she shook her head. “I don’t either, Mom...I just know that Luka is safe and that he isn’t going to hurt anyone anymore.” 

 

Anarka stared at her daughter for a long moment, searching her face for some kind of hint that told something Juleka wasn’t ready to tell. “Can I...can I see him or-” 

 

“He’s getting some help right now,” Juleka said carefully. “And I’m gonna bring him home as soon as I can...but right now, I-” 

 

The sound of panic wafted in through the windows as Juleka looked up from the table, a familiar dread crawling up her spine as her hand went to the fire poker she used the night before. 

 

“What’s going on?” Anarka said as Juleka pressed her finger to her lips. Peeking her head around the corner, she watched people run by on the street outside through the crack in a curtain. A flash of movement caught Juleka’s eye as a shadowy figure scrambled up the side of a building, pouncing with superhuman speed and snaring a struggling passerby in its powerful claws. Juleka stumbled backwards as the monster took off again, grabbing her keys and her mother’s coat from the couch as she ran back into the kitchen. 

 

“City’s going to hell,” Juleka said, helping her mother out of her chair. “What else is new?” 

---

How long are you going to fight me?

 

Luka said nothing as Mayura’s voice in the back of his mind croaked feebly at him. 

 

We could break out of this prison right now if you just let me take control…

 

“Not happening…” Luka said, plucking stems of grass out of the ground and tossing them over the ledge of the cliff. It was strange to think the orange colored sunset didn’t extend to the horizon and that the sweet smell of sea breeze was just an illusion. It would have been serene if Mayura didn’t feel the need to chirp at him every five minutes. 

 

You can’t hold me back forever...your will will break...I will win...and you will finally be someone who Marinette sees as worthy…

 

“Shut up…” Luka grumbled, pressing his hands against his temples. Even Marinette’s name sounded like a string snapping; a harsh, jarring sound that grated on him the more he heard it come out of Mayura’s mouth. 

 

Kind of a talker, isn’t he? 

 

Luka’s head jerked around, looking for the source of a second voice that rang like a clear, crystal bell. “H-Hello?” 

 

He strained his ears, but could hear nothing but the sound of waves on the shore. “Is someone there?” 

 

The air in front of him shimmered as Monarch stepped through the translucent wall and into the prison. “Just me...I’m surprised you knew I was coming.”

 

“No, there was…” Luka trailed off with a small sigh. “Forget it...I’m probably just going crazy.” 

 

“Whole world is going crazy, it seems,” Monarch said, fidgeting with her bow-tie anxiously. “ Hawkmoth is back.” 

 

“Of course he is…” Luka said, hands clenching unconsciously at his sides. "Why wouldn't he be?"

 

“Seems he’s brought an entire army with him this time…” Monarch said with a grim sort of nod. “I...we are going to engage him while Adrien and Marinette get their powers back.” 

 

“I thought Hawkmoth had the Miraculous...how are they going to do that?” Luka asked, a faint, musical note ringing in the back of his mind. 

 

“It’s a very long and frankly confusing story,” Monarch sighed. “But we are pulling all hands on deck and...I wanted to see if you could do anything to help us.” 

 

“Help?” Luka blinked. “...me?” 

 

“As Master He put it, the Peacock Miraculous is still inside you,” Monarch said, glancing down at Luka’s chest. “I...I don’t know if you can call on its power...but if you can-” 

 

“If I can...I’m still carrying this thing around inside of me…” Luka muttered, gripping his t-shirt over his heart. “Mayura is still alive...he won’t shut up for ten minutes. If I lose control again-”

 

“Master He is confident that her seal will keep him from exerting influence over you,” Monarch said. “I’m sorry that she can’t do anything to silence it...but you may still be able to call on Dusuu’s power.” 

 

“How?” Luka laughed bitterly, holding his hand out with a theatrical flourish. “Peacock powers activate!” 

 

Luka heard the chime of a distant bell that faded almost as soon as he noticed it. 

 

“Wings out!” Luka said again, feeling a small tickle of power that seemed to quail as cold, mocking laughter from Mayura echoed in the back of his mind.

 

“Sorry...don’t think I have it in me anymore…” Luka sighed. “Or if I ever did, really...truth be told I’m not really like you. I wasn’t chosen because I was the right person for the job...I was picked because...because Marinette knew I wouldn’t question her. Because I would do what she asked without asking. That’s it; that’s my resume. Doormat Supreme Carrying Torch for Ex-Girlfriend.” 

 

The air seemed to leave Luka as he glanced up with a sad little smile. “I’m not a hero…” 

 

Monarch was quiet for a long moment as she tried to find the right words in one of the five languages she knew. 

 

“I...I think Marinette and the others put too much stock in being chosen,” Monarch said. “I don't hold to that; it puts our worth in the hands of someone else. It tricks us into thinking that being a hero or even doing the right thing is an innate quality a person either has or has not." 

 

Monarch studied Luka’s face for a moment before continuing. “But...that’s not true. You’re not born a hero; you don’t become a hero when an old man or his chosen disciple chooses you to be one...you become a hero every time you stand up and help those who need you. It’s something that you do...not something that you are .” 

 

A gust of wind came in from over the water, ruffling Monarch’s hair as she offered a small smile. “No one can take that choice away from you...not Mayura, not Marinette, not Hawkmoth. Not even you...you will always have the power to be better than you were yesterday. The choice is always going to be yours.” 

 

She’s lying... Mayura snarled. Marinette is the only one who decides who can be a hero. You’re nothing without her say so...noth-

 

A clear, crystal chime rang in the back of Luka’s mind again, overriding Mayura’s voice as Monarch turned to leave. “Whatever you choose, I hope it makes you happy...after everything you’ve been through, you certainly deserve it.” 

 

The air shimmered as Monarch stepped back through the portal, leaving Luka staring at the patch of air where she had just stood. 

 

“...hello?” Luka said, a tolling of a crystalline bell answering him almost as soon as he opened his mouth. He felt his head swim as he stumbled forward, tumbling forward as he felt something pull him into cool, dark unconsciousness. 

 

The air shimmered, and Luka disappeared. 

---

Marinette was unable to stifle a small gasp of horror as she peeled the gauze back from Adrien's face. 

 

“Sorry...this must be uncomfortable for you ,” Adrien muttered, wincing in pain as the raw, charred skin was exposed to the cool air of the Sanctuary. Monarch hovered over Adrien’s shoulder, keeping one eye on what Marinette was doing while Queen Bee, Carapace, and Rena Rouge stood around a floating, three-dimensional map of the city. 

 

“Okay...what’s the plan?” Carapace asked, glancing at Rena Rouge as she stared thoughtfully at the map. 

 

“Drawing Hawkmoth’s attention and keeping whatever monsters are out there from hurting people should be our top priority,” Rena Rouge said, pacing around the map. “If we can drag him over to whatever’s left of the Eiffel Tower, that will give us a little space to have it out with him without people getting hurt. Chloe...you’re good at aggravating people-” 

 

“Thank you,” Queen Bee said. 

 

“Piss Hawkmoth off badly enough to distract him from whatever it is he’s doing,” Rena Rouge said, glancing at Carapace. “You think you can slug it out with him for a while?” 

“You really underestimate how long I’ve wanted to punch Adrien’s dickhead dad in the face,” Carapace said, cracking his knuckles. “I’ll do more than slug it out with him.” 

 

“Save a slice for me,” Queen Bee said. “You hurt the people I love, you’re dead to me; dead to everyone else if I have anything to say about it.” 

 

“Let’s focus on keeping Gabriel locked down until we can do something about him,” Rena Rouge said as a sharp hiss of pain drew their attention back to where Adrien and Marinette were sitting. 

 

“Sorry!” Marinette winced, fingertips dancing with pink light as a patch of Adrien’s skin began knitting together ever so slowly. It felt different this time; different than when she healed herself and even different from mending the cut on Master He’s hand. It was as though something was resisting her attempts to heal Adrien; as though he himself was fighting back against her attempts to undo the damage done to him. 

 

“Don’t be sorry; just stop hurting me!” Adrien hissed, averting his gaze as he felt his bones shift under his skin, a strange tingling sensation running up and down his arm as Marinette went to work. 

 

“Sit still then,” Monarch clucked, kneeling down across from Marinette with a stern look on her face. “Marinette...you worked with Gabriel-” 

 

“Yeah, we know !” Queen Bee said, yelping as Rena Rouge wordlessly yanked her ponytail. 

 

“Not helping,” Master He said. 

 

“Oh, sorry, am I being a little bitchy to the chick who ruined my best-friend's life and possibly ended the world?” Queen Bee said. “How rude of me; I should have been more considerate about Marinette’s feelings. That’s what’s important right now, isn’t it?” 

 

“Love the spunk, but save it for Hawkmoth,” Rena Rouge muttered. "We'll deal with Marinette after we save the world..." 

 

“Did he discuss any of this with you?” Monarch asked, ignoring the discussion going on behind her. “Any of this at all?” 

 

“No...we didn’t exactly have the kind of partnership where we communicated that much,” Marinette said, chewing on her lower lip.  

 

“I’m starting to sense a pattern here,” Adrien mumbled. 

 

“Adrien please,” Monarch sighed, turning her attention back to a watery-eyed Marinette. “So...what would his plan be? What would you do if you were Hawkmoth? He wants to bring Emilie back to life, right?” 

 

...oh, that's right, Marinette thought with a wince. I haven't told them about that yet...

 

“Well...actually Adrien's mother isn’t dead,” Marinette said, feeling Adrien tense underneath her as his one exposed eye widened.

 

“...what did you just say?” Queen Bee asked. 

 

“H-He was keeping her in some kind of...magical stasis under his house…” Marinette continued, ignoring the creeping sense of dread that came from Adrien’s eye turned on her. “I think...whatever he’s doing, he’s going to try and save her life first. If he’s taking people, that means he’s probably going to try and use them to help Emilie.” 

 

Monarch glanced at Adrien. “Did you know that-” 

 

“No, Kagami…” Adrien said in a voice like a piano wire ready to snap. “I didn’t know that my evil father was keeping my mother prisoner under my feet for four years. In fact, it’s safe to assume that anything Marinette knows about my father, my mother, my Miraculous, and my family, I don’t …”

 

“I...was going to tell you-” 

 

“Let me guess; when the time was right ,” Adrien growled, poignantly avoiding her gaze. Marinette nodded, blinking back a wave of tears with a small sniffle as her fingers thrummed with pink light again. “Just heal me.” 

 

“Well...that changes things, doesn’t it?” Queen Bee asked. “Gabriel has a hostage-” 

 

“Got more than one,” Carapace said. “Quickest way to rescue them all is to knock Smelly Gabe out of the equation.” 

 

“What about the Miraculous thief?” Monarch said, glancing at Master He. “Any chance we might contend with them?” 

 

“He’s our enemy...but I don’t think he’s going to fight Hawkmoth’s battle for him,” Master He said, sharing a glance with Master Fu. “He seemed pretty content to betray Gabriel once he had everything he needed. I can’t even be sure if he’s in the city; if you see him...don’t engage unless absolutely necessary. There’s much we don’t know about him or his abilities.” 

 

“If we’re just stalling for time until Ladybug and Chat Noir are back on the board, we don’t need a full fighting force to tangle with Hawkmoth,” Rena Rouge said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Just someone strong enough to whether his attacks and someone fast enough to outrun them. If you two can handle that, Monarch and I can work on saving the people Hawkmoth has captured...including Adrien’s mother, if at all possible.” 

 

“You will need every edge you can get against Hawkmoth,” Master Fu said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “He may not have perfect control of his abilities, but he is still a nigh-immortal demi-god with unchecked power so long as he continues to wield both Miraculous. Even if you don’t intend to directly engage him, it’s unwise to enter this fight without every advantage possible.” 

 

“Wait…” Carapace said, snapping his fingers. “What about Nathalie? Would she know anything about what Hawkmoth is planning?” 

 

“...Nathalie,” Marinette said suddenly, snapping her out of the healing trance as Adrien let out a small snarl of displeasure. “She...sh-she disabled my phone in London. I think...I’m sure she knew what Hawkmoth was doing.” 

 

“Of course she did…she’s always been my father’s lap dog,” Adrien said, glancing up at Monarch. “She lives up the road from Marinette; 2387 Rue Marquis Apartment 213. I don’t know what she knows but it has to be more than us; start with her.” 

 

“And if she doesn’t wanna place nice?” Carapace asked. 

 

“She doesn’t get a choice !” Adrien snarled, a hot spike of anger wafting off him and causing Carapace to take a visible step backwards. “She lost the right to sit this out when she decided to help my father torture an entire city for four years; persuade her.” 

 

Carapace shared an uneasy glance with Rena Rouge. “Alright...let’s hope Mme. Sancoer is feeling generous.” 

 

“What about Luka?” Monarch asked, drawing Marinette’s attention as she mentioned her friend’s name. “He's...he's not all that confident that he can help us but is there anything you can do to awaken his abilities?" 

 

“I cannot say,” Master Fu said sadly. “Hawkmoth’s sorcery did something... unnatural to the Peacock Miraculous. We can’t be sure if Luka can even access his Power anymore.” 

 

“Mayura is also a part of him,” Master He sighed. “Letting him out after he nearly beat Adrien to death seems irresponsible.”

 

“Well if he gets out again, I can break my other arm on his face,” Adrien said, hissing as he felt a crawling, itching sensation work its way from the tips of Marinette’s fingers up Adrien’s arm. He felt his swollen, wobbly bones slowly start to stitch together, fighting back the urge to cry out in discomfort. Marinette already looked at him with too much pity for his taste. 

 

“We can’t just keep him locked away forever,” Rena Rouge said, crossing her arms. “His only crime was trusting his friend; he didn’t do anything wrong!” 

 

“It’s not a question of punishment,” Master Fu said. “It is simply too risky to let him out until we can be sure he poses no threat to himself...or anyone else.” 

 

“You want to lock the rest of us up as well?” Monarch challenged. “Hawkmoth possessed all of us at one point or another; if Marinette is to be believed, he has some kind of trigger phrase that lets him take control over her. Why don’t we all just hide away and pray we don’t accidentally lose our minds?” 

 

“If all goes as planned, I believe that Marinette will soon be beyond Hawkmoth’s ability to manipulate,” Master He said, turning a red and black key over in her hand. “Luka will be released when we can be sure he will not be a threat to anyone else...but every minute we waste talking, Hawkmoth’s grip on Paris is only going to get stronger.” 

 

“She’s right,” Carapace said, shouldering his shield. “We got our marching orders; let’s go out there and do the damn thing already.” 

 

“You sure you can handle it?” Marientte asked, stomach churning as she thought of her friends running into the final fight with Hawkmoth without her. “Hawkmoth is...he’s stronger than I thought he was...I thought I had the upper hand but he-” 

 

“We’re not going to underestimate him like you did,” Rena Rouge said sharply. “We know better than anyone what kind of monster Hawkmoth is; nobody holds a grudge more than Hawkmoth’s victims.” 

 

“And nobody hates Gabriel Agreste more than Adrien’s friends,” Monarch said. 

 

“Adrien is catching up,” Adrien muttered quietly. 

 

“But more importantly, we’re not letting some uppity tailor and Gendo Ikari knockoff hurt our friends and neighbors anymore,” Carapace said, sharing a reassuring smile with Rena Rouge. “This is our city; it’s about time Hawkmoth remembered that.” 

 

“And I know just how to jog his memory,” Queen Bee said with a devilish glint in her eye. “The only thing you should be worried about, Marinette, is coming back to find that Paris can get along just fine without Ladybug to protect it.” 

 

Surprisingly, the thought of Paris moving on without her didn’t sting quite as bad as she thought it would. In a way, looking at the small group of heroes clustered around the table, Marinette felt a small sense of relief knowing that whatever she had to do, Alya and the others would do everything they could to hamper Hawkmoth. 

 

“You do what you gotta do,” Carapace said, gently squeezing Adrien’s uninjured shoulder. 

 

“But be safe,” Monarch said, leaning in and pressing a kiss against Adrien’s cheek. “Everybody’s got their limits…” 

 

“Nobody’s found mine,” Adrien said somewhat distantly, summoning what little cheer he had left to give Carapace what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Whatever you do...don’t kill my father...he’s mine .” 

 

A chill ran down Carapace’s spine as he struggled to return the smile. “Whatever you say man…” 

 

“Have fun storming the Sanctuary,” Queen Bee said, glaring at Marinette. “You better not get yourself killed and leave Adrien to clean up your mess, Ladymoth.”

 

Thanks? Marinette thought, wondering if this was the first time that Chloe had expressed interest in her well being. 

 

“Don’t worry about us,” Rena Rouge mumbled, avoiding Marinette’s gaze. “We'll hold things down out here.” 

 

“Alya...I just…” Marinette’s tongue felt thick and heavy in her mouth as she tried to find the words. “I am so so-” 

 

“We’ll talk when this is all over and done with,” Rena Rouge said with a small nod. “So...just come back, okay?” 

 

Easier said than done; am I the only person taking this seriously?! Marinette thought. Why is everybody acting like this is a done deal; like I’m going to pull through no matter-

 

A thick, painful knot swelled in Marinette’s throat as she realized that, despite everything, Alya still believed she could pull off the impossible. And the very least she could do was return that faith, even if the thought of her friends running headlong into danger scared her. 

 

“...okay,” Marinette said as Rena Rouge turned to leave. “Good luck out there…” 

 

“Bring some luck back with you,” Rena Rouge said, leading the others through the exit. “I have a feeling we’re going to need it.” 

 

The door closed with a thud that seemed deafening in the quiet Sanctuary, leaving Adrien and Marinette alone with their masters. 

 

“How do you feel?” Master He said, watching Adrien flex his formerly broken fingers experimentally. 

 

“Stiff…” Adrien said, punching the palm of his hand. “But it works...that’s what’s important.” 

 

“I don’t know if I can do anything about the eye,” Marinette said, fingers tingling as the red, irritated skin around Adrien’s missing eye started mending under her touch. “It’s...gone. I don’t think I can create a new one.” 

 

“Well...do what you can,” Master He said, glancing at Master Fu. “We should see if there's anything we can do for Luka. Perhaps we can contact Duusu...if Duusu is still alive that is." 

 

“We have literally nothing to lose,” Master Fu said, glancing at Adrien. “...will you two be alright if we make a house call?” 

 

“I don’t see how my day can get much worse,” Adrien said flatly. 

 

“Double-time, Ms. Cheng,” Master He said, wheeling Master Fu down from the dias. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.” 

 

“I’ll...I’ll do my best,” Marinette said, avoiding Adrien’s eyes until the back of Master Fu’s wheelchair had left the dias. “How do you feel?”

 

“Boy...that’s an interesting question,” Adrien said flatly.

---

The difference between the silence of the Sanctuary and the pandemonium Rena Rouge stepped into was night and day. 

 

Outside the hospital room windows, the city had seemingly devolved even further into chaos than she thought possible. The plant-matter that covered the city now pulsed with an inhumanly red energy. On the streets below, people ran screaming from dozens of identical black figures who lunged for what remaining police officers were trying to keep the peace, dragging them over to the plant mass and shoving them inside without any ceremony. Hands clawed at the black, scaly monsters as they were devoured by the plant life, the massive tree growing out of the Agreste mansion only growing bigger the longer Rena Rouge stared at it. 

 

“You turn your back on this city for one minute and it goes to the bloody dogs, doesn’t it?” Monarch sighed, bracing as the sound of fighting came from the floors beneath them. 

 

“Okay...you know what you gotta do?” Rena Rouge said, turning to Carapace and Queen Bee. 

 

“Punch a god in the face until he chases us instead of hurting other people,” Carapace nodded, shouldering his shield. “Cakewalk.” 

 

“Easy,” Queen Bee said, glancing at Monarch. “You wanna make some akumas to help us out?” 

 

“I’ll put my feelers out there; see if there’s anyone righteously angry enough to make a good champion,” Monarch said, purple mask floating over her eyes as she scanned the skyline. 

 

“Well, if you find someone really special, I got something you can give them,” Queen Bee said, passing Rena Rouge a small black velvet bag. Frowning, Rena Rouge opened the bag, eyes widening as her eyes fell on what was inside. 

 

“When did you-” 

 

“When Master He was passing the box around,” Queen Bee mumbled somewhat sheepishly as Rena Rouge pulled out a glittering purple bracelet emblazoned with a glowing orange tiger’s paw. “I was planning on like...I don’t know, dual-wielding them if things got hairy, but Pollen came through with the sexy suit upgrade, so-.” 

 

“You stole a Miraculous,” Monarch said with a disbelieving grin. 

 

“Well...i-if you think about it, I actually rescued the Miraculous!” Queen Bee said proudly. “Yeah, now that weirdo who nicked the rest of the Miraculous is one short now! So...if you think about it, I technically saved the day by...stealing a Miraculous.” 

 

“Shouldn’t be surprised that our honeybee has sticky fingers,” Carapace chuckled, nudging Queen Bee lightly with his shoulder. 

 

“Hey, the position of brains and brawn on this team are already taken,” Queen Bee said, gesturing to Rena Rouge and Carapace respectively. “So I figured I might as well be the sexy Chaotic Neutral wildcard; I mean, someone’s gotta be, right?” 

 

“I’m only sorry that you didn’t steal the whole box,” Rena Rouge chuckled, winding the bracelet around her wrist. "Why didn't you bring this up earlier?" 

 

"We were running short on time and by the time Professor X got done yelling at me, Hawkmoth would have destroyed the world," Queen Bee said.

 

"You're all terrible delinquents, you know that, right?" Monarch sighed, shaking her head. 

 

"Okay...we'll send someone your way as soon as we find someone worth powering up," Rena Rouge said with a nod. 

 

There was a terrible beat of silence as they all realized that they had run out of things to say...and that all that was left was the war that seemed to rise to meet them. Three months ago they were all part-time heroes; now they were all that stood between their home and complete destruction. 

 

“Whatever happens..." Rena Rouge said, sharing a glance with Carapace and Queen Bee. "I-I just want to say that these last few months have been-”

 

The door to the hospital room wrenched open with a hideous crash as three snarling, reptilian monsters stuck their snouts in the room.

 

"Hello there," Monarch said drawing her sword-cane with a flourish. Six cruel green eyes narrowed as they muscled their way into the room, talons scraping along the tiles with every thudding step. 

 

“Scuse me, we’re...kinda in the middle of an emotional moment,” Queen Bee said, making a shooing motion with her hand. “So if you could just-”

 

The tallest beast let out a snarling hiss, spit dripping from its sharp teeth and pooling on the floor as it advanced on an irate looking Queen Bee. 



“...bitch, did you just hiss at me?!” 

---

Ten stories above the streets of Paris, the windows of the hospital exploded in a shower of glass and metal as Carapace tackled and monster through the side of the building, shield bouncing off its chest as he drove it down towards the streets below. Queen Bee's wings unfurled as she dragged another beast out of the room, tossing it high in the air and sending her chain backwards for Carapace to grab. With an elegant flip, Rena Rouge used her staff to vault into the sky, spinning like a vermilion comet as she fell after her partners, eyes glinting in the cold December morning. 

 

Monarch peeked her head through the remains of the window as the trio plummeting through the air. "So I'll just...take the stairs then, shall I?" 

---

“I noticed something…” Master Fu said as Master He wheeled him down the hallway. “You didn’t tell them everything about Li’s apprentice.” 

 

“They have enough to worry about for now,” Master He said. “Let them focus on Hawkmoth and then we can talk about how our friend nearly destroyed the entire world.” 

 

“Even if this might be a bigger problem down the road?” Master Fu said. “We thought Li might be training apprentices in secret...if someone with such a strong connection to Creation exists, does he have a-” 

 

Master He stopped, squinting into an empty cell. “Did we...I thought we put Luka in that cell there…” 

 

“We did,” Master Fu said, watching the wind rustle through empty field. "...so where is he?" 

 

"I...I don't know," Master He said, rubbing her temples. "We would have been alerted if he broke out and it would have taken an enormous magical power to displace him from his cell." 

 

"And just our luck...he happens to have two enormous magical powers floating around inside him," Master Fu said, rubbing his eyes. "You know...I think we're bad at our jobs, Qiong." 

 

"Fourteen hundred years is bound to see a drop in quality of work." 

---

Luka woke to the sound of a distant, musical chime on a cool, unfamiliar floor. Blinking in the dim light, he found himself on an ornately decorated mosaic floor in the center of what appeared to be an ornately designed mosque constructed of geometric blue and purple tiles. Pale light streamed through a glimmering stained glass window, casting an ever shifting kaleidoscope on the ground beneath Luka’s feet. Incense hung heavy in the air, making Luka’s head swim as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. 

 

Having been through more than his fair share of bullshit in the last few months, Luka’s first thought was oh god, what is it now? 

 

A second musical chime rang through the empty building, vibrating off the architecture and echoing in a strangely harmonious way. The incense parted as the sound wafted over Luka, light falling on an open balcony on the far side of the building. 

 

“...alright, I’ll bite,” Luka sighed, legs wobbling as he made his way to the balcony. It felt like he was moving in slow motion; like he was somehow disconnected from his own body as he walked towards what appeared to be a plush fainting couch perched on the edge of a balcony that overlooked a vast, tropical forest that seemed to stretch out to the horizon. Distant birdsong chirped over the treetops and the closer he got to the edge, the more the smell of incense increased. 

“Hello?” Luka called, squinting at a strange, pale humanoid with light blue skin and feathered black hair that lay prone on the couch. An ornate, gauzy robe hung on its thin frame, open to reveal an ugly, glowing purple wound in the middle of their chest. As Luka approached, they raised their head, yellow eyes fixing on Luka as they offered him a weak smile. 

 

“Hey there,” Duusu said, a weak smile tugging at their lips. “You must be the new guy, huh?”

---

If being alone in a room with your ex-boyfriend was awkward, being alone in a room with your ex-boyfriend who you accidentally sold out to his evil father was enough to make Marinette want to Cataclysm herself. It would have been better if he was yelling at her; anything to break the placid mask of barely restrained anger and cold way he seemed to do everything in his power to ignore her very presence. 

 

“I...I think I managed to fix what teeth were cracked,” Marinette said as Adrien ran a tongue over his teeth, notably slipping through the gaps where Mayura had knocked his molars out. “Don’t think I can replace the ones you lost…” 

 

“No Miraculous Ladybug for canines?” Adrien shrugged. “Guess that would put dentists out of business…”

 

“Sorry…” Marinette muttered. 

 

“You keep saying that…” Adrien mused. 

 

“Because I am ,” Marinette sighed. 

 

“And that means...what to me?” Adrien said. 

 

“What do you want me to do, Adrien?” Marinette said, a desperate edge creeping into her voice. “Talk to me, please; yell at me if you want to!” 

 

“Would that make you feel better?” Adrien asked. 

 

“Honestly...it kinda would,” Marinette laughed bitterly. 

 

“Well...in that case, I think I’ll keep my voice down,” Adrien said, turning away from Marinette. “Wouldn’t want to disturb the tranquility of the Sanctuary…” 

 

Marinette was unable to suppress a sigh of irritation, but if the situation was reversed, she wouldn’t exactly have felt like talking to Chat Noir all that much. It was hard to disentangle how she felt about Adrien from how she felt about her former partner, despite the fact that she knew that they were the same person. Two very different, very personal kinds of betrayal were at play here and Marinette didn’t even know where to begin to start untangling them. 

 

“At least tell me...what can I expect in the Ladybug’s Sanctuary?” Marinette asked, watching his burned skin mend under her touch. 

 

“No idea,” Adrien muttered with a small wince of pain. 

 

“Adrien, please-” 

 

“I don’t know !” Adrien growled. “My Sanctuary is a cold black pit that smells like death and is full of crazy ghosts that try and kill me...so knowing your luck, Tikki’s Sanctuary is probably Disneyland . It’s weird, time doesn’t work right, and something tells me the deeper we go, the worse it’s going to get until we either get what we want or…” 

 

Adrien trailed off, biting his lip as Marinette’s power knit his cracked ribs back together. “...or we die." 

 

“We don’t get to die,” Adrien said, turning to glare at her. “You don't get to die. If I didn’t get to die when Mayura was literally choking the life out of me- ” 

 

“Don’t, please ,” Marinette said, stomach turning as she imagined Adrien feebly trying to fend off Mayura’s blows, powerless to stop his body from being broken by a monster of her own creation. 

 

“-then you don’t get to die on this little field trip we’re going on,” Adrien growled. “Something...powerful wants me alive. And if I’m meant to survive that...so are you. Too much is riding on us to fail now.” 

 

Too much is always riding on us, Marinette thought. “I just want you to know...I need you to know that hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do.” 

 

“I don’t know; you seemed preeeeeeeetty hellbent on hurting the shit out of Chat Noir,” Adrien muttered. “Or is that my fault for refusing to follow your orders?” 

 

“...I don’t take kindly to someone who threatens someone I love,” Marinette said quietly. 

 

“Neither do I ,” Adrien said. “And that bullshit you pulled with Kagami-” 

 

“I had nothing to do with that!” Marinette said vehemently. “Luka was sick; I sent him to Kagami’s house so she could get Master He to help him.” 

 

“So you did send him there-”  

 

“Not to hurt her,” Marinette sighed. “If someone was threatening me with a crime I didn’t commit, how would you react?” 

 

“Now or before I found out about all the crimes you did commit?” 

 

“I thought I was protecting you!” Marinette said, shaking her head. “When you threatened Hawkmoth’s son, I thought-” 

 

“You thought I was threatening myself ,” Adrien sniffed bitterly. “Funny isn’t it?” 

 

“Not the word I would use to describe it,” Marinette said. “I just...I wanted you to have your family back in one piece-.” 

 

“My family ,” Adrien said, eye swiveling to glare at her. “Not yours. Tell me...what gave you the right to make decisions about my family without talking to me first?” 

 

“...I didn’t want you to have to make that choice,” Marinette muttered, glancing down. “I didn’t want you to have to choose between saving your mother and imprisoning your father.” 

 

“So you took my choice away from me; kept me in the dark about something that I needed to know,” Adrien said, shaking his head. “You were never going to tell me, were you? If your little plot had succeeded, my mom would have been back and my father would have been happy and I would just be sitting there smiling like the idiot you think I am-”

 

“I don’t think you’re an idiot!” Marinette said, irritation winning out over remorse for a split second. 

 

“Well you treat me like one!” Adrien snapped, broken teeth flashing in the dim light. “Don’t trust Adrien with anything about the Miraculous; don’t tell Adrien that his mother is alive and well! Don’t let Adrien make a decision for once in his life because God forbid he doesn’t do exactly what we want him to do! Just sit there and be a perfect son and Ladybug’s perfect little trophy boyfriend; a pretty idiot she can put on a shelf and take down when she feels like playing with him!” 

 

“When have I ever treated you like that?!” Marinette cried. “When have I ever belittled you or insulted your intelligence?!” 

 

“Every...single...day,” Adrien snarled. “Every day you refused to talk to me about the burden you were apparently struggling with. Every day you refused to share our partners’ identities with me. Every day you knew my mother was alive and didn’t tell me; every day you knew my father was Hawkmoth-” 

 

“That was the deal I made with him!” Marinette said. “You weren’t supposed to be involved!” 

 

“Yeah, well, Gabriel Agreste isn’t a fan of soliciting his son’s opinion on things,” Adrien sniffed. “I just thought you of all people would have cared enough to stick up for me.” 

 

“Cared about you?” Marinette echoed. “Cared about you?! I...I did this for you ! I did this for us! I did this so that there would be something good to come out of this pointless war we’ve been waging since we were kids!” 

 

“And I suppose I’m supposed to be grateful that I inspire people to commit atrocities on my behalf?!” 

 

“I’m not asking you to be grateful but don’t say I don’t care about you!” Marinette cried, tears of frustration and anger rolling freely down her cheeks. “I...I love you Adrien.” 

 

It was strange to think this was only the second time she had told him what she had felt since they day she had met him. Each time it was under a pall of stress and tinged with desperation. There was nothing peaceful about the confession; no deeper trust or understanding seemed to come after she had said it. 

 

“...yeah?” Adrien muttered, wiping his eye with the back of his hand. “Maybe...but you sure as hell don’t respect me.” 

 

That’s not true! Marinette’s mind screamed but as she opened her mouth to protest, she struggled to come up with evidence to disprove Adrien’s claim. Adrien’s point of view didn’t factor into her decision...and she actively ignored her partner’s advice which might have saved everyone but Gabriel from the mess they found themselves in. Marinette struggled to fill the hollow silence with some kind of assurance; struggled against the mounting worry that Adrien might actually be right . Because as much as she loved him, she was beginning to realize that she never had the whole picture; there had been an invisible wall between them since the day they had met, preventing them from truly being their complete selves. Lies of necessity were still lies. 

 

He didn’t look up as she reached out for the gash on his lips, but as her fingers hovered over the stitches, she felt his hand close around her wrist. 

 

“That’s enough,” Adrien said quietly, gently pushing her arm away. “I don’t need my lips to fight…” 

 

“It’ll scar...” 

 

“Let it ,” Adrien said standing up with a small wince as Master He wheeled Master Fu back into the building. “How's Luka?"  

 

Master Fu and Master He shared an inscrutable look. "...he is not going to be of much help to us," Master Fu said. 

 

“I think it’s safe to say that we’re on our own from here on in…” Master He sighed, glancing at Adrien with an approving nod. “Back to healthy?” 

 

“Healthy enough,” Adrien said, cracking his neck with a wince. “Enough talking; let’s get this show on the road.” 

 

“Glad to see your usual blase attitude towards danger hasn’t dissipated,” Master He sniffed, producing the glittering gold and red key and passing it to Marinette. “I promise this one isn’t booby trapped.” 

 

“Is there a door this goes to?” Marinette asked, feeling the key buzz in the palm of her hand like a tuning fork that had just been struck. 

 

“Any door you like; they all lead to the same place once you have the key,” Master He said, nodding over to the door that separated the Sanctuary from the outside world. “Now...once you’re there, I’m afraid I don’t have much in the way of guidance for you. Each Sanctuary is so peculiar and particular to each Power that there’s only so much I can understand...you may be tested in ways you haven't been before. But the best I can tell is that you’re looking for a nexus of power; a place where your Power is consolidated in its purest state.” 

 

“Like a cold, sterile, white room,” Adrien said, gazing down at his key. 

 

"Have you...been there before?” Master Fu asked, quietly glancing Adrien up and down. 

 

“When Mayura-” Adrien stopped himself just short of saying killed me. “When he attacked me, I passed out...and I woke up in a room I had never seen before. Plagg was there...and he told me to get up and keep fighting.” 

 

“Are you certain that this wasn’t just a hallucination brought on by trauma?” Master Fu asked. 

 

“Well, considering I sprouted ghost arms and beat the ever-loving hell out of Mayura after I woke up, it must have been a pretty good hallucination,” Adrien drawled, rolling his eye. “I’m guessing Marinette is looking for something similar, but probably surrounded by bunnies and flowers and Joan of Arc personally hi-fiving her.” 

 

“You’ll know it when you see it,” Master He said. “Or...rather feel it. Like attracts like and the power inside of you should be naturally pulled towards the greatest source of your Power inside your Sanctuary.” 

 

“So basically walk until I feel a...pull?” Marinette asked. 

 

“The best thing you can do right now is trust yourselves,” Master Fu said, glancing between Marinette and Adrien. “If this has any chance of working, it will be because of you.” 

 

Marinette stole a glance at Adrien who seemed to be regarding his key thoughtfully. “Right...let’s get this over with.” 

 

Marinette found herself reaching out for Adrien as he took a step forward, fingertips grazing his sleeve as he stepped just out of reach. “Adrien…” 

 

Adrien turned around, frowning at Marinette as she fumbled for the right words to say to someone she may never see again. She tried to see past the mask of hurt and disappointment to the boy she had met so many years ago, but even the memory of better times between them seemed so far away now; lost on the other side of a vast and expansive gulf she could see no way of crossing. 

 

I’m so sorry.

 

I love you more than anything. 

 

I wish I could take the last three months back. 

 

“...good luck,” Marinette mumbled awkwardly. To her surprise, Adrien actually laughed at that; a genuine, heartfelt laugh that cheered her just a little.  

 

“When have I ever had good luck?” Adrien said, sliding his key into the lock and turning it. A gust of cold air filled the Sanctuary as a cold, dark, forbidding void shimmered behind the door. Adrien hesitated for a brief second, head tilting as though he was going to turn back around for a moment before he stepped forward without glancing over his shoulder. 

 

Before she could grapple with the horror of watching Adrien step into such a bleak, foreboding place alone, the door shut behind him, leaving Marinette with the chilling realization that she might have just watched someone she loved walk into his grave. 

 

“Marinette?” 

 

Marinette hadn’t realized she had been staring until Master He gently touched her on the shoulder, shaking her out of her stupor. 

 

“It’s time,” Master He said. The key in Marinette’s hand felt heavy as she stared at the lock in the door. As she took a wobbly step forward, the thought of running entered her mind. She could just open the door, walk through to the hospital, then…

 

The key clattered to the ground as she fumbled with the lock in front of her. Marinette placed her forehead on the door, taking slow, steadying breaths as someone bent down next to her and retrieved her key from the ground. 

 

“It’s okay,” Master He said, gently placing the key in the lock. “Take all the time you need.” 

 

“I don’t…” Marinette took a deep shuddering breath as Master Fu wheeled himself next to her. “I don’t know if I can do this…” 

 

“You never do,” Master He shrugged. “ Until you do.” 

 

“Marinette,” Master Fu said, gently taking her hand in his thin, bony hands. “I do not make bets...I do not take chances. It is my duty to be reserved and conservative and cautious. But if I must ...if I have to bet on someone...I would bet on you.” 

 

Marinette squeezed her mentor’s hand as hard as she could, hoping to wring out what little strength she could as she reached out for the doorknob. 

 

“If I don’t make it back, t-tell my mom that-” Marinette trailed off as Adrien’s cold, steely resolve seemed to reach out to her from beyond the door. “Never mind...I’ll tell her myself.” 

 

The door opened to a blinding, shining light as the overwhelming scent of plant pollen hit Marinette, nearly knocking her off her feet. Her head swam as she stepped through, she could feel her nose tingle, eyes watering as the door closed behind her. 

 

“A...A…

 

 

 

“...choo !”

 

Marinette grabbed for the counter as the force of the sneeze nearly knocked her off her feet, grabbing for a tissue and blowing her nose noisily. Her sneeze echoed throughout the empty house, startling her daughter and nearly causing her to rip a page in her book. 

 

“You okay?” Emma asked, looking up from her spot at the kitchen table with a small frown. 

 

“Allergies ,” Marinette sighed, tossing the tissue in the trash can. “Every year…” 

 

“I’ll tell dad to grab some meds on the way home from work,” Emma said, punching a text into her phone. “...maybe some tikki masala while he’s at it.” 

 

“Tell him to grab extra naan this time so you can take some for....” Marinette trailed off, staring at a picture on the fridge from their last trip to the beaches in Nice. Two dark haired young boys sat between their handsome, middle-aged parents while their teenage daughter quietly channeled her father’s latent supermodel lineage on the beach towel in front of them. Looking at the picture conjured such a clear memory of sand, seafood, and getting unceremoniously dunked in the ocean no less than three times by Adrien, but…

 

But…

 

But...

 

“You sure you’re okay, Mom?” Emma asked with a small frown. 

 

“Yeah, I just…” Marinette bit the corner of her lip, studying her reflection in the polished metal surface over the stove. “You know when you walk into a room and just...forget why you're there?" 

 

"I think there was a sci-fi monster based on that," Emma chuckled. "Why...are you supposed to be doing something right now?" 

 

"Yes..." Marinette said, shaking her head. "I just...don't know what."

Notes:

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, who's ready for some needlessly convoluted mindfuckery while Team Paris Punches God, Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeee~!

For those asking, Lila is Ms. Not Appearing In This Fic from here on out. She originally had a much bigger role but I came up with a better idea so she's lounging on a beach in Maui from here on in. I apologize for my Google Italian (if anyone has a better way to say "fuck this shit" in Italian, let me know)

Chapter 43: Bluebird

The cool, stale air of the Black Cat’s Sanctuary should have unnerved Adrien as it always did. He couldn’t tell if it was a good sign or if it was just a sign that he had finally gone completely numb from shock, but the jitters that usually accompanied his jaunts into Plagg’s Sanctuary were gone. 

 

Or maybe it’s because being Chat Noir is currently less scary than being Adrien Agreste… 

 

Tears pricked at his working eye only to be wiped away with an angry swipe of the back of his hand. No tears; not anymore. He had bigger things to worry about than his own broken heart. The Adrien that shed tears for Ladybug needed to die if he was to keep his composure going forward. 

 

Taking a deep breath, Adrien’s feet skimmed along the cold black stone beneath his feet, eyes roaming across the faces carved in the stone looking down on him. “You guys feel like giving me some help?” 

 

His voice echoed off the walls, the word help bouncing off each statue like a faint and distant cry. Usually, someone would have stabbed him by now and the fact that a disembodied spirit of an ancient Black Cat was not trying to murder him was disconcerting to say the least. 

 

As his eyes roamed from face to face, from the helmed scowl of Diomedes to the placid glare of Sarutobi Sasuke, Adrien wondered if there was something he was missing; if the Sanctuary was trying to give him a sign he just wasn’t picking up on…

 

Adrien blanched as his eyes landed on a black marble statue that had never been there before. A tall, lanky figure with messy hair stared back at him, hands crossed over the top of a baton and a strangely sad expression carved into his face. 

 

“At least one statue of me didn’t get torn down,” Adrien muttered, eye trailing down Chat Noir’s statue towards the base. In the hole in the wall between his feet, a yawning hole in the obsidian walls opened to meet him, all light vanishing in the face of a pure, perfect darkness that almost seemed to seep out like a fog. 

 

“Junji Ito, be my guide,” Adrien muttered, setting his shoulders to quell the churning in his stomach as he marched slowly and deliberately towards the black hole in the wall. The hair on his neck raised the closer he got to the hole in the wall, an electric current that felt perversely satisfying pulsing through Adrien’s body. He was equal parts enticed and repulsed by the sensation, the quiet, animal part of his brain screaming at him to run away while something else compelled him to walk into the darkness; towards the danger.

 

As he crossed the threshold and infinite nothing stretched before him, the wall sealed behind him with a dense thud, plunging him into absolute darkness.  

 

At least Marinette has it just as bad…

 

---

 

When did I get so old? 

 

Marinette ran her hand through midnight blue hair that was just beginning to show flecks of grey, fingertips running over the laugh lines at the corner of eyes clouded with age. 

 

“Moooom, Hugo won’t let me feed Dr. Flufflebutt!” 

 

“You fed Dr. Flufflebutt yesterday; it’s my turn!” 

 

“It is not !” 

 

“Is too!” 

 

“Is not !” 

 

“Is-” 

 

“Boys!” Marinette sighed, sticking her head out from her bedroom to see her twin sons fighting over a terrified looking hamster in a clear plastic ball. “Can you fight over the hamster after you pack your lunches?”

 

“It’s too late …” A grave voice said as Adrien poked his head in the doorway. “For I...have already fed Dr. Flufflebutt!” 

 

“Nooooo!” Hugo and Louis moaned, slumping over in despair as their father stood menacingly over them, cackling like a madman. 

 

“And I will feed him tomorrow if you don’t get ready for school !” Adrien said, watching his sons trip over one another to run down the stairs on the way to the kitchen. 

 

“Evil,” Marinette chuckled, adjusting Adrien’s green and black cat-themed tie. 

 

“Well, spare the hamster-food, spoil the child,” Adrien shrugged, fingers trailing up the small of Marinette’s back as he tugged the zipper on her dress closed. “Next time they’ll respect the good Doctor’s schedule.” 

 

“When did he become Dr. Flufflebutt?” Marinette sighed. 

 

“Did you not see the hamster studying for medical school?” Adrien clucked, shaking his head in disdain. “It’s like you don’t even know this family anymore.” 

 

“Oh, he’s a medical doctor now?” Marinette giggled, a familiar flutter of butterflies bubbling up in her stomach as Adrien tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. 

 

“Specializes in testicular cancer, actually,” Adrien said, watching the blue and purple hamster ball roll past his ankles. “Pursuing his lifelong love of balls-” 

 

“Hey, I know this is a tall order but can you two be gross on your own time?” Emma huffed, tugging her hair into a ponytail as she brushed past her parents in the hallway. 

 

“Excuse me, young lady, this is my house ,” Adrien said, snagging Marinette around the waist with a soft squeal as he blew a wet raspberry against her neck. “And I will be as gross as I please in it~”

 

Marinette savored her daughter’s mortified expression as Adrien dropped her back to her feet, smoothing her wrinkled skirt as his hands lingered just a little too long on her hips. 

 

“You sure you have to work tonight?” Adrien purred in her ear, fingers lacing together around the front of her waist. “You’re long overdue for your physical, M. Dupain-Cheng.” 

 

“I...think I have a gap between my production meetings today,” Marinette said, looking up at her husband with a teasing smile. “If Dr. Agreste can fit me in.” 

 

“I think I can find time to give you a-” His lips briefly kissed the back of her neck. “-thorough examination. I’ll see if I can pencil you-” 

 

“Will you two stop necking and drive us to school?!” Emma shrieked. 

 

“She knows us too well,” Marinette sighed, disentangling herself from her husband. “I’ll deal with Her Highness if you can drop the boys off?” 

 

“Long as you remember to drop her off a few blocks away,” Adrien said, stepping back and planting a firm smack on his wife’s backside as she skipped down the stairs. “She’s too cooooooool for us now!” 

 

“ So cool,” Marinette sighed, pulling her jacket from the coat hook at the bottom of the stairs, sticking her tongue out at her daughter as Emma rolled her eyes. Behind her, Louis was hurling cheese wheels at Hugo who snagged them out of the air in their black and red spotted lunch pails. “You know Emi likes her parents.” 

 

“That’s because her parents are actually cool,” Emma huffed. 

 

“We’re cool ,” Marinette said, glancing at Adrien as he walked past, snagging a chocolate milk out of the air before Louis could catch it. “Right?”

 

“Doctors and fashion moguls aren’t cool anymore, babe,” Adrien said, snagging his son’s around the waist and hauling them up onto his shoulders. “Boys, kiss your terminally uncool mother good-bye.” 

 

Marinette leaned forward, tapping both her cheeks as her twins leaned in, pressing syrupy-sticky kisses against her cheeks. 

 

“Have fun making clothes, Mama,” Hugo said softly, waving over Adrien’s shoulder as he carried them towards the door. As she watched him go, a terrible sense of unease settled in the pit of Marinette’s stomach; as though he was leaving her. As though she would never see him again.

 

“I’m…” The word sorry hung on the tip of Marinette’s tongue as she reached a hand out to stop her husband from leaving her. Adrien turned, brows creased in concern as he heard her call his name. 

 

“...never mind,” Marinette laughed, shaking her head as the feeling seemed to dissipate. “I’ll...I’ll see you tonight.” 

 

Nodding somewhat uncertainly, Adrien carried their sons like sacks of flour down the hall towards the garage. 

 

“Can we go now?” Emma huffed, shaking Marinette out of her haze. 

 

“Fine, fine,” Marinette sighed, bumping her daughter’s shoulder as they passed a toothless picture of her as a toddler beaming from a photo frame. “You know, you were a lot cuter when you were the boys’ age…”  

 

Marinette paused in the doorway, frowning as she glanced over her shoulder. 

 

“Forget something?” Emma asked, tugging her headphones on. 

 

Yes, Marinette thought, following her daughter outside. She just didn’t know what.

 

---

 

Tom Dupain was not a superhero. 

 

Despite the fact that he was an award-winning baker that could sling a twenty-five-kilo sack of flour like it was made of helium, he was ill-equipped to handle the mess Hawkmoth had made of his city. 

 

That said, he was still very equipped to drive a van; and so long as he could do that, he could do something . 

 

“This way!” Tom called kicking open the back of his delivery van and waving over a small panicked crowd of survivors scrambling over rubble as three large, menacing-looking reptiles slithered along the street, moving with unnatural speed in pursuit of the people. With a mighty series of leaps that seemed almost synchronized, they crashed down on the hapless citizens, dragging them kicking and screaming towards the twisting vines that seemed to choke the life out of the city itself. 

 

Tom scrambled backwards, back bumping against the back of the van as a large, heavy presence settled on top of the car, a shadow blotting out the sun overhead. Trembling, Tom looked up, heart jumping into his throat as his eyes fell on the warped, gangly creature above him. 

 

Hawkmoth’s battered wings spread out, his bulbous, alien head pivoting back and forth as he scanned the street in front of him. The veins on his left arm pulsed and throbbed erratically as it reached down, palming Tom’s bulky frame like he was a doll. Wriggling in Hawkmoth’s grip, Tom watched eight twitching eyes swivel to face him, regarding him curiously as though Hawkmoth were deciding what to do with him.  

 

“Hey Butterface!”

 

A flicker of movement drew Hawkmoth’s attention, head turning just in time to see the spinning green shield rocketing towards him. The shield collided with his twitching eyes before he could summon another Cataclysm, sending him staggering backwards as Tom Dupain slipped from his other claw. 

 

Tumbling through the air, Tom only had a split second to fear shattering on the pavement before a black and yellow blur swooped out of nowhere, plucking him out of the air and zipping him across the street. Before he could even realize what had happened, he felt himself tumble along a patch of grass, looking up to see Queen Bee hovering in the air a few feet above him. 

 

“I have a borderline unhealthy addiction to your lemon squares, so please try not to die to these scrubs!” Queen Bee huffed, turning away with a shooing motion. “Scoot! I’ve got a moth to swat!” 

 

“D-Don’t need to tell me twice,” Tom mumbled, scampering along the street as Queen Bee zipped back to where Carapace stood. 

 

Carapace kicked his shield up off the ground, plucking it out of the air as Hawkmoth staggered to his feet, shaking his head as his eyes swiveled to glare at the heroes across the deserted street. 

 

“Hiiiiiii Uncle Gabriel~” Queen Bee cooed, leaning on Carapace’s shoulder and waving at Hawkmoth as a small contingent of Talon Troops mustered from the side streets. “How’s it goin’? Other than...you know...looking like a jack-o-lantern hatefucked Mothra and then puked all over the sidewalk?” 

 

“ You …” Hawkmoth hissed, black hand crackling with energy that arced out, disintegrating parts of the street where it grounded. 

 

“Yeah, that’s right asshole, ” Carapace said, shouldering his shield. “Everybody knows who everybody is...and as long as we’re all being honest here, kicking your bony ass has been on my Christmas list since I was fourteen !” 

 

“Step... aside !” Hawkmoth howled, a wave of black energy washing out from his black claw as he swung it wildly at Carapace. Instinctively, Carapace threw his shield up, catching the stream of howling shadow on a translucent bubble of energy. The green barrier flickered as a tide of darkness washed over it, tiny cracks spidering out from the spot where the energy first struck. 

 

“Oh bullshit!” Carapace groaned, teeth gritting as he tried to reinforce the failing barrier with more energy to seemingly no avail. 

 

“Okay, new plan!” Queen Bee said, grabbing Carapace around the back. “ Drop it! ” 

 

“What?!” 

 

“It’s coming down; just drop it !” Queen Bee hissed, tightening her grip around Carapace’s waist. He met her eye for a split second, watching the black energy wash all around them. In the heartbeat between the drop of the barrier and the tide of energy washing over them, Queen Bee moved, dancing between the shadows that tore at the earth and tugging Carapace along with her. The patch of street where they stood was washed away, a smooth groove dug all the way down to the open sewer beneath them. 

 

“That ring is... so fucking broken!” Carapace panted, gripping his shield tighter to keep his fingers from shaking. “What the hell are we supposed to do?!” 

 

“This...does not concern you…” Hawkmoth snarled, chest wracking with spasming coughs, wings beating feebly and erratically. Warm, glowing red light wafted off the red claw as he held it over his chest, frantically trying to do something but all it seemed to do was cause a length of twisted red vines to grow and flower over his bony chest. 

 

“There is nothing about you that doesn’t concern me,” Queen Bee sniffed, unspooling her chain and twirling it around her head. “You need help with...whatever the hell you’ve got going on over there?” 

 

A low, pained whine wafted out of Hawkmoth’s mouth as the Talon Troop clustered around him, heads tilting this way and that as they regarded their begrudging teammate. Without warning, Hawkmoth lashed out, snagging one of the scaled monsters with his red claw and dangling the creature out in front of him. Hawkmoth’s claw surged with power, red crackling energy surging through the creature as it spasmed in his clutches. The creature’s sinewy, reptilian muscle shrivelled and shrunk as though being drawn through a straw until only skin stretched tight over jutting bones remained. 

 

“I need... no help from you!” Hawkmoth snarled, hurling the creature’s body at Carapace like a lawn dart. 

 

---

 

Kaiser Long winced as he felt his creation seep away into Hawkmoth, lip curling back into a disgusted snarl as he watched another gout of black flame erupt across town. 

 

“Not satisfied with what you have, are you?” Kaiser Long grumbled to himself, green energy crackling along his fingertips as he birthed another black scaly egg into existence, tossing it off the roof as it grew and hatched mid-air. “ Parasite… ”

 

A tickle at the back of his mind drew his attention away from the battle. 

 

You alright? Firebird’s voice echoed in the back of his mind. Felt a little wonky on your end there for a sec. 

 

Fine. Kaiser Long thought back. Gabriel just drained one of my soldiers. 

 

He can do that? 

 

Evidently, Kaiser Long let out a soft sigh through his nose, eyes flickering out over the city. Find what you were looking for? 

 

Just about, Firebird’s mind shot back, a warm, soothing presence washing over him as her power reached out to touch his. Stay safe. 

 

I’m on a skyscraper a mile away from the battle; I can’t get much safer, Kaiser Long thought, casually sidestepping a car that sailed over the city skyline and smashed into the rooftop where he had been a moment before. 

 

...what was that? 

 

Call you later, Kaiser Long said, fingers splaying out as he pushed his will into his Talon Troops. “Something tells me we’ve underestimated these kids…” 

 

---

 

Hawkmoth’s black claw raised, electric energy snaking out from his fingertips and evaporating the Talon Trooper that hurdled in his direction. As the dust scattered, Queen Bee’s black and yellow blur came hurtling through the mist, striking the middle of his red claw as Hawkmoth raised a hand to catch her. With a startled yelp, he tossed her over the small throng of Talon Troops, sending her sprawling in a heap next to Carapace in the middle of a black-scaled mob. 

 

“Okay...new plan,” Queen Bee huffed, chain whipping around to keep the throng of enemies from closing in on them. 

 

“What is it?” Carapace said, shoulder-checking a scaly brute as Hawkmoth waded through the parting sea of enemies towards them. 

 

“I don’t know; we just need a new plan! I came up with the last one!” Queen Bee shrieked, chain snaking around and slicing through a Talon Trooper with a wet squelch . “Hey, is it just me or are there more of these things than there used...to...be…” 

 

Queen Bee trailed off as the two halves of the bisected lizard wriggled and shifted, black goo oozing out of their open wounds and writhing on the ground. The goo shifted into hard black scales, extending into wet, dripping limbs as two fully formed monsters rose out of the remains of one. 

 

“Oh come on!” Queen Bee squealed. “Where the hell is that backup?!” 

 

---

 

Duusu’s chest rose and fell weakly, impossibly long eyelashes fluttering as they looked up at Luka. “What’s wrong...never seen a kwami before?” 

 

“Aren’t you guys like…” Luka held his finger and thumb a few inches apart. 

 

“Honey, we’re growers ; not showers ,” Duusu chuckled, trailing off into a coughing fit as they pushed themself up off the fainting couch. “When you’re as old as conscious thought, you get bored of looking the same way all the time. But for once in my life, I’m not interested in talking about myself…” 

 

“Did you bring me here?” Luka said. 

 

“Wanted to talk while I still had the capacity,” Duusu said, leaning back on the couch. 

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Luka asked.

 

“Not enough time in the world to unpack that question, sweetie...but more recently, that old fashion disaster Gabriel Agreste happened to me,” Duusu sneered, spitting Gabriel’s name like one would dislodge a loogie out of the back of their throat. “Don’t know what he did, but that wretched thing he stuck inside you is bleeding into my power...into our power, as the case may be.” 

 

“Our power?” Luka asked, a harsh ringing noise in his head echoing out. 

 

MY power! Mayura’s howled, voice manifesting like a distant rumble of thunder that rattled the shutters on the windows of the expansive building they stood on. This miserable little pretender is-

 

Gritting their teeth, Duusu drew their fingers together in a tight line, silencing Mayura before he could continue. 

 

“That should buy us some time,” Duusu said, laboriously sitting up on the edge of the couch. “But if we’re gonna keep his stupid buggy mouth shut, we’re going to need to work together, darling.” 

 

“How?” Luka asked, glancing down at his hands. “They said we were still connected but...I couldn’t call on your power-” 

 

“Because you’re still thinking of it as mine ,” Duusu sighed, pinching the bridge of their nose. “Look...I really wish I could help you out right now but it’s taking all I have to just hold myself together…” 

 

“I’m...I’m sorry,” Luka said somewhat awkwardly. “I’d ask if there’s anything I can do to help but-” 

 

“Well... funny you should mention that,” Duusu said, with a weak grin. “Because I have the craaaaaaaaziest idea…” 

 

---

 

“M. Dupain-Cheng?” 

 

Marinette blinked, rubbing her eyes behind her glasses as her secretary rocked back and forth in front of her desk. 

 

“Is something wrong?” Cynthia asked, head tilting to one side as Marinette leaned back in her chair. 

 

Yes… 

 

“Just a bit of a headache…” Marinette muttered with a forced smile. The truth was that something had been tickling at the back of her mind since she said goodbye to Adrien that morning; a quiet and indescribable sense of unease that grew in the quiet moments Marinette found herself alone. It was like listening to a song transposed into a different key; the melody was familiar but it was...wrong somehow. 

 

“Your husband can’t do anything for that?” Cynthia chuckled, placing a stack of papers on the corner of Marinette’s desk. 

 

“He’s a doctor; not a miracle worker,” Marinette chuckled, the word miracle feeling strange in her mouth as she said it. “Are these the designs from London?”

 

“Just need your stamp of approval,” Cynthia said, watching as Marinette pored over the gowns. Her eyes scanned each one with practice that had come from almost thirty-five years of professional design, nodding thoughtfully to herself as if quietly agreeing with whatever thoughts flitted through her mind. 

 

“Not what I would do...but then again, not everyone is me,” Marinette said, paging through the gowns. “I don’t want to needlessly stifle anyone’s creative-” 

 

Marinette froze as she lifted the last piece of proof, eyes falling on a daring red and black spotted dress that clung to the drawn model’s frame like a second skin. Marinette’s mouth dried up as the sea of freckles along the model’s skin seemed to glimmer at her like glowing stars.  Her eyes traced the image for a long moment, mouth drying as the figure’s eyes seemed to be staring up at her with an accusatory fire; as though it were demanding to know why Marinette was just sitting there. 

 

Marinette didn’t realize she had stood up until she noticed Cynthia was staring at her strangely. 

 

“They’re...they’re good,” Marinette said, hastily grabbing her keys from her purse. “I’ll um...I-I’m actually going to take an early lunch; maybe have Adrien take a look at me.”

 

“O...kay,” Cynthia said, watching Marinette stumble out of her office, ignoring the concerned looks she got from the Coccinelle office staff as she passed. A warm, uncomfortable sweat started rolling down the back of her neck as she walked down the expansive staircase, smiling half-heartedly at the people who stopped to greet her. 

 

The thick, heady smell of pollen wafted over her as she stepped into her Paris office’s atrium, the lush palette of flowers in garden planters seeming excessively bright in the afternoon sun that streamed through the tall glass windows. Even the fresh air as she burst through the tall glass doors, dodging out of the way of an intern with an arm full of fabric, felt wrong. 

 

It was...warm. There was no snow on the ground...why wasn’t it snowing? Why wasn’t it cold? It was supposed to be...supposed to be…

 

The answer fell from Marinette’s mind as she walked down the street, beating the familiar path towards her husband’s practice. 

 

---

 

Adrien walked in darkness. 

 

For how long and how far, he couldn’t be sure. The cold, dark hallway that pressed in around him the deeper into the Sanctuary that he went had stretched on longer than he could count. His watch no longer worked and he quickly gave up on his attempt to track time himself. The only way he knew that time had passed was the fact that he was so unbearably hungry that he was ready to eat his own arm. His mouth had gone dry a long time ago; a coppery taste on his dry lips made him wish he had smuggled some chapstick in with him to alleviate the ache. 

 

At least being half-blind didn’t matter so much in a place where he couldn’t even see with his working eyeball. And as much as his head spun from hunger, he found a way to keep plodding on, one foot in front of the other even as the air in the corridor seemed to grow staler and staler with each breath he took. 

 

“Bet Marinette’s having the time of her life…” Adrien groused, stoking the bitterness he felt towards his former girlfriend and partner just to feel something other than pain and mind-numbing boredom. “Yeah...I’m sure she and Tikki are having a tea party…” 

 

His voice didn’t even echo as he leaned against the smooth wall for support. “No...she’s fine. She’s got to be fine...she-” 

 

Adrien’s voice died in his throat, lungs seizing as the air that had grown so thin and so stale suddenly seemed to leave. He gasped, croaking as his chest struggled to squeeze breath out of the hostile atmosphere. Sliding to the ground, he felt his vision swim even in the darkness, fists feebly beating against the walls as the persistent pounding in his head grew even more and more frantic. 

 

Oh God, Adrien thought, surrounded by the sounds of his own pained choking. I’m going to die...I’m going to...to…

 

Raising a hand, Adrien feebly punched the wall in front of him, his hand wetly smacking against the stone. 

 

No…I can’t...I can’t…

 

A cold, slimy sensation ran down his throat as though his lungs were filling with brackish seawater. He gagged, wretched, fought against the sensation of being drowned in mid-air until-

 

Adrien took a deep, gasping breath as air returned to his lungs all at once, like a gag had been removed. Coughing, he slowly pushed himself up off the wall, shaking his head as he realized that the hunger and thirst that had dogged every step seemed to disappear. 

 

“...this your idea of hospitality?” Adrien croaked to no one, lying on his back in the middle of the floor. “I knew you liked me...but a cheeseburger would have been nicer...just saying…”

 

Lifting his head, he found the corridor had brightened ever so slightly, a dim, flickering green light in the distance drawing his attention. 

 

“That’s...probably something horrible, right?” Adrien said, pushing himself up onto his feet. “Let’s go see what it is.”

 

---

 

Luka blinked. “...what?” 

 

“Yeah...told you it was craaaaaaazy,” Duusu coughed as a distant rumble of thunder echoed across the treetops. “Listen...I don’t know what Gabbikins did to us, but I’m one of the main links to the power of Emotion to this world. Now...I’m not feeling all that hot right now...I don’t know if I can die but boy, would that suck. For me and...probably for the rest of your reality too. Maybe...can’t say...but it would really suck for me which is... mostly what I care about.” 

 

We’re wasting our time! Mayura’s voice thundered, a dark crack of purple lightning arcing across the sky as a tremor ran through the building. Release me! I’m the only one who can-

 

“I swear to me!” Duusu hissed, pushing themselves up and drawing a line across the sky with their fingertips. The oncoming storm blew back, the dark clouds billowing away as the distant roll of thunder subsided. “That... stupid moth just won’t go away, will he?” 

 

“No...I don’t think he will,” Luka said, leaning on the balcony as he watched the storm slowly start to roll back in. “Thing is...he’s been with me even before Mayura was a thing; before Hawkmoth akumitized me. He just...didn’t have any power until now.” 

 

“You thought by pushing him down you could get rid of him?” Duusu said, chest wracking with a dry, wheezing cough. “That’s not how it works, honey. You can’t just put on a happy face and ignore all the ugly stuff you feel...you gotta confront it before it gets the better of you.” 

 

“It’s gotten the better of me,” Luka sighed, shaking his head as he gestured out at the churning purple storm. “I never...I never wanted to hurt Adrien but I...sometimes I wished he would just go away...or fall in love with someone else...anyone but her …” 

 

Luka stared down at his hands, flexing his fingers as his head tilted to one side. “...is this really all I am? Just...someone who loves Marinette?” 

 

“Look...I get it,” Duusu said. “Trust me, I’ve been around the block a few hundred times and I think I know exactly who you are...you’re a nice guy. And that is not a compliment. You go out of your way to make sure that everybody is happy and everybody gets their needs met except you . And I know you think that makes you noble and heroic but honestly it just means you’re pouring out of an empty jug that never gets refilled. I mean, hell, you went and got akumitized trying to keep everybody happy.” 

 

“So I should have just said no ?” Luka said, shaking his head. 

 

“I think it’s high time you start taking charge of your own life,” Duusu said, tilting Luka’s head towards the darkening storm that billowed in over the forest. “Before he does.” 

 

Taking…charge? Mayura’s voice sneered, a shadowy shape slithering out of the clouds and streaking towards the balcony. Luka backed up as a missile landed at his feet, a wriggling mass of black and purple smoke slowly taking form. 

 

“You’ve... never taken charge of anything before you had me!” Mayura snarled, his humanoid form taking shape. It was strange to see his own features twisted into an ugly snarl, but standing outside himself, he could see why the other heroes didn’t like him very much. Mayura took a shaky step forward as Duusu’s hand stretched out, thin, glittering chains snaring around Mayura’s shoulders and dragging him to the ground. 

 

“Even now, you’re too weak and indecisive to do anything but mope! ” Mayura spat, straining against the bonds. “All you do...is feel sorry for yourself! But you never try and make anything better! You need me!” 

 

“Aw, you were doing so good until you said that,” Duusu said, coughing gently as a thin trickle of sweat rolled down their face. “I-I’m gonna need some help here, pumpkin!” 

 

“He can’t help you,” Mayura growled, thrashing against the chains as he slowly started to inch his way closer to Luka who seemed chained himself and unable to move. Thick, purple clouds seemed to press in all around him, making his head spin as he tried to keep his thoughts straight. “He can’t help anyone ...but me... I can fulfill Marinette’s dream... I can be the kind of person she needs! I can destroy... anyone and everyone who gets in the way of her happiness...that Bourgeois bitch ...that meddling little fox…”

 

A spike of anger rose in Luka’s chest as Duusu fell back on the couch, panting heavily and looking up at Luka with pleading eyes. 

 

“Kid... please …” Duusu panted as Mayura’s hand reached out to snare around Duusu’s neck. 

 

“Oh no...he’s mine you little creep,” Mayura giggled as Luka teetered backwards, grabbing the ledge as he fought to stay conscious. “And he is going to do everything I tell him to do...hell, he would kill his own family if I just said the word...break his sister’s pretty little neck with just a snap of my-” 

 

Mayura’s hand froze inches from Duusu’s face as a firm grip snaked around his wrist. “...what?” 

 

Duusu looked up to see Luka standing over Mayura, hand gripping his wrist as a cold, resolute look of fury darkened his gaze. “...no.” 

 

Mayura blinked, lips trembling in fury as he looked up at Luka in disbelief. “...what? What did you just say to me?!” 

 

“I am done letting you use me,” Luka snarled, dragging Mayura over to the railing and slamming his wrist against the bannister. Mayura hissed in pain as chains burst from the railing, binding the akuma’s arm to the ledge. “I am done being jerked around.” 

 

“You...you...you can’t !” Mayura spluttered, swinging his free hand and catching Luka in the side of the head. He rolled with the punch, snaring Mayura’s other arm and slamming it against the bannister as well as chains rose to hold it fast.

 

“Just like that ,” Duusu said, a proud twinkle in their eye as he watched Mayura struggle and fight against the bonds that held him in place. “This is your show sweetie...it’s about time you ran things, don’t you think?” 

 

“Don’t listen to him!” Mayura said, a pleading edge creeping into his voice. “Luka...we’re strong together...we’re useful together...Marinette likes us-” 

 

“Oh will you shut up about Marinette!” Luka roared, voice echoing across the trees as the darkening clouds slowly started to dissipate, a clear morning sun streaming down on the balcony. “Holy shit, I didn’t know it was possible for you to make me hate someone I actually care about! I am so fucking sick of you acting like she’s the only person in the world worth caring about!” 

 

Mayura actually reeled back as though he had been struck, blinking up at Luka in disbelief as though he had uttered some terrible blasphemy his mind had trouble processing. 

 

“To be completely honest, I’m just a teeny bit pissed off at her right now,” Luka said, heart thumping almost painfully in his chest as he paced back and forth across the balcony. “I mean shit, my family almost died because she decided to work with Hawkmoth and not tell me! I’m stuck listening to you for the rest of my life, thanks to her!” 

 

“She...Marinette didn’t...she had no idea that…” Mayura mumbled, trying to regain some of his composure. “It wasn't her fault. You shouldn’t...you shouldn’t be angry at her-” 

 

“Well I am !” Luka laughed, running his hand through his hair. “I am... so angry at her...and so disappointed at her...but you’re right about one thing.”

 

Duusu looked on as Luka loomed over Mayura’s kneeling frame, fists clenched at his sides as he glared down at the trembling akuma at his feet. “ You weren’t her fault...you’re mine . You might be Hawkmoth’s creation...but you’re my akuma. You’re me... and I think...I think I’m gonna try and get a handle on myself.” 

 

---

 

“I think I’m starting to get the hang of this!” 

 

Rena Rouge gave a halfhearted thumbs up as she kickflipped over a reptilian monster’s head, watching Monarch’s sword neatly flashed from its scabbard, slicing the creature from shoulder to hip. The Talon Troop howled in pain, clutching at its wound in pain as the heroes ran on, down the familiar streets towards Marinette’s house. 

 

“Any sign of her?” Rena Rouge called back to Monarch whose eyes scanned the streets with the flickering butterfly-shaped overlay hovering over her face. 

 

“I’m...having some difficulty sorting out who is who,” Monarch said, wincing as the combined fear and panic of Paris’ populace washed over her. It was like the city was awash in a symphony of discordant music, and Monarch had to listen very hard to pick out the different instruments. 

 

Skidding to a stop, Monarch’s head snapped to one side as her eyes widened in sudden realization. “This way!” 

 

“Is it her ?” Rena Rouge asked, scampering after Monarch as she turned down an alleyway. 

 

“No...but I think we just found our backup ,” Monarch cried, rounding the corner to see a small contingent of Talon Troopers gathered around an entrance to a sidestreet. Through the writhing mass of black scales, Rena Rouge could see a familiar streak of purple hair as a broken flag-pole with a tattered tricolore billowing in the breeze. 

 

“ Come on!” Juleka howled, standing between her mother and a mass of sneering monsters, fear and anger blended together into a cocktail of adrenaline. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one lower itself, ready to lunge and sink its cruel teeth into her neck-

 

Suddenly, the air shimmered behind them, and a low snarl filled the street. Turning around, the Talon Troop came face to face with a tall, luminescent kitsune that towered high over their impressive heights. Glowing purple flames flickered in its eyes as nine tails whipped and lashed back and forth, an indescribable heat coming from the creature. Its jaws opened as a blood-curdling howl sent a cold spike of fear straight through Juleka’s heart. The monsters bared their teeth, hissing in anger, confusion, and fear as they slowly slunk backwards, their reptilian brains recoiling from an apex predator that seemed to have its sights set on devouring them. 

 

The fox lunged with a snap, and the creatures scurried backwards, slinking down through a nearby sewer grate and out of sight, leaving Juleka and her mother staring up at the fox in fear. 

 

The air shimmered again and Rena Rouge stepped forward, brushing her shoulder off with a smug little smirk. “Can’t believe they bought that.” 

 

“It was rather impressive,” Monarch said, jogging up to Juleka. “Are you alright?” 

 

“I think we are now,” Anaraka said, slowly pushing herself up off the ground with a wince. “For now…”

 

“We’ve been trying to reach a shelter all day,” Juleka panted, wiping the sweat off her brow. “Took a wrong turn...and the Jurassic Park fan-club ambushed us.” 

 

“Do you know where they’re taking people?” Rena Rouge asked. “We’re looking for someone, but if Hawkmoth has already grabbed them-” 

 

“All I know is that those plants seem to be sucking people up,” Juleka said with a small shudder as she inched away from a thick, pulsating vine that draped over the side of one building. “To where, I don’t know...but that bigass tree probably has something to do with it, right?” 

 

“That would be my guess,” Monarch said, glancing at Rena Rouge. “What do we do with them?” 

 

“Don’t suppose you got another akuma for me to use?” Juleka chuckled, catching her mother’s look of concern. “Oh...yeah, Monarch is the new Hawkmoth, but like...awesome.” 

 

“I think I only have two shots at this,” Monarch said, fidgeting with her Miraculous. “And as capable as you were, I don’t want to forego a chance at recruiting someone with a more useful skillset...not that playing electric guitar isn’t useful.” 

 

“Honey...maybe we should just head to the shelter,” Anaraka said, touching her daughter’s arm gently. 

 

“No...I’m sick of just sitting around and letting these creeps take over my city!” Juleka huffed, turning to Rena Rouge. “Come on...help me get my mother to the shelter and then...I don’t know...there has to be something I can do!” 

 

Sharing a glance with Monarch, Rena Rouge took a beaded bracelet off her wrist. “Well...now that you mention it-” 

 

A low hiss drew Monarch’s attention back to the mouth of the alleyway where a shifting, snarling wall of black scales seemed to be gathering. 

 

“Looks like our friends are back,” Monarch said, stepping forward and drawing her sword. 

 

“Don’t think they’re gonna Naruto cosplay this time,” Rena Rouge said, stepping in front of Juleka with her staff extended. “Let’s head out.” 

 

Monarch’s eyes narrowed behind her mask. “...we’ll be too slow with the four of us,” she said grimly. “Take Juleka’s mother to safety first; send word when it is done and I will go and meet you.” 

 

Rena Rouge eyed the encroaching mass of monsters warily. “You sure you can-” 

 

“Do not be concerned about me,” Monarch said, teeth flashing as she aimed the tip of her sword at the nearest creature. “I have no intention of dying here!” 

 

Monarch lunged with the skill of a practiced fencer amplified by superhuman strength, skewering the beast between its eyes and withdrawing before its companions could surround her. 

 

Not yet... Monarch thought to herself. She skated under a swipe of a claw, slicing the hamstrings of a Talon Trooper as she spun away, keeping her back to the alley in case she needed to make a quick getaway. A cursory glance over her shoulder and she saw the hem of Rena Rouge’s tail round the corner, Juleka and her mother nowhere to be seen. 

 

Whipping around, she saw the thick, black tail a split second before it slammed into her chest, sending her tumbling across the courtyard and bouncing off the wall with a grunt.

 

Not yet, Monarch thought, pushing herself up with her scabbard as she angled the tip of her blade towards the encroaching monsters. I’m not...dying... yet! 

 

Through the haze of adrenaline and fear, she failed to notice the small, floating blue feather tumble out of the sky, catching itself on the tip of her blade as she swung it forward. A surge of blue energy wafted out of the tip of her blade, coalescing and taking the form of a hulking, one-eyed monstrosity that brought an immense spiked club down with a crunching smash that flattened both the concrete and three Talon Troopers in front of her. 

 

Monarch and the monsters blinked in confusion as the glimmering blue oni stood between Monarch and the monsters, shouldering its club and baring its fangs at the creatures that clustered around, hissing in fear and confusion. 

 

“Whoa...this party’s getting crazy, huh?” 

 

Monarch looked up to see the back of a flowing blue cape patterned like a peacock’s feathers billow in the wind as a figure fluttered down from the rooftops, landing in front of her in a low-crouch. A form-fitting blue and purple body-suit hugged his frame, disappearing into dark blue boots. His gloved hands were wrapped around the hilt of an enormous fan the size of a claymore and emblazoned with the same sparkling blue and purple pattern as his cape. It shimmered and sparkled in a dizzying and dazzling display of light that seemed to disorient the small contingent of Talon Troops that surrounded them. 

 

“Mayura?” Monarch asked as the figure turned to reveal a pair of familiar-looking blue eyes framed by a dark blue domino mask. His eyes were familiar, but shone with a kind of brilliance Monarch had never seen before.

“Mayura’s not really my style anymore…” The hero said with a pearly white grin. “Name’s Bluebird...nice to meet you.” 

 

Notes:

DEVIL TRIGGER

GOES

WITH

EVERYTHING

Gotta focus; shifting into Lukagami mode. Now Luka is no longer D E A D W E I G H T and is fully M O T I V A T E D, the tides will shift, but will Team Miraculous get to Nathalie before the evil Furaffinity forces do????

Why am I asking you?

Please go visit siderealscribblings.tumblr.com to see wanlingnic's beautiful art of Team Empathy in action!

Chapter 44: Curiosity Killed the Cat...

Summary:

This chapter...I guess...technically contains Major Character Death but like...you'll see

Notes:

Big thanks to Ghostrally for betaing this!

“This way, hurry!” Sabine called, tugging Nathalie along the streets and down an alley that led towards the library. The sounds of distant fighting rocked the ground beneath them, sending tremors rippling through the sidewalks as they raced down an alleyway. 

 

“I can’t...I can’t…” Nathalie huffed, terror and a poor exercise history catching up with her as she clutched at the railing, breathing hard as she watched the world fall down around her ears. 

 

“No, no, no time for that now!” Sabine said gently, tugging on the crook of Nathalie’s elbow. “Mme. Sancoer...Mme. Sancoer, we have to go…” 

 

Nathalie shook her head bitterly. “Go...leave me...please…” 

 

“I’m not the kind of person to abandon my paying customers to alien lizards,” Sabine chuckled, bending down to try and catch Nathalie’s frantic, teary gaze. “Nathalie...please, we need to-” 

 

“This is...this is all my fault…” Nathalie muttered, shaking her head again. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me...if I hadn’t-” 

 

A low snarl drew Sabine’s attention and she whipped around to see a small trio of Talon Troopers blocking their only exit. Long, cruel-looking claws raked the ground with each step, green eyes burning as they seemed to make a beeline for Nathalie’s trembling form. 

 

Sabine couldn’t tell what it was that made her step in front of Nathalie, but as soon as she did the creature froze, eyes narrowing into slits as they all focused on her curiously. Sabine froze in fear as one of them leaned forward, tongue flicking out and tasting the air a scant inch from Sabine’s face. The leader turned and chirped to its fellows who seemed to snarl in disappointment, head arching around the side of Sabine to try and get at Nathalie’s shivering form. 

 

“Leave us alone !” Sabine spat, trying to look as intimidating as humanly possible when looking up at monsters that dwarfed her diminutive frame. To her surprise, the creatures recoiled, shaking their heads as they slithered back down the alleyway and on to the main street. 

 

Nathalie looked up at Sabine in awe and confusion. “Wh...what was that?” 

 

Sabine looked down at her hands in confusion. “I don’t...I don’t know.” 

 

“Maybe you just got one of those faces that people can’t help but listen to?” Sabine looked up to see a woman clad in a blazing orange outfit perched on the edge of the roof above them. Kicking off the balcony, she landed with a soft thud in front of Sabine, offering the terrified women a winning smile. 

 

“But something tells me you’re not gonna be able to scare them all off,” Firebird said, shooting a wink at Sabine. “Why don’t you let me handle them until we get you somewhere safe, hm?” 

“Are you a friend of Ladybug’s?” Sabine asked. 

 

Firebird grinned. “Nah...just a big fan.” 

 

---

 

As much pain as Adrien was in, he should have been in agony. 

 

As much as his feet ached and his legs felt like jelly, something seemed to keep the debilitating fog of fatigue from overwhelming him as he walked through the corridor for what seemed like ages. He had long since stopped trying to determine how long he had been in there, content to follow the flickering green light that seemed to draw him in the closer he got to it. 

 

Each raise of his leg took more and more concentrated effort; each foot travelled forward a deliberate war waged against a mounting desire to just quit. To give up; to lie down and just fade away so that at least he wouldn’t be in pain anymore. 

 

“Come on…” Adrien muttered, leaning on the wall for support as he shuffled down the corridor. “One more step...one more step…” 

 

There were no monsters to fight; no flaming death traps to overcome. The only obstacle he had to summit was himself; his own weakness, his own pain, his own animal desire for safety and comfort that urged him to slow down, to stop, to turn back to where things weren’t so scary and painful anymore. 

 

“Just one more…” Adrien mumbled, dragging his aching legs down the hall as the light in the distance grew brighter and brighter. “One more...just--” 

 

---

 

“-one more!” 

 

Queen Bee’s heel connected with a Talon Trooper’s jaw, sending it skittering back into a pile of dazed reptilian monsters. 

 

“Doesn’t count if it’s one you cut in half!” Carapace said, kicking an advancing monster in the chest as he waded through the small crowd towards Hawkmoth. “Twenty two!” 

 

“Bull shit !” Queen Bee huffed, flittering above the crowd. “You get to use your weapon!” 

 

“ Cry about it!” Carapace grunted shield cracking against the skull of the monster in front of him as a harsh snap of electricity split the air. Snaking black power rippled along the ground, splitting the sidewalk and turning whatever unlucky creature in its path into a cloud of fine black powder that mingled with the asphalt. 

 

“You know I will !” Queen Bee hissed, lassoing another Talon Troop around the neck and hurling it as hard as she could across the street. “Tied!” 

 

“For now ,” Carapace grunted, shield thrumming with glowing green power. His shield had held for a few moments against the ring’s power; he might not be able to block the attack head on, but-

 

“You should be helping me!” Hawkmoth snarled, eyes glittering as another wave of inky destructive energy surged from his claw. Carapace let his shield drop a little from his shoulders, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for the wave to hit. At the last second, he lashed out with his shield, connecting with the wave of destructive power. The green barrier hissed and spat like ice on a griddle, but it held long enough for Carapace to parry the attack, sending it spinning harmlessly off overhead and into the sky. 

 

Carapace’s fingers trembled as Hawkmoth’s eyes swiveled to glare at him, tightening on is shield’s handle. “Help you...help you ?! You tried to kill me not twelve hours ago, you arrogant son of a bitch!” 

 

“Always whining about something, aren’t we M. Lahiffe?!” Hawkmoth spat, chest throbbing with a strange wheezing spasm. “Always criticizing as though you know what it means to be a father!” 

 

Carapace winced as the black claw raised only to halt as a glittering silver lasso wound its way around his wrist. 

 

“The shit you know about being a father doesn’t fit on the back of a postage stamp!” Queen Bee hissed, pulling as hard as she could only to get plucked out of the air by a deft jerk of Hawkmoth’s wrist. With a yelp, Queen Bee tumbled forward, righting herself as Carapace’s arms opened wide and caught her before she could hit the hard stone streets. 

 

“I will not be lectured by a couple of impudent children with power far beyond their capacity for understanding!” Hawkmoth roared, voice amplified by a chorus of chattering reptilian hisses from all around them. 

 

Come on, Alya, Carapace thought, backing up against Queen Bee as their enemies closed around them. “Alright...think you can take the lead back?” 

 

“Just hope you’re ready to cough up when I beat your score!” Queen Bee cackled, diving back into the fray. 

 

---

 

Rose Lavillant was a lot of things; romantic, budding florist, gayer than thirty kittens at a Pride parade. 

 

Clank!

 

She just never thought that ‘amateur frying pan samurai’ would be added to her list of interests & accomplishments. 

 

“Run!” Rose cried to the kids behind her as she slammed the improvised weapon into the monster’s head, splintering a horn and sending it tumbling backwards a step. As menacing as these things appeared, they were physical creatures of flesh and blood. Hawkmoth’s bizarre akuma had prepared Parisians to handle a thousand strange and uncanny threats; compared to that, a big gecko wasn’t quite as scary. 

 

Of course, that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous. 

 

The Talon Trooper’s jaw unhinged, crunching on the frying pan Rose swung at his head and snapping the cast iron in two with a flash of sharp, shining teeth. Scrambling backwards, she tried to get away but felt a thick, scaly claw snare around her leg. Lashing out, she kicked at the monster, fighting as it dragged her down the street, towards a thick, wriggling plant mass that seemed to open as she drew closer and closer-

 

A hiss and a snap drew Rose’s attention just as an inky orange and black shape raced across the street, ricocheting off a nearby building and lunging at the monster that held her. The arm that held her leg came loose as a bright flash of light severed the monster’s limb at the shoulder, dropping it to the street as it howled in anger. It didn’t have time to respond as the figure pounced again, feet planting against the monster’s chest as she sent it across the street. 

 

Looking up, she saw a slender girl in a slim, black and orange striped bodysuit that left her upper arms bare. A domino mask framed slitted yellow eyes and her flowing orange tinged hair billowed behind her, wild and feral as she glared menacingly at the monster as it wriggled out of a pile of rubble. 

 

“Back... off !” The girl snarled, shooting forward like she had been fired from a crossbow as her hand went for the object on her belt. A baton extended with a flick of her wrist, a wicked, three-headed trident springing forth and glinting in the light. The tip of the weapon found its mark, splitting the creature in two as it dissolved into a slick puddle of black goo. 

 

The girl scampered over, leaning down to check on Rose as Rena Rouge landed on a car next to her. 

 

“Are you hurt?” The stranger said, fear creeping into her voice as she frantically looked Rose over for injuries. 

 

“I-I’m fine,” Rose said, cheeks flushing as the hero picked her up, sweeping her off her feet and down an alleyway towards a door where a small pack of survivors were waving them over. 

 

“Over here!” A woman in a heavy orange and black EMT coat called. 

 

“Can you get to the shelter from here?” Rena Rouge asked, eyes sweeping the crowd for Nathalie and landing on Etta’s terrified face. Why one of her sisters was all alone and where the rest of her family was were questions Rena Rouge could not afford to ask herself if she didn’t want to go absolutely mad with worry. 

 

Sooner we get this taken care of, the sooner everybody comes home safe. 

 

“Probably...gotta get past them first,” one of the survivors said, gesturing to the small pack of lizards wriggling around the street outside the shelter. They banged on the reinforced iron doors, claws raking on the metal as they tried to get into the shelter itself 

 

“Okay...everybody hold here for now; wait for us to deal with these guys and then follow us over,” Rena Rouge said, glancing at her new partner still clutching Rose close to her chest. “You up for this?” 

 

“Guess we’re gonna find out,” the new heroine said, letting Rose down almost reluctantly as she extended her weapon. “You good from here?” 

 

“I think so,” Rose said, eyes lingering on the stranger’s exposed arms. “I...didn’t get your name.” 

 

She cracked a somewhat shaky smile. “Me neither,” she shrugged, backing away from Rose as Rena Rouge darted up onto the rooftops. “Kinda new to this!” 

 

Rose watched as her savior pounced up onto the rooftop, following Rena Rouge as she leapt into battle. 

 

“You alright?” The EMT asked Rose as she stared somewhat dazedly after the pair. 

 

“Yeah I just…” Rose shook her head. “I just think I finally understand the appeal of Chat Noir.” 

 

---

“You’re picking up quick, Tigress!” Rena Rouge said, bounding over an overturned car Tigress spared a glance over her shoulder.

 

“Can we not get married to Tigress?” Tiger Girl sighed. “If I knew I was becoming a superhero today, I would have spent a lot more time working on my brand!” 

 

“Nobody gets advance warning, unfortunately,” Rena Rouge said, watching as Tigress glanced over her shoulder.  “Hey, Rose’ll be fine; let’s just focus on ending this and we can all catch up later.” 

 

“Aye aye, boss,” Tigress said, scrambling over a chunk of upturned concrete as she fell into step behind Rena Rouge. “You really think Adrien’s nanny can help take Hawkmoth down?” 

 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about Hawkmoth,” Rena Rouge said as they maneuvered into position to ambush the small group of enemies trying to pull the doors off the shelter. . 

 

“Other than the fact that one of my friends apparently helped him take over the city and brainwash my brother?” Tigress said.

 

Okay; definitely gonna have to have a talk with Chloe about keeping secrets, Rena Rouge thought, skidding to a halt as the storefront in front of her erupted in a shower of stone and glass. The crowd of monsters turned as a vicious slam rocked the courtyard. A lumbering, glowing blue troll brought a thick metal club down hard on an unlucky Talon Trooper, splattering it into a formless pile of black goo that seemed to evaporate a moment after it was destroyed. Gripping on to the monster’s horn, was-

 

“Monarch!” Rena Rouge called, pouncing up onto the monster’s shoulders next to Monarch as the troll swung its club hard at another pack of scrambling, terrified monsters. “Who’s the big guy?” 

 

“Gift from a friend,” Monarch said, eyes flickering upwards as a blue blur drew Rena Rouge’s attention. “We’ve got more than we thought we did.” 

 

A blue-black blur flitted around the cold blue morning sky, twinkling light catching on its form as it floated down from on high. Bluebird pulled out of a low swoop, collapsing his fan back into it’s folded form and landing with a heavy crack on the head of the last Talon Trooper. 

 

“Hang on, is that-” Rena Rouge held her flute up warily as Bluebird turned around, hands raised defensively. 

 

“Wait!” Monarch said, lowering Rena Rouge’s arm. “He’s with us.” 

 

“You sure?” Rena Rouge asked. 

 

“Pretty sure,” Bluebird said with a small shrug. “There was a whole...trippy dream sequence and long story short, me and Duusu managed to put May-uvula on ice.” 

 

Rena Rouge spared a glance at Tigress, her eyes narrowed into slits as she slowly approached Bluebird. They locked eyes, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, she saw a genuine smile crack her brother’s face.

 

“So...what do they call you?” Tigress asked. 

 

“Bluebird,” Bluebird said. 

 

“Original.” 

 

“We live in a city where our ladybug themed superhero calls herself Ladybug ,” Bluebird said. “The bar is so low, fleas trip on it.” 

 

Tigress let out a relieved laugh. “Yeah...it’s him.” 

 

Rena Rouge glanced at Monarch who just nodded as if to say “ look, I know he was weird and crazy but we don’t have that many friends these days and also he can make magical monsters so let’s just roll with it.’

 

Monarch’s nods said more than most people’s conversations. 

 

“Okay, welcome to the party, Tweety,” Rena Rouge said with a cautious nod. “But if Mayura gets loose-” 

 

“He won’t ,” Bluebird said firmly. “Mayura’s done enough...it’s my turn now.” 

 

---

 

As the cold, black hallway opened up into a barren, chilly landscape, Adrien’s legs finally gave out. 

 

He tumbled forward, facefirst into a soft dune of grey, ashy sand, sliding down the hill until his body slammed into the side of a hard, metal frame jutting out of the ground. Groaning in pain, he rolled over, leaning on the blackened, twisted steel as he struggled to pull himself up into a sitting position. Slipping, he fell on his back with a groan, looking up into the cold, black abyss that seemed to stretch out above him; a blank, starless infinity that told him that he was alone in the universe. 

 

“You don’t walk much, do you?” 

 

Make that almost alone. 

 

Stretching his neck backwards, a familiar black helmed figure glowered down on him, leaning on the haft of a silvery spear as cold green eyes leered at him from behind a lion shaped helm. 

 

“Hey there, Hercules,” Adrien grumbled as Diomedes let out a bitter snort of anger. “Come to kill me again?” 

 

“I might if you decide not to pull your worthless tail off the floor,” Diomedes grumbled, jabbing Adrien in the side with the blunt end of his spear. “What happened to your eye?” 

 

“Boiled out of my skull as I punched the guy who tried to kill me half to death,” Adrien said. 

 

“Well, the little kitten found his claws after all,” Diomedes chuckled approvingly, squatting down as he regarded Adrien’s battered face. “Yes...this look suits you much better.” 

 

“Yeah, I can really rock the whole eyepatch look now,” Adrien chucked, struggling to push himself up as the ground shifted beneath him. The small rustle of motion seemed to upend the loose hill of sand he sat on, causing a small avalanche of soot and dirt to roll down the hill. Even the metal beam that stuck out of the ground seemed to shift, groaning as it slipped another inch or so into the soft ground beneath him. 

 

“The gods gave you two eyes so you could afford to lose one,” Diomedes said, lightly kicking him in the side. “Enough bellyaching; you’re expected further in.” 

 

“Further in...where?” Adrien said, rolling over towards the source of the blistering green light. A vast, circular valley of black rock and sand stretched out beyond the horizon, dotted with the wreckage of countless buildings. Far in the center of the valley, a blistering, swirling green ball of fire burned brighter than any star Adrien had ever seen. Beneath the ball of flame was a pit through which huge portions of the endless wasteland fell through, tumbling down into oblivion as the green sun spun overhead. 

 

“Guess that answers my question…” Adrien said, slowly dragging himself to his feet. “You wanna take a cab or-” 

 

Adrien turned to see Diomedes gone, a barren patch of dust where the Greek warrior once stood. 

 

“...it’s a sad state of affairs when I miss the company of crazy killer ghosts,” Adrien muttered. He felt himself shift forward, legs wobbling as he felt the sphere of fire pull him closer to the edge of the caldera. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he marched forward, gingerly sliding down the piles of ash and sand as he made his way into the valley. 

 

---

 

The bell over the door rang as Marinette brushed into the waiting room of her husband’s practice, drawing the attention of the receptionist behind the desk. 

“Oh, M. Dupain-Cheng,” Elise said, shooting her a glowing smile as Marinette entered the sparsely populated waiting room. “Dr. Agreste said you might be swinging by today.” 

 

“Hope he can squeeze me in,” Marinette said, wincing as the throbbing pain in her head only seemed to amplify. 

 

“Well, he’s just wrapping up with his favorite patient,” Elise said as the door opened behind her. 

 

“Promise you’re going to stay off your feet for the rest of the day,” Adrien said, guiding a thin, frail looking man out of the office as he leaned heavily on a cane. 

 

“Thank you,” Gabriel Agreste said with a small wave of his hand as Adrien tried to help him out. “But I think I’m quite capable of-” 

 

“I’m serious ,” Adrien said sternly. “If I call your office and find you taking meetings, I’m going to tell Mom on you.” 

 

“Alright,” Gabriel said, holding his hand up in surrender. “Fine; I’ll just...go home...and do nothing...like every other doddering old fool in Paris.” 

 

Gabriel’s eyes fell on Marinette and her stomach lurched, heart picking up in pace as she stared at her father in law. She opened her mouth to greet him but a wave of dread and...anger(?) rippled through her like a wave. 

 

“Hey, sweetie,” Adrien said, leaning in and giving his wife a kiss on the cheek to the distress of several children in the waiting room. “What brings you out here?” 

 

“I was just um…” Marinette glanced between Adrien and his father for a long moment as she tried to remember why it was she wanted to see him. “I wanted to see if you were free for lunch.” 

 

“If you have a date, I’ll leave you to it,” Gabriel said, a careworn smile tugging at his lips as he tipped his hat to the pair of them. 

 

“You sure?” Adrien said. “We could always get something to eat or-” 

 

“I don’t think your wife came here to spend time with her father-in-law, Gabriel said, eyes glinting. “I can tell when I need to make myself scarce.” 

 

Gabriel turned to go. “Wait.” 

 

Gabriel turned around as Marinette took a step forward, scowling as she tried to remember something that she desperately needed to ask him. 

 

“Do you…” Marinette’s fingertips rose to her earlobes. “Did I leave some...earrings at your house?” 

 

“Not that I remember,” Gabriel said, glancing at the silver studs in her ears. “What did they look like?” 

 

Round and….and... and…

 

“Y-You know what, they’re probably behind the couch or something,” Marinette said with a sheepish chuckle, shaking her head as a jolt of pain dug itself deeper into her brain. 

 

“Are you o-” Adrien trailed off as Marinette tugged her husband through the double doors leading to his office. Fear and uncertainty had mutated while Marinette tried to suppress them, transforming into-

 

The moment they were through the doors to Adrien’s office Marinette grabbed the back of her husband’s head, pulling him in for a deep kiss as she locked the door behind them. 

 

---

 

“Do you know where we’re going?” 

 

Firebird shrugged, peeking around the corner as Nathalie and Sabine crouched in the alleyway behind her. “City’s full of akuma shelters; bound to stumble on one sooner or later.” 

 

“Optimistic,” Nathalie muttered. 

 

“A little cheer goes a long way in times like these,” Firebird said, watching a small contingent of Talon Troopers waddle by, noses sniffing around for any signs of life. The low thrum of helicopter blades drew her attention upwards where a trio of thundering transport helicopters painted orange and black descended on the city. The Talon Troopers hissed as the noise grew louder, scampering away as the transports landed in a ruined square in front of them. The doors opened and six people in orange and black body armor poured out, riot shields emblazoned with a burning white dove. 

 

“Is that…” Sabine said, hope fluttering in her chest. “That’s...that’s an ARK team.” 

 

“I thought that was a humanitarian organization?” Nathalie murmured. 

 

“What is this if not a humanitarian situation?” Firebird said, offering a brief salute. “Looks like you gals got it from here; stay out of trouble now.” 

 

“We will do our best,” Sabine said softly, watching the stranger turn and saunter back down the way she came. 

 

“Wait!” Firebird turned as Nathalie called out to her, scanning the woman’s burning orange eyes. “Who...who are you-” 

 

“Ma’am!” Sabine turned as one of the rescue personnel jogged up. “Are you hurt?” 

 

“No, just a little rattled,” Sabine said, turning to gesture to Firebird. “My friend-” 

 

An empty alleyway was all that greeted her, with no sign of the mysterious heroine. 

 

“We should get you off the streets,” the rescue worker said, gently taking Sabine by the arm. “No telling how bad this city is going to get.” 

 

“How did you get here so quickly?” Nathalie asked as the pair of them were herded into the backseat of the helicopter. 

 

“The Director scrambled the troops as soon as she heard that the city was under siege,” the worker said, patting the sides of the helicopter. “Guess she got the Ambassador to sign off on it at some schmoozy party they went to; really bulldoged him into submission until he gave her the go-ahead to send aid.” 

 

That sounds like Brigitte, Sabine thought, glancing out over the city as the helicopter jerked to one side. An inky black jet of energy erupted across town, crashing against the walls of a geodesic dome. 

 

“Hope you brought more than three helicopters,” Sabine muttered darkly. 

 

---

 

“Okay...what’s gotten into you?” 

 

Marinette finished buttoning her blouse as Adrien tugged his slacks back on, leaning in as he kissed the nape of her neck. 

 

“Just...a little stressed lately,” Marinette said, threading her fingers through her husband’s hair as she just savored the sensation of sitting half-dressed in the warm spring sunlight, savoring the warmth of her husband’s lips against her skin as though she would never feel his touch again. 

 

You’re going to lose him…

 

“Well give me a call next time and I’ll snag some protection from the medicine cabinet,” Adrien said, tracing his wife’s bare thigh with the tips of his fingers. “Unless this is your not so subtle way of saying you want to give Brigitte Jr. another shot.” 

 

“My cousin would be thrilled,” Marinette said, leaning against Adrien’s chest as they looked out the window onto the river. “Well...I suppose we could always try and see what happens.” 

 

“I like trying,” Adrien purred, teeth nipping at her ear as he tossed her skirt to her. “It’s always more fun when we try .” 

 

“Maybe my parents can teach the kids to bake this weekend and we can get started a little early,” Marinette said, tugging her skirt up with a zip. “Maybe we can get away...just the two of us?” 

 

“I thought you couldn’t get away from the office,” Adrien said. 

 

“I’ll just leave a dummy at my desk when they’re not looking,” Marinette said, kissing her husband briefly on the lips. “Seriously...let’s talk after the kids go to bed to bed; might be nice to give the whole parenting thing one last-” 

 

Marinette blinked, headache coming back as a ringing echoed in her head. For a moment, she felt foggy; as though she didn’t quite know how she had arrived at Adrien’s office. The sensation passed after a moment and Marinette was left with only a headache to answer the questions forming in her mind. 

 

“I’ll get you some naproxen on the way out,” Adrien said, rummaging around his non-perscription medicine cabinet under a framed picture of their last family vacation. Four children with seemingly random missing teeth beamed at the camera, as Marinette looked happier than she had ever been in her life. 

 

---

 

The path into the valley took Adrien down a steep, wining hill littered with rubble and covered in a puff of ash that rose in little dust clouds with each step he took. There were no roads to speak of; no signs to mark his way through the winding ruins. But there was no doubt where he was going. Even if the heat of the blistering green sun wasn’t enough of a hint, there was something inside him that compelled him towards the valley, pulling him on as though a hook buried itself in his soul and an unknown line was pulling him out of familiar water. 

 

“There’s gotta be a ruined hamburger joint around here,” Adrien chuckled to himself, eyes scanning the horizon for anything that looked even remotely hospitable. “Maybe I can get a pizza delivered.” 

 

Even his weary chuckles failed to echo, dying as oppressive silence wrapped itself around him. He was the only living thing for miles; perhaps the only thing permitted to live in such an alien and inhospitable place-

 

His foot caught in a hard metal grate and he tumbled forward into the ash in front of him. Cursing under his breath, he tried to wriggle free, reaching down to unstick his boot when a firm grip closed around his ankle, sharp nails biting into his skin an tugging him back towards the grate, 

 

What the hell?! Adrien kicked at the black, hairy claw that fastened around his ankle. Through the bars he could feel hot, sticky breath lap at his skin, looking down to see oddly shaped eyes leering at him from the darkness as hunched, huddled shapes came out of the darkness. With a pained and terrified growl, Adrien kicked against the claw, scrambling along the ground as through the ash, another claw, this one bulbous and misshapen plunged through another grate not too far from where the first one was. Dozens of twisted, angry appendages clawed at the sky above him, grasping for something they could use to pull themselves out of the pits they found themselves locked in. 

 

“Pay no mind to them.” Adrien flinched at the sound of another voice drew his attention away from the grasping limbs. Sarutobi Sasuke perched on a broken pillar that jutted out of the ash, black eyes watching the flailing claws with amusement. 

 

“Oh thanks; I’ll be sure to ignore the next one that grabs me,” Adrien spat, tenderly touching the claw-marks on his leg. “I’m guessing those are more Sanctuary Fun-Time Buddies for me to play with?” 

 

“They’re not ours,” Sasuke muttered, watching the ash heaps slough and slide around until the grasping claws were once again buried under a thin pile of rubble. “We keep them here where they can do no harm to humanity...or themselves.” 

 

“What are they?” Adrien asked, nervously glancing around for any more grasping limbs

 

“Mistakes,” Sasuke said, unfolding himself and landing beside Adrien with a small thump and puff of ash. “Things created long ago; some that once had a purpose that is now lost, some that were created simply for the sake of it... all would devolve into acts of butchery if freed from this place.” 

 

“Are they alive,” Adrien shrugged, making a stabbing motion with his hands. “Can’t you just-” 

 

“We could,” Sasuke said, eyes drifting up to the starless void that pressed in on them from above. “But...I think this place is sympathetic towards them.” 

 

“This place is sympathetic? ” Adrien snorted, brushing his shirt off. “Could have fooled-” 

 

Adrien turned around to once again find himself standing alone in the middle of the decidedly unsympathetic desolation. 

 

“Sure...just leave me talking to myself like a tool,” Adrien grumbled, trudging through the ash, careful not to step on any unusual patches of ground as he crested a hill that peeked down into the valley beneath him. 

 

There, spinning above a ziggurat carved from solid shadow and spilling green light on the blighted wasteland before it, was the sun. 

 

---

 

“Do I want to know?” 

 

Master Fu stared at the mural etched into the wall of the Crane Sanctuary, studying the effigies of the various Miraculous as the sound of the battle raged from over his shoulder. In the center of the room, Master He studied a shimmering translucent video of the battle in progress, wincing as Hawkmoth’s grotesque arm batted Queen Bee away with all the effort of swatting an actual bee. 

 

“They are doing what they are supposed to be doing,” Master He said, watching Carapace catch Queen Bee before she hit the ground. “They are buying us some badly needed time.” 

 

“How much more can they afford?” Master Fu asked as he turned around, lip curling as he laid eyes on Hawkmoth’s monstrous form. “Hawkmoth was formidable before he held the Miraculous...now-” 

 

“Now we shall just have to hope that our pupils will reach their goals in time,” Master He said, clasping her hands behind her back. “I should be out there...I should-” 

 

“The only reason you are alive right now is because Kaiser Long did not feel like killing you,” Master Fu said firmly. “I would not bank on that generosity much longer.” 

 

“You’re just scared I’ll croak before you and leave you all alone,” Master He chuckled bitterly. 

 

“Aren’t you?” Master Fu said, leaning on his cane heavily. “We are all that is left of the old orders; if Paris falls...someone will have to carry the fight against Hawkmoth on.” 

 

Master He said nothing, lips pressing together in a thin line, her silence the only acquiescence Fu received. 

 

“...I’ll wager ten euros that Adrien succeeds before Marinette does,” Master He said after a moment. 

 

“I will take that bet,” Master Fu said with a twinkle in his eye. “I know you have a poor opinion of Marinette, but whatever she may have done, she is by far the most capable hero I’ve ever trained.” 

 

“Yes...well you didn’t exactly train Chat Noir, did you?” Master He said with a crooked smirk. 

 

---

 

The temple at the base of the valley seemed to...no, Adrien was sure the temple made of black stone reached deep, deep beneath the shifting earth that made up the base. In fact, the longer he looked at the rows and rows of obsidian obelisks that lined a ramshackle path to the bottom of the temple, Adrien wondered if the whole world he found himself in was made up of the same black rock; if he climbed up to the sky, would his hand just brush on more smooth stone? 

 

The sun that spiraled above him should have burnt him to a crisp the moment he laid eyes on it, but the prickling rash that crawled across his skin  and the sweat that rolled down his back were the only indication that the flaming sphere had heat. Still, like a moth (or the son of one, Adrien mused) Adrien felt himself drawn closer and closer to the temple, curiosity outweighing fear, pain, and exhaustion that weighed on him like chains. Curiosity that only grew stronger as his eyes fell on the black shadows that surrounded the rim of the temple. 

 

Rings and rings of wispy humanoid figures lined the rings that led up the temple, eyes flickering with a glowing green flame that only amplified as Adrien drew closer. Through their shifting forms, he could vaguely make out their features, and as he approached, they seemed to sharpen until he recognized the two that stood before the grand, broken staircase that led up the side of the structure. 

 

“You have kept me waiting,” Diomedes said, his typical swaggering voice tinged with an ethereal echo that hadn’t been there before. 

 

“Sorry; took a wrong turn at the ruins of Pompeii and stopped for a bite to eat,” Adrien said, glancing up at the spinning ball of fire that loomed in front of him. “Is this...really where I’m supposed to be?” 

 

“You know the answer,” Sasuke said...or was it Diomedes? It was hard to say where the low, thrumming baritone was coming from; it sounded and felt like it was coming in from all sides, pressing in on Adrien as he found himself feeling smaller and more insignificant than he had ever felt before. 

 

Considering that Gabriel Agreste thrived on making his son feel small and insignificant, this was saying something. 

 

“It’s just…I was looking for a room,” Adrien said, scratching the back of his head. “Last time I was here, Plagg pulled me into this white space and I woke up with superpowers...sort of.” 

 

“That was where you needed to be then,” Sasuke said. 

 

“This is where you need to be now,” Diomedes said, almost as though he were finishing Sasuke’s thought for him. 

 

“Okay...and why do I need to be here?” Adrien said, taking a hesitant step up the side of the pyramid. Wordlessly, the shades nodded up to the top of the pyramid, their stony faces telling Adrien that he had gotten all the help he was going to get from them. 

 

Wordlessly, Adrien climbed a staircase that stretched into the open sky above him. As he walked, he was able to distinguish some of the faces of the figures lined around the ring of the structure. One was cloaked in a jaguar’s skin, his black-painted face sticking through a yawning mouth as he knelt with his hands folded on a club lined with razor sharp obsidian. Yet another appeared to be a hulking knight clad in heavy black armor, an impossibly large sword and shield on the steps before him. They all turned as Adrien passed, but offered no greeting or responded to anything Adrien said to them. 

 

Adrien climbed surrounded by sweltering heat and oppressive silence until, at last, he arrived at the top of the pyramid. 

 

The green sun that spun before him was somehow smaller now that he was close enough to look at it. The fact that he could stare directly at it without experiencing any pain was odd, but Adrien was beyond the point of questioning the madness that presented itself to him. At its core seemed to be a small, impossibly dense sphere around which the flames whirled and twisted; an axis of absolute darkness that pulled Adrien closer and closer like a black hole. As he drew closer, he saw little flecks of flame fall into a stone cup perched upon an altar, dripping liquid distilled from celestial fire. 

 

“You made it.” A voice that came from over his shoulder chilled him in a way the sun couldn’t seem to warm. Turning slowly, he saw his father’s cold, stony features staring back at him from the edge of the staircase. 

 

“...you’re not real,” Adrien said, squinting at the apparition as he tried to find fault in its illusion. 

 

“As real as you,” Gabriel said, his voice warbling an octave as whoever or whatever was using this image was still trying to get Gabriel’s voice right. “I am as you see Gabriel Agreste; as you see the father that raised and opposed you.” 

 

“You got his looks down, I’ll give you that,” Adrien sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. “So what is this...some kind of test? Am I supposed to kill you now?” 

 

“Would that make you feel better?” Gabriel asked. 

 

“No...but I think we’re running out of alternatives,” Adrien sighed, tilting his head back as he looked up at the ceiling millions of miles above them. “I don’t suppose you could help me for once in your life, could you?” 

 

“That was always my job, wasn’t it minou .” Adrien turned and in front of the swirling sphere of flames, wreathed in ethereal green light, was Ladybug. 

 

“You know... him I get,” Adrien said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “If you told me that the manifestation of...whatever weird, depressing crap this is would be my father, I’d have bought it.” 

 

“Destruction doesn’t always come in the form you expect it to,” Ladybug said with an almost human looking shrug. 

 

“No kidding,” Adrien sighed, head swimming as he looked up at the sun. “Thought I might get a knife in the back one day...never imagined you would be holding the blade.” 

 

“Human intimacy carries with it the risk of pain,” Ladybug said almost thoughtfully. “It is a...curiosity we have yet to fully understand.” 

 

“You know, if you want to convince people that you’re human, you shouldn’t talk about intimacy like it’s something you can’t understand,” Adrien sniffed. 

 

“My affliction is not unique; it is a sickness of the spirit that infects many of your species,” Ladybug said, making all the signs and sounds to indicate that she was saddened by this fact. But it was devoid of anything resembling humanity; an act put on for his sake alone. 

 

“Yeah...well, sometimes people make it hard to get close to,” Adrien muttered. “So...what are you then?” 

 

“We are the interpreters that serve a power so vast that their thoughts take physical shape,” Gabriel said. “We are tools to bridge the gap between you and that which you call Destruction.” 

 

“And more importantly,” Ladybug said. “We are here to end work that has been going on since humanity first emerged.” 

 

A shadowy figure from behind Adrien floated into the air as a thread of gravity reached out and snared it. Adrien saw the figure of a warrior in black armor vanish into a stream of glittering green dust as it was absorbed into the heart of the green sun. Another drip of green liquid landed in the chalice beneath the sun as the light that surrounded him dimmed just a little. 

 

“I think I’m in the wrong place,” Adrien said, glancing around. “Last time I was here, I was in a white room.” 

 

“That was where you needed to be then,” Ladybug said. 

 

“This is where you need to be now,” Gabriel said, eyes lingering on the chalice at the heart of the world as another shade from around the ring was sucked into the sun above them. This time there was no mistaking the way the color bled from the air, the vast ashen waste growing dimmer and dimmer as more souls flitted their way towards the inferno. 

 

Adrien swallowed heavily. “...and why do I need to be here?” 

 

Silence hung in the air for a long moment. “You know the answer to that question, Adrien.”

 

The weight of Adrien’s worst fears settled on him so heavy that he couldn’t help but sigh. “...how do I know that?” Adrien asked. “It’s like-” 

 

“You know exactly who you are and what is expected of you,” Ladybug said, watching one black shadow after the other swirl and congeal into a shadowy river that poured into the green sun that seemed, with every passing second, to grow dimmer and dimmer until the glowing green light that poured from the cup seemed to outshine it.

 

The sun flickered out and in cold, perfect darkness, Adrien took a step forward. He could feel his father’s eyes on him; felt the way Ladybug looked at him with pity that stung worse than the blisters on his feet. 

 

“I have to drink that...don’t I?” Adrien said, lips cracking as the goblet of liquid simmered, flames flickering beneath the surface. The sustenance the realm had provided him preserved him but did nothing to slake the bitter thirst that compelled him to take the cup and drink of it. 

 

“No,” Gabriel’s voice said. “But you will.” 

 

“Yeah...I got a shitty habit of sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong,” Adrien chuckled bitterly, taking a step forward. “What’s going to happen when I drink it?” 

 

“The same thing that happens when you drink anything else,” Ladybug said. “It either sustains and strengthens you...or you are destroyed by it.” 

 

“So...what, is it just a toss of the coin?” Adrien asked. “Heads I win, tails I die?” 

 

“It is not a certain thing...but to say it is a matter of chance is not accurate either,” Gabriel murmured, voice swirling around Adrien as the form of his father was swallowed by the darkness that surrounded him. 

 

“The vessel has been crafted for this purpose,” Ladybug said almost lovingly. “And the memories that we held of Black Cats past have been held in trust as sacrifices for the brew.” 

 

Sacrifices… Adrien thought. “So they weren’t...I thought they were ghosts or something.” 

 

“They are...in a fashion,” Ladybug said, form unravelling as darkness pressed in all around him. “But the spirits of our champions are long gone; what remained were memories designed to make our Emissary strong.” 

 

“Now they’re gone,” Adrien mused, a strange tinge of sadness creeping in as he realized that the ones he had trained with had been just another automaton; part of the power that he now sought communion with. 

 

“You know what they say about omelettes and eggs, kid.” Adrien’s throat closed up as he saw a thin, pale man with scruffy black hair and glinting green eyes hovering behind the chalice. The face was unknown to him, but the voice Adrien would have recognized anywhere. 

 

“Plagg?” Adrien said hoarsely. “Is that...are you real?” 

 

“Funny question,” Plagg chuckled, voice sounding so far away Adrien wondered how he heard it at all. “I’m here...but only part of me. Your father...he’s using a lot of our power...every time he uses the ring-” 

 

Plagg flickered out of existence, leaving a small puff of smoke as he left only to return a moment later, clutching the altar and breathing hard. 

 

“Yeah...he’s pumping through our power as fast as he can,” Plagg wheezed. “Carapace and Queenie are putting on a show but…” 

 

Plagg’s voice trailed off into silence. 

 

“Am I going to die?” Adrien asked, voice quavering. 

 

“I don’t know,” Plagg said. “Funny...you’d think being this close to absolute power would give you some kinda insight or something...but I guess it’s a crapshoot. Just like everything else.” 

 

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” 

 

“Never said it would,” Plagg said, a weak, pained smile on his face. “But you don’t need to feel better...you are better.” 

 

“Not better enough,” Adrien mumbled, the last moisture in his body coming together in a weak little tear that rolled down his cheeks. “I failed you…I tried to stop her...but-” 

 

“I know,” Plagg said with a smile that was just too sad for Adrien’s liking. “And I’m proud of you for trying. You did so good kid...you just need to do a little more.” 

 

Swallowing, Adrien approached the goblet, fingers trembling as he reached out to take it. “Surprised all that fits in this little vessel.” 

 

“That’s not the vessel,” Plagg said, eyes flicking from the cup up to Adrien’s face. “Just a cup to drink out of.” 

 

Adrien grasped the hiltless chalice, hands blossoming with warmth and tingling with electric power as he raised it to his lips. 

 

“Adrien,” Plagg said suddenly, a stricken look on his face. “Whatever happens next...I just need you to know I love you so, so much. More than any of the other losers you’re about to slurp like a milkshake.” 

 

A laugh, so pearly and genuine it beat the darkness back an inch escaped Adrien’s mouth. 

 

“You were amazing, kid,” Plagg said, his human features looking genuinely sad despite his attempts at a smile. “Whatever happens...you were the best .” 

 

Adrien stared into the swirling green liquid, pondering the inky black shapes that swam in it like tadpoles. “Thousands of years of Black Cats...straight down the hatch.”

 

In one swig, Adrien tipped the goblet back, liquid pouring into his mouth like warm tea thick with too much honey. It tasted like the day Adrien learned that his mother was never coming back; like the look in Marinette’s eye as she knelt before his father with his Miraculous on her fingers. It was the familiar taste of loneliness and despair Adrien had sampled almost every day of his life. 

 

The last light in the world died as drink flowed into Adrien’s throat. “...what’s supposed to happen n-” 

 

In an instant, a great, billowing green ball of fire erupted from within Adrien’s stomach, ripping out of his chest and destroying him before he had a chance to cry out. Plagg watched the ashes of the boy he had nurtured from a little kitten scatter, landing in mismatched heaps on the ground beside him. 

 

“Okay,” Plagg whispered to himself as he faded back into the real world. “Now it gets interesting…” 

 

---

 

“Mama, can you get my kitty?” 

 

Brigitte made grabby hands as Marinette sighed, standing up from her desk and making her way over to the armoire where her youngest child’s favorite kitty plush sat slumped over out of reach. 

 

“Promise not to pull his tail off this time,” Marinette said, turning to her daughter and passing the raggedy stuffed cat off to her. “He’s tough but he can’t last for-” 

 

A cold sense of dread washed over Marinette from seemingly out of nowhere, so powerful that she had to grab onto a nearby table to keep from falling over. “...Adrien.” 

 

“Yeah?” Adrien asked, sticking his head in the doorway. “Something wrong?” 

 

“I…” Marinette blinked, shaking her head. An overwhelming sense of loss rocked her; the absolute certainty that Adrien was dead couldn’t be questioned and yet...and yet…

 

“What…” Marinette glanced down at Brigitte who stared quizzically up at Marinette. “When did...when did you get here?” 

 

“Uh...you want me to get the birth video to show you?” Adrien chuckled somewhat nervously, pressing the back of his hand against Marinette’s head. “Are you al-” 

 

Marinette jerked back, blinking rapidly as her mind fumbled to rectify the feeling she had in her stomach with the sight of her husband alive and well in front of her. “We...we talked about having Brigitte...that was...that was this morning…” 

 

“Marinette, are you okay?” Adrien said, taking his glasses off with a worried frown. “You’re starting to scare me.” 

 

“Are you hurt Mama?” Brigitte cooed, tilting her head to one side as glittering blue eyes stared back at her. “You don’t look so-” 

 

Frustrated, Marinette stumbled backwards against the wall, the answers to the question she didn’t know just out of reach. Adrien was here...but he was dead...he was dead, she was sure of it. Her daughter had been with them for years now but they had just talked about her that morning. 

 

“Sweetie, go play with Hugo for a bit,” Adrien said, turning his daughter and gently pushing her out the door. 

 

Why was she questioning this? Why was she picking apart her beautiful life? Why did it suddenly seem wrong? 

 

“You died,” Marinette mumbled, blinking rapidly as tears tumbled down her cheeks. “You died...you’re dead...Adrien is dead and I couldn’t-” 

 

“Shhh,” Adrien said, kneeling before his wife and taking her hands. “Baby...I’m here. I’m alive; look.” 

 

He squeezed her hands between his kissing her knuckles just like-

 

“You’re here…” Marinette said, eyes locking on Adrien’s as she saw what she had been blinded to for twenty years. They were the eyes of Adrien Agreste, sure, but there was something missing. There was no fire; no spark of passion. No mischievous glint or playful energy; just the same hue and the same shape. Enough that if Marinette didn’t know any better, she would have mistaken the man before her for her husband. 

 

But there was nothing of Chat Noir in the figure that knelt before her. 

 

“But you’re not Adrien…” Marinette said with such certainty and conviction that she felt it settle in her soul. “Are you?” 

 

Adrien blinked and in an instant his beautiful emerald eyes turned a deep blue as he slowly stood up. His lanky figure seemed suddenly wrong; like an imagined version of the kind of man Adrien would have grown up to be. But it was just too perfect; just right enough that it was terribly, terribly wrong. 

 

“I am whatever you wish me to be, Marinette,” The thing that looked like Adrien said. 

 

---

 

“Foxy...I think that’s everyone.” 

 

It can’t be, Rena Rouge thought as Bluebird landed next to her. “Did you check the shelters down south?” 

 

“If she hasn’t made it there, she hasn’t made it,” Monarch groused, wincing as an explosion rocked the city off in the distance. The battle was still going, but Monarch privately dreaded every lull in the noise. Silence gave credence to her fears that the battle had ended and not in their favor. 

 

“Might have to call it,” Monarch said. “We got everyone we could to shelters...maybe chasing Nathalie just isn’t worth it.” 

 

“What else are we supposed to do?” Rena Rouge mumbled. “We don’t even know everything Hawkmoth is capable of without the Miraculous...we could just be-” 

 

Rena Rouge trailed off as the sound of approaching helicopters drew their attention. “Who the hell is that?” 

 

“Maybe they’re relief crews,” Tigress suggested with a small shrug as three orange and black helicopters drew near. “We could use the help-” 

 

A black flash of electricity blinded Rena Rouge for a split second as a harsh bang split the sky. The helicopter on the right rocked as its rudder exploded, wobbling as it fought to regain control as it tumbled towards the street. 

 

“Looks like they could use it first !” Rena Rouge said, wasting no time in leaping up onto a nearby building as the helicopter came rushing towards the street. “Bluebird, get that door open!” 

 

“On it!” Bluebird said, leaping into the sky and gliding towards the shaking helicopter. Fighting through the downdraft, he managed to attach himself to the side of the helicopter, grabbing the handle and pulling with all his might. With one mighty clang the door came off, tumbling to the ground where it crumpled into a pile of broken metal. 

 

“Hey folks, your connecting flight is here!” Bluebird called into the cabin as Rena Rouge pounced, leaping up from the roof to land in the cabin of the helicopter. Without answering the cacophony of questions that came her way, Rena Rouge grabbed the nearest person around the waist, ignoring their protests as she leapt out of the cab, landing on the roof below and dropping them to the tarmac. 

 

“Stay put,” Rena Rouge said, brushing the very confused looking woman off. “We’ll get you to-” 

 

Rena Rouge blinked as a very haggard looking Nathalie Sancouer looked up at her from behind crooked glasses. “Actually...sit tight; we need to talk.” 

 

“Last stop!” Bluebird called, watching Monarch and Tigress haul the passengers off the copter before grabbing the pilot. “Everybody out!” 

 

With a final kick, Bluebird sent the now smoking helicopter spinning towards the river, landing with an enormous splash as he landed on the roof next to Sabine Cheng. 

 

“That could have gone a lot worse,” Bluebird said, watching the pilot teeter over to the edge of the roof and throw up over the side. “Right?” 

 

“Exploding aircraft seem like the very least of our concerns these days,” Monarch said, the tip of her cane pinning Nathalie to the roof as she tried to sit up. “Please, Nathalie; don’t exert yourself.” 

 

“You…” Nathalie blinked as she caught sight of the Butterfly Miraculous. 

 

“What’s going on?” Sabine said, tugging Monarch off Nathalie. “Please...Nathalie needs to get somewhere safe-” 

 

“No…” Nathalie mumbled, shaking her head as she slowly got to her feet. “No, I think I’ve been a little too safe for a little too long…”

 

“M. Cheng,” Monarch said gently, tapping Marinette’s other on the shoulder. “We need Nathalie’s help with something. Perhaps it’s best if you get underground.” 

 

Sabine glanced at Nathalie, eyes narrowing as if the reason why Nathalie needed to stay were written somewhere on her face. 

 

“I’m sorry…” Nathalie mumbled as Bluebird looped an arm around Sabine’s waist, soaring off the edge of the building and delivering Sabine to the last of the EMT’s who rushed to greet the ARK workers. 

 

“ Sorry isn’t going to cut it, you weaselly little lapdog,” Monarch sneered as Nathalie reflexively flinched away. “After everything you pulled-” 

 

“Monarch,” Rena Rouge said gently, stepping between Monarch and Nathalie in an attempt to put Hawkmoth’s former assistant at ease. “Look...we know who Hawkmoth is.” 

 

“And we know you helped him,” Monarch said. 

 

“Look can we save the blame for later?” Rena Rouge sighed. 

 

“No...she’s right,” Nathalie mumbled, flinching as another blast of energy rocked the city. “I...knew everything he was doing. I helped him with whatever he needed of me…” 

 

Nathalie looked around the broken city streets, eyes drifting up to the tree that scarred the city skyline. “I used to be proud of that, you know,” Nathalie said quietly. “Thought I was doing something important...and now-” 

 

“Okay...you’re right,” Rena Rouge said with a small sigh. “You aided and abetted Paris’ greatest enemy, helped him capture and enslave half the city, and while you may not have ripped the ring off his finger, you put Adrien’s life in jeopardy every day you worked for his father...sound about right?” 

 

Nathalie nodded as Rena Rouge crossed her arms. “Cool...so what are you gonna do about it? Cry? Tear your clothes? Curl into a ball and whimper about what a baaaaaad person you are? Because, I gotta tell you, we really don’t need that shit right now.” 

 

“What we need are helpers,” Rena Rouge said, gripping Nathalie’s shoulder. “Nobody gets to nurse their hurt feelings while the world is on fire. If there is anything you can do, anything you can tell us, it just might make the difference we need.” 

 

Nathalie glanced between Rena Rouge and Monarch before Monarch said “Adrien is still fighting...you do not get to abandon him again.” 

 

Nathalie’s mouth fell open, brow creasing as an idea seemed to be brewing behind her eyes. “There...there is one thing I can do for you.” 

 

---

 

“Don’t...make me... destroy you.” 

 

Carapace coughed, pushing himself up off his knees as Hawkmoth lumbered towards him. The jerky, uncoordinated way he moved would have been hilarious had Hawkmoth not shrugged off every attempt to separate him from the Miraculous like they were nothing. 

 

“You know...you can still give up,” Queen Bee panted, leaning on Carapace’s shoulder as he weakly raised a shield to protect them. “Might still let you off with a warning.” 

 

“I hear prison’s nice this time of year,” Carapace grunted, dread pooling in his stomach like poison as he stared at the ring of monsters that surrounded them. No matter how many they put down, more seemed to come as though birthed from an inexhaustible source of evil. The ones they killed just dissolved, pooling and reforming into new and grotesque beings. Each wave seemed to be harder to put down as though, bit by bit, their enemies were learning what they were capable of and reacting to them. 

 

“And hey...you’re a rich old blonde guy,” Carapace said, cracking his neck. “They’ll probably let you off with community service.” 

 

Hawkmoth coughed again, black liquid trickling from his mouth as he held his glowing red claw against his chest. “Your deaths...would pain Adrien.” 

 

“Right...wouldn’t want to do your job for you,” Carapace said, eyes sweeping the deserted streets for any sign of life. No one was on the streets anymore which meant one of two things; either they were all safe or all currently feeding the tree that stretched towards the morning sun. 

 

“You don’t seriously think you can win, do you?” Hawkmoth said, towering over the pair of them as the arm with the Ladybug Miraculous twitched and spasmed, coming apart in great ropy tendrils of flesh that writhed and wriggled like an angry octopus. 

 

Carapace’s eyes drifted over Hawkmoth’s shoulder, a weak, weary grin splitting his face. “Maybe not...but we kept your stupid ass busy just long enough.” 

 

Lip curling, Hawkmoth turned around in time to see an arrow narrowly whiz by his cheek, embedding in an unfortunate Talon Trooper next to him. The shaft evaporated into black dust as the monster teetered, beady green eyes narrowing at the one next to it. With a snarl it pounced, teeth ripping into its mate’s throat as the crowd fell apart in a frenzy of anger. 

 

“Looks like Valentine’s Day’s coming early this year!” Queen Bee crowed, watching as Dark Cupid swooped low over the crowd of monsters, firing black arrows into the throng and whooping as he dodged angry claw swipes. 

 

Impossible, Hawkmoth thought, watching Dark Cupid land on the street next to a woman leaning on a familiar looking cane. 

 

“Tsurugi…” Hawkmoth growled, eyes thrumming with angry black energy as they fell on the Butterfly Miraculous clasped around her neck. 

 

“I can’t tell if you’re angry that I survived your feeble stab at killing me or that I make a better Butterfly than you ever did,” Monarch sniffed, adjusting her bow-tie. “Though I can’t say I care either way.” 

 

“If it makes you feel better, I like you a hell of a lot more,” Dark Cupid said with a crooked smile. “Though anyone who gives me a chance to stick it to Hawkmoth is automatically in the running for my new bestie.”

 

Tumbling through the air, Rena Rouge sailed down from a nearby rooftop and landed in a crouch in front of Carapace, staff extending in front of Queen Bee. “You two okay?” 

 

“We were just starting to have some fun,” Carapace chuckled weakly, wincing in pain as he shouldered his shield. 

 

“Piece of cake,” Queen Bee said, leaning on Rena Rouge’s staff and giving a weary thumbs up. 

 

“Figured you guys would have everything sorted,” Rena Rouge said, turning to Hawkmoth. “You know, always figured you’d be ugly but I gotta say you blew my expectations out of the water.” 

 

“Oh yes... hide behind juvenile name calling,” Hawkmoth sneered, writhing tentacle arm slamming into the ground in front of him, barbed tentacles lashing out and skewering the throng of Talon Troopers that had fallen under Dark Cupid’s sway. “Am I supposed to be impressed by a gaggle of third-string heroes wielding inferior Miraculous?” 

 

“I didn’t come here to impress you,” Rena Rouge said, shouldering her staff as she locked eyes with Monarch at the far end of the street. “I came to peel those Miraculous off your fingers and embarrass you before their rightful owners return.” 

 

“...return?” Hawkmoth said, lips curling into a snarl. “Where...is...my son?” 

 

“I wouldn’t worry too much about him right now,” Monarch said, leaning her hands on her cane. “You’re going to have your hands more than full with us.” 

 

“Forgive me if I’m not quaking in fear of Dark Cupid ,” Hawkmoth chuckled bitterly. “You should have really brought a more impressive akuma.” 

 

“Well...now you’re just being an asshole,” Dark Cupid muttered, twanging his bow-string with a pout. 

 

“Don’t mistake us for Ladybug,” Rena Rouge said, lips curling into a feral smirk. “You’ve run up quite the tab in this city over the years...and there’s a hell of a lot of people coming to collect.” 

 

The air tingled with electricity and Hawkmoth just managed to raise his arm to block the bolt of lightning that streaked out of the open sky. The energy dissipated against Hawkmoth’s hand but the force of the blow knocked him backwards ever so slightly. Before he could recover an enormous, almost cartoonish gloved hand descended from on high. The Black Cat claw lashed out, evaporating the glove in a puff of black smoke as something very large came hurtling at him from out of the dust. 

 

“ Hawk...moth!” Stoneheart bellowed, slamming into Hawkmoth and the nearest clump of Talon Troopers at terminal velocity like a cannonball. Like a bowling pin, Hawkmoth sprawled on the street, scrambling to his feet as one by one a string of familiar looking faces lined the buildings surrounding him. Stormy Weather twirled her umbrella as Evillustrator conjured another pair of hands with the flick of his pen. Timebreaker skidded to a halt behind Rena Rouge as a giant, floating black and green saucer rose up over the skyline, side opening to reveal a waving Gamer sitting in the cockpit.

 

“We had the time to make a phone-call or two on our way over,” Rena Rouge said as Bluebird and Tigress landed in a crouch behind Monarch. “Turns out, you are not a very popular man.” 

 

Horrificator’s gelatinous form oozed up from a sewer grate and the pack of Talon Troopers hissed as a small army of black armored knights marched down the street led by Darkblade. 

 

“Whosoever crosses PRAYING MAN-TIS shall be avenged sevenfold!” Praying Man-Tis hissed, clacking his mandibles and swinging a giant rosary around like a whip.

 

“No…” Hawkmoth muttered, watching Rena Rouge’s illusion dissipate to reveal a glowing red Monarch and the very last akuma he expected to see at her shoulder. 

 

Nathalie...

 

“All you have done is brought more fuel for Emilie’s rebirth,” Hawkmoth snarled, even as the sins of his past literally gathered to confront him. “You cannot hope to challenge the power I have attained...I shall stand as a king when this day is over.” 

 

Guitar Villian’s guitar plunked away a familiar tune as Rena Rouge shouldered her staff. She could feel the eyes of the akumas on her back, looking to her for the signal to advance, and for the first time, Rena Rouge didn’t stop to question the trust they seemed to place in her. 

 

“Team Paris...why don’t we show His Majesty how Paris treats her kings!” 

 

Notes:

TL;DR

Marinette knows her life is a Mind Palace and is awake to the ruse
Adrien communed with Destruction and is metaphysically dead
Team Paris has rolled up on Hawkmoth with Catalyst and every akuma that wants a piece
Masters He and Fu are doing their best Krillin impersonations on the sidelines
Kaiser Long and Firebird are doing Carmen Sandiego Villain Shit
Hawkmoth still looks fugly

 

I think that's everything.

Not a momentous chapter but I had to maneuver everyone to where they needed to be. Hopefully now we can get into the cool part of the finale~

Wash your damn hands people!

Chapter 45: ...and Satisfaction Brought It Back

Emilie Agreste was, as she had been for years, completely oblivious to the carnage that surrounded her tiny little casket. 

 

She didn’t see the vines that stretched down into the basement, weaving around her in a protective mesh as thin, green tendrils snaked their way through cracks in the glass and attached themselves to her skin. She didn’t recognize all the people slumbering in thick, translucent fruits hanging from the vines around her. 

 

But deep down, in parts of her mind that she was barely conscious of, she felt the fear, pain, and confusion of her friends and neighbors as her husband’s twisted machine of unnatural plant matter fed her lifeforce with theirs. 

---

"Bad news, honey,” Kaiser Long sighed, playing with a strand of his hair as he sat on the edge of the roof watching Paris devolve into a metahuman mosh pit before him. “ Les Vengeurs just called in the cavalry...and in typical frog-eater fashion, they’re stinking up the place.” 

 

Hey, stuff your Timbit hole, eh? Kaiser Long smirked as he felt Firebird’s irritation waft through their bond. What do you wanna do about it? 

 

“I say let them fight,” Kaiser Long said, wincing as he felt a champion pummel a pack of his soldiers into goo. “As long as Gabriel keeps overusing those Miraculous, we’ll get what we need out of him sooner or later.” 

 

Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll kill him for us?

 

“You haven’t dealt with him like I have,” Kaiser Long grumbled. “Four years of listening to him bleat like a dying lamb about how the world is unfair and how teenagers are evil and about how much he misses the stupid woman he froze in his basement...if anyone is going to kill that up-jumped holier-than-thou warlock and third-rate haberdasher, it is going to be me . And I am going to enjoy it.” 

 

You know a wise and rather sexy man once told me that I shouldn’t get personal when it came to business matters.

 

He could feel the smugness radiate down their bond. “And I recall a foxy little lady replying that it was all personal; especially business.” 

 

Am I a bad influence? 

 

“Only the absolute worst,” Kaiser Long said, leaning back as he surveyed the battle taking place. “Did you find what you were looking for?” 

---

The police officer’s arm crumbled into ash, barely having time to cry out in horror as he was effectively incinerated from the inside out, a burned-out skeleton slumping over amidst a pile of what used to be the rest of his body. 

 

“Just about,” Firebird replied, running a fingertip along the edge of the reinforced door that separated the rest of the precinct from the holding cells. “Call you later.” 

 

Clean up after yourself, Kaiser Long chuckled. 

 

The door fell over with an almighty clank, startling the handful of miscreants and drunkards held pending bail. “End of the world, gang; everybody for themselves!” 

 

They shrank back from the bars as Firebird ran her finger down them, melting the solid steel as she walked down the row, coming to a stop at the end in front of a particularly crowded cell. 

 

“M. Van der Meer, I presume,” Firebird said, meeting the man’s cold grey eyes. “The name is Firebird. I've got a deal for you...and seeing as how you’re alone in lockup with nine dead cops-” 

 

“Who’s down there?!” Firebird didn’t even turn as she raised her hand, white hot fireball arcing through the open door and incinerating the unlucky police officer that ran down to check on her comrades. 

 

“- ten dead cops,” Firebird corrected, watching a bead of sweat run down Mercutio's smooth head. “I would hear me out if I were you.” 

---

As Gorizilla hurled another upturned semi-truck at his head, Hawkmoth was struck by two things at almost the same time. The first was a niggling sense that he had perhaps created too many akuma during his stint as the Butterfly’s wielder. 

 

The second was, of course, the semi-truck. 

 

Hawkmoth teetered backwards, vines stretching up out of the ground to slow the oncoming improvised projectile just enough to blunt the blow. Still, being clobbered with multiple tons of steel is not something one just walks off, living god or not. Hawmoth skidded backwards as he raised his black claw to swipe angrily at the semi-truck, dissolving it into a fine black cloud of dust. As the cloud parted, he could see Kaiser Long’s footsoldiers embroiled in a battle with Darkblade’s minions, the din of steel ringing on steel filling the morning air as Hawkmoth cast around for the other Miraculous holders. 

 

Where did you go? Hawkmoth thought, black claw crackling with power as Gorizilla wrenched a lamp-post from the ground, fangs bared in a snarl as Hawkmoth approached. 

 

“M. Gorilla, I would brush up my resume if I were you,” Hawkmoth snarled, anger dripping into the flames that bubbled up from his claw. “Consider yourself...officially... terminated!” 

 

The black jet of flames lashed out, streaking towards Gorizilla. As he raised an arm to defend himself, the river suddenly swelled as water spilled onto the street in a great, flooding wave that hissed and sizzled as it extinguished the flames. Syren waved from beneath the waves as Frozer leapt up onto the wave of water, skates freezing it solid as it washed over a small crowd of Talon Troopers, encasing them in a wriggling sculpture of ice on the street. 

---

“It worked,” Monarch said, eyes glowing purple as she watched the battle unfold through her champions’ eyes. “His fire is hotter than usual but it obeys the same laws of thermodynamics.” 

 

“And with Syren and Frozer, we have the type-advantage,” Rena Rouge muttered, staring down at the battlefield from the top of a hollowed out skyscraper that served as their base of operations. “Okay, have Gorizilla tag out and send Stoneheart in after Evillustrator runs interference...really wish we had some heavier hitters in our corner.” 

 

“You literally have a heavy hitter in your corner,” Carapace grumbled from his spot on the roof next to Queen Bee. 

 

“One I’m kinda attached to and who’s gonna come in real handy later,” Rena Rouge said with a small smile. “You’ve had three big fights in the last twenty four hours; I don’t know how long you can last, but I don’t want to find out.”

 

“I’m still good to go,” Carapace said, pushing himself up off the ground. 

 

“Chloe, sit on him,” Rena Rouge said, turning back to the battle as Queen Bee wordlessly planted herself on Carapace’s lap, knocking him back to the roof. 

 

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me to take it easy,” Queen Bee sighed, leaning back on the roof. “Hawkmoth might be a tacky little bitch, but fighting him takes a lot out of you.” 

 

“ Gamer’s getting pinned down by those lizard things,” Bluebird’s voice chirped through Rena’s flute communicator. High above them, Bluebird’s fan wheeled overhead, providing a bird’s eye view of the battlefield. 

 

“I’m sorry, are we just cool with the fact that the guy who nearly killed Adrien is just suddenly on our side?!” Queen Bee said, gesturing to Bluebird’s flying form. 

 

“I expect the number of people who haven’t tried to kill Adrien at some point could comfortably share a cab,” Monarch reminded her. “Everyone on this rooftop has tried to kill Adrien; more than once in some cases.” 

 

“Okay, okay, point made,” Queen Bee sighed, nose wrinkling in irritation. “That bitch still cost me a couple thousand euros worth of luggage and my favorite sundress; I will have satisfaction.” 

 

“You can duel him when this is all over,” Monarch said, eyes flicking back to Rena Rouge. “What’s the plan?” 

 

“Get Anansi over to help Gamer and tell Captain Hardrock to start shooting once enough of those lizard things are clumped up,” Rena Rouge said, watching the pirate ship wheel around. Raising her hand, Rena Rouge reached out to the distant cluster of monsters attacking Gamer’s ship. The air shimmered and the image of a cloud of spinning blades that caused most of the mob to shrink backwards, hissing in fear long enough for Gamer to back away. 

 

“How long do you plan on running the clock down?” Monarch asked quietly, looking nervously in the direction of the battle with Hawkmoth. “If Adrien and Marinette don’t return soon-” 

 

“Then we’re going to have to make a play for those Miraculous ourselves,” Rena Rouge said, chewing on the inside of her lip thoughtfully. "Somehow..." 

 

“Of course,” Monarch mumbled. “Just have to figure out a way to separate a god from the source of his power.” 

 

“Let’s not show Gabriel any more respect than he’s due,” Rena Rouge said, crossing her arms. “If he can be hurt, he can be stopped; we just need to figure out how.” 

---

Marinette blinked rapidly at the creature that looked too much like Adrien for her comfort. “Who are you?” 

 

Adrien smiled. “I’m Adrien Agr-” 

 

“ Don’t ,” Marinette warned, finger brandishing like a knife in his direction. “I know Adrien Agreste and you -” 

 

“You don’t remember Milan?” Adrien asked, eyebrow raising as he saw Marinette’s expression fall. “Ditching the reception...stealing down to the beach...stealing a bottle of wine and breaking into our honeymoon suite?” 

 

“That’s…” Marinette shook her head as the taste of champagne and sea-salt on Adrien’s lips floated to the top of her mind. “No...no that wasn’t real...it can’t have been-” 

 

“It was...because you wanted it to be,” Adrien said, taking a knee in front of Marinette and clasping her trembling hand in his. “Marinette...I’m real because you want me to be; always have been.” 

 

“How...how long have I been here?” Marinette asked. 

 

“As long as you can remember,” Adrien said, expression saddening a little bit as she drew away. 

 

“No, that...it can’t have been that long,” Marinette said, mind racking back over the years. “Paris...what about Paris ?” 

 

“You’re in Paris,” Adrien said, gesturing out the window. “You always have been.” 

 

“You’re not making any sense,” Marinette hissed, looking around for some kind of hint as to what to do next. “This is it, isn’t it? Master He said that we might be tested…” 

 

“Tested for what?” Adrien chuckled. “Marinette...why is it so hard for you to believe in your own creations? You think we’re here to hurt you? You think we even can ?” 

 

“How?” Marinette said, poking the blue-eyed Adrien as though she expected him to evaporate if she did. 

 

“You came to a place that is the font of all Creation,” Adrien said, gesturing around the room. “And you created ; everything you ever wanted for yourself came to life the minute you even wanted it. It’s impressive...really, not many people would be able to handle such power or do so much with it.” 

 

Marinette stared at the warm, living creature in disbelief. “Why...I don’t remember doing any of-” 

 

Marinette shook her head. “No...no this is a waste of time,” Marinette hissed. “I need to get out of here, I-I need to find something to...to…” 

 

Her brain still felt thick; like she was trying to think through cheesecloth. The thing she was looking for was here...somewhere. She just didn’t know what it was or what it even looked like. Worse still, it seemed like she had wasted an uncountable amount of time playing house with a family she had literally thought into existence. 

 

“Okay…” Marinette said, pushing herself up. “Okay, buddy, the jig is up-” 

 

“Marinette, there is no jig ,” Adrien sighed almost fondly. “There is no test . If you think you were brought here to be toyed with, you’re wrong. If you want to access Creation’s dearest power, you can.” 

 

“Can’t be that easy,” Marinette said, pacing back and forth. “Master He said this had never been accomplished before, right? Did the other Ladybugs just not want it bad enough?!” 

 

“...no,” Adrien said softly. “They didn’t...not when confronted with the cost.” 

 

“A- ha !” Marinette hissed. “So there is a catch!” 

 

Adrien’s lips twisted into a somewhat sad smile. “Can’t bake bread without flour,” Adrien said. “Creation is, after all, a facet of destruction; nothing can be created without cost, even if it’s only time.” 

 

“So what exactly is the cost?” Marinette asked, already dreading the answer. 

 

Adrien shrugged helplessly. “Us.” 

---

Adrien never really understood the concept of Schrodinger’s Cat until it suddenly became a pun that described the twilight state he found himself floating in. 

 

He barely remembered the flames bubbling up inside him before he felt himself being snuffed out, blinking into oblivion so fast he couldn’t remember how it felt. That was itself a kindness, but the whole affair had left him in something of a predicament. 

 

He was, most certainly, without a body; he could feel nothing as whatever bits of him were left floated in a perfect white void. He could see, but only so he could tell there was nothing to see. He could hear if only to witness the most terrible and profound silence he had ever endured. Beyond that, he could not tell which direction he was facing...or if there was even a direction to face anymore. 

 

Well...crapbaskets, Adrien thought, grateful that he was still capable of thought even if he seemed to lack a brain to think. Something tells me that this was not part of the plan…

 

“ What is your name ?” 

---

Marinette watched the face of the creature she had married, looking for any sign of deception. “What do you mean?” 

 

“I mean that the way through to the place you need to go is only accessible if you first destroy the world you have created for yourself,” Adrien said, leaning against the dresser with an unreadable look on his face. “Which includes-” 

 

“You and the kids,” Marinette said, eyes wandering over the walls of her daughter’s bedroom. The realization that the life she had known was a fabrication should have done something to shake the feelings she had towards this stranger that looked like Adrien and the children they had apparently created together. 

 

“Us...and everything else that’s gone so well for you in your life here,” Adrien said, nodding at the framed magazine covers that graced the wall. 

 

“This is why no other Ladybug has gone this far…” Marinette murmured. “It’s not that they weren’t strong enough...it’s that they didn’t want to leave.” 

 

“It’s like I said; there is no test here,” Adrien said. “There is no catch; just a simple choice. Have everything you’ve ever wanted in life...or gain access to a power that you might be too weak to wield. A power that might destroy you if you can’t hold on to it.” 

 

“Why would Creation ask me to destroy something?” Marinette blinked, shaking her head as she could hear the sound of her son’s playing in the distance. “This...this doesn’t make sense!” 

 

“From a human’s perspective, I’m sure it doesn’t,” Adrien said, tapping a tapestry of the taiyang symbol on the wall. “You get so caught up thinking of Creation and Destruction as two halves of the same whole that you focus on the halves and forget that they’re whole. You cannot master Yang and ignore Yin.” 

 

“So this is a sacrifice then,” Marinette laughed bitterly, running her hands through her hair. “Perfect...one more thing to add to the pile.” 

 

“It’s not a sacrifice you need to make though,” Adrien said, eyes begging silently as he crossed the room and took her hands in his. “You can stay here...you can forget what you remembered and live life here with us as many times as you want.” 

 

“And what does Creation get from that?” Marinette asked, forcing herself to pull back and ignore the flicker of hurt in her husband’s eyes. 

 

“...Creation thrives through more creation,” Adrien explained. “Your creativity feeds creativity and makes it stronger; being here is benefit enough.” 

 

“But that means giving up on my friends,” Marinette said, looking up into the blue eyes that suddenly seemed so out of place. “Giving up on Adrien…” 

 

“Adrien and your friends can manage things without you,” Adrien said, clasping her hand. “Haven’t you done enough? Haven’t you given the world enough of yourself?” 

 

“No...no, I have to-” 

 

“ Have to?” Adrien said, cupping her chin and tilting her head up. “Marinette...there is no have to anymore. You’re beyond the responsibility of being Ladybug; let someone else carry the burden now. Stay here and enjoy the life you deserve.” 

 

“You don’t want me to go, do you?” Marinette asked, quietly wondering if this was love or fear of impending death. 

 

“I want whatever you want me to want, Marinette,” Adrien said, kissing the back of her hand. “I always have. You wanted to get married in Milan and suddenly I wanted to give you that. You wanted to have kids in the middle of starting a brand, so I wanted to quit school and take care of them. Whatever you want to do, I want to do...which is why I know there’s a part of you that wants to stay here with us.” 

 

Marinette opened her mouth to argue as the weight of the life she had created settled down on her shoulders. Whether she knew it or not, her actions had created the person who stood before her; created the children who laughed and horsed around downstairs. This wasn’t a cheap illusion to be dispelled; this was life . Countless living, breathing things that would need to be sacrificed if she were to go back. 

 

“Tell me...that this is waiting for you if you return,” Adrien said, squeezing her hand firmly as though he were asking her not to go. As much as her rational mind screamed that this creature was not the man she loved, the weight of sixteen years of marriage was not an easy thing to shake off. Even if she had created this world; even if her loved ones were created to adore her, they had still been a memorable part of more than half her life. Memories of sitting up late with Emma when she had a cold or fumbling her way through helping with the boys’ science project might have never really happened, but if Marinette could close her eyes and remember falling asleep in Adrien’s arms, didn’t it matter? 

 

Because the truth was that the life she had envisioned for years had slipped out of her fingers the minute she had turned on Chat Noir; this simulation was the closest her life would be to perfect. 

“I’ve known you better than almost anyone else,” Adrien said wiping a tear off Marinette’s cheek with his thumb. “ Better than the Adrien who left you. Aren’t you tired of fighting?” 

 

“I am…” Marinette murmured, shaking her head bitterly. “You have no idea...day after day, week after week, holding in the biggest secret of your life while trying to keep the people you love from dying. And when I tried to get out ...when I tried to help my Adrien it just-” 

 

Marinette shuddered as Adrien’s arms wrapped around her shoulders, soaking in the feeling of his comforting embrace. It may have been her imagination, but something of the position reminded her of standing on a rooftop overlooking the city, leaning into her friend’s arms as she took a momentary respite from the woes of the world. 

 

And like that, she was standing on her parents’ rooftop, a younger, wild-haired Chat Noir embracing her, looking down at her with a strangely sad smile. 

 

“I was never Chat Noir,” Chat Noir said, running his hand through his hair. “Not like the other Adrien anyway...always kinda wondered why you never brought your hero selves into this world, but-” 

 

“It should never have been him,” Ladybug said quietly, shaking her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Not because he’s not good enough; I really... really couldn’t have made it as far as I did without him…but it’s not fair that Adrien had to carry Chat Noir on top of everything else. It’s too much to ask any one person.” 

 

“No more than was asked of you,” Chat Noir said, hair rustling in the breeze as an all-too-perfect night sky wheeled overhead. Paris’ lights seemed muted as a galaxy of stars turned above them. “You carried a lot too.” 

 

“I had to,” Ladybug argued. “Otherwise…” 

 

Ladybug trailed off, not sure how to complete that sentence. 

 

“You don’t have to anymore,” Chat Noir said, running his hands down the small of Ladybug’s back. “You can put it down...just walk away and live whatever kind of life you want with us.”

 

Ladybug’s heart caught in her throat, leaning her forehead in to brush against Chat Noir’s. “I want to...I want to so badly…” 

 

“...but you won’t, will you?” Chat Noir said after a long moment. 

 

“If you know me so well, you know that staying here isn’t an option for me,” Ladybug whispered, looking up at Chat Noir. “It doesn’t matter anymore if I get the kind of life I wanted...it doesn’t matter if Chat and the others are strong enough to stop Hawkmoth on their own. I have to... I have to go back and try and help however I can. Even if that means owning up to the mistakes I’ve made...no matter the cost, I have to see this through to the end.” 

 

Chat Noir said nothing, hand cradling the side of Marinette’s untransformed face. The suit had fallen off as had the years he had known her, leaving the young woman of eighteen standing with tears in her eyes and a firmly set jaw that only barely quavered. And if he hadn’t been made to love Marinette Dupain-Cheng, if his whole being hadn’t been dedicated to making her happy, the imposter Chat Noir might just have fallen in love with the determination in her eyes all over again. 

 

“This is gonna hurt,” Chat Noir said quietly. 

 

“There are worse things than pain,” Marinette said, watching the waters of the Seine swell as the color seemed to bleed out of the world around him. The black suit that clung to Chat Noir’s body faded, turning grey and then an almost blinding shade of white as the buildings slowly started to crumble around them. It was as though a gust of wind had ripped through a city of playing cards that now tumbled uselessly to the streets that in turn dissolved back into an inky black something that rose around Marinette. 

 

“What’s going to happen to you?” Marinette asked. “And...the kids-” 

 

“Same thing that eventually happens to everything that lived,” Chat Noir chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “We pass; we die.”

 

“Isn’t there anything I can do?” Marinette said, wracking her brain. “I’ll-” 

 

“Marinette,” Chat Noir said, blinking as he turned back into Adrien as he was before this whole sorry affair, whole and beautiful and untouched by her terrible mistakes. “There’s no win-win here...you have to let us go.” 

 

Marinette blinked as the man she always imagined marrying faded slowly, his warm smile never fading as he slipped further and further away. The thought of the children she had born and birthed and cared for every day of their lives already returned to the black goo that lapped at the rooftops was enough to make her sick. Yet the world she knew continued to slip away as her fingertips held on to memories that may have never happened...but felt real all the same. 

 

“It’s going to be fine,” Adrien said, his last words a reassurance to the woman he loved. “You might need a boat th-.” 

 

Darkness swallowed him as the thick, brackish waves lapped at her feet, pooling around her ankles. She had barely enough time to process the fact that her husband was gone before she felt something slither past her thigh, a slimy fish-like thing whose legs kicked at her as she struggled to get away. Her hands landed on a dry patch of rooftop that seemed to lift her out of the water, up on to dry land and high enough that Marinette could see the vast, formless black sea that covered the world. Under the light of the stars, Marinette could see alien shapes in the water, occasionally breaking the surface and revealing the head of something large and monstrous for a split second before it too vanished beneath the waves. 

 

Surrounded by everything that ever was and would ever be, Marinette had never felt more alone. 

---

Adrien’s consciousness flinched as a voice without sound penetrated his mind. Thinking back on it, Adrien would be unable to remember the details of what was spoken; only ideas that a strange hand was shaping out of his subconsciousness 

 

Who’s there? 

 

“ Nobody ,” the voice replied in a way that made Adrien think of a capital N in front of the word Nobody . 

 

Okay...where am I? Adrien thought, already anticipating the answer. 

 

“ Nowhere ,” Nobody replied simply. 

 

That makes me feel better, Adrien thought. 

 

“ I am not here to soothe you ,” Nobody said, empty words ringing hollow in the space that surrounded him. “ Birth requires pain; it is the law of Creation .” 

 

That’s nice of her, Adrien grumbled, trying to turn himself in the direction of the voice. ...what do I need to do to leave here? 

 

“ That is not the right question ,” Nobody said. “ Rather...the question is who do you need to be to leave .” 

 

Who do I need to be? Adrien thought. I can’t be anything other than who I am. 

 

“ Indeed ,” Nobody said. “ Are you the kind of being who can leave here ?” 

 

Adrien stared blankly into space, mind drifting as the plain white nothing seemed to press in on all sides, soaking into his core like coffee soaked into a biscuit. How am I supposed to do it? I...I don’t have a body anymore...and I can’t exactly grow a new one.

 

“ Can you not ?” Nobody asked, sounding genuinely curious. 

 

I’m the chosen of Destruction, not Creation, Adrien thought. 

 

“ Is that how you perceive us ?” Nobody asked. “ Separate ?” 

---

Marinette took a deep, shuddering breath, pulling herself out of the ball she had curled into as the last wail of anguish, grief, and despair rippled over the waters that surrounded her. She had lived a long, full life with people that loved her in ways that she didn’t know was possible. Now they were gone; drowned under the waves of possibility as Marinette sat wondering what exactly she was supposed to do now. 

 

“Okay…” Marinette sniffed, pushing herself to her feet on the lone patch of roof in the middle of the sea. “Think... think …” 

 

“Think...think…” Marinette whipped around to see a strange black and red bird perched on the roof next to her, head cocked to one side as it regarded her with curious blue eyes. 

 

“Think...think…” The bird croaked in a crude imitation of human speech. 

 

“I’m trying ,” Marinette grumbled, too tired to question why a bird of all things had decided to annoy her. 

 

“ Try...try…” The bird chirped, hopping off the edge of the roof towards the water. Marinette gave a startled cry as the waves parted, revealing a tiny toy-sized ship the bird hopped into. A little flag unfurled from the mast and Marinette watched as an invisible wind caught the sails, carrying it further away from her rooftop. 

 

“Wait!” Marinette called, leaning forward as a large, bio-luminescent eye opened beneath the waves beneath her. Marinette fell back, landing on her palms as she watched a large row of twinkling lights ignite along the back of a great sea monster that slowly made its way in the same direction as the bird. One by one, lights under the waves came to life; dozens, then hundreds. Then it seemed as though the stars above her had fallen into the water as the entire ocean glowed with the light of millions and millions of sea-creatures all swimming towards the horizon.  A distant and mournful whale-song echoing throughout the world in a chorus that beckoned Marinette to follow. 

 

Marinette slowly got to her feet, glaring at the water that she could feel teeming with so much potential. “Okay, come on...you made Paris without even thinking about it...you can make yourself a boat .” 

 

Closing her eyes, Marinette focused on the image of Luka’s old houseboat, remembering sitting in his lap as he let her steer it down the river. She could remember the jerky, uncontrolled way she moved it, how she had to wrench the wooden steering wheel to get the thing to go. For all it’s modern amenities, she could remember the old-fashioned pirate-style helm that felt so cool and smooth in her hands. 

 

Marinette stepped off the roof, weight settling on something hard and wooden as she opened her eyes to see a crude, hazy recreation of the old boat. If she strained her ears, she could make out the distant sound of Luka’s fingertips working through the chords of a new song he hadn’t quite figured out yet. She didn’t dare venture below the deck for fear of what she might find, instead stepping up to the helm and turning the key in the ignition. There was no engine roar but the vessel lurched forward all the same, gliding under Marinette’s touch as she stared blankly at the horizon in front of her. 

 

In spite of everything, Marinette felt herself relaxing as the world opened up in front of her, closing her eyes as the distant song of Creation pulled her ever forward. 

---

Amidst the chaos and carnage of battle, Tigress’ heart sang .

 

She fell like a stone from the top of a building, skewering a Talon Trooper with her trident. With a hiss, she lurched forward, flinging the impaled creature at a pack of its comrades who all tumbled over in a heap. A large, glowing blue tiger seemed to form out of the air around her, pouncing on a Talon Trooper that had come around her blind side. A shadow passed overhead as Bluebird leapt off his fan, splitting it in two with a flick of his wrists and landing in a crouch in front of her as the Talon Troopers got back to their feet. Crossing his arms, he swung the paired fans in an arc in front of him, wind picking up and hurtling the monsters back into the river. 

 

“I think the term for that is kill stealing,” Tigress grumbled, collapsing her trident. 

 

“They’re not dead yet,” Bluebird said, sticking his tongue out at his sister as a low humming sound filled the air. The perplexed looking monsters wheeled around as a large, ominous looking pirate ship crawled out of the water, glowing technicolor cannons aimed at the monsters. 

 

“Power up the bass cannons!” Captain Hardrock’s voice called from the deck of the ship. Mayura quickly assembled his fan back into his largest form, unfurling it in front of Tigress and himself as he jammed his hands over his ears. “Fire!” 

 

Bluebird’s teeth rattled as soundwaves rocked their enemies, bouncing them back and splattering them into shapeless black goo on the walls behind Tigress. Ears ringing, Bluebird dropped his fan in time to be enveloped in a crushing superpowered hug. 

 

“You’re alright…” Captain Hardrock mumbled, arms wrapped tightly around Bluebird’s chest as he stumbled backwards, gently encircling his mother in a hug. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Bluebird muttered, tears pricking at his eyes as he hugged his mother tighter. “I should have told you what was going on...I should have-” 

 

A building over the river collapsed as Stoneheart fell backwards, ensnared by a web of grasping roots that Hawkmoth seemed to be manipulating with the bulbous red arm that held the Ladybug Miraculous. 

 

“Talk later,” Captain Hardrock said, wiping her eyes as she nodded back to the boat. “Let’s show Hawkmoth what happens when you mess with our family!” 

---

Creation and Destruction...they’re totally different things, aren’t they? Adrien thought. 

 

“ Yes ,” Nobody said. “As different as an eye and a finger .” 

 

Distinct...and part of a greater whole, Adrien mused, trying to remember what it felt like to touch anything or even-

 

The world flickered as Adrien blinked . 

 

Adrien’s focus seemed to come back just a little, a dull throbbing pain coming from...somewhere as he honed in on that sensation of blinking ; such a basic action that now served as a lifeline to the world he knew. Adrien focused on that creeping sensation, concentrating with all of his might as he pulled on it like a thread. The more he focused, the sharper the pain became, until he could almost feel the burning along fingertips that no longer existed. 

 

Come on… Adrien thought, willing himself to focus on something else; on the beat of his heart or his breath or-

 

The pain flickered, blossoming into a perfect green mote of flame that interrupted the nothingness, asserting itself in the void of uncaring oblivion. 

 

“ Is this not Creation ?” Nobody asked as the flame flickered and spread, singing the white tapestry around him. “Is this not Destruction ?” 

 

Adrien breathed through a mouth that wasn’t there and the fire spread, blistering heat rising with every breath. He tried to force it to spread further—to erase the nothingness that surrounded him and return him to reality— but it flickered back into nothingness, snuffing out and returning the world to colorless emptiness. 

 

Fighting down frustration, Adrien reached out again, fumbling for the familiar feeling of warmth that could kindle the dry abyss around him. Slowly, he could feel the flame forming, taking shape as it snagged on the corner of something immaterial. 

 

Can Nothing even be destroyed? Adrien thought, waiting for an answer that didn’t come. Or can it only be replaced with something new?

 

Biting his lip, he pushed a little harder, focusing on the memory of heat and the smell of crackling flames as he forced the last embers of his soul to spread and take shape. Like branching vines, the fire snaked across the field of white in front of him, crossing in webs and patterns Adrien didn’t fully understand. The fire seemed somehow closer now; as though the farthest reaches of the universe were no closer than the tips of his fingers. 

 

“ Vessel of Destruction ,” Nobody said as nothing became drowned in a sea of green tinged flames. “ Who are you ?” 

 

Silence had been swallowed in a din of flame crackling and roaring like a bellowing dragon. Green blistering flames wreathed around Adrien’s consciousness, forming a familiar shape. 

 

I’m an idiot, Adrien thought as the flames almost laughed in delight. A failure...I’m too emotional...I get frustrated when things don’t go my way...I think I still need to learn how to be a good friend...but I try. 

 

Adrien felt a weight settle on his consciousness as the flames compressed into an emerald sun that cast a pale, sickening light on the world around him. Ghoulish shadows danced on the edge of reality, hideous faces almost grinning at him. 

 

I couldn’t stop my partner from betraying me... Adrien thought, a bitter spike of pain coursing through him as Adrien’s grip on that thing grew even stronger. I couldn’t stop my father from destroying himself...I can’t go two weeks without getting hurt or getting in the way during a fight...but I never stop showing up…I never give up. 

 

There were a few irrefutable facts about the universe; things on which reality was so fundamentally pinned that they served as touchstones for certainty. The sun rose and set in observable patterns, the tides came in and out in accordance with the moon. The wind blew, the birds flew, mayflies spawned and mated and died en mass. 

 

And Adrien Agreste didn’t give up. 

 

A nameless and holy terror spread out of the cracks in the void, seeping into the world as Adrien pulled himself closer and closer to rebirth. And Adrien’s heart delighted in it. 

 

That’s right...that’s who I am...I’m…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m Chat Noir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Stoneheart roared in frustration as he struggled to pull the vines that slowly entombed him off, clawing at the ground as Hawkmoth clenched his fist. Around them, the trees and the plants all sucked the lumbering champion inside like every other person in Paris and with a snap of his fingers, Stoneheart seemed to vanish far underground, dragged towards the heart of the tree where Hawkmoth kept his prisoners. 

 

“When are you going to learn ?” Hawkmoth snarled, claw raising as Miraculer dove at him, baton extended and swatted her to one side with a flick of his wrist. His wings unfurled, beating back a frigid wind as he bore down on her, plants snaking out of the ground to entomb her…

 

A sudden flash of pain ripped through Hawkmoth’s arm as he looked down to see a thousand angry bees stinging and swarming around his arm, pricking him and buzzing in his face. Snarling in anger, he staggered backwards, swinging his claw through the bees that vanished in a puff of orange smoke. 

 

“The fox …” Hawkmoth snarled, turning to see Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee behind him. “You gain nothing by this...you are only wasting your time and prolonging my victory.” 

 

“Upsetting you is prize enough,” Rena Rouge said, leaping to one side as Hawkmoth reached out, vines snaking from his hand to snare her. Carapace caught the vines on his shield, deflecting them and creating an opening for Queen Bee to zip through. Her chain unspooled from her hand, dragging along the ground as she flew up and looped it around his wrist. 

 

“ Gethimgethimgethim !” Queen Bee shrieked as Carapace lunged, swelling in size as he snagged Hawkmoth around the waist and held him tight. 

 

“Luka, need a lift,” Monarch said, glancing down at the battle beneath her. Taking a deep breath, she took a running jump, sword clutched in one hand as she saw a familiar blue blur leap off the deck of a boat, soar over the river, and snag Monarch before she could hit the ground. 

 

“You think I could turn this into an air-taxi gig?” Bluebird chuckled, placing Monarch on the front of his fan and steadying her with his hands on his hips. Pulling out of the dive, the pair hurtled towards Hawkmoth’s arm, Monarch’s sword flashing from its sheath as they passed. Monarch felt the sword connect, felt the blade go into Hawkmoth’s Ladybug arm, and then felt it ripped from her hand as it failed to pass cleanly through the mass of muscle and bone, embedding like a stuck needle in his arm as his other claw rose and clipped the side of Bluebird’s fan. Jerking to one side, Monarch felt Bluebird wrap himself around her, rolling with a hard thud as they bounced off the ground and came to a stop at Rena Rouge’s feet. With a hideous snarl, Hawkmoth yanked Queen Bee as hard as he could, spiking her down into Carapace, leaving Rena Rouge the only hero left standing. 

 

“A clever little game,” Hawkmoth sneered, wings flaring as he approached Rena Rouge. “But you’re no Ladybug, Mme. Cesaire.” 

 

“The world doesn’t need any more Ladybugs,” Rena Rouge said, gripping her flute tightly. “And as long as there’s one hero left in Paris, you are never going to get what you want.” 

 

“Well that’s an easy problem to solve, isn’t it?!” Hawkmoth snarled, claw crackling as he prepared to destroy Rena Rouge.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the world changed. 

 

The frenzied fighting in the streets of Paris came to a jarring halt, heroes and Hawkmoth blanching as the sensation that something was coming thrummed through the air like a silent chord. Instantly, a hush fell over the assembled forces as they looked at each other, glancing around for a source of the unease that seized their hearts. 

 

Then the sun dimmed. 

 

The cresting morning sun darkened as the moon pulled itself from its usual orbit, dragging itself inch by inch across the sky until it moved across the sun. Shadows grew into vast pools of darkness as the flickering flames of the fading sun tinged a sickly, unnatural shade of green. Rena Rouge instinctively drew herself closer to her partners as the flames of the pale eclipse seemed to bleed out of the sky, dripping down like a waterfall of flame from the heavens that pooled on the streets below.

 

The Talon Troopers felt it first, hissing and shrieking in terror as they backed away from the vast column of fire that stretched down from the sun. Then Hawkmoth felt it next, resonating in his ring with an eerie frequency that seemed to rob him of all courage. It settled like a stone in his stomach; a cold iron ball of dread that anchored him to the ground. 

 

High above the city, Firebird felt it next, a grin of pure, religious jubilation and terror splitting her face. Tears of joy, relief, and fear rolled down her cheeks as she savored the scent of the apocalypse. 

 

Then all at once, every living thing in the entire world, from the smallest insect to the most powerful creatures, felt what Hawkmoth and Firebird felt.

 

Deer knew it as the feeling of being cornered by a hungry wolf with a broken leg and no escape. The sturgeon felt itself being clasped in the jaws of a hungry shark. Cockroaches skittered and flittered about as they felt as though a great boot was coming out of the sky to crush them all. 

 

The human race invented language to name the things they could not understand, and at that moment, only two words could accurately sum up the way they felt. 

 

Oh fuck. 

 

It was a wordless, primal fear that had no name; a fear that had been with them since they had taken their first breath. It was the fear that caused a rabbit to run from a wolf; the fear of Pompeii who saw Vesuvius explode and could do nothing but cling to each other as their destruction rained down on them. It was a flight reflex without any thought of fight; only an instinctive urge to flee as fast as their legs would take them. It was the fear that the end of everything had arrived and that they were powerless to stop it. 

 

Then through the flames, he came. 

 

A shadow flickered and took form, melting into the shape of a man who stepped through the curtain of black and green flames. His normally unruly hair was delicately coiffed and parted to one side, its usual shade of golden blonde now an ashen platinum hue that bordered on white. Around his neck, a green scarf that seemed to glow with a fire all its own fluttered in the non-existent breeze as he stepped back into Paris. A black jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow whipped behind him, the plush white lining visible with every step he took. The staccato footsteps of polished black boots echoed in the empty streets; his fingerless gloves clenched into fists at his side as he approached, glowing green eyes locked with a single minded focus on Hawkmoth. 

 

“I don’t believe it…” Rena Rouge said, heart lifting as the figure came into view. 

 

“...impossible,” Hawkmoth muttered as the figure came to a stop a few dozen meters away. The moon receded as the green flame dissipated, the sun once again returning to Paris. 

 

“...son?” Hawkmoth breathed, taking a hesitant step forward. “Is that...is it really you?” 

 

Gorizilla’s eyes widened, glancing between the monster he knew to be his employer and the young man whose eyes flickered like miniature stars. 

 

“Is that really Adrien?” Bluebird asked. Monarch squinted at the silent figure in black, scanning a face that looked familiar enough for any sign that the creature before her was the same person she knew. 

 

“I...I know this seems bad,” Hawkmoth continued, holding his hands up as Chat Noir looked up at him with an impassive look of anger on his face. “I can’t even begin to guess what you may think of me...but I promise you that everything I’ve done has been for us...everything has been for-” 

 

A crackling black and green fist materialized behind Chat Noir, slamming into Hawkmoth’s face and sending him reeling across the street with a howl of pain. A second arm materialized over Chat Noir’s shoulder, knuckles cracking as he advanced on Hawkmoth’s position. 

 

“Give...Plagg... back!” Chat Noir howled, phantasmal fists clenching overhead and coming down hard on the monster’s prone form. The street splintered, asphalt shattering and stone crumbling to pebbles as Hawkmoth went down into the bowels of the city, Chat Noir falling fast after him. 

Notes:

Me: hey, let's write a few chapters with four intersecting storylines
My ADHD brain: yeah man cool, there's no way this will take like three months to do!

Anyway, at least one branch has been pruned off the Story Tree. Adrien is back to spank his daddy, but is Chat Noir enough this time? Can Ladybug make it back in time to save the world?

...I mean probably but we'll see how it shakes out.

Next time I can promise at least 50% less Confusing Metaphysical Horse Apples and 50% more Barely Concealed Daddy Issues. The Agreste Arc is drawing to a close people!

Bonus: Go check out some T&C art of Monster!Gabe @lunarescapades did on Tumblr! (https://lunarescapades.tumblr.com/post/620836598472441856/sketch-pile-time-some-bitches-just-wanna-play)

Chapter 46: Cosmic Love

Notes:

Alternative title was "Stardust Genius" but I felt that was too TRANQUILO for this chapter.

The Catacombs of Paris lay silent as the battle raged overhead, dust fluttering off the rows of skulls that had stood as silent witnesses to Paris’ history. Blank, impassive eyes stared straight ahead as the street above them rumbled and shook. 

 

Then all at once, the ceiling caved in, asphalt and concrete raining down in a shower of rubble as Hawkmoth came crashing through the street, propelled by the force of Chat Noir’s blow. 

 

For the first time since attaining ultimate power, Hawkmoth's head touched the floor as a floating celestial fist smashed into his skull. The twisting pain in his chest seemed to amplify as he pushed himself off the ground, 

 

“Adrien…” Hawkmoth coughed, teetering to his spindly insectoid legs as Chat Noir marched forward, tears of anger years in the making running freely down his face as he stared at his father with a look of unmatched contempt. “Wait...please! I have a plan...a plan to bring your mother back to life...I just need-” 

 

“You just need to draw the life out of everyone in the city to do it!” Chat Noir spat, hair raising in irritation. “You need to kill all my friends and destroy the whole world to do it, you selfish- ” 

 

Hawkmoth’s head jerked right as Chat Noir’s phantom fist slammed into his skull. 

 

“ -arrogant !” Hawkmoth’s head snapped the other direction, shattering a wall of skulls. 

 

“-miserable excuse for a father !” Chat Noir howled, fist cocking back and hurling a phantasmal right cross at Hawkmoth’s head. Hawkmoth’s long, lumbering Ladybug arm raised to catch the fist before it could connect with his face, but Chat Noir was already moving, a black sword materializing from thin air and slicing straight for his side.

 

The Black Cat claw raised in its own defense, crackling with black energy as Hawkmoth intercepted Fang’s blade. The Cataclysm crackled along Fang’s edge, electric energy arcing along the blade as he and Chat Noir fought for dominance over Destruction. The sound of bending steel alerted Chat Noir a split second before the blade shattered in his hands, leaving him clutching a broken hilt as he was pushed backwards and knocked against the wall of human remains. 

 

The tips of his sword fell from Hawkmoth’s fingers, slicing through the floor and disappearing into the earth as the walls around them rippled with corrosive energy. 

 

“Everything I have done,” Hawkmoth said, irritation dripping into his voice. “I have done for our family!” 

 

“ I’m your family !” Chat Noir hissed, voice echoing off the bare, uncaring walls of the catacombs. “We could have been a family! But you never cared about trying to move on, did you?! You didn't care about the family you had, did you?! I’ve been here this whole time and you never gave a shit about me!” 

 

“Do not take that tone of voice with me,” Hawkmoth snarled, swelling in height as the roots of the great trees poked through the walls at his command. “This is a waste of time ; we should be helping your mother by ridding this city of those who would try and stop her revival!” 

 

Chat Noir stowed Fang’s broken hilt in its scabbard, fingers crackling with energy as a cold silver baton materialized between his fingers. “Even now...even after what you’ve done to yourself, you can’t let her go, can you?” 

 

“I could ask you the same question,” Hawkmoth said, all nine eyes narrowing at his son. “Haven’t you fought Ladybug’s battles long enough?” 

 

"I seem to remember someone else picking those fights,” Chat Noir said, eyes flickering in the darkness as he looked over Hawkmoth’s twisted form. His rejuvenated eye burned in its socket, continuously flickering back to the wound on Hawkmoth’s chest. It seemed as though something was trying to pull him apart and only through constant effort was he able to keep himself stitched together. 

 

“Four years of partnership,” Hawkmoth sneered. “If you can call it that...and she turns on you. Betrays you; the only reason she cares about you is because you’re her precious little love.” 

 

“Well, at least somebody cares about Adrien Agreste,” Chat Noir sneered, extending his staff with a flourish. “And you’re seriously touched in the head if you think the only reason I’m here is to win Ladybug’s approval; no...at this point, Ladybug has nothing to do with it. This... this is a family matter now!” 

---

Master He quietly opened the palm of her hand as Master Fu passed her a note. 

 

“Let that be the last time you bet against my student,” Master He chuckled, tucking the money into her breast pocket as they watched the battle unfold from the Crane’s Sanctuary. 

 

“Let us hope that Ladybug will follow shortly,” Master Fu said with a grim scowl. 

 

“Why; afraid Adrien will handle things before she gets here?” Master He chuckled, earning an uncharacteristically dark look from Master Fu. 

 

“Adrien’s return means that there are at least two massive sources of Destruction energy in this universe at the same time ,” Master Fu said, gripping his cane uneasily. “The world is precariously out of balance and the longer Chat Noir and Hawkmoth remain unchecked, the worse things are going to become. There is no telling what might happen!” 

 

“It must be exhausting being so concerned all the time,” Master He sighed, patting Master Fu on the head. “Honestly; what does it get you? The ability to smugly say ‘I told you so’ on the off chance something goes wrong? Would it kill you to be a little more-” 

 

A screen on the far side of the Sanctuary flashed red as a map of the world suddenly lit up, dozens of red dots arcing across almost every continent. One by one, the lights flickered on as Master He quietly reached out and touched a dot. The screen shifted, showing a scene of a heavy stone door that was slowly crumbling bit by bit until it shattered, a set of glowing red eyes peering out of the darkness. 

 

“No…” Master He said, flicking to another screen that showed a bundle of tightly wound rope slowly uncoiling as a bony hand clawed itself free. 

 

“Do you know how delicate it is to bind an evil spirit?” Master Fu muttered, watching six hundred years of work slowly unravel before his eyes. “How even the slightest shift in the energy of the cosmos can upset the seals and wards we crafted to keep our enemies contained?” 

 

Master He’s cellphone started buzzing on the table where she left it, her open laptop pinging as dozens of emails, messages, and notifications started flooding her personal address. 

 

“I would spend that money quickly if I were you,” Master Fu said grimly, eyes drifting up to the Ladybug Miraculous etched into the ceiling. “You might not get a chance if Ladybug doesn’t pull through.” 

---

The lights in the water beneath her and the lights wheeling high overhead were so similar in shape and color that it looked like Marinette’s little dinghy was sailing through space. 

 

How long she had been behind the wheel, she couldn’t say; hunger and thirst didn’t touch her and no matter how far she seemed to travel, her body was no wearier than it had been when she set foot on the boat. Towards the horizon, the Milky Way seemed to dip into the ocean like a bridge made of light that strangely seemed to grow closer and closer the longer Marinette sailed. 

 

The distant whale-song and Luka’s imaginary guitar riffs were slowly joined by what sounded like drumming and thin reedy instruments playing. Marinette turned and nearly fell backwards as the largest boat she had ever seen in her life glided past, casting a dark shadow over Marinette’s own boat. It was easily a few miles long at its longest point and from end to end it looked to be as wide as a football pitch. Carved out of a light, pale colored wood, the entire structure was covered in thick foliage. Palms reached up to scratch the heavens while vines trailed down from the deck of the boat to skim the surface of the waves. Music in a language Marinette didn’t understand wafted from the deck where a dozen shades danced and played instruments. 

 

Marinette stared at them as though looking through fogged glass, watching a girl in the middle whirl and twirl, her long locks of hair wheeling around her as she danced. For a moment, her eyes opened, meeting Marinette’s in a moment that lingered forever. Without even knowing the girl’s name, she knew who she was, and as her ship sailed past, Marinette’s eyes never left the dancing shape in the middle. 

 

“Ladybug…” Marinette muttered. 

 

“ Ladybug...Ladybug…” Marinette looked up to see the strange red bird from earlier now perched on the windowsill, head cocked and regarding Marinette with curious blue eyes. Outside, she could make out the shapes of other boats of varying shapes and sizes, all skimming past her and headed towards the same direction. A large, three-masted galleon with sails of red and black sailed under the command of a woman whose hair was so vibrant, Marinette could spot it from almost a mile away. Closer was a smaller viking-style ship, rowed by a warrior whose face was painted with red and black paint. Still closer was a smaller raft with a tattered sail, bearing a sandy-haired young woman who was sharpening a longsword and muttering some kind of prayer to herself. 

 

“Are they...coming with me?” Marinette asked the bird. 

 

“They...me…” The bird responded, cutting and pasting Marinette’s words together to formulate a response. 

 

“Okay...can you tell me where we’re going?” Marinette chanced, noticing that regardless of whether or not her hands were on the helm, the boat seemed to know where it needed to go. 

 

“ Going...h...ome,” the bird croaked, voice bending around unfamiliar syllables. 

 

“Home...home, yeah, that’s where I need to go,” Marinette said, kneeling down until she was on eye level with the bird. “What do I need to do in order to get there?” 

 

“ Be...be…” The bird coughed. “Ladybug…” 

 

Be Ladybug? Marinette stood up, watching the ships around her sail further and further out of sight, as though the brilliant galaxy reflected on the water was swallowing them. “I am Ladybug…” 

 

“ Are...you?” The bird asked. 

 

“I…” Marinette stared into the water beneath them, watching fish and stranger things swirl beneath her boat. “I was...but lately, I haven’t been acting the part.” 

 

Marinette leaned on the edge of the boat, staring at her worn, tired reflection in the water. “I tried to find a way out of all this but I just ended up getting trapped in a web of my own creation. Hawkmoth used me to bring us both down and I just... let him.” 

 

Marinette shook her head. “Maybe I can’t be Ladybug anymore…” 

 

The bird was silent for a long moment. “You...made this…” The bird chirped, tapping the boat with its claw. 

 

“Is that what Ladybug is? A boatmaker and creator of... silly fantasies?” Marinette snapped, blinking back tears. “Then maybe I don’t deserve to be Ladybug!” 

 

“Deserve?” Marinette’s head snapped up to find the bird replaced by a young woman in a dark red sun-dress, head resting on her knee as she regarded Marinette with curious blue eyes. “Who ever said this was something you deserve ?” 

 

Marinette’s throat went dry at the sight of her. “...Tikki?” 

---

The street erupted in a shower of stone and asphalt as Chat Noir and Hawkmoth rocketed up out of the ground, landing in a crouch on the banks of the Seine. The water from the river began spilling through the hole they had made, pooling deep underground as Hawkmoth and Chat Noir regarded each other, breathing hard

 

“There…” Hawkmoth panted, clutching the throbbing black claw against his chest almost delicately. “You’ve had your fun...now...if you would-” 

 

Hawkmoth raised the Ladybug’s arm, intercepting a ball of green flames Chat Noir hurled at his head, leaping back as a silvery spear uncoiled itself and thrust at his chin. He misjudged the length and a thin trickle of reddish blood slipped from the slash on Hawkmoth’s cheek. Fingers trembling, Hawkmoth reached up to touch the spot with a ginger wince. 

 

“You...you could have killed me,” Hawkmoth said as though he was just now realizing that he was in a fight for his life. 

 

“Every week for the past four years, you have tried to kill me,” Chat Noir growled, brandishing his spear in Hawkmoth’s direction. 

 

“If I had known-” 

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Marinette gave me that whole ‘if I knew I was supposed to care about you, I would have’ speech already,” Chat Noir said, cracking his neck with a wince. “Not as strong of an argument as you think it is; it’s generally not a good thing to kill teenagers for their accessories.” 

 

“Adrien would…” Hawkmoth’s features took a dark turn, eyes bulging in anger as he stared at the thing that had replaced his sweet little boy. The tall, cold-eyed creature looked at him in a way that Adrien had never looked at him, even at his angriest. 

 

“You’re not my son…” Hawkmoth spat. “Adrien would never hurt me in such a way...what have you done with him?!” 

 

“How the hell would you know what your son would or would not do?!” Chat Noir hissed. “Even if I wasn’t your son anymore, there is no way you would know because you never knew your son in the first place!” 

 

"Do you think I enjoyed separating myself from you?!" Hawkmoth spat, slamming his fist against the ground in irritation. "Do try and grow up. The closer you were to me, the more likely you might be looked at as a suspect as well! I was trying to protect you!":

 

"I am...so sick of people trying to protect me!" Chat Noir hissed. "I am so sick of being the reason that everyone I care about has gone crazy! It doesn't have to be like this!" 

 

Some of the fury left Chat Noir's eyes, enough for Hawkmoth to meet them without pain. "Father...look at yourself," Chat Noir said, the pity in his voice stinging worse than his blows. "Look at what you've done to the world...is this the world you want Mother to see? Broken and twisted by her husband's greed?" 

 

"It is...too late to alter course now," Hawkmoth muttered darkly. "I knew this path would end in ruination...but I accept the cost on my body and soul if it means my love will live again." 

 

"And you'd fight your own son if he got in the way," Chat Noir said, blinking as though seeing his father for the first time. 

 

"Your mother and I...can make another," Hawkmoth said, voice hard with grim determination. 

 

"Not...like...me," Chat Noir muttered, blinking back a wave of tears as he gripped his spear tighter. 

---

Tikki stared down at Marinette with an unreadable expression on her human face, bare feet swinging back and forth as she dangled over the edge of the railing. She didn’t even know what to say to her oldest partner; didn’t even have the words to properly express the shame and guilt that gnawed at her soul like termites. Every time she tried, the words seemed to fail at describing the depth of her feelings. 

 

“After everything you’ve done...after everything you’ve been through, do you really think that the power of the Miraculous is some kind of reward?” Tikki muttered, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. “A prize for the deserving?” 

 

Marinette was silent as Tikki dropped to the deck, her diminutive human figure towering over Marinette’s knelt form. 

 

“Power is a responsibility, Marinette,” Tikki said, a gentle scolding tone creeping into her voice. “You have it...and it’s your responsibility to master it. Nobody is coming to take your toys away for being a bad girl; if any justice is to come out of this, it will be partly of your making.” 

 

“How?” Marinette asked, gesturing around to the empty sea around her. “I woke up married to the man of my dreams with a beautiful family and now I’m floating in the middle of a cosmic ocean hoping that the direction I’m going is the one I’m supposed to be following...people are asking me to act, but I don’t have the answers yet-” 

 

Marinette winced as Tikki leaned forward, flicking Marinette between her eyes. “Marinette, you reasoned your way into this situation,” Tikki said, leaning forward until she was at eye level. “You’re so smart, that brain of yours is the only thing capable of undoing you. You're so concerned with following the ‘right’ path that when no ‘right’ path exists, you don’t know what to do.” 

 

“That’s…” Marinette trailed off under Tikki’s sharp glare. 

 

“You waited for the ‘right’ time to ask Adrien out, and you never did,” Tikki said. “In trying to derive the ‘right’ way out of this conflict, your calculus blinded you to the reality of Hawkmoth’s evil. For all Adrien’s foolhardiness, he understood that divinity is not a problem to be logically solved.” 

 

“Wait...what about Adrien?” Marinette asked, flinching as Tikki flickered back into the shape of a bird, squawking irritably on the deck until she regained her human form a few seconds later, panting and clutching the rails. “Tikki...what’s happening?” 

 

“Destruction is outweighing Creation,” Tikki panted. “Chat Noir’s return-” 

 

“Adrien’s alive?!” Marinette cried. “I thought...I felt him die…” 

 

“Chat Noir lives his life tweaking the nose of death and running away to fight again,” Tikki chuckled. “Yes...your partner is alive but the power he brought into the world is too much for me and that intolerable serpent to maintain.” 

 

“What serpent ?” Marinette asked, a cold chill passing through her as a large dark shadow floated overhead. She went to look out the side of the boat but Tikki grabbed her, pressing a finger to her lips as she peeked around the edge of the ship. 

 

Above them, blotting out the celestial light with a wingspan that stretched across the heavens, was an enormous dragon, black as night and whose tail was so far beyond the horizon that Marinette could not see it. 

 

“Fifteen years ago, Master Li betrayed his friends and tried to wrest the power of the Ladybug Miraculous away from Master Fu,” Tikki said quietly as the dragon’s cold emerald gaze glared at the sea beneath him. “He was an Immortal; one of the most powerful magicians to ever walk the face of the earth. He failed...but someone else succeeded.” 

 

“Who is it?” Marinette asked, repulsed at the strange sense of kinship she felt with the beast. 

 

“The one called Kaiser Long,” Tikki sniffed. “The self-styled Emperor Dragon that’s been drawing power from Creation for almost as long as you’ve been alive.” 

 

“For what?” Marinette crouched motionless until the shadow passed and the lights of the animals underneath her flickered on once again. 

 

“I don’t want to know, but right now I’m thankful that he’s at least holding his part of Creation to the universe,” Tikki said. “If things stay out of balance for too long, the world as you understand it will be changed...and not for the better.” 

 

“Just tell me what I need to do then!” Marinette pleaded, trying to grab Tikki’s wrist but only closing around empty air as her form shimmered. “How do I find the way out of here?!” 

 

Tikki cocked her head to the side, as though she were confused by the question. “...there is no way out of here.” 

 

Marinette’s heart plummeted. “What?” 

 

“Never has been,” Tikki said, image starting to fade just a little. “Never will be...unless-” 

 

“Tikki, wait, I’m-” Tikki’s form flickered out, leaving Marinette staring blankly at the horizon in the middle of a silent sea. 

 

“...of course,” Marinette muttered, glancing down at her hands. “No way out...unless someone creates one.” 

---

Monarch clutched her cane’s empty scabbard as she watched Hawkmoth and Chat Noir clash across the river. The existential sense of dread that accompanied his return was gone but in its place was a far more personal concern that seemed to be shared by Carapace. 

 

“You...think it’s him?” Carapace asked her quietly. 

“Of course it is,” Queen Bee said firmly, the crease in her brow betraying her uncertainty. “Has to be.” 

 

“Yeah, but Master Fu said-” 

 

“Master Fu said a lot of things,” Monarch muttered, chewing on her lip. “Some, of which, were wrong. Maybe-” 

 

“Hey,” Rena Rouge’s voice drew their attention away from the battle. “Look...I know you guys are worried, but this isn’t the time to sit around wringing our hands. Those scaly things are still running rampant and we need to figure out where Hawkmoth is keeping the people he kidnapped.” 

 

“Well...if I was a betting guy,” Bluebird said, nodding his head in the direction of the tree that had grown from the Agreste’s mansion. “Last time I...or, rather, Mayura, saw his wife, she was in some kinda box under the house. Can’t tell you why, but seeing as how Hawkmoth likes keeping things where he can control them, my guess is that they’d be over there.” 

 

“Could be a lot of places to keep them,” Tigress countered. “Paris is a big city-” 

 

“No...he’s right,” Monarch said, a glowing purple mask over her face. “I can tell where Stoneheart is...they took him to-” 

 

Monarch let out a soft cry, stumbling to her knees as the plants around them pulsed with unnatural energy. “What happened?” Bluebird asked, kneeling down to help pull Monarch back to her feet. 

 

“I...I don’t know,” Monarch muttered, shaking her head. “But I could feel... something drawing out Stoneheart’s power. I think...I think Hawkmoth is using them like human batteries.” 

 

“What, he’s trying to suck their lives away?” Tigress asked. “Why?” 

 

“His wife,” Monarch, Queen Bee, and Carapace said at almost the same time. 

 

“You think he can heal Adrien’s mom by, what, vampire-ing the whole city?” Bluebird asked. 

 

“Whatever he can and can’t do isn’t relevant,” Rena Rouge interjected. “Hawkmoth has our friends and neighbors captive and is trying to kill them; our priority needs to be rescuing them before he succeeds.” 

 

“What if he needs help?” Queen Bee asked, jerking her thumb across the river. As she said this, a large, mangled sedan was hurled through air, coated with green flames as it crashed through Hawkmoth’s barrier of vines. Through the haze, Monarch could make out the shape of Chat Noir climbing on Hawkmoth’s back and pummeling him in the head as he tried to knock him off. 

 

“I think he can handle himself,” Rena Rouge said, turning to her team. “Let’s figure out how to bring our people home.” 

---

“ I’m just sayin’ we got a whole mess of nasties poppin’ off on our end; woulda been nice knowin’ that we needed to brace for this kinda thing.” 

 

“Things are...evolving right now,” Master He said, wiping her brow as she paced back and forth on the dias. On the other end, she could hear the sounds of a pitched battle taking place. “Everything should correct itself shortly; please just try and stay out of harm's way.” 

 

“With respect ma’am, these things kinda crashed a weddin’ rehearsal and the bride is takin’ her matrimonial jitters out on the crashers,” the voice on the other end of her cellphone said as the tell-tale sound of flames roaring and inhuman screeches of pain. “I’m more worried about them than us, but I’ll see if I can reason with her...awwwww hell, who gave her the Hanabi-!” 

 

A distant boom signaled the end of the conversation as Master He flipped her phone closed. "So that's...Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, and Berlin all reporting anomalies," Master He sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily. "New York is holding firm but I'm worried that Tokyo might not last the night..." 

 

“You really should get a new phone,” Master Fu said, eyeing Master He’s ancient flip-phone with a raise of his brow. "I know an antique dealer that might be interested in that." 

 

“ That’s what you’re worried about right now?” Master He said, staring up at the map of the world covered in red. “The world is in chaos !” 

 

“I know,” Master Fu said. 

 

“We have to do something!” 

 

“What are we going to do?” Master Fu shrugged. “Our capacity to affect this situation became limited the moment we introduced powers we could not control. Now we must simply hold out hope that Marinette succeeds in her mission as well.  ” 

 

“And if she doesn't?” Master He asked, leaning on the table. “I don’t understand how this is happening so quickly…we knew that Destruction could cause local instability, but to have it affect the entire world like this-.” 

 

“Chat Noir and Hawkmoth both embody the power of destruction,” Master Fu said. “And only Hawkmoth embodies the power of Creation, so-” 

 

“So, our wards shouldn’t be dissolving this quickly,” Master He sighed, running a hand through her hair as she stared at a screen flickering with numbers. “And not on this scale. This decay doesn’t make sense; it’s moving like there’s more than…” 

 

A tense, uncomfortable silence filled the room as Master Fu and Master He slowly looked at one another. 

 

“Like what?” Master Fu asked. 

 

“Like there’s...a third Avatar of Destruction somewhere in the world,” Master He said quietly. "At least, that's what the math seems to suggest." 

 

“Impossible.” 

 

“Is it?” Master He said. “Adrien managed to harness Destruction without a Miraculous-” 

 

“Adrien had the training of an Immortal sorcerer, and...” Master Fu stopped himself as cold realization slid down his back. “...did you share any of your theories with Li before he died? Anything at all?” 

 

Master He looked down and Master Fu saw the sum of his fears realized on her face. “...he was our friend once...we talked about a great many things,” Master He said, rubbing her eyes. “But without the Sanctuary, I don’t understand how they…” 

 

"Doesn't matter how right now," Master Fu sighed. "I'm afraid the situation is worse than we thought..." 

 

Master He slumped over in a chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. “His student...Kaiser Long...he’s tied to Destruction?” 

 

“Possibly...but if that were the case we would have seen this imbalance years ago,” Master Fu sighed, the awful reality of their situation slowly dawning on him. “Kaiser Long has been supporting Hawkmoth for some time; at least four years. If he were an active Avatar of Destruction, we would have seen things slip out of balance much sooner...so why haven't we?" 

 

Master He put her head in her hands. “There’s only one answer that makes sense…”

 

“Someone else is balancing Kaiser Long out,” Master Fu said grimly. “Someone wielding the opposing Power to keep the world in a state of harmony."

 

"You're saying that Li...trained two pupils?" Master He said.

 

"The last thing Li ever tried to do was take the Ladybug and Black Cat from us..." Master Fu said. "What if he already had new wielders in mind? What if he was training them before he died?” 

 

“And what if they did what he could never do?” Master He said, leaning her head back and staring at the ceiling with a bitter laugh. “...you know, it’s funny but...I thought at a certain age we would be immune to thoughtlessness; that stupidity was a trapping of mortality we shed after a few centuries but...this really goes to show that you can be an idiot at any age.” 

---

“Incredible, isn’t it?” 

 

Firebird leaned over the edge of the roof, watching Hawkmoth and Chat Noir’s battle by tracking the sections of city block that buckled under the force of their blows. She could feel every strike in her chest like a bass note played on the loudest speaker in the world. It resonated with the part of herself she had given to Destruction; the part that watched the battle unfolding with anticipation. 

 

“...something’s wrong,” Kaiser Long panted from over her shoulder. 

 

“Whole lotta things are wrong right now; this is not one of-” Firebird glanced over her shoulder to see her partner down on one knee, face red as though he were straining under an impossibly heavy weight. “...hey, what is it?” 

 

“I don’t know,” Kaiser Long grunted, hands clenched tightly as he struggled to stand up. “Feels like there’s an anchor around my neck; like I’m trying to hold the world up…” 

 

“What?!” Firebird hissed, kneeling down next to her partner. “When did this start?! What’s- !” 

 

Firebird whipped around as Hawkmoth and Chat Noir punched through the ground beneath the river, sending a wave of water washing over the streets as they landed on the riverbank. She had been so caught up on the feeling of Destruction flooding into the world that she didn’t realize it was starting to spill over the edge. “ Shit ... no, we’re all out of balance .” 

 

“It’s too soon,” Kaiser Long wheezed, seemingly struggling for each breath. “Creation is latching on to me to try and balance the scales but I don’t think it’s enough…” 

 

“Perfect…” Firebird muttered, tugging on her flaming red twintails in irritation as she paced back and forth. “Okay...okayokayokay...let me think…” 

 

“We need to trigger the Gjallarhorn,” Kaiser Long panted. “ Now.” 

 

“It’s too soon !” 

 

“We were never going to save everyone,” Kaiser Long said as patiently as he could with all Creation weighing him down. “If it’s time to cash out our chips-” 

 

“We barely have any chips to cash ,” Firebird said, brushing a sweaty lock of hair off of Kaiser Long’s face. “...can you hold on?” 

 

His green reptilian eyes flickered up to meet hers. “...tell me you need me to.” 

 

Firebird cupped Kaiser Long’s face, forehead pressing against his. “Sweetie...I need you to hang in there. Just a little longer.” 

 

“Then I can hang on,” Kaiser Long said, leaning into his partner’s lips as she kissed him. 

 

“And if we live through this, I swear to God, I am taking a whole week off to make you a very happy little lizard,” Firebird purred, arms encircling his shoulders as he leaned his head against her shoulder. 

 

“I have a few...creative ideas about that,” Kaiser Long chuckled, the warmth of his partner’s skin easing the strain ever so slightly. 

 

“I’m sure you do,” Firebird said, playing with his twisted black braid. “Save it for when Ladybug gets back though.” 

 

If Ladybug gets back, Kaiser Long thought, but kept the traitorous feeling to himself. 

---

“Okay...okay, okay, okay, let me think-” 

 

Marinette stopped herself, hands resting on the helm of the ship. “...okay, somehow I need to create a way home...but I can’t think about it...unless this counts as thinking about it?” 

 

Marinette tried to quiet her mind as much as she could, but meditation never came easy to her. She was the kind of person that needed to be in motion; to be doing something or else she wasn’t satisfied. Sitting and simply being was not enough for Marinette, but if Tikki was right, then this was not a problem she was going to solve by rationalizing her way through it. 

 

It’s not a problem to solve, Marinette reminded herself, rocking back and forth as she looked out at the sea that surrounded her. “How can I create a whole city and everyone in it without thinking...and now that I try, I come up empty?” 

 

Marinette glanced down at the spot on her finger where Adrien’s wedding band had sat for so long. She remembered stepping through the door and being surrounded by a clear and beautiful light. Beyond that there were only fifteen years of marriage, parenthood, and work; there was only the creation divorced from the act of creating. Somehow the secret to her freedom lay in the moment she crossed the threshold into Tikki’s Sanctuary. The moment when the mortal made contact with the divine and was empowered by it. 

 

Marinette’s eyes cracked open as the lights from the fish beneath her and the lights from the stars overhead seemed to wink at her. Standing up, she leaned over the edge of the boat, staring down into the swirling sea beneath her. If she looked at it the right way, if she squinted and leaned back until her perception became blurred, it was as though the heavens were beneath her, and above was a sky teeming with life. 

 

And looking up, she could now see that the lights overhead moved in the sky in ways that stars never could. They swirled, twirled, and danced high above her but so close that Marinette felt as though she could reach up and pluck a fat one down for her to eat like a peach. 

 

Eat? Marinette shook her head. Where had that thought come from? Besides, reaching up that high was-

 

Marinette took a deep breath, stilling her mind as she craned her neck upwards. Acting on instinct, she clambered up on to the roof of the wheel house, looking up at each star that hung over her head, studying them for their brightness and trying to determine if one stood out more than the rest. 

 

“Why is this so hard ?” Marinette sighed, rubbing her eyes as she turned her attention away from the train of thought that was always chugging around her brain. 

 

Instead, she turned her eyes to the sky, and without expectation simply beheld creation that was beyond understanding. 

 

There were corners of the universe humanity would never reach; stars they would never study or measure or analyze. And there were stars that had died eons before but whose light was still travelling through the universe, still falling on the sea beneath her. 

 

With a start, Marinette realized she was hanging upside down. No...that the vast and flat sea she had been sailing on had always been a sky and now, far beneath her, infinity opened itself to her. 

 

Gravity unleashed itself, and Marinette, the boat, and the ocean plummeted down into space. 

 

There was no sense that she was falling; rather, she felt as though she were sinking in the ocean, watching the houseboat sink away from her. As it did, it dissolved into a radiant prismatic dust that caught the light and sent it dancing across the universe. But even as it was destroyed, it seemed to stream downwards and towards the stars that rose to meet her. There was nothing left to hold on to; nothing to anchor to her own body but the heart thundering in her breast as she was drawn closer and closer to something she had been drawn to her entire life. 

 

And then she saw it. 

 

A simple, runty little flicker of light in the vast, uncaring universe shining brightly for everyone to see. And though it was countless billions of light years away, Marinette reached out, fingers brushing against it as she plucked the little mote out of thin air, holding it like a marble between her fingertips as she stared into its depths. 

 

It wasn’t a star; it was another universe. It was billions of galaxies and systems dancing around each other as Marinette turned it this way and that. Looking down she could feel the life-force of billions and billions of living things, the weight of it so enormous despite its tiny size. It was brimming with raw, unrealized potential.

 

And potential, had quite a bit of energy. 

 

“If you want to make a Ladybug from scratch…” Marinette muttered as she clasped the bead between her fingers. “You must first-” 

 

Marinette squeezed her fingers together and with a snap, the cosmos erupted in a torrent of brilliant white light. 

---

Kaiser Long let out a gasp of relief, falling forward as it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. 

 

“What happened?” Firebird asked, helping her taller partner to his feet as much as she could. “Babe-” 

 

“It’s fine…” Kaiser Long said, pushing his hair back with a toothy white grin. “Everything’s fine...can’t you feel it?” 

 

Firebird shook her head, but as she opened her mouth to speak, a tingle started crawling its way up her spine; one of anticipation she likened to the feeling of staying up late on Christmas Eve because she was too excited to go to sleep. It was the thrill of starting a new project; a boundless force of energy that seemed to fire off ideas one after another. 

 

“Took you long enough,” Firebird chuckled, glancing up as she could make out a glittering light in the morning sky. “Good girl…” 

 

“We need to get ready,” Kaiser Long said, glaring down at the city beneath him. Things were moving faster now and if it all went according to plan-

 

"At any rate...I think we've assisted Gabriel enough for one lifetime," Kaiser Long said, raising his hands and snapping his fingers. 

---

At once, all the Talon Troopers in the city halted, slumping to the ground as though invisible strings had been cut. The light in their eyes dimmed as their forms started to break down, melting as though made of wax. 

 

“Uhh...anyone else seeing this?” Gamer chirped as the squad of Talon Troopers he was battling folded over, melting into a soft, gooey sludge that ran down into the sewer drain and out of sight. “Looks like the trash mobs are packing it in.” 

---

“Just like that?” Monarch replied, meeting Rena Rouge’s confused look. “All the reptilian monsters have...melted?” 

 

“ Whatever happened to them, they’re gone now,” Gamer replied. “ Something doesn’t smell right here, I...I...um…” 

 

“What’s going on?” Rena Rouge said, wobbling as a warm flush came over her entire body. “Does, um...anybody feel weird right now?” 

 

“Good weird?” Bluebird said, ignoring Mayura’s distant cries of jubilation as a tingling started from the tips of his feet and washed its way through his body.

 

"You could say that," Monarch muttered, loosening the collar of her shirt a little bit. Rena Rouge felt the same anticipation, ears twitching as though she were preparing to pounce on something. Something was happening and every atom in Rena Rouge's body was demanding that she rise up and meet it. 

 

"What's that?" Queen Bee asked as Rena Rouge followed her finger up into the sky. A flicker of light caught her attention just behind the horizon. At first she thought it was a plane until she realized it was moving far too quickly and headed straight for them. 

 

Or rather, straight for Hawkmoth. 

---

Chat Noir tumbled through the broken glass window, phantom arms grappling Hawkmoth as he slammed his father down on the cold pavement. 

 

“Not...a... single basketball game!” Chat Noir spat, feeding childhood loneliness to the fire he hurled at his father's head. “Not a single fencing match!"

 

Hawkmoth shielded himself from a gout of flames by drawing the broken sidewalk up and creating a barrier that burned away, leaving a hole where a panting, livid looking Chat Noir glared at him. "You made me practice piano...for five hours a week... and never came to my recitals!” 

 

“I’m starting to feel like this is about more than the Miraculous…” Hawkmoth growled, wings flaring as Chat Noir lunged again. Roots emerged from the ground, streaking towards Chat Noir’s face...and halting in their tracks in mid air, hovering as though stopped by an invisible wall. 

 

“What?” Hawkmoth muttered, raising his Ladybug arm and noticing that the gems were now blinking red in a short pattern that seemed to repeat over and over, almost like some kind of beacon guiding...something closer. 

 

Then another sensation rippled through him; one Gabriel Agreste had experienced many times. It was the rush of a new idea taking place in his mind; the thrill of venturing into unexplored territory. It was the feeling that he got when his wife kissed him for the very first time; the feeling he got when he saw Emilie in her wedding dress, when she told him she was pregnant. 

 

For Chat Noir, though, the feeling and its source were one in the same. 

 

He glanced up to see a bright, beaming ball of light streak down towards the city, igniting as it entered the atmosphere. As it did, the roots that hung in front of Chat Noir’s head started to flower and bear fruit; strange multicolored pods that grew fat and fell to the ground in great squishy red puddles of jam. Between the cracks in the pavement, a thick, willowy grass began growing, reaching mid-hip before flowering in a field of red carnations that stretched down each street as the ball of light approached. 

 

“Why didn’t I get a cool entrance like that?” Chat Noir grumbled, watching the red ball of light loop around the city several times, slowing down before pivoting, twirling in the air, and rocketing straight at his father. 

 

Hawkmoth raised the Ladybug arm as the ball of light crystalized into a sphere made of glistening red jewelry, slamming into Hawkmoth and shattering into a cloud of crystals that rained down over them as Hawkmoth’s fist connected with another’s. 

 

There was more black in the suit this time; the core, forearms, and lower legs were a brilliant crimson while the rest was a black as deep as the night sky. Gone were the smattering of polka-dots that had covered her frame for so many years except for a round Ladybug patterned circle in the center of her chest. Her hair was up in a long ponytail, fastened by long red ribbons that trailed behind her and seemed to float of their own accord, independent of the breeze that ruffled their hair. 

 

"I insist you fork over my Miraculous, Mothman!" Ladybug demanded, string uncoiling from her wrists and wrapping around Hawkmoth's arm. With a cry, Ladybug tilted forward, pitching all her weight behind the force of a throw that flipped Hawkmoth end over end and hurled him a full city block down the street. He slammed into a building, rubble raining down on his head as she landed in a crouch in the middle of the street. 

 

“Ladybug.” Ladybug's heart skipped a beat as she turned to meet Chat Noir’s eyes.

 

“Chat Noir," Ladybug replied quietly. 

Notes:

"Donkey!"

FINALLY...THE BUG HAS COME BACK TO PARIS

Alright...we got the final battle next chapter followed by the final battles in the chapter after that and THEN we'll be done fighting for a few years. I need time to recharge my fight-scene writing batteries.

Also, as we approach 300k words, I'm wondering if it's better to keep this whole story in one fic or try and break it up into individual segments? Anyone have strong thoughts one way or the other?

Chapter 47: Prelude to the Apocalypse

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” 

 

Gabriel clasped his hands behind his back as he watched Ladybug swing away, barely able to contain the childlike glee that came from watching her dash off to bring him her partner’s Miraculous. 

 

“What happens if you can’t play your little games with her like you’ve done with others?” Nathalie asked, regarding her employer over the rim of her glasses. 

 

“I don’t need to stick my hand up her backside and use her like a puppet,” Gabriel said dismissively. “She’s frayed; tired. We’ve worn her out, Nathalie, and now she’s just grabbing on to the nearest lifeline out of this battle. All it takes is a few carefully guided bad-decisions and she'll do exactly what I need her to And besides…” 

 

Gabriel wrung his hands together, his lip curling into an ugly sneer. “I can’t beat them both...I realize that now. Maybe I’ve always known that and never wanted to admit it, but fool that Chat Noir is, he seems to provide some key ingredient to Ladybug’s victory.” 

 

Nathalie’s eyebrow raised. “Is Gabriel Agreste admitting defeat?” 

 

“Hardly,” Gabriel said with a dismissive chuckle. “But a man must realize the limits of his capabilities. Using Ladybug in this way will allow us to bring them both down without dirtying our hands.” 

 

“And what if it fails?” Nathalie said, adjusting her glasses. “Sorry, sir, but if your entire plan revolves around Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting one another...what happens if they don’t?”

 

---

 

“...hi,” Ladybug said softly, taking in Chat Noir’s new costume with a raised brow. “You, um...updated your look I see.” 

 

Chat Noir stared back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. His missing eye seemed to have returned, but flickered with a translucent ghostly glow. His brow and lip were still marked by the scars he had not permitted her to heal, but even without looking at him, she could tell that Adrien Agreste had returned from his journey with his soul intact. 

 

“...among other things,” Chat Noir said quietly, thumbing the corner of his scarf. “You got what you were after?” 

 

Being spoken to like a stranger was worse than outright hostility; at least a screaming Chat Noir still cared about her. “I did,” Ladybug said, the memories of her former family still fresh in her mind. “Adrien...I know you hate me, but-” 

 

The rubble shifted and Ladybug and Chat Noir whipped around to see Hawkmoth dragging himself out of the rubble Ladybug had buried him under. Hawkmoth’s twisted form was unrecognizable as Gabriel Agreste, and the glowing dots of light in his bulbous Ladybug arm told her all she needed to know about why he looked the way he did. 

 

“Looks like he couldn’t handle the power he wanted,” Ladybug mused. 

 

“Don’t underestimate him again ,” Chat Noir snarled, venom seeping into his voice as he glared at his father’s shambling form. “He can handle plenty even as he is.”

 

Hawkmoth coughed, clutching at his chest as a twisted black brand seemed to be eating away at his body. Through it, she could faintly see light as though he were housing a strange flickering flame that was struggling to get out. As terrifying as he looked, there was something fragile about his appearance; as though he were held together by will alone. 

 

“No…” Hawkmoth coughed, wings flaring as the pain in the center of his chest became more and more insistent. “No no no...this... cannot be how this ends…” 

 

“This was always going to be how it ended,” Chat Noir growled. “You sealed your fate the moment you akumitized Stoneheart all those years ago; you sealed it every time you chose to hurt someone to try and steal our powers. All you’ve been doing is prolonging your payback and the bill has finally come due!”

 

“He’s right,” Ladybug said, hands balled into fists at her side. “I was stupid enough to let you convince me this could end with everybody getting what they wanted...but I should have ended this the moment I found out what you really were.” 

 

“What I really am…” Hawkmoth sneered, fangs baring as he glowered at Ladybug. “Is a man who will do anything for the woman he loves...and I insist you lay your weapons down and leave me in peace .” 

 

The tugging at the back of her mind returned, but where the night before it had been an overwhelming force, it was now a niggling little nudge that tugged on her with all the strength of a toddler tugging on their parent’s sleeve. 

 

Hawkmoth blinked, raising his Ladybug hand. “I...I insist that you restrain Chat Noir!” 

 

Chat Noir’s eyes snapped to Ladybug, watching her brow knot in tension for a moment. She could feel it tugging on her mind, a thin thread of influence that whispered at her faintly. But unlike the paralyzing sense of powerlessness he had inflicted on her the night before, it didn’t compel her. 

 

“Not again,” Ladybug snapped, shaking her head. It had taken three months to get Ladybug to ultimately betray her partner; now that her eyes were open, they would never be shut again. “Never... ever again!” 

 

Hawkmoth’s eyes widened in confusion as he stared down at his claws, searching for a reason why his tricks weren’t working. 

 

“Anything else you want to try?” Chat Noir said, flicking his staff out and spinning it with a snarl. “Or do you want to skip to the part where I beat the crap out of you and take my friend back?!” 

 

Hawkmoth was quiet for a long moment, eyes scanning the street in front of him for some kind of answer to the problem of Ladybug and Chat Noir. His turmoil was writ large on his distorted face, doubt and fear mingling as he tried to claw his way out of the predicament he was in. 

 

“...now that you mention it,” Hawkmoth murmured, glancing over his shoulder at the tree that drained the life of the world into Emilie. “I have one card left to play…”  

 

Hawkmoth leapt into the air with a snarl, kicking off the ground with all the force he could muster. A stray ball of flame whipped past his ear, but Hawkmoth’s eyes were only on one thing; fixated as they had always been on the prize at the end of the road. 

 

He was fixated on beating Ladybug and Chat Noir; fixated on removing the obstacles to his wife’s recovery. But in an instant, the Gabriel Agreste that still lived inside Hawkmoth realized that he had been trying to solve the wrong problem. He didn’t need to beat his adversaries; he didn't even need to survive.

 

All he needed to do was drain every man, woman, and child in Paris of their energy before Ladybug and Chat Noir could stop him. 

 

Emilie, Hawkmoth thought. I’m coming...just wait a bit longer. 

 

---

 

“Get back here!” Chat Noir howled, hurling his spear after Hawkmoth. 

 

“Adrien, wait !” Ladybug said, skipping in front of him before he could take off running. 

 

“No!” Chat Noir spat, eyes flickering with barely concealed flames. “We don’t have time to wait; every second my father has Plagg is another second we’re all in terrible danger!  We don’t need to wait; we need to win. Now.” 

 

“I know, I know, but-” Ladybug glanced up as a small company led by Rena Rouge leapt over the river, landing a few dozen yards away from Ladybug and Chat Noir. 

 

“Couple’s spat, huh?” Rena Rouge said, crossing her arms across her chest. 

 

“Just a plain old spat ,” Chat Noir muttered. 

 

“Hey,” Ladybug said, shooting a weak little wave in Rena Rouge’s direction. “Um...how’s it been going guys?” 

 

“Peachy,” Tigress said, eyes narrowing at Ladybug as her eyes fell on Bluebird's face. 

 

"Welcome back," Bluebird said with an awkward wave.

 

“...Luka?” Ladybug asked, taking a step forward and earning a sharp glare from Tigress who maneuvered in front of him. 

 

“Who’s the copycat?” Chat Noir asked, raising an eyebrow at Tigress. “I thought all the Miraculous were stolen by what’s-his-face.” 

 

“One of them fell out of the box...and landed in my pocket,” Queen Bee said with a weak smile, scanning Chat Noir’s face for the boy she grew up with. 

 

“How lucky,” Chat Noir said with a shadow of a smile. 

 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish you swiped all of them,” Ladybug chuckled, glancing around to realize that nobody was laughing along with her. “Right...okay, listen-” 

 

“No,” Rena Rouge said, shaking her head with a small sigh. “ You listen; both of you.” 

 

Ladybug noticed Chat’s ears twitch in surprise and irritation as Rena Rouge adopted a tone of voice she used to let her sisters know that she was no longer kidding. “Things in this town have been rough for everyone for the past few months; your little marital dispute has set the world on a tilt and Paris is teetering in the middle of it all.” 

 

“Tell her that,” Chat Noir said, nodding at Ladybug. 

 

“I’m telling you both that, M. Let’s-Blow-Up-Chloe’s-House,” Rena Rouge said, turning her gaze to Chat Noir. “Nobody here is blameless in this; we either didn’t see Hawkmoth’s schemes for what they were, or we couldn’t stop him before he got what he wanted.” 

 

“I mean,” Tigress shrugged. “I just got here, so-”

 

“ Tough,” Rena Rouge said, crossing her arms. “You want the power? You accept the responsibility that comes with it. And right now we, all of us, are responsible for putting Hawkmoth down and making sure the people he kidnapped return safely.” 

 

Rena Rouge turned back to Ladybug and Chat Noir. “Can you two be on the same page for the next couple of hours?” 

 

Ladybug shot her partner a glance he didn’t return. “Of course.” 

 

“As long as that page involves rescuing Plagg,” Chat Noir grunted, glancing around at the assembled team. “Any ideas?” 

 

“We’ve been trying to peel those Miraculous off him all day,” Carapace said, glancing at Queen Bee. “Queenie and I fought him while Monarch and Rena were tracking Nathalie down for answers; any time we got close we got pushed back or couldn’t wriggle the jewels off him in time.” 

 

“So we opted for Plan B,” Monarch said, gripping her empty scabbard. “We tried to cut his arm off instead...but it seems my sword wasn’t sharp enough.” 

 

“My kind of plan,” Chat Noir said, producing Fang with a flick of his wrist and staring at the broken blade. “Unfortunately, Father broke the only sword that might be sharper.” 

 

“Could we...fix it?” Ladybug asked a little hesitantly, fingertips rubbing together almost anxiously as she stared at the hilt of Chat Noir’s weapon. “I’m pretty sure I could make a new blade for it-” 

 

“This isn’t a cheap piece of metal you pick up at an anime convention,” Chat Noir growled. “Plagg said this was something a previous Cat and Bug team made together; an artifact of power that we can’t just cobble together again.” 

 

“Well...we got a Ladybug and we have a Black Cat,” Ladybug countered. 

 

“Do you even know how ?” 

 

“No, but this seems like a first day for a lot of things,” Ladybug said with a half-hearted shrug. “What do we have to lose?” 

 

Chat Noir stared down at the weapon in his hands for a long moment, glancing at Rena Rouge who just shrugged. “Fine,” he admitted, stabbing the sword back in its sheath and holding it out for Ladybug to inspect. “Do what you can.” 

 

“Speaking of doing what we can,” Monarch said, nodding to the small pack of champions on the far side of the river. “What do we do with them?” 

 

“We should-” Ladybug started

 

“-keep them in the back pocket,” Rena Rouge interjected. “I want Hawkmoth to forget all about them until we need them to clobber him.” 

 

“Is he really going to forget about the small army of superheroes scattered across the city?” Ladybug asked. Ladybug watched the crowd of her former enemies gathered across the river. It seemed like everyone that Hawkmoth had ever hurt had shown up to get their knocks in. She could see Catalyst’s form among the mob and quietly wondered what had compelled her to turn against her mentor and boss.

 

“I seriously doubt he can even remember what half of them do,” Carapace chuckled. “We’ve been mixing and matching to keep our people fresh-faced and hit Hawkmoth with combos he doesn’t expect.” 

 

“And we’ll need help rescuing the people that Hawkmoth has captured,” Monarch added. “My champions can help us ferry the rescued away from the conflict and to somewhere safe.” 

 

Can you hurry up? 

 

“Sorry,” Ladybug said, blinking as she realized nobody had said anything to her. Chat Noir’s eyes flickered back to her, confusion etched on his face as she wrapped her hands around the hilt of his sword. 

 

“Okay...I need to fix this weapon,” Ladybug muttered to herself. 

 

“You are a genius, aren’t you?” Queen Bee muttered, yelping as Rena Rouge tweaked her ponytail. “Oh come on; for once in my life I’m justified in acting like a total bitch to someone! Let me have this!” 

 

“You can be snippy when we're done with Gabe; play nice,” Rena Rouge said, watching Ladybug’s fingers tingle with light. Closing her eyes, her gloves glowed and thrummed as floating red ribbons of power materialized and unspooled themselves from her gloves. They wound their way around the weapon, wrapping it and shimmering as Ladybug’s brow knit in concentration.

 

"The hell is she doing?" Carapace muttered.

 

"Ladybug things, I would imagine," Monarch replied, watching the weapon under the ribbons shift and change shape, straightening out a bit as Ladybug concentrated. After a moment her eyes opened, weighting the weapon in her hands. 

 

“I...I think I’m close, but there’s something missing,” Ladybug said, watching the ribbons unravel and fall away. The katana was gone, replaced by a slender black hand-and-a-half sword with a sharper point and two cutting edges. The scabbard evolved to match it, now a black leather piece studded with a line of finely ground emeralds that seemed to glitter with a fire all their own. 

 

“Don’t fencers typically need a sword that thrusts too?” Ladybug said hesitantly, watching as Chat Noir picked up the blade, whipping it back and forth experimentally as he tested the weight. Swinging, he sliced into concrete, scowling as the tip of the blade left only a dull gouge in the ground at his feet. 

 

“It needs me ,” Chat Noir said, rubbing his fingers together as he ran them over the blade. Black electric energy jumped from his fingertips, the Cataclysm arcing and jumping all over the blade as it seemed to be drawn deeper into the inky black depths of the weapon. The weapon hummed and jumped in his hands, trembling as he poured more and more of his power into the weapon. Hundreds of spidery green cracks appeared in the blade, all racing towards the edges and tip that took on a dark green hue. 

 

Careful, Ladybug thought. 

 

"I know what I'm doing," Chat Noir grunted, blinking in confusion for a moment before redoubling his focus, pouring himself deeper into the blade. 

 

“How did you even know how to do that?” Bluebird asked Ladybug in a quiet voice that startled her out of watching Chat Noir work. 

 

“I...don’t know,” Ladybug shrugged, looking down at her hands. “It’s like...blinking. You just do it without thinking about it and only after the fact do you realize your eyes were closed.” 

 

“Right...guess this doesn’t come with an instruction manual,” Bluebird said, rubbing his arm somewhat awkwardly. Ladybug could feel Monarch and Tigress side-eying them something fierce and something about the Tiger hero seemed eerily familiar. 

 

“...are you okay?” Ladybug asked after another moment of tense silence. 

 

“Yeah...long story short Dusuu and I managed to wrestle that akuma into submission,” Bluebird said, fidgeting with his cape. “Mayura’s not gone, but...he’s not in charge anymore. And he won't be as long as I have something to say about it.” 

 

One more mistake that she couldn’t erase or repair... yet. 

 

“Luka,” Ladybug said quietly, pulling Bluebird’s guarded gaze back to her. “I am so incredibly sorry for lying to you...you trusted me and I let you down. I didn’t know the Peacock was booby trapped but...I knew it was Hawkmoth that gave it to me. I knew the whole time that Chat wasn’t the one working with him...and I’m sorry that you’re the one paying the price for my bad decisions.” 

 

“It’s-” Bluebird stopped himself as his lips formed the O in okay , nodding somewhat uncomfortably as though he wasn’t used to people apologizing to him for anything.  

 

“I know me being sorry doesn’t make it better,” Ladybug said. “And it doesn’t make it right ...and if I have to work the rest of my life, I swear, I will find a way to pull that akuma out of you. Once and for all.” 

 

Even as she said it, she had no idea where to begin or how to heal something that wasn’t technically broken. 

 

“...thank you,” Bluebird said with a smile that seemed to only humor her. It didn’t matter if he didn’t believe her; she would try until she could try no more or until Luka was free of the curse she unwittingly inflicted on him. 

 

Chat Noir’s fingers stopped crackling as he examined the now lustrous shining weapon. The black of it was speckled with green as though staring into an emerald night sky and a deep verdant glow faintly came from the edge of the weapon. Standing on the bank of the river, he swung the blade in an arc of green light, returning it to his scabbard with a thoughtful nod. 

 

“Okay...this will-” Chat Noir stopped in his tracks as Monarch stood between him and the rest of the group, head tilted to one side as she regarded Chat Noir’s face. “...something wrong?” 

 

Monarch glared at him for a long moment, searching for something that told her that her friend was still himself after undergoing such an intense transformation. “...what’s something that Adrien Agreste would know about me?” 

 

“Kagami-” 

 

“Not my name ,” Monarch said, fear and uncertainty creeping into her voice. “Something else...something only he would know.” 

 

“It’s him, Monarch,” Ladybug said gently. “I can tell...I know it’s-” 

 

“I want him to tell me that,” Monarch spat, turning back to Chat Noir with an expectant look on her face. “Prove it...prove you’re who you say you are.” 

 

Chat Noir blinked, slitted green eyes roaming over Kagami’s face as she held her ground in front of him. Few people could stand unarmed in front of a force of nature and demand he hold himself accountable; Kagami was one of them. 

 

Slowly, as though approaching a wounded animal, Chat Noir walked towards her, stopping a scant foot in front of her as she tilted her head up to look for the person she had loved in almost every way someone could be loved. Then he leaned forward, whispering something in her ear so quietly that even in the tense silence of the city, nobody could hear. 

 

What they did hear was a startled squeak and a sharp crack as Monarch slapped Chat Noir across the face, turning around to reveal a crimson blush that threatened to cover her whole face. 

 

“...yes,” Monarch nodded, wiping her brow with a shaky nod. “That is something only Adrien would know…” 

 

Bluebird glanced at Ladybug with the same curious expression. “Um...actually, I should probably-” 

 

“The first time you played FM for me, we had to listen twice,” Ladybug said, glancing up at Bluebird who had already started to match Kagami’s burning red skin tone. “Because I was very... distracted the first time.” 

 

Tigress glanced back and forth between Ladybug and Bluebird, a look of horror slowly crossing her face. “...oh god, tell me this wasn’t when we shared a room.” 

 

“We? Who’s...wait,” Ladybug scanned Tigress’ face. “Is that Ju-” 

 

“Oh sweet Jesus, this is not a game of Who The Fuck Are You!” Queen Bee shrieked, clapping her hands together. “Let’s go, people; what’s the game plan to save the world before Hawkmoth kills everyone in it?!” 

 

“Chat’s running point on this,” Rena Rouge said decisively before Ladybug had a chance to chime in. “Our objective is simple; restrain Hawkmoth long enough for Chat Noir to strike a decisive blow. Between all of us-” 

 

A hideous, wrenching groan filled the air like a creaking of an impossibly large door that shook the foundations of the city to its roots. The vines and roots that snaked over the buildings swelled in size, smashing houses and shattering roads as a thick web of spiky vines shot up from the earth, weaving their way across the streets and rooftops around the central tree. Across town, Ladybug could see as one by one, enormous red and black flowers began blooming on the branches, opening up to drink in the sunlight that streamed down from the sky. 

 

And at the top of everything was Hawkmoth, perched like a predatory bird ready to strike anyone that got too close. 

 

“Whatever he’s doing...we need to-” Monarch trailed off with a sharp cry of pain as the purple mask in front of her face flashed, dropping her to one knee as she fought to stabilize herself on her scabbard. 

 

“What is it?” Chat Noir asked as Bluebird helped her back up to her feet. 

 

“I don’t know, but...it feels like Hawkmoth is draining the city dry quicker than we thought,” Monarch said, shaking her head. “Whatever we’re doing; we need to do it now .” 

 

“Well that changes things,” Rena Rouge murmured. “Rescue needs to be top priority now." 

 

"Over beating Hawkmoth?" Chat Noir asked. 

 

"He needs them for something; he wouldn't be sitting like an angry mother hen on top of them if he didn't," Rena Rouge said, glancing at her friends. "Two teams; one to distract and possibly dismember Hawkmoth, one to rescue the people he's got captive." 

 

"That's a little risky," Ladybug challenged, ignoring Rena Rouge's glare. "We're going up against Hawkmoth powered by both Miraculous and who knows what else voodoo. Maybe we should get the people out and then turn our attention to the big guy?" 

 

"Yeah, because Uncle Gabriel is the type to sit back and just let people shit all over his plans," Queen Bee sniffed. "One team needs to distract; if we can beat him while doing that, great. If not, at least they're out of the rescue team's hair." 

 

"Exactly," Rena Rouge said. "I'll head up the rescue team; if nothing else, I can get in and out without Hawkmoth seeing me. I'll take Carapace and Queen Bee-" 

 

"I need them," Chat Noir said quickly, glancing up at his father and back at his oldest friends. 

 

"You have Ladybug." 

 

"I also have a plan," Chat Noir said. "One that requires more than just Ladybug to help out with it." 

 

Frowning, Ladybug glanced at Carapace and Queen Bee, the threads of Chat Noir's logic slowly appearing to her. "...that could work. As long as-" 

 

"-we keep him from moving," Chat Noir said with a nod. "You guys hold, I cut; Giant Carapace is strong enough to hold him while you two can pull his arm tight with your ropes." 

 

"That could work," Monarch said, glancing at Chat Noir. "What about me?"

 

"Monarch, you’re down a sword so you need to sit this next bit out,” Chat Noir said, watching Monarch's nose wrinkle under her mask. 

 

“I didn’t come this far to just sit down at the finish line,” Monarch sniffed, gripping her sheath self-consciously. “I can handle myself.” 

 

“You can handle your champions a lot better if you’re also not fighting someone at the same time,” Bluebird reasoned. “Leave the frontline fighting to us while you make sure our team runs smoothly.” 

 

“Fantastic; it’s the end of the world and I’m a superpowered middle-manager,” Monarch sighed before reluctantly nodding. “Fine...I'll direct my champions to go with Rena Rouge. You'll need everyone you can to get the civilians out in time." 

 

"What happens if the creepy masked guy shows up again?" Queen Bee asked.

 

"Hope he doesn't; try and contain him if he does," Rena Rouge shrugged. "I think he's a squirrel we can't afford to be chasing right now; ignore him until Hawkmoth is down, then switch over to him if you see him. As soon as the civilians are out, we'll reinforce the battle team." 

 

"Hopefully we'll be wrapped up by then," Ladybug said. Chat Noir’s eyes didn’t meet Ladybug’s as he passed, a musical jingling breaking the silence. Chat Noir glanced down at his weapon to see a thin green string that carried a tiny silver bell. 

 

“Oh…” Ladybug said, looking at the bell. “I didn’t...I guess I’m just used to you with your bell on. Feels...weird to see you without it.” 

 

Chat snapped the string with a flick of his wrist, tossing it to the ground at Ladybug’s feet as he passed. “Hawkmoth will hear that coming,” Chat Noir said in a painfully matter-of-fact tone of voice. “We don’t have time to be playing dress up.” 

 

“Right...sorry,” Ladybug muttered, crouching down to pick the bell up off the ground and cradling it in her hands as she blinked back a stinging wave of tears. In spite of everything that had happened, Rena Rouge couldn’t help but feel a swell of pity for Marinette in that moment; a feeling she quickly brushed aside as she locked eyes with her partners. 

 

“Hey,” Rena Rouge mumbled, sliding up next to them. “In case we don’t make it through this...I just wanted to say-” 

 

Queen Bee’s gloved fingertip pressed against her lips. “Up-up-up! Don’t jinx us!” 

 

“Yeah; save the mushy shit for when we get back,” Carapace chuckled, kissing Rena Rouge on the forehead. “Come on, we’re Team Fucking Paris; no way we’re not making it out of this.” 

 

"Aren't we all?" Bluebird asked. 

 

"Consider this a tryout," Queen Bee said, flicking his nose as she walked past. 

 

"If you land a punch on Gabe, you're in," Carapace said, lining up behind Chat Noir. "...you good?" 

 

"Does it matter?" Chat Noir asked, cupping his hands and shooting a blast of flickering emerald fire out of his hands, smashing into the wall of thorns. The plant mass wriggled and squirmed, trying to repair itself but the flickering green fire only pushed it back every time it tried, burning a path a few hundred meters through the wall. Through the foliage, Ladybug could see the massive trunk of the tree stretching up towards the sky, Hawkmoth’s twisted form perched at the crown of it. 

 

Hang in there, Tikki, Ladybug thought, falling into step beside Chat Noir. “Adrien...There’s a lot I need to say to you...even more that I need to apologize for. But-” 

 

“Duty first,” Chat Noir nodded. “I know the drill by now…” 

 

The power that Ladybug gave her had never felt like more of a weight; she couldn’t even begin to make amends to someone she loved more than anything else. 

 

Hesitantly, Ladybug raised a hand, fist extended in the gap between her and Chat Noir. He looked down at it for a moment, fingers twitching and curling into a fist- 

 

“Keep up,” Chat Noir snarled, batting her hand away with the hilt of his sword and lunging forward into the tangle of thorns with Carapace, and Queen Bee hot on his heels. Ladybug watched him go for a moment, stunned but not surprised before materializing her yo-yo’s in the palm of her hands. 

 

“Watch me,” Ladybug said, hooking onto a building and launching herself after Chat Noir.

 

---

 

Across the city, Firebird and Kaiser Long watched Ladybug and Chat Noir dash off, flames cutting holes in the vegetation as they charged headlong into their destiny. Without a word they shared a glance, and followed.  

Notes:

Hey guys.

How's 2020 going?

So I kinda got massively depressed in quarantine and fell off writing for a bit but I'm back on it after getting my head right! I wanted to peel off an update as thanks for waiting on me; I've got ~23000 words of this here finale written and I just need to finish up the rest!

Thanks for hanging with me and hope y'all are doing okay.

Chapter 48: Miraculous

Hawkmoth’s eyes swept the city beneath him, chest heaving as a dull pain had begun to spread through his monstrous body. Beneath him, he could feel the power of the people of Paris feeding into the tree that desperately fed his wife the energy she needed to survive. The Ladybug Miraculous thrummed in his arm, its power fueling the parasitic tree at the expense of Gabriel’s own stability.

 

If his was the last life that had to be sacrificed for Emilie, so be it. 

 

An orange blur caught his attention as he spied Rena Rouge and a small cluster of the traitorous akuma running down a side street, jumping over the vines he had erected to block their path. With a snarl, Hawkmoth’s Black Cat claw crackled with power, raising to aim in Rena Rouge’s direction. He was about to fire when a blast of flame the size of a city block drew all nine of his eyes down in the opposite direction. 

 

In the end, even Adrien had abandoned his mother. 

 

Snarling in frustration, Hawkmoth leapt from the top of the tree, sailing down as a burning path created by his own son emerged through the vines. Close behind was the insipid disc jockey, a constant thorn in his side that had undermined his authority ever since Adrien met him. Behind him was Andre’s daughter who thoroughly deserved the beating her father seemed reluctant to give her.

 

Behind all them, as usual, was Ladybug. 

 

It had always been Ladybug, hadn’t it? Thinking back, Adrien’s disobedience had started around the time Ladybug and Chat Noir first appeared. He had Nino pegged as the corrupting influence in Adrien’s life, but it was Ladybug that inspired...no, demanded his son make a suicidal charge against his own father. Would his son have risen against him if it wasn’t for her? Would he have been maimed and nearly killed by a renegade akuma if it wasn’t for her? No...it never should have been Adrien. She should have picked someone else to hide behind; someone else to use like a human shield to keep herself spotless and infallible. 

 

Instead, she picked Adrien. 

 

Hawkmoth landed in front of the tree, wings flaring as the final wall of thorns erupted in a shower of burning plant life. Through the smoke, he saw a blur lash out at him, hand raising to bat Queen Bee away as she made a beeline for his left arm. She banked away, sweeping around the courtyard as a hard metal disk came spinning towards his head. Hawkmoth leaned backwards, narrowly missing Ladybug’s boot as she led his dodge with a swinging kick. 

 

His wings flared to balance him as he felt Ladybug clamp down his larger arm, yo-yo’s snaking around his wrist and tugging with more strength than her size suggested. Pain throbbed in his shoulder, the embedded blade of the new Butterfly dug firmly into his body and wriggled as Ladybug tried to tug him off balance. His claw lashed out, narrowly missing her as the ground beneath her feet disappeared in a cloud of dust.

 

The ring on his finger throbbed as a black blur streaked at him. Hawkmoth raised the Black Cat’s claw in time to catch a long, glittering sword swung straight for his head. 

 

“Hello, Father,” Chat Noir snarled. "I'm home!" 

 

---

 

Rena Rouge flinched as an explosion came from the direction of the courtyard outside Adrien’s house. 

 

“Yikes, that’s a big fireball,” Bluebird’s voice came in her ear, his fan floating high overhead. “Ladybug & Co. have his attention. Let's get in there before Hawkmoth realizes what we're doing.” 

 

Unsurprisingly, this did little to quell Rena Rouge’s anxiety as she forged ahead, Evillustrator and Tigress at her back as they crept around the side of the mansion. 

 

“The hole Adrien punched me through last night is still there,” Bluebird said, veering as a stray burst of flame shot up in his direction. “I think we can get down into the basement from there.” 

 

“Keep low,” Rena Rouge responded, hugging the wall as she tried not to focus on the sounds of fighting just a few dozen meters from where her partners were fighting. The severity of her task did little to dull the worry bubbling in her stomach; like it or not, Paris’ fate had landed in her lap. 

 

Dark Cupid stuck his bow through the crack in the wall, scanning the empty foyer before motioning for the rest of them to follow. The formerly pristine lobby had been overtaken by dense roots and underbrush. It looked more like a rainforest floor than the home Gabriel had spent years trying to make as sterile as possible. 

 

“I’m guessing the elevators are out of order,” Evilustrator mumbled, falling back as the ground beneath them shifted. A large, gnarled root shot out of the ground and out of the front of the house like a spear, upturning a patch of dirt and exposing a dark cavern underneath the floor. 

 

“The rest of this house is going to be out of order pretty soon,” Rena Rouge said, glancing up at the crumbling walls barely supported by the tree’s roots and branches. “DC, you want to check it out?” 

 

Dark Cupid took off with a flap of his wings, diving down into the pit and disappearing for a moment before popping back up white-faced. 

 

“Uh...there’s a…” Dark Cupid gestured uselessly at the pit behind him. “Nah, I don’t have the French to explain what’s going on down there; you gotta see it for yourselves.” 

 

Always a good sign, Rena Rouge thought, hopping over to the edge of the pit. Great roots stretched down the sides of the hole, twirling and snaking a few stories underground. Along the pulsing wooden veins, hundreds of green, translucent pods filled with some kind of liquid glowed in the dim light of the cavern. The roots twitched, and Rena Rouge could see a few figures in the pods jerk as though shocked, watching the light flow from the pods towards the center of the chamber. 

 

“Can you get me down there?” Rena Rouge asked, wrapping her arm around Dark Cupid’s shoulders as he stepped off the edge of the hole, floating down as the earth shook overhead. Her boots touched down on the vine-covered floor, watching them all recoil and retract away from her feet like thousands of garter snakes. The damp, humid air made it hard to get a full breath in and despite the fact that everyone in the pods was fast asleep, she still felt like she was being watched. 

 

“So do we start popping these things or what?” Dark Cupid asked, angling his bow towards one of the sleepers in the pods. 

 

“Careful…” Rena Rouge said, glancing behind her as a large, black and red flower opened on one of the vines. “We’re not alone.” 

 

Stoneheart’s massive rocky form slowly fell out of the flower, suspended by long, black vines that stretched into the core of the tree like the strings of a marionette. His eyes were cloudy as the vines on his arms pulsed and jerked with every step he took towards them. 

 

“Ivan?” Dark Cupid called out as Stoneheart approached. “Come on, buddy, we’re here to get you-” 

 

The cavern shook as Stoneheart roared, barreling down on Dark Cupid and Rena Rouge. 

 

---

 

In the past, there was a kind of synchronicity to the way Ladybug and Chat Noir fought; an ebb and flow of combat where each of them knew how to move around each other almost reflexively. 

 

Three months later and Ladybug had no earthly clue what Chat Noir was going to do next. 

 

Chat Noir’s fighting style had always been reckless, but it had never been this wild before. His hair stood on end as he swung his weapon in wide arcs, trailing emerald streaks in the air as he cut down the vines that rose to protect his father. The tip of his sword glanced off the razor edge of Hawkmoth’s claw, sparks showering down around him and igniting a pile of broken roots on the ground next to him. 

 

“Are you finished ?” Hawkmoth snarled, raising the massive Ladybug fist overhead. A yellow and black blur zipped up, snagging Hawkmoth around the wrist and jerking him away from Chat Noir. Carapace charged past her, slamming into Hawkmoth’s side and knocking him backwards. Seeing the black claw lash out, she twirled her yo-yo, shooting it out and lashing it around the slender wrist. She could see the ring glittering on Hawkmoth’s misshapen claw; if she could just reach it, then-

 

“No!” Hawkmoth snarled, whipping Queen Bee down and sending her crashing into Ladybug. The pair of bugs rolled on the ground, slamming into the far wall of the courtyard. 

 

“Okay,” Queen Bee grunted, pushing Ladybug off her. “Your plan officially sucks.” 

 

“I’m open to suggestions,” Ladybug grumbled, eyes narrowing in concentration as she watched Chat Noir and Carapace hold Hawkmoth back.

 

“Go back in time and make better life choices,” Queen Bee suggested before wincing. “Damn, that’s the last time I get to be a bitch to you today…should have picked something better.” 

 

“Get me the Rabbit Miraculous and I will,” Ladybug muttered, watching Hawkmoth’s black claw slam into the ground. Carapace shunted his shield to his left arm, using it to block and parry while Chat Noir attacked with the right. Even Carapace’s shield seemed to quiver as it deflected the frenzied slashing of the claw but as dangerous as it was, it lacked the near limitless potential of the Ladybug. 

 

“Back up!” Carapace cried, grabbing Chat Noir around the waist and hauling him back away from the growing pit where Hawkmoth’s claw impacted. The ground dissolved under the black magical energy, breaking apart as the Cat Miraculous crackled and spat green sparks.

 

“New plan time,” Ladybug said, glancing at Carapace and Queen Bee. “Stall him for a second.” 

 

The order had come out so quick as it had so many times before, but instead of snapping into action, Queen Bee and Carapace just stared at her, glancing at Chat Noir for confirmation in a way they had never done before. It was then that she realized that they had never followed her because she was Ladybug or because she was the Guardian; they followed her because they had trusted her at one point. They had believed in her and the look in their eyes suggested that that blind trust wasn't coming back. 

 

“Still hiding behind your lackeys I see,” Shame burned at Ladybug’s cheeks as she watched Hawkmoth’s form materialize through the smoke and rubble. “By all means send your friends to die for you. Can’t have Ladybug ruffling her hair now.” 

 

Shame, anger, and indignation burned Ladybug’s cheeks as she stepped past Carapace, yo-yo’s unspooling. “Tall talk coming from you of all people.” 

 

“Think of me what you will,” Hawkmoth coughed, clutching his chest with a free arm. “But I never pretended to actually care about them-” 

 

“You have no idea what-” Ladybug stopped as Chat Noir placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her in her tracks. 

 

Don’t argue with crazy. Again, Adrien’s voice wafted through her mind like a distant echo, the look on his face reflecting the same irritated and exasperated tone she heard in her head. 

 

“Buy me some time,” Chat Noir muttered, eyes bouncing between the ring and Hawkmoth’s face. 

 

“What are you planning?” Ladybug asked. She could feel a flicker of irritation coming off Chat Noir, an image of Adrien willingly throwing himself off a building without a second thought flashing through her mind. “Never mind; do what you need to do. I’ll keep him occupied.” 

 

Chat Noir blinked, almost expecting an argument as Hawkmoth slithered forward, eyes bulging as Ladybug stepped forward to meet him. 

 

“Fine,” Ladybug said, spreading her arms. “You want me all to yourself? You got me; no akuma, no partners, just you and me ...the way it always should have been.” 

 

“Don’t delude yourself into thinking you are my equal,” Hawkmoth snarled, wings spreading and beating back the cloud of dust that had settled over the courtyard. “Not when I have all this power at my fingertips.” 

 

“When I move, you move with me,” Chat Noir murmured to Queen Bee and Carapace. Unsurprisingly, they both nodded; they’d follow Adrien into hell even if they wouldn’t follow Ladybug across the street anymore. 

 

“Power you don’t have any idea how to use responsibly,” Ladybug said, spinning her yo-yo’s as Chat Noir tensed, seemingly waiting for his moment to move. 

 

“I will not be lectured about responsibility by the child of failed Guardians!” Hawkmoth snarled, slamming the Ladybug fist down into the ground. Ladybug extended her shield with a flick of her wrist, catching the wave of roots and vines that shot out of the earth and lunged for her head. The force of the blow pushed her backwards and as she fell back onto her hand, she noticed Chat Noir, Carapace, and Queen Bee were nowhere to be seen. Rena Rouge and the rest of her champions were far below and tangled up in helping the rest of the city escape Hawkmoth. 

 

Once again, she was alone.

---

The earth above Rena Rouge shook as Stoneheart’s massive fist slammed into the ground, the vines yanking and twitching his body erratically. Rena Rouge danced away from the blows, backing up until she felt something slither past her ankle. 

 

“Heads up!” Dark Cupid called, arrow shooting out and spearing a vine before it could wrap itself around Rena Rouge’s leg. 

 

“What’s going on down there?!” Tigress called as Rena Rouge quickly conjured a clone, the pair of them bouncing up Stoneheart’s body and kicking him clean in the head. As powerful as she was becoming, kicking a solid piece of stone rarely accomplished much; in this case, all it seemed to do was piss off an already irate Stoneheart. 

 

“Ivan, it’s us !” Dark Cupid hollered. “Calm down-” 

 

Dark Cupid grunted as a massive stone fist swatted him out of the sky, skipping him across the stone floor and sending him crashing into a pod with a firefighter in it. The man’s eyes suddenly shot open, glowing and green as the pod cracked open and dropped him on the floor. One by one, the pods cracked open, dropping more and more people down onto the floor suspended by twisting black vines that seemed to run deep under their skin. 

 

“Ivan isn’t home,” Rena Rouge said darkly, flicking her communicator open. “Monarch, our hostage situation just turned a lot worse, folks; Hawkmoth is using his captives to protect the tree! Check your attacks and be very careful!” 

 

Rena Rouge winced as Stoneheart smashed her clone with a soft pop, turning his glare to Rena Rouge. 

---

“Just what we need,” Monarch muttered to herself, watching the battle unfold on two fronts in front of her. Ladybug was alone against Hawkmoth, fighting the writhing mass of plant life he summoned while trying to stay out of range of his black claw. Beneath the surface, Monarch could still see through Stoneheart’s eyes as he lunged and clawed at Rena Rouge. 

 

“Timebreaker, Darkblade,” Monarch spoke to her communicator. “Advance into the pit with caution; we have an evolving hostage situation with-” 

 

Monarch’s eyes followed a bright, burning orange ball of fire as it streaked across the sky. As it passed, she could see the outline of a great bird of prey with a feminine human shape at its heart. 

 

What I wouldn’t give for a sword right now, Monarch thought, clutching her scabbard closer to her chest. “Bluebird, Rena Rouge needs your-” 

---

“- help!” 

 

Bluebird floated down into the pit on the back of his fan, watching hundreds of Parisians come to life like deranged puppets. 

 

“No kidding,” Bluebird replied, watching as Rena Rouge did everything in her power to dodge Stoneheart and the possessed hostages Hawkmoth was using to fight her. “Okay...this is either gonna be really cool or totally get me killed.” 

 

Grabbing the edges of his fan, he flipped over, using it as a paraglider as he angled himself closer and closer to Stoneheart and the vines that stretched out from his back. As Stoneheart snared Rena Rouge in his massive fist, Bluebird tucked his fan into a steep dive, the sharp edges of his fan glittering as he came down hard on the vines that held Stoneheart hostage. 

 

With a spurt of black liquid, the vines came loose, flailing like an angry octopus as Stoneheart stumbled forward, blinking as his eyes returned to normal. 

 

“Ivan?” Rena Rouge said, watching Stoneheart glance down at her in confusion. His gaze turned to the waves of shambling Parisians swarming around him, rocky brow knitting as he placed Rena Rouge up on his shoulder. 

 

“I’m getting some serious Zombisou flashbacks,” Rena Rouge sighed, tapping her communicator. “Alright, we need everyone down here; cut the vines controlling the people but watch out. I think Hawkmoth is trying to add more superpowered slaves to his collection.” 

 

On cue a long black vine lashed out at Rena Rouge, snaking towards her side. A flash from above heralded Tigress leaping down from the top of the pit, skewering the vine with her trident as she landed with a crouch on top of the pole. 

 

“Not likely,” Tigress snarled, leaping and swinging her claws wildly at the vines that held her neighbors hostage. 

---

The air left Ladybug’s lungs as she smashed through the wall on the far side of the Agreste’s mansion, bouncing hard on the ground and rolling to the edge of the river. As she stumbled to her feet, she felt a vine yank at her ankle, hoisting her up into the air and whipping her down hard enough to leave cracks in the concrete where she landed. Head spinning, she narrowly avoided an arc of black electricity that shot out of Hawkmoth’s claw, watching the street where she lay moments earlier evaporate into black smoke. 

 

“Not as fun when you don’t have someone to hide behind, is it?” Hawkmoth sneered, fluttering up into the air and landing on the edge of the wall looking down on Ladybug. 

 

“This was never fun,” Ladybug grunted, pushing herself up onto shaky legs and extending her shield. If constantly putting out fires wasn’t fun before, fighting Hawkmoth was definitely not fun. Whatever element of surprise that allowed her to get the first hit on him was gone and she was left with the sobering reality that, while unable to use all of the Ladybug and Black Cat’s potential, Hawkmoth was still a walking force of nature as long as he had her Miraculous. 

 

“I’m sure you just hated throngs of people cheering your name,” Hawkmoth snarled, vines lashing out from the Ladybug arm and bouncing off Ladybug’s shield. Her yo-yo shot out, latching on to Monarch’s sword buried in Hawkmoth’s shoulder. She reeled herself in, feet up and ready to kick Hawkmoth in the face as he raised the Black Cat claw to intercept her. Swearing, she let the yo-yo go slack, dodging another lightning blast as she rolled on the shield. 

 

“I’m sure you just despise being loved and adored by people who have never even met you,” Hawkmoth spat, wings dragging on the ground as he bore down on her. “Poor put-upon Ladybug so exhausted from making others sacrifice themselves to protect her; how hard it must have been to be Paris’ favorite daughter.” 

 

“This would probably be more of a cutting argument if it wasn’t coming from you ,” Ladybug said, shouldering her shield as she scanned the skyline for Chat Noir. He hadn’t shown up in almost half an hour nor had he contacted her through his communicator. She was, as he had been, fighting blind with the hopes that her partner would come through for her without any promise that he actually would. 

 

“At least I never pretended to be anything other than a monster,” Hawkmoth hissed, slamming the Ladybug fist into the ground and sending a crawling mass of vines snaking towards Ladybug. She managed to leap up in time, but the acrid hiss of electricity coming from the Black Cat caught her attention. She managed to raise her shield in time to block the assault, but the force of the blow sent her tumbling across the street, smashing into a parked car and sinking to the ground. 

 

“You and your master could have done so much for the world,” Hawkmoth snarled. “But you sit on power like greedy dragons, hoarding it and protecting it instead of using it for something meaningful .” 

 

“Like brainwashing people and holding a city hostage for four years?” Ladybug fired back. "That's meaningful?!" 

 

“Infinite power at your fingertips,” Hawkmoth said, raising both his hands. “And you’re too timid to use it.” 

 

“You make such a compelling case for it, Frankenstein,” Ladybug spat, the bile and disgust she had building up for months pouring out. “We both made mistakes; we both hurt Adrien. But at least I realize that the things that were my fault were my fault . You still can’t even admit that it was your akuma that put Adrien in danger in the first place!” 

 

“He should never have been in danger!” Hawkmoth snarled, firing another arc of destructive energy, evaporating the car as Ladybug danced away. "He should never have been Chat Noir!" 

 

“It was always going to be him!” Ladybug shouted back, whipping her yo-yo around and slamming into the side of Hawkmoth’s head. “He was born to be Chat Noir; even without his ring, he’s still Chat Noir!” 

 

“Because you made him!” Hawkmoth howled, firing blast after blast of energy at Ladybug. His movements were becoming more erratic; less precise. Adrien knew that his father got sloppy when he got mad and the angrier Hawkmoth got, the easier it seemed to be able to stay clear of his frenzied attacks. 

 

“When the whole city, his partner, his friends and his own father turned against him, he was still Chat Noir!” Ladybug called out, sliding under another mass of vines. “I had every reason to be Ladybug and didn’t want to be; he had no reason to keep being Chat Noir but never stopped! Even when it hurt; even when it was hard. Even after your akuma killed him -” 

 

“Shut up!” Hawkmoth howled, a crackling mass of black energy forming in his palm as he slammed it down into the ground beneath his feet. The courtyard buckled under the force of the blow, spiderwebs of dark power lacing out across the ground. The floor cracked open, hundreds of heavy slabs of concrete suddenly suspended in mid air...directly over a yawning pit containing hundreds of Hawkmoth’s captives. 

 

The rubble hung still for a split second before plummeting, rocketing down at terminal speed

---

Tigress pounced on top of a possessed firefighter, claws slicing the vines controlling him and catching him before he fell to the ground. The man blinked, shaking his head as he looked around in confusion. 

 

“Where am I?” He mumbled groggily, looking around the musty cavern. “A-Are those akuma?” 

 

Tigress shrugged, watching Evilustrator’s gigantic net snare several possessed townsfolk and Glaciator encase another half-dozen behind a wall of ice. “Long story; Lu-, er, Bluebird! We got another one!” 

 

The firefighter blinked owlishly as a hero riding a giant fan swooped over, unceremoniously snatching him around the waist. “Good morning, sir; thank you for choosing Bluebird Airlines.” 

 

“What does he-” The rest of the firefighter’s question was drowned out in a cry of surprise as Bluebird shot up towards the exit to the pit with the man in his arms. 

 

“How are we doing?!” Rena Rouge called, watching Darkblade’s knights hack at the struggling vines. 

 

“We’re making progress,” Tigress shrugged. “The elevator’s out, so getting everybody out of here is gonna be-” 

 

Far up ahead, the ceiling buckled, the smell of burning asphalt filling the air. Rena Rouge glanced up and was nearly blinded as the ceiling fractured, letting the cold morning sun in as it shattered into a hundred pieces. 

 

“You guys had one job,” Rena Rouge sighed as Gabriel Agreste’s courtyard came raining down on them. “Get them to cover! Now!” 

 

Rena Rouge grabbed a shambling old lady and dragged her away from the opening, hoping to avoid the worst of the rubble as it came streaking down. 

---

Everything moved so slowly for a handful of seconds. 

 

Ladybug leapt into the pit, yo-yo’s collapsing as her hands and forearms glowed with luminescent pink energy. Bands of light unspooled themselves like ribbons, spinning behind her as she fell towards the largest hunk of street. A fluttering red ribbon materialized as she lashed out, lassoing the hunk of stone and whipping it back up towards the top of the pit. She kicked off another smaller piece, swinging around and wrapping up the falling debris in glowing bands of pink light that materialized into impossibly strong ribbons that affixed themselves to the walls. 

 

Faster! Ladybug thought, kicking another hunk of rock so hard it embedded in the wall while hurling another up at Hawkmoth’s ugly face that peered over the top of the pit. Like a mad spider, Ladybug swooped and cinched the debris that rained down on her friends, creating a hanging mobile of broken street bits that dangled harmlessly over the floor of the pit, safely suspended over the heads of the captured townsfolk. 

 

Ladybug’s eyes met Rena Rouge’s at the bottom of the pit for the briefest moment as Ladybug attached herself to the edge of the pit by two long, spinning strands of ribbon.The balls of her feet touched the ground for a brief moment before she launched herself up like an arrow loosed from a bow, flipping around as Hawkmoth’s dark form fluttered across the sun. 

 

She could smell the electric crackle of the Black Cat claw, but it was too slow to catch her as her heels crashed hard into Hawkmoth’s jaw, sending him tumbling back and out of the sky as she reached the zenith of her flight. 

 

No you don’t! Ladybug thought, lashing out with two more ribbons that snagged Hawkmoth around his spindly legs. Pitching all her weight forward, she flipped the hulking monstrosity overhead, whipping him around like a wrecking ball, and slamming him hard into the ground at the edge of the pit he had just created. 

 

“Stop... destroying ... my city!” Ladybug roared, right fist glowing with red power as she cocked it behind her and pulled into a dive. Red ribbons unspooled behind her like the tail of a comet as she plummeted, using her full weight and the speed of her descent to crash down on Hawkmoth’s prone form. 

 

Nine eyes widened as Hawkmoth looked up to see Ladybug falling on him like a meteor. Grunting in pain, he raised the Black Cat claw, dark power pouring from the ring as he opened his palm to catch Ladybug’s fist. 

 

Her fist collided with his palm and after a moment of silence, there was a deep, thundering boom as Creation and Destruction collided. The force of the blow pushed Hawkmoth back into the ground, but Ladybug found herself forced up into the air by her own power, landing with a grunt on the street a few dozen yards away. 

 

Before she could get up, she felt the heavy weight of Hawkmoth’s boot on her back, the Ladybug fist slamming her head face down into the ground as she struggled to get away. 

 

“Very pretty, Mme. Dupain-Cheng,” Hawkmoth growled, the crackling power of the Black Cat catching her attention as she struggled harder. “But I’m afraid this is where we part ways.” 

 

Panicking, Ladybug looked around for anything, anything , she could use to get herself unstuck from Hawkmoth. There was still no sign of Chat Noir and a cold part of her heart wondered if Adrien had left her there to die. 

 

Hawkmoth raised his claw high overhead, dark energy spooling between the fingertips as he scowled down at his nemesis. “Goodbye, Marinette.” 

 

Ladybug struggled to push herself up, feeling the heat of the claw against her back as Hawkmoth prepared to plunge it deep inside her-

 

“Stop!” 

 

Hawkmoth glowed briefly with crackling golden energy, eyes flickering as the power of the Queen Bee washed over him. It would only work for a moment; long enough for a ten-foot tall Carapace to barrel out from behind a wall, pinning Hawkmoth’s wings to his back in a tight bear hug and pulling him off Ladybug. 

 

“Claw!” Queen Bee called, lassoing her chain around the wrist of the Black Cat claw. Without thinking, Ladybug moved, wrapping her own ribbons around the Hawkmoth’s wrist as she jumped up into the air, holding Hawkmoth’s arm taunt as Carapace tugged him back. 

 

“Go for it!” Carapace roared. A flicker of light caught Ladybug’s attention across the street where Chat Noir was waiting, glowing eyes locked on the long spindly arm as he gripped his sword tighter. 

 

“Adrien, wait !” Hawkmoth called, struggling to free himself as Chat Noir broke into a sprint, vaulting over broken pieces of earth. He dragged the tip of his weapon on the ground as he got closer, igniting it in a flash of brilliant flame as he jumped, spun the weapon high over head, and brought it down in a brilliant glowing arc on the arm that held Plagg prisoner. 

 

For a moment, there was nothing; then Ladybug felt herself fall backwards, the arm she was tugging on coming free as Hawkmoth howled in despair. The claw tumbled high overhead, landing on the street in a broken heap as Carapace pitched his hips back, dropping Hawkmoth on his head behind him. 

 

“Plagg!” Chat Noir called, darting over to the claw and prying the ring off his father’s finger. “Plagg...Plagg, are you there?!” 

 

The Black Cat Miraculous quivered in his hand, a distant cry slowly growing in volume. 

 

“...yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!” Plagg crowed triumphantly, materializing and bombarding Chat Noir with an aggressive head nuzzle. “I knew you could pull it off, kid!” 

 

All the misery Chat Noir had endured suddenly seemed so worth it as he cupped Plagg in his hands, squeezing him tightly with the widest smile he had grinned in months. “I’m sorry,” Chat Noir mumbled, hugging Plagg tighter to his chest. “I’m sorry-” 

 

“None of that, kiddo,” Plagg said, bumping his forehead against Chat Noir’s. “You did better than I could have expected; let’s get sappy after we emancipate my sweeter half.” 

 

Nodding, Chat Noir replaced the ring on his finger, feeling the power thrum through his body as he met Ladybug’s gaze. 

 

“Thought you weren’t coming,” Ladybug panted, grinning with mad relief. 

 

“You looked like you had it handled,” Chat Noir shrugged, scratching Plagg behind his ear. “You okay?” 

 

“Fine,” Ladybug and Plagg said at the same time. 

 

“Your Daddy still has a pretty tight hold on Tikki,” Plagg said, watching Carapace struggle to hold Hawkmoth in place. He apparently didn’t have complete command of his transformation, slowly losing size until he was small enough for Hawkmoth to shake off. Ladybug tensed as Hawkmoth shifted, slamming Carapace back against the ground hard enough to break his hold. 

 

“No…” Hawkmoth grunted, gripping the broken stump where his arm used to be. “No...not like this...we’re so close…” 

 

“Close only counts for horseshoes and hand-grenades, pal,” Plagge sneered, blowing a wet raspberry as Hawkmoth clutched the glowing, gaping wound in his chest. “You're getting your skinny little ass handed to you by your own son! Now you’re just a schmuck who can’t even wear a pair of earrings right!” 

 

Looking down into the pit, he saw dozens of sacrifices unhooked, the life-force he meant to steal for his wife dribbling away. The pain in his chest only intensified, as did the throbbing pain in his arm as the Ladybug Miraculous glowed with bright, crimson light. 

 

“It’s over ,” Chat Noir said, clenching his fist with the ring on it. “Give me the Ladybug Miraculous.” 

 

He looked back at Chat Noir, meeting the brilliant green gaze with a wounded look of betrayal. “I did this for us…” 

 

Chat Noir held his father’s eyes, a flicker of Gabriel Agreste still visible beneath the monster’s twisted features. “I didn’t ask.” 

 

Chest heaving, he glared up at the tree, the wheels in his mind turning as the light from the Ladybug Miraculous grew brighter. 

 

“Fine,” Hawkmoth snarled, holding his remaining arm up. “You want this?” 

 

Hawkmoth slammed his hand into the ground, a shockwave knocking almost everyone back as the earth began to shake violently. The roots that held the tree to the ground began to swell, breaking through concrete and smashing buildings as they spread wildly from the trunk of a tree that seemed to grow taller and taller with each passing second. 

 

“Come get it !” Hawkmoth leapt into the air, wings wobbling as he soared up towards the canopy of the tree. 

---

“Enough with the earthquakes! ” Gamer groused, holding on to Timebreaker for support as the roots of the tree around them seemed to swell with each passing second. Rena Rouge listened to the groaning of wood as the roots dug deeper into the ground beneath her feet, the massive trunk of the tree expanding slowly and rising higher into the air. 

 

“What’s going on up there?!” Rena Rouge asked. 

---

“Hard to say,” Monarch replied, watching the tree above her stretch higher into the sky. “Chat Noir managed to get the Black Cat back, but Hawkmoth isn’t down yet.” 

 

Monarch watched Hawkmoth take flight with a flap of his wings, fluttering up the trunk of the tree as it swelled. 

 

“Monarch?” Monarch looked down to see Master He’s expression staring back at her from the communicator. 

---

“We have a problem,” Master He said, staring up at the map of Paris as the tree grew larger and larger. 

 

“You don’t say,” Monarch replied flatly. 

 

“Hawkmoth is trying to pull energy from the surrounding countryside,” Master Fu said, watching the fields and trees surrounding Paris slowly turn brown. “The bigger this tree gets, the more land is going to be drained to satisfy its thirst.” 

 

“And I doubt Hawkmoth knows when enough is enough,” Master He sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "If we don't stop him soon, the whole country could be drained dry."

 

“Well, it’s a good thing we have the Black Cat back,” Monarch said, causing Master Fu to grumble, pull out another bill, and pass it to Master He. 

 

“If we survive, drinks are on you ,” Master Fu sighed. 

 

"If," Master He said.

---

“ Pussy!” Queen Bee hollered at Hawkmoth, grabbing a hunk of concrete and chucking it uselessly at his retreating form. “Get back here and fight me like a man you overgrown lamp-humper!” 

 

“ Guys, this tree is growing faster than we can pull people out of it,” Rena Rouge’s voice came from Carapace’s communicator. “Carapace, Queen Bee...I need you two down here to help with the rescue efforts.” 

 

“Hawkmoth’s still up there, Al,” Carapace replied. “LB and CN still-” 

 

“Go,” Ladybug said, looking up the trunk of the tree as Hawkmoth soared higher and higher into its branches. “We got it from here.” 

 

“You sure?” Queen Bee asked, watching Chat Noir examine the ring on his finger. 

 

“No doubt,” Chat Noir said, nodding at his friends. “Thanks for everything guys; see you on the other side of this.” 

 

“You better,” Carapace said, bumping Chat Noir’s shoulder with his fist. “Don’t be a hero, dude.” 

 

“Too late for that,” Queen Bee said, kissing Chat Noir on the cheek before shooting a glare at Ladybug. “You better bring him back or-” 

 

“Death, dismemberment, dishonor,” Ladybug sighed. “Got it; go get our people out of Hawkmoth’s clutches.” 

 

“Don’t tell me what to- ow! ” Queen Bee yelped as Carapace grabbed her by the ponytail and tugged her towards the pit. “Okay, okay, I’m going !” 

 

Heart still thundering from the adrenaline, Ladybug stumbled a bit as the ground beneath them rumbled and shook. Her hand instinctively reached out to steady herself on Chat Noir’s shoulder, the brief contact between them enough to make them both jump back a little. 

 

“You two gonna be okay?” Plagg asked, glancing between them with narrowed eyes. 

 

“Too much at stake for us not to be,” Ladybug said, glancing at Chat Noir. His eyes followed his father’s movement, jaw set as though he were steeling himself for something unpleasant. “Ready?” 

 

“It was always going to be like this, wasn’t it?” He asked, gripping his sword tighter. 

 

“...I didn’t want it to be,” Ladybug said softly. Part of her always assumed that they were going to find a way to save Gabriel but it seemed that Adrien had already come to grips with the fact that he might lose his only living parent by his own hand. 

 

“Looks like nobody gets what they want then,” Chat Noir said with a grim nod. “Least of all my father.” 

---

“Someone call for a rescue?” 

 

Rena Rouge couldn’t remember a time she was so glad to hear her boyfriend’s voice, looking up to see him floating down on the end of Queen Bee’s chain. 

 

“What the hell is going on up there?!” Rena Rouge asked, pulling her teammates into a tight hug. 

 

“You first,” Queen Bee said, watching Stormy Weather free and carry a hostage up and out of the pit. 

 

Rena Rouge stumbled as the tree swelled in size again, vines snaking across Emilie’s casket. “No time; just grab a hostage and hand them to someone with wings.” 

 

Queen Bee yelped as a vine batted at her leg, crushing it with her heel and jumping behind Carapace. 

 

“Oh, and also, the tree hates us,” Rena Rouge shrugged, batting a thorny vine away with her flute. “In case we didn’t have enough to handle.” 

 

“Didn’t think Gabriel would make it easy on us,” Carapace said, bumping his fist into Bluebird’s shoulder as he passed. “Having fun yet?” 

 

“Time of my life,” Bluebird said, grabbing a pair of kids from Stoneheart and hoisting them up out of the pit towards sunlight. 

 

“Hang on,” Queen Bee said, grabbing Carapace’s elbow and pointing towards the translucent casket visible through a tangle of vines. “What about Emilie?” 

 

“We can’t worry about here while there are living people we need to get out,” Rena Rouge said. 

 

“That’s Adrien’s mom .” 

 

“We’ve got a lot of moms down here,” Rena Rouge replied, gesturing around. 

 

“She didn’t ask for any of this,” Carapace said. “She’s as much a victim as the rest of the city.” 

 

“Guys, we can’t- ,” Rena Rouge sighed, watching her champions scramble to try and free and evacuate the hundreds of people still in need of rescuing. “Take five minutes; if you can’t get her out-” 

 

“We’ll be back,” Carapace said, briefly kissing Rena Rouge’s cheek as he led the charge towards Emilie’s sleeping form. “Come on, Queenie!” 

---

Without his other arm to balance him out, Hawkmoth’s flight up the side of the ever growing tree was unsteady and slow. His wings beat wearily, dragged down by the mass of muscle that was his only remaining arm. The Ladybug Miraculous throbbed as Hawkmoth watched the tree stretch higher and higher into the Parisian sky, roots burrowing deep underground and snaking out into the countryside. 

 

He still had the Ladybug; he still had a chance to make things right. He could still fix-

 

A fireball whizzed past his ear, causing him to veer into the tree. Behind him, he could see Ladybug and Chat Noir darting up the branches and running along the roots, crashing through the brambles and thorny vines that rose to stop them. 

 

It can’t all have been for nothing! Hawkmoth thought as he looked out across the countryside. The roots of his tree spread into the towns surrounding Paris, drawing color from the foliage and leaving wilted, ruined plant-life in its wake. Emilie still needed more vitality; more of a chance at a healthy life after all was done. 

 

Why couldn’t Adrien see that?

 

A flicker of black out of the corner of his eye alerted Hawkmoth to Chat Noir emerging from a portal at his shoulder, blade bared and eyes burning with cold fire. Hawkmoth beat him back with a flap of his wings, raising another vine from the tree to swat at Chat Noir as he ascended. 

 

“Are you alright?” Ladybug asked as Chat Noir righted himself on a branch next to her. 

 

“Don’t worry about me; worry about-” Chat Noir saw a sharp looking vine shoot out at Ladybug’s flank. Before his mind even knew what his body was doing, he had leapt forward, slashing the vine in half without breaking his ascent up the tree. “ Careful! That could have-” 

 

Chat Noir watched Ladybug’s eyes widen, yo-yo lashing past his head and smashing a thorned vine that had rocketed towards his back. 

 

“Took the words right out of my-” Ladybug flinched as Chat Noir fired a burst of flame over her shoulder, igniting another attacking vine before it could strike. 

 

“Did you always need this much rescuing?!” Chat Noir asked, leaning back as Ladybug hurled her shield at a large grasping hand made out of tree bark, shattering it into thousand pieces. 

 

“Thought I’d give you something to do,” Ladybug retorted, flipping from branch to branch as she chased Hawkmoth higher and higher up the side of the tree. “Wouldn’t want you to get bored.” 

 

“Leave me alone !” Hawkmoth shouted, hand glowing as he called a wall of solid wood to rise out the side of the tree. Before she could slow down or adjust her swinging speed, she felt Chat Noir coming up behind her. His blade sailed overhead as she instinctively ducked, slicing through the wall of wood with a burning swing.

 

“How tall is this thing?!” Ladybug asked, looking down at the city that seemed to shrink further and further. Cold wind lapped at her face as they ran higher and higher, chasing Hawkmoth’s stumbling form into the darkening sky above. 

 

“Tall enough ,” Chat Noir said, whipping his spear into the trunk of a tree. “Latch on to that; I have an idea.” 

 

Nice not to have to think of everything for once , Ladybug thought, whipping her yo-yo out and grabbing on to the spear. 

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chat Noir groused, grabbing Ladybug around the waist and kicking off against the tree. 

 

I didn’t say anything, Ladybug thought, hanging on tightly to Chat Noir’s jacket as they swung around the side of the tree in a wide spiraling circle. Fang sank into the tree as they swung, kicking up a spray of sawdust and wood chips as they carved a deep groove in the trunk of the tree. 

---

“ Monarch, how is it going up there?” 

 

“As well as can be expected,” Monarch spoke into her communicator, holding her scabbard up like a baton to direct stumbling, shell-shocked Parisians away from the battleground. “How many more do we have down there?” 

 

“ A few hundred left,” Rena Rouge replied. “ Carapace and Queen Bee are trying to rescue Emilie.”

 

Glancing down, Monarch could see Carapace ripping the vines that covered Emilie away while Queen Bee swatted nosy vines away from him. 

 

“ Almost there,” Carapace grunted into his communicator. 

 

“We’re gonna need you to help with the rest,” Rena Rouge reminded him gently. “ If you can’t get her unstuck-” 

 

“ We’re almost there!” Carapace repeated. “Little more; we’ll be out of here in a snap, I swear.” 

 

Bluebird dropped another pair of kids on the ground as he fluttered out of the pit. “Alright up here?” 

 

“Holding up,” Monarch shrugged, herding more people down the street. A distant rumbling caught her attention and she held her hand up to stop the crowd in its tracks. The lumbering blue oni Sentimonster stepped out in front of her as two large, orange armored personnel vehicles rolled down the street, stopping a few dozen yards from Monarch. 

 

The side opened and a dark haired woman in a red coat stuck her head out. “Are you working with Ladybug?” She called down. 

 

“I’m working to get these people to safety,” Monarch said, eyes narrowing at the woman as she hopped out of the vehicle. 

 

“Then we’re working for the same thing,” the woman said with a pearly smile as she held out a hand. “Brigitte Cheng; Director of the ARK Project. I hope my people have been treating you right.” 

 

“Very well, thank you,” Monarch said, accepting the woman’s hand with a brief squeeze. “I’m Monarch; my partner over here is Bluebird. With respect, ma’am, how did you get into the city?” 

 

“Flew,” Brigitte said, nodding at the pair of repurposed military helicopters coming down over the skyline. 

 

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Bluebird asked. 

 

“Seems everything is dangerous these days,” Brigitte shrugged, glancing at the crowd of tired, confused people behind Monarch. “We have an evacuation zone set up just down the street and a fallback center outside town.” 

 

“We’ve got a lot of people to ferry,” Bluebird said. “Can we trust you to get them to safety?” 

 

Brigitte looked almost offended at the suggestion. “You’d be surprised what a couple dozen volunteers can do with a few helicopters and a-” 

 

A huge, groaning crack filled the air, drawing everyone’s attention skyward as the towering tree suddenly buckled. Looking up, Monarch could see a line of green appear in the trunk, a black and red shape winding around the tree like a tetherball. The tree shuddered like a colossal door opening before the canopy suddenly lurched to one side, falling down towards the city on the far side of the river. 

 

“What the hell are you-” 

---

“- doing Adrien?!” 

 

“Improvising,” Chat Noir said, watching the top half of the tree slowly start to lean as the cut in the trunk took its toll. Below them, she could see Hawkmoth racing towards the cut in the tree, trying desperately to hold it together with vines conjured out of the trunk. “Get started; I’ll catch up.” 

 

“Where are you going ?!” Ladybug demanded, yelping as Chat Noir let go of her, falling towards the severed top of the tree as she swung down towards the jagged stump that Hawkmoth was frantically trying to heal. Vines shot out of the trunk, trying to pull the severed top back, but the weight of the tree proved too much for Hawkmoth’s constructs to handle. Ladybug landed in a crouch, rolling as Hawkmoth frantically slammed his fist into the trunk. 

 

“No!” Hawkmoth sobbed, smashing the Ladybug fist again and again into the trunk as he watched the towering branches fall towards the city below. All of the work he had done, all the sacrifices he had made, all the people he had hurt and all the lies he had told were falling uselessly through the air. As Chat Noir’s floating black form made contact with the skyscraper-sized tree-trimming, Hawkmoth watched it explode in a shower of black dust, the Cataclysm rippling through it as Chat Noir slid down the trunk. 

 

Possessing the unlimited power of Creation, Hawkmoth watched his world burn around him. 

 

Turning around, she could see the glimmer of Gabriel Agreste in his broken, dead-eyed expression. Before all this, before she had made such a stupid deal with the city’s enemy, she liked to imagine that Hawkmoth was just a bad person. A rotten apple that wanted to do nothing more than watch the city burn so he could seize ultimate power for himself. But rotten apples were ripe, promising fruit at one point and as the Ladybug’s chosen wielders stared at one another, Ladybug could see the long, twisted road that had led Gabriel Agreste to the twisted state he was in. 

 

A road she had walked herself, however briefly. 

 

“You…” Hawkmoth said, voice sounding hollow and distant as he leaned on his Ladybug enhanced arm. “Are you satisfied now? That...that tree was the last hope my wife had. And now you’ve taken that away from me.” 

 

“The only things we took are what you took from others,” Ladybug said. “Just one more thing to take back.” 

 

Hawkmoth looked down at the Ladybug Miraculous embedded in his fist, turning it over so the light caught on the polished metal. 

 

“...I thought they would be more extravagant,” Hawkmoth mused, watching the veins in his fist bulge as he closed his hand. “I suppose that was my problem; I never thought power would look so plain.” 

 

Hawkmoth turned his gaze back to Ladybug, anger having been replaced by a grim, weary determination. His hand opened and the large, jagged blade Antibug had used materialized in his hand. 

 

“I’m guessing you’re not going to make this easy on me,” Ladybug said, extending her yo-yo’s with a flick of her wrist. Shame I didn’t get a cool weapon like Chat Noir did…

 

Her yo-yo’s blinked, a spot on the underside of one flashing with an insistent light. Brow knitting, she pressed against the spot, watching her yo-yo’s crack open. A beam of pink light connected the flat disks, disappearing in a flash and revealing a long staff that rested lightly in her hands as she reached out for it. 

 

“Four years later and you finally start taking requests,” Ladybug mused, twirling her baton around as Hawkmoth snarled, lunging forward with a flare of his wings, the jagged blade raised and ready to strike. 

 

A blur of black and green caught Ladybug’s attention as a portal opened next to Hawkmoth, Chat Noir flying through with a large, phantasmal fist that slammed into his father’s head. Hawkmoth jerked, but remained unmoved, raising his sword to block the strike from Chat Noir’s blade. Sparks hissed and spat from the edge of the sword, neither weapon giving way as father and son leaned into one another with all their strength. 

 

“Chat... Noir ,” Hawkmoth growled, staring at the otherworldly doppelganger of his son.

 

“Finally,” Chat Noir said with a savage grin. “You finally see me for who I am!” 

 

Ladybug watched as Hawkmoth threw himself forward, moving with more speed than a creature of his size should have been capable of as he slammed Chat Noir backwards across the base of the tree. He spun away, sword swinging at Chat Noir’s blind spot. Ladybug moved fast, bringing her baton up and catching the heavy sword on the hilt of the baton before it could hit Chat Noir. 

 

“Copycat,” Chat Noir groused, sliding between Ladybug’s legs and slashing at his father’s knees. Hawkmoth floated up  into the air and brought the blade down hard towards Ladybug’s head. She parried the strike with her baton, trapping the blade in the ground as Chat Noir darted up the flat edge of it, Fang bared and ready to strike at the remaining limb. 

 

“You have cooler toys than I do; naturally, I’m a little jealous,” Ladybug said, watching Hawkmoth fall back, battering Chat Noir to one side with the back of his fist. Ladybug took an opportunity to get her knocks in, spinning her baton and driving it hard against the hilt of Monarch’s sword still buried in Hawkmoth’s shoulder. 

 

Time seemed to dilate as it always did when Ladybug saw the path to victory and the large, bloody weakness in Hawkmoth’s shoulder gave her an idea. A stupid, suicidally bold idea typical of her former partner. 

 

Chat Noir darted forward, striking at Hawkmoth to bring up the sword in defense. As soon as their blades locked, Ladybug lashed out, ribbons unspooling from her wrists and snagging around the hilt of the sword. Hawkmoth let out a grunt of pain, spinning around to slash at Ladybug as the momentum sent her spinning around Hawkmoth’s side. 

 

“What are you doing ?!” Hawkmoth snarled as Ladybug reeled herself in, grabbing on to the hilt of the sword with all her might. Jerking backwards, Hawkmoth tossed her off with a flap of his wings, sending her skidding to the ground at Chat Noir’s feet. 

 

“He’s not a hugger,” Chat Noir said dryly as he pulled Ladybug to her feet. 

 

“Tough; I’m a clingy sort of girl,” Ladybug growled, breaking her staff into two yo-yo’s again and sending them spinning at Hawkmoth’s temples. Hawkmoth ducked low as Chat Noir slid past her, slamming a glowing fist under his father’s jaw and popping him straight up in the air. Again, Ladybug pounced, diving for the handle of the sword embedded in Hawkmoth’s shoulder. She felt it shift as she grabbed a hold of it, bracing her feet against his shoulder as she tried to shift it lower.

 

He could sense what she was trying to do and rising into the air with a flap of his wings, Hawkmoth took off, twirling and banking as he tried to get Ladybug to release her grip on the hilt. Her fingers slipped, but ribbons unspooled from her hands and wrapped tightly around the sword hilt, dragging Hawkmoth backwards as he tried to spin her off. 

 

High above the tree stump, Hawkmoth continued to climb into the freezing morning air, banking hard and causing the ribbons that wrapped around the hilt to cut loose. Ladybug’s stomach dropped as she fell backwards, clawing at the air for purchase. 

 

There was a flash of energy as a black gloved hand reached out of a portal at her side, grabbing hers as they both tumbled closer and closer to the tree. 

 

“You know what you need to do?” Chat Noir asked. For a moment, the overwhelming need to pull Adrien closer to her filled her body until she turned her attention back towards Hawkmoth. 

 

“One more shot should do it,” Ladybug said, squeezing Chat Noir’s hand as he pulled her closer, opening a portal beneath them before they hit the ground. 

 

Tumbling through, the second portal spat them out high above the city with Hawkmoth’s flapping form beneath them. A pair of floating, spectral hands grabbed her by her waist, cocking her back over Chat Noir's shoulder like a ball. 

 

“Remember all those times you threw me when we were partners?” Chat Noir asked. 

 

“Payback?” Ladybug asked, looking down as Hawkmoth slowly turned around to see them plummeting down on top of him. 

 

“It’s a bitch, bugaboo!” Chat Noir roared, his spectral arms hurling Ladybug down like a comet towards his father’s confused form. “ End it!” 

 

Ladybug tucked her arms into her sides, struggling to keep her eyes open as she fell closer and closer towards Hawkmoth. The blade in his hand came rocketing towards her head, only a quick dodge to the right saving her from being sliced open as she lunged for the handle, grabbing on to it and gripping it as tight as she could with her feet braced on Hawkmoth’s shoulders. 

 

Hawkmoth’s arm reached up to stop her as she leaned forward, pressing all her weight against the sword hilt. His eyes found hers as they fell, a look of panic and resignation fluttering across his gaze as he felt the weapon shift in his shoulder. 

 

“Bye... bye ...butterfly,” Ladybug grunted, grabbing the sword and tugging backwards with all her strength. 

 

Ladybug fell backwards, Monarch’s sword clutched in her hand as she watched the massive, arm come loose from Hawkmoth’s body. His mouth opened in a silent scream as he plummeted, wings slowly dissipating into black dust as he slammed into the tree beneath him. 

 

There was a hideous cracking sound as the tree itself began to split and crumble, huge sections of its trunk and lower branches falling as Hawkmoth smashed straight through the trunk. Like a house of poorly stacked wooden blocks, Hawkmoth’s last ditch plan to save his wife came crashing down with Ladybug and Chat Noir crashing right after him. 

 

Ladybug managed to grab a hold of Hawkmoth’s dismembered arm as she crashed into the tree and everything went dark. 

---

Carapace shattered the last of the vines holding Emilie’s casket, wrapping his arms around the base of the container and tugging it free with a triumphant shout. 

 

“Got her!” Carapace grunted, watching the last of the hostages being carried out by Stoneheart. 

 

“Foxy, we’re all clear down here!” Queen Bee said into her communicator, grabbing the other end of the casket. 

 

“ About time,” Rena Rouge sighed. “ARK is moving people out of the danger zone; let’s get Sleeping Beauty upstairs before-”

 

There was a distant pop somewhere high overhead, a shudder that sent a shockwave rippling throughout the air, washing over Carapace and nearly knocking him off his feet. 

 

“ Did anybody else feel that?” Rena Rouge asked. Carapace glanced down to see the vines at his feet shrink and shrivel, turning into crispy husks of life before crumbling in the breeze. The trunk of the tree groaned as it slowly grew sicker and more brittle, bark dropping off as the roots started to creak and groan under its weight. The sound of a heavy cable snapping filled the air as one of the roots fractured, the entire tree shuddering as it slowly started to slump. 

 

“Hey, weird question that’s totally unrelated to the tree that’s about to crush us,” Carapace said, turning to Queen Bee. “How much weight can you carry when you’re flying?”

 

“Nino, forget the casket!” Rena Rouge’s shaky voice came from the other end of the communicator. “ Just get out of there; leave-” 

 

Carapace slammed his communicator shut, sharing a look with Queen Bee. 

 

“You’re gonna piss her off,” Queen Bee said, stringing her chain through a handle on the side of the casket and cinching it shut as branches the size of city busses landed all around them. 

 

“Not if you fly your striped butt off,” Carapace said, stepping on the casket as Queen Bee took off, dragging her partner and Emilie behind as she took off into the air. Above them, she could see three small shapes crash into the tree, triggering a cascade of broken wood that plummeted down towards the two heroes left in the pit. 

 

“I just got these wings, like, yesterday!” Queen Bee cried, grunting as she started flying straight up. “If we die-” 

 

“Don’t jinx us!” Carapace shouted, holding on to the casket as it swung wildly in the air beneath Queen Bee. A falling piece of lumber clipped the side of the box, sending it falling down for a terrifying moment before Carapace caught it, one arm hanging on to the chain attached to Queen Bee and the other locked in a deathgrip on Adrien’s mother. 

 

“ Get out of there!” Rena Rouge shouted into her communicator. “The roof is-” 

---

“-coming down!” 

 

Rena Rouge stared at the edge of the rapidly collapsing pit, watching Queen Bee and Carapace weave through falling debris as the massive trunk of the tree came bearing down on top of them. 

 

“Rena, we need to get back!” Bluebird said, grabbing Rena Rouge under her arm to pull her away from the falling tree. The gap between the trunk and the edge of the hole was getting slimmer and slimmer; in a few seconds, the only way out would be slammed closed on top of her partners. 

 

Over the sound of the tree falling a frantic, high-pitched shriek grew louder and louder, crescendoing as Queen Bee rocketed out of the pit, dumping Carapace and the worn and battered casket on the ground before skidding to a halt on the sidewalk at Rena Rouge’s feet. The tree collided with the side of the pit, buckling as it smashed into the mansion and came to rest, leaning over the side of the river.. 

 

“I told you to drop the casket!” Rena Rouge sobbed, running over and grabbing Carapace around the waist. 

 

“No casualties, remember?” Carapace grunted, patting Emilie’s casket. “Not even her.” 

 

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Queen Bee said from her spot on the ground. 

 

“We’re all suitably grateful, I promise you,” Monarch sighed, pulling Queen Bee up as they turned to look at the ruins of the Agreste manor. For the first time all morning, the city was still with no sign of Hawkmoth, Chat Noir, or Ladybug anywhere in the rubble. 

 

"Everyone make it?" Carapace asked. 

 

"Just about..." Monarch said, staring at the ruins thoughtfully as the world grew quiet. 

 

After a moment, Bluebird seemed to voice the question that was on everyone’s mind. “...is it over?” 

Notes:

Just about.

This fight scene was written and re-written a hundred times. I'm not 100% satisfied with it but done>perfect any day of the week.

NEXT TIME! Falling action and denouement and all that jazz . We have about one chapter left before this leg of the story wraps up.

Thanks for stopping by! This will be wrapped up before 2021 so help me god.

Chapter 49: Old World Blues

Summary:

This chapter contains major character death

“Leaving your toys lying around, Gabriel?” 

 

Kaiser Long tutted to himself as he landed, walking around the crater and shaking his head disapprovingly. The claw that had once wielded the absolute power of Destruction lay smoking in a crater outside the mansion’s ruins, sinking deeper into the earth as its crackling fingertips slowly eroded the concrete that surrounded it. 

 

“Well...waste not, want not,” Kaiser Long said, reaching down and gingerly picking the long, gangly arm up off the ground. His slit, reptilian eyes stared at it for a moment, licking his lips as his grip tightened around the desiccated limb. Green light slowly started appearing in cracks on the arm, growing brighter and brighter until it exploded in a shower of green light that swirled and formed dozens of blinking green dots. They hung in the air a moment, trembling with potential energy before slamming into Kaiser Long’s chest, knocking him backwards and slamming him into the crumbling wall beside him. 

 

Every atom in his body shuddered and shook, his muscles locking up as he desperately fought to keep from biting his own tongue in half. Deep, pained breaths counted the moments until the shaking stopped. Kaiser Long fell, coughing and spluttering on the ground. He took a deep breath, blinking as a thin stream of icy breath flowed from his lips and froze a patch of water on the ground in front of him. 

 

Well that’s new... Kaiser Long thought, picking himself up off the ground. 

---

“Excuse me, ma’am, we need you to move back- excuse me, ma’am! ” 

 

Master He brushed the orange-clad ARK volunteer aside, stepping under a barricade and heading towards the shattered ruin of Hawkmoth’s last attempt to save his wife. Makeshift tents and medical stations lined the street, ARK doctors and medical staff tending to the confused, frightened, and wounded Parisians. 

 

“Ma’am,” the security worker said, gently grabbing Master He under her arm. “We need you to stay behind the barricade.” 

 

“Who’s in charge here?” Master He asked, glancing around for Rena Rouge or Monarch. 

 

“That’d be me.” Master He turned to see a young woman in a dark red coat approach, nodding to the security guard who stepped back behind the line. “Dr. He, correct?” 

 

“...Brigitte Cheng,” Master He said as she recognized the woman from the cover of a month's old magazine she had paged through in the hospital waiting room. “You know me?” 

 

“I’m in the business of humanitarian relief,” Brigitte shrugged. “I know the heads of most medical research groups and large hospitals. The Mayor's office said that you were in the city when we talked.” 

 

“I was hoping to lend my services with the relief efforts,” Master He lied smoothly. Marinette’s cousin looked her over for a moment, her eyes scrutinizing the doctor’s appearance before shrugging, reaching into her pocket and pulling out an orange badge. 

 

“We think we have everyone accounted for, but we could use help looking through the rubble,” Brigitte said, nodding over to where the ruined trunk of the tree lay in the middle of Adrien’s old mansion. “Still no sign of Ladybug, Chat Noir, or Hawkmoth. I'd report to the orange one...what's her name, Renard? She seems to be calling the shots in Ladybug's absence” 

 

“I’ll make myself useful,” Master He promised, pinning the badge to her coat. “If you require anything of me, please let me know.” 

 

Brigitte nodded, watching Master He walk away for a long moment before turning her attention back to her tablet. 

---

“La...dy...dybu...L...L...Ladybug!” 

 

Ladybug jerked awake under a pile of shattered branches and broken concrete, wincing in discomfort as she rolled a heavy slab of pavement off her back. Her communicator was open a few dozen feet away, spluttering and sparking as Ladybug picked it up. 

 

“ Ladybug, are you there?” Rena Rouge’s voice said again.

 

“ Try Adrien again,” Queen Bee said in the background. 

 

“I’m here,” Ladybug coughed, looking around what appeared to be the dining room of Adrien’s house buried under rubble and tilted to one side. “I’m alive...I think…” 

 

Ladybug ran her hands over her body experimentally, checking for any broken bones or obvious injuries sustained from falling at terminal velocity. 

 

“All in one piece,” Ladybug said. “The new suit holds up just like the one Tikki used to... Tikki!” 

 

Ladybug dropped her communicator, scanning about wildly for the arm that held Tikki’s Miraculous. She remembered grabbing on to it before she collided with the tree, but she appeared to have lost it somewhere in the mess of stone and burned out wood. 

 

“Anyone seen a big, meaty arm around?!” Ladybug called into her communicator, pushing her way through the rubble as she made her way down deeper into the ruined mansion. “Or Chat Noir?” 

 

“ You didn’t recover the Ladybug?” Rena Rouge asked as Ladybug elbowed her way past a broken beam, jumping back as a portion of the roof collapsed in the doorway. 

 

“Working on it,” Ladybug said, elbowing her way through the rubble as she switched frequency to Chat Noir’s communicator. “Adrien, are you there?” 

 

Silence answered her as she crawled under the broken staircase, sliding down into the ruins of Gabriel’s kitchen. 

 

“Do we even know if he’s alive?” Rena Rouge muttered. 

 

“He’s alive,” Monarch’s said sternly. 

 

“She’s right,” Ladybug said, kicking a broken table aside. “I’d know if he was dead.” 

 

“Do I want to know how?” 

 

“ I do,” Ladybug said, coming to the edge of a deep pit clogged by what looked like tons of broken wood. “ Adrien!” 

 

Her echo was the only thing that answered her as she repelled down, watching sections of the woods creak and break under her weight. 

 

“This place is pretty shaky,” Ladybug said, grabbing at a broken branch as she tumbled a few dozen meters down. “Everyone’s clear, right?” 

 

“ Everyone but you three,” Rena Rouge said. “ Hurry up and get out of there.” 

 

“What about-” Ladybug stopped as she watched a mote of black dust float by her face. The little dot spun in the air for a moment before winking out of existence, a small cloud of drifting black particles floating past her from somewhere deeper in the mansion. 

 

Ladybug snapped her communicator shut, following the trail of dust past the remnants of Gabriel’s study. Her foot crunched on a picture of a younger Gabriel beaming next to a blushing blonde in white, happier than Ladybug had ever seen him, even in pictures taken before his wife disappeared. The foliage grew lusher and more vibrant as Ladybug wound her way into the deepest corner of the underground mansion. 

 

It was there, she found what remained of Gabriel Agreste. 

---

After getting ritualistically consumed by fire and shot out like a great flaming booger from Destruction’s proverbial nose, being buried alive didn’t seem so bad. 

 

“Rise and shine, Prince Charming,” Plagg’s voice whispered in his ear, nudging Chat Noir as he slowly rose, shifting the rubble that covered his body. “You okay?” 

 

“I’ve been better,” Chat Noir grunted, holding his side with a wince. “Been worse-” 

 

Chat Noir blinked, coming nose to nose with a slender dark-haired young man with sparkling green eyes dressed in a simple black shirt and slacks. His lips split into a sharp, beaming grin and the noxious fumes that wafted out of his mouth left no doubt as to his identity. 

 

“Please tell me you’re not who I think you are…” Chat Noir groaned, pushing himself up to his feet. 

 

“You’re just salty that you’re not the cute one anymore,” Plagg snickered, hauling Chat Noir to his feet. 

 

“Let me guess; this hasn’t happened before, has it?” Looking at him, there was almost an uncanny resemblance between them; at a glance, he could have been mistaken for Adrien’s younger brother by an untrained eye. 

 

“Lots of stuff hasn’t happened before,” Plagg said, bringing his fingertip up and wiping away a swathe of broken debris with a glowing black Cataclysm that spread out from the tips of his fingers. “I can’t tell if this is an upgrade or a downgrade yet...something doesn't feel right but I don't know what.” 

 

"Really, what gave that away?"  Chat Noir said, picking Fang up off the ground and tucking it into his belt. “Where’s Marinette?” 

 

“Around,” Plagg shrugged, following Chat Noir as he stumbled through the remains of his living room. “The better question is where’s-” 

 

Plagg stopped, hair raising as they stepped into the shattered foyer. At the center of the room was a large, muscular arm resting on top of a flowering tree that seemed to have grown from the wound Monarch’s sword left in it. 

 

"Speak of the angel," Plagg said with a wolfish whistle. Chat Noir approached the tree, lopping it down and watching the arm bounce on the ground. The Ladybug Miraculous popped out of his father’s knuckles, rolling along the ground and resting at Chat Noir’s feet. He leaned down and picked them up, his ring thrumming with energy as absolute power lay in the palm of his hand. 

 

It was a testament to the Miraculous that even after watching his father ruined by ambition, Chat Noir still felt the call to use it. 

 

“You gonna eat that?” 

 

Chat Noir whipped around, sword out as a woman in red and black stepped into the foyer, flame crackling at the end of two auburn ponytails. She kicked the remains of Hawkmoth’s arm with the tip of her boot, seemingly unconcerned with Chat Noir’s presence or the sword in his hand. 

 

"Did you hear her come in?" Chat Noir mumbled to Plagg. 

 

"Totally; I just wanted it to be a surprise," Plagg drawled, hair raising as he glared at the woman. "Stay sharp." 

 

“Funny how the things we do leave their mark on the world,” Firebird mused, hefting the massive arm with one hand. 

 

“Who are you?” Chat Noir asked, stuffing the Ladybug Miraculous in his pocket as discreetly as he could. 

 

“Better yet, why the hell are you like that?” Plagg demanded, eyes narrowed as Firebird spared him a disdainful glance. 

 

“Like what?” Chat Noir asked. 

 

“I’m surprised you don’t recognize me,” Firebird said, looking between Chat Noir and Plagg. “We’re family, after all. Calamity’s favorite sons and her disappointing daughter...together at last.” 

 

Chat Noir watched fire arc from the woman’s fingertips, consuming the massive arm in a jet of white hot flame. The smell of burning flesh filled the air for a moment before the arm dissipated, scattering into a thousand motes of red light that circled the woman’s head like a halo before slamming into her chest. She stumbled, teeth gritting as her body thrummed with glowing red light. Plagg’s expression was one of confusion, anger and no small amount of fear as the woman righted herself, gasping for breath with a wide grin on her face. 

 

“Oooooh, wow, that hurt!” Firebird coughed, smacking her lips distastefully. “Ugh...why did that taste like pate? I didn’t even put it in my mouth and I taste pate .” 

 

“What happened?” Chat Noir asked Plagg. “Does she have a Miraculous?” 

 

“Still on about that?” Firebird sighed, almost disappointed by the question. “Come on, you can’t still think that costume jewelry is the only way to make contact with divinity, can you?” 

 

Firebird raised a hand, watching gleefully as the skin in her palm split and a small, red and black cockroach crawled out of the folds in her skin, slithering along her fingertips until a stray spark ignited it, sending it falling to the ground and scrambling around in pain as it burned up. 

 

“Gabriel’s problem...sorry, quick recap, Hawkmoth’s real name was Gabriel Agreste, ” Firebird nodded as Chat Noir’s eyes narrowed angrily. “The fashion guy. Yeah; all that money and power and respect and he still wanted more. Anyway, the problem is he tried to eat two elephants at the same time and got a tummy ache that took his life. If he was smart...well, if he was smart, he’d have beaten you when you were fourteen. But if he wasn’t a blithering nitwit, he would have realized that anything worth having takes a long time and a lot of work to get. And that if you have to eat two elephants, it's better to do so one bite at a time.” 

 

Firebird wrinkled her nose distastefully at the portrait of Gabriel with a gigantic hole in the center where a steel beam jutted through. "Otherwise the results get a little...messy." 

---

What remained of Gabriel Agreste turned his head at the sound of Ladybug’s footsteps, exposing a hollow, cracked shell of a face that seemed to be slowly falling apart. He lay at the altar he had constructed for his wife, surrounded by wildflowers that seemed to have sprung out of the shoulder stump that once held the Ladybug Miraculous.  A deep, endless nothing lay under pale skin that dried and flaked off, piece by piece as Ladybug approached.

 

“Hello...Mme. Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel said, voice reedy as his chest struggled to rise and fall with each labored breath. “So glad you could...join me…” 

 

“M. Agreste,” Ladybug said, looking Gabriel over. “What happened to you?” 

 

“You did,” Gabriel sighed, watching his breath leave his mouth in a cold, frosty cloud. “...I did, I suppose. Seems the price for using your trinkets was...too much for me to pay. Funny...it’s been so long since I truly couldn’t afford something.” 

 

“Oh, shut up,” Ladybug said. Fighting down a wave of revulsion, Ladybug knelt beside him, fingertips glowing with golden healing light. 

 

“Oh...I don’t think that will work,” Gabriel said airily. 

 

“Shut up ,” Ladybug grumbled, pushing healing energy into the void where Gabriel’s face used to be. The light flowed from her fingertips and was, immediately, swallowed by a black pit of nothingness that seemed to eat more and more of Gabriel Agreste with each passing moment. “You’re not getting off that easy…” 

 

“...I’m afraid I am ,” Gabriel said, a cough dislodging part of his shoulder that fell off, crumbling to the ground like it was made of chalk as Gabriel stared curiously at the broken stump where his arm used to be. “Adrien’s little cat... really doesn’t like me. The Ladybug held me together for longer than I thought it would but...well, that seems to have run off on me.” 

 

Letting out a frustrated snarl , Ladybug summoned more energy, pulling from the plants that surrounded them to try and mend the part of Gabriel that had just fallen off. The ghostly image of an arm appeared, snaking up Gabriel’s shoulder before shattering just as soon as Ladybug conjured it, crumbling to the ground next to Gabriel as he blinked wearily at her. 

 

“You know...” Gabriel coughed. “I thought this was going to end in a much more... miraculous  fashion.” 

 

“This isn’t ending ,” Ladybug said, wracking her brain for something to do. “Come on...Adrien...Adrien needs you to…” 

 

Ladybug trailed off and Gabriel gave a rueful chuckle that sounded like it came from the end of a long, empty hallway. “You can’t...even finish that sentence...can you?” 

 

Sinking back on her heels, Ladybug stared at her old archenemy, now just a sad and broken old man that was literally falling to pieces before her eyes. Even before her plan to save Adrien’s family had been hatched, Hawkmoth was never supposed to die. He was supposed to be publicly outed; arraigned for his crimes. Dragged out of the shadows for the whole world to see and be made to pay for what he had done.

 

Hawkmoth wasn’t supposed to just disappear; broken and completely anonymous far beneath the streets of Paris. 

 

“He doesn’t need me…” Gabriel said, sadly laying back against the twisted bramble patch. “It’s...for the best...really…a clean break...fresh start.” 

 

“You selfish bastard ,” Ladybug snarled, fist impotently shattering a dried patch of plants next to Gabriel’s body. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that your last moments are running away from your responsibilities, should I?” 

 

Gabriel gave a weak shrug that seemed to take all the energy he had left. “Why...stop...now?” 

---

Chat Noir watched Firebird warily as she walked around the foyer, examining the broken portrait of Gabriel and Adrien that had hung for years broken on the floor. 

 

“He had a real boner for sadness, didn’t he?” Firebird chuckled, poking the portrait with her foot. "Who decorates their house like this?" 

 

“What do you want?” Chat Noir snapped stepping forward until he felt Plagg’s hand on his elbow stop him. 

 

“A mint, actually,” Firebird said, sticking her tongue out. “Or some water; Gabriel tasted like complete-” 

 

“Cut the crap !” Chat Noir demanded, pulling Fang from its sheath and levelling the point at Firebird. “What did you know about Hawkmoth? Were you behind him this whole time?! What did you-” 

 

“Careful,” Plagg hissed in Adrien’s ear. “This chick just slurped up a lot of Tikki’s power; I would not tussle with her right now.” 

 

“It’s my power now, actually,” Firebird said icily, lip curling as she turned her attention to Plagg. “Let me guess...you’re the cat, aren’t you?”

 

“Mr. Cat, thank you very much,” Plagg said, stepping out in front of Adrien. “My sidekick over here failed diplomacy, so maybe we should just talk between ourselves.” 

 

“I’ve got nothing I want to say to a fossil that should have disappeared a long time ago,” Firebird said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Your time is coming to an end; I’m more interested in what your sidekick can do for us.” 

 

“The kid’s still under contract, sorry,” Plagg said, teeth flashing as black energy crackled between his fingertips. 

 

“Why don’t we let the kid make up his mind?” Firebird said. “Oh, excuse me, I forgot that thinking for yourself isn’t a skill Master Fu teaches, is it?” 

 

“Master Fu didn’t teach me a lot,” Chat Noir said. 

 

“Not surprised,” Firebird said, slowly crossing the foyer. The grip on the sword tightened as Firebird approached, stopping as Plagg stepped between them, a dangerous glint in his eye seemingly giving her pause. 

 

“I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of things about us,” Firebird said, watching Chat Noir’s expression. “Your masters have a vested interest in making sure we distrust one another

 

“So I should just trust you?” Chat Noir asked, holding Firebird’s gaze. He could feel an intangible heat radiate off her; somehow similar to the heat he felt in Destruction’s Sanctuary. The power she wielded wasn’t just similar to his; it was his. From the same source and with the same feel to it. But mixed in the swirling storm of Destruction was a thread of the same power he felt thrumming from the Ladybug Miraculous. 

 

She is family...Chat Noir thought. Mine and Ladybug's.

 

“You should trust yourself,” Firebird said, eyeing the hand that clenched tighter around the Ladybug Miraculous. “Seems to be the only one you can trust at all these days. I can't imagine you have that many friends left, do you?” 

 

“Lady, you clearly don’t know this guy well enough to meaningfully intimidate him,” Plagg sneered. 

 

“Who’s intimidating?” Firebird said, holding her hands up innocently. “I’m just giving some friendly advice; your allies don't hold your safety in the same esteem that you think they do. I mean...just look at what they did to poor master Li." 

 

Plagg’s nostrils flared, but he said nothing as Chat Noir glanced between them .”Who’s she talking about?” 

 

“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough,” Firebird said, stretching somewhat lazily as she moved to walk past him. “Sadly, I don't have the time to explain; things to do, people to see...teeth to brush at some point, sooner rather than later."

 

Firebird stopped in her tracks as Fang flashed in front of her, the edge of the crackling blade inches from her face. 

---

Ladybug sniffed back an angry tear of frustration. “So all of this...all of this bullshit was for nothing, wasn’t it?! Four years of back and forth, three months of working with you for nothing."

 

"I...pay my interns quite well, actually," Gabriel chuckled. "Especially my assistant-" 

 

"I hurt my partner, I hurt my friends and...it was all for nothing!”  Her last word echoed in the hollow antechamber, reverberating and ringing in her ears. Nothing, nothing, nothing. 

 

“This was...never...going to end well,” Gabriel murmured. “We...passed that point...before you even started." 

 

“And to think, I was stupid enough to think I could help you,” Ladybug snarled bitterly, looking down at Gabriel’s body, glaring at him through the angry tears welling up in her eyes. “But you were just using me this whole time, weren't you?" 

 

Gabriel said nothing as Ladybug moved herself to stand in front of his line of sight. 

 

“I need to know...how much of what I did was you pulling the strings?” Ladybug demanded. “I insist …you owe me that much.” 

 

Gabriel stared at her for a long moment, weighing an answer that seemed to be on the tip of his tongue. “...it was...all me,” he rasped. “Everything you did...everything you thought...it was all...my...fault.” 

 

Ladybug stared back at him, studying what remained of his face. 

 

“Do you...feel...better?” Gabriel asked. 

 

“No…” Ladybug muttered, feeling tears rolling down her cheeks.

 

"Why?" Gabriel asked, already knowing the answer. 

 

“Because I know you’re lying," Ladybug said quietly, the awful truth sitting cold and heavy in her chest. 

 

“You seem...to have the answers...already,” Gabriel clucked, taking a deep breath. “Truth is...you were...teetering on the edge of a cliff...worn down by resentment...by envy...by a never...ending battle. You walked to the ledge...all I needed to do was push .” 

 

Ladybug glared at the flowers that slowly seemed to wilt as more and more of Gabriel fluttered away in the breeze. “I see...a lot of myself in you,” Gabriel said. 

 

“You know, there was a time when that would have been a compliment ,” Ladybug snorted. “Now I can’t think of any greater insult.” 

 

“Ninety-nine times out of one hundred...you are the smartest human being in the room,” Gabriel continued, looking at her out of his one working eye. “But that...one-hundredth time...really fucks you over.” 

 

“And this was number one hundred, wasn’t it?” Ladybug spat. There was something almost like remorse flickering in Gabriel’s eyes, but it could have just as easily been the weariness of death seeping in from all sides. 

 

“This was ninety-nine ,” Gabriel said gravely. “Next time... you’ll lie here instead of me…”

---

“What the hell are you doing?!” Plagg hissed. Firebird looked at Chat Noir, equal parts amused and irritated as he held the edge of his weapon against her throat. 

 

“Are you picking a fight with me, kitty cat?” Firebird whispered, almost daring him to move the sword. ”Haven’t had your fill of bloodshed yet?” 

 

“You helped Hawkmoth,” Chat Noir growled, eyes narrowing as Firebird slowly turned to give him her full attention. “None of this...none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for you!” 

 

“We opened a door,” Firebird said. “Whatever Hawkmoth did after the door opened is his business and had, until very recently, very little to do with us.” 

 

“Well it has a lot to do with me! ” Chat Noir said, the back of his neck prickling as her flickering orange eyes radiated a palpable heat that made his skin prickle. “I can’t just let you walk out like this never happened! Someone has to answer for what happened here.” 

 

“Lay Gabriel’s sins at my feet if you want,” Firebird shrugged, eyes following the tip of the sword as it wavered. “But I’m not going to be a hack tailor’s whipping boy; tell the city the truth about who Hawkmoth was and let them judge him for themselves. I doubt he survived that fall in any case...not after you tore his arms off and sent him spinning back to earth.” 

 

“Shut up,” Chat Noir growled. 

 

“That is what happens to most people who plummet at terminal velocity,” Firebird said, ignorant to the roar in Chat Noir’s ears. “Probably a very badly dressed puddle on the ground by-:” 

 

Firebird choked as a floating spectral claw closed around her throat, hauling her off the ground and slamming her against the crumbling wall. Fang buried in the wall next to her ear as Chat Noir bore down on her, hair standing up and eyes all but spitting out sparks. 

 

“Shut... up ,” Chat Noir said icily. 

 

“You do not want this fight right now,” Plagg hissed in his ear, glancing around anxiously. “That other one is out there somewhere; if he shows up-” 

 

“Bad news for you,” Firebird choked. “Better just to kill me and be safe.” 

 

“That’s not what we do ,” Chat Noir snarled. 

 

“If you’re squeamish about taking life, maybe you should just sit back and let those who aren’t as slipshod as you take the reins,” Firebird said, leaning against the claw and pushing herself back off the wall. “You know what they say about omelettes and eggs; sometimes a few bad apples need to die for the greater good.” 

 

“That isn’t our place to say,” Chat Noir said firmly. 

 

“Don’t be naïve,” Firebird sneered. “Someone is always deciding who lives and who dies, even by deciding to do nothing .” 

 

The last word was flung at Plagg who seemed to bristle under an unspoken insinuation. Before Chat Noir could ask, a flicker of movement caught his eye. He dropped Firebird and leaned back just as a long, jagged icicle hurled itself like a ballista across the foyer and punched through the ruined wall on the other side. Chat Noir whipped around to see Kaiser Long storming through the doorway, long hair flowing behind him and teeth bared as an inhuman roar of fury shook the house. 

 

There was a flash of light and a wall of flames erupted between them, crackling and spitting glowing embers as Firebird stepped between them. 

 

“Easy lover ,” Firebird crooned, placing a hand on Kaiser Long’s chest to stop him from barreling through the wall and strangling Chat Noir. “Easy...we were just talking. That's all; the boy was just asking some questions.” 

 

“He can talk without putting his hands on you,” Kaiser Long snarled. Through the flames, Chat Noir could see thin reptilian eyes glaring at him with hatred tinged by the same sort of power he felt resonating between the three of them. 

 

Chat Noir glanced at the icicle buried above his head. Ice was as destructive as fire was, after all. 

 

“He’s been warned,” Firebird said, running her hand along Kaiser Long’s shoulders as if to sooth a jittery horse. “He’ll behave himself going forward, won’t you kitty?” 

 

“Not sure I remember how,” Chat Noir said, glancing between the figures on the other side of the flames. 

 

“I can remind you ,” Kaiser Long growled. 

 

“Now now, don't be unfriendly,” Firebird chuckled, turning Kaiser Long’s face towards hers. “We got what we needed, darling; let’s leave the kids to clean up the mess.” 

 

Kaiser Long spared Chat Noir another murderous glance. “Where’s the Ladybug Miraculous?” 

 

“Get some knock-offs from the Gabriel outlet on your way out of town,” Plagg countered as Chat Noir gripped his weapon tighter. He had no clue what his adversaries were capable of; fighting them while holding both Miraculous didn’t seem like the wisest course of action when losing meant going right back to square one. 

 

“If you're shopping for Christmas, I'd rather have some sapphires," Firebird said. 

 

"I think you could pull off red," Kaiser Long said scrutinizing Chat Noir’s face for a long moment. "You are in the market for a new partner after all, aren't you?" 

 

"Application line is that way," Chat Noir said, nodding over their shoulder. "Behind every other person in the entire universe." 

 

"I think it's still a sore spot for him," Firebird stage whispered. "Leave them; we'll make it work without." 

 

"Wait," Chat Noir said as they turned to go. "Make what work without?"

 

Firebird pressed a finger to her lips, winking at Chat Noir as the flames grew brighter. "Spoilers~"

 

The heat from the wall of flames boiled over as it wrapped around them, whirling in a vortex of fire with the pair at the center. Kaiser Long's eyes bored into his as the flames condensed around them, erupting in a glowing orange fireball and vanishing, leaving Chat Noir and Plagg alone in the foyer. 

 

The only sound left was a faint rattling that echoed in the barren foyer as Chat Noir’s hand trembled with the sword in its grip. 

 

“You okay?” Plagg asked, touching Chat Noir on the shoulder. 

 

“Who were they?” Chat Noir asked, stowing his weapon with a frustrated snarl. 

 

“Bad news,” Plagg said, glancing at the Black Cat Miraculous on Chat Noir's hand. "

 

“Share it with Master He then,” Chat Noir said, turning around and hacking through the rubble with his weapon. “I think I can handle it from here…” 

 

"You sure?" Plagg asked, watching Chat Noir pause mid-step. 

 

"...I need a moment with my father," Chat Noir muttered. "Alone." 

---

“I’m not…” Ladybug shook her head. “I’m not going to end up like you…” 

 

Gabriel seemed to smile at that, either in approval or pity. “It doesn’t take much...just one small compromise after the other...a little wrong here and there in service of the greater good...and here is where that leads.” 

 

“Ladybug!” Gabriel’s eyes drifted up as Chat Noir’s voice called from high above the rubble. “Did you find him?!” 

 

Ladybug glanced back at Gabriel who summoned what little strength he had left to shake his head slightly. “Please...he doesn’t need to see me like this…” 

 

“ Ladybug!” Chat Noir called again as Ladybug’s eyes drifted down to the gaping, spectral holes that pocketed Gabriel’s body. 

 

“Would you...want to remember your father...like this?” His reedy voice hung in the air as she slowly backed away, eyes fixed on the slowly disintegrating form of her nemesis. She didn’t even care about Gabriel Agreste anymore, and yet the sight of him in such a wretched state made Ladybug’s stomach churn. 

 

She opened her mouth to say something...but realized she had long run out of things to say to a man who had been her enemy and idol for most of her adolescent life. Their war was over, and neither of them seemed to be much of a winner. Taking one last look at the remains of her former mentor, Ladybug turned, lassoing a stray piece of concrete and pulling herself out of the pit and into the ruined remains of the Agreste mansion. A pile of rubble erupted in a gout of black and green flame as Chat Noir’s floating spectral arms clawed their way out of what remained of the foyer. 

 

“God, I am not looking forward to the cleanup bill…” Chat Noir muttered, brow creasing as he saw Ladybug. “You’re alive.” 

 

“Hanging in there,” Ladybug said with a weak smile. “Did you find Tikki?” 

 

Chat Noir studied her face for a long moment, seemingly weighing something in his mind. It didn’t take long for Ladybug to realize that it wasn’t a question of whether or not he had found them; it was whether or not he wanted to give them back to her. The tense silence broke as an icicle fell off the wall, shattering into a thousand pieces on the floor and startling Ladybug.

 

“What was that?” 

 

“Long story,” Chat Noir said, reaching into his pocket. He could feel the Miraculous hum as his ring brushed across the earrings, pulling them out and studying them in his hand. Ladybug said nothing, watching his expression as he tentatively held his hand out with the earrings in the palm. 

 

“You’re sure?” Ladybug said, hesitantly reaching out to take them. “You...trust me with them?”  

 

“They’re safer with you for now,” Chat Noir said, watching as she took the earrings and cradled them with a sad look in her eyes. “I’ll fill you in later; did you find my father?” 

 

Ladybug studied Chat Noir’s face for a long moment, chewing her lower lip as she tried to decide what the right thing to do was. 

 

“...he’s downstairs,” Ladybug said quietly, nodding back to the pit behind her. Chat Noir nodded, marching towards the pit and only stopping as Ladybug snagged the corner of his elbow. “I...I tried to help him.”

 

“What do you mean?” Chat Noir asked, scanning her face. “What’s going on?” 

 

“He’s...on the way out,” Ladybug said with a helpless shrug. “And he’s in really bad shape. He didn’t want me to tell you...and maybe you don’t want to remember him like he is now.” 

 

Ladybug quietly let go of Chat Noir’s elbow as he stared mutely into the pit in front of him, throat bobbing as though he were trying to dislodge something painful. He took a step forward, lingering on the edge of the pit for a hair of a second, before stepping off the ledge, tumbling down into the darkness beneath her feet. 

 

Blinking back tears, Ladybug closed her eyes, hands squeezing around the Ladybug Miraculous. “Miraculous...Miraculous Ladybug.” 

---

Floating ribbons of glowing pink light expanded from her suit, snaking out and spreading out across the city. Wherever they passed, the streets mended, the trees unbroke themselves, and the deep physical wounds Hawkmoth had inflicted on the city began to heal. 

 

Outside, Rena Rouge looked up to see a carpet of technicolor light stretch out high over head, raining down motes of light that eased every hurt and closed every wound. Even as hurt and as angry and as disappointed as Rena Rouge was, she couldn’t help the quiet awe that she felt as Ladybug once again put the world to right. 

 

In the distance, a cheer spread until the whole city rang with jubilant applause. Bluebird let out an exhausted sigh, grabbing his sister and pulling her into a hug. Carapace wrapped an arm around Rena Rouge’s shoulder, his spare arm pulling Queen Bee in as the three of them looked up at the sky. 

 

“...that bitch is gonna get the credit for this, isn’t she?” Queen Bee sighed. 

 

“For all of it,” Rena Rouge promised. “The good...and the bad.” 

 

Carapace squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “Good and the bad.” 

 

“Especially the bad,” Queen Bee said, glancing over at Bluebird. “Any objections, newbie?” 

 

“I didn’t know I got a vote,” Bluebird said. 

 

“That’s democracy, baby,” Carapace said, bumping his and Tigress’ shoulders. “You did good out there.” 

 

“I figured I’d done enough bad,” Bluebird said with an almost sad smile as he watched the last of Ladybug’s power flow out over the city. 

 

“Like lose my fucking luggage?!” Queen Bee snapped, jabbing her finger in his chest. “I got a bone to pick with you bag boy! ” 

 

“I’m not a bag boy,” Bluebird hissed, swatting her finger away with the back of his hand. 

 

“Then why did you take my tip?!”

 

“Like I’m gonna say no to someone giving me money for no reason!” Bluebird squawked. 

 

“Everyone, be quiet for a moment.” 

 

“I was offering you a job!” Queen Bee hissed, grabbing Bluebird’s cloak and tugging him forward. “The shoes in those bags cost more than your yearly salary!” 

 

“Everyone, please…” 

 

“Then why did you just give them to the first person you saw on the platform?!” 

 

“Everyone.” 

 

“Because I thought you were a-” 

 

“Shut up!” Everyone turned to see Monarch standing over Emilie’s glass coffin, watching the body of Emilie Agreste curiously. 

 

“Do it again…” Monarch whispered, staring through the fogged up glass. “Come on...do it-” 

 

Monarch let out a soft gasp as Emilie’s chest rose ever so slightly. 

---

From the minute he accepted the Butterfly Miraculous, Gabriel Agreste had been ready to die for his wife. Now that the moment had come, he just wished it wasn’t taking so bloody long. 

 

It didn’t hurt like he thought dismemberment and disintegration would. One moment a piece of him was there, and the next it had floated away out of range of his one working eye. He felt like a spool of thread being slowly unwound inch by inch into a pile of useless string that would soon be swept away. His money couldn’t save him now; none of his magic responded to his call. It seemed even Ladybug was beyond helping him as he lay surrounded by his own failure. 

 

Hurry up, Gabriel thought to himself as he lay back against his bed of flowers. The longer he lingered, the more of a chance that he would be discovered by-

 

“Hey, Dad.” 

 

Gabriel’s eye fluttered open to see Chat Noir lingering in the shadows that surrounded his final resting place, eyes glinting as he looked down on him. 

 

“Adrien…” Gabriel sighed, watching the cowl of Chat Noir melt off his son and slink into the shadows. His hair returned to its usual sunny golden blonde, but the way he held his eye shut made it clear that there were some things that being Chat Noir didn’t fix. Every power had a cost, and both of them seemed to be in the process of settling accounts. 

 

“She told...didn’t she?” Gabriel muttered, watching Adrien approach slowly, a weary look of sorrow and pity on his face. “Miserable girl…” 

 

“Still trying to keep secrets,” Adrien chuckled. 

 

“You’re...one to talk,” Gabriel said, eyeing the ring on his son’s finger. “Chat...Noir.” 

 

“Under your nose the whole time,” Adrien said, glancing down at his ring. “If only you had been paying attention.” 

 

“If only…” Gabriel echoed, coughing as a section of his chest dislodged and began floating away as Adrien watched. He looked burned out; like a tree that had been struck by lightning, slowly consumed by fire it was never meant to hold. 

 

“What...do you want?” Gabriel coughed, unable to meet his son’s eyes. “You have everything I took from you...why are you still here?” 

 

Adrien answered with silence; as though the question was so absurd it didn’t even warrant a response. The answer was clear though, and it frightened Gabriel. 

 

“Just...leave me alone,” Gabriel wheezed. “Let me...let me die in peace…” 

 

Even as he said it, Gabriel knew that he no longer had any power to make his son do anything. He didn’t move from his spot or turn his eye away, silently watching his father fall apart in front of him. 

 

“I suppose you have some...bile you’d like to spit at me,” Gabriel wheezed, staring up at the sky high above his broken ceiling. “That I was a miserable father...a monster that ruled this city with fear...absent, even when I was with you…” 

 

Gabriel swallowed, turning his attention back to his son’s unreadable expression. “Go on…” 

 

Adrien’s hands clenched at his sides, four years of anger, loneliness, and disappointment clawing at his throat. He wanted to rage, to hurl rocks and accusations at his father for all he had failed him. He wanted to roar so loud as to make his father understand what it was like to be the son of Gabriel Agreste; to understand how a life of being inadequate had left him. The power that was a part of him demanded Gabriel’s destruction. 

 

But that would have been too easy. 

 

It would have been so easy to vent his heart on his father, to fill his last moments on earth with an account of the myriad of ways he had failed him, to rail against him for the countless crimes he had committed against the innocent. It might have even been right to destroy him utterly the same way he had sworn to destroy Hawkmoth before he knew who he was. Why was he stopping now? Because it was his father? Did that mean Hawkmoth deserved a peaceful end, free from accountability? 

 

Did he really deserve anything other than complete annihilation? 

 

“Go on…” Gabriel said, a pleading edge creeping into his voice. “Finish me...put an end to all this...erase my sins from the world...and go.” 

 

Lips pressed together to hold the lump in his throat in place, Adrien approached, boots crunching on foliage. Even without his cowl, the power to destroy lay crackling under his skin like electricity, ready to arc out and go to ground directly through Gabriel’s cavernous chest. One Cataclysm and he would disappear forever; the long, sad tale of the Agreste family ending under his touch. 

 

The half of Gabriel’s face that hadn’t evaporated trembled as Adrien reached a hand out, eye closed and waiting for the crackle of power to course through him and end his life. 

---

“Somebody get a doctor!” 

 

Ladybug stumbled out of the broken door and into a scene of frantic scrambling as Carapace pulled the front of Emilie’s casket open, tossing the lid aside with a shatter of glass. 

 

“What’s going on?” Ladybug asked, looking down at Emilie’s body. “She’s dead...isn’t she?” 

 

“No...no, she breathed,” Monarch said almost frantically, leaning over Emilie’s body. Squinting, Ladybug leaned down, resting a hand on Emilie’s head. She closed her eyes and the life of those around her lit up the dark like neon lights. There was Rena Rouge, bristling and bursting with so much light it barely stayed inside her. Beside her, Carapace was a warm, steady beacon compared to Queen Bee’s flickering strobe-like personality. There was Bluebird’s cool blue, Tigress’ fierce purple, Monarch’s steady lavender and somewhere, deep within the darkness that surrounded Emilie Agreste, there was a glimmer that had yet to go out. 

 

And that was all Ladybug needed. 

 

“Move,” Ladybug said hurriedly, leaning over Emilie and laying her hands on her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she willed the healing light through her fingers, flowing down into Emilie’s body to kindle the ember that still burned inside her. 

 

“What is she doing?” Queen Bee asked. 

 

"I don't really know," Ladybug said, feeding the glimmer of life carefully. "But I have an idea." 

 

"Just an idea?" Queen Bee said, stopping as Bluebird grabbed her elbow. 

 

“Let her try,” Bluebird said, watching Ladybug’s features twitch and grimace with effort. 

 

“Come on…” Ladybug whispered, struggling to feed the tiny glimmer of life left in Adrien’s mother. “This isn’t going to be for nothing...it can’t be…” 

 

Something had to come out of this mess; there was too much wrong in the world. Too much put out of place by Hawkmoth, by her, by forces that had existed longer than either of them had been alive. Something had to give the other way; something in Ladybug, in Marinette, knew that the scale needed to be righted in the other direction. 

 

But the ember was weak, dim, and fading. Even with Ladybug’s power, she still didn’t know half of what was wrong with Emilie or how to put it back together. And the longer she tried, the more it seemed she was just prolonging the inevitable. She simply didn’t have the strength to stand up on her own without Ladybug’s power keeping her alive. 

 

Ladybug pulled her hands back, eyes opening as Emilie’s cold, motionless body lay beneath her. A grim, tense silence floated over the courtyard. Queen Bee hovered at Monarch’s elbow, teary-eyed and terrified as Rena Rouge shook her head sadly. 

 

“She was too far gone,” Rena Rouge said softly as Ladybug stared at the face of Adrien’s slowly dying mother. “You can’t save everyone, I guess…” 

 

“Not everyone,” Ladybug said, looking down at the Miraculous in her palm. “Just this one.” 

---

Adrien’s hand lifted a lock of hair away from his father’s face, settling on the patch of greenery at his father’s side. Gabriel’s eye flickered open with tremendous effort, looking incredulously at his son’s face.

 

“What...are you waiting for?” Gabriel whispered, his voice so dry and faint it might have disappeared at any moment. “Why...why are you still here?” 

 

“Because I’m a stubborn, disrespectful young man who doesn’t do as his father wishes,” Adrien chuckled, his hand resting gingerly on his father’s head. “I’m not going anywhere; I’m staying here...until you go.” 

 

For once, Gabriel had nothing to say; no cutting remark, no smooth turn of phrase, no magic words to impose his will on others. Now Adrien had all the power; now the flickering remnants of his life was in Adrien’s hands. And instead of grinding them out underheel, Adrien took the embers of his life in his hands and cradled them close. 

 

Gabriel was present at his son’s birth, watched him take his first steps, watched him excel at anything he put his mind to, watched him dazzle the world with his charm and beauty. But only now, with one eye barely working, could his son for who he truly was; a man with every cause to be cruel, choosing deliberately to be kind. 

 

He had no hands to take his son’s face in, no arms to hold him; not even the strength to tell him all the things that needed to be said. There was not enough time; he had spent it all in pursuit of a last, mad dream to make his family whole again. 

 

Icy dread flowed through Gabriel as he felt darkness close in, but the warmth of Adrien’s hand kept his fear at bay as each breath cost more and more. Only half his head and a disappearing torso kept him from blowing away in the breeze. 

 

“Have you...” Gabriel mumbled at long last as he looked up at Adrien towering over him. “Always...been this tall?” 

 

“I had a lot of growing to do,” Adrien chuckled, tears dripping off his cheeks and landing on his father’s face. “I still do...I think I’ll be taller than you someday if I keep at it.” 

 

“You...already are,” Gabriel said. “You...always...were…” 

 

Gabriel Agreste had smiled so infrequently in his life that when he stretched his face into one, final smile, it was more than his body could bear.

 

“Father,” Adrien cried watching the light dim in Gabriel’s eye. “Father?!” 

 

Adrien’s voice so soft and so distant was calling him home; pleading with him to stay. And he would have traded all the power in the world to hold his son again; to stay and make up for time he had given and spent and wasted so freely and so thoughtlessly. 

 

But Adrien was here and with him and so, for the first and final time in his life, Gabriel felt truly, completely grateful. 

---

“Papa?”

 

Gabriel looked up over the rim of his laptop, lightly whacking the side of the case to try and get the spotty internet connection to work. Adrien was holding up the pair of fishing rods while struggling to balance a tackle-box in his other hand. 

 

“You didn’t think the fish were going to catch themselves, did you?” Emilie chuckled, lowering her sunglasses and raising herself up on the beach chair to look at her husband. “And you did promise earlier today, Gabriel.”

 

“That was before Marcel bungled the Milanese order,” Gabriel sighed, trying to avoid his five year old son’s beaming expression.

 

“There’s no one else who can handle it?” Emilie clucked, sitting up with a small frown. “Gabriel, you can’t spend all weekend working.”

 

“I know; I know...I just need a little bit more time,” Gabriel said, shooting his son an apologetic smile. “Raincheck?”

 

Adrien looked up at the mention of rain as his mother sighed, rising from her seat and leaving her book page-down on the chair. “Come on, sweetie. Papa needs to work.”

 

“I’ll...catch up with you later,” Gabriel said, not missing the look of disappointment that crossed his wife’s face as she took their son by the hand and led him down towards the water.

 

Gabriel sighed, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose as a calm breeze blew in over the water, taunting him with the promise of relaxation as he turned back to his laptop, quietly promising to murder his business partner at the first available opportunity.

 

He looked down the beach, watching Emilie and Adrien hand in hand as the last of the summer sun beat down on them. It played and danced off the waves, reflecting off their brilliant golden hair as she ran after their son, grabbing him and tossing him high up into the air. Her skirt caught in the wind, ruffling and twirling around her legs and for a moment, Gabriel was a boy again, hopelessly pining for someone who he would never have. 

 

Whenever he felt his work weighing him down, he told himself Emilie was worth it. Whenever he was tempted to quit, he told himself Emilie was worth it. For always and for anything, Emilie was worth it.

 

An urge Gabriel didn’t quite understand took hold of him as he slowly stood up, shutting his laptop and leaving his buzzing phone on the table as he walked down the sandy beach to join his family. 

---

“Ladybug...she’s gone .” 

 

“She’s gone when I say she’s gone,” Ladybug said, carefully replacing her earrings in her ears. Healing the injuries Hawkmoth had inflicted on her unfortunately meant having to pierce her own ears again but after some grunting and wincing, both earrings were back in her ears. 

 

“You said she’s not going to survive if you’re not pumping your power in her twenty four seven!” Rena Rouge huffed. 

 

“That’s why I’m not just using my power,” Ladybug said, holding Rena Rouge’s curious glare. “I’ve been wrong about a lot of things lately; I’m not wrong about this.” 

 

If Rena Rouge was suspicious, she didn’t say as much, stepping back as Ladybug once again placed her hands over Emilie’s chest. “Tikki...I know you hate me. I know I messed up...and I’m so incredibly sorry. But I need you right now.” 

 

Behind her, she heard the front door open. She couldn’t afford to turn to see Adrien; not when all her willpower was devoted towards the task at hand. Monarch was saying something to him, but all was lost in the dull thrum of power that rattled every atom of Ladybug’s body. She was holding on to something she didn’t understand like a bottle frantically trying to hold lightning without bursting as she took a deep breath. 

 

“Tikki...please…” Ladybug said, once again pushing her golden light deep into Emilie’s body. She jerked under her touch as more and more of Ladybug’s energy went into her. Like a dying plant, she drank it down, her own life-force wavering as Ladybug screwed her eyes shut. 

 

“Come on…” Ladybug begged, gritting her teeth as she tried harder. Her muscles began to shake from the effort, a sheen of sweat on her brow as she worked. She was blind to the spreading carpet of grass and blossoming flowers that grew around the casket, blind to the way her body gave off an almost ethereal glow. Blind to almost everything until she felt a second pair of hands touch hers. 

 

Ladybug’s eyes fluttered open, losing concentration for a brief moment as she looked up into a pair of bright, sparkling blue eyes. Her brown skin was flecked with little constellations of freckles, and her thick, curly hair was pulled into two pony-tails that jutted out from her back. 

 

Ladybug had never seen her before, but her name sprung forth as though she had known it all along. “Tikki-” 

 

“Focus!” Tikki said, pressing her hands down harder on the backs of Ladybug’s. She could see Adrien’s wide-eyed expression as Carapace held him back, meeting his eyes with a shrug and a weak grin as the light pouring off her body grew brighter and brighter. Then one by one, six floating, glowing hands laid on top of hers, each connected to an arm that floated like a halo around her back. 

 

The winter chill had been driven back, replaced by a sweet-smelling wind of spring that ruffled her hair as she worked, dumping more and more of her energy into Emilie’s chest. She thought of spring; of baby animals and birds hatching from eggs. She imagined growth, health, life, joy. Ladybug imagined being Marinette and dancing with Alya at a slumber party, singing badly off-key and caring about nothing. She imagined soaring high above the streets of Paris, racing Chat Noir to see who could complete a lap the fastest. She imagined the life she had built with Adrien in another world, the beauty and joy that had come with raising a family with him, every kiss and moment they had spent together in their all too brief romance. 

 

And all at once, like a flash of lightning, the light dissipated, leaving Ladybug kneeling on Emilie’s chest as her eyes slowly fluttered open. 

 

Someone was shouting, someone was yelling, someone was crying. Ladybug heard almost none of it as she stepped off Emilie’s body. She saw Adrien running at them, joy and disbelief mingled on his face as she took a single step before her legs completely gave out on her. 

 

Ooh boy, Ladybug thought as her world went dark. I am gonna have the biggest headache in the morning...

Notes:

And that's the story of how Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated Hawkmoth.

Writing Gabriel was an interesting experience. I came into this fic hating him pretty badly and by the end of it, I have to say I understand him a little better. In some ways he turned out worse than canon, in some ways canon Gabriel has surpassed this mind-controlling warlock monster I've created.

Either way, this is the end of the Agreste family's drama and the beginning of something else. Astute readers will note we have only one chapter left; one that's mostly written. My goal is to close out this story before 2021 so we can start part two. I'll probably do a Q&A sess on my writing blog after all is said and done.

Oh, and Gabriel's death was the only Major Character Death for this fic. We have passed the point of me killing characters off until the sequel. I feel I have to say this because of how I ended it; no, Marinette is not dead. Killing her off to bring back Emilie would have been so Freudian and weird I'm getting secondhand cringe just by typing it.

Anyway, if you shed a tear for Gabriel, you have to out yourself in the comments like I am right now.

Chapter 50: Consequences

Notes:

I would like to again state that this fic was conceived before Canon!Felix was revealed. This fic completely ignores anything about Felix that was presented in Canon.

“...I see.” 

 

Emilie Agreste stared at the scratchy white hospital sheets that covered her legs, picking at a stray thread. 

 

“I know it’s hard to believe,” Adrien said. “I can’t believe it myself sometimes, but...here we are.” 

 

Emilie glanced up as Adren reached for her hand. It was a faltering, hesitant gesture born from the understanding that Emilie had gone to sleep the mother of a fourteen year old son, and woken up to a man that seemed both familiar and strange to her. The lightness and softness of youth had been burned away at such a young age, replaced by a weight born of hardship. He had lost more than just his father and his eye; even if his mother had returned and even if a glittering glass replica sat sightless in his socket, he was still a long way from whole. 

 

“Here we are,” Emilie said, offering a weak, shaky smile in return. “But still...to think this Hawkmoth person stole me from you and your father; to think I was a prisoner in some dank cellar somewhere while you and Gabriel thought me dead…I’ve never been a stranger to obsessed fans but-” 

 

Adrien’s mouth twitched uncomfortably. “Hawkmoth was a monster; unfortunately, he died before I could get much out of him. And Father...I want you to know he did everything in his power to try and get you back.”

 

“And he paid for it with his life…” Emilie nodded, blinking away tears as the memory of her lost husband once again bubbled to the surface. “It’s just hard to believe we live in a world with superheroes, isn’t it?” 

 

“Trust me; nobody is more surprised by that than I am,” Adrien chuckled. “A lot has changed since you’ve been gone.” 

 

“A lot has changed in the past few days,” Emilie said, staring out the window. “I was...ready to die, you know. I had made peace with it; the first time I really saw your father get angry with me was when I told him about my funeral plans.” 

 

“He couldn’t accept it,” Adrien said with a slight grimace. “Sounds like him.” 

 

“He thought I would live to be a hundred,” Emilie said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “ You’re going to outlive me, he said. Now it seems I have...I just don’t know what to do now.” 

 

Silence filled the small hospital room as the small family reckoned with a dim and uncertain future. 

 

“I just wish there was some way to thank this...Ladybug, was it?” Emilie said, shaking her head with a small laugh. “I understand we owe her a great deal, don’t we? For bringing me back and for fighting back against Hawkmoth and her ex partner.” 

 

Emilie could have sworn a cold gust of air had washed over the room, but as soon as she noticed it, it was gone. 

 

“Yeah...she’s just super ,” Adrien said dryly as a knock came on the hospital door. 

 

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Dr. He said, sticking her head in the room. “I know the pair of you have a lot of catching up to do, but we’d like to run a few more tests to make sure your disease is completely in remission.” 

 

Emilie sighed, shooting her son an exasperated look. “They don’t seem to buy that magical ladybugs cured my illness.” 

 

“We are people of science, M. Agreste,” Dr. He said, glancing at Adrien. “If you could?” 

 

“Sure,” Adrien said, standing up with one last squeeze of his mother’s hand. “I’ll be back tonight; let Dr. He know if you need anything, okay?” 

 

“Take your time,” Emilie said with a smile. “We seem to have that in abundance now.” 

 

“Knock on wood,” Adrien said, rapping his knuckles on the door as he stepped out of the room. 

 

“Oh, before you go, a M. Cameron Bert would like to see you in the lobby,” Dr. He said, shooting Adrien a meaningful look. “I believe you two are acquainted.” 

 

Confusion crossed Adrien’s face followed shortly by exasperation. “Thanks; I’ll be sure to connect with him.” 

 

Sparing his mother one last look, as though looking away would send her away, Adrien left the room. 

 

“How is she?” Adrien glanced up to see Alya standing in the hall across from him, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. 

 

“Alive,” Adrien said with a shrug. “Well. That’s more than I could have hoped for."

 

"She still doesn't remember anything?" Alya asked, glancing in the window at Emilie. "About the Miraculous? I thought your father used the Peacock to try and stabilize her." 

 

"It was always an unstable Miraculous," Adrien said. "Master He seems to think it affected her memory somewhat." 

 

"That or she's lying because she thinks you're a civillian," Alya pointed out. 

 

"We can worry about that when she's back on her feet," Adrien said, rubbing his eyes with a tired sigh. "Is the press still outside?” 

 

“They haven’t budged in days,” Alya chuckled. “I don’t know how you keep getting in and out of here.” 

 

“The staff like their fresh air on the third floor,” Adrien said, falling into step with Alya as she walked down the hall past a few police officers standing watch over his mother’s waiting room. “You know, you could snap a picture and sell it for a pretty penny. I'm sure the tabloids and Emilie Agreste conspiracy blogs would pay out the nose for it.” 

 

“My journalistic credit has taken enough hits lately; sneaking pictures of recovering kidnapping victims in the hospital is a rung too low for me,” Alya said. “Besides, I’m a very specific kind of journalist whose subjects are, strangely, missing in action.” 

 

“I’m sure they’ll turn up,” Adrien said, glancing at the bag under Alya’s arm. “...those for Marinette?” 

 

“Her mother asked me to bring a change of clothes over,” Alya sighed. “For when she wakes up.” 

 

“...you’re a good friend,” Adrien said. “Always were.” 

 

“Too good, maybe,” Alya said, chewing on the corner of her lip. “I don’t...I don’t know what to do with her.” 

 

“Join the club,” Adrien sighed. “I’m sure Luka will be the first to tell you that moving on from Marinette is much easier said than done.”

 

“Maybe we should form a club,” Alya said with a bitter chuckle as they approached Marinette’s hospital room. “Recovering Marinette-aholics Anon-” 

 

Alya stopped in the doorway as she saw a tall, blonde man sitting in the chair beside Marinette’s bed, sketching something on a pad of paper while she slept next to him. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt with black slacks and a vest to match the jacket draped over the back of his chair. His long blonde hair was draped in a loose ponytail that hung down over his shoulder as his green eyes stared intently at the page in front of him. 

 

“Can I help you?” Alya asked, drawing the man’s attention for the first time. 

 

“Oh, are you Mari’s friends?” The man asked, fumbling to put his sketchbook down and stand up and hold his hand out. “Felix Cheng; I’m Marinette’s cousin...in law. I don't know if that's a real title, but I'm here giving Tom and Sabine a break.” 

 

“Alya Cesaire,” Alya said, offering a hand to shake. “This is-” 

 

“Adrien Agreste,” Felix said, holding his hand out for Adrien to shake. “Excuse me; your billboard looks in on my firm’s design studio in London.” 

 

“Sorry you don’t have better scenery,” Adrien said, giving Felix’s hand a brief squeeze. “We’re just here to drop something off and we’ll be out of your hair.” 

 

“No, I’m sure she’ll be glad to have friends nearby,” Felix said, glancing down at Marinette’s sleeping form. “I have no idea what compelled her to go running around out in the city during a fight like that...it's a miracle she's alive.” 

 

“We grew up in Paris; disasters are par for the course with us,” Adrien said, eyes falling on Marinette’s face. He hated the soft squeeze his heart did when he saw her sleeping so peacefully; despised the way he still held such affection for someone who had both saved and ruined his life in more ways than he could count. Maybe that was how it was going to be with her from now on; just a jumbled mess of good and bad that evened out into a muddy grey area that had nothing for him to hold on to. 

 

“We’re just bringing her a change of clothes for when she comes around,” Alya said, dropping the duffel bag on the nightstand. “Have there been any updates?” 

 

“I haven’t spoken to the doctors, but from what I gather, they’re pretty optimistic that she’ll make a full recovery,” Felix said, glancing down at Marinette. 

 

“So it’s just a matter of time before she wakes up,” Alya said. “That’s...good.” 

 

“She’ll pull through,” Adrien said softly. “Always has; always will.”

 

Adrien pulled a card out of his pocket and passed it to Felix. “Can you call this number when she wakes up?” 

 

“Definitely,” Felix said, examining the card for a moment before offering one of his own. “Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re worried about her. Brigitte, my wife, knows more than I do, but I can pass on a message well enough.” 

 

Adrien nodded, examining the simple white card with a depiction of a jumping fish stamped on the front. “You like goldfish?” 

 

“Koi, actually,” Felix chuckled, scratching his cheek. “I’ve always had something of an affinity for them; my mother’s father kept a pond in his estate in Kyoto. The fish of potential, he called them. Of course when I started my architecture firm, I naturally took them as my mascot.” 

 

“Do fish really have that much potential?” Alya asked, accepting a second card from Felix. 

 

“You’d be surprised what a koi is capable of becoming,” Felix said with a small smile. “I’ll let Marinette know that her friend and her boyfriend stopped by while she was out.” 

 

“I’m not her boyfriend,” Adrien said, quickly and before he could even process what he was saying. Part of him that was fourteen and so desperate for any crumb of affection that he would have died for one of Ladybug’s smiles was screaming at him to turn around as he left; to stay by her side until she woke like a dog waiting for his master to rise. A younger Adrien might have walked off the well-meaning lies or justified her betrayal. Anything to keep from the terrifying prospect of being truly alone. 

 

Eighteen-year old Adrien realized that there were worse things than being alone. 

 

"Oh...excuse me," Felix said. "I thought-" 

 

“She’s just a friend,” Adrien said, turning to walk away. 

 

---

 

Years of chaos had turned the population of Paris into one of the most adaptable populations on the planet. 

 

A handful of days after the world nearly ended and the city seemed to be back on track for Christmas. The occasional hushed conversation about the grim battle could be heard in passing, but for the most part Paris seemed keen on moving on as quickly as possible. 

 

“You can’t be surprised.” Master Fu turned to glance at the gangly young man that spoke with Plagg’s voice. It was strange to see the avatar of destruction spray artificial cheese straight into a human mouth; stranger that he was so far outside the Miraculous’ range. But then again, these were the strangest times he had ever lived through, so he supposed it was par for the course.

 

“Get with the holiday spirit,” Plagg said, licking the stray cheese off of the corner of his lips. "Nobody likes a downer, old man." 

 

“Few things are more of a downer than the almost end of the world,” Master Fu said, staring out at the crowds of people that passed them. 

 

“That’s a matter of perspective, I guess,” Plagg shrugged. “Destruction is only a problem if you think it is...and you’ve always thought it was, hm?” 

 

“That’s not-” 

 

“I don’t blame you,” Plagg said before Master Fu could get a word in edgewise. “It’s a terribly mortal way of looking at the world. And for all your wisdom and power, despite the fact that you’re literally immortal, you’re still very mortal, FuFu. Unlike-” 

 

“Cameron Bert?” 

 

Master Fu nearly jumped out of his seat as Adrien’s voice came over his shoulder. The tall, gangly boy that bumped into nearly everything had been destroyed, replaced by a man that moved with such silent grace that he scared the life out of everyone by suddenly appearing at their elbow. 

 

“Cameron N. Bert, thank you very much,” Plagg said, wiping his mouth as Adrien leaned against the guard rail overlooking the street below. “Figured if I had to look human, I needed a human name.” 

 

“I take it this isn’t a temporary thing, is it?” Adrien asked, gesturing to all of Plagg’s new body. 

 

“I don’t see how it is, considering…” Master Fu shared a worried look with Plagg. “I think you should tell him.” 

 

“Wow, I’m getting told things now?” Adrien said, a venomous edge coloring his voice. “My luck must be turning around.” 

 

“Well, don’t count your lucky stars just yet,” Plagg said, wiping his hands on his pants. “Because this is a major downgrade for me and it’s because our friend in black snarfed up a big chunk of my power.” 

 

Adrien’s brow creased, glancing at Master Fu. “Explain.” 

 

“When Hawkmoth reformed himself, part of Plagg and Tikki’s power was transferred into his body,” Master Fu said, rubbing his eyes. “Near as we can tell, at least. What Kaiser Long and this Firebird did was absorb that power into themselves.” 

 

“And that didn’t blow them up or turn them into monsters like my father, because…” 

 

“It was a small portion of my power,” Plagg said, holding his fingers close together. “But enough that my link to the Black Cat Miraculous has been pretty handily severed. Unless I can, I don’t know, re-snarf that power back up, that ring on your finger is pretty much a fashion accessory.” 

 

Adrien fidgeted with the ring on his finger uncomfortably. “And they did the same thing with Tikki’s power, right? What’s her take on this?” 

 

Master Fu shot Plagg a steely look. “Tell him.” 

 

Plagg ran his tongue over his teeth experimentally. “Tikki’s gone.” 

 

---

 

“Can you keep an eye on her?” 

 

Plagg leaned against the doorway to Marinette’s hospital room, watching as Tikki brushed a hair out of Marinette’s face with the back of her new hand. 

 

“As much as I can,” Plagg shrugged. “I don’t know what the kid’s plans are but I’m pretty sure they won’t involve her for quite some time.” 

 

“You’re going to stay with him then?” Tikki asked. “We don’t have to, you know; the Miraculous don’t have any power over us anymore.” 

 

Plagg blinked and Tikki nodded in understanding. “You’re staying because you want to.” 

 

“He’s gonna need someone looking out for him,” Plagg said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Especially with those two power-vampires running around...I really wish you weren’t skipping town at a time like this but-” 

 

“You know better than anyone that life has to run its course,” Tikki said, taking one last look at Marinette’s sleeping form as she turned to walk away. “...I thought she was going to be the best of us.” 

 

“Still time,” Plagg said, poking Tikki in the side to ease the cloud of worry that crossed her features. It was strange to see her like this; all of her infinite power condensed and boiled down into such a mundane form because of a few rogue sorcerers. 

 

This was the closest thing to mortal Plagg had ever been, and he already wasn’t a fan of it. 

 

“You believe in her still?” Tikki asked as they stepped into the hallway, walking side-by-side. 

 

“You do,” Plagg said with a crooked smile. “You wouldn’t have asked me to look out for her if you didn’t..."

 

---

 

“What do you mean gone ?” 

 

“Not here,” Plagg said dryly, ignoring Adrien’s sigh of exasperation. 

 

“Well where did she go?” Adrien asked. 

 

“Not here.” 

 

“Plagg-” 

 

“Listen, humans,” Plagg said, sitting up and glaring at the pair of them with all the severity one with cheese spray on their lips could muster. “Tikki and I have been around long before your species was even a thing; we made a pact to seal ourselves in the Miraculous because we thought that was the best thing to do for the world at the time. That pact is broken; Tikki and I are under no obligation to behave as you please.” 

 

“One more cat out of the bag,” Master Fu sighed. 

 

“Did she tell you what she’s doing?” Adrien asked, a pounding pain growing behind his false eye. 

 

“Only that she needed to check up on a few things that she’s been unable to for a few hundred years,” Plagg said. “Something...shifted in the world when Hawkmoth came back. Old things that we thought buried have started bubbling out of the ground again. The age of order you and your chums have worked so long to preserve is over and chaos is itching to get back into the driver’s seat.” 

 

“I know trust is a scarce commodity these days,” Plagg said, poignantly glancing at Master Fu. “But believe me when I say my other half has things she needs to do and we need to let her do them.” 

 

“Is she going to be alright out there?” Adrien asked, earning a derisive guffaw from Plagg. 

 

“Even if we’re all fleshy and human-looking, she’s still more than enough for anyone who wants a piece,” Plagg said almost fondly. “Drop it, kid; Tikki can manage her own business for a little while. Not like Marinette needs her for anything.” 

 

“Which brings us to what we plan on doing about Marinette,” Master Fu glanced up to see Alya coming up behind them. “Couldn’t help but overhear you talking about our third favorite insect superheroine.” 

 

Master Fu shifted in his seat, clearly unused to dealing with more than one voice at a time. “I was not aware that you were considering on doing something with Marinette...and, for that matter, I’m not entirely sure we can trust you with this-” 

 

“Alya Cesaire has been the only thing holding this city together while Ladybug and I had our little spat,” Adrien interjected. “She’s involved in this now; hell, she’s the most involved, seeing as how half the Miraculous holders in the city look to her for leadership. I know secrecy is your stock and trade, but Alya is the closest thing to a hero this city has left; you are not booting her out.” 

 

Alya tried her very best not to look smug as the old man reluctantly seemed to realize that he had gone from leader to advisor while he was asleep. “I understand that Marinette has made some regrettable choices recently-” 

 

“To put it mildly,” Alya said, sliding beside Adrien. “She aided and abetted an enemy of the French people; there needs to be some kind of repercussions for that.” 

 

“I would caution you against making any hasty judgements in the name of revenge,” Master Fu continued, wringing his hands on top of his cane. “This is not some low-rent thug we are talking about; Marinette is now, for better or worse, one of the most powerful entities on this planet. Moreover, the other most powerful entities on this planet are arrayed against us for some sinister purpose that we’re yet unaware of.” 

 

“So, what, we’re just supposed to let her go?” Alya asked, gesturing at Adrien. “Adrien is blind in one eye because of her mistakes, as you call them; we’ve lost eleven Miraculous because of the mistakes she made and the course she put us on. Hell, Chat Noir can’t even show his face in public anymore without the cops rounding him up; what are we supposed to do if Team Dragon-Bird shows up and one of our heaviest hitters is a wanted criminal?” 

 

“Which is precisely why we should not do anything that we cannot take back,” Master Fu said, holding a hand up. “I am not endorsing her behavior; nor am I suggesting the recent injustices go unresolved. We must absolutely take all measures necessary to ensure that Chat Noir is once again respected and trusted by the people of Paris.” 

 

“And what about Luka?” Alya demanded, oblivious to the growing smirk on Adrien’s face. “Have you or Master He made any headway on freeing Dusuu?” 

 

“...we are doing everything in our power to research ways to help him,” Master Fu said, ignoring the annoyed tch Alya made. “We are in unknown territory against an unknown threat; further dividing our forces is only going to empower our enemies. We are going to need Ladybug; if not now, then in the near future…” 

 

“...he’s right,” Adrien said, almost irritably. “I mean, let’s face it, Ladybug’s the only one with the credibility left to endorse Monarch, Tigress, and Bluebird as heroes. Without her approval, you’re going to have a hard time getting Paris to accept another Butterfly user.” 

 

Alya let out an annoyed sigh, glancing between Adrien and Master Fu. “So we’re just supposed to ignore the fact that she lied to us for three months?” 

 

“What we do and what Paris thinks we do can be two different things,” Adrien said before Master Fu could interject. “Nobody needs to know how we do business and if the man-on-the-street needs to think Ladybug’s perfect...so what?” 

 

“...that’s not fair though,” Alya grumbled. 

 

“What does fair look like to you?” Adrien asked. “Nothing is going back to the way it was no matter what we do. I’m just saying...I’m just saying we can be practical about this.” 

 

Alya chewed the inside of her lip. “I’ll...I’ll need to talk to the others about this. We can make a decision as a team, although I don’t know if Chloe will see things the way you do.” 

 

“I know how to handle Chloe,” Adrien said, patting Alya on the shoulder. “We’ll need to wait until Marinette comes around; I don’t think she’ll drag her feet on this.” 

 

“What about you?” Alya asked. “Where does Chat Noir fit into all this?” 

 

Adrien glanced at Plagg who just shrugged as if to say she’s talking to you.

 

“I’ll let you know,” Adrien said. “I have something I need to handle first.” 

 

Master Fu watched Adrien turn and walk away, looking for the right words to say to his former student and coming up short. Instead, he turned his attention to Alya with a curious look in his eye. 

 

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Master Fu said, choosing his words carefully. “How is it that you managed to regain possession of the Tiger Miraculous?” 

 

Alya spared the old man a glance before shrugging and turning to walk away. “It fell off the back of a truck-” 

 

“Mme. Cesaire,” Master Fu said, his voice gentle but firm. “I have been entrusted with the protection of the Miraculous longer than Paris has been a city to protect...I take matters of theft very seriously-” 

 

“Not as seriously as I take the protection of my friends and neighbors,” Alya fired back. “Your little omerta contributed to this mess; I’ll be damned if I let you dictate how we choose to defend ourselves going forward.” 

 

“The Miraculous are not tools for human profit,” Master Fu said. “They are-” 

 

“The only line of defense we have,” Alya said, turning to face Master Fu. “You’re not going to deprive us of that. More importantly...you don’t have the power to deprive us of that.” 

 

“It would seem that I do not,” Master Fu said. “And I had no intention of doing so...I just hope you realize what taking responsibility for the Miraculous means. You are, de facto, Guardian now by virtue of the fact that you command more Miraculous than anyone alive.” 

 

“I don’t command anyone,” Alya said, fingering the necklace around her neck. “My partners-” 

 

“Look to you for leadership,” Master Fu said, prodding Alya in the center of her chest with his cane. “They put trust in you , whether you like it or not...and you are responsible for that trust.” 

 

Master Fu sadly looked up at the hospital above them. “You have seen what happens when such a precious trust is betrayed…” 

 

---

 

“I think she’s waking up.” 

 

Marinette’s eyes slowly fluttered open to the sound of a heart rate monitor and a pair of brilliant blue eyes staring down at her. 

 

“No, she’s coming around!” Brigitte said, turning around and calling over her shoulder. “Felix, go get that doctor!” 

 

“Where…” Marinette mumbled, glancing around the hospital room. Her cousin’s hands cupped hers, relief on her face as she crowded over the bed “What happened?” 

 

“Your friends brought you in a few days ago,” Brigitte said, brushing a lock of hair out of Marinette’s face. “Honey, do you remember what happened?” 

 

Marinette closed her eyes, partly to give them a break from the blinding sunlight streaming through the window and partly to make it look like she was having a hard time remembering a day she would never forget. Flashes of the fight, the conversation with Hawkmoth, and the last desperate attempt to save Adrien’s mother flittered across her consciousness. 

 

“I...I don’t remember much,” Marinette lied. “I was looking for a shelter...trying to find Adrien...then I blacked out.” 

 

“What were you even doing back in Paris?!” Brigitte huffed. “I told you it was dangerous; why would you even come back to the city?!” 

 

“I was...I was looking for Adrien…” Marinette said, only partly lying as she glanced around for her earrings. 

 

“Honey, I’m sure your ex-boyfriend is a peach, but when a city is under siege by fantasy monsters, maybe you shouldn’t hop on a train back home,” Brigitte sighed, squeezing Marinette’s hand. “You could have been…”

 

Ex-boyfriend . 

 

Marinette harbored no delusions that her relationship with Adrien was going to survive, but hearing the ex appended to the word boyfriend brought a lump to her throat. Brigitte must’ve detected the distress on her cousin’s face because she had the grace to look embarrassed at the slip of the tongue. 

 

“Sorry...Sabine said you and your guy were going through a rough patch,” Brigitte said, scratching the back of her neck. 

 

“...yeah,” Marinette said quietly. “It’s a long story.” 

 

“Always is,” Brigitte chuckled awkwardly. “...look, I don’t know what your plans are, but...if you want to get out of the city for a while before your school starts-” 

 

“Oh,” Marinette blinked. In all the chaos and confusion, she had almost forgotten the fact that she was still supposed to be starting her career in the fall. “I planned on staying through graduation, but...I guess I planned a lot of things that aren’t really panning out.” 

 

The thought of sitting through lectures with Alya, Chloe, Juleka, and probably Nino freezing her out made the sour sensation in her stomach all the worse. 

 

“I don’t want to be a bother…” Marinette said. 

 

“Pish posh, as the beefeaters say,” Brigitte said, satisfied with the hint of a smile that started tugging on Marinette’s lips. “We have a spare bedroom that’s not really being used for anything other than storing Christmas decorations; as long as you’re not opposed to sharing a bunk with nutcrackers, that is.” 

 

“I was planning on getting a flat somewhere while I was in school…” 

 

“Honey, have you seen the rent prices in London lately?” Brigitte snorted. “You’d need to work a few extra jobs on top of going to school just to make ends meet.” 

 

“I’m not afraid of a little extra work-” 

 

“Okay, can we skip the Cheng family tradition of pretending not to need each other’s help and skip straight to the part where you accept it?” Brigitte asked, raising an eyebrow. “I promise you’re not putting two childless thirty year olds out by taking up our guest room. You won’t even know we’re there most of the time; Felix flies a lot for his work and I’ve got my hands full with the joys of running a non-profit organization. As long as you don’t do drugs or invite Tories over, we should get along fine.” 

 

Brigitte gave Marinette’s hand a gentle squeeze. “No pressure; just trying to help you out.” 

 

Marinette picked at a thread in the blanket that covered her legs. “Thanks...I’ll think about it.” 

 

“Don’t think too hard; you just came out of a mini-coma and we wouldn’t want your brain to fry,” Brigitte chuckled, poking her in the middle of the forehead as the door to the hospital room swung open behind her. 

 

“I understand our patient is awake,” Master He said, followed closely by the tall, blonde specter of Brigitte’s husband who lingered in the doorway, offering a small smile to Marinette when he saw that she was awake. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to run a few tests to make sure her mental faculties are all in order.” 

 

“She started talking about how there were flying unicorns in the room,” Brigitte said, standing up. “Is that a good sign?” 

 

“Brigitte-” 

 

“Kidding,” Brigitte said, sticking her tongue out. “Though I’m surprised to see you’re still making house calls, Dr. He.” 

 

“The medical staff needed all hands on deck,” Master He said. “I was in town to consult on the oncology wing, so I figured I’d do what I can.” 

 

“Very kind of you to donate your time,” Brigitte said, fishing a card with the glowing orange wings of the ARK group embossed on the front. “If you’re inclined to continue to donate your time, we could always use more trained medical staff. Times being what they are, you can never have too much help.” 

 

“I believe there are some doctors on my payroll who are interested in philanthropy,” Master He said, pocketing the card with a small smile. “Now, if you don’t mind-” 

 

“Of course,” Brigitte said with a toothy smile. “We’ll tell your parents that you’re lucid again, kid; just worry about getting better.” 

 

“Good to see you back on your feet...so to speak,” Felix said with an awkward shrug of his shoulders and sidelong glance at Master He. “If you need anything-” 

 

“I will be in touch,” Master He said as Brigitte slipped her arm through Felix’s and left the room. Through the window, Marinette could see her cousin spare one last look inside the room, her eyes gliding past Marinette’s face and landing on Master He’s for a long moment until they passed. 

 

“You have some very interesting family members,” Master He said, closing the door behind them. 

 

“How long was I out?” Marinette asked, cutting right to the chase as she sat up, looking around for her earrings. 

 

“About a week,” Master He said, pulling a small jewelry box out of her pocket and passing it to Marinette. “And quite a week it has been.” 

 

“Did Adrien’s mother-”

“Emilie Agreste has made a... miraculous recovery,” Master He said with a sigh that suggested that she hated herself for making such a pun. “Traces of her illness have been purged from her body and she was released into her son’s care a few days ago. I did my very best to keep too many curious physicians from poking their heads into her case; the more scientists get involved, the more unanswerable questions they tend to ask.” 

 

Marinette cracked open the box, staring at the silvery earrings. 

 

“Can you tell me what happened?” Master He asked. 

 

“I…” Marinette shook her head. “I don’t understand it fully myself. It was like there was a spark inside her that was fighting to survive and I...metaphorically blew on it.” 

 

“You metaphorically did something ,” Master He said, staring intently at the young woman in front of her. “You should know that Tikki is fine-” 

 

Marinette’s head snapped up. 

 

“-but she left Paris a few days ago,” Master He continued, watching the glimmer of excitement dim in Marinette’s eyes. “She wanted you to know that she’s thinking of you...but that she needs to do something right now.” 

 

“Do you know what it is?” Marinette asked. “Can I-” 

 

“I also think...she needs some time apart from you,” Master He said as gently as she could. Marinette blinked, nodding as she looked away with a sigh that seemed to suck the last of her liveliness out of her. 

 

“I spoke with her a little before she left,” Master He said. “I don’t think she’s angry with you, but-” 

 

“No...I understand,” Marinette muttered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I just wish...I just wish I had the chance to tell her how sorry I am for screwing everything up.” 

 

“You screwed many things up,” Master He corrected gently. “Do not think yourself so mighty that you have the power to screw everything up. Other hands were involved in the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in.” 

 

“If it wasn’t for me-” 

 

“Adrien’s mother might have died and Hawkmoth might have done something exceptionally dire,” Master He said, cutting her off with a raised hand. “Yes, your behavior was instrumental in orchestrating Hawkmoth’s ultimate power grab. Yes, you are an asset to anyone who you choose to support and your relentless competence proved to be exactly what Hawkmoth needed to succeed. And yes, I daresay we will be feeling the impact of your actions for the foreseeable future, if not indefinitely.” 

 

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Master He said, popping open the box. “The Ladybug Miraculous has lost its power.” 

 

“How?” Marinette asked, staring at the ordinary pieces of jewelry in disbelief. 

 

“A sorcerer by the name of Firebird stole a portion of Tikki’s power that lived in Gabriel Agreste’s arm,” Master He explained. “The connection to Plagg was likewise severed when her partner stole the Black Cat’s power. We are still grappling with the situation and I do not have all the answers just yet, but I think it’s safe to say that you are the last Ladybug we will see for a long time...perhaps the last we shall ever see.” 

 

Marinette stared at her warped reflection in the earrings that had once held so much power. “...I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am.” 

 

“Then don’t,” Master He said. “How sorry you are has very little meaning right now; your feelings are significantly less important than how you choose to act given this information. All that matters now is determining how you are going to help make this right.” 

 

Marinette nodded, blinking back tears. “What...what do I need to do?” 

 

“There will be a press conference in a few days,” Master He said. “Rena Rouge has been working tirelessly with the Mayor’s office to clear the air regarding your shared mistruth. Like it or not, Ladybug is still needed to endorse these new heroes and help clear Chat Noir’s name.” 

 

“Of course,” Marinette nodded. “I’ll...I’ll do anything she asks for.” 

 

“Part of that means keeping the truth of your involvement with Hawkmoth a secret,” Master He said. 

 

Marinette frowned at this. “Why? I thought...after everything I did-” 

 

“This is not the forgiveness you might hope for,” Master He said. “Adrien and Alya recognize that Ladybug’s popularity is a valuable tool. The others, Team Paris I suppose, have only been accepted as heroes because you endorsed them.” 

 

“And if it came out that Ladybug was working with Hawkmoth, their credibility would be shattered,” Marinette sighed, rubbing her eyes. What a mess…

 

“Paris will need heroes,” Master He said. “Hawkmoth’s actions have shattered some ancient protections that have kept some very bad things in check.” 

 

“Like what?” Marinette asked. 

 

“ Bad things ,” Master He repeated. “Destructive forces that heroes of old worked their entire lives to seal away. Forces that now have free reign over the planet to prey on innocent and ignorant people that have few means of protecting themselves.” 

 

“...you said few ,” Marinette said. “Not none .” 

 

Master He’s wrinkled face cracked into a small smile. “Quingfu always said you were the smart one. There are a few mortal organizations dedicated to protecting the world from evil; forces with instruments of power that allow them to go toe-to-toe with the worst the spiritual world has to offer. In time, we may have you work with them...but I doubt we will be fighting anything substantial for quite a while.” 

 

Marinette nodded. “So what am I supposed to do?” 

 

“For the time, rest and recover,” Master He said, glancing at her chart. “I understand you have an opportunity to study fashion in London.” 

 

“Yeah, but with everything going on…” Marinette bit her lip. “I’m not sure I should take it.” 

 

“I think that’s exactly what you should do,” Master He said, watching Marinette’s face wrinkle in confusion. “Tell me, why did you aid Hawkmoth?” 

 

Marinette averted her eyes. “I...I was tired of fighting a battle that didn’t seem to have an end. But-” 

 

“Four years of daily stress take their toll on even the brightest minds,” Master He said. “Your decision making abilities were clearly compromised if you thought aiding Hawkmoth was a reasonable solution.” 

 

“That was a mistake ,” Marinette said firmly. “It won’t happen again.” 

 

“How can you be sure?” Master He asked. “Forgive me, Marinette, but the answer to excessive stress does not seem to be more stress . Your mistakes shake the world now, Mme. Dupain-Cheng; we cannot afford to have you at anything less than one hundred percent.” 

 

“So, what, I’m supposed to skip off to London and live out my dreams while everyone else is cleaning up a mess I made?” Marinette demanded, anger bristling inside of her. “That’s-” 

 

“-not fair,” Master He sighed. “Marinette, you need to rid yourself of the idea that we are handing out prizes for good behavior and punishments for bad behavior. You need to rid yourself of the idea that what is fair is what is necessary . I am not in charge of Paris’ defense, but if I were, I would not have you as a part of it for a very long time; until it was absolutely necessary, in fact.”

 

In spite of everything, the insinuation that she was no longer capable of being the hero Paris needed stung her, even as she failed to come up with a reason to disagree with Master He. 

 

“Paris does not need Ladybug right now,” Master He said. “And when it does, it will need the Ladybug that has defended it for years; not the Ladybug that nearly destroyed it.” 

 

Marinette almost argued, but found that she didn’t have an argument to make. There was just one last elephant in the room to discuss. 

 

“What about Adrien?” Marinette asked. 

 

Master He glanced at her watch, picked up the remote, and flicked the television across the room on. A packed street outside of a cathedral saw a small procession exit the church, Emilie at the front cradling an urn filled with who knew what. Behind her, flanked by Kagami and Chloe with Nino over his shoulder, was Adrien, looking stern, sad, and lost all at once. 

 

“He’s settling some family business,” Master He sighed. 

 

---

 

Gabriel Agreste

 

1972-2020

 

"Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way." 

-- Edward de Bono

 

The universe seemed to rejoice in Hawkmoth’s demise. 

 

Pure, unfiltered sunlight streamed down through the leaves overhead, a cool and pleasant breeze ruffling the grass surrounding the lonely funeral plot at the top of a hill. The hushed crowd of murmurs milling about the cemetery and mumbling apologies and condolences to Adrien and his mother as they passed were set against the chirping of the family of birds perched in the trees overhead. 

 

Adrien wondered if he should join them. 

 

“Hanging in there?” Emilie asked quietly in a lull between well-wishers. 

 

“Guess so,” Adrien shrugged, glancing down at his mother. “You?” 

 

“Guess so,” Emilie echoed, staring down at the memorial blankly. “Still not entirely sure what to do now…” 

 

“I don’t know if you have to know just yet,” Adrien said. “We have a few things to settle with Father’s company...after that-”  

 

Adrien trailed off, trying to imagine what the future without his father or Hawkmoth looked like. 

 

“After that, I suppose I’ll have to redecorate the house,” Emilie chuckled. “Your father’s taste in interior design is...well, I’ve seen chessboards with a more varied color palette.” 

 

“You’ll be a welcome change,” Adrien chuckled. In more ways than one, he thought. He didn’t have the time or energy to go into Gabriel Agreste’s shortcomings as a father with his mother that still seemed to be adjusting to life on the outside of her little glass case. Keeping Hawkmoth’s identity from her was a necessity to keep the bulk of the public from finding out. 

 

Hawkmoth was gone; there was nobody left to answer for his crimes other than his mother. And Adrien wasn’t about to let Paris make Emilie responsible for a crime she didn’t commit. 

 

Funny, seeing as how I was so eager to throw Hawkmoth’s entire family under the bus a few weeks ago. 

 

The irony of his attitude towards Hawkmoth’s relatives was not lost on him; ultimately, Marinette had been fighting for the same thing he was now fighting for. Were he in Ladybug’s shoes…

 

He wasn’t sure what he would have done in Ladybug’s shoes; which made his already confused feelings towards Marinetre all the more confused. 

 

“It’s good that your friends turned up to support you,” Emilie said, glancing over at Chloe who seemed to be in the middle of a harsh conversation with her father off to the side of the crowd. Andre looked like he was trying to prevent a Chloe Bourgeois temper tantrum and failing miserably. She had avoided her “coward asshole douchebag sperm donor” for days since his return to Paris; now she seemed on the verge of boiling over and castigating him in front of a crowd of Paris’ elite. 

 

Adrien would have given half his father’s inheritance to see that. 

 

“They’re good people,” Adrien said, watching Nino and Alya silently try and determine if they needed to pull their attack poodle off her latest victim. If he had Chloe and Nino on his side from the beginning, maybe he would have stood a chance of winning. But with Ladybug knowing their identities, he had no way of reaching out to them without putting them in Hawkmoth’s clutches...and that was apparently Marinette’s job. 

 

It was infuriating the way he couldn’t seem to make up his mind about Marinette. 

 

One minute he was sympathetic to the pain she had gone through and the lengths she went to to protect him; the very next, he was reminded that her actions nearly got him killed and destroyed his city in the process. Maybe it was Adrien that loved her and Chat Noir that hated her, but segmenting his feelings for Marinette was as impossible as separating himself from Chat Noir. He was, and always would be, Chat Noir; no amount of rationalization or double-think would change that fact. 

 

Ladybug’s cruelty and Marinette’s kindness were both his to manage. 

 

“I should probably go do the... widow thing, shouldn’t I?” Emilie sighed, glancing at the small crowd of Gabriel’s business associates that were loitering just far enough away so that it didn’t look like they were waiting to talk to her. “Now that Gabriel is gone, I feel I should say...I really hate the people he worked with.”

 

“Not as much as he did,” Adrien said, earning a genuine chuckle from his mother. “I can scare them off if you want.” 

 

“I don’t think you’re all that scary, dear,” Emilie said, patting her son on the cheek. “Go spend time with your friends; I’ll shoot a flare up if I need rescuing.” 

 

You’d be surprised, Adrien thought, watching as Emilie gracefully departed, hiding her unease behind the sad, benevolent mask expected of her. They were a pair of actors, the two of them; each so good at putting on a face that others wanted to see at the cost of their real selves. Even standing over her husband’s grave, Emilie still acted with poise and grace that must have been at odds with what she was really feeling. 

 

The people we run with suck, Adrien thought bitterly, pausing as he saw Kagami approach. Well, most of them. 

 

“I thought I would swoop in before you get your ear talked off again,” Kagami said, lightly bumping her shoulder into his. “That was a lovely speech, by the way.” 

 

“All bullshit,” Adrien spat, watching a speck of spit land on his father’s plaque before turning and walking away towards his friends. 

 

“Lovely bullshit at least,” Kagami said. “Nobody said eulogies had to be completely honest.” 

 

“I was this close to just telling everyone,” Adrien said, glancing around. “As I was talking, I just kept thinking...what would they think if I told them what he really was?” 

 

“Probably that Gabriel’s poor son had gone mad with grief and was talking nonsense,” Kagami clucked. “Honestly, Adrien, how would you even prove that? The only one that could would be...well, Ladybug.” 

 

“It all comes back to Ladybug, doesn’t it?” Adrien snorted, watching Chloe stomp across the lawn with Nino and Alya following in tow, both seemingly amused by the dejected and pale-faced state Andre had been left in. 

 

“Well, now that your father is in the ground, Andre has risen like a brilliant phoenix to become the shittiest father in all of France,” Chloe growled, ripping her heels off as one sunk into the grass. 

 

“Sensitive,” Kagami said coolly. 

 

“Also accurate,” Adrien chuckled. “Now you know what it’s like.”

 

“ Super fun ,” Chloe snarled. “He wants me to help smooth things over with the press after Stigma got booted out and their leader went missing after killing a station full of cops; I told him that he should have been concerned about his re-election chances before he brought in armed mercenaries and before he abandoned the city to Hawkmoth!” 

 

“There was more swearing than that,” Nino said as he and Alya approached. “And more thinly veiled threats.” 

 

“Thinly?” Chloe huffed. 

 

“He wasn’t keen on hosting a press conference,” Alya said, sliding beside Chloe. “I think he wants this all to go away before election season gets underway. But Chloe seems to know what buttons to push to get him to do what she wants.” 

 

“Please; he’s a coward and a people pleaser,” Chloe sniffed. “It wasn’t hard.” 

 

“Well, I appreciate the effort all the same,” Adrien said, smiling at his friends. “And I appreciate you guys for backing me up today.” 

 

“Of course,” Nino said, bumping Adrien’s shoulder with his fist. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, short-stuff.” 

 

Adrien’s eyes narrowed. “You’re only taller than me because magic; you know that right?” 

 

“Sorry, I don’t speak shorty,” Nino chuckled, leaning on Adrien’s head in spite of the pout on his face. “Seriously though...you holding up?” 

 

Adrien gave a halfhearted shrug. “Considering circumstances...I’m trying to, I guess. Not much to do but hold up anymore.” 

 

“I’m sure you’re pretty raw right now,” Alya said. “And I understand why you don’t want to do the press conference with us.” 

 

“Nothing I can say will make a difference...and I really don’t want to be around Ladybug right now,” Adrien mumbled, hands tucked in his pockets to avoid the cold winter chill. “But if it makes it easier for you-” 

 

“We can handle it,” Chloe said, glancing at Alya. “Can’t we?” 

 

“I think we’ll manage,” Alya said with a small smile. “The doc says she’s up, by the way.” 

 

“Was there any doubt she wouldn’t be?” Adrien chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s...well, I’m sure her family is happy.” 

 

Chloe looked like she had something biting to say, but surprisingly kept her thoughts to herself. 

 

“Not sure Bluebird can make it, though,” Nino laughed. “Dude helped save the city, but he’s still got a shift at the grocery store.” 

 

“Surprisingly, Miraculous Ladybug doesn’t make regular problems go away,” Kagami sighed. “I now know why ancient heroes were all noblemen of some kind; they were just about the only ones who could afford to spend their lives fighting against evil.” 

 

“Everybody else needs to work a day-job just like everybody else,” Alya mused. “Too bad heroing doesn’t pay the bills.” 

 

“Yeah that’s…” Adrien turned back to see a familiar figure in black standing in front of his father’s tombstone. Kagami watched Adrien’s eyes narrow, darting between Chloe and herself quickly as she could see the beginnings of an idea start to take shape. 

 

“Give me a second,” Adrien said. “I have an idea.” 

 

---

 

Nathalie stared blankly down at the tombstone, flowers clenched in her fingers as her eyes scanned over Gabriel’s name again and again, hoping at some point that the harsh reality would sink in. 

 

“Well, sir…” Nathalie said quietly, glancing over at Emile’s beaming smile. “...you did it. In a manner of speaking...you won.” 

 

Nathalie swallowed, a painful lump in her throat not going away as tears bubbled in the corners of her eyes, but did not fall. “I just wish you had been here to see it…”

 

As demanding as being Gabriel Agreste’s assistant had been, there had been an order to her life; there had been structure and purpose that came with doing something meaningful. Even as her duties went from running his business to helping him commit acts of unspeakable evil, Nathalie had been glad to help him. She thought, as he did, it would all be worth it in the end. 

 

Standing amidst the destruction left in Gabriel’s wake, Nathalie wondered if there was any point to it at all. 

 

“Thought I saw you at the back of the church.” Nathalie stiffened, glancing up with a small shock to see Adrien standing beside her. She hadn’t heard him coming; hadn’t even felt him approach until she realized he was right beside her, staring down at his father’s freshly plowed grave with an unreadable expression on his face. She had watched him grow from a soft little boy into the young man who stood with the weight of his father’s sins on his shoulders. The gentle smile on his face was replaced by a seemingly permanent sneer by the scar on his lip. His remaining eye was hard now and seemed to blister with barely restrained fire that threatened to leap out and ignite the humble bouquet of flowers Nathalie laid on the grave. 

 

It took a few moments for Nathalie to find her voice again. “I...I didn’t want to intrude,” she mumbled, fidgeting with her coat anxiously. “Seemed to be a...family affair.” 

 

“You knew him better than we did towards the end,” Adrien said, accusation prowling behind his comforting words. “Maybe better than Mom and I ever did…I guess you had as much right to be here as anyone did.” 

 

Nathalie nodded, chewing on her lip as she struggled for the right words to say. “Still...I wanted to say a more personal goodbye…” 

 

Adrien hmmed non-committedly, glancing at Nathalie out of the corner of his eye. “Did you...were you and him-” 

 

“Oh God, no ,” Nathalie said with a watery chuckle. “Not for lack of trying on my part but…” 

 

A loud, raucous snort of laughter floated over the mourners as Emilie quickly covered her mouth, cheeks turning bright red as she quietly mouthed sorry. In spite of herself, Nathalie couldn’t help the small smile that came to her lips. 

 

  “You know he only ever loved your mother,” Nathalie sighed. “As far as he was concerned...no other woman in the world existed.” 

 

“Nobody else in the world existed either,” Adrien mumbled, rubbing the stubble that had started to form along his jaw. Gabriel had insisted that Adrien remain clean-shaven, even as he had grown into adolescence. Nathalie could remember the halting, clumsy attempts she and Gorilla had made to teach him how to shave himself, resulting in nicks and cuts that needed a mountain of foundation to cover. 

 

Now, without Gabriel standing over him, Adrien seemed to be growing wild. 

 

“So...what are you going to do?” Adrien asked, turning his full attention to Nathalie. 

 

“I expected Prefect Raincomprix to knock on my door,” Nathalie chuckled. “I’m surprised you kept his identity a secret after all this.”

 

“Outing my father only puts my mother in danger at this point,” Adrien glanced around at the crowd of mourners. “And besides...you’re no good to anyone in prison.” 

 

“I haven’t been any good to anyone out of prison for a long time,” Nathalie sighed. 

 

“Still...I was hoping you’d accept a job,” Adrien said, looking down at her. 

 

“Looking for a new assistant?” Nathalie asked. 

 

“Looking for someone to run my father’s company,” Adrien said, nearly knocking Nathalie off her feet. “As you practically did while my father hid from the world.” 

 

Nathalie opened her mouth, a wordless squawk escaping her lips. “I...I don’t...um... what ?!” 

 

“ Gabriel is short one CEO,” Adrien said, chewing the inside of his cheek. “The ship is without a captain...and seeing as you have the right credentials and experience...I figured I’d offer you the position.” 

 

“If this is...your idea of revenge for helping your father for so long-” 

 

“This has nothing to do with revenge ,” Adrien said icily, eyes narrowing at Nathalie. “And this isn’t a reward either, but I’m sure you’re well aware of that. Slapping you on the hands or putting you in prison doesn’t help anyone...in this position, you can do some good for the people my father left behind. And maybe some good for me too.” 

 

“What do you mean?” Nathalie asked, brow creasing as Adrien leaned in a little closer. 

 

“I need someone with...business experience for a little project I’m putting together,” Adrien said. “I can’t explain the details now; we should probably meet to discuss this later-” 

 

“Is this...illegal?” Nathalie said, watching the corners of Adrien’s mouth twitch ever so slightly. 

 

“Possibly…” Adrien said, glancing back at Chloe who seemed to be eyeing the conversation with some interest. “Not sure what the law says about funding a private organization of vigilantes, but the fewer hands that touch this information, the better.”

 

“That is...quite an undertaking,” Nathalie coughed, straightening her glasses. “As far as me being your new CEO, I’m afraid the board will need to appoint me.” 

 

“I’ve spoken with a few of them already; they seem confident that you will protect our interests,” Adrien said. 

 

“Marcel isn’t going to be happy about this,” Nathalie said, glancing across the lawn at Gabriel’s long standing CFO. 

 

“I think I can persuade him to see reason,” Adrien said, voice barely concealing a threat. “Having someone on the board you can easily bully into submission should make things easier for us going forward.” 

 

“I...I don’t know what to say,” Nathalie muttered. “This is...I mean, after everything that’s happened-” 

 

“I’m not going to pretend that I’m not angry with you,” Adrien said, a faint snarl creeping into his voice that made the hairs on the back of Nathalie’s arms stand up. “After all...you did help my father destroy this city more times than I can count.” 

 

Nathalie braced herself as Adrien looked away. “But at the end of the day...I think I need you. I don’t see my plans working out without you in charge of Gabriel ...I need the cash to flow and keep flowing. My father’s empire is going to fund the effort to keep Paris safe.” 

 

Nathalie chewed on the corner of her lip. “I will...have my decision to you by tomorrow.” 

 

“Good,” Adrien nodded. “I’m sure you will make the right one.” 

 

As Adrien turned his back on her, Nathalie took a faltering step after him. “Adrien…” 

 

Adrien turned back, and for a moment Nathalie was struck at the sight of someone she had all but raised looking so...grown-up. 

 

“For what I did…” Nathalie muttered, a tear finally releasing itself from the corner of her eye. “For everything, I am so-” 

 

“Sorry?” Adrien stared at her for a long moment, searching her face for something before turning away. “Prove it.” 

 

Nathalie watched him go, standing alone on the gravesite as the wind kicked up, blowing a shower of fallen flower petals past her face. 

 

---

 

There was something comforting about baking. 

 

There was a rational logic to the measurement and combination of ingredients; something satisfying about the way Marinette’s hands worked the wet dough. Even as the press conference loomed heavily in the back of her mind, slamming several pounds of dough against the counter seemed to chase away some of the gloom that clung to her like so much flour dust. 

 

“This one’s ready to proof,” Marinette sighed, wiping her brow and passing the loaf off to her father who lightly covered it with a warm, wet paper towel. Her father nodded silently, covering the loaf with a wet towel and placing it with the others under the windowsill. As comforting and understanding as her mother had been, the comfortable silence of craftsmanship was exactly what Marinette needed at the moment to keep her thoughts from racing away from her. 

 

Gabriel Agreste was dead and buried...Adrien was alive, but hadn’t spoken to her in weeks...she wouldn’t be tried for what basically amounted to treason, but her friend circle had diminished to the size of a pinprick overnight. Good and bad blended together like flour and water, mushing together into a pale, unappealing lump that would take some time to become something better. 

 

“I think I can manage from here,” Tom said with a soft pat on Marinette’s shoulder. “Why don’t you give your mother a break for a little while? I know she’s been meaning to visit Anaraka in the hospital for a while…” 

 

“Right,” Marinette nodded, wiping her hands on her apron as she stepped into the front of the shop. “Mama, Papa said to-” 

 

A tangible chill washed over her as she stepped through the door to see Nathalie hovering across the counter. 

 

“...Nathalie,” Marinette muttered, remembering the satisfying crack of her fist against Nathalie’s face with no small amount of pride. “What are you doing here?” 

 

“Just picking up some pastries for the office,” Nathalie said. “And checking in on Gabriel’s assistant; I know the two of you worked together for the past few months and I was hoping…” 

 

Sabine glanced between the pair of them and wisely decided to step back. “I-I should probably go take Aranaka her sweets,” Sabine said, grabbing a basket from under the counter and stepping past Nathalie. “Please watch the shop for me, Marinette.” 

 

Marinette wanted to tell her mother to stay, but couldn’t without getting into the gritty details of why she was so reluctant to hear from an employer that still owed her a few checks from her internship days. The bell over the shop door rang as Sabine left, leaving the pair of them standing in tense silence for a few moments. 

 

“I’m glad to see you’re back on your feet,” Nathalie finally said. 

 

“I can’t say the same about you, unfortunately,” Marinette said bitterly. 

 

“You’ve made that very clear,” Nathalie said, touching the tip of her nose gingerly. “I’m sorry things got so out of control back in London…” 

 

“I’m not the one you need to make amends with,” Marinette said, crossing her arms. “...he trusted you.” 

 

“I know,” Nathalie said, not even needing to ask who Marinette meant. 

 

“And you …” Marinette shook her head, unable to even voice the depths of Nathalie’s betrayal. “Was it worth it? All of this? Betraying the whole city for the man you love?” 

 

“...I could ask you the same thing,” Nathalie said with a humorless smile. “And I think your answer might be the same as mine.” 

 

Marinette’s eyes narrowed, flickering to the folder in Nathalie’s hands. “Why are you really here?” 

 

“Straight to business...good,” Nathalie said, setting the folder on the case in front of her. “As I’m sure you know, the board of directors has promoted me to chief executive officer for Gabriel’s brands.” 

 

“Congrats,” Marinette said dryly. “We are fresh out of celebration cake though.” 

 

“And Mrs. Loveless from the London branch asked me to extend to you an offer of employment,” Nathalie said, watching surprise flicker across Marinette’s face. “I believe you met at the gala and seeing as how you’ll be in England for school-” 

 

“You gotta be kidding me…” Marinette said, staring down at the folder in front of her, Gabriel’s neat lavender insignia staring back at her. “Why?” 

 

“You are a talented designer,” Nathalie said with a small shrug. “And... Gabriel is rather short on talent these days. If we are to be successful-” 

 

“No...I meant why the hell would I want to work for a company that was run by him? !” Marinette snapped, pushing the folder off the case as paper spilled out in a shower of tumbling documents. “Or for you ?!” 

 

“You wouldn’t be working for me,” Nathalie coughed. “Not directly anyway.” 

 

“No, but I would still be part of Hawkmoth’s company,” Marinette seethed. “Party to an organization founded by the man that ruined my life -” 

 

“You act as though this was some bit tailor shop Gabriel ran by himself,” Nathalie bristled, stiffening under Marinette’s glare. “There is far more to Gabriel than Gabriel Agreste; always has been, always will be. It might be his name on the label but it would never have gotten to where it is today without the work of thousands of hardworking individuals . ” 

 

“Still doesn’t answer the question of why I would want to work for you,” Marinette said, crossing her arms. “I’m on my way to Central St. Martins; after that…” 

 

Marinette trailed off, not even sure if the after that she had planned for herself was still in the cards. 

 

“You want to start your own label,” Nathalie said, bending down to pick the papers up off the floor. “Without a resume or body of work beyond your brief internship and whatever freelancing you managed in your school days. As I am sure you are well aware, what you are capable of is often less important than what connections you have...and working for an industry veteran like Angelina Loveless will do more for your career than anything you learn at school.” 

 

Nathalie adjusted her glasses. “You’re already an artist; work for us and we will teach you how to become a professional.” 

 

Marinette stared at the folder in Nathalie’s hands, scowling at the embossed lettering on the front. “...is Adrien okay with this?” 

 

“He might own a controlling share of the company, but even he can’t tell Angelina what to do and who to hire,” Nathalie chuckled. “But...I made him aware of the offer and he didn’t protest.” 

 

“After everything I did?” Marinette chuckled. 

 

“Well, I aided and abetted a terrorist for years and he put me in charge of his company,” Nathalie chuckled. “Although, it was that or M. Dubois so not much of a comparison…” 

 

“Does he even know fashion?” Marinette said, nose wrinkling as she remembered the toadish old man that clung to Gabriel like a barnacle.  

 

“He knows money...he doesn’t have Gabriel’s vision though,” Nathalie said, peering over the rim of her glasses. “For all his faults, Gabriel Agreste was a man of singular artistic vision. And we need people with vision, Mme. Dupain-Cheng; now more than ever.” 

 

Nathalie placed the folder down on the counter in front of her. “If not you, it will be someone else less capable; I could throw this job offer into a fabric store and fifty budding designers would descend on it like sharks.” 

 

Marinette reached out, fingers brushing across the folder’s cover. “I’ll...I’ll think about it.” 

 

“Mrs. Loveless’ number is on the inside cover,” Nathalie said. “I told her to expect a call, one way or another. I would not mull it over too long...this isn’t a door that will be open forever, you know.” 

 

Marinette nodded somewhat distractedly as the bell over the door jingled, leaving Marinette alone with yet another weighty decision to make. 

 

---

 

Somehow, the Ladybug suit felt more constrictive than ever. 

 

Putting it on these days was a matter of closing her eyes and willing the sheen of red and black fabric to cover her body. It was yet another thing Marinette didn’t have to think about; becoming Ladybug was like taking a deep breath and took almost as little effort. In her quest to rid herself of the Ladybug mantle, Marinette had made it a permanent part of herself. She could no more escape the red and black spots than she could escape her own skin. 

 

Much as she might have wanted to. 

 

The curtain parted and Mayor Andre’s red, sweating face stuck through the other side. “A-Are you ready, Ladybug?” 

 

Ladybug had very little faith in Chloe’s father before he abandoned the city in the middle of an invasion; his behavior since Hawkmoth attacked only lowered her already abysmal opinion of the man. Nevertheless, Ladybug put on a polite, professional smile to hide how much she was revolted by Andre’s very presence. 

 

Do I really have the right to be disgusted by someone who did everything I told them to do? 

 

“In a few minutes, sir,” Ladybug said. “I’m still waiting for-” 

 

The door behind her opened and Ladybug turned to see Rena Rouge step through, followed by Queen Bee, Monarch, Tigress, and Carapace. Her eyes met Rena Rouge’s for a brief moment, her hesitant smile met with a glance aside and a clear look of discomfort from her lifelong friend. Marinette’s tentative texts to Alya had gone unanswered, and after a few days of futilely staring at her phone, her mother kindly suggested that she stop checking. The lack of contact stung, and Marinette was acutely aware of how much she relied on Alya for emotional support when that support up and vanished. 

 

Queen Bee caught Ladybug staring and not-so-subtly placed herself between Rena Rouge and Ladybug, a sharp glare daring Ladybug to so much as speak out of turn. Even Carapace’s smile seemed perfunctory and polite; a cursory courtesy and more of a habit than a genuine gesture of good faith. At least that was more than the icy indifference and outright contempt Monarch and Tigress regarded her with. It was as though Ladybug were a fly on the wall; an irksome insect that was to be ignored unless it got within swatting distance. 

 

“Honeybee!” Andre said, moving to hug Queen Bee. “So glad you could-” 

 

“Touch me, and I tell everyone your bank passwords,” Queen Bee hissed, skirting behind Carapace’s towering form. Andre looked like a kicked puppy, but Carapace’s benign, peaceful expression kept him from pursuing his daughter even further. Anyone who hid behind Carapace’s shield could not be touched; not even the Mayor of Paris could move the Turtle Miraculous once he had planted his feet. 

 

“Maybe we should save the family reunion for another time,” Rena Rouge said diplomatically, glancing at Ladybug. “Are you ready?” 

 

“Y-Yeah,” Ladybug said, swallowing as she glanced over Carapace’s shoulder. “Is, um...is Bluebird-” 

 

“He had a shift,” Tigress said flatly, refusing to meet Ladybug’s eye. “Some of us actually work for a living, you know.” 

 

“Right...of course,” Ladybug muttered. If Alya’s silence was painful, Luka’s was absolutely understandable. She hadn’t even dared to reach out to him; partly because Juleka had made it absolutely clear that Marinette wasn’t welcome anywhere near her family anytime soon. Even bumping into her in the hallways of school made Marinette feel like a deer about to be mauled by a mountain lion if she made the wrong move; one more reason she was glad that she tested out several days prior. 

 

Every day it became clear there was no life for her in Paris anymore; all that was left was to tie up loose ends and quietly try and start over. 

 

Ladybug swallowed the growing lump in her throat, stepping forward and through the curtain into a sea of flashing lights and furiously clicking camera shutters. 

 

( “Good morning,” Ladybug said, clearing her throat. “I’ve called this press conference to confirm the rumors that Chat Noir has turned on Paris and sided with Hawkmoth in order to steal our Miraculous.”) 

 

Ladybug blinked, fighting to keep her own emotions in check as she approached the podium. The hiss of the microphone and the heat of the lights beat down on her as she hesitantly cleared her throat. 

 

“Good morning,” Ladybug said. No turning back now. “I want to thank you all for coming. A lot has happened in the past few weeks and I would like to set the record straight on a number of things.” 

 

“First, I would like to introduce both Tigress and Monarch,” Ladybug said, gesturing to the two women who were nudged ahead of Carapace so they could get their moment in the spotlight. “They were key factors in destroying Hawkmoth, and-” 

 

“Ladybug!” Ladybug blinked as Nadja Chamack waved her down from the front row. “Nadja Chamack; we were under the impression that Hawkmoth was defeated a few weeks ago. Why then, are they standing next to you?” 

 

Monarch stiffened, but a steadying hand from Rena Rouge seemed to calm her down as a confused murmur rippled through the crowd. 

 

“One question at a time, Mme. Chamack,” Andre said, trying his hardest not to be completely superfluous next to Paris’ heroes. 

 

“Hawkmoth has been defeated,” Ladybug clarified. “The power he wielded, however, was not originally his. Monarch has gone to great personal lengths to reclaim this power and used it against Hawkmoth during our final confrontation. She and Tigress are as much heroes as I am and deserve your full trust and cooperation.” 

 

There were some mumbles, and Nadja didn’t seem fully convinced, but Ladybug had to marvel at how much of the crowd seemed to settle down after she vouched for Monarch. Her words had power; she knew that from the start. The whole city turned on Chat Noir after a word from her; now they rushed to embrace Monarch and Tigress because Ladybug gave her blessing. 

 

“On the subject of Hawkmoth,” Ladybug continued. “The threat of being akumitized has passed. The people of Paris no longer have to fear that their normal human emotions will be used to hurt the people they love. The pall of fear that this city has lived under for four years has been lifted. In light of this-” 

 

“But what about Chat Noir?” Ladybug glanced back at Nadja who was once again on her feet, staring almost accusingly at Ladybug. “There hasn’t been a sign of him since the final battle and before that, he took on an akuma by himself...without your aid, I might add.” 

 

“Mme. Chamack, please hold all questions until the end,” Andre said, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of his neck. 

 

“For that matter, what is to be done about the damage Stigma has caused?” Nadja pressed, clearly venting questions that she hadn’t had the opportunity to ask. “The Mayor brought those thugs into our city under the impression that Chat Noir and Hawkmoth were working together; we endured because we thought there was a reason for it, but-”

 

“Mme. Chamack, please-” 

 

“I was wrong,” Ladybug blurted out. Andre looked like he was about ready to die of either embarrassment or a heart attack while Nadja’s gaze refused to waiver. “I was...I was under the impression that-” 

 

“What do you mean you were wrong ?” Another reporter asked, followed by murmurings from the rest of the press briefing. Ladybug took a deep breath through her nose, fighting the urge to turn around and run as dozens of eyes bored into her, looking to her for answers. 

 

“The information that I had about Chat Noir that suggested that he was working with Hawkmoth...was wrong,” Ladybug said, focusing on a point on the wall at the back of the room to avoid accidentally meeting anyone’s eyes. “Chat Noir and Hawkmoth were never working together...and even when the whole city thought they were, he never stopped trying to bring Hawkmoth to justice. He has always been a true and loyal defender of the people of-” 

 

“Are you serious ?” Nadja seemed unwilling or unable to hold her incredulity back as she glared up at Ladybug. “You brought mercenaries into this city based on what evidence?! What was it that made you think Chat Noir was working with Hawkmoth in the first place?” 

 

“That’s-”

 

“And why were we never made aware of it?” Nadja said as several of her colleagues murmured in agreement. “For that matter, is Chat Noir even alive to corroborate this story? Nobody has seen him since the final battle.” 

 

“Chat Noir is...he is...there are things that…” Ladybug felt the words thicken like honey in her mouth, the right ones just out of reach and held back by the overwhelming urge to just confess ; to unburden the weight on her heart. 

 

To be honest again. 

 

“Mme. Chamack, I am not going to warn you again,” Andre squeaked. Beside her, Rena Rouge let out an annoyed sigh, only amplifying the feeling of being pressed in on all sides. 

 

“For that matter, why should we believe you now ?!” Nadja said, shaking her head. “Forgive me, Ladybug, but I believe you owe Paris an explanation for-” 

 

“What happened to taking a lady at her word?” 

 

A shocked rumble rippled through the crowd, dozens of camera lenses turning and firing rapidly as Chat Noir’s form stepped through the door off to the side of the podium. Almost as immediately as her heart soared to see Adrien once again coming to her rescue, it dropped as knew, deep in her heart, that it wasn’t him. Sure enough, a glance backwards at Rena Rouge saw her fingers knotted together behind her back, glowing orange power tingling from her fingertips as the apparition of Chat Noir took the stage beside Ladybug. 

 

“Look,” The fake Chat Noir said, a beaming smile at odds with the hurt she last saw in Adrien’s eyes. “Ladybug and I weren’t on the same page for quite some time; I’m sorry if we confused some of you, but you’re all missing the good news here! Hawkmoth is gone!” 

 

“How?” Nadja spluttered. “How do we know you’re telling the truth? Do you even know who he was? Are we just supposed to-” 

 

“Security, would you kindly escort Mme. Chamack off the premises,” Andre said, gesturing to two police officers who gently guided Nadja towards the exit. 

 

“Th-There’s really no need for that,” Ladybug said, avoiding the vitriol in Nadja’s eyes as all cameras turned to watch her being more or less thrown out. Beside her, Rena Rouge looked like she was ready to puke; given Alya’s dedication to freedom of expression, Ladybug couldn’t blame her.

 

“You don’t have an answer for me, do you?” Nadja scoffed, shaking her head as she was pushed towards the open door. “You know, just because you’re stronger than us, doesn’t mean you’re not accountable to us!” 

 

“That’s enough, Mme. Chamack!” Andre spluttered, desperately trying not to look like his authority as Mayor was disintegrating before his eyes. 

 

“The people of this country have a right to know about this!” Nadja called as the officers escorted her out of the conference room. “We have a right , Ladybug; you owe us an answer!” 

 

The door closed and the tense, painful silence that followed was punctuated by the Chat Noir illusion clearing his throat. 

 

“In light of Hawkmoth’s departure,” Chat Noir’s illusion said. “Ladybug and I will be stepping down from our roles as the lead heroes of Paris.” 

 

Chat Noir’s illusion held up a hand to forestall the confused rumblings. “Now now...Ladybug and I were always committed to stopping Hawkmoth but with Hawkmoth gone now, we have other things we need to attend to.”

 

“We can’t give all the details,” Ladybug said, finding her voice again. “But we’re leaving you in the hands of Carapace, Queen Bee, and Rena Rouge. Along with Monarch, Tigress and Bluebird, who I’m sure you’ll meet sooner or later, they will aid and assist the people of Paris should the need come up again.” 

 

“What need ?” A reporter asked. 

 

“I thought Hawkmoth had been defeated?” 

 

“Is there something you’re not telling us, Ladybug?” 

 

“There’s a lot we’re not telling you,” Chat Noir’s illusion said. “Most of it is for your own safety. All we can say is that we won’t be far...and that if Paris ever needs us again-” 

 

The illusion paused, glancing at Ladybug. “We’ll be there.” 

 

“...yes,” Ladybug said, turning back to the crowd of increasingly agitated reporters. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more...and I’m sorry if I’ve ever let you down in the past.” 

 

Her words were directed more towards the people behind her than the cameras in front of her. Privately, Ladybug dreaded that Nadja’s suspicion would not be the popular opinion; the people of Paris loved her and would keep loving her, even if their respect and adoration was misplaced. Even if their praise felt worse than any insult they could hurl at her. She had the trust and respect of millions of people that did not matter to her, and lost the respect of the handful that did. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Ladybug said, half to Rena Rouge as she turned, disappearing through the curtain as the crowd of reporters erupted in confused cries of Ladybug, Ladybug, Ladybug.

 

---

 

Rena Rouge’s outfit slid off her as she stormed through the doors to Chloe’s penthouse, shoulders heaving as the rest of her team followed her inside. 

 

“My father gave me that vase for my last birthday,” Chloe said as she detransformed, nodding to the ugly black and yellow vase holding carnations. 

 

“Thanks,” Alya said, grabbing the clay monstrosity and smashing it against the floor with a frustrated snarl that echoed off the walls. “ Why?! Why did I do that?! Why do I...why do I keep lying for her?!” 

 

“I’m gonna go...check on my mom…” Juleka said, backing out of the suite. “Let me know if you need me or want to egg Marinette’s house later.” 

 

“Later,” Nino said, leaning against the wall nonchalantly as Alya paced back and forth, shaking her head and running her hands through her hair. It was a rhetorical question that nobody really had the answer to; Alya didn’t ask it expecting the right answer to fall from the heavens and land in her lap. 

 

“I should have just let her squirm ,” Alya spat bitterly. “Let her hang herself with the rope she wove.” 

 

“What would that have accomplished?” Kagami asked. 

 

“It would have been one less lie I told for her,” Alya said, leaning on the back of the sofa, eyes wide and jaw shaking from the effort of holding it shit. “It would have been one less thing I did for someone who spat on-” 

 

“Andre gave me that ugly art-deco piece too,” Chloe said, nodding to a picture on the wall. 

 

“Thanks,” Alya hissed, pulling the portrait down and smashing it over the back of a kitchen chair. “ Four years... I did everything for that girl; everything! Nights spent talking about her crush, holding her hand and stroking her hair when she was sad that Adrien got a new girlfriend, setting up dates, propping her up, constantly supporting her rock-bottom self-esteem and for what?! ” 

 

Chloe perched on the counter as Alya shoulders shook. The tears had been shed; all that was left in Alya was disappointment and anger born of a hurt too deep to speak of. 

 

“But yeah, poor poor Marinette,” Alya said bitterly. “How hard it must have been for her; how rotten it is to have everyone adore you all the time. She just had to lie and burn every bridge she ever built...I swear, if she wasn’t Ladybug-” 

 

“She is, unfortunately,” Chloe sighed, running her hand along Alya’s shoulders soothingly. “We need Ladybug; we don’t need Marinette.” 

 

“She’s got a point, Al,” Nino said, pulling Alya into a gentle hug as she quietly seethed against his chest. “Marinette booted herself out of your life; you don’t need to let her back in if you don’t want to.” 

 

“I don’t...I…” Alya sighed, leaning into the hug “I just thought I was worth more than that, you know? I thought I was worth...something to her…” 

 

The intimate scene playing out before her made Kagami feel as though she were intruding on something private. 

 

“I should, um…” Kagami awkwardly shuffled towards the door. “I’ll come back.” 

 

Nobody made any effort to stop her as everyone’s attention seemed to be on soothing Alya’s fragile emotional state. 

 

“Honey, her failure to value you properly says more about her than you,” Chloe said gently. “You aren’t less because she thinks less of you; that’s her perspective.” 

 

“And it’s wrong,” Nino added. 

 

“And it’s very wrong,” Chloe said squeezing her shoulders gently. “I know you’re disappointed and you’re probably gonna be sad for a while...but when you’re ready for advice on how to completely disregard Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s opinion, let me know; I’m an expert.” 

 

“We’ll put a class together,” Nino said as Alya chuckled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “How to Get Over Marinette in 10 Days or Less.” 

 

“I think we’ll have quite a few classmates,” Alya said, gently squeezing her hands around Nino and Chloe’s. “...I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you guys.” 

 

“I think we all know that,” Nino said, kissing her forehead, sharing a smile with Chloe. “We’re a team.” 

 

“Best team in the city,” Chloe said proudly. 

 

“Ladynoir who ?” Alya sighed, thoughtfully staring out the window. “...Tom and Sabine are too nice to have their house egged, aren’t they?” 

 

“Chloe, come up with a suitable revenge that doesn’t involve ruining Marinette’s parents’ business,” Nino commanded. 

 

“Yes sir~” Chloe said with a salute, tugging them towards the door. “Come on; let’s get some ice cream or something and figure out how to subtly piss Marinette off.” 

 

Alya allowed herself to be pulled forward, feeling the difference between Nino and Chloe’s hands as she squeezed them all the tighter.

---

“Save the world...go back to stocking groceries,” Luka sighed, tugging his apron over his head as he looked at himself in the mirror. The long, feathery eyelashes that had come with his transformation had yet to fade, and the lush, twinkling blue eye shadow didn’t seem to be coming off; no matter how hard Luka scrubbed at it. 

 

“Guess I gotta get used to the glam look,” Luka sighed, running his hand through his hair. Like it or not, he was marked with Dusuu’s power in a way that couldn’t be ignored. 

 

“It’s about time your eyelash game got on point.” 

 

Luka almost hit the ceiling as a voice came out of nowhere from over his shoulder. Whipping around, he saw Adrien lingering in the doorway, holding his hands up with a startled look in his eye. “Chill...just me.” 

 

“ Christ. ..I didn’t hear you come in,” Luka panted, back still pressed against the wardrobe. 

 

“Yeah, I’ve been getting that a lot,” Adrien said with a lopsided smile. “Might have to bring the bell back so my mom doesn’t die of a heart attack.” 

 

“Couldn’t hurt…” Luka mumbled, glancing Adrien up and down, eyes lingering on the scar that seemed to pull his lip into a permanent sneer. “So at the risk of sounding like every checkout clerk in the world...can I help you?” 

 

“You helped bin Hawkmoth, and you’re still working a day job?” Adrien said, head tilting to one side. 

 

“It’s honest work,” Luka said as casually as he could, tensing a little as Adrien crossed the threshold into his room. Mayura throbbed in the back of his mind, a distant, wordless scream of indignation echoing from a distant part of his psyche. But it wasn’t as loud as it had been, and it was just as easily flicked away by the fact that less than a month earlier, he had tried (and failed) to kill a person who now possessed limitless powers of destruction. 

 

A person he was now completely alone with. 

 

“Right…well, I was hoping you might be looking for a change of career,” Adrien said, raising his hand and making a tearing motion in the air. The room shimmered as a yawning black portal opened up in the middle of the air. 

 

“...uh,” Luka glanced between Adrien’s face and the portal warily. “I don’t know if I-” 

 

“Luka...this isn’t a trick,” Adrien sighed, shaking his head. “I told her she should have sent Nino or someone to collect you.” 

 

Luka swallowed heavily, subconsciously reaching for Dusuu’s power to make sure it was still there if he needed it. “My boss is not gonna like it if I’m late.” 

 

“I don’t really care what your boss likes,” Adrien said, gesturing for Luka to follow him into the darkness. “And in a few minutes, neither will you.” 

 

Luka hesitantly crept through the portal, shivering as it felt like stepping through a cold, slimy membrane. His foot landed on the other side in the middle of a large, sprawling room that part of him recognized almost instantly. 

 

“Is this...under your house?” Luka asked, looking up at the ceiling. The cavernous chamber that Gabriel had kept his wife in had been picked clean and tidied up. Gone were the plants and casket, replaced by a simple metal table surrounded by chairs. 

 

“I wanted to talk somewhere I knew there wouldn’t be any listeners,” Adrien said, giving Luka a stern look. “What I’m about to say doesn’t leave this room; we’ve had too many secret leaks come out in the past few weeks. I’d like to put a stop to those before it gets out of hand.” 

 

“Of course,” Luka said, watching the elevator ding at the far side of the room. The door slid open and Kagami stepped out, shuffling through some papers absentmindedly as she approached. Luka’s throat tightened involuntarily, remembering the last time he was in this room with Kagami and how badly it had gone for her. A cold chill passed over him as he remembered Hawkmoth taking her into the room behind him, her pained screams echoing off the cold concrete walls-

 

“Oh, you’re here already,” Kagami said with a small smile that held no fear or resentment, no matter how hard Luka looked for it. “Please tell me you didn’t kidnap him.” 

 

“Kidnapping is such a loose term,” Adrien chuckled, seemingly light and relaxed despite the fact that he couldn’t see out of an eye that Luka all but gouged out in a fit of rage. Luka had almost expected to be jumped for what he had allowed Mayura to do to them; the fact that they didn’t even seem to address it only seemed to make it worse. “What does that even mean these days?” 

 

Luka blinked as Kagami leaned in with a curious frown. “Is that eye-shadow you’re wearing?” 

 

“Uh...n-no, it’s just sorta what I’ve got going on right now,” Luka sighed, already feeling his cheeks warming up “I can’t turn it off; apparently my old body wasn’t fabulous enough for Dusuu.” 

 

Kagami’s brow knitted, her nose wrinkling as she pondered the change. “The eyelashes are a nice touch.” 

 

Were they really that bad before? Luka wondered as the elevator dinged again. 

 

“Adrien, remind me again why we’re meeting in a dank old basement and not one of my hotel rooms,” Chloe sighed, stepping out of the elevator followed closely by Alya and Nino. “Seriously, we could have been having this conversation over room service and smoothies. Instead we’re bumming around your daddy’s old Mothman-cave.” 

 

“As long as Mayor of the Year is still living at your place, I’d like to keep our little chats off his radar,” Adrien said, gesturing at the empty room around him. “And seeing as how this room is off everybody’s radar, except ours, I figured we’d get some good use out of it.” 

 

“Still gives me eighteen distinct kinds of heebie-jeebies bumming around Hawkmoth’s old lair,” Nino said with a shiver. “Alright there, birdie?” 

 

“Confused, but alright,” Luka said, hovering awkwardly behind a chair. “Is Marinette coming?” 

 

The chill that settled over the group was all the answer that Luka needed. 

 

“Marinette doesn’t know this meeting is taking place,” Adrien said frostily. “And it’s going to stay that way.” 



“I wasn’t planning on telling her,” Luka bristled. “I know I don’t have a great track record where Marinette is concerned, but-” 

 

“You would be hard pressed to find anyone here who doesn’t have a great track record with Marinette,” Alya said soothingly. “We have no reason not to trust you, Luka.” 

 

“Really?” Luka said, scratching the back of his neck. “ No reason? The parasite that’s under lock and key in the back of my mind doesn’t give you pause?”

 

Kagami glanced at Adrien who seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “...that wasn’t your fault.” 

 

Luka blinked. “Could you repeat that?” 

 

“You went in with good intentions,” Adrien said. 

 

“My intentions were anything but good,” Luka laughed bitterly. 

 

“You wanted to help a friend-” 

 

“Out of a...weird hope that I could get her to like me again,” Luka sighed. “I can dress it up in as many niceties as I want, but at the end of the day, I was....I had hoped that maybe I could get Marinette to see me as something other than her plain-Jane ex she only dated because she couldn’t get with you .” 

 

Adrien’s sightless glass eye stared unblinkingly at Luka as he fiddled with his apron. “Maybe I shouldn’t be here.” 

 

“But you are,” Adrien said, leaning on the table. “You and Kagami didn’t need to come; you weren’t chosen like the rest of us were. But you stepped up when it counted and helped a lot of people. It could have gone a lot worse if it wasn’t for you.” 

 

“And as for the akuma, well,” Kagami gestured to the people around the table. “Everybody here has been forced to hurt people against our will.” 

 

“Not to trample on your ego or anything, but you weren’t even the most successful akuma murder attempt,” Chloe sniffed. “I think Timebreaker actually got a kill in on Adrien...my mom turned him into gold-” 

 

“Gamemaster deleted me from existence,” Adrien said with a shrug. “If we held grudges against everyone who tried to kill me, we wouldn’t have that many people left. And right now, we can’t afford to hold grudges. We need to work together...for the most part.” 

 

“Adrien is right.” The door behind him opened and Master He entered the room, followed closely by-

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa !” Chloe snapped as Nathalie meekly stuck her head out from around the other side of Master He. “What the hell is Moth-Girl doing here?!” 

 

“Good question, Adrien ,” Alya said as Nino futilely tried to hide his face behind his cap. 

 

“Everybody calm down ,” Adrien said, holding his hands up. “Nathalie has been aware of your identities for a while now; Hawkmoth had you all figured out the minute Marinette brought Mayura, sorry Bluebird, around the three of you untransformed.” 

 

“Hold the fuck up,” Nino said, glaring at Nathalie. “Hawkmoth knew who my family was for months ?!” 

 

“ Marinette... exposed us to Hawkmoth …” Alya echoed, jaw tightening and eyes burning holes into the table.

 

“Did you know about this?” Kagami asked Luka who looked ready to melt into a puddle of shame. 

 

“I had no idea Hawkmoth was...doing that,” Luka mumbled. “Is that...is that how he figured out Marinette was Ladybug?” 

 

“Gabriel was able to monitor the akuma’s presence in the Peacock Miraculous,” Nathalie explained, dodging the icy glares sent her direction. “I’m sorry...he used M. Couffaine here to discover the identities of everyone but Ladybug...and Queen Bee, who disclosed her identity years ago.” 

 

“Tell me why I shouldn’t disclose my hand upside your head,” Chloe asked. 

 

“Because Nathalie here has more to lose by revealing our identities than she had to gain by keeping quiet,” Adrien said, resting a hand on Nathalie’s shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Nathalie?” 

 

Nathalie seemed to squirm under Adrien’s touch, but nodded feverishly. “A-Adrien has given me a chance to try and heal some of the damage I helped Hawkmoth do to this city; even if I wasn’t so repentant, the dirt you have on me exceeds the dirt I have on you. The only thing I would gain from revealing your identities is a lengthy prison sentence.” 

 

“Nonetheless, we will take some...precautions to ensure Mme. Sancouer is unable to disclose your identities,” Master He said, shooting Nathalie a side-long glance. “I’ll admit, I had reservations when Adrien told me his intentions, but I think you should hear him out before you make any decisions.” 

 

All eyes turned to Adrien as Nathalie handed him a stack of envelopes. “I’ve been thinking about the last couple of months a lot...but as much as I think on it, I can’t figure out how Marinette managed to be Ladybug, a fashion designer, and a high school student.” 

 

“Tough,” Chloe huffed, crossing her arms. “We’re all busy; we all have things we’d rather be doing. That doesn’t give her a pass to help the guy who’s held our city hostage for years.” 

 

“No, it doesn’t,” Adrien said, walking around the table and dropping envelopes in front of Alya and Nino. “But it’s easy for us to say that. Let’s be honest; you, me, and Kagami don’t have to worry about ever going hungry. We don’t have to work day jobs, and we don’t have to necessarily worry about having a career.” 

 

Adrien stopped in front of Luka and dropped the last envelope in front of him. “We don’t have to worry about missing shifts if the city is in danger.” 

 

Luka looked at the envelope, watching Adrien out of the corner of his eye as he continued to pace around the table. “Hawkmoth had billions of dollars at his fingertips; that kind of money allowed him to focus full-time on his plan to bring my mother back. If Paris is to have a group of heroes to protect it, they should at least be playing with the same toys.” 

 

“Holy shit ,” Nino muttered, looking at the thin slip of paper he pulled out of the envelope. “What the hell is this?” 

 

“It’s a job offer,” Adrien said watching Alya and Luka’s eyebrows race towards their hairlines as they opened their own envelopes. “This city is going to need heroes; the Peter Parker starving-artist look doesn’t really have the same shine in real life. Nathalie here was kind enough to give me the position of Chief Executive Creative Brand Consultant.” 

 

“That sounds like a bullshit, made-up position,” Alya said, eyeing the check in her hands with a look of shock and bewilderment. 

 

“A well-paid bullshit, made-up position,” Adrien corrected. “One that’s enough to give you three a decent yearly salary.” 

 

“ Decent isn’t the word I’d use,” Luka muttered, fingering the piece of paper that held more money than he had seen in his lifetime. He didn't realize how many problems in his life could be easily solved by throwing money at them. “This is…” 

 

“Not nearly enough for the things you have done and will do to keep the people of Paris safe,” Adrien said. 

 

“Safe from what ?” Chloe asked. “Hawkmoth is dead.There’s no chance he’ll slink back to life when we’re not looking, right?” 

 

“Still got those Miraculous thieves kicking around out there,” Alya pointed out. “No peep from them, but euros to eclairs, they’ll be back. And I doubt they’ll hand them over just because we ask nicely.” 

 

“I wish I could say that was all we had to worry about,” Master He said. “But Hawkmoth’s actions have unleashed forces that we thought buried a long time ago. We cannot guarantee that Paris will remain unaffected for very long, especially since Mayura’s kin are in the hands of Kaiser Long now.” 

 

“It’s not so much a question of if things are going to get bad again,” Adrien said. “It’s when. And when they do, I want to know that this city is taken care of.” 

 

“So, what, you decided to go all Nick Fury on us and form your own Avengers?” Nino said, waving the check. “Not that I don’t appreciate the gig; I’ll gladly be full-time Carapace if that’s what we need, boss.” 

 

“I’m not your boss,” Adrien said, earning a curious frown from Kagami. “I’m...not really a leader, all things considered.” 

 

“Bullshit, man,” Nino said. “You orchestrated that whole claw-grab plan a couple of weeks ago; you called the play better than Ladybug could have.” 

 

“And I’d rather follow you than Ladybug,” Kagami said. 

 

“Just because I’m getting slightly better at tactical planning doesn’t mean I’m cut out to manage this team,” Adrien said, eyes drifting across the table to where Alya sat. “Team Paris should be in the hands of someone who cares about this city; someone who knows how to empower the people who trust them and make each hero shine. Ladybug and Master Fu’s top-down shut-up-and-follow-orders-at-all-costs style of leadership isn’t going to work anymore.”

 

“So like the good Parisians we are, we get rid of the queen and embrace democracy,” Chloe said, turning to Alya who suddenly felt all eyes land on her. 

 

"Liberty, equality, fraternity," Nino agreed. 

 

“I mean…” Alya glanced around the table. “...I-I never asked to be in charge or anything; truth be told, I don’t think we officially determined that I was a leader or anything…” 

 

“No, but everything you’ve done to keep the city safe these past couple of months has proved your quality,” Adrien said. “Outside of Ladybug and me, you’ve been doing this longer than anyone. I think if anyone’s going to be the leader of this team, it should be someone who takes her teammates’ opinions into consideration; someone who understands that being a leader isn’t about barking orders and getting her way all the time. Someone who listens more than she talks and someone who puts the safety of those who follow her first.” 

 

“Someone like Alya Cesaire,” Adrien said, glancing around the table. “Any objections?” 

 

“Hell no,” Nino said with a broad, toothy grin. 

 

“Like anyone else is even up for the task,” Chloe said, kicking Alya’s shin lightly under the table. 

 

“Well...seeing as how you’re the most experienced hero here,” Kagami mused. “I suppose I’ll entrust myself to your leadership, senpai .” 

 

Luka blinked as he realized the rest of the table had turned to him, waiting for his response. 

 

“Oh...well, if everyone else thinks you’re up for it,” Luka coughed, awkwardly raising a hand. “I’m game...I mean yes...I mean-” 

 

“I don’t expect you to follow me because everyone else is,” Alya chuckled. “Look, you’ve never worked with me before that business with Hawkmoth; just because you don’t have a reason to distrust me, doesn’t mean you need to trust me.” 

 

Alya glanced at Nino and Chloe, taking solace in the warm, affectionate looks her partners sent her. It was strange to be on the receiving end of such trust; to have great heroes look to her for guidance and advice. Alya found that it was much harder to question her own competence when they seemed to believe in her so much; who was she to disagree if they thought she was capable of steering their ragtag team through stormy seas? 

 

“But I would like the chance to earn your trust,” Alya said. “If you’ll let me serve you as your leader.” 

 

Adrien let out a small sigh of relief, a weight lifting off his shoulders even as it settled on Alya’s. “Well you’ve got my vote...speaking of votes.” 

 

Adrien took his seat at the far side of the table. “We need to decide what to do about our wayward Ladybug.” 

 

---

 

Nadja Chamack had been given two options; issue an apology to Ladybug on behalf of the station, or find work elsewhere. 

 

After ten years of faithfully reporting the news, she had her desk packed within the hour, ignoring the curious looks from her co-workers as she walked past her editor’s office with a cardboard box and what remained of her journalistic credibility. 

 

They could all turn away if they wanted to; continue to fawn over someone who was clearly lying to their faces. But Nadja did not get into her line of work looking to do fluff pieces; whatever desire she had to make Ladybug look good had evaporated when their city had been torn asunder by infighting and Hawkmoth’s last desperate gasp. 

 

If her employers no longer shared her commitment to the truth, so be it; she liked to think that she still had a little integrity left. Better to be fired for asking the right questions than keep her job by asking the wrong ones. 

 

Kicking the stairwell door open, Nadja trudged down the steps towards the parking garage, already wondering what she could do next. She had enough of a following on her blog that she could turn it into a video or audio cast, but without her station’s press access-

 

“Nice press conference, by the way.” 

 

A woman’s voice caught her attention and Nadja turned to see a slim, red-headed woman in an outrageous costume smiling at her from the bottom of the stairwell. Her long red twin-tails lapped at the concrete walls like tongues of fire, the heat wafting off her beating back the icy December chill.

 

“Who...who are you?” Nadja asked, glancing behind her to see if there was anyone else in the stairwell. “Are you with Ladybug?” 

 

“I wouldn’t say that,” Firebird chuckled, casually taking the box out of Nadja’s startled hands. “Before you ask, I hated Hawkmoth more than Ladybug did and I’m no enemy of your city. I’m...well, I’m a fan of those who seek the truth.”

 

Firebird leaned against the wall next to Nadja, rooting through her box curiously as Nadja desperately wished she had a voice recorder to capture this. 

 

“To think such an award-winning journalist could be tossed out on her ass for ruffling a few feathers,” Firebird clucked, examining the heavy bronze Albert Londres prize. “Shame that celebrity beats out credibility these days; for what it’s worth, I think you were on the right track.” 

 

Nadja frowned. “About Ladybug? You think...you think she’s hiding something from us? That they’re all hiding something from us?” 

 

“I think the truth comes out, no matter how hard people try to hide it,” Firebird said. “And I think it’s a good sign when people tell you to stop asking questions; shows you’re on the right track, doesn’t it?” 

 

Firebird passed the box back to Nadja with a smirk. “Keep at it, Nadja; you have more powerful fans than you realize.” 

 

“What do you-” Nadja winced as the woman evaporated into a puff of flame, leaving her standing alone in the stairwell staring at the wall where the woman had been leaning. 

 

The truth comes out...no matter how hard people try to hide it. 

 

Nadja glanced down at her box at an autographed picture of her and Ladybug back when she was much younger. She had been so taken with the young woman then; so convinced that she was exactly what Paris needed. And maybe she had been...but that was a long time ago. 

 

Nadja crammed the picture in the trash on the way out into the parking garage.

 

---

 

“Okay,” Alya said, glancing around the table. “Let’s vote.” 

 

“Aye,” Nino said. 

 

“Big aye for me too,” Chloe said, raising her hand.

 

“I see no other recourse,” Kagami said. “Aye.” 

 

“I’ve only got one eye, but I’ll give it,” Adrien said, enjoying the groan from Chloe and the affectionate fuck off from Nino. All eyes turned to Luka who seemed to be staring at his hands with a distant look in his eyes. 

 

“...this is really going to hurt her, isn’t it?” Luka muttered to himself, pressing his palms into his eyes. “God...am I really that pathetic that I still care about whether or not Marinette’s feelings are hurt?” 

 

Chloe opened her mouth, barbed comment loaded and ready to go, but for once she decided to let the moment pass without her color commentary. Alya sent her a warm smile and Nino just nodded and sent her a thumbs up as Luka silently continued to deliberate. 

 

“You can abstain, you know,” Kagami said gently. “We have the majority-” 

 

“No...no,” Luka sighed. “I’ve spent too much time thinking about Marinette's feelings... way too much time. If we’re going to do this, we’re all going to do this; aye .” 

 

Alya nodded, pen hovering over the piece of paper Nathalie drew up for them. Putting ink to the page made it real; for better or worse, there was no turning back from the course they were on. 

 

We passed the turnoff a long time ago, Alya reminded herself as she affixed her signature to the page, passing it and the pen around the table until all six signatures sat at the bottom of the page. 

 

“Well...that’s settled,” Alya sighed. “I guess we just need to let her know.” 

 

“I’ll do it,” Luka said before anyone else could volunteer. 

 

“Are you certain?” Kagami asked. “I... we would understand if you were uncomfortable being around her. You would have good reason to be.” 

 

“Maybe,” Luka shrugged. “But I had a hand in this too...only seems right I be the one to bring it to a close.” 

 

“For what it’s worth,” Adrien said. “It’s more of a formality than anything else.” 

 

“It’s more than a formality,” Kagami said, glancing at Alya. “The future and the past cannot coexist together; Marinette needs to be made aware of her place...or lack thereof in Paris.” 

 

“Pecking order ,” Chloe said firmly. “Ladybug was not a doe-eyed little victim in all this; she chose to lie to us. Chose to turn the city on Chat Noir. She might not be going to jail for that, but her bill is coming due, one way or another.” 

 

“You think she’ll fight us on it?” Nino asked, glancing at Master He who had been watching the debate and vote with silent interest. 

 

“I think...Marinette is genuinely remorseful,” Master He said carefully. “And while that does not make anything better, I get the sense that she is willing to cooperate to make things as right as she can. No, I don’t think you will encounter any resistance with her. And ending it like this...well, it leaves the door open for when we need her again.” 

 

“Do we really need her anymore?” Chloe sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Can’t we just ship her off to Elba and be done with her?” 

 

“Even Napoleon escaped exile,” Nino said, glancing at Adrien. “But something is bugging me; besides Ladybug, I mean...why are you going through all this trouble all of a sudden?” 

 

“You’re not staying, are you?” Kagami asked Adrien. “All this...the press conference, setting up this organization...it’s because you’re not staying in Paris either.” 

 

Adrien smiled somewhat embarrassedly. “I was getting to that bit...I think things in this city are still too hot for Chat Noir. Ladybug’s press conference helped, but...well, Parisians don’t forgive or forget so easily.” 

 

“I know a great publicist,” Chloe suggested. 

 

“It’s more than that,” Nino said before Adrien could speak. “Tell me I’m wrong.” 

 

“...you’re not,” Adrien admitted, eye trailing over to the spot on the floor where he watched his father dissolve in his arms. “I gave everything for this city...everything for the people who live here. And in the end...I don’t know what I expected, but-” 

 

“How much more are you supposed to give to people who hurt you?” Luka said suddenly.

 

“How much more are you supposed to do for people who don’t care?” Alya said. Luka, Alya, and Adrien had always been two different worlds, orbiting the same star, but in that moment nobody understood one another better. 

 

“You said it...I think I’m going to take some me time,” Adrien chuckled. “Get out of the city for a while; maybe travel around the world for a month or so. Adrien Agreste won't be gone for long...but I think Paris has seen the last of Chat Noir for a while…” 

 

Chloe and Nino shared an uneasy look of two people who knew they needed to help their friend, but had no earthly clue of how to start. 

 

“Well...we’ll be here when you’re ready,” Alya said after a moment’s silence. “And if we need you-” 

 

“You’ve got my number,” Adrien said, glancing around the table. “I’ll come running if you really need me. But I think you guys are up for whatever bush league threats come your way, right Master He?” 

 

“I think you’ve assembled a fine team that has the potential to grow finer,” Master He said. “Master Fu and I will provide necessary training and resources for your development as heroes.” 

 

“Master Fu is okay with that?” Adrien asked. 

 

“Master Fu doesn’t get a vote anymore,” Alya said firmly. “Paris’ safety is our responsibility; he can get with the program or get out of the way.” 

 

“Team Paris, motherfucker ,” Nino sang.

 

“If you ain’t running with it, run from it motherfucker ~” Chloe finished, hi-fiving Nino.

 

“I think even Master Fu understands that times have changed and a more...direct approach is needed,” Master He said placatingly. “You will have no resistance from him outside his advice, which I suggest you heed. He may have mishandled this situation, but he has wisdom born of hundreds of years of experience. I would not discount him over hurt feelings.” 

 

Adrien’s expression soured for a moment, but even he seemed to agree with her. “We need all the friends we can get...that’s for damn sure.” 

 

Silence lingered over the small group until Chloe started looking around. “Soooo if this is gonna be our hangout, does that mean we can decorate it?” 

 

“Isn’t your mother going to be suspicious if we start bringing things through the house?” Kagami asked. 

 

“Not if we use my father’s river access tunnel,” Adrien said, gesturing over his shoulder. “Kagami knows the way; I’m sure a gang of people with super strength can manage to get some tables and chairs through.” 

 

“Maybe a pinball machine,” Nino said, whistling as he looked at the check Adrien cut him. “Shit, I could get an arcade with this.” 

 

“Spend Andre’s money before you start dipping into yours,” Chloe said, standing up and glancing at Kagami and Luka. “How about it, new kids; you up for a shopping trip?” 

 

“Are you going to make me carry the bags?” Luka sighed. 

 

“No, I know better than to trust you with valuable property by now,” Chloe sniffed, looping her arm through Alya’s. “C’mon; we need to celebrate the new and exciting change in leadership. Maybe get a Ladybug pinata and crack it open-” 

 

“Chloe-” 

 

“Save it for your birthday; got it,” Chloe said, turning back to Adrien. “Coming, Adrien?” 

 

“Maybe in a bit,” Adrien said, glancing at Master He. “Master He and I need to talk.” 

 

Master He’s eyebrow quirked, but she said nothing as Chloe and the others walked past him. “Text me when you’re done,” Chloe said with a brief kiss on his cheek. “Paris might not be grateful, but that doesn’t mean we can’t treat you to dinner.” 

 

“Although since it’s your dough, I guess you’re buying,” Nino chuckled, bumping his fist into Adrien’s shoulder as he passed. 

 

“The more of my father’s money I can spend, the better,” Adrien snorted, glancing down at Kagami as she stared up at him with a curious look in her eye. “You joining them?” 

 

“...yes, I suppose I will,” Kagami said somewhat distantly. “Funny...after all this time working together, we never got the chance to fight side-by-side.” 

 

“Careful what you wish for,” Adrien said, sharing a glance with Master He. “I’m sure we’ll get our chance.” 

 

“Hmm,” Kagami hummed thoughtfully, walking away to join a trio in the heart of friendly bickering. As Luka passed to join them, Adrien’s hand reached out and snared Luka’s elbow. The sudden contact caused Luka to jump, and the sudden serious look in Adrien’s eye made him all the more anxious. 

 

“I need you to do something for me,” Adrien said, voice dropping to a low murmur that the others couldn’t hear. “The other three...Alya, Nino, and Chloe...they’ve gotten a lot closer during the last three months.” 

 

Luka glanced over to see Kagami chatting off to the side of the group a little, as though the original Team Paris were a separate being that she had no hope of being a part of. 

 

“I know they’ll be there for her where it counts,” Adrien said. “But everyone needs a partner...and I can’t always be that for her. There’s gonna be times when I’ll need to be out of the city and...I’d feel much better if I knew someone was backing her up.” 

 

Luka stared into the cold, glassy eye; a permanent reminder of the sins of Mayura. Even as he stood there, the akuma raged against Adrien, demanding that Luka finish the job...but Mayura wasn’t in charge anymore. And never would be again. 

 

“I won’t let you down,” Luka said firmly. 

 

“Don’t let her down,” Adrien said, releasing Luka’s elbow. Kagami glanced between them curiously as Luka jogged to make the elevator, holding Adrien’s gaze as the doors shut, leaving him alone in the cavernous room with Master He. 

 

“I have to commend you, Adrien,” Master He said. “You’ve built something good here; I think the people of France will benefit from having something permanent to protect them in-” 

 

“Who’s Master Li?” Adrien asked. The words seemed to suck the remaining heat from the air as Master He stiffened in her seat, eyes narrowing at Adrien. 

 

“...where did you hear that name?” Master He asked quietly. 

 

“Firebird and Kaiser Long mentioned him,” Adrien said, leaning on the table. “Who was he and what did you do to him?” 

 

"Adrien-" 

 

"Don't lie to me," Adrien said quietly, a nameless threat hiding behind a calm demeanor. "You weren't there; you didn't see them like I did." 

 

"Kaiser Long was the one who attacked me," Master He said, rubbing the spot on her chest where his palm had struck. 

 

"You don't get it," Adrien said, shaking his head. "I stood across from them...and I felt like every akuma Ladybug and I ever fought when we were younger. I knew, in my bones, that I was standing across from a team I couldn't beat. Plagg knew it too. I need every edge I can get on them if they show up again...who is Master Li?" 

 

Master He stared at Adrien for a long moment, chewing something over before producing an old, rusty key from her jacket pocket. “No...it’s better if you hear it from me...follow me.” 

 

---

 

Marinette never realized how much crap she had until she had to pack it all away. 

 

Wiping her brow, she tucked the last of her art supplies in a cardboard box, tearing a clear strip of tape off the reel and sealing the box with a soft slap against the side. With a light toss, she sent the box spinning through the air, landing with a light thud on top of the pile next to her trap door. Thankfully, her bed and most of her furniture didn’t need to make the move to London with her; Brigitte assured her that her little guest room had been fully furnished with everything that she would need, including a large inflatable mallet with a sign reading “Break In Case of Nutcracker Attack” pasted on the side. 

 

A light rap on the trapdoor drew Marinette’s attention down as her mother stuck her head into her room. “Need any help in here?” 

 

“I think I’m just about done,” Marinette said, glancing around her childhood bedroom with a small sigh. Walls that had once been covered with fashion magazine clippings, pictures of her friends, and half-finished sketches were bare for the first time since Marinette had moved up to the loft when she was five. “Has it always been this...big?” 

 

“I’m sure it will feel even bigger once you leave,” Sabine said, laying a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “You know you can come back anytime you want, right?” 

 

Marinette nodded mutely, wondering if there was ever going to come a day when she could walk past the statue of Ladybug in the park without her skin crawling. “Yeah...Bri mentioned having you two up in London for a weekend after I get all settled in with this new job.” 

 

“Maybe I can convince your father to start training his apprentice,” Sabine chuckled. “It would be nice to have someone we can trust hold the fort down while we get around to that travelling we’ve been meaning to do...maybe you should do the same now that you’re...free to do it.” 

 

“Mm,” Marinette said, staring blankly out the window at the city streets below. “Haven’t really thought about it...haven’t been able to get away from Paris since...well, you know.” 

 

“I can imagine,” Sabine sighed. “And only imagine...I doubt I will ever really understand what you’ve been through these past few years.” 

 

“No one will,” Marinette said, shaking her head as bitter tears pricked her eyes. “No one is ever going to know the truth...people still think Ladybug was this perfect, flawless hero...and even now I’m stuck in this lie I made for myself. I can’t...I can’t even-” 

 

A soft knock came at the trapdoor above their heads. Marinette glanced up to see Bluebird’s face waving through the window, an uneasy smile playing at his lips. 

 

“I think I should take this,” Marinette chuckled, wiping her eyes and shooting her mother an apologetic smile. “Do you mind?” 

 

Sabine glanced up at the skylight, hesitating for a moment. “It’ll be okay,” Marinette said, attempting a comforting smile. 

 

“...of course,” Sabine nodded, turning to head back downstairs. “If you need me-” 

 

“I know,” Marinette said, sparing one last look at her mother as she climbed up the ladder and onto the chilly balcony. The winter wind whipped at her face, billowing Bluebird’s cape and the tails of Monarch’s jacket. 

 

“Everything okay?” Bluebird asked, brow creasing in concern. 

 

“As ‘okay’ as things can get these days,” Marinette chuckled, glancing at Monarch. “What’s up?”

 

“We don’t mean to intrude,” Monarch asked, fidgeting with the paper in her hands. “We have to talk to you about something…” 

 

Marinette’s eyes drifted from Monarch’s face to Bluebird’s. “About?” 

 

“Something that we can’t say over text,” Monarch said. 

 

“Nothing bad,” Bluebird said, holding his hands up. “It’s...you know, it’s good in a sense…” 

 

“What sense?” Marinette said, eyeing the paper in Monarch’s hand. 

 

“We...the team met earlier today,” Monarch said somewhat awkwardly. 

 

“Oh…” Marinette blinked. “Sorry, my phone has been off for a while; I must’ve missed the invite…” 

 

Bluebird and Monarch shared an uncomfortable look that told Marinette that no invitation had been sent. “...oh...yeah, no, that...that makes sense.” 

 

“Adrien, Chloe, and...myself are putting together a shell company to fund our activities,” Monarch continued, fidgeting with the paper somewhat uncomfortably. “We elected a new leader…” 

 

“Alya.” Marinette said without hesitation.

 

“Did someone tell you?” Bluebird asked. 

 

“Who else would it be?” Marinette chuckled. “Adrien is leaving soon and Alya...she sniffed me out right off the bat and hoodwinked both me and Hawkmoth for months without either of us being the wiser.” 

 

Monarch watched a smile tug on Marinette’s lips. “I was going to give her the Ladybug, you know? A long time ago...maybe if I had, things would have been different.”

 

“...maybe.” Monarch swallowed heavily, holding the slip of paper out for Marinette to take. “Well, the team got together and...set some ground rules that we want to make you aware of.” 

 

“Why do I feel like I’m getting served divorce papers?” Marinette chuckled nervously, accepting the envelope and gently prying it open. Inside was a very official looking strip of paper, sealed with an ornate and incredibly important looking wax seal featuring a yin-yang symbol surrounded by miniscule sigils of the Miraculous. “Wow...official.” 

 

“Well, Chloe Bourgeois doesn’t do anything if it isn’t needlessly bombastic, now does she?” Monarch chuckled, watching Marinette’s eyes scan the paper. 

 

“We…” Marinette cleared her throat as she started reading the neatly scribbled words. “We the undersigned protectors of the Miraculous, Heroes of Paris, and servants of her citizens do, on this, the thirteenth day of January 2021 do hereby unanimously agree on the following edict…the hero-” 

 

Marinette’s eyes passed over the next line of text a few times before her mouth caught up. “...the hero known as Ladybug is henceforth and until otherwise decreed...banned from the city of Paris and the nation of France...ejected from the company of heroes based in Paris...and forbidden from taking part in any vigilantism in service of the French people...failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in more stringent punitive measures...” 

 

There were other words on the page, but Marinette didn’t seem to register them as she read and reread the sentence that came before. “You have to understand the position we’re in,” Monarch said after a long moment of silence. “Our credibility is still, unfortunately, linked to yours. If we are to establish ourselves as heroes in our own right, if we are to gain the trust of the French people-” 

 

“People have to get over Ladybug,” Marinette said, folding the paper up. “No, that...that makes sense...so I can’t come home?” 

 

“You can come back whenever you want!” Bluebird said quickly, glancing at Monarch. “That is... Marinette can come and go as she likes; we’re not gonna ban you from seeing your family or...a-anyone else you want to see. But…” 

 

“It’s best that Ladybug stay gone for a while,” Monarch said quietly. 

 

“Right…” Marinette nodded mutely. Knowing the blow was coming and knowing that she probably deserved it did nothing to lessen the pain when it finally came. 

 

“We would...appreciate your cooperation with this,” Monarch said somewhat stiffly. “If you are as contrite as you say you are, you will allow us to heal the damage done to this city.” 

 

“Why don’t you just tell them the truth then?” Marinette said. “Tell the whole city what I did; completely clear the air-” 

 

“That would undermine the little credibility we have and hamstring us if we needed to bring you back in the future,” Monarch sighed, rubbing her forehead. “With Firebird and Kaiser Long still at large and the other Miraculous still missing, we don’t want to limit our options where you’re concerned. Having Ladybug as a known traitor makes working with you...problematic to say the least.” 

 

Marinette’s lips twisted into a sour grimace, but simply nodded. “Right...well, if that’s what you all decided, then I won’t make any trouble for you. Tell Alya that I’ll stay away until...well, until somebody tells me it’s okay to come back.”

 

If someone tells me it’s okay to come back.

 

Monarch nodded somewhat unsteadily. “Thank you...I’ll...I’ll tell her you said that.” 

 

“And um…” Marinette let out a shaky little laugh that threatened to turn into a sob as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “I know she hates me right now but...c-can you just tell her that I’m sorry I got her caught up in all this...that I’m...that I’m sorry I put her in danger…that I'm sorry for being the worst friend in the world.” 

 

Monarch’s lips pressed tightly together, fingers gripping her cane for support as she unsteadily nodded. Turning away, Monarch paused with her foot on the balcony, shoulders tense as she seemed to be grappling with something. “She...she really loved you, I think...and I think you hurt her just as badly as you hurt Adrien...but I don’t know if...if she truly hates you.” 

 

Marinette watched Monarch’s back through a cloud of tears. “But I think...I think you broke her heart. As much as Adrien’s...maybe more.” 

 

There was a beat of silence as Monarch seemed to be grappling with the right words to say. “Good luck in London…” 

 

Marinette watched Monarch drop off the side of the building, leaping on a nearby rooftop and disappearing out of sight. Marinette’s fingers clutched the paper in her hand as she slumped against the railing, tears tumbling over the side of the building and splashing on the street far below. Numb to everything but her shame, she hadn’t realized Bluebird was still standing there until she felt his cape drape over her shoulders. 

 

“Sorry,” Marinette hiccuped, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands. “You should...you should probably go see about your partner.” 

 

“She’ll be fine for now,” Bluebird said, lightly squeezing Marinette’s shoulders through the cape. “I just want to make sure you’re fine first.” 

 

“ Why?” Marinette blubbered, tugging the cape around her shoulders as though she were trying to hide from the soft, understanding look in Bluebird’s eyes. “Luka...why don’t you hate me? You should ; you have the right... after everything I did-” 

 

“I know,” Bluebird said, heart throbbing painfully as the depth of Marinette’s grief almost overwhelmed him. “Maybe I should...but I can’t, you know? I just...can’t help feeling sorry for you right now.” 

 

“God, that’s even worse,” Marinette said, wiping her eyes on the corner of Bluebird’s cape. “Sorry...getting snot all over your new threads.” 

 

“I’m pretty sure magical peacock fabric is machine washable,” Bluebird said, satisfied that a little chuckle broke through Marinette’s stream of sobs. 

 

“I actually really dig the new outfit,” Marinette said, tweaking the corner of his cape as she looked the blue bodysuit up and down. “Very...well, you look like a superhero.” 

 

“You think?” Bluebird said, glancing down at himself. “Yeah, I wanted this leather jacket look but...I think I like this better.” 

 

“Your name could use some work though,” Marinette sniffed.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, what’s your super creative superhero name again?” Bluebird teased. 

 

“Okay, point,” Marinette laughed. “Yeah...I think Monarch, Carapace, and Rena Rouge are the only ones of us with any creativity…” 

 

Bluebird heard the lighthearted melody coming from Marinette’s heart take a sudden, dour shift as she spoke Rena Rouge’s name aloud. Biting her lip, she leaned on the balcony, staring off into the city in the direction of Adrien’s house. 

 

“How does it feel to be free?” Bluebird asked, wincing as he could tell his attempt to change the subject only darkened Marinette’s mood. 

 

“I’ll let you know when I feel free,” Marinette sighed, glancing at the paper in her hands, staring at Adrien's neat signature next to Alya’s flowing, scribbling one. “I knew this was coming...it just feels so...final. My friends don’t want anything to do with me anymore...and I’ve got no one to blame but myself.” 

 

“Look...Mari,” Bluebird sighed, taking Marinette by the shoulders and turning her to face him. “...what you did? That stuff with Chat Noir and Alya...that stuff with me? That’s not you. You’re not that kind of person. And if being Ladybug led you to do all that then...maybe you shouldn’t be Ladybug for a while. Or at least...maybe you need to step back from being the only thing standing between Paris and certain doom. Let us handle things for a while...maybe just focus on being Marinette for a bit.” 

 

“Yeah…” Marinette said. “Just an ordinary girl...with an ordinary life…I mean this is what I wanted, right? I get to go to the school of my dreams...I have a job at one of the most prestigious brands in the world.” 

 

Bluebird watched her as she stared out at the city she had protected since she was fourteen years old. “...you’re afraid,” Bluebird said, a melancholy note resonating off Marinette’s soul. 

 

“I don’t know if I can be normal anymore,” Marinette muttered, fingertip dragging along the railing as a line of grass sprouted up out of the cold steel. “I think I forgot how a long time ago. I don’t know if I’ll be any good at it.” 

 

“I thought you were tired of always having to save everyone,” Bluebird said, watching little pink and white flowers sprout out of the grass under Marinette’s fingertips. 

 

“I was but...it was comfortable,” Marinette shrugged, plucking a flower from the railing and spinning it between her fingers. “It was crazy, but...I knew who I was. I knew how I fit into the world and how the world fit around me. Now...now I’m not a hero; I’m not even really a person anymore. I’m just this... thing that’s floating around without direction or guidance. I have to make my own way in the world...and even though I’ve always wanted a chance to follow my dreams...this isn’t how I wanted it to end.” 

 

“I don’t think this is an end,” Bluebird shrugged. “It’s an intermission....for you anyway. At some point in the future—might not be today or tomorrow or even a year from now—but someday we’re going to need Ladybug again...and maybe when that day comes you can try again. But for now...just do your work.” 

 

Marinette nodded, sniffing as she glanced up at Bluebird. “Yeah...and hey, if you’re ever in London...maybe we could catch up?” 

 

“Yeah, maybe we can-” Bluebird stopped himself, with a small chuckle. “Um...you know...actually, I think I need a little break…” 

 

“Oh…” Marinette said, putting on a casual shrug that didn’t fool Bluebird for a second. “No, I...I totally get it.”

 

“Marinette-” 

 

“ I mean, if somebody sold me out to Hawkmoth and put my family in danger, I wouldn’t want to-” 

 

“It’s not that ,” Bluebird sighed, fighting the urge to back out of what he needed to say. “I think I need to be...away from you for a while because, I...I need to figure out how to stop being in love with you.” 

 

Marinette blinked, tilting backwards as Bluebird sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “...you,” Marinette swallowed. “I thought you said you were over me?” 

 

“I said a lot of shit,” Bluebird laughed, leaning against the balcony. “But...it wasn’t true. I wasn’t...and I’m not...mainly because I didn’t want to be. I always...held out hope that maybe one day things would swing back around for us. That maybe...we could be we again...and I think that’s kept me stuck in the past without much of a future. Because...you’re never going to feel the same way about me that I feel about you.” 

 

Marinette’s throat ached as she blinked back tears. “I...I wanted to,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “I wanted to for so long .” 

 

“Marinette, you don’t need to-” 

 

“No, I do !” Marinette said, taking a step closer to Bluebird. “I can’t be honest about Ladybug but I will be honest about this...I love you. And I wanted to be in love with you! I wanted my heart to sing when I kissed you! I wanted to feel that same love that I felt when you looked at me! Because... fuck , you’re perfect for me! You’re cute and funny and sweet and...and...” 

 

Draped in a cape too big for her, hair haloed by the city lights behind her, Bluebird felt the familiar swell of affection building in his heart. Marinette was now everything fierce and strong and honest that he loved about her. Now, more than ever, he felt himself in peril of falling back into the orbit of her brilliant star. 

 

Now, more than ever, he needed to pull away. 

 

“But you weren’t in love with me,” Bluebird said, the words freeing him just a little more from the gravity of Marinette’s love. 

 

“...no,” Marinette said, sighing in a way that almost deflated her. “And it wouldn’t have been fair to you to keep our relationship going; for you to give yourself like you gave yourself and not get the same in return.” 

 

Marinette took a deep breath, smiling through the tears as she gave him a look that very nearly broke his heart. “Because you deserve someone’s whole heart...and I’m so...so sorry that I couldn’t give mine to you.” 

 

Through the sting of her words, Bluebird felt strangely happy, and though he could hear Mayura wailing in abject misery in the back of his mind, it didn’t destroy him in the way he thought it would. 

 

“ Thank you ,” Bluebird said, accepting the cloak back from Marinette and fastening it around his shoulders. “I...I think I really needed to hear that.” 

 

He stumbled backwards as Marinette threw her arms around his body, burying her face in his chest and squeezing him like letting him go would send her hurtling into outer space. After a moment, his arms wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close in memory of the love they once shared. 

 

“I’m going to figure out how to get over you,” Bluebird mumbled, eyes turning upwards to avoid the warm scent of Marinette’s shampoo. “And we’re gonna be friends someday...for real this time.” 

 

“I would like that,” Marinette said, wiping her eyes. “You know...these past three months were probably the worst ones of my life...and I couldn’t have done it if I didn’t have you. Maybe it would have been better if I couldn’t have but...I can’t ever tell you how grateful I am...or how sorry.” 

 

Bluebird nodded, taking a step backwards and balancing on the edge of the railing. “Funny...I was going to say the same thing.” 

 

Before he could stop himself, he pitched backwards, falling towards the street below as he spread his wings, pulling himself out of his spiral as he soared over the streets of Paris. His eyes watered from the wind that whipped past his cheeks; that was what he told himself as he pulled out of his dive, using gusts of wind to boost himself higher in the night sky. Maybe it was the fact that he was flying under his own power for the first time in his life; maybe talking to Marinette had lifted something heavy off his chest. But as he swooped through the city streets, listening to the catcalls come from the people beneath him, Bluebird couldn’t remember a time when he felt so light; so free. 

 

A chirp from his brooch brought him back to reality. “ Hey Tweety,” Queen Bee’s voice called through his Miraculous. “ Is Alya with you? Carapace and I have been looking all over for her; didn’t exactly make it to the ice cream shop for our little date.” 

 

“Let me check,” Bluebird said, closing his eyes as he landed on the closest rooftop. He opened his mind, listening for a specific melody among the jarring chatter and symphony of Paris. After a moment’s search, he heard it; a soft, sad tune that seemed to be coming from a few blocks away. “Have Monarch hone in on me; I think I have her.” 

 

Taking off, Mayura swooped across the street, sailing up and banking over the rooftops until he saw what he was looking for. Turning back, he landed with a flourish on the roof next to what appeared to be Monarch sitting with her knees tucked up against her chest, staring down at the city beneath her. 

 

“Did you talk to her?” Monarch sniffed as her form shifted, blurring and revealing a red-eyed Rena Rouge looking up at her. 

 

“For a little while,” Bluebird said, sitting on the ledge next to her. “I wanted a little...closure.” 

 

“Closure,” Rena Rouge echoed, wiping her eyes. “That sounds nice...might like to get some of that myself one of these days.” 

 

“Hey, it took me a couple of years to get there,” Bluebird sighed, leaning back on his hands. “So...Adrien and I are making shirts that say “Marinette Dupain-Cheng broke my heart and all I got was this shitty t-shirt” and I wasn’t sure what size you wear.” 

 

“I don’t know if I want to advertise that to the world,” Rena Rouge chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. “God...I wish I had the guts to look her in the eye right now…but I don’t think I can do that without screaming at her.” 

 

“Maybe that’s what you need to do,” Bluebird shrugged. 

 

“Maybe,” Rena Rouge said. 

 

“But...I think you told her what you needed to tell her,” Bluebird said, glancing at Rena Rouge. “Maybe one day you’ll get to unload on her in a way that makes you feel better.”

 

“I’ll have to rehearse my speech,” Rena Rouge said, glancing down at her communicator to see the stream of messages that had pinged come through while she was moping over Marinette. “Ah shit ...did they send you looking for me?” 

 

“Apparently you had an ice cream date with Andre,” Bluebird teased, chewing his lip thoughtfully. 

 

“Don’t call it a date around Andre,” Rena Rouge said, rolling her eyes. “M. Three Ice Cream Flavors Don’t Mix…” 

 

“...Neapolitan,” Bluebird pointed out. “That’s three right there…Spumoni...chocolate, salted caramel, and vanilla-”

 

“ Fuck that sounds good,” Rena Rouge said, slowly standing up. “God, I think I’ve earned the right to eat my feelings by now, haven’t I?” 

 

“If the ice-cream coward gives you any lip, you can always pull the ‘I saved the city’ card,” Bluebird said, glancing over his shoulder at the trio of boots that landed behind them. 

 

“And I have the feeling it won’t be the last time we get to play that…” Rena Rouge said, shooting a weak smile across the rooftop at her partners. “Alright...no more crying about Marinette.” 

 

“Deal,” Bluebird said, lightly clapping Rena Rouge on the shoulder as she scampered across the rooftop, falling into hushed conversation with Queen Bee and Carapace. 

 

“I take it everything went to plan?” Bluebird looked down to see the real Monarch hovering a few steps away from him. 

 

“As much as possible,” Bluebird shrugged, leaning against the railing. “She seemed to understand our position and as sorry as she is I think it’s...well, it’s for the best that she take some time away from Paris for a spell. I think we can handle things just fine on our end, don’t you?” 

 

“I should hope so,” Monarch said, chewing on her lower lip a little anxiously. “It feels like the world is falling apart more and more these days. We took out one world-ending threat and now two more have sprung up in his place.” 

 

“Maybe…” Bluebird said, glancing at Monarch with a small smile. “But we’re not alone anymore.” 

 

“No stupid bullshit secret identity clause to muddle things up either,” Monarch said as Bluebird shot her a strange look. “What?” 

 

“Nothing,” Bluebird chuckled. “Just...didn’t realize you had such a dirty mouth.” 

 

“Well, you don’t learn five different languages without learning the essentials ,” Monarch said, leaning on her cane. “For the record, English and German are the best languages for profanity and I’m sad to say Japanese is far and away the worst. Too...polite and indirect.” 

 

“Polite and indirect…” Bluebird mused, wondering if that had been his problem. “Maybe you can teach me one of these days...seeing as how we’re partners and everything.” 

 

Monarch’s lips curled into a small smile as she offered her hand. “Yes...I suppose us greenhorns have to stick together.” 

 

Bluebird casually took Monarch’s hand in a firm shake. “I promise I won’t go all Chat Noir on you.” 

 

“Well...there are worse things to be,” Monarch said, squeezing Bluebird’s hand for a brief moment. 

 

“Oi geek squad,” Queen Bee called, waving across the rooftop. “You two wanna hold hands at the ice-cream parlor with us or are you gonna moon at one another on the rooftop all night?” 

 

Realizing they were still holding hands, Monarch and Bluebird pulled apart, clearing their throats and shooting identical glares at Queen Bee. 

 

“Be nice,” Monarch said, lightly tweaking Queen Bee’s ponytail as she passed. 

 

“ Hey!” Queen Bee hissed, pulling away. “Only people I like get to pull my hair!” 

 

“You let us do it,” Carapace said, bumping into Queen Bee’s shoulder. 

 

“ Ara ara~” Monarch chuckled, hiding her smile behind her hand. 

 

“ Whatever ,” Queen Bee muttered, hiding her reddening cheeks as she fluttered above the rooftops. “You coming?” 

 

“I don’t think I have a ride,” Monarch said, glancing around for a quick escape. “I’ll find a ladder or something and meet up with you lat- ah!” 

 

As Bluebird’s arms wrapped around her waist, diving off the building with a flourish of his wings, he was treated to his very first German profanity lesson. 

 

---

 

The smell of must and mold nearly bowled Adrien over as Master He opened the door, light spilling into the darkened chamber. Shooting a nervous glance at Master He, she stepped into the room ahead of him. She waved her hand and the smell of burning dust filled the room as dozens of candles lit around the ring of eight stone chairs embedded in the floor. 

 

“My friends and I were the first ones in human history to forge a treaty with the kwami,” Master He said, stepping into the room with a deep sigh. “And for a very...very long time, the eight of us were the only link between the Divine and the rest of humanity. We studied their effects on the world...gathered artifacts created in their wake...protected them from those who would exploit their power for evil.” 

 

Master He stopped in the center of the circle, eyes roaming from empty chair to empty chair. “Now there’s just you and Fu, huh?” Adrien said. “And...something tells me Master Li is to blame for that.” 

 

“Li was...a friend of ours,” Master He said, hand running across the back of one of the chairs with a strange look in her eye. “The kindest of us, really...he had such a soft heart. Spent so much of his time helping ordinary people, caring for the sick, trying to better the lot of the meek and the helpless...and in a misguided attempt to benefit humanity, he sought to destroy the world.” 

 

“Would love to hear the rationale on that one,” Adrien said, leaning on a chair across from Master He. 

 

“There was none,” Master He sighed, shaking her head. “We fought him years ago in Toronto and it just about destroyed our order. We thought his madness died with him, but it appears that it has lived on in his secret pupils.” 

 

“So...you reckon they’re doing the same thing?” Adrien said. 

 

“I can’t be sure,” Master He shrugged. “But they have kidnapped eleven kwami and have your father’s science experiments to boot. I think it is safe to say that whatever they are planning, it’s not to our benefit.” 

 

“Do we even know where to start looking for them?” Adrien asked. 

 

“If they’ve evaded notice for fifteen years, I doubt they’ll be easy to find. They likely have some of the same cloaking magic Hawkmoth used; you could probably look at them in their human form and not know who you were talking to,” Master He said, glancing up at Adrien. “We—that is to say, Quingfu and I— hoped that you might be able to uncover their identities...and maybe get back the stolen Miraculous.” 

 

Adrien blinked. “Me?” 

 

“There are other...organizations in this world that can help us track down the missing Miraculous,” Master He said. “I think it would be beneficial if we reached out to them; together, I think we can accomplish much more than we can on our own. Maybe all of us can put a stop to them before their plans bear any fruit.” 

 

“Something tells me there’s a little quid pro quo involved there,” Adrien pointed out. 

 

“Probably; but going up against the forces of evil that haunt the dark corners of the world should keep your skills sharp for the fight that’s sure to come,” Master He said with a wry smirk. “This world has no shortage of horrors for you to hunt...might do the world some good to see Chat Noir back in action.” 

 

“I haven’t really considered carrying on as Chat Noir,” Adrien lied with a casual shrug. “I might just retire from the superhero business; buy an island, buy some yachts, have ill-advised revenge flings with people I don’t really like…” 

 

“I think we both know you wouldn’t last a week before driving yourself mad,” Master He chuckled. “Marinette takes her duty seriously, for the most part. But being Ladybug is just duty for her; I don’t know if she’s ever loved it like you do. There is something to be said for dogged responsibility and commitment to duty, but I think the last few months have proven her heart doesn’t belong to Ladybug the way your heart belongs to Chat Noir. You don’t do this because you must ...you do this because it lights your soul up and gives your life meaning . We need someone we can trust to-” 

 

“Oh, Master Fu, trusts me now, huh?” Adrien sniffed. “Good to hear; I was worried I might need to fight and kill my other parent to finally get his seal of approval.” 

 

“Adrien...I know Quingfu let you down as a mentor,” Master He said gently. 

 

“No shit ,” Adrien grumbled. “Yeah, Marinette screwed me over without knowing it but she wouldn’t have done all this in the first place if we had just been honest with each other from the start; or if he had told me anything but the absolute bare minimum to keep me from asking too many questions. If I had been trained from the beginning like she was-” 

 

“Yes,” Master He sighed. “ Yes, things might have been better if Quingfu brought you in earlier. Yes, you ought to have been trained properly. Yes, you were lied to and kept in the dark for four years...and yes, that led to Marinette inadvertently betraying you and your father dying by his own hand.” 

 

“But you are alive,” Master He said as Adrien turned away. “You are stronger than you have ever been...and you are in a position to rebuild us and make us better than we’ve ever been.” 

 

Adrien turned back to see Master He sitting in a chair, looking smaller and older than he could remember seeing her. “We have lost so much over the years,” she said quietly. “Allies, artifacts, books of history and magic. And now...we have nothing left to lose.”

Master He took a deep breath, straightening her glasses. “...I know you have been badly handled in the past...but right now you are the best hope that we have. Please...we need your help.” 

 

Adrien glanced between Master He and the dusty chair across from her, running his hands along the back of it for a long moment before turning and walking towards the door. 

 

“I’ll, um...I've got some friends I need to catch up with,” Adrien mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “Thanks for um...well, I should probably thank you for believing in me and stuff. Feels...well, it feels nice to have someone like you in my corner for a change.” 

 

“Adrien, I’m sure-” The door closed with a soft click, leaving Master He sitting in silence.

 

---

 

“So, what did she say?” 

 

Adrien stepped back into the world on the street to see Plagg leaning against the wall in his humanoid form, arms crossed across his chest and looking up at Adrien expectantly. 

 

“She wants us to go do some international crime-fighting,” Adrien shrugged, falling into step beside Plagg as they headed down the sidewalk. “Look for the other kwami, back Tikki up with whatever she's doing, uncover Firebird and Kaiser Long's identitie, kick some evil ass-” 

 

“Sounds fun,” Plagg said with a toothy grin. “When do we leave?” 

 

“I don’t know,” Adrien muttered, running his hand through his hair. “So much is going on with the company and Mom’s just back and…” 

 

Adrien let out a long sigh as he caught his reflection in a shop window, a platinum-blonde stranger staring back at him. “I don’t know if I feel like being Chat Noir...even though I literally can’t be anything else.” 

 

Plagg chewed on the corner of his lip, leaning against the shop window as he looked up at Adrien’s face. “You know...I’ve never had a partner who was a hero before. A real hero, I mean; not just an asshole that kills monsters, but someone that people looked up to and respected-” 

 

“Yeah, well,” Adrien gestured to the broken feet of the Chat Noir statue in the park across the street. “You saw how that turned out.” 

 

“You know how hard it is to use the power of Destruction without causing death and suffering?” Plagg said. “How popular do you think your predecessors were? Nobody builds statues to bringers of calamity and destruction. The Black Cat was a bad omen...until you .” 

 

Plagg’s fingertip poked Adrien hard in his chest, sending him teetering back. “I believe in you...but whether I believe in you or not doesn’t mean a thing. If the whole world doesn’t believe in you, it doesn’t mean a thing. Because you are the best Black Cat that’s ever lived...and I think the world really needs that right now.” 

 

“He’s got a point, you know.” Adrien stiffened, face going slack as he turned around to see Master Fu standing at the corner of the street, staring at the broken Chat Noir statue with an almost thoughtful look on his face. 

 

“I am...quite surprised at how far you’ve managed to come,” Master Fu said, slowly turning to face his former pupil. 

 

“Shocked that I even managed to amount to anything, huh?” Adrien grumbled, hands stuffed in his pockets as he couldn’t even bring himself to look at his ex-mentor. Gone was the timid, skinny little boy he had seen so much potential in; divinity now rested on Adrien’s brow like a crown, heavy and resplendent. “Or just surprised that I didn’t immediately roll over and die when Ladybug put the screws to me?” 

 

“A bit,” Master Fu admitted, rubbing his hands along the smooth, polished head of his cane as Adrien let out a bitter scoff. “I didn’t think anyone was capable of going against a fully trained Guardian and most talented warlock of the century; I tried for all of ten minutes before my body gave out on me…” 

 

“Well, don’t be too hard on yourself,” Adrien growled as Plagg glanced between them anxiously. “I didn’t exactly last long against Ladybug either.” 

 

“No...but you saved the Zodiac from Hawkmoth,” Master Fu said. “You...managed to pull in the other Chosen and turn them against Hawkmoth-” 

 

“I lost Plagg,” Adrien hissed. 

 

“You rescued Plagg,” Master Fu corrected. 

 

“I could…” Adrien trailed off with a growl. The almost placid look on Master Fu’s face was infuriating. “I could have done...so much more if-” 

 

“I had trained you like I trained Marinette,” Master Fu said with a solemn nod. “Yes...I think you might have.” 

 

“But I guess I just wasn’t good enough, was I?” Adrien said, tears prickling at his eyes. “Wasn’t smart enough?” 

 

“That’s not it,” Master Fu said gently. 

 

“Then what?!” Adrien spat, drawing worried looks from passers by. “Why wasn’t I worth your time?! Why did I have to fumble around in the dark while you taught Marinette everything ?! I didn’t...I didn’t want to be your successor...I just wanted to know that someone cared enough about me to tell me more than the bare minimum…” 

 

Master Fu said nothing as Adrien panted heavily, angrily wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “Adrien...you’re kind,” Master Fu said softly. “And trusting...and open...and loving. These are the best qualities for a Black Cat to have...and the absolute worst for a Guardian to have.” 

 

“Well sorry for not being a dick, I guess,” Adrien sniffed. 

 

“That is a crude way of putting it...but to be a Guardian is to be something of a dick,” Master Fu said with a weak chuckle. “It means...putting up walls between you and the ones you love. It means seeing the absolute worst in people and planning on betrayal...it means a long and very lonely life devoted to keeping secrets and telling lies for the good of the world.” 

 

Master Fu heaved a deep sigh that seemed to deflate his already tiny frame. “I thought...you were lonely enough...I couldn’t ask you to be any lonelier.” 

 

The anger Adrien felt towards his old mentor seemed to dissipate as he realized that Fu had never been a scheming old puppetmaster that played favorites. The caricature he had concocted in the past three months—the reason the love of his life had betrayed him in the first place—was a thin, frail old man in a tacky shirt that hung loosely off his already bony body. 

 

“I...I know I let you down,” Master Fu said, head bowed as he dabbed at the corner of his eye. “All of this...this was all my doing...and you suffered needlessly because of that. I have no right to ask anything else of you...but Master He is right...we need you now, more than we ever have in the past. Despise me, if you wish; you have the right to...but don’t forsake Master He. Please...help us.” 

 

Adrien said nothing for a long moment as Master Fu reached into his bag, pulling out a worn book with a faded black label. “This...is everything we know about every Black Cat that’s ever lived,” Master Fu said, holding it out in front of him for Adrien to take. “Biographies, active locations, artifacts Destruction has touched. It should have been yours a long time ago...but maybe it can help you connect with your power a little better.” 

 

Adrien’s eyes flicked between the book and Master Fu’s face, hesitantly taking the worn leather tome that seemed to almost tingle in his hands. Wordlessly, he tucked the book into his jacket, stepping past Master Fu before pausing in the middle of the sidewalk.

 

“I’ll…” Adrien cleared his throat. “Tell Master He that...I’m ready when you are.” 

 

Master Fu looked over his shoulder to see Adrien staring back with a lopsided grin. “Someone’s gotta keep the world from going to hell, right?” 

 

Master Fu watched as Adrien and Plagg walked away, following their retreating forms as they bantered back and forth, saying something that was lost in the hubbub of Paris’ streets. 

 

“Yes,” Master Fu said quietly. “And I think we’ve done it long enough…” 

 

---

 

“You have everything you need?” 

 

“I think so,” Marinette said, watching her father load her luggage into the baggage-check station. Most of her possessions had been shipped overseas already; all that was left was to take her meager personal belongings under her wing and make the last trek herself. 

 

“Alright then,” Sabine said, adjusting her daughter’s scarf absentmindedly. “...at the risk of sounding like every mother on the planet, I can’t believe you’re leaving already.” 

 

“I’ll be...I’ll visit when I’m all settled in,” Marinette lied. She wasn’t ready to tell her mother that the sight of her statue alone in the park made her ill; she wasn’t ready to say that she dreaded going outside and running into one of the half-dozen people she had inadvertently betrayed. 

 

“Don’t worry about us, honey,” Tom said, gently resting his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “You just worry about setting up over there and let us know if Brigitte needs anything.” 

 

“I will,” Marinette said, leaning in and pulling her parents into a tight hug. It was awkward now that she was taller than her mother but still much shorter than her father, and after a few moments, she reluctantly pulled away with a brave smile. “I’ll call you when I get to Bri’s.” 

 

She never thought she’d be leaving Paris like this, standing on a train platform watching as her parents gave her teary, proud smiles from the van as they pulled away. It wasn’t until they were gone that the familiar feelings of loneliness began to take an icy hold of her heart, even as she entered the warm train terminal. 

 

What am I going to do now? 

 

The future had always been what Marinette had worked towards; now that it was here, Marinette didn’t know what to make of it. For that matter, her place in the future she had worked to create was not what she intended it to be. Part of her felt guilty for even harboring that disappointment; as if she were chiding her past self who wanted everything and thought she could get whatever she wanted because she was Ladybug. 

 

Her dream life was simply that; a dream.

 

Winding her way through the crowd, Marinette thumbed the heavy bracelet Master Fu had given her before she had departed. For protection, he had said, along with a card for Marinette to contact her when she was ready to resume training again. The Masters seemed to be, strangely, the least hostile towards her, despite having been betrayed the most by her. Maybe they were just more professional; maybe they just didn't know her well enough to be hurt by her. 

 

Marinette made her way to a largely unattended bench off to the side of the train station across from a young man in a black hoodie who glanced up as she approached, but said nothing as she sat across from him. An unloved houseplant sat off to one side of her, wilted and dead from lack of care or attention. Marinette had never been one to care too much about foliage before her trip into Tikki’s Sanctuary; being reforged in the heart of Creation seemingly had given her a soft-spot for living things, no matter how small. Glancing at her watch, she made sure the stranger across from her wasn’t looking before reaching out and touching the wilted plant with her fingertips. Closing her eyes, she tried to push her power deeper into the plant’s leaves, hoping it would kick back to life like Emilie had. But after a few moments of concentrated effort and a light tingling from her fingertips, there was nothing to hold on to; the poor thing was simply too far gone to save. 

 

“You ought to be careful with magic tricks like that.” 

 

The stranger across from Marinette spoke and as her eyes turned to face him, she realized that she had been sitting across from Adrien the whole time without knowing that it was him. 

 

“Didn’t your master ever tell you that you should keep these things a secret?” Adrien asked. Her eyes fell open as he leaned back in the seat, glittering green eyes staring at her almost curiously as she fumbled for something to say to someone who had been out of her life for almost a month. 

 

“I...I didn’t recognize you,” Marinette said, swallowing heavily. 

 

“I can...” Adrien looked down at himself with a halfhearted shrug. “I don’t really know how it works, but I can be seen and not recognized if I don’t want to be. Plagg showed me how to do it last week.” 

 

“And you...didn’t want me to recognize you,” Marinette said. 

 

“Really, I was just enjoying being in public without getting mobbed by reporters,” Adrien said, turning the hem of his black hoodie up over his cheeks as he sank a little lower in his seat. “Last thing I need is to miss my train because Nadja Chamack wanted to grill me for the three-hundredth time.” 

 

“She’s been...persistent, hasn’t she?” Marinette said, frozen as though the slightest movement would scare Adrien away like a wild animal. 

 

“I think that little press conference sent her over the deep end,” Adrien said, scratching his cheek as his gaze drifted off into the middle distance. “Probably a good thing to get out of Paris for a bit.” 

 

“You’re leaving too?” Marinette asked. In response, Adrien tugged a ticket out of his coat pocket. 

 

“1:10 to Munich,” Adrien said, shifting in his seat a little uncomfortably. “Master He wants me to meet someone from Section 13...some American organization that deals with the same brand of bullshit that we’ve been dealing with. She might have a lead on something that could help us find the other Miraculous.” 

 

“Do you need any…” Marinette trailed off with a small shake of her head. “No...you probably have it all under control, don’t you?” 

 

“Maybe...maybe not,” Adrien shrugged. “But I think I’ll manage; I think between me and Plagg, we’ll do just fine.” 

 

Adrien’s eyes drifted to the scarf around Marinette's neck. “You took Angelina’s offer.” 

 

It wasn’t a question. “Nathalie said you were cool with it.” 

 

“Angelina’s choice,” Adrien said with a small shrug. Over Marinette’s shoulder, Plagg wandered through the crowd of travelers, arms ladened with cheesy snacks. He caught Adrien’s eye, noticed Marinette, and quietly nodded over to the train platform. “You’re a good designer; always were.” 

 

“...thank you,” Marinette said, fumbling for something to fill the uneasy silence that floated between them. “Do you think they’re ready?” 

 

“No,” Adrien said, without asking who she was referring to. “Nobody is; we weren’t, that’s for sure.” 

 

“I just...I wish there was more I could do to help them,” Marinette muttered. “I know my help isn’t wanted, but-” 

 

“They’ve got more help than we ever had,” Adrien said, thumbing the now defunct Black Cat Miraculous around his finger. “And they’ll have some time to train before things get bad again.” 

 

“How bad do you think they’ll get?” Marinette asked. 

 

Adrien stared at her for a long moment, trying to decide if he ought to tell his one-time partner what he already knew. 

 

Bad. The word resonated in Marinette’s mine without Adrien even speaking. 

 

It’s that Li guy, isn’t it? Marinette thought, wondering if it was weirder for two people to be wordlessly staring at each other or talking about magic. Tikki mentioned him. 

 

“Something like that,” Adrien said. “Maybe him...definitely our friends in red and black. Maybe someone we’ve never met before. But I trust them; they know what they’re getting into and they have backup if they need it.” 

 

“...how long do you think it will be before-” Marinette trailed off with a shake of her head. “No...I shouldn’t even ask that.” 

 

“Probably not,” Adrien said, blinking as though he suddenly remembered he forgot to turn the oven off. “...oh, that reminds me. I think we should break up.” 

 

Marinette blinked before letting out an incredulous guffaw of laughter. “Really? Wow, that’s so sudden...what could have brought this on?” 

 

“I didn’t want things to be...ambiguous between us,” Adrien said, swallowing heavily. “Better to tie up loose ends, yeah?” 

 

“No...I figured we were over,” Marinette said somewhat sadly. “I knew we were through when-” 

 

An image of Adrien lying bloody on the steps of his father’s mansion, his arm burned and broken flashed through her mind. 

 

“Adrien, I...if I had known...if I had just known it was you behind that mask, I would have never-” 

 

“I know,” Adrien said with a sad half-smile. “But only if you knew it was me, right?” 

 

Adrien leaned back, arms spread over the back of the seat. “Chat Noir was never going to win out over Adrien Agreste, was he?” 

 

Marinette’s fingers tightened around her sketchbook, lump rising in her throat as she resisted the urge to feed him a placating lie. “...no.”

 

For some reason, this seemed to satisfy Adrien, but Marinette continued. “Adrien Agreste needed my protection.” 

 

“And Chat Noir doesn’t?” Adrien asked, head tilting to the side curiously. 

 

“Chat Noir has always been the one doing the protecting,” Marinette said, chewing her lip. “I think...maybe on some level...I thought that whatever happened that Chat Noir would find some way to survive...and Adrien wouldn’t.” 

 

“Well...right on both counts actually,” Adrien chuckled, clasping his hands between his knees. “I think...maybe for a long time...I was waiting for that kind of protection; waiting for someone to take pity on me and love me or...save me.” 

 

Adrien’s eye wandered up to meet Marinette’s, a hard, resolute look lurking behind the twinkle she had fallen in love with. “But I think...it’s time I start being my own hero.” 

 

“...you should,” Marinette said, wiping the corner of her eye. “You were always good at being mine.” 

 

“I think that’s the only thing I’ve ever...really been good at,” Adrien said, shaking his head. “You remember...a couple weeks ago, we were talking about what we wanted to do with our lives?” 

 

“You said you didn’t know,” Marinette said with a smile. “That was a lie, wasn’t it?” 

 

“It was,” Adrien said softly. “Truth is...I’ve known what I wanted to do with my life for a long time now. It’s the only thing I really want to do…” 

 

Chat Noir, Marinette thought. You’re going to be Chat Noir. 

 

Adrien rewarded her with a toothy smile, long, white, sharp teeth gleaming in his mouth. A jolt of energy ran down Marinette’s spine at the sight; there was something so familiar about his smile and messy hair that she was once again fourteen and holding on to Chat Noir’s shoulders as he raised them high above the city streets. She was running from akuma, dodging jabs, batting away his flirtations with a smile to hide the skip of her heart. Maybe that was his greatest power; to make even the most grim situation fun and light. What had frustrated her so much was the only thing that had made her time as Ladybug somewhat enjoyable. 

 

As long as he was smiling, there was still a chance they could win. 

 

“1:10 to Munich, now boarding.” 

 

The stationmaster over the sound system broke the trance between them. Adrien’s smile dropped as he grabbed his bag, standing up with a deep sigh. 

 

Say something. 

 

“...take care of yourself, Marinette,” Adrien said, offering her an awkward salute as he turned away from her. 

 

Turn around; please. 

 

Marinette was overcome with an urge to run after him; to throw her arms around him and never let him go again. To pull him into herself and keep him; anything to keep him from walking out of her life forever. Her breath became more and more insistent as the distance between them widened, every step taking him closer to leaving. 

 

I love you, Marinette thought, praying that Adrien could hear her even as he crossed the threshold out onto the station track. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry; please come back. Please, let me make this right...I’ll do anything. I’ll do-

 

Take care of yourself. 

 

She heard the words echo in her mind as the link between her and Adrien closed, the sound of a train pulling away reminding her that she was truly and finally alone. 

 

There would be sobbing later; when Marinette was alone and could unleash the enormity of her grief and anger and self-loathing on a helpless pillow. For now, there were only silent tears and the taste of copper on her tongue as she bit her lip to keep from crying out; to keep from letting the world in on the fact that her life was over and she had nobody left to blame but herself. 

 

But the sad thing was that her life wasn’t over. She was going to live on. 

 

She was going to achieve every professional goal she had for herself. She was going to study and learn and grow in ways her younger self couldn’t imagine. It was just going to be alone; without Adrien, Alya, Tikki, or any of the people she held so dear for so long. 

 

That loneliness stayed with her as she waited for her train, followed her as she walked onto the platform, and sat beside her on the long train ride to London. 

 

Later that evening, a stationworker would notice that in one of the pots off to the side of the terminal, from the remnants of a plant that had long since died, a strange red and black flower had bloomed. 

---

Truth and Consequences

 

 

a fic by siderealSandman

 

 

Based on Miraculous Ladybug 

 

 

Special Thanks to everyone who has read and supported this fic for years.

 

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---

 

“You okay?” 

 

Adrien shrugged listlessly as he watched the Swiss countryside roll past the window of the train. “I don’t know…I want to be...but-” 

 

“You love her,” Plagg sighed, squeezing Adrien’s shoulder gently. 

 

“I do,” Adrien mumbled. “But that’s not thet-”

 

The door to the carriage slid open and a slender Asian woman with brown eyes scanned the compartment. “ This seat taken? ” She asked in English clearly hailing from the United States. 

 

“Uh...we’re kinda in the middle of something,” Plagg said as the woman slid into the seat across from Adrien, shutting the carriage door behind her. “And...it seems like you don’t really care about that, huh?” 

 

“Tch,” the woman snorted. “We’re all in the middle of something all the time...you the Black Cat?” 

 

Adrien’s brow furrowed as he turned to face the stranger. “Black Cat?” 

 

“Don’t play dumb, kid; Master He said her agent was coming on this train,” the woman said, leaning back and looking out the door into the hallway. “So?” 

 

Adiren stiffened in his seat, sharing an uneasy look with Plagg. “How did you-” 

 

A brief knock on the carriage door interrupted Adrien’s train of thought as an uncommonly beautiful young man in a train attendant’s uniform stuck his head in the car. “Excuse me, can I interest you in anything from the snack car?” 

 

Adrien shook his head, heat rising to his cheeks as he caught the man’s eye. “No, I...I think I should be fine.” 

 

“Are you sure?” The train attendant asked as the train approached a long, dark tunnel in the middle of the mountain. “Because we’ve got quite the selection of-” 

 

Adrien felt the hiss of energy before the bolt sailed past his ear, slamming into the attendant’s chest and blowing him back into the car across from him and into the lap of an old lady who looked up from her knitting in shock. 

 

“What the hell ?!” Adrien demanded as the woman blew on a heavy stone disk in her hand, the outline of a glowing orange dragon embedded in the stone. 

 

“Give him a sec,” the woman said. “Yeesh, these guys are pushy; I thought they would have waited until we went through the tunnel to start eating us.” 

 

“Eating...us?” Adrien said, watching the station attendant slowly get back to his feet. His burning red eyes bored into the woman as the smoking hole in his chest started to seal up. 

 

“What’s the matter, kid; never been on a train full of vampires before?” The woman chuckled as the old woman bared a mouth full of razor sharp teeth at them. One by one, each passenger turned to fix Adrien and his companions with the same ravenous gaze and razor sharp grin. 

 

“God, I thought we got rid of you guys,” Plagg winced, edging against the window. “Never trust a creature that hates garlic..or cheese.” 

 

“Maybe we should hit Italy next then; keep all the monsters out with red sauce,” Adrien said, closing his eyes as the mantle of Chat Noir settled over him, popping the false eyeball out of his head as the evil eye took its place. “I’m Adrien by the way.” 

 

“ Jade ,” Jade replied, holding the talisman up as their co-passengers approached. “You really think it’s a good idea to tell everybody your name like that?” 

 

“It is if none of them are gonna survive to snitch on us,” Chat Noir said, drawing Fang in a flash of fire as the train rocketed towards the tunnel. “Though I guess you can’t kill something that’s already dead, can you ?” 

“Oh, I think we’re gonna get along famously, kid,” Jade chuckled as the train plunged into darkness and dozens of blood-suckers lunged.

---

 

Special Thanks (Cont.)

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“...I guess we owe Gabriel quite a bit, don’t we?” 

 

Five pristine, purple butterflies flapped in their containment cells as Firebird ran a finger over the glass. 

 

“That little leech certainly upheld his end of the bargain, didn’t he?” Kaiser Long said approvingly, watching the butterflies shrink away from his wife’s touch. At the center of the small dias, a black octagonal box sat open in the middle of the table. Five rings lay cushioned by red velvet. Kaiser Long’s fingers touched each one in turn, glove running over the crude renditions of a centipede, a toad, a scorpion, a lizard, and a serpent. 

 

“Not long now...we’ll have exactly what we need,” Firebird said. Across the room, huddled together behind glass that no magic could penetrate, eleven petrified kwami huddled together, shrinking away as Firebird approached. 

 

“We’ve been suckers in your little games for far too long,” Firebird said, finger crackling with blistering red heat as she drew it across the glass. “Time you returned the favor, little godlings~” 

 

“Oh don’t worry; I’m sure we’re going to be the best of friends when all is said and done,” Kaiser Long chuckled, nodding over to a podium that overlooked a dark pit. “But for now, your public awaits.” 

 

“I suppose I should give the troops something to cheer about,” Firebird sighed, trudging over to the podium and carefully laying her hand on the intricate runes carved in the black stone face. Fire poured from her fingertips like a stream of blood, filling the runes and illuminating the blackened room in a wash of orange light. One by one, tiny portals of fire opened before her, shimmering as they showed hundreds of different people in dozens of different locations. It took a few moments for them to stop what they were doing, turning to look into the portals and at their leaders in rapt attention. 

 

“Brothers and sisters,” Firebird began, spreading her arms wide with a broad smile. “Today will forever be remembered as the day the human race took up the pen of our own destiny...” 

 

---

 

“ Today will forever be remembered as the day we take back the reins of history from the forces that have controlled us for far too long!” 

 

In a dusty, dimly lit warehouse overlooking the Tokyo Bay, an aging gangster leaned back in his chair, surrounded by an eclectic collection of miscreants who all watched Firebird’s flickering form in silence. 

 

---

 

“Our enemies rise in power...but we rise like flames to meet them!” 

 

Across the city, a handful of government employees huddled together in their DIET building offices, sharing uneasy glances but refusing to completely turn away. 

 

---

 

“Even now, we are moving ever closer to realizing our dream…” 

 

Off the coast of Alaska, huddled in a cold, dark bunker, an environmental scientist wept with almost religious joy as she watched. 

 

---

 

“ A new dream for the human race.” 

 

Mercutio van der Meer nodded thoughtfully as his ATV rambled down the road, staring into the eyes of his would-be savior with a curious glint in his eye. 

 

---

 

“A new home for humanity…” 

 

Nadja Chamack leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of her wine as she watched the scene play out before her. 

 

---

 

“Keep the faith, friends,” Firebird said, resting her hand on Kaiser Long’s shoulder. “A new dawn is coming; for all of us.” 

 

The portals closed with a snap of flame and Firebird immediately turned to the kwami. “Not you; I cannot stress enough how much all that nice stuff I just talked about isn’t for you.” 

 

“It was a nice speech,” Kaiser Long agreed, taking his partner’s hand as they slid through another portal into a well furnished master bedroom. Firebird’s outfit shimmered around her, the red in her hair melting into a dark bluish-black while the fire in her eyes faded back into their natural blue. 

 

“Was it?” Brigitte asked as Kaiser Long’s black hair and outfit melted away in a snap of magic. “I don’t know; it felt a little cheesy.” 

 

“People like cheese,” Felix reminded her, kissing her on the forehead. “Cheese is one of mankind’s greatest accomplishments.” 

 

“I just don’t want to get all...Agreste-y with these speeches,” Brigitte said, wrinkling her nose. “I really hope I didn’t absorb Gabriel’s personality when I ate his arm.” 

 

“Do you have an urge to neglect your children or dress like a luchador at junior prom?”

 

“No, but I have the strangest urge to put you in a glass case and bitch about it for years,” Brigitte chuckled, leaning up and kissing her husband on the lips. “So...what do you think?” 

 

“I think Master Li would be very proud of all you’ve accomplished,” Felix said, kissing the back of Brigitte’s hand. 

 

“What we’ve accomplished,” Brigitte corrected him. “We’re not Ladybug and her dipshit sidekick; we are partners .” 

 

“You know I’ve never cared about the credit,” Felix said, leaning his forehead against hers. “The work is more important, isn’t it? As long as humanity gets the chance it deserves...as long as we make a world worthy of our future children.” 

 

“We’re close...aren’t we?” Brigitte whispered almost conspiratorially. “A little more and-” 

 

A distant crash triggered their nerves, Brigitte’s fingertips dancing with flickering flames as Felix’s eyes narrowed into reptilian slits. “What was that?” 

 

Felix’s ears strained for a long moment before he sighed. “Marinette knocked something over…” He said, eyes reverting to their usual shape. 

 

“Oh man ,” Brigitte sighed, disentangling from her husband and jogging quietly down the hall. “Mari?” 

 

Peering over the balcony, she saw Marinette crouched over a shattered vase, hair spilling around her face as she quietly tried to piece it back together. 

 

“I-I’m sorry,” Marinette sniffled as Brigitte slid down the bannister to her cousin’s aid. “I-I wasn’t looking where I was going and I’ll...I’ll pay you back or-” 

 

“Kid, it’s a pot ,” Brigitte chuckled, kneeling down next to Marinette and quietly taking the broken pieces out of Marinette’s hands. “Some cheap crap we picked up as a souvenir in Korea; not worth spilling tears over.” 

 

Marinette nodded mutely, her puffy, red eyes a sign she hadn’t been sleeping quite as soundly as they thought she had been. “Maybe…maybe we can fix it…” 

 

“Not everything deserves to be fixed, honey,” Brigitte said, tucking Marinette’s hair behind her ears. “Sometimes...things just break. And instead of wasting ourselves trying to fix what’s already broken...maybe it’s just time to start anew.” 

 

A small sob hiccuped in Marinette’s chest. “I...I don’t want to though…” 

 

With a fond sigh, Brigitte pulled Marinette into a hug, hands rubbing her shaking shoulders as Marinette buried her face in Brigitte’s shirt. “Oh Marinette...I know you loved him...and I know it feels like the end of the world but-” 

 

Brigitte looked up to see Felix leaning against the balcony that overlooked the living room, a light smile playing on his lips as he watched them. 

 

“Who said the end of the world was such a bad thing?” Brigitte said, winking in her husband’s direction. 

 

 

Continued in...

 

Mending Warped Designs

Notes:

Who's up for a Ladynoir Fight?

Brigitte and Felix brought me into Miraculous Ladybug and now, as I'm getting ready to finalize my last Miraculous Ladybug fic, I wanted to bring it full circle; back to where it began.

So now that we've shattered the Love Square back to nothing, we can build it back again; stronger, better, without any secrets or lies getting in the way. This was my intent with this fic from the start; to shatter the Love Square and create something more mutually beneficial out of the remnants.

So thanks for reading so far. The level of interaction with this story is far beyond anything I've ever experienced. Those who aren't writers may not understand this, but fics don't get more comments than kudos; that's just unheard of. So while there are other fics I've written with more kudos, this fic's community has been the most engaged and interactive. I appreciate all the comments and feedback I've received so far; I've pissed a fair few of you off and made a fair few of you cry, but I'm grateful that you took the time to share how this story impacted you.

I'll be doing a post-Fic Q&A on my writing tumblr (siderealscribblings.tumblr.com) so if you have any burning questions, please send them in. I will answer them to the best of my ability without giving away things that I want to include in part 2.

I'm going to spend January working on the outline for part 2 and hope to get the next part started in Feb 2021. Please keep an eye on my writing tumblr or subscribe to this series for the notification.

I hope your year has been bearable and I hope 2021 has better things in store for us all. Thank you, and Happy New Year.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Miraculous Ladybug: Rift Wars