Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chat Noir was just doing a patrol as usual when he spotted some thugs picking on someone, dragging her to the car. Unusual to see a kidnapping like that, but it wasn't the first time. 

He took a moment to review the best way to handle it as they had been taught. He made a call and then jumped in. 

"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, tilting his head casually. His heart stopped when he saw that it was Marinette they were dragging to the car.

She was unconscious, but had clearly had fought back, based on the bruises and cuts. 

"None of your business Kitty Cat," one of them spat. 

"You're kidnapping an innocent girl. I think it is my business." Chat Noir stated coldly. "Now, set the girl down and back away."

"No. We're being paid-"

"Shh!"

Chat Noir made note of that. Who would pay for Marinette to get kidnapped and why? 

"Let. Her. Go." He dropped his voice dangerously. 

"No."

Chat Noir moved and knocked out two thugs with a single swing. He leaned on his weapon. "So, want to try that again?" he asked with a smirk.

They set Marinette down and started backing away. Right as police cars pulled up.

Chat Noir knelt down to check on Marinette. She seemed okay. That was good. He hoped she would be okay. 

He talked to the police. Then he took Marinette home. She was awake, but woozy. The paramedics were okay with him taking her home, as long as she went to the hospital the moment any worse symptoms appeared.

As he approached, Marinette holding on tightly, he noticed smoke from the vicinity of the bakery and her home. Uh oh. 

He landed on the roof next door. "Uh... I don't think it's safe for you to go home."

Marinette gasped. "No! I have to go home, I need to get something out of my room, I can't... please, Chat Noir, take me there. I'll be quick."

Chat Noir wanted to deny her, but she was so panicked and she was begging. So he scooped her up and carried her in.

"Five minutes. And only because the fire isn't to your room yet, Marinette. I don't want you getting hurt for something unimportant."

"You have no idea how important this is, Chat." Marinette rushed down the ladder, forgetting her injuries. She found the Miraculous and hid the box in her purse, glad it easily fit as she was using a big one that day. No need to reveal her identity if she didn't have to.

...although this would have been a good reason to. But she was happy to keep the secret a bit longer.

Chat Noir relaxed once she was back up. "Found what you needed?"

"Just the one thing I can't let be destroyed." Marinette smiled at him. "Everything else I can figure out, even all the orders for clothes. Let's go."

Chat Noir brought her over to the next roof over, where they stared at how much the fire had grown. Now firetrucks were arriving. 

Marinette took in a deep breath, bracing herself. "Okay, get me down there, so they know I'm not in there. I mean, my parents would know that I'm not home but I don't know if they'll be able to say anything." She choked back tears at the thought. No crying, not until she actually knew what was happening.

Chat Noir nodded numbly. "I will always be there for you, Princess, just give me a call if you need me."

"I will." Marinette nodded. "But I think I'll be okay. I have my friends to help. You got all of Paris to protect." 

Chat Noir nodded. "I will check on you.  I have to be sure you're okay."

Marinette smiled and patted his chest. "You're sweet, Kitty cat. Let's go."

Chat Noir just brought them down to the ground next to the growing crowd. He set Marinette down as they both stared at the fire from the front. It looked way worse from this angle. 

Marinette looked around and couldn't spot her parents at first. She sniffed, rubbing her eyes, trying not to cry. She kept looking, trying not to look too hard at the fire consuming her home. 

Chat Noir just quietly wrapped an arm around her and waited to see what happened. If she had no support, he was happy to be a support. 

Finally, the firefighters brought Marinette's parents out. They were coughing, and burned, but they were alive. 

Marinette rushed over, grabbing Chat Noir's hand without thinking.

Chat Noir had a moment to be surprised before he was yanked after her. He stayed with her awkwardly, just trying to be supportive.

He was used to helping with the aftermath of Akumas, with helping the victims. Any injuries disappeared with the lucky charm. But something like this? This couldn't be fixed. 

Aside from his mothers death years ago, he had no experience with grief. He had no real experience in helping with any of the emotions that came of such a tragedy. 

"Mama! Papa!" Marinette cried as soon as she was closer. "Are you okay?"

"We'll be okay," her dad assured her. "Just..." he coughed. "Just need to stay in the hospital for a bit."

Marinette nodded. "Okay... okay." She sniffed, rubbing her face. 

"Don't cry. We'll sort this out, as a family, promise."

Marinette reached and held her parents hands for a few seconds until they were brought to the ambulance, then she hugged Chat and cried into his chest.

He stared at her, startled, before he awkwardly started patting her back. 

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Marinette cried. "We stay up to date on all codes, we were supposed to be safe. Why did the fire start?"

The fire was reaching the top floor now, reaching her room.

The firefighters were still fighting it. They were making head way, at least. 

Chat Noir stared at the blaze, wondering where Marinette was going to stay. What about all her things, were they going to survive? How much was she going to have to buy, how much would she need to replace? He rubbed her back, mentally thinking up possible solutions. 

Short term, call all her friends, starting with Alya to see if any of them could stay with Marinette.

Long term... he was going to have to do something he wasn't entirely comfortable with. He was going to have to talk to his dad.

A police officer joined them. Asked some questions about where Marinette was, why Cat Noir was there. Checked the reports filed and found the one from just an hour previous that had both of them involved and left them alone, with a 'we're still investigating the cause'. 

Of course they were. The fire wasn't even out yet, though it was finally getting put out.

Marinette found herself unable to hold her own weight. Chat Noir was the only thing keeping her up. 

"Do you want to call your friends?" Chat Noir asked gently as he guided her to sit down. He hugged her.

"I... I don't want to make the call..." She pulled out her phone. "But..." She sniffled, staring at her phone. "You can't stay with me the entire night, can you?"

"Unfortunately, I can't. Here, which friends do you want to know?" Chat Noir held out his hand. "I'll send out a group message and we'll go from there." Inwardly, he was hoping his actual identity would be included so he had an excuse to start trying to convince his father as soon as he got home.

Marinette nodded, and quietly listed off all her friends. 

Chat Noir nodded, typed out the message and made sure to include them all.

Hey everyone, this is Chat Noir sending a message for Marinette. Her family home is on fire right now, her parents are in the hospital. She's not sure what she's going to do tonight, but it's looking like she's not going to be able to return home any time soon. 

He tapped send and then waited.

Messages started coming in immediately. 

Alya: I am coming over there RIGHT NOW. Thank you.

He smiled slightly. Alya was a good friend. She would be able to help Marinette. He didn't think he was very helpful for Marinette.

He went back to hugging Marinette, keeping an eye on the messages as she cried. 

He understood. First she was almost kidnapped, and now her home was destroyed, and her parents hurt. They could have died. 

Of course she was taking it hard. He couldn't imagine how he would react in her shoes. Especially with how warm and loving her parents were.

"Marinette!" Alya called. 

Marinette looked up, eyes red, tears still pouring down her face. "Alya! Over here!" She waved.

Alya rushed over and wrapped her friend in a hug. "Oh, Marinette, I'm so sorry." 

Marinette hugged her back, crying. "I can't believe this happened. It's not... A fire?" She sobbed. 

Chat Noir remained there, awkward, but unwilling to abandon Marinette until she said she was okay with him leaving.

Eventually he did go home... to face his father. He thought maybe he had a solid plan and argument.

He sighed in relief when he got home. He had maybe been cutting it too close on the transformation, but it was worth it. He tossed some cheese at Plagg.

He took out his phone and found the group chat about Marinette and the fire. He smiled at how supportive Marinette's friends were being before typing in his own response.

Oh no! I'm so sorry Marinette. That sucks. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you! 

"So, what are you going to do?" Plagg asked.

"I'm going to convince my father to let her stay in our guest room."

"You think that's a good idea?"

"I'm not sure, but I have to do something. She might have lost everything tonight, and someone was trying to kidnap her. I can't just leave her when I can try to do something." 

"Alright. Do be careful with your father, kitten. I don't want to see you get hurt." 

"I will. I just... I have to try. There has to be something I can do."

"I'm sure there is. Do you want me to come with?"

Adrien hesitated. He was still learning to stand up to his father. He was picking his battles carefully. This was one important battle for him. But his father was intimidating.

"Please. It does help knowing you're with me, Plagg." 

"Then I'm with you." Plagg got settled as he always did.

Adrien smiled and checked his appearance. Perfectly presentable. Good. 

When he reached his father's door, he knocked. 

"Come in." 

Adrien swallowed nervously, but hid his anxiety like he was doing a shoot. He entered.

"Adrien. Is there something you need?"

"My friend Marinette texted all her friends earlier letting us all know that her home was on fire. Her parents are in the hospital from burns and smoke inhalation. She's injured but I guess she got into some trouble earlier that night and had arrived with Chat Noir after the fire started?" Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.

Gabriel waited for his son to get to the point.

"I was wondering if maybe she could stay in our guest room, or if we could do something for her and her family. Their home is also their business, as they have a bakery. I'm pretty sure they're going to have to pay for everything. I don't think she knows how bad the damage is... I don't know if anything survived from her room, but she does commission work on clothing normally, and I think the smoke probably damaged it all even if her room is untouched..." Adrien let out a breath. 

Gabriel just raised an eyebrow. "You consider Marinette Dupain-Cheng that close a friend?" 

Adrien nodded. "She's nice. Always gives thoughtful gifts. She's really clumsy." He smiled. "I don't think she cares that I'm a celebrity. She never asks about what I do or for money. She pays for her own food even when we're with Alya and Nino who are dating."

Gabriel studied him, then looked at his computer, pulling up something. He hummed. "If she expresses needing a place to stay, you can offer. But not before she expresses a need. I see that she does have a good business. Maybe not the sort of fashion our brand uses right now, but she does have potential. Would be a shame to let that go to waste because she lost her materials. I'll set up an account for her to use to replenish her supplies." 

Adrien lit up, surprised by how easy this was. "Really?"

Gabriel shot him a look. "But I do have expectations. You both keep your grades up while she is here. I would like to see her make a few things for you here and there. You need to expand your wardrobe a little. If she is not good for you, or is not good to the staff... if anyone has complaints, she is out. Do you understand?"

Adrien nodded, barely keeping a grin off of his face. Marinette would have no problem with those rules. "Thank you, Father. I appreciate it." He hesitated, then decided it was more important to ask so they could avoid trouble.

"Marinette is just a baker's daughter, she doesn't know what is expected in a rich person's house, since she's not friends with Chloe. Do you think we could have some ground rules for her to follow about things such as eating dinner and what is acceptable in the main parts of the house?"

"That is an excellent idea." Gabriel nodded. "I will make sure it is prepared."

"Thank you." 

"Is that everything?"

Adrien thought about it. "I think so."

"Good."

Adrien turned to leave.

"Adrien?"

"Yes, father?" Adrien turned to him.

"I'm proud of you for wanting to help a friend, especially one that maybe could work for us one day."

Adrien beamed at him. It was like looking into the sun. Like looking at Emilie's smile. "Thank you, Father. I will make sure you don't regret this."

"You're welcome." Gabriel managed. The door closed behind Adrien. 

Gabriel wrestled control of his emotions enough to email Nathalie about the arrangements, adding that while Adrien hadn't asked Marinette yet, he had no doubts that Marinette would need a place to stay or she would be bed hopping with her friends while her parents are in the hospital.

Once he was satisfied, he stood up. He looked at the portrait of Emilie.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," he said, placing a hand on her hand. "You were supposed to still be here. I am losing all hope of being able to bring you back. The Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses are the only way to do so."

He knew he was monologuing. He didn't care. Talking aloud brought him closer to his Emilie and he would not give it up so long as no one could hear him.

"But Chat Noir and Ladybug are stubborn and resourceful, especially considering how young I believe them to be. I also grow increasingly concerned about what using the wish could even mean. I have seen the side effects of some other things besides using a broken Miraculous and I wonder if it's worth it."

He shook his head, resting his head on the portrait now. "But it has to be better than you being in a coma, my Emilie. You should see your son. He is so much like you. His smile is so much like yours. I don't see it often these days, but when I do, it is blinding." 

"I can't help but wonder what I can do to bring it out more often. Yet, it hurts to see that bright smiling face. I don't want to see it, and maybe I am harsher sometimes because I don't want to see it." He considered where that line of thought brought him.

"Maybe that's why I gave in and let him go to school, why I'm letting him offer his friend a place to stay when she needs it. A way to get him to smile more. I don't know how to be anything more than the authoritarian parent, not after so many years. But... his friends make him happy, and he deserves the chance to smile." 

Then Gabriel frowned, thinking about the news he had gotten before Adrien entered the room. 

"I had thought Marinette would be a way to get at Chat Noir. He visits her a lot. But that kidnapping attempt... did not work. Chat Noir stopped them, and took her home. Where the fire I had set as a distraction, to see how Marinette would react, was already going." Gabriel remembered the videos that had already been on the news.

"Chat Noir stuck by her side until her friend was there, and until she told him to go before his transformation dropped. She seems to be reacting as expected, and clinging tighter to Chat Noir than I could have expected. I did not think they were that close despite all those late night visits."

Gabriel sighed. "At least offering her a room will allow me to keep an eye on her. I can also try to see if I can catch Chat Noir visiting her to see if there's any difference with the new location. He does care about her, after all."

He shook his head. "But this wasn't supposed to happen, not this way. I was supposed to be able to get a chance to get in her head, to figure out what she meant to Chat Noir, why they get along so well."

He started pacing. "And instead I am going to be getting a close up look at how she feels about our son and how he feels about her. Adrien might even have a crush on her, the way he was going on about her. He's oblivious, all teen boys tend to be, but he definitely sees her as a close friend. Which means I am going to have to be careful. Marinette as a bargaining chip will risk my relationship with him, if he finds out. It will distress him if she is hurt, and might also bring more trouble upon us if she has to recover from severe injuries while staying in our house." 

Gabriel dropped into his chair. "I hate having to rearrange my plans again. But I will save you, no matter what, Emilie." 

He started working on figuring out just what to do now to get at Ladybug and Chat Noir. Marinette was a weakness for Chat Noir, so he would have to exploit that. He just needed to figure out Ladybug's weakness. 

.

Marinette was able to visit her parents briefly once they had been seen. She assured them she could find a place to stay, that Alya was going to have her over that night and she'd figure something out after. 

She was trying not to be too upset. Trying to be brave. She still nearly burst into tears at the warm dinner Alya's parents gave them once they got there. 

She borrowed Alya's clothes, which fit weird but it was better than nothing. Probably better than the smoky clothes left in her room... assuming that they were still intact. 

School the next day was... rough. But it was better than going to the hospital and alternating which parent she sat with, it was better than doing nothing. Having all her friends around would help. 

She was feeling better after her injuries. And had in fact forgotten about them until she was getting ready and needed to change out the bandages on the cuts. They looked better than the night before, but they were still rough. 

She shook her head and kept getting ready for school. It didn't matter. She just needed to get through the day. And besides, everyone expected her to be rough after the night she had. Basically losing her home. 

"Marinette, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I will be Tikki. How are the others?"

"They're a bit shaken but you acted quick enough. We hope we can all go home soon."

"Me too. Once the police are done investigating, I'll be able to check the damage. I don't want to rouse suspicion by checking it out as Ladybug."

"Alright. Take some time to rest, Marinette. You need it."

"I know." Marinette finished getting ready for school. 

Marinette walked to school with Alya after breakfast. Her classmates swarmed and she was able to forget about it for a while. 

The day was okay, everyone was patient and nice to her even when she burst into tears at lunch when she realized she couldn't go home.

After school, she was sitting with Alya, Nino, and Adrien, relieved there had not been an akuma attack that day. It was a relief. She could not have handled it in the mental state she was in.

Marinette leaned back and sighed. "I'm going to need to find another place to stay, aren't I Alya? My parents are gonna be in the hospital for a few days, and our house is not livable right now, I bet..."

"I'm sure you can stay for a few days," Alya assured her.

"I don't think it's a good idea. I don't want my parents to have to figure out something for all three of us when they should be resting. I need a place for me, so that I can figure out how to help them find a place to stay. The hotel is always an option, but it's kind of expensive." 

"I uh, I mentioned it to my dad yesterday," Adrien spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Marinette felt her cheeks go red. "Y-you did?" She mentally scolded herself. She had been working on not getting so flustered around Adrien so that she could actually be his friend but it was slow going.

"Yeah. He said you can stay our guest room if you need somewhere to say but there will be a lot of rules." 

Marinette jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you thank you thank you."

He was startled but hugged her back quickly. "You're my friend Marinette, I had to be sure you have a place." 

"It really means a lot Adrien." Marinette shifted. "I was planning on visiting my parents after we were done hanging out, if you want to come with?"

"Oh, I'm okay. I don't need to tag along."

"I'd really appreciate it Adrien. My parents would like to know I'm safe, and it's thanks to you we don't need to spend extra money we can't afford right now."

"Oh, yeah. I'm glad I can help. Want to head out now?" 

"Uh, sure, if you're ready, Adrien."

He smiled. "I'm good."

Marinette looked at Alya with wide eyes.

Alya smirked and gestured at her to go on.

Marinette made a face then smiled. "Bye, Alya, Nino, I'll see you again soon!" 

At the hospital, Marinette's parents were doing better. She was so relieved to hear that. They were happy that she had a place to say, though both had to give Adrien a lecture on treating her right when she wasn't around to hear it.

They promised to keep her updated, her mom's phone had survived, barely. Once she was allowed to go see if there was anything she could save, they would let her know.

That let a huge weight off of her. Marinette often felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, and she had braced herself to take responsibility for the bakery, for being the contact and figuring it all out.

That with what had happened was good. Marinette was free to enjoy staying in the Agreste mansion. 

She just hoped the rules weren't too strict. 

They arrived and Adrien showed her to the room. To both their surprise, Gabriel asked to see her while she was checking out the room and debating where she would put things. 

Adrien smiled at her reassuringly, finding it far easier to stay calm when he had to do so for someone else. Even when it came to his intimidating father.

Marinette gave him a weak smile before following him into the office. She couldn't help but look around in awe. 

"Ms. Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"Mr. Agreste! Thank you for letting me stay." 

"It is no problem. You are a good friend to my son. Here is a card for you." He pushed a credit card at her. "There is no limit. You can get anything you need, including fabric, as there is no reason to let such talent go without practice until you can buy your own supplies again."

Marinette stared at the card and took it with shaky hands. "Thank you. That... that means a lot." 

"You're welcome. Now, for the rules..." He slid them both two sheets of paper. "Let me know if any need clarifying."

Marinette read through the list slowly, not sure what to expect.

Adrien was just hoping for something not too strict.

1. Nathalie and Gabriel are allowed to hand out consequences so long as Marinette live here.

2. Be respectful

3. Keep main areas clean, and maintain a relatively clean room, to be vacuumed and dusted once a week.

4. No overnights in each others room. 

5. Maintain good grades. 

6. Permission needed for deviating from usual routine outside the mansion.

There were more rules, but all seemed reasonable, if a bit more strict than Marinette was used to. She could work with this. There was also a set of expectations on etiquette around the house and particularly around eating.

There still were things that needed to be clarified, but in the end they were all satisfied. Gabriel sent them out to go get Marinette some clothes so she didn't have to borrow any the next morning.

Marinette had a great time shopping with Adrien, who did have a good idea for what looked good together. In then end, she left with seven sets of pajamas, and seven sets of daytime clothes and a couple of fun accessories. 

She almost forgot what happened with how much fun she was having with Adrien. 

That night, she got everything put away, looking around at her temporary room. She collapsed back on the bed in her pajamas and sighed happily.

She gave the money update to her parents while out shopping. They had responded with gratitude, but also worry about their being strings attached.

Marinette was worried about that too. But some of the things Mr. Agreste had said stood out as him being concerned about his son having good friends. She imagined that she would be out on the street quickly if she proved to be a poor friend. So she would just be the best friend she could be.

"Hello, Princess!" Chat Noir greeted her from the window.

She sat up quickly. "Chat Noir! You got my message!"

"Of course I did. And I wanted to be sure that you're alright!"

Marinette hugged him. "I can't thank you enough for how much you helped me last night. It really means a lot. I needed that."

"Of course. What are friends for?"

Marinette laughed.

For the next hour they joked around like they usually did, occasionally breaking into bits of seriousness.

At one point they ended up in a pillow fight. Marinette knocked Chat Noir off the bed and lost her balance. She landed on top of him. When she adjusted herself, she found her face close to Chat Noir's face. They stared at each other for a bit, then, both doing so impulsively, they kissed.

The world slowed.

Marinette's eyes opened. She wondered when she closed them. And then she realized what just happened. She jumped up.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Chat Noir sat up, fingers touching his lips with a dazed expression. "It's alright... I did it too. Um. But maybe we should call it a night?"

"Oh, yes, it's nighttime, time for you to run on home, kitty cat."

Chat Noir chuckled and hugged her before leaving the window.

Marinette stared out the window for a bit, then fell back onto her bed.

In his room, Adrien was also sprawled on his bed, occasionally touching his lips in disbelief.

At the same time, both of them said aloud: "That wasn't supposed to happen."

They weren't supposed to kiss like that. Not Chat Noir and Marinette. After all, Marinette loved Adrien and Chat Noir was quite in love with Ladybug. 

But... that kiss just proved they had feelings too. Neither were sure what to do with that. 

After all, for Marinette, Chat Noir was her partner. Real feelings could affect out well they worked together. They were still looking for Hawkmoth. There was no reason for her to be distracted.

For Adrien, Marinette had been his sometimes hard to understand friend. And now she was living in his house. He could walk down the hall to see her if he wanted to, right now! He couldn't put feelings on her, not while she was reliant on his family to survive.

Chapter Text

Adrien was in the middle of a photoshoot when suddenly all the bystanders went nuts. He wasn't sure why, but then a phone was shoved in front of his face.

And there, tied to a chair, was Marinette. 

His eyes widened. Oh. Oh no. 

They had released a statement that with Marinette being a close friend of his and her parents temporarily indisposed due to their injuries, Gabriel Agreste had decided to help out and give her a place to stay until her home was restored.

It was going to be obvious Marinette was staying with him, so they needed to stay ahead of the news. But now... now it meant that people would target her. Because she was close to Adrien. 

"Hello, Agrestes, and Chat Noir."

Oh that was worse.

"I have someone you seem to like. Marinette Dupain-Cheng." He pulled her head back by her hair. She winced but didn't cry, glaring up at him. 

"Little Adrien's best friend, close enough that daddy took an interest and is even funding her little business. Probably waiting to see if she could work for him some day. And seen in Chat Noir's company quite a bit. Including the day of the fire. I think there are some demands I can make."

"Oh, shut up," Marinette grumbled. "I'm not some person to barter. And anyways, paying the ransom or giving up is never advised so I sure hope certain kitties aren't tempted." 

She was punched but didn't cry out.

"Shut up bitch. Now, here's the demands." 

Marinette bit the hand over her mouth.

She was punched again, but just glared rather than react. 

Adrien couldn't breathe, though part of his brain was admiring how Marinette, normally flustered, was taking this rather calmly. But then, she always seemed to get a clearer head when there was danger.  For her first ransom, she was handling it far better than he could have hoped.

Someone got him out of there. The video went away. He was able to breathe again. 

The next hour or so was a whirlwind. His dad found out and was working with the police and Marinette's parents, now staying in a hotel, on how to approach this.

He talked to everyone about Marinette's plans and her last contact with him. 

Finally, finally he was left alone. After all the conversations with everyone, he knew that rushing in as Chat Noir wasn't an option. But he wasn't sure working with the police as Chat Noir would work out well either.

He had already talked to them, and with the stress of the situation, he wasn't certain he could entirely hide that. Though he knew that they probably wouldn't make the connection. Most people seemed not to see the obvious.

There had to be something he could do.

A video popped up on his phone. He stared at it in confusion, then tapped the message.

Marinette was screaming. His heart stopped. She had to be in serious pain. He was scared to look as the camera panned over to her. 

She was still tied to a chair. It was hard to see the source of her screams, but she was bloody. 

Adrien could hardly dare to breathe. He had just come to terms with the fact that he liked her after she moved in weeks ago. And now she was getting hurt for him. Both versions of him. Himself, the poster boy for his fathers company, the famous model, and regular school kid. And for Chat Noir, his alter ego that gave him freedom that he couldn't get even at school.

"Tick tock, Adrien. Maybe you should show this to your friend Chat Noir? We've seen him at your house, even before Marinette started living there. You're the only one getting this video. Don't show anyone else. Decide. You, or Chat Noir need to show up in one hour. Meet us at..."

Adrien had to replay that a few times to be sure he got the right address.

"Come alone. Do not tell the police, or Ladybug. Or things will get worse.”

He wondered how they knew his phone number, but figured, people this determined often had their ways of hacking and finding it. 

Adrien paced for a bit. 

"What are you going to do?" Plagg asked, curious.

Adrien chewed his lip. "Ladybug gave me permission to pass out Miraculous in an emergency, you just need to get them for me. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, of course kid. What are you planning?" 

"If Ladybug hasn't turned up yet, she must not be available, she usually gets involved when something calls for our attention, even when it's just me being requested. So we need backup. I'm thinking of maybe mixing things up a little bit, keeping some things usual. One person behind with my phone to show the police after the hour is up. I go in alone, and either I save Chat Noir for an emergency... or I let someone else have you and show up as myself." 

Plagg crossed his arms. "I don't like this plan kid."

"What choice do I have? They want one or the other of me. I have the address. And anyways, I've been kidnapped before, I'm used to it."

"You really shouldn't be. But fine. Tell me which miraculous you want and I'll get them, but really think over which route you want to go with carefully. We can't make a mistake here."

Adrien nodded. Giving up Plagg would make him vulnerable. But at the same time, keeping Plagg and transforming would reveal his identity. And he didn't think going as Chat Noir was a good idea. They would probably just try to get the ring right away.

He just had one hour. He took in a deep breath and listed off the Miraculous he wanted. 

.

Marinette was not enjoying this much at all. She really hated being at someone's mercy, feeling weak, helpless. 

She could have, at any point, transformed into Ladybug, but she had opted not to. That was a risk of compromising her identity. She just had to trust that Chat Noir would figure it out. But there was a niggling feeling that maybe this would be easier if Chat Noir knew why Ladybug wasn't showing up to help when she would normally. 

But revealing her identity kept bringing up problems, every time. But then... It was always the wrong circumstances, or led to the wrong circumstances. Maybe something else needed to be done.

Or many Chat Noir needed to reveal himself first? 

Marinette shook her head. No, this wasn't the time to think of that debate again. She had to find her way out of this situation. Or at least survive until help arrived. 

She had done her best since she became Guardian to make the right decisions. She learned to balance the responsibilities, as difficult as it was sometimes. She came close to telling Alya at one point but held back. 

She didn't like keeping secrets from her best friend, but it felt weird sharing all the secrets as much as it would help, with Alya first. Someone who was running a blog and might slip up on what information she should know. She trusted Alya, but it was a big secret.

Marinette almost slipped up multiple times, especially with her temporary living situation. It had been an adjustment. Could another teenager who did all the gossip avoid slip ups?

Regardless, Marinette wanted Chat Noir to be the first one to know her identity. 

If she couldn't trust him not to go nuts in some way after learning her identity, could trust that things wouldn't fall apart, how could she trust anyone else? Except maybe her parents but now would be a poor time to say something.

It might be time to say something soon, but they would have to see what happened here. 

She hated the torture, but at least Tikki was good company when no one was around, hiding under the chair to talk to her. All Marinette had to do was hang her head and no one could tell she was talking.

It was starting to get very rough though. Marinette wasn't sure how much more she could take.

She only screamed because they tased her, or something equivalent; she wasn't sure. She did not want to have to withstand it again. 

But she was afraid, with how they came at her to beat her up, that she was going to have to deal with more pain until she screamed just because it hurt that much.

She knew she had broken bones, and she was pretty sure her shoulder was dislocated, but with her hands tied behind her back, it was hard to tell. 

Oh well. She would figure it out. Maybe she wouldn't be able to Ladybug her way out of it, but either way, she would get out. She was certain Chat Noir would figure something out. 

Which meant she wouldn't have to fight her way out. Might be a good idea to plan to pass on her earrings though. Ladybug, or rather, a substitute, should make an appearance. And anyways, with these injuries, she was going be out of commission for a few weeks. 

Marinette let out a breath. She should really just focus on the situation, on getting out of the situation. But she wasn't sure how. What she could do. But she would be ready when help arrived to stay as out of the way as possible so they did not have to worry about her.

Chapter Text

Marinette was still waiting. She hoped Chat Noir and Adrien wouldn't fall for the obvious trap, that they'd stay away and let others handle it. But another part of her really wanted to be rescued. She was always doing the rescuing, but just this once, she wanted to be rescued. 

She hurt so much. She wasn't going to be able to be Ladybug for a long time. But how could they pull this off? No, she'd worry about that later. 

And then Adrien was led in, and her heart stopped. Adrien lit up when he saw her, though he was very worried and wanted to get to her side. 

Oh... he really did care. But he shouldn't have come. He gave her a reassuring look as he was tied to a chair. Like he knew something. Maybe he did have a plan? 

"You have me. Are you going to let Marinette go?"

"Ha, why would we do that, foolish boy. She's too valuable a bargaining chip for that!"

Marinette looked down and resisted the urge to cry. She was more than a bargaining chip... right? She wasn't just some thing that could be used like this. But... 

Before her thoughts could get too dark, all chaos broke loose. Her eyes widened. Miraculous holders. Chat Noir had been busy. She had always had an easy time recognizing people under the masks, though she kept it to herself. That ability heightened now that she was their guardian.

There was Alya, in yellow tones that didn't clash with her skin, wielding the bee miraculous without a second thought, using her words to trip her opponents up.

There was Sabrina, surprisingly efficient with the ball, and in earthy tones like a dog. 

There was Max, once again Pegasus, zipping around to keep everyone off balance and lend a hand wherever possible.

Marinette couldn't believe her eyes when it came to the last two. 

A shell came flying by and there was Chloe, in pleasant green tones getting her out of the chair. "Come on, to the side, Pegasus will get you two out of here."

"Who are you?" Marinette asked, silently adding 'and what have you done with Chloe.'

"Oh uh, Shell Protector." 

Marinette nodded and turned to the final Miraculous holder. Nino, in black leather, including a jacket over the skintight suit. He was acting the part of Chat Noir despite clearly not being him. 

She was... very confused. Nino saluted her as he herded Adrien to join her in waiting.

"Catluck, at your services, as I am a lucky black cat." N-Catluck grinned, then jumped into the action. 

Marinette stared wide eyed. "Did Chat Noir arrange all this, where is he?"

Shell Protector was standing in front of them, determined to prove she could wield a Miraculous, that she could earn her Pollen back. 

"Chat Noir had some personal stuff to attend to, something about compromising his identity if he didn't recruit others, I wasn't paying much attention."

"I see..." Marinette took in a deep breath. "So you're Shell Protector, and that was Catluck... I recognize Pegasus..."

"Oh, that's Miss Hound.” He pointed at the dog. “The bee over there is Buzzword, which is strangely fitting."

"Oh, I see." Marinette considered these choices thoughtfully. She might have been willing to give Alya the Bee miraculous. She trusted Alya with any of the miraculous. But the bee was something that did suit her more than one might initially think. Especially with her sharp, quick words. 

She had already decided that Sabrina could be nothing but the Dog. She could maybe pick up the other ones but the dog was her, and there weren't many others who could fit the dog. 

Max as Pegasus, well, why change something that was already working? 

Which left Nino as Catluck, a substitute for Chat Noir, and Chloe as Shell Protector, doing a surprisingly good job of protecting them and putting aside her selfishness.

 Nino, he was reliable. Maybe not someone Marinette would consider in the top three for Plagg but still someone that was a good choice. 

Chloe on the other hand... Who thought the turtle fit her? Thought she could be a protector? Chat Noir, apparently. Maybe he was onto something. Marinette would have to keep this in mind.

Adrien put a hand on her back. "Are you okay, Mari?"

Marinette looked up at him, but he didn't seem to notice he had shortened her name. "I will be... I think I got lots of fractures if not totally broken bones and... you wouldn't happen to know how to get a dislocated shoulder back into place, would you?"

Adrien winced. "No, I don't. We need to get you out of here."

"Oh so you are here to break me out?" Marinette teased. 

Adrien smiled, pleased to se her in a somewhat teasing mood. That meant it wasn't all bad. 

"I may have planned things out like that, yeah."

There was a loud yelling, the man who was in charge of the whole operation started changing. 

"Akuma." 

Marinette stared wide eyed. There wasn't anything they could do. They needed Ladybug and her lucky charm. They had been experimenting with other ways to purify Akumas, looking to see if other weapons could do it. but they weren't ready to put it to hte test.

Shell Protected put up the protective barrier as the Akuma attacked. 

Pegasus grabbed Marinette and Adrien and dropped them just outside the building before returning to the fight. 

Adrien sat with Marinette. "It'll be alright. I promise, Marinette."

"No, it won't be... Not unless..." Marinette straightened, hissing in pain. She reached up anyways, taking off her earrings.

She placed them on Adrien's hand as he stared at her in confusion. Tikki flew up to greet him.  He stared, then looked at Marinette.

"They need the Ladybug," Marinette said. "Please, Adrien. We can talk about this later. I am entrusting Tikki to you."

Adrien smiled and put the earrings on. "Your trust won't be misplaced," he swore. "Tikki, Spots on!" 

Marinette watched the transformation. Wait...

"This is a job for Misterbug, my lady. Stay safe, I'll be back for you." He bowed to her and took off to join the fight. 

Her jaw dropped as he took off. She quite forgot the pain she was in. Adrien was Chat Noir. Adrien was her kitty cat... which meant she fell in love with him twice. 

She adjusted, hissing in pain. She remembered, vaguely a method to reset a dislocated shoulder. It was always best to put it back in place as soon as possible. 

So she pressed up against a wall and moved her arm and shoulder around until it was back in place. And that quite hurt. But it immediately felt better, too, once the initial shock faded.

Knowing that Chat Noir was Adrien made a lot more sense. He was sheltered. He probably acted the way he did because he wasn't free to explore that at home. 

It explained why Adrien had walked in and not been terrified, but confident. He had to give out all the miraculous before joining her.

Of course Adrien would trust Nino with Plagg. And of course he would see Chloe as a protector. She was his first friend. 

Interesting to see how well they adapted to their miraculous. It didn't always work but maybe it was doing everyone a disservice not to shake it up once in a while, no matter how attached the kwami were to their main holders.

Marinette considered standing and finding a better place to wait, but she had a ton of fractions and there was no way she could make it anywhere on her own.

Besides, then she would have to explain where Adrien was, when he was right in the thick of the fight, taking her place. 

There, alone, in pain, and not knowing what was happening, she cried. She wanted to be with her friends, helping them. But she couldn't be. Instead she was stuck, hurt, too hurt to do a thing but wait and hope it all turned alright without her.

Her only comfort was at least Bunnyx hadn't come from the future to tell her she messed up again by letting Chat Noir know her identity.

Chapter Text

Marinette frowned when Misterbug swung into her room. He stumbled. 

"Spots off." The transformation fell away. 

Marinette winced when Adrien's knees buckled under him and he face planted on the floor with a groan.

"Are you okay, Adrien?" She asked.

Tikki hovered over him worriedly. "He's not taking care of himself."

Adrien groaned. "Mari.... your swami is a tattletale."

"You're my temporary holder. I am going to worry when you're not taking care of yourself." Tikki huffed.

"Tikki, just grab a cookie."

Tikki flew off to get a cookie.

"Get up here, Kitty cat." Marinette patted her bed with her good hand. It had been two weeks since the whole ransom and torture thing.

Misterbug informed everyone that Ladybug had an emergency that morning, so she would be out of commission for a while. Chat Noir was with her. Chat Noir's temporary replacement was the new hero Catluck.

They introduced the other new heroes, Buzzword, Morning Glory (their teacher with Orikko, the Rooster miraculous), and Shell Protector. 

Morning Glory had given the video to the police once the hour was up. By the time the police arrived at the location, along with Morning Glory, there was an akuma.

Between her arrival and Mister Bug joining the fight, the akuma was dealt with quickly.

Misterbug returned to Marinette and turned back into Adrien. They stared at each other for a bit, secrets out. But they couldn't deal with it. Marinette's injuries could not be fixed with the lucky charm, so they had to get her actual medical help. 

She was not expected to finish healing for at least six weeks, probably eight because she had so many at once. Especially if she did not rest. 

So, they had Misterbug and Catluck to take care of akumas in the meantime. 

Adrien pulled himself onto the bed with a groan. "I don't know how you do it. Catluck is doing well, but I miss working with you, Purrincess."

"I miss it too. But I have to heal up. You're both doing great. But you need to take breaks."

Adrien leaned into her scratching his head, eyes popping open to look up at her. "I try... But my schedule is tight, I don't have as much room because of the situation, I'm helping you, and I'm fighting for you and yo-yoing is so much more exhausting."

Marinette sighed. "Then take a rest. You have nothing the rest of the night. We're just supposed to be doing homework, but honestly it doesn't even need this whole time. Nap, I'll help you with the work, and then bed."

Adrien was already out.

Marinette smiled and continued scratching his head. He was so much like a cat sometimes. He really was Chat Noir.

Her mind wandered again. There had been little time at first to talk about what happened. She had to deal with getting all her injuries seen, all the doctors, her parents trying to see her, Gabriel bursting into advocate for her instead of staying to manage the media which was a strange move for him. He barely even did that for his own son most of the time. Why would he do it for her? 

After that there was the media circus and the police and the investigations into who hired the kidnappers, and it took almost a full week before Marinette and Adrien could actually talk about it. They even discussed Misterbug and Catluck before they actually talk about what happened. 

They were in Marinette's room. It was a bit spacious for her, and even more so now that she was confined to the couch or the bed. But at least there was nothing to trip over.  

Adrien sat with Marinette on the couch, staring at the table, news reports muted on the tv in front of them. 

"My heart stopped when I saw you in the video," he admitted quietly. "My purrincess, kidnapped? For me? For both versions of me? I was still trying to figure out the best approach when the video asking for me or Chat Noir to come to the place showed up on my phone. I quickly threw together a plan, had Plagg get the Miraculous and..." He stopped. 

"Oh. Oh that's a problem. Nino knows my identity. I didn't feel like hiding it from him, I wanted him to know why Chat Noir wasn't there..."

Marinette smiled slightly. She didn't blame Adrien for that. "So how did he react?"

Adrien looked up at her in surprise, then offered a small smile. "Well, I showed up, he was upset that someone else had Wayzz, and I told him it was because I was trusting him with a more important role, said claws in, he freaked out, tried not to look, I did the usual entrusting with a miraculous speech and gave him the ring. Plagg still isn't happy with me. And then he looked at me and I don't think he fully processed it at the time. He's thrilled now, but I think he's going to put together that if I was Chat Noir, that means I was Misterbug, so how did I get Ladybug's Miraculous so quickly..."

"Which means he might know about me soon enough," Marinette finished with a sigh. "I don't really want to tell Alya. She's good at her blog, I don't want her knowing secret identities change anything about it, I don't want it to skew how she writes it. She'll try not to let it, but she will. Even professionals have trouble hiding their biases, and well, we're still kids in school. But if her boyfriend knows... I'm not sure it's fair to ask him to continue keeping it a secret when there's four of us as a friend group, making her the odd one out."

Adrien winced. "That is a thought... I don't know. I'm sorry. You have time, though. At least until you're back as milady."

Marinette cracked a smile. "That would make sense. Just a question of how dramatically we want to reveal it to her. Maybe just have Nino hand the ring back to you and you give me the earrings?" 

Adrien grinned. "You know, you can be quite devious when you want to be." 

Marinette blushed. "I just want to make sure everything works out. Seems like the simplest way to do it that isn't just telling her. But... You and I we should talk about this, instead of dancing around it and pretending like our worlds didn't turn upside down."

Adrien sighed and pulled a leg up to rest his chin on it, feeling insecure, and he didn't have Plagg to support him right now. Just Tikki who split her time between himself and Marinette when they were both home.

"You're right, Purrincess," he admitted. "In the moment... all I could think about was how you needed up, I could help as Misterbug since you gave me your earrings. And I thought that since you trusted me, I should trust you, and I didn't want to use a new identity anyways." 

Marinette nodded. "I didn't really think about it, honestly. I just knew Ladybug was the best bet for the akuma but then I couldn't be Ladybug so I had to give the miraculous to someone else."

"I was the only choice? Ouch." Adrien chuckled.

Marinette winced. "Well. Yes, but you were in the top five people I'd consider giving up my miraculous to in a pinch, so it wasn't like I didn't think I could trust you. I just... I'm not used to trusting anyone with this. It's dangerous."

"It is." Adrien nodded. "I didn't know what to think... it's kind of been a lot since then, way more than usual. But... of all people who could be Ladybug, I'm glad it's not just someone I know, but someone as special as you." Adrien took her hand, blushing a little. 

Marinette's face turned red. "You know, I never imagined you could be Chat Noir. You're so different. You joke and you have fun, and now I get why, you live this strict life, being Chat Noir is the only way to free yourself from it, the only way to express yourself. And... it suits you." She squeezed his hand. 

He looked at her in surprise. "Really? You really think it suits me?" 

She nodded, smiling. "Since you started coming to school, you've started opening up and joking more, so I can see hints of Chat Noir but I understand why you're not like that normally. And... I like it."

Adrien stared at her, face almost as red as hers. All he could think about was how he had kissed Marinette, and then felt guilty for betraying Ladybug. But they were the same person, so he decided to give into an impulse. He kissed her.

Marinette pulled herself out of the memory, with no idea that Adrien was dreaming of the same moment. They weren't sure what they were. They had decided to hold off on publicly dating at least until the media circus was over, and if not that, they would hold off until Marinette was out of the house and back home. 

She smiled down at Adrien. She liked what they had now. It wasn't her being flustered and embarrassed over him, it wasn't him constantly trying to win Ladybug's affection as Chat Noir... it was something closer to their interactions as Marinette and Chat Noir... and it was perfect.

.

Marinette frowned the next day when the same events happened again. And the next day. For a week, Adrien would collapse and then pass out as soon as he joined her on the bed. 

He was exhausting himself with the workload. There had to be something they could do to lighten the load. 

And then Gabriel announced a break from the modeling. He wanted teenage eyes on his next line of clothing, hoping to draw in people younger than twenty five, wanted Marinette especially to take a look and say if she'd got or that or not. Adrien would just have to join her, since he would be the main male model once it was released 

Marinette watched Adrien faceplant for the last time. She sighed and let him sleep once he joined her. He was sweet like this. She liked the cuddling, and liked that he trusted her. 

Hopefully, things would start looking better soon.

Chapter Text

"You better start talking." 

Adrien and Marinette sat in front of Gabriel Agreste in his office. He looked disappointed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. 

Adrien looked at Marinette, Marinette looked back. Neither were certain how to begin explaining.

"Now."

Adrien flinched. Marinette got up her courage to speak.

"We were having lunch at school today, and then things just sort of happened..." Marinette's voice was hoarse. She was on the verge of losing it, but she knew Adrien was in a lot of ways terrified of his father, even as he was desperate for his father's love and affection. So she had to do this for him.

It had been an insane sequence of events. Marinette could hardly believe what happened.

.

They were enjoying lunch in the spot that had become theirs. They weren't really dating. They didn't want to put a name on it, or they'd have to say something to the public and cause a huge uproar. They didn't even want to act any differently than normal. 

And then Lila Rossi showed up. She had disappeared for a while, faded away from memory practically. But now she was back. 

Marinette had more confidence in herself this time, and the security of knowing that Chat Noir was Adrien. When she finished her recovery and got back to being Ladybug, they were planning to talk freely without worry with each other on patrol as long as they were careful of others. They could even assign codenames to people in their lives so people would have no clue who they were talking about if they were overheard. They'd grown closer and hoped they were better teammates for having such trust of each other now.

Adrien just wasn't in the mood for Lila. But he was always too nice. And Marinette was always too forgiving. 

"Hello, Lila. You're back."

"Oh, yeah, mom had an emergency back in Italy and wouldn't leave me here even though I can totally take care of myself. I hear Marinette is staying with you?"

"Yeah. I don't have anywhere else to stay right now," Marinette replied quietly. It wasn't like Lila couldn't find that information anywhere. It would be easy for her to learn what happened  if she went looking.

"My father thought it was a good idea and now it's easier for her with her injuries."

"He's not worried about you two getting up to things you shouldn't?"

Marinette's face went super red and she spluttered denials. As big as her crush was on Adrien for the longest time, she had never actually considered going that far. She mostly fantasized about kissing, handholding and life long relationships.

Adrien gave her a weird look. "Why would he be? Marinette's hurt and before that she was shaken up."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that ransom video, I can't believe you went to help her without telling anyone! Weren't you scared?"

"Eh. I've been kidnapped and ransomed a lot, and I always feel terrible when my father doesn't do anything about the ransom, if I haven't gotten out of there by then. I didn't want Mari to feel that."

"Oh, I didn't think of that, poor you!" Lila cooed over him.

Adrien was very uncomfortable.

"Well, it's all over and done with, so what does it matter?" Marinette responded lightly. "I'm okay, Adrien's okay, thanks to the well timed rescue and Catluck and Misterbug."

Lila ignored her, now invading Adrien's space and talking at him about whatever it was she liked.

Marinette sighed and packed up their lunches. "Adrien, let's go outside. Maybe grab some ice cream or something? We still have some time."

"Oh, great idea, Mari!"Adrien exclaimed gratefully. He jumped up and picked up their things before handing Marinette her crutches.

Marinette just needed two more weeks and she'd be off of them, then she would wait another week or two to be sure she was healed and to avoid people getting suspicious of the timing to get back to being Ladybug. She really missed being Ladybug.

They still needed to tell Alya but at least Nino was doing a good job of keeping it secret.

They headed outside.

Lila huffed and stormed over to them. "Don't ignore me!"

"Why not?" Marinette asked. "It's not like we're interested in what you have to say and you're making Adrien uncomfortable."

"I can ruin you!" 

Marinette shrugged. "It's going to take a lot to do that now, which is still totally weird."

"Oh, I have my ways. With a little duct tape, a little tears, and a place with no cameras, they will believe anything I say."

Adrien and Marinette exchanged looks. Neither wanted to humor her, but they also did not have a plan for dealing with her anymore.

Thankfully, now that they knew the other's identities, it was far easier to communicate with a luck in their civilian forms.

"Well, then come along for ice cream and we'll talk." Marinette offered. 

"Fine." Lila huffed with a little pout and followed them. She listened intently to their discussion. 

Adrien and Marinette were discussing the fashion Gabriel was trying to design to bring in more interest.

"He's got some good designs, Adrien, but there's just one problem."

"What's that?"

"Most people under the age of 25 don't have money, they're still trying to establish themselves in jobs. If he wants to bring in more interest from the younger crowd, he needs to make things a little more simple I'm not saying decrease the quality, but remove a couple of things to bring the price down into something closer to what the average young adult can buy."

"Oh... That's right. Money can be an issue. I keep forgetting." Adrien rubbed his head sheepishly. "We should do some research on the average money they have, and how much they might have to budget, even living with parents, and then he can see how much fun money they have left over, that may go to other interests besides clothing." 

"Right. And it has to be good quality clothing too, something that will last. If it lasts them a long time, the next time they need a replacement, they'll go back to him, and even build up a wardrobe over time when they can afford it."

"Oh, that's a good point. And then they'll be loyal after that, right?"

"If the company keeps its promises and things don't change drastically, they should."

They paused to get some ice cream, Adrien paying for Marinette without a thought, then they resumed the conversation, discussing the fashion choices of kids their age.

They occasionally pointed at other kids around the area to make a point one way or another about what they were saying.

All the while, Lila was still sitting with them, a calculating look on her face. She was nothing if she wasn't good at adapting. 

Not long after, there was an akuma attack.

Lila gasped. "Oh no! Come on, let's go!" She grabbed onto Adrien and Marinette and dragged them back to school, where there was supposed to be a safe room, hopefully guarded against akumas. 

Adrien used the crowds thinking the same thing to slip away. Lila growled when Adrien disappeared. Her plan would not work as well if he wasn't around. But no matter. Marinette was far more important, and he could always catch up with them.

Marinette cried out and fell, hand slipping from Lila's grip. She rolled her eyes in exasperation and picked up the girl, carrying her into the school. But rather than go to the safe room, she slipped over to the storage room.

"Lila... what are you going?" Marinette asked worriedly. 

"You'll see." 

Lila set Marinette down and closed the door. "There are no cameras here. I made sure of it." She started moving around the room.

Marinette turned on her phone camera to record, then hid it. It probably wouldn't record much video but the words would come through loud and clear. She did not trust Lila and wanted the security of having evidence.

"What do you want with me?"

"You know what I don't get Marinette?" Lila asked. "How you got so many people to like you. You're nothing special. You don't manipulate. You're nice. You forgive. You give gifts freely. And even Adrien likes you when you're nothing more than a baker who wants to be a fashion designer. And yet here you are, living the high life."

"I want nothing more than to be back home with my parents," Marinette replied coolly. "I'll be home as soon as the bakery and apartment is rebuilt and I'll be happy with the money we have. I am very grateful to Mr. Agreste for everything he's done."

"Are you seriously this nice? You're not hiding anything? You're seriously just humble?"

Marinette shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. Some people just don't care about being rich."

"But you like Adrien!"

"Yeah. He's nice." Marinette wasn't interested in hiding the crush anymore. Not after having figured it out with Adrien and Chat Noir.

Lila scoffed. "You know, I tried to convince everyone that you're out to get me, tried to get them to turn on you. It only ever worked for a few days before they decided I must have misunderstood. The only good thing is they didn't think I was being malicious or completely making it up."

"And you're telling me this... why?" Marinette asked.

"Because I am about to completely ruin your reputation and Adrien's too and I want you to know why."

"Why Adrien too?" Marinette asked, frowning. 

"Because he's clearly chosen you. You have him so wrapped around your finger... he's a lost cause. But I can use what he did to me to get every one to love me." Lila smirked. "Or what I'm going to say he did to me. Now... let's see, how do I make this convincing..."

Marinette picked up one of her crutches and narrowed her eyes at Lila. 

Lila was ignoring her. Probably thought that Marinette was not a threat due to her injuries.

But Marinette was Ladybug. She knew a thing or two about fighting, and she had been in an actual ransom situation. She could handle herself. People just underestimated her almost as much as she underestimated herself.

Marinette asked her questions, trying to get Lila to talk as much as possible for the video.

And then finally, Lila gave her the opening she needed. Or rather...

Adrien found them and burst in. 

Lila grinned. "Adrien darling it's about time you joined us!" She closed the door and blocked it. "Now time for the show." She wandered over to Marinette and started putting duct tape on her own hands and on her mouth. 

Adrien gaped at her, utterly lost. Marinette just winked at him.

"You know what Lila, if you want to ruin our reputations by saying we cornered you and beat you up, I might as well smack you." Marinette hit her hands with the crutches, causing her to drop the duct tape.

Lila screeched and tackled Marinette to the ground, pressing the crutch against Marinette's throat. "You are not going to ruin my plans this time!" 

Marinette shrieked and tried to push Lila off of her, but her shoulder was still recovering from being dislocated. And Lila had the advantage over her.

Adrien froze, but quickly recovered. That was Marinette, Ladybug, Mari that Lila was hurting. 

He started trying to pull her off without hurting her too much, but that only got her to turn her attention to him and she attacked him wildly.

Marinette gasped for air, hand on her throat. 

Lila put duct tape on Adrien's mouth and tried to duct tape his hands together but Marinette crawled over and used a crutch to trip her. 

Lila hated Marinette far more than Adrien so she was very easily distracted into attacking Marinette again. 

Adrien winced as he ripped off the duct tape and then he started trying to get Lila to stop hurting Marinette. 

It was to this that someone finally got the door open. Lila shrieking angrily and trying to hurt Marinette and Adrien desperately trying to get her away without actually hurting her. 

.

"And then we saw the paramedics and they decided we didn't need a hospital, the police took Mari's phone for the recording, and now we're here," Adrien finished. He had a forming black eye and some major bruises. He had taken over the story telling when Marinette's voice grew too hoarse to speak.

Marinette nodded, gratefully sipping at the water Nathalie handed her. 

"And..." Adrien frowned at Marinette. "Mari is not supposed to talk much because her larynx was affected, I guess? She is not supposed to talk until it is easier and she doesn't sound so hoarse, though she can do a little."

Gabriel nodded seriously, thinking about how this was going to go down in the public eye. Rumors were already everywhere, but at least Marinette was clever. Adrien had chosen well for a potential partner. She was also incredibly brave considering she did not freeze up and had come back from the kidnapping like it had never happened. 

He was still impressed with how she handled herself, and furious about the different group of Miraculous wielders that showed up. Chat Noir was Misterbug, and then there was Catluck... so where was Ladybug? He'd gained some knowledge, but also did not gain what he wanted. It was frustrating. At least he knew he didn't need to worry about Adrien's friendship, potentially relationship, with Marinette now.

"So the police took the only recording?"

"I was able to save it to the cloud and email it to myself before they did. I should be able to access it." Marinette coughed. 

Adrien, Gabriel, and Nathalie sent her looks. 

"Do write it down next time you need to say something, we can wait." Gabriel pushed a paper and pen over to her.

Marinette flushed and nodded, drinking some more water.

"Alright, so we do have a recording if the police copy disappears for some reason. I would like the recording for our legal team, Marinette. They will be able to handle any issues. Did you do anything to her, Adrien?"

"No," Adrien shook his head, "I knew that if I punched her it would only help her claim and even if we had proof, people would still think poorly of me. So I tried to stick with grabbing her and pulling away and not reacting to her hits which... some of them hurt. And others didn't."

"Good. Smart thinking, Adrien. It would have saved you some bruises, but it's always good to not look like the aggressor in these situations. Especially as men."

He pretended not to notice how Adrien lit up at the praise. 

Gabriel typed up an email. "I will leave everything up to the legal team from here. I see no reason for you to be in trouble. But I do have one final question."

Marinette and Adrien both looked at him, puzzled. 

"From your account, it seems Lila is under the impression that you are dating, and if not, there are crushes involved. Is there anything to that?" Gabriel watched their reactions with interest.

Adrien looked down, a light blush on his cheeks. He took Marinette's hand and took a deep breath, smiling gently at her. She was blushing a bit more but smiled back.

Interesting. Adrien was scared to tell him, and Marinette was supportive. 

Adrien looked at his father, straightening. "We... we have kissed, and we know we like each other and want to be together but we wanted to avoid a media storm by not actually dating right now. But... that's unavoidable now, isn't it?"

Gabriel studied them some more. "Alright. I will have the PR team meet with you two and Marinette's parents to determine what will be the best course of action with the least amount of stress on you." 

He paused and let out a breath. "Marinette is good for you, Adrien. She pushes you, but also respects that you have boundaries. I have also seen how she reacted to you, to the kidnapping, and someone who can take it so calmly without blaming you is someone to keep around. If you two want to date, I have no qualms."

Both of them broke out in grins. 

Gabriel pretended this didn't affect him. He still had to save Emilie, only once she was back could he truly focus on his son. But it was rare to be the cause of such joy in his son and he never knew what to do besides pretend he wasn't feeling emotional and digging deeper into his feelings, thinking about how Emilie should be here for their son.

Chapter Text

It had been weeks. Marinette was still living in the Agreste manor while her parents worked on saving enough money to rebuild the bakery and their house. Once they had enough for the bakery they would rebuild that part, with plans to add on the rest of their home once they had the money. It would be easier to save money once they had the bakery to rely on again.

They were refusing to accept more charity than what Marinette had already received from Gabriel. Or... attempting to. But after what Marinette had been through...

First the fire, then a ransom video with injuries, then some insane school girl trying to frame her and Adrien for being bullies or maybe something worse, everyone was rallying behind Marinette and her family. They wanted to help as much as they could. 

With it not being just Gabriel, they found it easier to accept the money, though they talked Gabriel down to be in range with how much others were helping out.

But in the meantime, Marinette was living in Agreste manor as she had been. she was glad that the rules had not changed with her dating Adrien, though they had been informed if anything happened the rules would certainly change. 

She found that she did enjoy this living. Not so much the building or the rules, but being near Adrien, and not having to worry about money. It made it so much easier for taking care of the kwamis, too. 

Ladybug was back in action, with it now being just over a month since her injuries had healed. 

Marinette was so happy to have things back to normal, as was Adrien and Nino. They had told Alya after the Lila Rossi incident the truth about their three identities. 

She was surprised but thrilled. Marinette made her promise to be careful about how she reported, that she not leave any hints as to who any of them could be. Alya promised and suggested she make sure at least one of them read over her blog posts before she posted to ensure that she succeeded.

It was a very good suggestion for their sanity. It worked well.

With Nino's time as Catluck over (aside from emergencies), he was back to being Carapace. Well, he and Chloe shared Wayzz, as it turned out that Chloe enjoyed playing protector after all. Especially since no one had to know it was her.

Marinette (as Ladybug, of course) decided that Chloe had earned the Bee miraculous back, so long as she kept her identity secret and had learned. Chloe chose the name Worker Bee this time, because she was protecting the 'hive'. 

Nino would get other miraculous if Chloe was Shell Protector, and he learned a lot about himself by playing different roles. He found he liked the ones that were straight forward a little more than the ones that could a bit unpredictable.

And of course, things went sideways. 

Hawkmoth had captured Adrien. 

And Marinette was trapped in the Agreste manor, with a bunch of her friends, hanging out, because Gabriel wouldn't let them leave. Even Chloe and Sabrina were there. 

She was pacing, going out of her mind with worry, and angry at the situation. Everyone else was quiet, respectful of her worry for her boyfriend.

Marinette let out a yell of frustration and punched the wall. She was worried and she was angry, and she couldn't do a thing about it without revealing her identity. But Hawkmoth had Adrien, and had not made a move yet. They didn't know what his goal was.

.

Adrien had a headache. This situation was something he could not understand. 

Or... he did. But it was mind boggling. He was grateful that Plagg had grabbed his ring and disappeared as soon as they realized what happened. Although he wasn't sure if Plagg had hung around for information, or if he had gone straight for help.

But... His father was Hawkmoth. His own father. 

His mom had used the peacock miraculous. She was dying because the Miraculous was broken, in a coma, but Hawkmoth had preserved her body. Was obsessed with her.

His father had waxed poetical about how hard it was to look at Adrien when he was so much like his mother, they shared the same smile. About how he was so protective because he could not lose Adrien too and so on. 

All Adrien was hearing was excuse after excuse. He understood his father did love him... in a sick, possessive sort of way. But this? This was insane. Especially once Hawkmoth got to the point of talking about the tests to see if Chat Noir cared about Marinette, how he'd arranged the kidnapping not just for that but to see if Marinette was a good match. It made Adrien sick to his stomach.

And he still didn't know why his father was choosing to reveal this now.

He hoped Ladybug would arrive soon.

.

Plagg appeared in the room, carrying the ring. Everyone stared. It wasn't the full friend group. Just Alya, Nino, Sabrina, Chloe, and Kagami. 

"I know who Hawkmoth is that freaking bastard has my kitten!" Plagg yelled. "He's got a secret lair under this house!"

Everyone froze and exchanged awkward looks. Marinette was amused because she knew the truth, but she needed a moment to process. If there was a secret lair under this mansion, then it had to be Gabriel Agreste, as she had suspected multiple times over the last couple of years. 

"Did he say anything about why?" Alya asked.

"Something about his wife using the peacock miraculous and getting into a coma." 

Marinette punched the wall again. "That's it." She stocked over to the dollhouse she kept on her desk and pulled out the miracle box. 

"Alya, Nino." She handed them the Fox and Turtle miraculi. "Nino, combine the two until you see Adrien." 

"Got it." Nino accepted the ring from Plagg.

"Chloe, Sabrina." She walked over and to their stunned looks handed them the Bee and Dog Miraculi. Neither were able to say a word as they put them in, minds scrambling to comprehend what this meant. 

Then she grabbed the dragon miraculous and handed it to Kagami.

"I suspected." Kagami nodded to her respectfully.

With that done, Marinette grabbed the Snake miraculous and combined it with the Ladybug. She took a deep breath and grabbed a final miraculous for Adrien to combine his with. If anyone could talk Hawkmoth down, it would be Adrien. His own son. 

"Alright everyone, we are going to go to the secret lair and do our best to take down Hawkmoth. This is going to be our most important fight. Everything is on the line. Are you ready?"

Everyone agreed. Plagg led the way to the entrance. Then Carapace combined with him, becoming Lucky Shell. 

Worker Bee crossed her arms. "Your distrust of me makes a lot of sense suddenly, M-Ladybug. Or whatever you are right now. I'm surprised you ever gave me multiple chances with how I treated you. I'm sorry for being so pushy." She turned away.

"It's okay. You didn't know and I could have done a better job of not letting personal biases get in the way of my responsibilities."

They were tense and anxious on the way down. Then they heard Hawkmoth monologuing to Adrien, who was tense and rubbing his head. 

"Hawkmoth!" Marinette pleased how much more confident she sounded than she was. It disguised her anger, her worry. 

"How did you get here?"

"Oh, a little cat told me." She smirked. "Now... let Adrien go."

"Never!" The fight was on. 

As soon as there was an opportunity...

"Adrien, catch!" Carapace shouted, tossing him the ring.

Adrien caught it and grinned, sliding the ring right onto his finger. "Plagg, claws out!"

Hawkmoth turned and stared, stunned as his son transformed into Chat Noir. This left him wide open for Kagami's attack.

"Here Chat Noir!"

He caught the miraculous. "Oh, excellent choice, milady." He rubbed his head. The headache wasn't going to go away any time soon but he had no time to worry about that. 

It was time for a fight. To take down his insane father.

"You had me so worried you know, kitty cat!"

"I'm sorry Bugaboo. But that man is my father and he's insane."

"Not your fault. I just punched a wall I was so worried."

"Three times," Worker Bee added helpfully, "hadn't realized she cared about you that much and also how did I not realize any identities before?"

"Kwami magic thing, I think," Rena Rogue said. "But it doesn't matter since we know who's who here." 

"Right. Kitty cat, you try to talk down Hawkmoth. We're going to see if we can figure out some sort of plan." She held up her wrist to show him that she had second chance. 

He nodded. "Well, let's get right to it."

"The cat miraculous has been under my nose this entire time?" Hawkmoth yelled, immensely frustrated.

The fight was on.

Chapter Text

Chat Noir was still processing that his father was Shadowmoth. That his father was the villain they had been fighting for so long. But Ladybug needed him. But his friends needed him. He looked over who were there, recognizing them all immediately. Shelter, Mirage, Venom, and Fetch. All of those would be useful in a fight against Shadowmoth, especially as he used the peacock to make a sentimonster.

The sentimonster took the form of an idealized Shadowmoth wearing all the Miraculous.

“You've got to be kidding.” Ladybug (well, more like Lady Serpent, considering she had the Snake miraculous this time)groaned before shouting warnings to the others.

Shadowmoth laughed. “You will not stand a chance against my true form, Monarch! It's just too bad I cannot truly recreate their abilities, but I think it will be enough.”

Chat Noir swung his baton at Shadowmoth. “Why are you doing this?”

“Your mother used the Peacock Miraculous when it was broken. It killed her! I need the Wish that comes of combining the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous to bring her back completely!”

“My mom-” Chat Noir gasped. “That's why Nathalie has had the same symptoms! She was Mayura. And then you fixed it and you've been Shadowmoth since!” He was shaken by the knowledge of his mother's death. Shaken that his father was being so ruthless to bring her back.

But more than anything, more than just about anything... he was horrified that his father had used Nathalie too. That he had been watching his father's assistant, another member of the family, die in the same way as his mother and he was right; it was the same thing. He just didn't know the cause was so... sinister.

“So that's what happens when a Miraculous is broken.” Chat Noir responded shakily. “You're still insane, you don't know what you're doing!”

“I am bringing your mother back, you should be happy!”

“At what cost? Terrorizing Paris? Who knows what using the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous for a Wish will do to their last holders? Who knows what it will do to the world. Kwamis using their abilities outside of a holder can change the world!”

“So you will not help me.”

“I will never help Shadowmoth, even though you are my father. I refuse.”

“Then I will have to akumatize you.”

“Nah. I got good control of my emotions. I don't need your evilizing.” Chat Noir ducked his next swing of the cane. 

“It seems you do. As your father, I'm impressed. As your opponent... I will turn my focus elsewhere.” 

With that Shadowmoth prodded at Carapace and Rena Rouge, a couple of times, but gave up quickly. They were laser focused and clearly were used to him. He had akumatized their civilian identities before. He didn’t bother with Ryuko. He knew Kagami, and knew he wouldn’t be able to get her emotional enough over the course of a fight.

Miss Hound proved to have potential.

“Don't listen to him, Miss Hound. I didn't just trust you with the Miraculous, I revealed my identity in front of you!” Lady Serpent exclaimed. “I do trust you! And that goes for you too, Worker Bee. No matter our differences in our civilian lives, you have proven to be worthy heroes... Worthy enough I have considered letting you keep your Miraculous, if you are willing.”

“No! Don't listen to Ladybug! She's hiding something, she's just as manipulative as I am.”

Worker Bee laughed mockingly. “Ladybug? Manipulative? Please. She's not subtle enough for that. I'm honestly surprised she's been able to hide her identity as long as she has.”

Lady Serpent grinned. Worker Bee really had come a long way. She was right to trust her today. 

Shadowmoth let out a short yell of frustration before the fight continued. The Sentimonster, Monarch, proved to be tricky as it did not have need for rest between uses of Miraculous powers, and it could use the abilities as much as it could. But they were not the same. They were not as powerful, and Monarch could not seem to get Cataclysm and Lucky Charm to work anywhere near the way they were supposed to. 

Felix showed up, looking around with wide eyes... “Whoa... what's...” He stumbled back.

Lady Serpent set a marker. No one seemed to notice. 

She had to go through several rounds before she figured out what to do with Felix. He wasn't the nicest person, but he seemed to have some idea of what was going on, and he seemed to have his own beef with his uncle. 

On the last one, Chat Noir flipped away from Shadowmoth and gripped Felix by the shoulders after Felix yelled about Gabriel owing him and his mom. “Plagg, claws in.”

Felix gaped at his cousin. “Adrien? You-”

“Yes, I'm Chat Noir, my father is Shadowmoth, and he's trying to bring my mom back. I promise that I will give you whatever the heck my father took from you and your mom if you help us.”

Felix smirked. “I will help.”

“Good.”

“Second chance!” Lady Serpent said.

Felix appeared, shocked as every time, startling all the fighters. 

Ladybug turned to everyone. “I know what to do. Everyone, do your best to hold off Shadowmoth and Monarch without using your abilities. I will be be back soon.” She grabbed Felix by the wrist and pulled him to the side, soon dragging him through the house.

Felix stared at her, wide eyed.

“I know you have no reason to trust me. But we need your help and I promise Adrien will help you get whatever you want. He's upset enough learning that his dad is trying to bring his mom back to life,” Ladybug explained quickly. 

“I-you're certain?”

“Absolutely. He said so himself a few loops ago.”

They approached the room Marinette was staying in. Nathalie emerged from her room and froze. “Ladybug... No, Lady Serpent?” 

“Lady Serpent, I like it. I'll go with that. You used the Peacock Miraculous?”

“Yes. I... I have come to regret it. My loyalties lie with Adrien now. Not Gabriel or Shadowmoth.”

Lady Serpent nodded. “Then I will just have to trust you and Felix in our fight against him.”

“How did you discover it?”

Lady Serpent opened the door to her room and walked over to the Miraculous box, to make a point of her own identity. Otherwise she would have just used her yo-yo. “He made the mistake of kidnapping his son.” She pulled out the miraculous she wanted. She started with Felix.

“Felix Fathom, this is the Miraculous of the Monkey. It grants the power of Uproar. You will use this for the greater good, and then you will return this to me.”

Felix nodded, wide eyed, then he opened the box. He stared at the circlet before carefully setting it on his head.

“Hi, I'm Xuppu, I'm your Kwami. To transform, you just need to say 'Xuppu, showtime’.'”

Felix grinned, absolutely delighted before he said the words and transformed. “Okay. What does Uproar do, Lady Serpent?”

“It allows you to take anything your weapon touchs and fling it at your target, taking away all their abilities. Do you have a name?”

“Hmm... I like Monkey Business.”

“Thank you, Monkey Business. I'll have you work with Rena Rouge and Worker Bee. I am certain you three can work out an adequate strategy to defeat Monarch the sentimonster.”

Lady Serpent turned to Nathalie. “Nathalie Sancoeur this is the Miraculous of the Pig. It grants the power of Jubiliation. You will use it for the greater good, and then return it to me.”

Nathalie stared at her, then down at it. “Thank you for trusting me not just with the Miraculous, but with your identity.”

“I think keeping my identity secret, at least among those currently fighting Shadowmoth, is going to be difficult.”

Nathalie secured the Miraculous in place. 

The Pig kwami flew out. “Hi! I'm your kwami, Daizzi. Say 'Daizzi, rejoice'.”

Nathalie nodded and said the words, transforming. She spun briefly. “Not what I was expecting, but good enough. I think... Hamlina sounds good for me.”

“Good. You will be working with Carapace and Ryuko. I want you to show Shadowmoth and Chat Noir what Chat Noir wants most, then, if possible, see what Shadowmoth wants most. After Shadowmoth is defeated, you are going to show him what his wife wants.”

“I can do that. Why Chat Noir?”

“Chat Noir is Adrien,” Lady Serpent responded simply. 

Hamlina gasped. “Oh... And Shadowmoth is still insisting on fighting. Against his own son.” She straightened. “I will not let that stand.”

Monkey Business let out a breath. “Okay, so I underestimated my cousin. I never would have guessed he has the backbone to be a regular hero.”

Lady Serpent snorted. “You try living with a control freak like Gabriel and see how easy it is to stand up to him. Chat Noir is who he is because it gives him freedom.”

“...oh.” Monkey Business reconsidered Adrien’s actions. “Well, I can recalculate how I feel about him later. Right now, we have a fight to join.” 

Lady Serpent grinned. “That's the spirit. I'll use my lucky charm while you two do your parts, and see what we can do to defeat Shadowmoth.”

When they arrived at the fight, they discovered that it was becoming bigger, and soon the sentimonster known as Monarch would be able to get out of the house and make the fight much more difficult than it already was. 

Monkey Business rushed over there to help out. Rena and Bee barely gave him a second look, trusting Lady Serpent to have made the best choice. He jumped into the fight just as a large explosion rocked the room. 

Monarch fled. They gave chase. 

Hamlina joined Carapace and Ryuko. "Hello."

"Hi. Welcome to the team." Carapace turned to the fight. "What's the plan?"

"I need to show Shadowmoth what Chat Noir wants most, then get a look at what he wants most."

"Okay. Chat's a bit busy." Carapace took a quick look. "I'll go in with Shelter, you get ready. Ryuko, be ready to cover us if necessary.”

Ryuko gripped her sword and nodded.

Hamlina nodded. She followed Carapace into the fray. 

Chat Noir jumped back. "...Nathalie?" he asked, surprised. 

"It's Hamlina right now, Chat... Lady Serpent requested I use Jubilation on you."

He blinked, and looked to Shadowmoth. Then straightened, nodding. "Shadowmoth will be able to see it?"

"Yes. He will."

Shadowmoth tossed Carapace to the side and turned on Ryuko.

"Good. Do it." 

"Jubilation!" Hamlina shouted, watching the present appear in front of Chat Noir. She tapped the present as Shadowmoth approached. 

Chat Noir went from serious to a soft smile, seeing his greatest wish.

"All Chat Noir... All Adrien Agreste wants is for his father to be proud of him," Hamlina said quietly. "To be a real father and let Adrien figure out who he is, and be supportive in all his endeavors."

Shadowmoth stared at the scene. It was Gabriel and Adrien doing father-son things, laughing and having fun. Gabriel comforting Adrien, showing up to school things. Teasing him about his girlfriend. Supporting Adrien not being a model but instead studying other subjects. A family. Without Emilie, though Nathalie was in and out of the scenes.

Hamlina felt a few tears slip out, seeing herself as part of Adrien's greatest wish. He really did see her as family. She wished she had decided to go against Shadowmoth sooner.

Shadowmoth took a step back, then swung at the vision, making it dissipate. "You don't care about your mother?" he hissed.

Chat Noir blinked and shook his head, clearing out the last of the vision. "I grieved for her for years. I had come to terms with the idea she was never coming back. I reshaped my life around that fact. As much as I wish she was still alive, I don't need her anymore. I need you." 

Shadowmoth actually faltered. "I- I had no idea I... Emilie always knew what to do."

Hamlina gave him an irritated look, about to tell him off. 

Chat Noir's eyes narrowed. "Well, Mother isn't here. She hasn't been for almost two years and rather than figuring out how to be my dad, you've been searching for a way to bring her back. Because you love her more than me, and you don't care enough to even try, just relying on some perfect vision you have of her!"

Hamlina stepped back and checked on Carapace. He was just coming back to the fight, having taken a moment to recharge. 

Then she refocused. It was time to try to see Shadowmoth's greatest wish. 

"Chat!" Lady Serpent said, appearing next to him. "Does this mean anything to you?"

He glanced at the Lucky Charm in her hands and did a double take. "That's... that's the card I made my mom just before she died..." His eyes widened. "That's it! I know what I need to do." He let out a breath. "That night I had a nightmare and went to see my parents and I thought I saw a black bunny man with white ears jump into a hole and disappear... mom told me I was seeing things and to never mention it to dad. She held me so tight that night..."

"Then go."

"Thank you, milady." He bowed and turned, only now unifying Fluff with Plagg. "Burrow." He stepped into the portal and disappeared. 

Shadowmoth broke away from the vision of his greatest wish. It had shown him living happily with Emilie, Adrien, and Nathalie. "I must save Emilie... where's Monarch?"

"He left."

Hamlina was left stunned. Shadowmoth did care for her as she did him. And yet... he was willing to use her and his own son for his own ends. This wasn't the man she fell in love with, when they were looking for the Miraculous for fun, chasing a dream and myth. When they hadn't had any big plans for the Miraculous. 

Shadowmoth cursed and fled the house.

The remaining heroes exchanged looks and followed.

.

Chat Noir stood in the burrow, staring at all the options for portals, then he shook his head. He couldn't change the past. He had to get his mom from that singular night. But where did he look?

"Ah, hello mini-Noir. I see you're in my burrow."

He yelped and spun. "Bunnyx! Um. Hi. Can you help me?"

"Sure. What's up? I don't think you ever told me about this."

"Well, we're fighting Shadowmoth... fighting my dad and the Lucky Charm is a card I made for my mom. I remember how that night I had a nightmare and went to my parents and caught a glimpse of, well myself I guess, considering the outfit, so I'm going to get my mom from then and bring her to my time to talk to my dad and then return her but I'm not sure where to even start looking."

"Hmm. So you're at the final showdown... I don't remember you mentioning that you actually used Fluff to beat Shadowmoth but I'm glad to finally find out how you got Shadowmoth to back down. You've always refused to tell me. Now I suppose I know why, closing the time loop and all that."

"...Why did that not confuse me?"

Bunnyx laughed and led him to the center of the Burrow. "Transforming gives you some of the knowledge your Kwami has, you just don't usually notice it because it's all instinct. This is just the same. Now, the Burrow knows what you need when you use it, so all you have to do is think of when you want and walk up to one of the portals and it'll be the right one."

"...that seems too simple but okay." Rabbit Noir thought of the night he gave his mom the card and walked up to a portal. 

It showed the right scene. 

"...Wild." He put his hand up and let the scene play out further. Younger Adrien left the room. He watched his mother get ready for the night. Watched his father give her a good night kiss and then go back to work. His mom laid down on the bed. 

"There." He took in a deep breath. "This works?"

"Yep. Everyone knows that Chat Noir did something to talk Shadowmoth down but only other heroes saw it. You okay mini-Kitty?"

"Yeah I just... my mom disappeared a month after this. She seemed so sad and I'm pretty sure she and dad argued a lot. I don't know what I'm going to say to her. I don't know... Sorry."

Bunnyx ruffled his hair. "It's okay Mini-Kitty."

Rabbit Noir looked up at her in surprise. 

"You got a lot of emotions. I get that. I lost my mom too. Took my dad years to get over it, and took me and my brother longer. I did go visit her, once, in the hospital. It was awkward, and sometimes I wonder if I would've been better off not visiting her. But I don't regret it, either. I still remember the feeling of her hug. You deserve that, if nothing else."

He bit his lip. "Thanks. How much should I tell her? Do I give her my identity?"

"That's up to you. Trust your instincts, you have the instincts of a bunny and a cat right now. I think you'll know what to say."

"Thank you." Rabbit Noir hugged her. "Now I know why you're the one who gets the Rabbit Miraculous. No one else can keep up with all the time stuff. And you're not so bad a pep talks either."

"Aww, thanks Mini-Kitty." She ruffled his hair again. "Now go on through the portal. You have a mom to talk to and a father to stop. Have I mentioned I still find it crazy just who you are? And who Ladybug is? I never could have guessed it."

"Heh... Well. Honestly... without being Chat Noir... I'm not sure I could have faced the truth of what happened to my mother and that my father is Shadowmoth without that."

"Yeah. No one guessed it. He was good at covering his identity and making himself appear as much of a victim as anyone else."

Rabbit Noir nodded. He took a deep breath in and let it out. "Any last bits of advice for a bunny-cat?"

"When you go back to your time, wait for the opportune moment to jump in. Take your time, watch for a bit, that way no one has to catch you up."

"Oh, good point. Thanks, Bunnyx." 

Rabbit Noir took a deep breath and stepped into his parents' bedroom. 

Emilie looks up at the strange noise and stared. "A Miraculous user?" she asked. 

Rabbit Noir smiled. "Yes, I am. From the future." He stepped forward and sat down on the bed. "Hello, I'm Rabbit Noir." 

"What Miraculous?" Emilie asked, then coughed.

He pulled out the pocket watch. "Rabbit." He displayed his ring. "And Cat." 

"You can use them together?" she tilted her head. "I didn't know that was possible."

"It is." Rabbit Noir just kept staring at his mother. She was just as he remembered her from the last few months before she was gone.

"Why are you here?" she asked. "Are you here to cure me? What about a Wish? You have the Cat Miraculous... do you know about the Ladybug?"

Rabbit Noir smiled. "I'm dating the one who has the Ladybug." Then he sighed. "I'm not here to cure you. We don't currently have a cure. A Wish is an absolute last resort- the world is ending sort of deal. Because it destroys the current world to remake it with the wish being true. But that might just mean someone else will get sick, end up in your position."

"Oh. So in the future I am dead?"

Rabbit Noir sighed. "It's far more complicated than that unfortunately, Mom. Fluff, divide. Plagg, Claws in. Can I have that carrot?" He took the carrot from his stunned mom and gave it to Fluff while giving Plagg his cheese. Plagg gave him a sympathetic look before munching on the cheese quite happily.

"Adrien?" Emilie gasped, hand going to her mouth. "My son? Oh, you look so grown."

Adrien smiled. "I guess, it’s only been two years though... I have a lot to tell you."

"Give me a hug and then tell me everything," she ordered.

Adrien obliged and ended up in bed with her, leaning on his mom. He let out a breath. After the shock of learning his father was Shadowmoth, he needed this break, desperately.

He started slowly, telling her of her disappearance, how his father reacted, how lonely he was. How it stayed like that for a few years.

Then he got the bright idea to sneak off to school. And he met Plagg.

"And that's how I got the Cat Miraculous. This is Plagg. He's a great friend, for some reason he loves Camembert, and he's great at playing piano."

"I'll have you know camembert is a classy bit of stinky cheese."

Adrien rolled his eyes fondly.

Emilie smiled. "Nice to meet you Plagg. Thank you for taking care of my son."

"Aw, it's no problem really. He's my kitten and the best partner I could ever ask for."

Adrien blushed, but he was happy to get the compliment from his kwami.

Emilie smiled and turned back to Adrien.

Adrien then told her about transforming for the first time, meeting Ladybug, and their first bout against a villain... everything they had learned about Hawkmoth, and later Shadowmoth along the way. 

Emilie listened patiently and lovingly.

"And then..." Adrien trailed off, a distant look in his eyes. "So... I told you about everything up to what happened today, in the time I came from. My world... it's shattered, Mom. And I am going to need to pick up the pieces. I need your help."

"Anything, Adrien. I am so proud of you. You have done so much good, and I love what you have told me about your girlfriend. I wish I could meet her."

"Heh, about that..." Adrien sighed. "So... I was, as Adrien, kidnapped by Shadowmoth today. And that's when I learned everything... his identity, and why he is so determined to get that Wish. I slipped my ring to Plagg and he got it to Ladybug and she recruited help, got me my Miraculous and Fluff's and then after some fighting her Lucky Charm told me I needed to come here." He took in a deep breath and let it out.

Emilie felt a sense of dread at how Adrien described what happened. The Lucky Charm directed him here, in the middle of a battle with Shadowmoth. She didn't want to hear it. But she knew she had to know. "Adrien... just who is Shadowmoth? How can I help?"

"My father. Gabriel Agreste," he whispered, not looking up. "It turns out that he put you in some sort of stasis a month from now and has been searching for a way to save you since. He's been obsessed... With you. I want to bring you to my time to talk to him. He couldn't even accept seeing my greatest wish from Hamlina’s Jubilation."

Emilie frowned. "I'll help."

"Really?" Adrien asked hopefully.

"Definitely. I want to give him a peace of my mind, and this means I get to meet your girlfriend and all your new friends."

Adrien blushed. "Right that too. I'll transform and I can carry you through the burrow to the future and then... well, I suppose we have to see what happens when you see Dad."

"We shall have to see," Emilie agreed. She hugged him tightly. "I love you, Adrien. Don't you ever forget that."

Adrien gave up on trying not to cry and let the tears forth. "Love you too, mom." 

They stayed like that for a while. 

Adrien pulled away and wiped his eyes. "Ready, Plagg, Fluff?"

When he got the positive response, he transformed and stood. He picked up Emilie. 

Emilie held on to his neck. "You haven't talked much about Nathalie. How is she?"

"She was Mayura, and had to get something to help her walk," Rabbit Noir explained quietly. "She is currently helping as Hamlina. I guess she cares more about me than my father."

"Good. Your father has broken the one request I dearly wanted to have him follow through after my death... Look after you. I am glad that Nathalie has had your back somewhat, even if she joined in on his schemes."

"She was always trying within her orders to help me," Adrien admitted. "Almost like a second mom, really. I think her and dad have thought about getting married."

Emilie chuckled. "I'm not surprised. She had quite the crush on both of us for a while."

Rabbit Noir blinked. "Okay. I did not need that mental image," he muttered. "Burrow." He stepped in to the Burrow and walked up to another portal. "There's the fight."

Emilie sat up and watched. She was impressed by the teenagers. There was Chloe... and there was Nathalie. And at the center of it all... Gabriel. Her eyes narrowed. 

"Let's do this. I have some choice words for that man." 

"We gotta wait for the perfect opportunity. Wait for it..." Rabbit Noir watched the scene intently. 

There was a lull in the fight. Lady Serpent was waiting impatiently for Rabbit Noir to make it back. Ryuko had to fall back to recharge.

Carapace was knocked back. 

Shadowmoth laughed. "You have nothing Ladybug! You cannot defeat me. Give me your miraculous!"

Rabbit Noir stepped through the portal, carrying Emilie.

"She doesn't have to give you anything, Gabriel," Emilie spat.

Rabbit Noir set her down and helped her hobble over to his dad.

She slapped Shadowmoth as he stared at her in shock.

"Emilie, how-"

"I took her from about a month before she disappeared... right before she started arguing with you a lot. I wonder why."  Rabbit Noir glared.

"I... Emilie I will save you."

"You bastard. I told you that Adrien is the most important part of our lives. I have made you promise many times to take care of him. And this is what you do instead?" Emilie gestured widely at the fight. 

Hamlina stepped closer, but did not interfere. She was stunned that Emilie was here. She knew this would be short lived, but here was Emilie, alive.

Emilie gave her a gentle smile before returning her focus to Shadowmoth. 

"I-I just wanted you to live. To enjoy our life after all we'd done to make a good one for ourselves and our son." 

"This isn't what I wanted. You have been terrorizing Paris... all to save me? That's not the man I fell in love with. That's not the man I married. That's not the man I had a child with. I don't even recognize you, Gabriel. Let. Me. Go."

"But-but this is all for you!"

"I told you no!" Emilie yelled. "This is hurting our son. This is hurting Nathalie, and all those who support Adrien and Nathalie. And worst of all... this is hurting the entire city! How many people have you hurt trying to get the Miraculous to make the wish? How many times has Ladybug had to clean up your mess? How long will this go on?"

Shadowmoth shook his head. "I've come too far to give in now. I know that Chat Noir is Adrien, all I have to do is get his Miraculous from him and-"

"Pfft, as if I'm going to give you that chance. I'd rather renounce Plagg than give you a chance to rewrite reality because you can handle losing your wife."

Shadowmoth glared at him, but Emilie cut him off.

"My husband... my light. I don't even know who you are. This is not the man I married. How long are you going to keep Adrien under your thumb? How long are you going to expect him to obey you and only you?"

"How long? Just as long as it takes to bring you back. Nothing comes of dreams and wishing on stars. I have to bring you back myself or you will never come back."

"I don't care about your logic, Shadowmoth," Emilie said coldly. "I care about my son. I care about people. We made a mistake in our first experiences with the Miraculous, a mistake that led to my passing. I made my peace with that. All I expected of you in return was make sure our son grew up well."

"I don't care. I've come too far to back down now, and I cannot stop until I can sleep at night." 

Emilie took in a deep breath, then in a swift move, she snatched the Peacock Miraculous off of him before anyone could react.

She smiled at Duusuu. "Hello, little one. I missed you."

"Oh! Emilie, I missed you too." 

"I'm not here for long, I will have to go back to my time."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I understand. For now, why don't we have one last go together?"

"Really? But you're- you're not doing well!" 

"No, but I have enough strength to prove my feelings."

Emilie fixed the brooch into place. "Duusuu, spread my feathers." 

Rabbit Noir watched with wide eyes, then grinned. Seeing his mother as a Miraculous wielder was amazing. She looked nothing like Shadowmoth. She didn’t look as sinister as Mayura did, either.

Emilie plucked a feather from her fan and closed her eyes. She picked out the emotions of all those around her, and settled on Adrien. Rather than give him the power to create an amok, she created one using his emotions. 

It took the form of a puppy, who jumped into Shadowmoth's arms.

"What is this?" Shadowmoth stared at the dog in disgust, dropping it.

The puppy whimpered and cowered for a moment before crawling forward and nudging Shadowmoth's foot, whimpering pathetically.

"This? This is the manifestation of your son's feelings towards you. He adores you. He wants nothing more than your affection, to the point he comes back to you time and time again."

Shadowmoth kicked the puppy away. "What are you trying to prove, Hera?"

"The more you hurt that puppy, the more likely it is to reveal that it has far more teeth than you realize... just like your son. Until one day, it will snap and will not hesitate to leave nothing left."

"That wouldn't happen. Adrien will never betray me that hard. Sure, he's being a bit stubborn right now, but he will come around. I am his father."

"Are you his father? Or are you just his boss?" Hera hissed. "And I wouldn't be too sure on how likely Adrien is to lose it on you. After all, he went to the past just to bring me here to confront you. He is losing respect for you quickly. And I do not blame him."

"Oh Hera, come on, you know me." Shadowmoth kicked the puppy away again. 

"I wish I had taken Adrien and Nathalie, and run when I saw how violent you got after hearing how dire my health was. I deserved to die in peace, not try to help you come to terms with your grief in a way that does not hurt those around you."

"No!" Hawkmoth roared, kicking the puppy away yet again. This time it hit the wall hard and didn't move for a second. 

"I cannot lose you entirely. I will bring you back. I would have gone to the ends of the earth to bring you back to me if you had run!"

"Annnd that's called being creepy, a stalker, and abusive," Lady Serpent said, spinning her yo-yo, but waiting to do anything. She wanted to see what happened with the puppy.

"Really?" Rabbit Noir asked, leaning on his umbrella. 

"Yeah. I keep forgetting you don't know where the boundaries should be. Chasing someone who doesn't want you is... not a good thing. No means no, and all that."

"Right." Rabbit Noir nodded. He was making a mental note, and revisiting some of the things he'd seen with his father. He compared them to how Marinette's parents treated each other and her. He had noticed the differences, but at the time had only thought she was lucky. He hadn't fully processed that how he was treated was wrong. But knowing his father was Shadowmoth, and hearing how obsessive he was over his mom... that put things into a different perspective.

Emilie smiled at Ladybug. She really was a good match for Adrien. Just what he needed after dealing with Gabriel. With Shadowmoth.

Shadowmoth didn't have a chance to respond before the normal looking puppy turned an angry red and grew until it could look Shadowmoth in the eye. 

He yelped and backed away. The sentipuppy was having none of it and attacked angrily.

Hera tilted her head and watched. "Nathalie?"

"Yes, Emilie?"

"Thank you for looking after Adrien. And for standing up now. I know how you feel about both of us, and it can't have been easy after my passing."

"It took me far too long to stand up to him," Nathalie admitted. "My love for him is akin to his love for you."

"It was," Emilie corrected. "Or you would not be standing here with the Pig Miraculous now, fighting against him."

"The videos you left helped, though it took me too long to get the courage to risk his love... but Adrien is more important."

"I'm glad. Adrien will need your support in the future."

"He's not going to have it. I'm turning myself in as Mayura."

"And I'm going to be asking them to lighten the charges," Lady Serpent broke into the conversation, not taking her eyes off the fight. "You're helping us against him now. That's important. And your impact has never been as high as his is now."

Nathalie blinked. "If you're certain..."

"I am."

"I surrender, I'll stop! Nooroo, Dark wings fall!"

Emilie snapped her fingers and the sentipuppy disappeared. 

Rabbit Noir moved first and snatched the Miraculous, handing it to Lady Serpent.

Lady Serpent smiled at Nooroo. "We might yet need you, if Hera cannot stop Monarch."

Hera frowned as she found Monarch. "I think he has made himself impervious to abilities affecting him."

Rabbit Noir pulled up the live feed on his phone. "Yep, looks that way. I don't see the others affecting him."

"Then I believe my work here is done. Fall my feathers." Emilie smiled at Duusuu and affectionately rubbed her cheek on theirs. "I am glad I got to see you again, my friend."

"I'll miss you."

Emilie smiled. "I miss you too, Duusuu. But I think it's time for me to go."

Duusuu nodded. 

Lady Serpent accepted the pin. "Rabbit Noir?"

"I'll take her back."

"One moment." Emilie had her son help her over to his father. She lifted Gabriel's chin. "Gabriel, I will always love you. But love is not about what it does for you, but what you can do for other people. I had hoped you would understand for the sake of our son. I'm disappointed I was wrong. But, I will still love you to the end of my days." She turned to Rabbit Noir. "I'm ready." 

Rabbit Noir smiled. "Alright, let's go. Burrow!" He took her into the Burrow. They were met with Bunnyx. 

"Bunnyx?"

"Nothing to worry about Mini-kitty. I just wanted to meet your mom, that's all. I've been curious for years."

"Oh. Mom, this is Bunnyx. My classmate Alix. But years older because time where the Rabbit Miraculous is involved is... A whole lot of nonsense."

Emilie laughed. "Nice to meet you, Bunnyx." 

"Nice to meet you too. I really enjoyed your take down of Shadowmoth. He deserved it, completely. I'd always thought that Adrien must've gotten something from his father after all to be able to do all this but no, he definitely got it from you."

Rabbit Noir blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Must you?"

Bunnyx ruffled his hair. "Yes, I must tease you. You are adorable and easy to tease at this age."

Emilie grinned. "So you care about him?"

"Of course I do!" Bunnyx laughed.

Rabbit Noir grumbled. "I'd like to get back to help them you know."

"Oh, yes you probably should get on that, but you also have all the time in the world if you need a break."

"Right. I kind of don't think I need a break other then some privacy with my mom."

"Right. You got it, Mini-Kitty." She patted his head.

Rabbit Noir huffed before going over to the portal. "Ready?"

"I am."

He helped her through the portal then back into bed. 

"Can I see your face one last time?"

Rabbit Noir nodded and detransformed, giving the kwamis their snacks without a second thought. 

Adrien sat down next to his mother on the bed and smiled. "I'm glad I got to see you one last time mom." 

"I'm glad you did too, Adrien. You are growing up so well. I am just sorry that I won't be able to convince your father to let go of me."

"It's okay. I'm okay with where it led me in life, and well... I know you tried. And you were brilliant today, mom. You really got to dad and I've never seen him like that. Now that Shadowmoth is apprehended... well. It was a good day, and you were brilliant. Just what we needed, honest."

Emilie pulled him into a hug.

Adrien melted into the hug and clung to her, feeling emotional about getting something he had missed for so long.

Emilie kissed his forehead. "You keep growing up, getting learning from those mistakes. And if you mess up, apologize. That will go a long way with your girlfriend, if you want her to stay your girlfriend."

"Right." Adrien nodded, smiling. "I just... I'll miss you. But I'm glad we had this... it's closure I didn't know I needed, mom."

"I know. I just wish I could have lived."

Adrien hugged her again then wiped his damp eyes. "I just..." He shook his head. "I better go before my younger self shows up after that nightmare."

"I know. I am so proud of you, Adrien. I love you."

"Love you too, mom." He hugged her one last time and kissed her cheek. He stood.

"Plagg, claws out. Fluff, Plagg, unify." Rabbit Noir opened his eyes and smiled at Emilie. "Burrow." He stepped in front of the portal just as his younger self appeared. He gave his younger self a cheeky wave before stepping through. 

He stepped into the burrow, and pulled out the Rabbit Miraculous, considering. 

Bunnyx didn't appear. He put the Miraculous away. Maybe it was time.

Chapter Text

Alix had found an alleyway to hide from the rampaging form of a transformed Shadowmoth. He called himself Monarch?

She clenched her fists as she watched Ladybug (well, Ladybug wasn't just Ladybug but she didn't know what to call her in that form) stop nearby and... did Ladybug just give a Miraculous to Juleka? And Rose?

She gaped when she recognized their superhero forms. 

A hand closed around her wrist and yanked her back.

She stumbled through the portal. She stopped and gaped at the holes she saw. 

"What?" 

"Welcome to the Burrow."

Alix spun. "Chat Noir!" She stopped and stared at him.

"Oh, right. I was borrowing the Rabbit Miraculous." He pulled it out. Then he detransformed. Completely.

Alix blinked. "...Adrien?" 

Adrien smiled at her as he fed his kwami some stinky cheese and pulled a carrot out for Fluff. "Hi, Alix. Are you ready?" He held out the pocketwatch. 

Alix hesitated. "This isn't a trick?"

"Nope. Now's the time. We know who Shadowmoth is. Monarch is a sentibeing. And... Shadowmoth knows who I am now. That was unavoidable." Adrien grimaced.

"Why?"

"Shadowmoth kidnapped me to get Ladybug and Chat Noir's attention. Imagine my surprise when he revealed his true plan... Bring his wife back to life. Who he has preserved for years..." Adrien slumped and rubbed his face. "My dad. Shadowmoth is my dad."

"What? Seriously?"

"Yep." 

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, he has given up but the sentibeing he created made it impossible for the holder of the Peacock to remove his existence so now we need to defeat him, and Ladybug and I have decided identities don't matter anymore."

"I noticed. She gave Juleka and Rose Miraculous."

"Oh, which ones?"

Alix couldn't tell if he was genuine or not; she knew he knew some of them. "Tiger and Pig."

"Ah, Nathalie must have needed a break." Adrien nodded. 

"Nathalie? Your dad's assistant?"

"She's fought on our side, she's done with him. Anyways. I just wanted to bring you up to speed before anything else."

"Right. Can you tell me who else you know?"

"Oh, I suppose." Adrien grinned. "Ladybug is Marinette." 

"WHAT?" Alix exclaimed. Then she actually thought about it and hit her forehead. "That makes way too much sense. More sense than you being Chat Noir."

Adrien laughed. "I know. Let's see... Nino is Carapace, Alya is Rena Rouge, Sabrina is Miss Hound, Kagami is Ryuuko, and Chloe is Worker Bee."

"Chloe finally learned to be humble, huh." Alix stared at her Miraculous. "Are you ready Fluff?"

"I'm always ready! Or is it I'm never ready?"

Alix snickered. "Fluff! Clockwise!" 

Bunnyx looked down at her costume, then looked up to find that Chat Noir had also transformed. 

Chat Noir walked her through the basics of how to use Burrow, and then they were back right where they had left.

Both took off to join the fight.

.

Lady Serpent raced through the city. She sighed in relief when she spotted Luka.

She landed right in front of him, ignoring Jagged Stone behind him. 

"Luka! We need you! Sass, divide!" She took off the Miraculous and handed it to Luka while handing Sass his snack.

Luka glanced at his father and smiled sheepishly. "Guess I gotta go. Sass, scales slither." 

At the end of his transformation, Viperion strummed his lyre. 

"You're in a hurry."

"Yeah, Monarch the sentibeing is going to be a pain in the butt but we have Shadowmoth."

"Really?" 

"Yes. His identity is..." Ladybug glanced at Jagged Stone. She leaned in and whispered.

Viperion's eyes widened. "How did-"

"Better than I would've. Now, lets go."

"Sorry Dad, I'll explain later!" Viperion yelled as Ladybug took off.

"So... that sounds like an unpleasant surprise."

"It was." Ladybug said grimly. "But it's worked out. We just need to take care of Monarch, and it's over." 

"Good. Need any help?"

Ladybug hesitated, then nodded firmly. "I need you to get this to Max, this one to Kim, this one to Nathaniel, and this one to Marc." She had convinced Felix to take the Peacock instead of the Monkey. He seemed relieved to have something more 'sensible' compared to the chaos of the Monkey.

Viperion memorized which one belonged to which. "What are you going to do?" 

Ladybug smirked. "I have a new Miraculous to hand out, and I still need to hand out the Mouse and Bull Miraculous as well."

"I'll see you soon then." Viperion hesitated. "Are you and Chat Noir going to be revealing your identities?"

"Kind of have to, but then, you do know that, don't you?"

"Oh. Of course Chat Noir... sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay, Viperion. I would have stressed out a lot if you told me when you found out. Now let's get going. We're going to need everyone on this."

He smirked. "Got it. When do you want me to use Second Chance?"

"I trust your judgment, but it will probably be best after I get my lucky charm."

"Got it."

They split off to surprise more of their friends.

Mylene and Ivan stared at each other as they accepted their Miraculous.

Then, after transforming, they had a rather sweet moment. 

Ladybug told them where to go, then went in search of the person she wanted.

She found Zoe exactly where she thought Zoe would be.

"I saw Worker Bee already," Zoe said softly.

"I know. Chloe has really stepped up lately, and she was there when I was kidnapped. But I do have a job for you." 

Zoe looked up. "You do?" She decided to question the detail about Ladybug being kidnapped later. There were other things to worry about.

Ladybug reached into her yo-yo. "Zoe Lee, this is the Miraculous of the Butterfly. Please take care of it. If all goes well... I may decide to leave you with it."

Zoe stared at the brooch before taking it with slightly shaking fingers. "The Butterfly? Isn't that Shadowmoth's?"

"Not anymore." Nooroo smiled at her hopefully. "I'm Nooroo! To transform, you say 'Bright wings rise!'"

Zoe smiled. "I hope we can be friends." She fixed the brooch into place. "Nooroo, bright wings rise!"

She spun in place and looked at her costume up and down while tossing the cane from hand to hand. 

"I can live with this," Zoe decided. "Call me Lavenza."

Ladybug smiled, though she was a little confused by what 'Lavenza' had to do with butterflies. "Great! Let's go! I'll explain along the way."

.

The average citizen of Paris would tell anyone who didn’t see it that the fight that followed took place over several city blocks and several hours. It was epic with everyone using their weapons and ability at least once. 

They were a well oiled team, even Bunnyx and the new holder of the Butterfly Miraculous. Even the newly named Argos worked well as the holder of the Peacock. 

It took longer than any battle before, even with Viperion's second chance. He could only get them past parts of the fight before needing to take a break and recharge. But then he'd be back and making sure there were as little issues as possible.

Finally, Monarch dissolved into nothing. The amok floated away harmlessly once Ladybug released it.

Chat Noir straightened. "Did we do it?"

"You know... I think we finally did." Rena Rouge leaned on Carapace tiredly. "I can't believe we did it." 

"Neither can I." 

Out of nowhere, they were surrounded by reporters begging to know if it was true. If Gabriel Agreste was truly Shadowmoth. It was clear that Shadowmoth had been defeated with Argos and Lavenza right there.

Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged looks.

"We need to check in with the police and catch our breath. We will hold a press conference in two hours to discuss today's fight and the identity of Shadowmoth."

"Will you be sharing hero identities?"

"That depends." Ladybug responded icily. "We shall have to see."

Everyone took off for the roof.

"What was that about?" Worker Bee asked.

"I wasn't exactly subtle about making sure I got all the Miraculous out," Ladybug explained. "Some of you have people you need to talk to, and you need to decide if you want to keep it secret."

"What about you? And Chat Noir?" Pigella asked. 

Ladybug smirked. "Tikki, spots off." 

"Plagg, claws in. We thought it would be good for everyone to see who we are ahead of the press conference. We kind of have to say something at this point. Not going to be easy to hide it considering..."

"Your father was Shadowmoth?" Pegasus asked. "I never would have guessed he was..."

Adrien shrugged. "Neither would I, but here we are. He kidnapped me today to get Chat Noir's attention and to tell me his plan." 

"Marinette? Adrien? Whoa..." King Monkey stared between them. "I never woulda guessed."

"But it makes sense," Lavenza pointed out. "It also explains Ladybug's reluctance to trust Chloe."

Worker Bee huffed. "Yeah yeah, I was an idiot. She gave me more of a chance than I would have given her if I were in her shoes."

"CHLOE?" More than one person exclaimed.

Worker Bee jumped then looked down. "Oops. I forgot."

Marinette laughed. "Alright, if you know now that you're not going to hide your identity at the press conference, then you can share your identity now, how about that?"

"Pollen, buzz off," Chloe said immediately.

Bunnyx, Viperion, Carapace, and Rena Rouge all followed suit immediately. 

Purple Tigress gaped. "Luka? Roarr, Stripes off." 

"Juleka!" Luka smiled, stepping towards her. 

Rose dropped the transformation next, excited to see who everyone is.

"Wait, is like everyone a friend or something?" Minotaurox gaped.

Adrien laughed and wrapped an arm around Marinette. "Unexpected chaos, nice."

"Right?" Marinette grinned at him and leaned on him. "We still need to check in with the police and with my parents though..."

"Oh no..." Caprikid gasped. "No way..." 

"I think it finally hit him that he was working on comics about us and talking to us about them," Adrien whispered. 

Marinette snickered. "Oops."

Nathaniel and Marc revealed themselves right after a whispered conversation.

Before long, everyone on the roof had revealed themselves... except for Argos and Lavenza. 

Argos took a deep breath and dropped the transformation so he could take care of Duusuu. 

To Felix's surprise, no one seemed to question his presence, though he did get a bit of side eye for the chaos he had caused the last time he was in town.

That left Lavenza.

Chloe looked her up and down. "You're Vesperia, aren't you? I think being a butterfly suits you far more than being a bee... Please tell me you're my sister."

Zoe dropped out of transformation, a surprised expression on her face. "How did you know?" She caught Nooroo and smiled at him.

"Please. There's a pattern here. Rena Rouge first appeared when Alya's sisters went villain, then Carapace showed up when Alya needed rescuing from her older sister. Pegasus saved Max's mom and us from space, Purple Tigress showed up for Juleka and Luka's parents getting in a fight and managing to both get akumatized... If Ladybug didn't choose you to face me with my own Miraculous when I went all bananas, I'd be disappointed."

Zoe smiled. "Well, when you put it that way..."

Marinette smiled. "Alright everyone, Adrien and I really need to go check in with the police and my parents before the press conference. See you there in an hour and a half. Tikki, spots on!" She transformed and turned to find Chat Noir waiting with a smirk on his face. 

He waved to their friends. "See ya. Have fun without us!" 

"Wait... Marinette was in love with Adrien. And Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug." Rose pointed out. 

"Yep."

"Adrien was in love with Ladybug... and Ladybug was always blushing around Adrien..." Alix said slowly.

"Yep. I've been thinking about this a lot since we found out today," Alya replied. 

"Well, I kind of knew," Nino admitted sheepishly. "Chat Noir revealed himself to give me the Miraculous to help rescue Marinette and then he found out about Marinette when he got her out of there and she gave him her Miraculous. Wasn't hard for me to put two and two together."

"Wait, seriously? You actually managed to keep it a secret from me?" Alya asked, torn between being upset and impressed.

"Well... it wasn't my secret to tell but it certainly wasn't easy to keep either," Nino admitted. "We should probably go warn our families about the press conference if we're going to reveal ourselves."

"No point in telling our parents." Zoe rolled her eyes. "I think dad will be proud but mom..."

"Ugh. Daddy will do better if it's a surprise." 

"Oh no, my dad..." Sabrina gasped, thinking about her police officer dad. "I hope he's not too mad at me for this..."

"If he is, you can join the club I'm starting," Kagami stated. "My mom will be furious."

"Oh, really?" Sabrina asked. 

Kagami nodded. "I'm supposed to be the perfect daughter. I'm not, and I'm about to reveal it to Paris."

Sabrina was further relieved. "You're not going to tell her ahead of time either?"

"No, if I want to be there to reveal myself I cannot risk giving her a chance to find a way to keep me from appearing." 

.

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed by the police.

They explained the facts as they knew it, promised that Adrien would be available later, and learned what the legal system would do from here.

Both said they would speak on Nathalie's behalf after she helped them. She wasn't Mayura all that long before Gabriel stopped it due to how the Peacock Miraculous affected her.

Then they hurried to the bakery, as it was nearly rebuilt. 

Ladybug paused outside the building, just out of sight of others.

"Are you ready, milady?" Chat Noir asked her quietly. 

"I'm... nervous. I've been hiding this from my parents and I don't know how they are going to react. But they deserve to know before I reveal myself to all of Paris." 

Chat Noir nodded, taking and squeezing her hand. "They do. I don't think they will be too angry. I'm ready if you are."

Ladybug took in a deep breath and let it out. "Right. Let's do this."

They entered the bakery together.

Chat Noir smiled at all the progress that had been made. It was nearly ready for business, and the apartment above was nearly ready for living. 

Ladybug was just relieved that her parents were there.

They stopped. "Ladybug?"

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette let out a sigh and stepped forward. "Uh, hi, mom, hi dad..."

"Marinette!" 

Marinette let out a grunt as her dad swept her up in a hug, her mom following quickly.

"Oh, Marinette. You've been Ladybug this whole time? No wonder you have been stressing so much." 

Marinette nodded, hugging her parents in return. "I... I'm going to reveal myself at the press conference later. All the Miraculous are safe and we got Shadowmoth."

"You did? Is that what all the commotion was about earlier?"

"It was," Marinette confirmed. 

"Who?"

"My father," Chat Noir offered quietly as he stepped forward. "Plagg, claws in." 

"Adrien!" 

Adrien looked down, flinching, but to his surprise, Sabine only hugged him tightly.

"I am so sorry, that must be so hard for you to handle."

Adrien nodded quietly. "It's a lot," he admitted. "But I'm relieved to have answers I've been missing... I know what happened to my mom and why and... I'm just here to support Marinette."

"You are a good boyfriend. If we can work things out legally, you can stay here as long as you need to. We're just about ready for moving in."

"Really?" Marinette exclaimed excitedly.

"We wanted to surprise you. Now is a good time for a surprise."

Marinette flung her arms around them. "Thank you! I can't wait to be home! And thank you for helping Adrien out when he needs it."

"Of course, he was willing to help you, and he's Chat Noir... now this explains a lot, doesn't it?"

Marinette blushed. "It does..."

"How long do you have until the press conference?"

"Um... Another hour." 

"Then let's talk a little bit longer."

.

Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived for the press conference right on time. 

They exchanged looks before stepping up to the podium.

The others who fought alongside them joined them on the stage, all the heroes. Including the new Peacock and Butterfly holders. They were getting a lot of attention from those who had not seen them join the fight. 

"Hello everyone, I want to confirm some facts before we get started. Yes, we have apprehended Shadowmoth and I have given the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous to holders I believe worthy."

"Shadowmoth is Gabriel Agreste," Chat Noir announced. "He was assisted by Mayura who was his assistant Nathalie Sancoeur. She has turned herself in after assisting in our fight using the Pig Miraculous before she became too exhausted."

"Before Shadowmoth started using the Peacock Miraculous, it had been broken. As a result, until he fixed it for his own use, anyone who used it got ill and eventually would lose their life if they used it too much. His wife, Emilie, had been the last holder, and it was the cause of her decline in her health before her disappearance."

"Which turns out to be Agreste's doing anyways," Chat Noir took over smoothly. "She was in a cryo chamber under the Agreste manor. Shadowmoth's goal this whole time was to rewrite the world so she would live, even though it could just give someone else the same problem, or change the world we know. It was a selfish decision that doesn't take into account his son, or what he would do. Just his inability to accept his wife's death." 

A reporter raised his hand. "Speaking of his son... how does Adrien feel about this? How do you know that his feelings were not taken into account."

Chat Noir stepped away from the podium and up to the edge of the stage. "Plagg, claws in. Because I am Adrien Agreste, and all I wanted after my mother's disappearance and death was my father's love and to be able to move forward with my life to become someone both my parents would be proud of. This all started today because my father wanted to let me in on his secret by kidnapping me and conveniently make me bait for Chat Noir who he concluded to be close to me."

"Luckily, he had no clue who he was dealing with," Ladybug added as she joined Adrien. "Tikki, spots off. I was already in the manor, which allowed me to respond quickly. Once we started the fight, Shadowmoth created an idealized sentibeing of himself he called Monarch, which you all saw us fighting. I do not believe any of the fight with Shadowmoth was witnessed by anyone who is not a superhero.”

There was dead silence. 

It seemed the crowd was still processing the two reveals of their mysterious heroes.

Marinette felt exposed, and started feeling anxious.

Adrien took her hand and squeezed, giving her a smile.

She smiled back, relaxing. She could do this. They knew she was Ladybug now. She was dating Adrien, and everyone knew it. She could do this. 

They fielded questions, let their team answer others, and then came the question.

"Is anyone else going to reveal their identity?"

There was a hesitation. No one was quite sure they wanted to be the first to step forward. 

After a moment Carapace stepped forward and became Nino once more. He waved, and gave his name.

Rena Rouge immediately followed.

Argos stepped forward, becoming Felix. He explained that while he and Adrien looked identical, they were cousins.

Others followed until there weren't that many left, just those uneasy about parental reactions.

Lavenza stepped forward and became Zoe once more. She smiled at Nooroo and made sure he was okay before waving to the crowd. 

She spotted her mom and stepdad looking stunned. 

Ryuuko was next. Kagami took the empty space next to Adrien where he gave her quiet support as she announced her name, for her mom's sake, since she would not be able to see Kagami. 

From her mom's reaction, Kagami knew she was going to be in for some trouble, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. Now that Paris knew, her mom wouldn’t even be able to forbid her without there being some awkward questions for her to answer.

Worker Bee gave Miss Hound an encouraging nod. 

Miss Hound took a deep breath in and stepped forward, catching her kwami after she dropped the transformation.

She could hear her dad's gasp of surprise, but when she looked at him, she saw that he was proud at her, though a bit confused. 

Sabrina relaxed. That was the hard part over. If he was proud of her, he couldn't be too angry, right?

Worker Bee stood alone. She had more than just worry about her parents. She was worried about how everyone would take it. Everyone knew Chloe had made a poor Queen Bee. So how would they take learning she had been given a second chance and become Worker Bee instead?

Both Adrien and Marinette gave her encouraging smiles, followed by all the others. 

Worker Bee smiled and stepped forward, becoming Chloe once more. 

The crowed gasped. 

Adrien and Marinette gave everyone the chance to calm down. 

Marinette had to hide a giggle as she watched their teacher count them, looking quite surprised and exasperated. 

Their whole class was represented among the holders, plus a few others. 

Adrien noticed and squeezed Marinette's hand. They'd have to talk to her. See what she had to say. 

Marinette beamed at Adrien. 

The questions resumed one more. 

Marinette and Adrien answered as best they could, careful not to give away too much, but at the same time trying to be as transparent as they could be.

Finally, the conference was over, and they were all able to disperse.

Marinette smiled at her friends.

"You're really sure we can keep them this time?" Rose asked, excited.

Marinette nodded. "I never liked taking the Miraculous back, it was just too much of a risk with Shadowmoth around. Your kwamis love you, and were always asking when they could stay with you. With the threat over... There is no reason to keep them from you."

Everyone was doubly excited at that. 

They were still reeling from learning just who had the other Miraculous. Some were bigger surprises than others. 

And of course, Adrien being Chat Noir and Marinette being Ladybug was the greatest surprise of all.

With everything sorted, Marinette and Adrien said goodbye and headed to the bakery to talk to her parents again. 

All the others had family to talk to after all.

To Marinette's surprise, her grandparents were there too. 

They had seen the press conference and wanted to be sure she was okay, and confirm with their own eyes that she was Ladybug.

Marinette complied briefly and then went to get something sweet for Tikki to eat.

She didn't realize she had left Adrien to be interrogated by her grandparents, who only wanted the best for her.

She came back to find Adrien looking incredibly uncomfortable and stuttering out responses.

"Oh leave him be," Marinette sighed, wrapping an arm around Adrien. "He was very sheltered for most of his life. And very spoiled. His father was very controlling and he didn't start learning how to be himself until he broke free to go to school, and met Plagg, his kwami."

"He is a sweet kid, I would trust few with Marinette."

"Dad!" Marinette groaned. 

Her mom laughed. "Chat Noir and Adrien as the same person, sounds like you got the best of both worlds."

Marinette huffed. "Come on, mom." If she thought she was turning red, Adrien was far worse.

"He was sheltered alright, look at how red he is!"

Marinette grabbed some more sweets and Adrien's hand. "If anyone needs us, we will be up in my room until we feel up to moving my stuff back in!" She dragged Adrien upstairs.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting them to be here."

"No, no it's alright. I... they're nice people. Just..."

"It's so embarrassing when they act like that."

"Yeah." Adrien sighed. "But... they do seem to approve, which is nice."

Marinette smiled. "My parents adore you. You've always been polite to them, and you were really nice after the fire. And they adored you as Chat Noir too."

"I seem to recall that they wanted us to date."

Marinette groaned. "Do not remind me of that incident... No matter how hard I try, I can't get it out of my head."

Adrien chuckled. "I'm sorry, it's kind of silly. Your parents adore you... They're good parents. I've always admired that."

Marinette nodded. "Watching some of my friends' parents, not just your dad but others too...I'm always so grateful for my parents for always trying and for loving me so much. We may not be big and famous, or super rich, but... it's a good life."

"Yeah... You know, when I learned that most of you don't feel scared to go against your parents wishes, that's when I started realizing there was something wrong with how my father was raising me."

"You mean we weren't scared of our parents the way you were scared of your father. We only feared groundings and the look of disappointment. You feared a lot more than that."

Adrien nodded. "His love was tied to him approving of me. If I did anything he disapproved of, he would stop loving me. And that's the way he liked it. I wasn't even trying to rebel, I was just desperate to get out of the house and meet new people. I'm glad I did, of course, but my father would never have allowed it, and it really could have gone bad."

"I bet he only allowed it because of how it would look... once you started appearing in public more, backtracking too much would look bad. So he would have to keep control."

"Yeah, that sounds like him." Adrien sighed. "I know a lot of people will question how could I be so obedient to him, why was I such the perfect kid... And the truth is... I don't know."

Marinette wrapped her arms around him. "I know. That's why you want to get therapy," she reminded him softly. "But... I've done some looking online. Lots of people grow up like you, at least with the controlling parent thing, and would have a hard time disobeying their parents. You're not alone in being a strangely obedient teen."

"Well, that's good to know. Can you point me to some of them?"

"Of course! And Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not responsible for your dad. Anyone who thinks you should have known better, that you could have done something... they're idiots and they don't understand what it's like to grow up the way you did."

"Why do you, then?"

Marinette shrugged. "I try to understand people. And I lived in that house. I saw firsthand how he acted... and I bet that was toned down, he's probably way worse normally."

Adrien winced. "...yeah, he is."

"I'm sorry. But I'm glad I was able to ease things, at least a little. I'm glad he came around to letting me stay. Knowing he was Shadowmoth the whole time..."

"Yeah, I'm not sure why he decided it was a good idea. But it helped." Adrien flopped back. "It has been a day. How is it not even dinner yet?"

"No idea, but we could have an afternoon tea?"

"Sure. An excuse to eat would be nice. I'm starving."

"You did do a lot more than anyone."

"No I didn't."

Marinette gave him a look. "You spent time in the past, explained it all to your mom, brought her to the present, and then back to the past. You've lived more time than we have today. By that alone, you've done more. But you were also kidnapped by your own father, learned the truth of what happened to your mom, stood up to your father and fought him, made the correct decision that today was the best day to let Alix have her Miraculous, on top of being the best partner I could ever ask for."

Adrien blushed. "Well... when you put it like that... I did do a lot."

Marinette kissed his cheek. "You did. And it's over. Shadowmoth is not going to be a problem anymore."

Adrien nodded. "What's going to become of the Miraculous now? We get to keep them?"

"For now." Marinette sighed. "Usually Miraculous, not just the way Master Fu handled it, but in general, are given out to one person for most of their lifetime, until they are ready to give up the responsibility that comes of wielding a Miraculous."

"You mean... We're still heroes, and until we decide we're done being heroes, we keep them. Once we're done with the life of a hero though..."

"Precisely," Marinette nodded. "It'll be hard, but one day, we'll renounce them and continue about normal lives."

"But you're the Guardian..."

"I've been looking at Master Fu's notes and Master Su Han has been somewhat helpful. There are ways to renounce the Miracle box and not lose memories. Being a Guardian isn't supposed to be a thing that lasts ones' entire life. You know the circumstances that led Master Fu to it."

Adrien winced. "Right. Sometimes I forget... You're certain, though?"

"I am. I will probably be Guardian longer than I am Ladybug because I need to make sure I pick the right Guardian to follow me, and I want to make sure they're fully trained first. But if I give up being Ladybug, that is an easier responsibility to handle."

"Oh, that's great!" Adrien smiled. "I was worried."

"No need to worry about me. I'm pretty sure they were just waiting to see if we failed against Shadowmoth, and we have not. I didn't expect it to end this way."

"Neither did I... but I'm glad you're here. Time to get ready for the rest of our lives."

Adrien nodded. "You're right. I just hope everything works out for me... now that Dad's been arrested..."

"I know. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure the fact that you're Chat Noir will help, and it's not like you're that young, either."

"You're right..." Adrien sighed. "I need to talk to him."

"You sure?"

Adrien nodded. "I need to know more. I want to know if I can just write him off or if maybe one day we could have a relationship."

"Alright. Whatever happens, I'm here for you, Adrien."

Adrien smiled. "I know. You're amazing, Marinette."

Marinette blushed. "So are you. We're a team, no matter what."

"Right."

Chapter Text

Adrien took a deep breath in before he entered the room.

He had been given permission to visit his father in prison. 

There were still all the trials to get through, but things were looking up. 

Adrien just needed to know what was going through his father's head first.

He sat down at the table. 

His father was already across from him, cuffs on. He looked disheveled, like he hadn't slept in a long time.

"Adrien."

"Father." 

Neither said a word for a moment. 

"I... where are you staying?"

"With Marinette's parents. I am perfectly fine."

Gabriel nodded, eyes on his lap. He lifted his head to look at Adrien.

"I am sorry, Adrien."

"Tell that to all of Paris after you terrorized them. Tell that to mom."

"But you deserve the apology too. As does Marinette, but I doubt I'll get the chance."

Adrien sighed. "What were you thinking, father? Why? Why do all this? I understand that you had trouble with losing her... but you didn't need to go so far."

"No, I suppose I didn't. I did go farther than most. I should have focused on you instead of my feelings, instead of on her and what I could do."

Adrien nodded, looking at the table. His father was finally getting it. Too late.

Gabriel sighed, slumping. He placed his hands on the table. Then he started talking.

"It all started when we found the Peacock Miraculous. It was broken, but your mom wanted to use it anyway. We had a plan. We would be the silent heroes and people wouldn't even have to remember how we helped them. But then... She got sick. And kept getting sick. Because she was using the Miraculous. I was beside myself. We'd played with things we didn't quite understand. I blamed myself for encouraging it. She was dying because of me. So I threw myself into learning everything I could."

Adrien nodded slowly. "And that's what you were doing between her disappearance and you becoming Hawkmoth for the first time."

"I did experiment with the akumas first, in ways that people wouldn't notice and my victims never remembered it before I made my first move. I was careful, I didn't want the Guardian to know I was active after a run in shortly after Emilie and I first found the Miraculous."

Adrien nodded. "But then you were ready, and you started attacking Paris."

"Yes. I knew that it would cause the Guardian to pick holders, and that it would bring me closer to getting a hold of the Cat and Ladybug miraculous." 

"I see." Adrien frowned at the table, then looked up. "Is that why you let me go to school?"

"I was not sure I wanted you going to school, knowing my plans, but I also realized I was paying less attention to you and it would be better if you could have some company."

"Right." Adrien fidgeted. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do, son. I lost my way, I let my obsession with your mother overrule everything. I should have let her go like she wanted and focused on you."

Adrien gave him a small nod before focusing on the table again. 

"I know I didn't act like it. I-I'm afraid I'm not very good at showing love. My own father treated me worse than I treated you. I wanted to be better than him. I suppose I succeeded but this isn't what I wanted. I see that now."

"Right. Is that why you let Marinette stay?"

"That was when I was realizing just how poorly I've been treating you, yes. I just... was not sure what else to do."

"I'm glad you let her stay with us, especially after everything she went through. It made it easier to be Misterbug." 

Gabriel sighed, looking more defeated as he put his hands back in his lap. He hung his head. 

"I need confess something, actually. I... I set Marinette up. I wanted to catch Chat Noir and I had noticed that he was around her quite a lot. So I set up the thugs assaulting her to distract from the fire, and I paid people off to set the fire to the bakery. And then... I had her kidnapped, and I knew what they were planning with you, and I didn't care because I knew Chat Noir and Ladybug would be there, they always seem to show up when it involves you or one of your classmates, following you on your school trips even. I cannot believe I didn't consider that teenagers could be Chat Noir and Ladybug." 

When Adrien didn't say a word, Gabriel continued speaking. 

"I was trying to do better by you and at the same time, I was hurting Marinette to get to Chat Noir. When I kidnapped you, I was getting desperate. I didn't expect Ladybug to find us, and then you transformed and it all suddenly made sense. How could I have been so oblivious? I am so, so sorry, Adrien. I have hurt a lot of people, and I have done many questionable and even illegal things. And I have hurt no one like I have hurt you and your girlfriend. If you never want to speak to me again, I understand."

Adrien hit the table, shaking with anger. 

"You're the reason that Marinette lost everything? You're the reason she got kidnapped?" Adrien stood.

Plagg flew up to his face. "Easy, Adrien. Remember people are watching you right now. If you hit him you'll get in trouble." Plagg turned to Gabriel, glaring at him. "But I certainly want to give him a cataclysm to the-"

Adrien sighed. "Plagg, now's not the time."

"Alright, but you know where to find me." Plagg dove back into his pocket.

Adrien chuckled. Then he sat back down with a sigh.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Adrien admitted. "I'm going to talk it over with my therapist. But... I do know there will be things you have to do if I am ever going to develop any sort of relationship with you after all this. Starting with... you better be coming clean at your trial, owning up to everything."

Gabriel nodded. "Of course. I will do it."

“Good. Now, why? Why bring my mom back? Why do all of that? What about me? All I ever wanted was for you to be proud of me but I could only ever get that by doing the things you approved of, but those things made me miserable, especially after Chat Noir showed me freedom and I made friends at school."

Gabriel sighed, looking down. "I've given it a lot of thought," he started slowly. "But I don't really have a concrete answer, I'm sorry Adrien. I... I had worshiped your mother. She was always better with you than I was. I thought... I thought that it would be better for you to have her than me, and I went a bit crazy when I lost her. I forgot about you. I never... I never considered that you would find me enough, that you would just want me to change my approach and that would be enough for you despite losing your mother. I... I am so sorry. Nothing I can think of ever makes up for what I did."

Adrien huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back. "I don't want you to apologize. I don't want you to make excuses or anything. I just want explanations. You ruined countless lives, you could have killed so many people if Ladybug couldn't bring them back with her Lucky Charm. Remember that time we were in New York? Yeah. Imagine that every time you fought us."

Gabriel winced, shrinking in on himself. 

"I... I wanted the best for you. I wanted my Emilie back. I... I considered that I wanted to be the best father for you, when you came to me about Marinette I realized that maybe I had been treating you poorly and I wanted to do better... and yet at the same time I was plotting to kidnap Marinette for her to draw out Chat Noir and Ladybug... I was not expecting Catluck or Misterbug. I understand that was my mistake. I was always looking for the fastest way to get the Miraculous to make the wish, so I could bring your mother back. Towards the end, I was getting conflicted. I was hiring real life people instead of relying on Ladybug's Lucky Charm to fix things at the end. I was hurting innocent people and their businesses for my goals."

Adrien's expression didn't change.

"I was changing, but it was too little too late. If you had approached me even a few months before about Marinette staying, I would have said no. If you had started dating Marinette earlier, I would have forbid it from happening. I... I only thought in terms of securing your future, making sure that you would always have money, have a business. I never thought about your happiness." 

Gabriel hesitated, then sighed in defeat. "But in the end, I have no real explanation as to why I held on so tightly to your mother and not tightly enough to you. I do not know how or when my thoughts had become so warped that I didn't recognize what I was doing as wrong. I don't know why I kidnapped you that day to show you my plans. None of it considered you, or reality. I should have handled it like a normal person instead of..." Gabriel sighed and shook his head.

Adrien frowned. "So there is no explanation?"

"No. I let my emotions get the better of me and refused to stop letting them get the better of me until I was a person I cannot recognize. I... I do think some of the worst happened after Nathalie became Mayura. I never wanted her to use the broken Peacock. I didn’t want to watch another go through that again. She only did it to get me out of being caught, and then she convinced me to take advantage of her. By using it once, she had already doomed herself. Using it more would only speed up the process. Knowing I was losing her for Emilie made me more desperate. That... that might be why I started going so far. I was desperate. Maybe I could make a Wish to save them both. I could only make a singular Wish, but that didn't mean I couldn't wish for something along the lines of saving those affected by the Peacock Miraculous while it was broken, instead of just Nathalie."

"I see." Adrien nodded. "What changed your mind about me?"

"Nathalie started doubting our goals after I became Shadowmoth, and she had always expressed concerns about you. It just got worse. And then you came in to ask me about Marinette and I realized you don't ask for things like that much, and you were surprised when I actually agreed. Each thing I allowed you and Marinette surprised you and made you happier. I... I was wrong to have let things get that bad. I realized then that I was doing something wrong. I did a lot of soul searching, trying to figure out what I could do to be a better dad. I wasn't happy that the kidnappers decided to send a message to you and not anyone else, because they weren't supposed to threaten you, though I did know they had plans for you.. In the end, I decided I could figure it out once we had Emilie back."

"You were so close to getting it right."

"I was." 

"But you blew it."

"I did." Gabriel sighed. "I'm going to be seeing a therapist, regardless if it is court mandated. I understand if you do not want a relationship with me. I have hurt you beyond what you deserve. If you do wish to stay in contact, I will be doing whatever I can to be worthy of that." 

Adrien nodded. "Marinette's parents helped me get a therapist. I'm staying with them until all the legalities have settled. Nathalie's hoping she'll be allowed custody. They've decided on just community service and fines for her, especially since she is already suffering for her part in your scheme." 

Gabriel winced, nodding. 

"I didn't mind you being with her. If there was anyone I would have approved of being my second mom, it was Nathalie. She was always there, and she made you happy. That was enough for me. For now... we'll see what happens." Adrien sighed. "At least you have paperwork that says you're no longer considering arranging marriages."

"Why is that a good thing?" Gabriel asked, surprised that it was even noticed. 

"Kagami's mom tried to suggest I stay with her, with the aim to get me with her daughter." 

"Ah... I did draw up that paperwork to deter her once I realized that you and Marinette are a good match, and better for the brand that Kagami would have been."

"Really?" Adrien asked. "I get that you have to think from a business perspective, but how would Marinette be the better choice?"

"Kagami would bring her mother's company as her inheritance to any relationship. She is suited for that, though her mother has higher expectations of her."

Adrien nodded slowly. "And Marinette?"

"Marinette has the instincts and talent of a designer. She will go far one day, especially with resources at her disposal for that, if she keeps honing it. She also gets along with you in a way that proves she can easily be your support, which is something many forget is necessary in a business relationship. You and Kagami are good friends, but I never got the sense that she would support you the way Marinette has."

Adrien stared at him. "Well... I guess you're not wrong... But it's definitely not something I would have considered either..."

"I haven't been teaching you enough about running a business... Nathalie knows, listen to her. But... I also want you to be happy. Make the right choices for that, Adrien. If that means going a totally different direction... go for it. My reputation is gone. You are Chat Noir. You have all the opportunity in the world right now."

Adrien scoffed. "Oh, now you care about what I want, after you've lost everything else. After my mom reminded you that she didn't want you to do that, that she didn't want me to live like that."

Gabriel looked down. "I know. I am sorry. I held on when I should have let go. I learned far too late. If you never want to talk to me again, son, I will understand. If things had gone differently... you might have been in trouble for my actions. I am ashamed that I have hurt you, that I have neglected you. I always thought your mother was the better parent. But that meant I should have tried harder with Emilie gone, not made myself a worse parent."

"You engaged in crime. You hurt Marinette, you burned down her parents' bakery. I can't believe the harm you've caused, not as Hawkmoth or Shadowmoth, but as yourself, hiring those thugs, just to figure out who Ladybug and Chat Noir were."

Gabriel hung his head more. "I know. I lost sight of the people involved, and only saw game pieces. There is no excuse for what I have done, and I will spend the rest of my life atoning for it."

"Good. I think we're finished here. I cannot sit here and look at you anymore now that I know what you are truly capable of."

"Adrien, wait," Plagg flew out of his shirt. "I want talk to him. Can you step out for a bit? And since I can't be recorded, I guess one of those cop guys can come on and watch."

Adrien nodded. "Alright, I trust you Plagg." He rubbed a finger over Plagg's head and left, informing the officer.

Then he waited.

.

Plagg waited until the officer was in the room. "Alright Gabriel, let's make one thing clear. My kitten is far too forgiving. He will be in contact, and when he is you will never hurt him again, got it? You have no idea how hard it was to get him to have a little fun, to get him to go against your orders. You taught him too well that you controlled everything and he would suffer if he disobeyed. If Adrien were anyone else, including several of my holders over the years, he would have snapped and gone rogue, he would have hurt you if you dared to do half the things you did. So be glad he is a good kid. He is the best Chat Noir I've ever had. And you almost ruined him. I'm glad I was there for him because without me, you would have succeeded, you would have had a puppet willing to do everything you wished without care for his own wants and wellbeing. That's no way for a kid to live." 

Plagg flew close to Gabriel's face, glaring. "So, if he does get in contact with you, that's your last chance. Do not ruin it, do not act like you deserve the second chance. Do not break my kitten's heart again."

"I understand, Plagg. Thank you for looking after him while I was too... caught up in my own selfish desires to even truly care about him."

Plagg nodded and then disappeared.

Gabriel watched him go, then sighed. His life was now full of regrets. But... at least Adrien was free to live his life.

.

Adrien was shaking. "Sabine? Tom? I need to talk to you and Marinette."

"Adrien? What's wrong?" 

Adrien wouldn't even look at Marinette, too angry and ashamed of what his father had done.

"My father was behind it all, he saw that Chat Noir was close to Marinette and wanted to draw Chat Noir out by hurting Marinette, burning down the bakery and kidnapping her," Adrien said quickly, trying not to cry. "It's all my fault." 

Tom swept him up in a hug. "It is in no way your fault. Your father made all his own choices. He chose to target Marinette, he chose to hire people for those things. You're not responsible for his choices, ever."

Adrien froze initially, then started sobbing. 

Sabine and Marinette joined the hug. 

"I thought you'd hate me."

"Never, Adrien," Sabine assured him. "You are nothing like your father. You are kind and caring. I could never picture you going along with it if you knew."

"Yeah, Adrien. It's not your fault. It's nice to have answers on why, but it's really not your fault and I certainly don't blame you." Marinette smiled at him.

Plagg wiggled free of the hug to go talk to Tikki, still furious with Gabriel over how he treated Adrien. 

Eventually Adrien calmed down and found himself on the couch between Marinette and her dad. 

"Um..." 

"Do you want to move? We're okay like this, if you are."

Adrien relaxed and smiled at Marinette. "I'm comfortable." 

"Good. Beyond learning things you weren't expecting... How was meeting your father?"

"It was alright. He explained his thought process a bit, didn't try to excuse it, apologized a few times... I think I need time, but I might stay in contact with him. I don't really want to lose him. I just need time to figure things out and... I don't know. He's still my father."

Marinette placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "You get to choose what makes you happy now, Adrien. So don't worry about it too much, okay?"

Adrien smiled. "If you say so. I still..." He shook his head. "My father was Shadowmoth the whole time. He terrorized Paris while I just thought he was a typical controlling father."

"People like that can fool everyone," Sabine said quietly. "No one suspected, not the mayor, not any of his usual allies. No one. He hid it well."

Adrien nodded, then sighed. "It still hurts, a lot. I never knew what he was capable of... Making him happy was my dream when I was little. Mom too. Then I lost my mom. I still wanted to make my dad happy. It took me a long time to recognize that a large part of why I was so unhappy was because I was doing what I thought he wanted instead of what I wanted... And then I had to get past disappointing him... I only went to school because I was desperate for something different than the usual, to be able to make friends with others. I am so happy I did."

"No kid should have to worry about such things," Tom said. "As long as you want to stay here, you can. I don't know what to tell you. I can't relate to what it is like to have a father like that, but I can listen, and I can promise it won't be anything like that any time you visit, and even after the matter of your guardianship is sorted out, you will always be welcome here."

Adrien smiled. "Thank you. Um, can you teach me how to bake? I don't really know much about cooking or baking but I've always wanted to learn."

Marinette tried not to giggle at the way her parents lit up. 

They already loved Adrien, and hoped that he and Marinette would stay together and get married in ten years. 

The fact he wanted to learn baking, their livelihood would only endear him to them more.

Adrien relaxed fully for the first time since talking to his father as they excitedly made plans for what to introduce him to first.

Then they quizzed him on what he did know.

Adrien had almost forgotten about what his father told him by the time he went to bed.

He sighed and made a quick journal entry of bullet points just to get it out of his head. He felt better for it. 

His father had caused this mess. Adrien was only going to make sure he had a place. He was not going to do anything for his father. Not until he was sure his father actually cared.

At least he had the rest of his life ahead of him, and Marinette would be at his side.

Chapter Text

Adrien stared at himself in the mirror. "I can't believe how lucky I am."

"You say that every day, Adrien," Plagg scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"But I mean it! Do you remember when we first met?"

"You mean that sad little kitten I had to rescue?"

Adrien rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. "Yes."

"I do remember that of course."

"I would never have dreamed of this, that one day I'd be getting married to the woman of my dreams- Ladybug or not- and that I'd be free of my father's expectations... I had no idea I would grow to love baking so much."

"Yeah yeah." Plagg finished off his cheese and looked around before getting up to Adrien's face. "I am proud of you, Kitten. You have come so far, and it is on your own merit, it's never been my doing that made you the Chat Noir that you are, that allowed you to overcome your father being Shadowmoth, or that helped you learn to bake from your parents."

"They're not my parents."

"Adrien, please, they're about to be your parents in law and they've already said they don't mind if you call them mom and dad, which you have."

"On accident!" Adrien blushed, then sighed. "Alright, alright, you might have a point. Might. I can't believe it's been ten years..."

Nino appeared at the door, ready for the day. "Dude, come on, let's get those groomsmen pictures you wanted before the ceremony!"

"Alright. Let's do it." Adrien followed Nino. He still couldn't believe it was the day. He was getting married. He was going to be Adrien Dupain-Cheng. 

Marinette had protested, but Adrien was tired of being connected to his father, and dropping his last name was the best way to do it.

Marinette had stopped protesting immediately. 

Adrien laughed through pictures with Nino and the others he had chosen to stay at his side. It had been difficult to choose, because neither he nor Marinette had wanted too many people up there with them. He had settled on Luka, Felix, with Chloe as groomswoman in the end.

He could not wait for the ceremony to begin.

.

Marinette waited, butterflies swirling in her stomach as the time neared. She wore the wedding dress she had designed and started sewing years previous. 

She watched Rose line up to go up first, then Zoe, then Kagami. That just left Alya, walking up with Nino. They were just waiting for the music to start.

Alya turned and winked at Marinette.

Tikki hovered at Marinette's side. "Don't tell me you're nervous!" 

"I think it's an excited nervous," Marinette whispered. "I've been dreaming of this day for years, and it's become a certainty for years. I just hope it lives up to the hype in my head."

"It will... there's your dad." 

"Thanks, Tikki." Marinette took a deep breath in, and let it out. 

As she walked, she thought about the years after they finally stopped Shadowmoth.

The whole team had been revealed with a few holders unknown as they were not the main holders. 

They had thought that the danger was over, with Shadowmoth taken care of. 

They should have known better, with superheroes needed for a variety of reasons across the world. 

It wasn't long before they were facing supervillains looking to make Paris their new base.

They quickly learned that even though the heroes in Paris were teenagers, they were more than capable of kicking anyone's butts thanks to their Miraculous.

In the early days there were concerns about teenagers fighting the supervillains off, until Marinette and Adrien stepped up and asked Paris who was there to defend Paris if not them? 

Supervillains had been in and out for years, often disappearing overnight, then a few years before Shadowmoth first appeared, they stopped showing up completely, like Paris just wasn't for them.

Nathalie confirmed when asked that Gabriel had been Hawkmoth on and off for years, working to drive off any potential villains. He didn't need them interfering with his goals.

Which meant that Shadowmoth had, ironically, kept Paris safe from the problem that plagued many major cities around the world.

Knowing that, and knowing that Paris would not be able to come up with proper superheroes without hiring some within a short time frame, they reluctantly agreed to let the teenagers keep being superheroes.

So long as their parents made sure they were getting sleep and food, and they kept up with their schoolwork and their parents were happy with their superhero-life balance.

With everyone knowing their identities, it was also pretty easy for them to be called out when they were superheroing too much, especially Marinette and Adrien, instead of letting other team members do the work.

Marinette had a hard time not trying to help; with her lucky charm, she could always repair the damage. 

But Paris took a cue from other cities, particularly New York as it had the biggest supervillain problem, and started developing a system for clean up and repairs in instances where she could not make it, or on days she was forced to not work.

The rest of their school years went smoothly, followed by going to college and figuring out their careers. 

Nathalie helped Marinette build her own fashion business while Adrien decided he'd rather take over the bakery one day instead of taking over his father's business, which he gave to Felix when his cousin expressed interest.

Everyone was surprised when Felix and Kagami started dating, but Adrien knew it would work when he saw Felix smile at Kagami for the first time, a real genuine smile that had been rare to appear before.

Marinette was thrilled for them. 

She was still settling into her business, but Adrien was supportive, and she still worked part time at the bakery to take some of the load, especially when there were special orders. 

But being able to focus on the special orders and setting up how the business would work easily kept up most of her time. 

Marinette was pulled out of her thoughts by the music starting. 

Her father took her arm and they stood at the back of the lines, just out of sight of everyone.

"I am so happy for you, Marinette. Adrien makes you happy, and that's all we wanted for you. You have so much more than that."

Marinette smiled up at her dad. "Thank you, for never chasing him away completely."

He laughed sheepishly.

As she stepped into the aisle with her dad, Marinette saw Adrien turn to look. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped and then he was beaming at her.

Marinette took another step, walking slowly as practiced.

As she walked, she couldn't help but think about the little moments that had led to this. 

Meeting Adrien, thinking he was a bully, but then he apologized and gave her his umbrella...

All the embarrassing moments of stalking she had done afterwards to try to make sure he actually was as perfect as he appeared, and reluctant to admit her feelings because of how the one time she had admitted her feelings to someone had gone.

Marinette thought about becoming Ladybug and meeting Chat Noir, how he had flirted with her from the get go.

How she had been flattered by his attention, but interested in Adrien. It was nice though, to have someone so interested in her no matter what she said or did.

She thought about how she had grown more confident after becoming Ladybug. Sometimes because of Alya, but mostly because when she was Ladybug she was the hero, and it showed her that she was not the failure she had started to believe she was.

Standing up to the akumatized villains, which gave her the courage to stand up to Chloe. With Adrien on her side more often than not.

The journey to figuring out who Shadowmoth was. 

The bakery fire.

Getting kidnapped. 

Learning who Chat Noir was by revealing herself. 

The fight. 

The aftermath.

Realizing that Shadowmoth had been operating for years before revealing himself to keep supervillains from invading Paris, and without him, suddenly a bunch of teenagers were the only ones who could protect Paris.

How they stepped up and dealt with all concerns that they were too young, and the concerns for their safety and their family, as they had revealed themselves without considering the consequences.

Getting through school.

Figuring out her future.

All the while, Adrien was at her side. 

There were good moments with just them, with Marinette's parents, with Nathalie and Adrien's bodyguard. With their friends. At school. 

Marinette could see that Adrien had tears in his eyes threatening to fall, and that made her tear up. 

She loved him. Now, they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

.

Adrien sat next to his wife at the reception after their ceremony.

His wife!

He had finally married the woman of his dreams, Marinette, Ladybug. 

He couldn't be happier.

And to think, for a long time he had never thought it would ever be possible to be so happy.

He had initially only wanted what his parents wanted, because he loved seeing his parents smile at him.

His mom delighted in anything he did and encouraged anything that seemed like a talent, while his father liked having him model clothes.

Then his mom had disappeared, and his father had gotten more distant than ever. The only way to get even a hint of a smile was to give him what he wanted.

It took going to school out of desperation to save him. After all, he hadn't even made it to school in order to meet Plagg for the first time.

Becoming Chat Noir had been incredibly freeing, and at the same time he was gaining confidence from being a superhero, he was making friends and learning what it was to be normal, at least for a bit.

It had been hard, slowly breaking away from what his father wanted. Years of therapy had taught him that it was a typical trauma response to a controlling parent. Many had a hard time saying no to their parents even into adulthood because their parents were so controlling and had extreme punishments for stepping out of line.

Adrien was grateful to know he was not alone in that, that there was a reason it was so hard to disobey his father. 

He was more grateful for his therapist, pointing out problems he had considered normal before they could affect his relationship with Marinette and his friends.

Adrien looked over at the gathered people and smiled. They had compromised. 

This was their wedding and reception, for family and friends only.

They entrusted Chloe and the rest of their friends with planning the public party for all the people that would be offended to not be invited to the wedding.

Despite that, the wedding ceremony, and parts of the reception were being broadcast so that people could feel included.

Even better were all the superheroes who volunteered to be on call for Paris if something happened so that Marinette and Adrien would be the last ones called if another supervillain attacked.

There were Marinette's parents, his friends, most of their parents who had been incredible throughout the years after he started going to school.

There was Marinette's uncle, and Felix and Adrien's aunt, and extended family they were obligated to invite.

There were superheroes. There was Master Su-Han.

There was his bodyguard and Nathalie, who had always done their best to walk the line between letting Adrien be a child while still following orders.

Both had continued to be there for him after Shadowmoth's arrest.

After his father's arrest.

Gabriel Agreste was not there and for good reason.

Most of the people could not stand to see him anymore, not after what he did.

Even if he did manage to get probation after so long in prison, people would never be happy to see him.

After all, the only reason things ever worked out when he was wreaking havoc was that Ladybug had her Miraculous Ladybugs to fix everything.

Adrien was glad his father could not be there. 

He had remained in contact, in the hopes of leaving a door open if Gabriel ever got help and started working on things to become a better person.

Adrien was not expecting much of him, but Gabriel had not even hit the lowest bar that would get Adrien to do more than the occasional visit and life update.

"You okay?" Marinette whispered.

"I'm okay, just nostalgic," Adrien whispered back. "And glad my father isn't here."

Marinette kissed his cheek. "I'm glad he's not too. He never did learn."

Adrien put a hand on her cheek to keep her from pulling away. "But you were always there, no matter what he said. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Can you believe we're here right now, milady?"

"No, I can't, Kitty. It's beyond everything I could have hoped for back when I first became Ladybug."

"It really is," Adrien agreed softly, kissing her once more.

Nino stood up for his speech, starting with a joke about how Adrien and Marinette could get so caught up with each other they forgot that others were around.

That caused them to break apart, blushing, though not nearly so as embarrassed as when they were teens.

Marinette leaned on Adrien to listen to Nino talk about their relationship and how close he was to both of them. 

After that, Alya would give her speech, and then it would be time for dancing.

Everything was perfect, even the kwamis were happy with their snack table. 

What happened all those years ago had turned into a blessing. If Gabriel had not been trying to lay a trap for Chat Noir, they would not have found each other, and they would not have found him out either.

But that was all the good will either allowed towards Adrien's father these days, as he had never come around fully, despite the love he claimed to have for Adrien.

It wasn't long before it was put out of their minds again for their first dance, with everyone they loved watching and cheering them on.